The Food Diaries

St John Restaurant’s brown shrimp and white cabbage salad

This dish is often to be found on the menu at the excellent St John Restaurant in London. I’m lucky enough to be able to find peeled brown shrimp at my local farmer’s market - otherwise, beware. Brown shrimp can be quite fiddly to peel! But the lovely concentrated flavours of the brown shrimp (or crevette grise in French) makes it worth the effort.

Finely shred 400g white cabbage (I used the pointed Spring variety) and place in a salad bowl, along with 130g peeled brown shrimp. In a small bowl mix together the juice of 1 lemon, 100ml olive oil, 1tsp finely chopped capers, 50g lightly chopped chervil, and some sea salt and pepper. Whisk together and mix well into the cabbage.

Serves 4 as a starter.

Ruby chard slice

This is a lovely and vibrant winter snack or appetizer. Cut a few slices from a country loaf and toast. Rub with a cut clove of garlic and set aside.

Meanwhile, finely chop a half dozen ruby chard stalks along with one fat garlic clove. Stir fry in a little olive oil till nicely softened. Pile onto the bread slices and sprinkle on some sea salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

No-cook appetizers for cool summer snacking

When it gets too hot to cook, switch to these bite-sized snacks, bursting with flavour from new season veggies.

Tomato bruschetta: Rub some croutons with a cut clove of garlic, pile on some chopped tomatoes, top with a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and a basil leaf garnish.

Tapenade medley: Rub some croutons with a cut clove of garlic, spread on a thin layer of cream cheese or goat’s cheese, add a blob each of green and black tapenade.

Stuffed cherry tomatoes: Cut cherry tomatoes (red and yellow) in half and gut. Fill with cream cheese or crumbled feta. Top with a peppadew pepper.

Spicy potato wedges

Take three medium roasting potatoes (600g in total), scrub and then cut into 8 wedges. Boil for 5 minutes and then drain. In a large bowl mix together 1tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground chili, and a sprinkling of herbes de provence. Stir in 1 tbs olive oil and combine till you obtain a paste. Add the potatoes and coat well in the mixture. Don’t worry if the potatoes get bashed about as the extra surface texture will help make a crispier outer coating.

Place on a baking tray and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 200c till golden (around 25 minutes).

Ideally, serve these with a side of mini burgers and a garlic mayo.

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Tuscan sage fritters

These Tuscan savoury delicacies are oh-so-crisp and pretty, and are a treat to nibble on with a glass of Prosecco in hand.

In a shallow bowl whisk together 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup water till you get a thickish paste. Heat 1/3 cup rapeseed/canola oil in a non-stick pan. Dip 10-12 large sage leaves in the batter and then let the batter drip off before placing flat in the pan. Flip over once crisp and golden. Remove once the other side is also crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen towel and sprinkle with sea salt before serving.

Best served warm.

Portuguese-style ratatouille

Portuguese cuisine is not known for its vegetables, which are generally treated as an afterthought and only added if room can be found on the plate not already taken up by either a large piece of grilled meat or fish! In many restaurants they don’t even bother listing them on the menu.

This recipe, however was inspired by a tapas I was served in a rare vegetarian restaurant in Lisbon. Although there is indeed a lot of fine chopping involved in the recipe, it is otherwise simple to prepare and can therefore be completed with company in the kitchen, and perhaps sipping a glass of wine!

In a large pan place a large glug of olive oil over medium-high heat and add the following vegetables, all very finely cubed (leave the skin on but remove any seeds): 1 aubergine, 1 courgette, 1 red or yellow pepper, 2 red or yellow tomatoes, 3 garlic cloves.

Stir fry the vegetables this they soften and start to crisp up around the edges. Now add 2 heaping tablespoons massa de pimento*, some sea salt and pepper, and some dried thyme leaves, crumbled into the mixture. Heat through.

You can serve this Portuguese-style, as a small accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, or on some grilled bread as a tapas, as in the photo above.

* This is a salted/cured roasted red pepper puree from Portugal. You could substitute tomato puree or a pureed, small jar of roasted red pepper. These Portuguese peppers are slightly spicy so you can also add a few flakes of chilli pepper if you like.

Red curly kale crostini

This recipe only uses the stalks of the kale (which normally get discarded in recipes) and also works well substituted with either green kale or swiss chard.

Finely chop a few stalks of red kale (1 cup). Add to a small frying pan with a glug of olive oil. Bring to a medium heat and stir. Now add 2 large finely chopped garlic cloves and stir again. Cover briefly to steam the stalks.

Meanwhile take a couple of slices of coarse country bread and toast till golden. Rub with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Uncover the kale, season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper and distribute evenly between the bread slices.

Makes 2 crostini.