The Food Diaries

Broad bean bruschetta

Pod some fresh broad beans to make 2 cups. Drop in a bit of boiling water and cook for around 5 minutes till just done. Rinse under cold water and peel. Place in a bowl and mash lightly, adding a spoonful of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, some sea salt and pepper, and some finely chopped mint. 

Pile onto toasted country bread slices lightly rubbed with garlic. Drizzle a little more olive oil overtop and garnish with small mint leaves.

Mix and match tomato bruschetta

Grill a couple slices of bread from a country loaf. Rub with a cut clove of garlic. Dice a handful of mixed-colour tomatoes (orange, tiger, canary, red, green) and divide between the two slices. Drizzle good-quality olive oil overtop. Season with sea salt and pepper. Garnish with small-leaf basil.

Wild blueberry bircher muesli

Place 1/3 cup jumbo rolled oats in a small tupperware container. Add 1/3 cup pressed apple juice and set aside till the liquid has been absorbed (about 10 minutes). Sprinkle on 1tbs coarsely ground almonds. Top with 1/2 cup blueberries (wild blueberries if you can find them).

In a small mixing bowl mix together 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2tsp blueberry jam (I like the low-sugar varieties, such as St Dalfour) and 1tsp agave nectar - to taste. Spread evenly over the muesli. Sprinkle with flaked coconut. 

This can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator.

Serves 1.

Spaghetti with cherry tomatoes and a breadcrumb & thyme topping

The breadcrumb topping is known as “poor man’s” parmesan and is a really handy substitute for the real thing.

(Ingredients are per person)

Cook 75-100g spaghetti in boiling water according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, fry 1/4 cup panko (or other breadcrumb variety) in a little olive oil till golden. Mix in 1tsp dried thyme. Set aside.

Drain the pasta of most of the water and return to the pot, along with a large dollog of pesto calabrese (a spicy red pepper pesto from Calabria mixed with ricotta and other Italian cheeses - Barilla makes a very decent version).

Toss in some diced cherry tomatoes, mix in the golden breadcrumbs, season with sea salt and serve with a few small basil leaves scattered overtop. 

Grilled asparagus sandwich with roasted red pepper, hummus and a yuzu dressing

Grill a couple of slices of pain de compagne. Stir fry 8-12 asparagus tips in a little olive oil till nicely charred. 

In a little bowl, mix together 1tbs mayonnaise, 1tbs Greek yogurt, a squirt of sriracha (or other hot sauce), and a few drops of yuzu juice (or lime juice) till well combined.

To assemble, on each of the slices spread on good-quality hummus, top with alfalfa sprouts, lay over some sliced roasted red pepper (from a jar will do), line up the asparagus tips, add a dollop of the sauce, and finely, add a sprinkling of sea salt and  shichimi togarachi. 

Serves 1.

Cauliflower couscous with grilled asparagus and roasted hazelnuts

Coarsely chop a small cauliflower, place in a food processor and pulse till the cauliflower resembles couscous. Place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, chop 12 asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces and fry in a grill pan with a little olive oil till nicely golden.

Toast a handful of skinned hazelnuts in the oven till golden and chop. 

Season the cauliflower with the juice of 1 lemon, a good drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. Add some finely chopped mint and chives, the asparagus and hazelnut and toss.

Optional: Serve with shavings of parmesan.

Italian braised artichokes

Rinse off two Globe artichokes or 4 of the smaller Italian artichokes. One by one, place on a cutting board and chop off the stem. Slice 1/3 off the top of the leaves. Peel quite a few of the outer leaves at the base till you get to the tender ones. Yes, you will be discarding quite a bit of the artichoke. Finally, slice thinly lengthwise. Immediately place in a bowl of water with 1 lemon cut in half (squeeze the juice over the slices as you put them in the water) to stop them from browning.

In a large, shallow pan on medium heat pour a good glugg of olive oil, 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped, and a handful of finely chopped parsley. Scatter the artichoke slices overtop. Add the juice of 1 lemon, and top off with a 1/4 cup water (to keep the artichokes from drying out). Season with sea salt and pepper. Cover the pan and continue cooking a few minutes more till the artichokes are just tender.

Uncover the pan, ensure most of the liquid has evaporated before transferring to two plates.  Drizzle with additional olive oil, add a sprinkling of chopped parsley and scatter shavings of parmesan (optional).

Serves 2 as an appetiser.

Rainbow salad of beets, carrots and chicory with soft goat’s cheese and honey walnuts

A fresh and crunchy salad that is seriously moorish.

Using a food processor, thinly grate the following peeled raw vegetables: 1 large golden beet, 1 large candy-striped beet, and 1 large carrot. Place in a bowl and dress with olive or rapeseed oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, Dijon mustard and sea salt. This can be refrigerated for a few hours as required.

Coat a handful of walnut pieces in runny honey and grill in the oven till nicely toasted.

Assemble the salad by first placing a bed of sliced red and yellow chicory slices on each plate. Place a mound of the grated vegetables in the middle. Top with soft goat’s cheese, such as the Italian Caprino. Drizzle a little olive oil over the cheese and chicory. Sprinkle the walnut pieces around and garnish the top of the cheese with nigella seeds.

Scandinavian coleslaw

Finely shred a pointed cabbage and place in a mixing bowl, along with a large shallot, finely sliced. Sprinkle with a little salt and 3tbs cider vinegar, mix well and let stand for an hour.

Add 1tbs sugar, 1tbs dijon mustard, 3tbs soured cream, 1tbs olive oil, and 2tbs finely chopped dill. Mix well. Season with pepper and scatter some extra dill overtop.

New potatoes with alliums (spring onions, chives and garlic)

If you are attempting to scare away the germs, this recipe should do the trick with its megadose of alliums.

Boil 500g new potatoes (Roseval or other yellow/waxy, red-skinned variety) in plenty of boiling water till done.

Meanwhile, warm a little olive oil in a pan and add 1 cup finely sliced spring onions (including the green bits), 3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped, and fry till softened. Add  1/4 cup each of chopped chives, parsley and mint and turn off the heat.

Place the potatoes in a serving dish, slicing the larger ones in half. Add the herb mixture, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, a knob of butter, and season with sea salt and pepper.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Trofie pasta with pesto and aubergine

Finely cube a small aubergine and place in a hot pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Fry till crisp and golden. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add 180g trofie pasta (or other small pasta shape). Cook according to packet instructions.

Drain the pasta, setting aside a cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the aubergine, add a few heaping tablespoons of good quality fresh pesto, stir in enough of the cooking water to create a thick sauce. Add a good sprinkling of grated parmesan, season with sea salt and pepper and stir. 

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a scattering of little basil leaves.

Serves 2.

Chinese-style broccoli stem salad

Cut a small bunch of tenderstem broccoli stems into bite-sized rounds (around 2 cups). Bring a pot to a boil, drop in the broccoli with a 1/2 tsp baking soda (to keep the stems a vivid green). Drain after 1 minute and rinse under cold water. Drain well and place in a serving dish.

Mix together 4 tsp soy sauce, 3 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp brown sugar. Stir till well combined and add to the broccoli.

Serve at room temperature.

Sweet potato crumble

Peel and roughly chop 3 large sweet potatoes. Cook in simmering water till tender. Drain, return to the pot with 1 tbs butter, some grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mash till smooth and spoon into an oven-proof baking dish.

Melt 1 tbs butter in a pan and add 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I like to use Japanese panko) stir till the butter has been absorbed. Add 2 tsp finely chopped parsley and stir. 

Top the sweet potatoes with the breadcrumb mixture and bake in a preheated oven at 200c for 20-30 minutes till golden.

Serves four as a side dish.

Sicilian pasta with aubergines & tomatoes

This is a nice autumnal vegetarian pasta option - using up the very last of the season’s tomatoes (if you are lucky enough to find some).

Cut up 400g aubergines into a fine dice and place on a non-stick baking pan. Place in a hot oven (200c) till they turn a light golden colour (around 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, fry a finely chopped onion in a little olive oil, till lightly golden. Add 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, followed by 400g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped. Stir around, and add 1tbs tomato paste, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of sea salt, and some ground pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. You may need to moisten with a little water.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 400g spaghetti according to packet instructions (around 10-12 minutes).

Once the aubergines are cooked, add to the tomato sauce, along with a few torn basil leaves, and 60g fresh ricotta cheese (optional). Stir, and add a couple ladles of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir till well combined and serve in pasta bowls, passing around some grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 4.

Chargrilled broccoli with chilli & garlic

A great way to perk up broccoli, courtesy of the king of vegetables himself, Ottolenghi.

Break up a head of broccoli into florets and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and run under cool water. Set aside to dry out.

Meanwhile, slice a red mild chilli pepper into thin rounds. Thinly slice 2 large garlic cloves. Transfer both to a small pan along with 2 tbs olive oil  and fry gently till the garlic just about starts to brown. Remove from heat.

Transfer the broccoli to a roasting pan and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in a hot oven (200C) till the broccoli starts to char around the edges. Place in a serving bowl, along with the chilli/garlic mixture and toss. Season with sea salt.

Serve either warm or at room temperature.