Koftas with Tahini, Griddled Aubergine and Beetroot Purée

Tahini is the ketchup of Middle Eastern food. It is to sesame seeds what peanut butter is to peanuts and is strangely delicious spread on toast with honey. 

In this mini mezze, combined with thick yoghurt and olive oil, its rich nuttiness counters the heavily spiced chargrilled lamb, smoky aubergine and sweetly earthy beetroot purée. The beetroot purée has a pleasingly vibrant colour - and makes a welcome change from houmous.

Beetroot Purée

800g raw beetroot (or 400g once cooked/peeled)

1 large clove of garlic (crushed)

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes (or chopped fresh)

200g greek yoghurt

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

Spring onion and parsley to garnish

Lamb Koftas

100g tahini
3tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp greek yoghurt
Salt and pepper


1 onion (finely chopped)

1 large clove garlic (crushed)

1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp ground black pepper
1tsp salt
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
400g minced lamb
Olive oil for frying
100g pine nuts (toasted)

Griddled Aubergine

2 small aubergines
2tbsp olive oil
salt

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Chop the beetroot into chunks, wrap in foil and bake for an hour or so in the oven until tender.

Slice the aubergine into slices about 2/3 cm thick. Brush with olive oil and arrange in a dry griddle pan. Cook on a medium heat, flipping half way until yielding and blackened on the outside. Overcooked aubergine is better than under, so make sure they are soft in the middle before taking off the heat.

Meanwhile, gently fry the onion and garlic in some olive oil until softened. Add the spices and cook for a couple more minutes. Mix well with half of the pine nuts and the lamb mince. Shape into ovals and fry in a little more olive oil for around 6-8 minutes, until chargrilled on the outside and just cooked in the middle. Sprinkle with salt and serve with a little parsley over the top.

Peel the beetroot and put into a food processor with all the puree ingredients. Blitz until smooth and adjust the seasoning. Top with greek yoghurt, parsley and spring onion.

For the tahini sauce, mix all the ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Spread on a platter, drizzle with olive oil and a little cayenne or paprika for colour, sprinkle on the remaining pine nuts and arrange the koftas on top.

Serve with the beetroot puree and aubergine and some toasted flatbread.

Dukka Crumbed Poached Eggs with Puy Lentils and Harissa Roast Tomatoes

This one may not be much of a looker but it is one of my most successful Sunday suppers - a warming, spiced, filling bowl of yumminess. And, since almost everything is improved immeasurably by the addition of a poached egg - with the glossy, yellow yolk spilling over - the deal was sealed and I had to share.

This is adapted from Diana Henry's marvellous latest book A change of appetite: where healthy meets delicious. The recipe will leave you with extra dukka, but it keeps well. Dukka is my new favourite thing, an aromatic mixture of ground nuts and spices, which I have been sprinkling on all sorts of concoctions and found it works particularly well with roast butternut squash. In fact, all the recipe components make a great basis for various combinations - try the lentils with feta and Swiss chard or roasted tomatoes with polenta. Lentils can be awfully boring, if not done well, but puy have the best flavour, so this is a good recipe to have up your sleeve.

Serves 6 as a light main course

For the dukka:

75g hazelnuts
50g sesame seeds
1tbsp sunflower or pumpkin seeds
3 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp ground peppercorns
1 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1tsp ground paprika (not smoked)
2 tsps sea salt flakes

For the lentils:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large or 1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 celery stick, very finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
250g puy lentils
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp of sherry vinegar
3 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp coriander leaves (optional)

For the tomatoes and eggs:

12 large plum tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp harissa (optional)
1/2 tbsp caster sugar
salt and pepper
6 large eggs

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until roasted. Then toast the sesame seeds and then the sunflower seeds. Crush with the hazelnuts in a mortar or pulse in a food processor until coarsely ground. Toast and grind the coriander seeds, then the peppercorns and finally the cumin. Combine with the nuts, seeds, paprika and salt. Store in a jar or airtight container.

Preheat oven to 190C. Lay out the tomatoes and coat in a mixture of olive oil and harissa. Sprinkle with sugar and season. Roast for 45 minutes, or until caramelised and slightly shrunken.

Meanwhile cook the lentils. Heat the oil in a saucepan and soften the onion, celery and garlic. Add the lentils, thyme and bay leaf. Pour on 700ml/1 pint water, season and bring to the boil. Simmer gently, uncovered until the lentils are tender for 15-25 minutes depending on their age (interestingly). They can quickly become mushy so keep an eye on them. They should absorb the liquid, but if they haven't, drain, then remove the thyme and bay leaf. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and coriander. Taste for seasoning.

Once the lentils and tomatoes are ready, crack the eggs into a pan of simmering water until the whites are set and the yolks are runny. Place on top of the lentils and tomatoes and sprinkle with dukka. Serve immediately.

Lemon and Rose Geranium Drizzle Cake

I first tasted sweet geranium whilst at Ballymaloe, where they tended to use it in fruity compotes, but hadn't come across it since, until, upon unearthing an overgrown pot of the stuff in the garden, I have been enthusiastically throwing it into everything. 

Geranium is usually found in cosmetics, and much like rose and lavender, can give its subject a distinctly soapy flavour. Used with care it lends a subtle lemony perfume to a good pud, and particularly complements this buttery, lemon drizzle cake.

This went down a storm - the six of us scoffed it in a record time of 20 minutes. One person, who will remain nameless, had five helpings. And, as a bonus, it is also gluten free.

Lemon and Rose Geranium Drizzle Cake

Serves 6-8

270g unsalted butter
270g caster sugar
270g ground almonds
130g polenta (quick cook)
4 eggs
2tsp baking powder
zest and juice of 3 lemons
4 tbsp caster sugar
large handful of sweet or rose geranium leaves & extra for decoration

Crystallised Geranium leaves:

Brush some clean geranium leaves with egg white, sprinkle with caster sugar and leave to dry. 

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a cake tin.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix the almonds, polenta and baking powder together in a separate bowl.

Slowly beat in the egg, interchanging it with spoonfuls of the almond mixture to avoid curdling.

Stir in the lemon zest. Spoon into the prepared cake tin. Bake for an hour or so. To see if it is cooked, touch the top and it should spring back and not make a bubbling sound.

For the syrup:

Mix the lemon juice with the sugar, may need more sugar depending on the tartness of your lemons, so adjust to taste. Simmer in a pan for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved and it has a syrupy consistency. Stir in the generous handful of geranium leaves and leave to infuse. 

When the cake is ready, drain the syrup. Pierce the top of a cake with a skewer, and pour over the syrup. Leave the cake to cool, turn out of the tin and decorate with edible flower petals and crystallised geranium leaves.

Warm Salmon Salad with Baby Leeks and Capers

As a die-hard and unashamed fan of shabby chic, yummy mummy favourite, Skye Gyngell’s Petersham Nurseries, is a regular haunt of mine for weekend pottering.

The restaurant is more of a location for a special occasion but they also have a little café with salads, cake and tea - so, with this offering in mind, for lunch on Saturday we made this delicious light salad.

Warm Salmon Salad with Baby Leeks and Capers

Serves 8 

For the dressing, use the recipe here (makes extra)

800g baby leeks

600g baby new potatoes

2 tbsp groundnut oil (or other flavourless oil)

5 fillets of salmon (200g each)

8 eggs 

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

3tbsp capers (rinsed and patted dry)

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 200C & bring 2 pans of salted water to the boil

Cook new potatoes in boiling salted water until tender and keep warm.

Brush a baking sheet with groundnut oil, lay the salmon on top and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Trim leeks at base and top, cook in boiling water for 3-4 mins (retain water in pan). Drain and pat dry. Season well, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, lay in a shallow serving dish, toss with the new potatoes.

Boil eggs for 7 minutes in the leek water, when cool enough to handle, peel and slice in half.

Break up the salmon fillets into big chunks and discard the skin, lay on top of the leeks and potatoes, sprinkle over capers and parsley and drizzle over some dressing. Serve immediately.

Quinoa with Herbs and Nasturtium flowers

A take on that most classic of Middle Eastern recipes - tabbouleh - this lush, green, quinoa-based salad brims with vibrancy and freshness. Pistachios provide a welcome crunch and peas, a burst of sweetness. I topped the mix with pretty, peppery nasturtium flowers and some caramelised red onion. We ate it with some hot smoked salmon, a crunchy cauliflower salad and dollop of yoghurt.

Herbs provide the basis for so much of what I cook, lending a freshness and zest to a myriad of recipes, particularly in summer when parsley, mint and basil flourish weed-like in the garden.

Whilst a good balsamic and olive oil dressing is not to be frowned upon, I have included here a recipe for my grandmother’s delicious vinaigrette and the best dressing I have come across. We get through buckets of the stuff; I tend to make a large quantity, which keeps well.

 

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 red onion

Olive oil

100g quinoa (cooked and cooled, as per instructions on the pack)

20g (handful) parsley

20g (handful) coriander

20g (handful) mint

20g (handful) basil

10g fresh tarragon

small bunch chives

30g spinach

20g rocket

3 spring onions

150g petits pois

50g shelled, toasted pistachios

Nasturtium flowers (optional)

Yoghurt

Dressing:

3 cloves garlic

1 tsp sea salt

Pepper

1 heaped tsp dijon mustard

½ cup white wine vinegar

1 ½ cups good olive oil

Slice the red onion finely and soften gently in some olive oil until caramelised and golden, season with salt.

Meanwhile, finely chop all of the herbs. Slice roughly the spinach and rocket and chop up the spring onion.

For the dressing:

In a pestle and mortar, pound the peeled cloves of garlic with the sea salt until you have a smooth paste, season with pepper and stir in the Dijon mustard. Combine with the vinegar and then add the olive oil. Whisk it together and taste for seasoning.

Once the quinoa is cooked and cooled, stir all the ingredients together, mix in a few spoonfuls of dressing and top with the caramelised onion.

Cauliflower Salad

Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower

Good handful of parsley

3 spring onions

Salad dressing (recipe above)

Break up the cauliflower into small florets and steam for a few minutes until just cooked, but still retaining some crunch. Set aside.

Finely chop the parsley with the spring onions, sprinkle over the cauliflower and drizzle over some salad dressing. This can be served warm or at room temp.

A Summer Lunch:

Green Vegetable and Pesto Risotto

This recipe has become a go-to for impromptu gatherings. It uses a lot of store-cupboard ingredients, which can be varied depending on what is at hand or in season. I love taking advantage of all the fantastic veg on offer at this time of year, especially tender green stems of asparagus, which taste particularly lovely here, griddled with a little olive oil until slightly smoky and drizzled with fresh pesto. But, I still think the best way of eating asparagus is to simply steam them until al dente and dip the ends into some buttery hollandaise.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

2 small onions

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

1 glass white wine

500g risotto rice (ideally Carnaroli but Arborio will do)

2 litres vegetable or chicken stock

3 courgettes (sliced into 1cm rounds)

200g frozen petits pois (fresh peas would be even better)

A good handful of beans (sliced runner beans, sliced mangetout or broad beans all work well)

bunch of asparagus

150g parmesan (grated)

1 pot of fresh pesto (fresh would be better, but this is a great cheat)

Finely chop the onions and saute with a little olive oil in a wide heavy bottomed pan. Once soft and golden in colour, add in the crushed garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more. Add in the rice, stir for 1-2 more minutes, then throw in the wine and bubble until it has evaporated. At this point you can start adding the hot stock, one ladle at a time, stirring all the while until all of the liquid has been absorbed, you may not need all of the liquid.

Meanwhile, toss the courgette slices in some olive oil, salt and pepper and griddle until browned on the outside but slightly al-dente in the middle, set aside. Toss the asparagus in some olive oil and griddle until browned on the outside but still retaining some crunch – about 5 minutes should do. Set aside.

Blanch the peas and beans in some boiling water for a minute or so, drain and set aside.

Once the rice is tender, with a slight bite to it and the risotto is creamy with a loose consistency, season well with salt and pepper, add most of the parmesan and half of the pesto and stir through the beans, courgette and peas.

Finally, lay the asparagus stems over the top and drizzle with the remaining pesto. Serve with the remaining parmesan and a glass of cold white wine.

Roast Apricots with Thyme and Honey Marscapone

This summery pudding is wonderfully easy to make. The apricot juices mix with the butter and sugar to create a deliciously tart sauce, cut through with creamy, sweet marscapone or vanilla ice cream. I like to eat these with broken amaretti biscuits scattered over the top which adds a nutty crunch to proceedings and I substituted apricots for some ripe peaches last week, which was heavenly! 

1 tbsp brown sugar

25g unsalted butter

5 apricots

Sprig thyme

Marscapone cheese sweetened with a little honey

Amaretti biscuits (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Halve the apricots and lay out in a baking tray, cut side up. Top each apricot with some sugar and a knob of butter.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and golden. Top with a few thyme leaves and serve with the marscapone or ice cream.

A Salad of Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Broad Beans and Feta

A good salad is all about contrasts of texture. This one provides a masterclass - combining crisp broccoli and seeds with creamy avocado, mint and salty feta. Purple sprouting broccoli unfortunately doesn't retain its beautiful amaranthine tint, but cooked al dente it adds a crispness to the salad and has, in my opinion, a better flavour than normal broccoli. I often make this for packed lunches and it is perfect for eating al fresco, particularly when the garden is looking so lovely..

Ingredients

30g quinoa
200g purple sprouting / tenderstem broccoli (can be substituted with normal broccoli)
90g frozen petits pois
90g frozen broad beans
1 medium, ripe avocado
10g / small bunch flat leaf parsley
10g / small bunch mint
100g feta cheese, crumbled
30g mixed seeds (I use pumpkin and sunflower)

For the dressing:

1/2 clove garlic, crushed
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Tip the quinoa into a pan of simmering water. Simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and spread out to cool.

Steam the broccoli, until just cooked for about 3 minutes. It should retain a good crunch. Run under cold water to retain the colour.

Tip the peas and beans into boiling water for a couple of minutes until just cooked. Leave the veg to cool.

Finely chop the parsley and mint, peel and slice the avocado, set aside.

Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil and tip in the seeds, fry until they are popping and just turning brown. Tip out onto some kitchen roll and leave to cool.

To make the dressing, mix all the ingredients together and adjust to taste.

Now you are ready to assemble. Mix the peas, beans, quinoa, herbs, avocado and a couple of tablespoons of dressing. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with the broccoli and sprinkle over the toasted seeds.

Pinhead Porridge with Blackberries

Last bank holiday weekend I dragged myself out of bed at an unsocial hour after a rather late night and headed over to East London for breakfast at the Workshop Coffee Co. in Clerkenwell, which proved to be well worth the effort made on all of our parts. 

The coffee is roasted on site, it was unbelievably good and worth a trip alone. Liv's smashed avocado was a total winner, my unadventurous choice of poached eggs were pleasingly runny, and Tali's Eggs Benedict with Ham Hock and Chipotle sauce was also good - if less photogenic.

 Pinhead Porridge with Blackberries 

When it comes to breakfast, I am a total devotee of porridge, which has deservedly seen a bit of a renaissance in recent years. It is filling and economical and can be made into something really special with a bit of effort.

I usually use jumbo oats, slowly simmered with a mixture of milk and water and a scattering of Demerara or some Agave Nectar. On the weekend though, I made a little more effort with pinhead oat porridge and some blackberry compote. Pinhead oats are cut rather than rolled like most porridge oats and so take a little longer to cook. Take time with this - simmer the oats gently and keep stirring. The resulting bowl of soft, steaming oats, crunchy sugar and cool cream contrasts beautifully with the fruity compote.

For 1

1/2 cup pinhead oats

1 cup water

1/2 cup full fat milk

For the compote

50g or so of blackberries

Sugar, to taste

Squeeze of lemon

To serve

Demerara sugar

Double cream (optional)

Soaking the oats in water overnight reduces cooking time but is not essential. Combine the oats, milk and water in a pan and simmer gently over a low heat, stirring regularly until the porridge reaches your preferred consistency, this can take up to half an hour. If you are lucky enough to have an Aga, put the porridge in the simmering oven overnight. I like my porridge quite runny but reduce the liquid if you prefer it drier and if it dries out too much, add in a little more milk adjusting as you go. Once the oats are soft and amalgamated, turn off the heat and let the porridge sit for about 10 minutes, with the lid on.

While the porridge is cooking, make the blackberry compote by whizzing 1/2 the blackberries in a food processor and putting through a sieve, stir in the sugar and lemon to taste, and combine with the remaining blackberries. If you don't have a food processor to hand, heat the blackberries with a tablespoon of water and some sugar until softened and push through a sieve.

Serve with the blackberry compote, a sprinkling of sugar and, if you're feeling a bit decadent, a swirl of cream. It reheats well so make double the amount if you wish.