The Food Diaries

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.

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.

Spicy Moroccan carrots

Peel (or just scrub) 1lb smallish carrots (if you can find the yellow variety, even better) and slice into small rounds (not too thick). Simmer in water for about 10 minutes (they should still retain a bit of a bite). Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 2tbs olive oil in a pan and slowly fry a small onion, finely chopped till soft and very lightly golden (around 10 minutes).

Add the carrots to the onion, along with, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1 medium green chilli, finely chopped, and 1 spring onion, finely chopped. Also added your spices: 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. If you can find a Moroccan spice mix then by all means, replace with that.

Stir in 1tsp honey or pomegranate syrup, and 1 tbs white vinegar. Stir around and season with sea salt and pepper.

Serve either warm or at room temperature will a dollop of Greek yogurt on top (optional), and some chopped fresh coriander (if you like the stuff).

Carrot & beet fritters

A lovely but straightforward alternative to falafel.

In a bowl mix together 1 cup grated raw carrots, 1 cup grated raw beets (peeled, and if you can find the golden/yellow variety of beet, all the better), 1 egg, 2 heaping tbs flour, and a pinch of salt. (optional: add 1/2 cup chopped onion though I prefer to do without).

Form into small patties and place in a hot frying pan in which you have warmed 1 tbs rapeseed oil. Fry till golden on both sides and cooked through.

This is great served alongside some pita bread and houmous.

Panzanella salad

(AKA what to do with a stale loaf of bread)

Tear up some leftover, stale ciabatta bread (1/2 loaf) into bite-sized pieces and place in a large, shallow salad bowl. Add 4 medium-sized tomatoes cut into wedges, 1/2 cucumber peeled and cut into chunks, and 1 small red onion, sliced thinly. Mix all together with your hands.

Whisk together 3tb olive oil with 1tb red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad, cover and refrigerate (at least 1 hour but even overnight will work).

Stir again before serving. Drizzle a little more olive oil over top and sprinkle with 12 basil leaves, torn into pieces.

Purple cauliflower couscous

This couscous is completely addictive as it is so light and fluffy. You can use regular cauliflower - the effect will just be a little less dramatic. It’s also a great recipe to get kids to eat their vegetables as the cauliflower is dressed in camouflage.

Add 125ml hot water (or vegetable stock) to 125ml/90g couscous (I prefer using barley couscous for a lighter texture). Set aside. Cut 350g cauliflower (equivalent of 1 small cauliflower) into small chunks (discard the thicker stem area). Boil for 4-5 minutes in water and immediately drain. Place in a food processor and pulse till you see a couscous-like meal forming. Add to the couscous, toss and season with sea salt and a couple tablespoons olive oil.

Makes 3 servings (note you can double the couscous quantity for a bulkier consistency).

Pan con Tomate

This Spanish tapas recipe is a great way to use up super-ripe tomatoes.

Cut four slices of crusty sourdough baguette and lightly toast. Rub each (one side only) with a cut clove of garlic. Slice two ripe small tomatoes in half and rub the cut sides into the bread, leaving behind as much of the pulp as possible. Discard the skin.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and add a sprinkling of sea salt. Garnish with basil leaves if you have some to hand.

Serves 4.

Variations: Add a slice of serrano ham or manchego cheese for a more substantial snack.

Aubergine (aka eggplant) & red pepper tart

This is a really light, savoury summer tart - which can easily be made dairy-free/vegan.

First up, make your pastry base [skip to the next paragraph if you have some store-bought shortcrust pastry to hand]. In a food processor (with a pastry hook attached), place 250g butter (or substitute with “good for your heart” cooking margarine) cold and cubed. Add 500g flour and a pinch of salt and pulse till you get a coarse meal. With the motor running slowly add 125ml (1/2 cup) cold water till the mixture forms into a rough dough (do not overbeat). Place on a floured surface and fold over the dough three short times till you get a smooth consistency (do not over knead). Refrigerate 30 minutes before using. Cut the dough in half and set aside one half for another time (it freezes well).

Roll out your dough thinly and place in an 21cm/8-inch round tart pan, trimming the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg yolk, prick the bottom with the tins of a fork and bake in the oven (180c) for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest 2-3 minutes before using.

Meanwhile, slice 1 large aubergine into rounds (not too thick), brush both sides with a little olive oil, place on a non-stick baking tray in one layer and and bake in the oven at 200c till golden on both sides (turn the aubergine over halfway through) .

While the aubergine is baking, make the sauce. Fry 1 small red onion, finely chopped in a little olive oil on medium heat, till translucent. Add a jar (250g or 1 1/2 cups) of grilled pimiento (mild) peppers along with 1 tbs balsamic vinegar, some chopped fresh thyme, seasoning with sea salt and pepper. Heat through. Puree till smooth.

To assemble: brush the bottom of the semi-cooked tart with either 1tbs creamy Dijon mustard or 1tbs pesto. Spread a couple tablespoons of the red pepper sauce and then place a layer of aubergine overtop to cover. Repeat. Finish with a final layer of sauce and sprinkle on a thin layer of breadcrumbs (around 2tbs).

Put the tart back in the oven for around 15 minutes - or until the breadcrumbs are nicely golden. Garnish with a handful of little basil leaves. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Linguine with courgette (zucchini) blossoms

This is a lovely and bright summer dish which really brings out the delicate flavours of the blossoms.

Warm 2 tbs olive oil in a large pan. Now add 1 carrot and 1 red onion, finely chopped. Stir over a medium heat till the onion becomes translucent. Now add 12 courgette flowers sliced lengthwise, and 1 courgette, finely chopped (unless of course you are lucky enough to have the baby courgettes still attached to the courgette flowers, in which case you use those). Stir around, and now add 350ml good quality chicken or vegetable broth, a pinch of saffron threads, and a handful parsley, finely chopped. Reduce down till there is a film of liquid remaining.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and add 350g linguine pasta. When nearly done, scoop out 100ml pasta water into a small bowl and whisk in 1 egg yolk. Add both the drained pasta and the yolky water to the vegetables and mix well in the pan before serving. I like to garnish this pasta with 150ml toasted breadcrumbs and a dusting of parmesan.

Serves 3-4.

For a vegan version: omit the yolk altogether and instead stir in a little soya cream at the end.

Yellow tomato risotto

Peel and deseed 450g ripe yellow tomatoes. Dice the tomatoes, sprinkle with sea salt and place in a sieve over a small bowl. Set aside.

Repeat as above with 250g ripe dark red tomatoes.

Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a deep pan, add 1 onion, finely chopped and stir over a medium heat till softened. Add 300g risotto rice (I used the delicate Aquerello variety) and stir for a couple of minutes till well-coated with the onions. Add 250ml white wine and let reduce down completely. Now start adding some vegetable stock, one ladle at a time, waiting till it gets absorbed before adding the next (you will need about 600ml in total).

When the rice is nearly done (i.e. al dente - so with still a bite to the grains of rice), turn off the heat, add the chopped yellow tomatoes and strained juice, cover, and set aside for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 2-3 tbs finely chopped basil leaves to the red tomatoes and a little glugg of olive oil. Stir and set aside.

To serve: divide the risotto between four pasta bowls, garnish with the red tomatoes mixture and a sprig of basil, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper. Pass around some grated parmesan at the table.

Serves 4.

Italian grilled aubergine slices

I love the mauve varieties of aubergine which, with their creamy and dense interiors, lend themselves perfectly as a meat alternative. The less you do to these aubergines however, the better. The combo of herbs, olive oil and lemon juice is a Sicilian classic.

Slice a large mauve aubergine into rounds (5mm thick). Heat up a grill pan on the stove top and brush with a little oil. Brush the aubergine rounds in olive oil too. Grill the rounds on both sides till they are nicely marked by the grooves of the pan and transfer to a serving platter.

In the meantime, in a small bowl place 3 tbs olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 tbs chopped parsley, 1 tbs chopped basil, and some sea salt and pepper. Beat till well-combined and creamy and pour over the aubergine slices.

You can serve these straight away or leave overnight to marinate in the refrigerator.

I like to serve the aubergine as part of an antipasto platter (grilled peppers, shavings of parmigiano, marinated mushrooms, olives, etc.) alongside plenty of crusty bread to mop up the juices and oil.

Braised spinach shoots - testine di spinaci

This dish cheerfully sits under the category of “waste not, want not”.

Next time you buy long leaf spinach, the ones with the pink-tipped stems still attached, rather than throwing them in the bin, trim them to a thumb’s length, rinse thoroughly under cold water and slice in half length-wise. See photos above.

In Italy they call these shoots testine di spinaci and are a speciality of the Veneto region. Here’s my take on this recipe:

Take around 6 large, cleaned spinach shoots (as above) and place in a small pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil and throw in 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped. Place on a medium heat and cover. Toss occasionally. You shouldn’t need to add any water as the spinach shoots will extract quite a bit of water into the braising liquid. Once well-softened, but still retaining their vibrant colour transfer the shoots to a serving dish. Season with sea salt and pepper and add a final drizzle of olive oil.

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.

Rainbow chard, prepared Greek-style

These are such beauties, and certainly more inspiring than the regular green and white variety of chard. I like to keep it pretty quick and simple, the better to keep the colours of the stalks and leaves vibrant and bright. This Greek-inspired recipe should work equally well with beet leaves.

After rinsing the chard separate the chard into two piles, the leaves in one and the stalks in the other.

Take the rinsed chard leaves (1 large bunch) and place in a large pan with a small amount of water (1/4 cup), cover and steam for a few minutes till the leaves start to wilt a little. Uncover, let any remaining water evaporate, and add 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, a glug of olive oil and the juice of 1/2 of lemon. Season with sea salt and pepper and stir around.Remove from heat and serve at room temperature.

For the stalks, serve them crostini style as in the following recipe.