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Текст
SAVE ENERGY The one kitchen gadget you need for 2023
ON SALE 1-31 JANUARY 2023 £5.75 • deliciousmagazine.co.uk
FOOD MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
Crumbs!
Next
level
pasta
IN WITH
THE NEW...
Cavolo nero
& confit garlic
linguine with
zesty panko
pangrattato
WARM UP COLD
WINTER NIGHTS
• DIY chilli oil
• NEW veggie one-pots
• Modern Burns Night inspo
• Bake the trend: Edd Kimber’s
cacio e pepe brioche buns
10-minute marvel.
If you make one thing…
Scrambled eggs might seem unusual companions for carbonara, but the savoury flavours
of the classic Roman dish enrich the silky eggs. Result? A seriously indulgent breakfast
Scrambled eggs ‘carbonara’
Serves 2
Hands-on time 10 min
Putting the pancetta in a
cold pan and gently heating
it allows the fat to render
out completely and be incorporated
into the eggs – if you start with a
hot pan, the meat may burn before
the fat is released. Remove the
eggs from the heat just before
they’re fully done as they’ll finish
cooking in the residual heat.
a low heat and cook, gently stirring
every now and then, for 5 minutes
or until the eggs are nearly cooked.
Meanwhile toast 2 large or
4 small slices of sourdough bread.
Remove the eggs from the heat
and gently stir in the pancetta.
Butter the toast, top with the
eggs, then finish with more
parmesan and black pepper.
Per serving 796kcals, 45g fat
(18.3g saturated), 48.9g protein,
47.4g carbs (1.7g sugars), 3.9g salt,
2.9g fibre
RECIPE: TOM SHINGLER. PHOTOGRAPH: KATE WHITAKER. FOOD STYLING: POLLYANNA COUPLAND. STYLING: TONY HUTCHINSON
BE A
BETTER
COOK
Put a large knob of unsalted
butter and 100g pancetta cubes
or chopped guanciale in a
saucepan, then put over a low heat
and fry for 5 minutes until crisp.
Remove with a slotted spoon,
keeping the fat in the pan.
Whisk 6 medium free-range
eggs with a splash of milk or
cream and 50g finely grated
parmesan, then season with a
pinch of salt. Add to the same pan
with a generous amount of black
pepper and whisk again. Put over
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 3
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CULINARY CRUISE
welcome.
The recipe I’m
making first…
PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL MITCHELL, ANDREW HAYES-WATKINS
It’s got to be the pot-roast
chicken on p65 — a whole meal
in one pressure-cooked pot,
ready in far less time than it
takes to watch an episode of
Stranger Things on Netflix.
t’s cold outside, and the overriding
temptation is to turn the heating
up a notch – except, no... What about
the fuel bills?! Energy use is front of mind as we kick
off the new year, and with that in mind we have 20 pages
on shopping and cooking in a way that’s kinder to your
pocket – and the planet. As part of that, the team and
I had a long debate about various energy-saving gadgets
trending on social media, and we agreed on one piece
of kit that’s an essential purchase for any time-poor,
energy-conscious cook. Turn to p62 to find out what it is.
I’ll put my hand up to say I’m a convert – and Catherine
Phipps’ recipes provide tempting inspiration for adjusting
my weekly cooking habits. I’d love to know what you think.
Beyond that, look out for our brand new Eco Pick logos
denoting buys with strong sustainable credentials. And
don’t miss our Be A Better Cook logos on recipes too,
designed to highlight key skills, develop your knowledge
further and take your cooking to the next level.
Yes, 2023 is all about looking ahead, planning special
moments (the rarer they are, the more important – see p116).
And if all else fails, on a frosty day I’ll be baking Edd Kimber’s
cacio e pepe rolls – because cheese and bread are always
a good idea. Happy new year – and happy cooking.
KB’s top table
I could eat at Bubala in
London’s Soho every day for a
month. The veg-centric menu
champions Middle Eastern
flavours, all tantalising to the
palate. Star dish: halloumi
baked with honey. bubala.co.uk
MAGAZINE
OF THE YEAR
EDITOR OF THE YEAR,
FOOD & DRINK
Editorial director, delicious.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @editorkarenb
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 5
January
3
8
13
14
16
COVER RECIPE
Cavolo nero and confit
garlic linguine with
panko pangrattato p22
PHOTOGRAPH:
ANDY GRIMSHAW
RECIPE:
POLLYANNA COUPLAND
FOOD STYLING:
LOLA FAURA
STYLING:
VICTORIA ELDRIDGE
19
20
28
32
41
48
82
72
If you make one thing…
Eggs with an Italian slant
Appetisers Food news, book
reviews and pub of the month
What’s on the menu? Ways to
combine this month’s recipes
Over to you The best from our
mailbox and more
Hotlist Choice homeware and
cookware to refresh your space
A glass of stout with...
Food critic Jimi Famurewa
Next level pasta Break the
rules (don’t tell the Italians!)
Letter to my food hero Elainea
Emmott honours a great chef
Burns Night updated Roberta
Hall-McCarron’s modern menu
Parmesan: the wonder stuff
The story of Italy’s big cheese
– plus must-make recipes
Debora Robertson Why the
French love winter citrus
Appetite for change The
charity forging friendships
via the magic of dumplings
How to make sustainable
pulses the star of the show
6 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
41
114 Discoveries Taste-tested
goodies we recommend
116 Travel Celebratory escapes
122 Champion producer Sozyë’s
ethically made soy sauce
130 Talking point Why do chefs
get salty about seasoning?
80
Be a better cook.
88
52
54
56
How to roast like a pro Top
tips for comfort-food season
Technical bake Cacio e pepe
rolls, courtesy of Edd Kimber
The project Discover the
crispy chilli oil cult
Be a sustainable cook.
61
62
72
Don’t bin it! Waste-avoiding
hacks for citrus
Pressure cooker heaven Not
tried one? You’ll be converted
as quickly as it cooks your tea
Pulses: it’s time for a revival If
their eco-creds don’t convince
you, the recipes will
Don’t just grate it! New ways
to cook with parmesan
Fish of the month Why
pollock is a real catch
Drinks.
85
86
Cocktail of the month
A Dry January refresher
Susy’s best buys Low in
alcohol, big in flavour
Beer school Lighter beers
for dark nights
Make it every day.
90
In with the new! Family
dinners with colour and zing
98 One-pot victories Alan
Rosenthal keeps it simple
104 Easy bake Moreish ginger
slices from New Zealand
Health matters.
109 Health news Info and advice
110 Eat smarter Why what you
serve together on your plate
makes a difference
104
A spiced bake that’ll
become your new favourite
in this issue.
Other great stuff.
106 SUBSCRIBE... and get
a FREE copy of a brilliant
veggie one-pot cookbook
108 COMING NEXT MONTH
113 TRAVEL CLUB Discover food
heaven on a tour of Puglia
124 RECIPE INDEX
128 TAKE FIVE Our crossword
puzzle and quiz
62
The gadget that makes
cooking under pressure fun
54
Edd Kimber’s on-trend,
cheesy ‘carb coma’ bake
48
Let zingy seasonal citrus
brighten up January baking
Inspiration, bite-size news, reviews & great stuff to do
10 GREAT MOOD-LIFTING THINGS
TO DO ON A WINTER’S DAY
BUILD a snowman, have a snowball fight or go tobogganing – if January does its
worst (or best, depending on how you look at it!)
WALK on a beach or take a long frosty walk on a sunny morning in the country
BUY a Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) and put in a pot by the front door
MAKE buttered rum – see deliciousmagazine.co.uk for a recipe
WASSAIL on 5 or 17 January (the new and the old Twelfth Night). Find a
directory of events at tradfolk.co/customs/wassailing/where-to-wassail-this-year
BOOK lunch in a cosy pub (see overleaf)
INVEST in a new board game (our top choice: Codenames)
BAKE bread. Kneading dough is therapeutic, the smell of bread baking
is second to none – and eating the finished loaf is even better
MAKE a batch of hot, tongue-tingling chilli oil – see p56 for the recipe
READ a good book by the fire (see our list of the best reads of 2022
at deliciousmagazine.co.uk)
january moments.
HOT BOTTLES
Wake up your palate
after the riches of
Christmas: online
hot sauce club Bauce
Brothers – which
champions small batch
UK makers through its
shop and subscriptions –
has announced its Sauce
Awards winners (right),
judged by chilli experts
including chef James
Cochran. Order the
winning bundle for
£34.99 from
baucebrothers.com
AND THE SAUCY WINNERS ARE…
BEST FERMENT Louisiana Hot Sauce by Common Sanity
BEST CLASSICO Original Reaper by Shots Fired
Hot Sauce
BEST COLLAB Smokey Maple Mustard Hotsauce
by Lou’s Brews and V-REV
BEST WILD CARD Naga Viper, Chinese Plum &
Raspberry Chilli Sauce by DevilDog Sauces
BEST CALIENTE Fiery Naga & Scotch Bonnet
Smokin’ Hot Sauce by Kickin’ Chilli
WORDS: KAREN BARNES, PHOEBE STONE. PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
On your marks,
get set... book!
You can’t get better than Bake Off
for cosy family viewing… But did
you know the show is landing in the
West End as a new comedy musical
infused with GBBO’s signature
charms? It’s an inside-the-tent look
at a new batch of contestants and
promises sweet storytelling, original
songs – and an eerily familiar-looking
judging duo. If you watch the TV
series for the camaraderie as much
as the cakes, this might be for you.
25 Feb to 13 May, Noël Coward
Theatre, tickets from £42.75;
delfontmackintosh.co.uk →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 9
PUB OF THE MONTH
THE BELL, BRISLEY, NORFOLK
PUBBY CREDS If ever there were a spot to make a beeline for on
a mizzly January day, the Bell is it. Our visit was an impromptu
one on a Friday with old friends who live nearby. There was a
chill in the air, and walking into such a golden-glow setting, fires
crackling in inglenook fireplaces, was a fine antidote to the
howling gale outside. The views out front are of beautiful Norfolk
countryside – so open and stark in the winter; so big and wide in
summer. Dogs sniff your boots and wag their tail as you pass, and
big leather sofas and chairs beckon you to sink down and forget
about everything else for a couple of hours.
THE BOOZE A good selection of cocktails, mocktails, real ales and
local guest beers (Adnams, Boudicca and Barsham Oaks bitter
were on tap when we visited). The wine list is arranged by ‘Good’
‘Better’ and ‘Best’ – nice – with an interesting mix of predominantly
European wines, plus a smattering from the rest of the world,
English sparklers and stills. Prices are reasonable.
THE FOOD Head chef Hervé Stouvenel’s meat-centric menu offers
classic dishes along the lines of rib-eye steak (£33), calf’s liver
with mash (£19) and roast partridge with sprouts, bacon and
onions (£20). Plus the obligatory hand-cut chips. Fish and veggie
dishes get a brief hello. Puddings are of the crowdpleaser applecrumble-sticky-toffee-pudding-banana-split variety. This is full-on
fare, but they’re just as happy for you to pop in for a fill-a-gap
snack of toast, wild mushrooms and melted stilton. Yes please.
THE WALK There’s a common just beyond the front door to work
up an appetite – or walk off your excesses.
CAN YOU STAY? Yes – six good-looking rooms (not tested by us),
with room rates from £145. thebrisleybell.co.uk
Budget cooking expert and anti-poverty
campaigner Jack Monroe’s new title
Thrifty Kitchen (Bluebird £19.99)
includes over 120 low-cost recipes, plus
household tips. Buy it from bookshop.org
and a copy will be donated to a UK food
bank in partnership with the Trussell
Trust*. A free ebook by Jack, 30 Thrifty
Meals for Less, will also be available from
panmacmillan.com and trusselltrust.org.
Not-for-profit cookery school Life
Kitchen helps people whose senses have
been affected by cancer to rediscover the
joy of food. It’s launched a free new
budget-conscious cookbook with charity
Big C, including 15 recipes. 5,000 copies
of Essential Flavour are available (£3
postage, while stocks last), or download
the ebook at lifekitchen.co.uk.
PHIL BARNES PHOTOGRAPHY. *LIMITED TO 1,000 COPIES. BOOKSHOP.ORG DISTRIBUTES A PORTION OF COVER PRICE SALES TO INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOPS. PUB REVIEW: KAREN BARNES
The power of books
*SURVEY CONDUCTED BY ONEPOLL FOR WARBURTONS, WITH A SAMPLE OF
2,000 UK ADULTS IN SEPTEMBER 2022, TO MARK NATIONAL CRUMPET WEEK.
january moments.
BACON SARNIE, ANYONE?
A recent poll named the breakfast staple the best comfort
food. But do you agree with the other rankings?
1 Bacon sandwich
2 Apple crumble
3 Roast chicken dinner
4 Toast with butter
5 Cheese toastie
6 Hot chocolate
7 Roast beef dinner
8 Lasagne
9 Spag bol
10 Sausage, mash & gravy
72%
...said comfort food is one of
the best things about the
colder seasons. Almost half
indulge to raise their spirits, and
29% do the same after a bad
day at work.
41%
Green your eats
Looking to make green changes in 2023?
Be galvanised by Unearthed: Journeys into
The Future of Food, the latest podcast
from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Presented by ethnobotanist James Wong
(above with gardener Helena Dove),
garden historian Advolly Richmond (above
right) and eco food grower Poppy
Okotcha (right), it digs into the problems
with our current food system. Guests
include journalist Dan Saladino (author of
Eating to Extinction), low waste chef Max
La Manna and leading researchers, with
conversations aiming to understand how
plant science – and adapting our eating
habits – can help sow a brighter future.
Listen where you get your podcasts. →
...find comfort with a cup
of tea and 1 in 5 with a
crumpet – top toppings
include butter (obv),
jam, honey and Marmite
52%
...still cook the meals
they ate growing up,
with over a third
using recipes from
their mum
Winter is
the time for
comfort,
for good
food and
warmth, for
the touch
of a friendly
hand and for
a talk beside
the fire: it is
time for
home
Edith Sitwell
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 11
january moments.
2023: FOOD TRENDS UPDATE
We asked food writer Clare Finney to gaze into her crystal ball
to predict what will be big – and what will be binned – this year
On the up
Going strong
Going down
SEAWEED GALORE
360-DEGREE SUSTAINABILITY
AVOCADOS
You’d have to have had your head in
the sand to have missed seaweed
on menus and in shops recently (see
p122). New farms such as Sea
Grown in North Yorkshire will grow
at scale. Good news for coastal
communities in need of jobs – and
for the climate: seaweed removes
carbon from the atmosphere.
Recycling is no longer enough to
salve a restaurant’s conscience.
Just as important is supporting
sound farming and fishing practices
and ensuring everyone, from
suppliers to staff, receives a liveable
wage. The Green Michelin Star
rewards the best.
With their air miles and
high water usage, they’re
the bête noire of chefs
and shoppers trying
to reduce their carbon
footprint. Even some
Mexican restaurants
are replacing their
guacamole with
crushed beans and peas.
ANCESTRAL FOOD
COFFEE-LESS COFFEE
Books you’ll love…
Alternatives to coffee are being
made from waste ingredients and
reverse engineered to replicate
coffee’s flavour, then mixed with
caffeine. It produces fewer carbon
emissions and uses less water – so
you can get out of bed in the
morning AND rest easy at night.
Thrifty, comforting, less processed,
unrefined and more meaningful…
Recipes from the past have a lot
to offer – but they don’t have to be
what your own grandparents ate.
On Pinterest, searches for
traditional ancestral recipes from
Norway to the Philippines have
increased significantly.
SHARING PLATES
Sharing is caring until you’re
dividing one arancini between
five. With chefs looking to cut
costs and food waste, and diners
concerned with value, turning
everything from soup to spaghetti
into ‘tapas’ is on the wane.
Ir i s h F o o d Sto r i e s | Issu e 0 1
Crunch Time
Wonky veg box biz
Oddbox dishes up advice
on organising your
kitchen and cooking
flexibly to help fight food
waste. There are guides
to prolonging produce,
swapping ingredients and
building a dish from
scratch with what you
have, plus veggie and
vegan recipes, including
ideas for using up scraps.
HarperNonFiction £18.99
12 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
Parsi
Farokh Talati, head chef
at London’s St John Bread
and Wine restaurant,
celebrates the distinctive
cuisine of the Parsi
community, whose
forebears fled Iran and
settled in India in the 7th
century. Tempting recipes
gleaned from family or
embellished by Talati are
paired with artistic
photography.
Bloomsbury £26
Veganistan
Sally Butcher runs
Persian deli/restaurant
Persepolis in Peckham
with husband Jamshid.
Her sixth book is packed
with personality and
enticing vegan recipes
that draw on veg cookery
from the Middle East and
beyond – with twists such
as ‘coronation houmous’
and tashi, a Cypriot tahini
dip, with Marmite.
Pavilion Books £22
ALSO CHECK OUT…
Scoop: Irish Food Stories
This new bi-annual indie
mag is – you guessed it –
inspired by the island’s
rich food scene. The debut
issue explores what Irish
food means – with strong
words about what it
doesn’t mean. You can
enjoy culinary histories,
producer stories and
first-person essays by a
diverse roster of writers.
€20, scoopfoodmag.com
make it yours.
WHAT’S
ON THE
MENU?
Food editor
Tom Shingler
mixes and
matches this
month’s
recipe ideas
KNOCKOUT DINNER
SPICE OF LIFE
WINTER WARM-UP
Parmesan and smoked
paprika custards with
quince soldiers (p45)
Mussel and egg pancake
with soy beansprouts (p97)
Cacio e pepe
stuffed rolls (p54)
Za’atar and almond-crusted
pollock with
tahini, potatoes
and cavolo nero (p80)
Kimchi soup (p70)
Lamb, mint and harissa
meatballs with trofie and
frozen feta (p26)
Snow eggs with almond
crumb, mango sorbet and
passion fruit (p30)
Prepare the custards and the
dessert in advance for an
incredible three-course
dinner that shows off a little
classical French flair in the
pud and plenty of vibrant
flavour in the savoury dishes.
Rich, indulgent and zesty!
Orange and poppy
seed cake (p50)
Festive food is great, but
it doesn’t offer much
in the way of spice and zing.
This trio takes inspiration
from Thailand, the Middle
East and France, with plenty
of in-your-face flavour. Make
the cake in advance and the
other two dishes are a doddle.
New Zealand
ginger crunch (p104)
The complex tang of kimchi
is the perfect partner for
cheese, so serving these
cheese-stuffed buns alongside
a lighter soup thrumming
with fiery fresh flavour
is a no-brainer. A square or
two of ginger slice afterwards
continues the warmth of the
first two dishes, and there
will be plenty more to snack
on for the days ahead.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 13
OVER TO YOU
STAR
EMAIL
+
Subject: Refreshingly honest
From: Anon
Thank you for the ‘A modern family
Christmas’ first-person piece
[Nov, p98] and to Tom Barlow for
sharing. It was refreshing to read at a time when
TV and magazines are full of idealised family
Christmases that hardly any of us can live up to.
My family includes divorce, bereavement and
siblings in different countries, so I know what a
stressful time it can be. With one-person households
on the rise too, it’s good to reflect these experiences.
People spending Christmas on their own should be able to
celebrate with wonderful food and not be relegated to a ready meal.
There was excitement
over November’s flexible
cover recipe [p138] from
reborn bundt tin fans
Subject: Making the
most of things
From: Abi
I look forward to Debora
Robertson’s article each
month. December’s [p42]
made me a bit emotional
thinking back to last
Christmas. It amazes
me how people triumph
in the face of tough
times (Debora’s lack
of roof and heating!).
Last Christmas my
sister was due to host
but caught Covid, so
we went for New Year
instead. We ate
tartiflette, drank
champagne and played
party games – and
enjoyed it so much we’re
doing the same this year.
From: Kirsty
I’ve had a bundt tin for several years
(the Pine Forest one) after being
inspired by a recipe in the book Nigella
Christmas. Despite my best efforts
following various ‘top tips’, I inevitably
end up with at least one misshapen
tree where the batter has stuck. With
optimistic apprehension, my daughter
Erin and I followed your double-butterand-chill method and… success! We
created a fantastic mocha bundt cake
with a forest of perfect Christmas
trees. We can’t wait to try out
different flavour combinations.
From: Gemma
My bundt tins had been relegated
to the garage after multiple failures.
I couldn’t find my most exciting one
but I didn’t believe it would work,
so thought any tin would do. I made
a choc chip, Christmas spice and
orange bundt – no booze, so my
daughters (aged two and five)
could enjoy it too.
14 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
Subject: New
traditions
From: Liz Skingle
Clare Finney’s article
on traditions [Dec, p94]
struck a chord with me.
This year my son and
his fiancée were torn
between three sets
of in-laws wanting
their company over
Christmas. We came
up with a plan B borne
of “mistake, marriage,
migration or a childhood
memory”, as your article
put it. It will mean
a lot of travelling and
organisation but will,
as your article says
in its conclusion,
“still conjure up that
sense of celebration,
anticipation, memory,
generosity and love”.
STAR
PRIZE
This month’s star
email wins a Fizz &
Nibbles gift box from
Dukeshill, worth £55
Online fine food
producer Dukeshill
is renowned for its
hampers and gifts,
ham cured the
old-fashioned way,
and its cured meats
and charcuterie. The
Fizz & Nibbles gift box
contains cocktail nuts,
parmesan & chilli
sablés, chorizo jam,
pork rillettes, stilton &
almond sablés, Cornish
sea salt thins and
saumur French bubbly.
dukeshillham.co.uk
FOR YOUR CHANCE
TO WIN...
Let us know your
thoughts on this
month’s issue by
emailing us at
info@delicious
magazine.co.uk *
delicious. world.
Follow us on social @deliciousmag
Meet the reader
A hearty bowlful
Chilly mornings mean porridge – but
how exactly do you make yours?
We asked you on Instagram
@fionaglogan The
Scottish way… with
salt and sugar (and
cream on boujee days)
Helen Westwood lives in Ayrshire with her
husband, David. Her book, Cook Like a Celt,
draws on her Welsh roots and Scottish home
“You can’t beat a Scottish
fried breakfast”
@themarissa.co It’s
cinnamon and maple
syrup for me
@cake_of_duty I like
Indonesian savoury
rice porridge
topped with shredded
fried chicken, fried
onion, soy sauce, curry
sauce, chilli sauce,
celery... We call it
. We
bubur ayam
also have sweet rice
porridge with coconut
sugar and coconut milk
@jillybean037
Salt the porridge
a bit while cooking
and top with maple
syrup. Make a whole
milk moat
@moyawareham66
Apple and cinnamon
@arranlover With
coconut yogurt,
blueberries and granola
@pendelton.norma
Cooked the Scottish
way, then the cream
off the top of the milk,
along with blueberries
and honey. Heaven in
a bowl
PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES. *CONTRIBUTIONS MAY BE EDITED FOR SPACE/CLARITY AND ARE PUBLISHED ON THE BASIS
THAT CONTRIBUTORS HAVE THE AGREEMENT OF ANYONE MENTIONED FOR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION TO BE PUBLISHED
Treasured food memory? Enjoying my nan’s
Welsh cakes, cooked on a traditional Welsh
griddle, which I still own today.
Favourite family recipe? My mum’s lamb
cawl – it’s a comforting Welsh stew.
Cheer-up meal? A Scottish fried breakfast
with haggis, square sausage, bacon, fried eggs,
tattie scones, mushrooms and baked beans.
Foodie wish list? I’d love to go to Thailand
and try all the local recipes.
Cooking disaster? My first attempt cooking
my dad gravy for his dinner when I was 10.
I used a whole tub of gravy granules – it was
so thick you could stand a spoon up in it.
Drink order? Chai. I drink several cups a day.
Or French chardonnay.
Ideal weekend? I’d spend it on Vatersay in
the Outer Hebrides, eating fresh local crab,
wildlife spotting and snorkelling in the sea.
Favourite celebrity chefs? The Hairy
Bikers – they make cooking so much fun.
And food writer? Jack Monroe. She’s
fearless, innovative with her recipes and
a hero for her food poverty campaigning.
Most used cookbook? An ancient copy of
Marguerite Patten’s Cookery in Colour – the
book my mum learned to cook with (and still
uses!). Great for the basics, cooking times,
retro classics and recipes from my childhood.
JOIN THE CHAT
Connect with other delicious. food lovers on social @deliciousmag
or join our Facebook group at deliciousmagazine.co.uk/foodlovers
LOOK AT WHAT YOU CAN WIN ONLINE!
TWO hampers of
treats from artisan
Italian brand
Seggiano, worth
approx £250 each
TWO £250 vouchers
to spend on Stellar
kitchenware – give
your kitchen a
revamp for 2023
TO ENTER OUR ONLINE COMPETITIONS AND FOR TS&CS,
VISIT DELICIOUSMAGAZINE.CO.UK/PROMOTIONS
What’s new, what’s great, what we rate,
including several eco picks for January –
all chosen by editor Karen Barnes
2
1
4
3
1. BAGS OF STYLE
2. NATURAL LIGHT
3. HOT CHOC TIME
4. SO WARM
Beat shopping bag plastic
with a last-for-years
tote – in this case a
stylish, super-durable,
spot-cleanable version
made from canvas with
leather and brass trim.
Stanton large tote bag,
39 x 41 x 19cm, £35,
daylesford.com
Beeswax candles are
something special – they’re
all-natural and scent the
air with a gentle aroma
of honey. These are made
in Yorkshire from English
beeswax, hand-dipped and
come as a pair. Sit the base
on a flat plate for burning.
Pair of English beeswax
stubby candles, £12.50/£20,
gracesisters.com
A mug made from
30% recycled china?
Kew Gardens’ mugs are
inspired by the colours of
plants in the Royal Botanic
Gardens and are designed
to reduce landfill and
carbon emissions. Each
sale goes towards Kew’s
search for nature-based
solutions to help our planet.
£15 each, puretabletop.com
There’s a reason why
sheep fare so well on hills
and fells in winter: their
woolly coats. This 100%
sheepskin-covered hot
water bottle by Shepherd
of Sweden is an essential
for working from home.
£37 (bottle with cover)
or £32 (cover only),
idyllhome.co.uk
16 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
in the know.
SPLURGE
VS SAVE
Still working from home a
few days a week? When
winter is doing its worst
and wisdom tells us to
turn down the heating, a
good blanket is essential.
6
SAVE
As soft and cuddle-uppable
as it is good-looking, this
throw from Weaver Green
is made from recycled
plastic bottles. It’s stain
resistant and machine
washable, too. Herringbone
blanket in slate grey, £55,
weavergreen.com
5
7
5. DRYING CREDS
These attractive
WaffleLite tea
towels, made from 100%
recycled plastic bottles,
are printed with a different
coordinating design on
each side. Even better,
they soak up moisture
like no other tea towel I’ve
tested and leave glassware
sparkling. £15 each,
jonesyandjonesy.com
6. BLUE MONDAY
TREAT
Liz Vidal’s beautifully made
stoneware ceramics, shaped
and dip-glazed by hand, are
items of beauty designed
to last. This milk jug holds
250ml and makes a gorgeous
gift – or maybe a cheer-up
treat for you. Just add tea
and a slice of cake.
Abstract jug (colours vary),
£25, toa.st
7. STAY FRESH
A fabric bread bag
allows your loaf to
breathe, which helps to
keep the crust crisp and the
inside soft. The Foragers
Cottage website has
sustainability at its core,
and its bread bags are just
part of a great collection.
Fairtrade 100% organic
cotton bread bag, £15,
theforagerscottage.com
SPLURGE
At the pricier end
of the spectrum,
this whisper-soft
wool-cashmere blend
throw is a real beauty.
Graph check throw,
£140, johnlewis.com
voices in food.
A glass of stout with
Jimi Famurewa
The restaurant critic, journalist and author on his inherited love of stout, fond
memories of teenage skating and a soft spot for a famously rude restaurant
INTERVIEW: KERRY FOWLER. PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES, OLIVER HOLMS
I’m a lapsed skateboarder. Apart from
it being a fun and occasionally dangerous
experience, skating was important to me
as a teenager because it was a gateway to
music, art, fashion, films and bands – all
these subcultures I didn’t know about in
my suburban British-Nigerian life.
Restaurants are stories in
themselves. I love that special moment
of discovery when I’ve had a fantastic
meal, experienced something I’d never
seen before, am inspired by something
completely unfamiliar. Food disarms
people in a lovely way.
There’s a Chinese restaurant in
London’s Soho, called Wong Kei,
that I really like. It has its own style
– it would be almost disappointing if
you went and they were overly nice
to you! But I love that brusque style.
My favourite dish at this time of year
is the softest beef brisket over a
mound of rice – like a warm blanket.
Food is wordless communication.
A way to be creative, clever or reference
culture without speaking. I love being
a conduit for that, trying to find the
words so people can share the
experience, almost taste the food.
JIMI’S WARMER FOR
A WINTER NIGHT
“When it’s cold I want
something comforting,
such as spaghetti
bolognese. My mother
would make it in her
own Nigerian style –
dry and spicy. I’d have
it with a Guinness.
Stout is an obsession
in West Africa. My
grandparents loved
their Guinness – and
they lived well into
their 90s.”
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
was a formative read for me.
And Harlem Shuffle by Colson
Whitehead floored me. I love
graphic novels, and recently read
Alison by Lizzy Stewart, about a
woman in the art world of the Sixties
– it’s beautiful, deftly done and
affecting. I had a short story published
a while back called Teddybird about a
stay-at-home dad with a young child,
who has a burgeoning rivalry with
another dad. It focuses on early
parenthood when you feel a bit lonely.
My eldest is now nine and you move
out of that all-consuming phase!
Researching my book Settlers:
Journeys through the Food, Faith
and Culture of Black African
London I visited markets, churches,
people’s homes, looked into the
practice of black children being
fostered with white families, found
out about community, faith and
religion. I’d always been interested
in the way I’d been raised, the specific
values that my mum instilled in me
and my brothers. It was a way for me
to re-engage with my Nigerian roots.
Settlers (Bloomsbury Continuum
£18.99) is out now
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 19
Take
pasta
next level
to the
Though there’ll always be a place in our hearts for a
good spag bol, sometimes it pays to be a little more
adventurous – as these knockout recipes show
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND
PHOTOGRAPH KATE WHITAKER STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON
THE HERO
Confit
egg yolk
Lasagne sheets
with celeriac
sauce, green
olive tapenade
and egg yolk
20 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
crowdpleasers.
Go beyond Italian
ingredients when making
sauces – traditional ragù is
transformed with Korean
gochujang for a complex
depth of heat and umami
THE HERO
Gochujang
Gochujang
pork ragù
+ COVER RECIPE
Cavolo nero and confit
garlic linguine with
panko pangrattato
Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min
To confit is a French
technique which sees
food submerged in fat
(in this case oil) and cooked low
and slow until soft. Cooking
garlic like this transforms it into
something mellow and sweet –
and leaves you with a delicious
garlicky oil to boot.
Japanese panko
KNOWbreadcrumbs are often
HOW
regarded as the best you
can buy. Due to the specific way
they’re made (using a special
flaky bread), they crisp up
more than regular breadcrumbs.
Thankfully, they’re now available
in large supermarkets.
The leftover garlic oil can
DON’T
WASTE be kept in the fridge for
IT
up to a week and is an
absolute joy to cook with – or
to drizzle over salads and pasta.
BE A
BETTER
COOK
• 1 large garlic bulb, cloves
peeled
• 100g olive oil, plus extra
(optional)
• 400g dried linguine
• 200g cavolo nero leaves, any
tough stalks removed
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon,
plus juice to taste
• 5 anchovy fillets, plus 1 tbsp
of their oil
• 40g panko breadcrumbs
1 Put the garlic cloves in
a small pan and cover with the
oil (if they’re not completely
submerged, add more oil until
they are). Cook over a very low
heat for 15-20 minutes (there
should be very small bubbles
forming around the cloves, rather
than a full-on simmer) until the
cloves are soft and very pale
golden, then lift them out with
a slotted spoon. Reserve the oil
22 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
for drizzling (see Don’t Waste It).
2 Bring a large pan of salted
water to the boil. Add the
linguine and cavolo nero, then
cook, stirring occasionally.
After 3½ minutes, lift the cavolo
nero out of the water and
transfer to a blender. Add the
confit garlic and whizz to a
smooth green sauce, adding
1-2 ladles of the pasta water
if needed. Season with salt,
pepper and lemon juice.
3 Put a small frying pan over
a medium heat, then add the
anchovies and their oil. Cook
for a minute, breaking up the
anchovies to help them dissolve,
then add the breadcrumbs and
cook for another minute, stirring
until golden. Add the lemon zest
and season with a little salt
(the anchovies will provide
plenty of saltiness) and pepper.
4 Once cooked to your liking,
drain the pasta and toss with
the sauce. Divide among
4 plates, then sprinkle with
the anchovy crumbs, adding
a final drizzle of the garlic oil.
Per serving 624kcals, 24.1g fat
(3.3g saturated), 69.4g protein,
81.6g carbs (3.2g sugars),
0.6g salt, 5.6g fibre
Lasagne sheets with
celeriac sauce, olive
tapenade and egg yolk
Serves 4
Hands-on time 40 min
Specialist kit Fluted pasta wheel
(optional)
Sheets of pasta don’t just have
to become lasagne! In Liguria,
they’re traditionally served
tossed in pesto, but they’re
great with any creamy, rich
sauce. This silky celeriac
pasta is brightened up by green
olive tapenade, with a yellow
confit egg yolk – inspired by
London restaurant Bancone’s
signature dish – adding a
flourish of richness.
You can make the egg
yolks, tapenade and
celeriac sauce up to
2 hours before. Gently reheat the
sauce before adding to the pasta.
A confit egg yolk sounds
BE A
BETTER seriously cheffy and
COOK
difficult, but it’s actually
very simple – you just need
to be as gentle as you can with
the yolks to ensure they don’t
break when adding them to the
oil. They’re an easy way to add
an impressive finish to all
sorts of pasta dishes.
You can leave out the
TIMESAVER
confit egg yolks if you
TIP
like – but it’s a great
skill to master and well worth
the extra 10 minutes.
Lightly beat the unused
DON’T
WASTE egg whites, then bag up,
IT
label and freeze for
using in other recipes.
MAKE
AHEAD
• 100ml olive oil, plus 1 tbsp or
so extra for the tapenade
• 4 medium free-range egg yolks
• 300g celeriac
• 400g chicken or vegetable
stock
• 50g pitted green olives
• 2 anchovy fillets, drained
(optional)
• ½ tsp dijon mustard
• Handful flatleaf parsley, leaves
picked and chopped
• Lemon juice to taste
• Knob of unsalted butter
• 30g parmesan or vegetarian
equivalent, finely grated, plus
extra to serve
• Dash cider vinegar
• 300g fresh lasagne
sheets →
crowdpleasers.
A deep green purée, rich with
slow-cooked garlic, really delivers
in this simple pasta dish. What takes
it from good to great, however, are the
crisp, lemon-and-anchovy-flavoured
breadcrumbs showered on top
THE HERO
Pangrattato
Cavolo nero and
confit garlic
linguine with panko
pangrattato
THE HERO
Chestnut
bechamel
Baked paccheri
with mushrooms,
sprouts and
chestnut bechamel
crowdpleasers.
1 Turn the oven to 70°C fan/
gas ¼ and pour the olive oil into
a small ovenproof saucepan
or dish. Put the pan/dish in the
oven while it heats up. Once it’s
reached the full temperature,
wait 5 minutes, then carefully
add the yolks to the oil. Return
to the oven for 30 minutes.
2 Peel the celeriac and slice
thinly, then chop into small
pieces. Put the celeriac in a
saucepan, cover with the stock
and simmer for 15-20 minutes
until completely soft (the time
will depend on how finely you
sliced the celeriac).
3 Meanwhile, make the tapenade.
Put the olives, anchovies
(if using), mustard, parsley and
1 tbsp olive oil in a food
processor. Pulse into a coarse
dressing (you can also do this
by hand by finely chopping the
ingredients and mixing them
together). Taste and season
with salt, pepper and lemon
juice, then add a little more oil if
needed to make a dressing loose
enough to drizzle. Set aside.
4 Strain the celeriac (reserving
the stock), then put in a blender
with the butter and parmesan.
Whizz, adding the reserved
stock as needed, until you have
a smooth, silky sauce with the
consistency of single cream.
Taste and season with salt
and the cider vinegar, then
return to the pan and keep
warm over a very low heat.
5 Bring a pan of salted water
to the boil. Cut the pasta sheets
into large, randomly shaped
pieces, about 4-5 shapes per
sheet (use a fluted pasta wheel if
you have one). When the celeriac
is soft, add the pasta to the
water and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6 Drain the pasta and add to the
celeriac sauce, tossing to ensure
the sheets are covered. Divide
among 4 plates, creating a little
well in the centre. Use a spoon
to carefully lift the yolks out of
the oil and place one in each
well. Drizzle over the tapenade
and serve immediately, with
a crack of black pepper, more
parmesan and a final drizzle
of oil (you can use the oil the
yolks were cooked in). The yolk
should be broken and stirred
through the dish at the table.
Per serving 466kcals, 34.4g fat
(8.1g saturated), 14g protein,
22.3g carbs (2.1g sugars),
0.9g salt, 5.5g fibre
Baked paccheri with
mushrooms, sprouts
and chestnut bechamel
Serves 2-3
Hands-on time 20 min
Oven time 20 min
‘Pasta bake’ never elicits the
most excited of reactions,
does it? This dish, however,
shows just how incredible
the meal can be – without
a tin of tuna or jar of white
sauce in sight. Sprouts and
chestnuts are two great
ingredients we often forget
about post-Christmas; use
them with mushrooms, thyme
and cheese for a knockout
winter warmer.
Bechamel is creamy and
comforting but doesn’t
deliver that much in the
flavour stakes – it’s ripe for
infusing with taste. We’ve gone
for chestnut here (the purée
works as a substitute for the
traditional flour-and-butter roux)
but simmering the milk with
whatever you fancy can turn
bechamel into a star. Experiment
with garlic, herb or spice-infused
milk, which can then be whisked
into a roux to create a deeply
flavoured, comforting sauce.
BE A
BETTER
COOK
• 180g dried paccheri or other
large pasta shape
• 50g unsalted butter
• 200g brussels sprouts, any
brown outer leaves removed,
then halved
• 200g chestnut mushrooms,
halved
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 200g chestnut purée
• 250ml whole milk
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 50g parmesan or vegetarian
equivalent, finely grated
• Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp cider vinegar
• 125g mozzarella, torn (drained
weight)
• 100g vacuum-packed cooked
chestnuts, roughly chopped
1 Heat the oven to 180°C fan/
gas 6 and bring a pan of salted
water to the boil. Cook the pasta
for 8-10 minutes until al dente
(still with some bite), then drain.
2 Meanwhile, melt the butter
in a frying pan over a mediumhigh heat, then add the sprouts,
mushrooms and half the thyme.
Cook for around 8 minutes,
stirring occasionally, until
golden and cooked through.
Discard the thyme.
3 While the sprouts and
mushrooms cook, add the
chestnut pureé and milk to
a saucepan over a medium
heat. Whisk until smooth and
steaming hot, then stir in the
mustard and parmesan and
season with the nutmeg,
cider vinegar and a pinch
of salt and pepper.
4 Fold the sprouts, mushrooms
and half the chestnuts into the
sauce, then stir in the pasta.
Transfer to an oven dish, sprinkle
over the torn mozzarella and
remaining chestnuts and bake
for 20 minutes. Add the leaves
from the remaining thyme sprigs,
season with a final crack of black
pepper and serve.
Per serving (for 3) 759kcals,
34.1g fat (20.3g saturated),
30.3g protein, 78.3g carbs (13.7g
→
sugars), 1.2g salt, 9g fibre
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 25
Gochujang pork ragù
Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 min
Simmering time 45 min
As with any ragù, this
sauce tastes even better
the next day when the
flavours have developed. That
makes it a great candidate for
batch-cooking and freezing. Just
defrost and gently reheat the
sauce before tossing with pasta.
Gochujang is a Korean
KNOWfermented chilli bean
HOW
paste with a fiery, sweet
and salty flavour. It’s available
from supermarkets, but we’d
recommend getting a Korean
brand from an Asian supermarket
or online. If using a supermarket
brand, you may need to use more.
MAKE
AHEAD
•
•
•
•
•
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely
chopped
• 500g pork mince
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tbsp gochujang
• 150ml white wine (optional)
• 2 x 400g tins chopped
tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 150g oyster mushrooms
• 300g dried tagliatelle
• Finely grated parmesan
to serve
NEXT MONTH
Rhubarb and
custard gets
a modern-day
makeover
1 Put a large saucepan over
a medium heat and add the
vegetable oil. Once hot, add the
onion, celery, carrot and garlic
with a pinch of salt and cook for
26 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
8 minutes, stirring occasionally,
until starting to soften. Tip in the
pork mince, turn up the heat and
cook for 5 more minutes, stirring
often until browned all over.
2 Add the tomato purée and
gochujang, cook for another
minute, then pour in the wine (if
using) and simmer until reduced
by half (about 5 minutes). Add
the tinned tomatoes, bay leaf
and mushrooms, bring back to
a gentle simmer, then turn down
the heat, cover and gently simmer
for 30 minutes. Remove the lid
and simmer for 15 more minutes
or until the sauce has thickened.
3 Once the sauce is ready, cook
the tagliatelle in salted boiling
water until al dente (still with
some bite) according to the
packet instructions. Drain,
reserving a cup of the pasta
water, then mix into the ragù,
tossing with enough pasta water
to emulsify the sauce. Serve
with plenty of grated parmesan
and black pepper.
Per serving 583kcals, 16.6g fat
(4.9g saturated), 36.5g protein,
68.3g carbs (11.5g sugars), 0.6g
salt, 7.5g fibre
Lamb, mint and harissa
meatballs with trofie
and frozen feta
Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 40 min
Freeze your feta!
Not only does it keep
for ages, it firms up
the cheese enough to allow it
to be grated. Fridge-cold feta
is too crumbly for this, resulting
in big chunks of the cheese in
your dish, which can be a bit
overpowering.
The meatballs can be
MAKE
AHEAD shaped up to a day in
advance and kept in the
fridge. The sauce (with meatballs)
can be cooked up to a day in
advance, then reheated until
simmering before being tossed
with the pasta.
BE A
BETTER
COOK
• 30g feta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tbsp harissa
• 700g passata
• 400g lamb mince
• 40g fresh breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ bunch mint, leaves picked
and finely chopped
• 300g dried trofie, strozzapreti
or rigatoni
1 Put the feta in the freezer.
Meanwhile, put a large, deep
saucepan over a medium heat
and add the olive oil. Once
hot, add the sliced garlic and
sizzle for 30 seconds until
softened but not browned.
Stir in the harissa, then add
the passata and leave to simmer.
2 Put the lamb mince in a bowl
with the breadcrumbs, spices
and half the mint. Using your
hands, mix and knead until
completely combined. Shape
the mixture into small (2cm)
meatballs, add to the sauce
and simmer for 15 minutes
to cook through.
3 Bring a large pan of salted
water to the boil. When the
sauce has around 10 minutes
left, add the pasta to the pan of
water and cook for 8-10 minutes
until al dente (still with some
bite). Drain, reserving a cup of
the pasta water, then stir the
pasta into the sauce, adding
enough of the pasta water to
emulsify. Spoon onto a serving
platter or divide among bowls
and sprinkle with the remaining
chopped mint and some cracked
black pepper. Take the feta out
of the freezer and grate curls of
it over the top with a veg peeler.
Per serving (for 6) 407kcals,
13g fat (5.3g saturated),
22.2g protein, 47.7g carbs
(6.4g sugars), 0.3g salt,
5.1g fibre
crowdpleasers.
Lamb, mint and
harissa meatballs
with trofie and
frozen feta
We’ve given spaghetti and meatballs
a Greek twist, blending in the flavours
of moussaka to create something
deliciously fragrant. The frozen feta
shavings melt into the hot sauce,
adding a delightfully creamy tang
THE HERO
Frozen feta
voices in food.
Letter to my food hero
Elainea Emmott writes
to James Hemings
Photographer and supper-club chef Elainea
Emmott sends a letter back through time
to a man enslaved by Thomas Jefferson.
No picture exists of James Hemings, and
he left behind only a few elegantly written
notes and inventories – but as a pioneering
chef, he created an important culinary legacy
Dear James
A cook’s journey is a love affair starting with
a knife, a spoon, a pot – and a plate full of
ambition. And no one has a more poignant
story to tell about that than you. You were
born into slavery in the most famous family
in slave history, the Hemings. At the age of
nine, you and your other siblings, including
your younger sister Sally, became the property
of Thomas Jefferson, later to become the third
US President. It’s generally believed that your
sister Sally went on to become the mother of
several of Thomas Jefferson’s children.
In 1784, when you were 19, President George
Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson as
minister to France and he crossed the sea,
taking you with him. In Jefferson’s house in
Paris, which doubled as the US Embassy, your
job was to run the kitchens, oversee the cooks
and make the inventories under an everwatchful gaze. You weren’t free but your status
was elevated in comparison to those working
back in the fields, yet you must have been well
aware of the fragility of your position.
It must have been tough travelling to Paris,
then learning the culinary arts in a foreign
language, first as a chef under the French
caterer Monsieur Combeaux and later at
Château Chantilly. Such kitchens were
intimidating, hierarchical places. Behind
the doors you would have experienced
rushes of hot activity, shouts of abuse and
constant grind, grafting to survive. Did
you learn quickly? Were you forced to do
so after daily humiliation when you made
the smallest mistake or hesitation?
Perhaps food became your freedom.
You were a fast learner and were soon
in charge, cooking at the equivalent level
of a three-Michelin-star restaurant of
today, having mastered the French
language and cuisine, and more than
earning your stripes. I wonder... Is this
where you found meaning, James?
Your cooking style was true fusion,
combining classical
French cuisine with your
Southern heritage. You
impressed your master’s
dinner guests: statesmen,
men of letters, scientists
and aristocrats. You were
soon supervising the
kitchen and delighting
diners with dishes such
as whipped cream, french
fries, ice creams and
meringues, all favourites
of the French bourgeoisie and all impacting
upon American cuisine today. And of course,
you cooked snow eggs, which I’ve re-created
in your honour (see over the page).
You were sort of a free man in Paris but
five years later you returned with Jefferson
to America, still as a slave, and managed his
kitchens in New York, Philadelphia and his
plantation home, Monticello. Your style and
recipes greatly influenced other Virginian
plantations. You set the bar high, and
enslaved black cooks became sought-after
commodities, with kidnappings rife.
Plantation mistresses would take the
credit for such cooking, raising their
social standing while keeping enslaved
families hidden in unseen kitchens and
fields – even when slavery was abolished.
I think of all this as I gain experience in
the elite world of chef training, unseen
in the slog of full or part-shift days covering
the 8am to 11pm service. As I stand, my feet
so tired, I remind myself I can at least go
home at the end of the day, whereas those
HANDWRITTEN NOTES ©THOMAS JEFFERSON FOUNDATION AT MONTICELLO
“Snow eggs is
part of your
legacy... though
you’re rarely
acknowledged
when it’s replicated
by acclaimed chefs”
enslaved cooks of old would
sleep above the hearth, ready
for an early service. Their
days involved butchery,
stocks, jams, breakfasts,
lunches and dinners – with
the added curveball of
impromptu guests who
must be fully catered for in
the tradition of Southern
hospitality, welcomed by
plantation owners eager to show off.
These owners had a living library of black
cooks, their descendants producing dishes
upon request. Many wouldn’t be able to
read a recipe and would have to know by
eye, measure and taste. In my family
nothing was written down, and I re-create
recipes through a combination of invention
and vague childhood memories.
Snow eggs is one of the few written
records of your own recipes that have
survived. It’s part of your legacy and precious
to me, though you’re rarely acknowledged
when this dish is replicated by acclaimed
chefs on TV. I think of you often when I’m
cooking, dreaming of elegant lightness as
I make meringues with the Caribbean
flavours of mango and passion fruit...
I think about what it means to be a chef
and I think about your legacy, translated
through me onto a plate. Thank you, James.
ABOVE
James’s recipe
for snow eggs,
transcribed by
Thomas Jefferson’s
granddaughter
LEFT Inventory
of kitchen utensils
at Monticello,
Jefferson’s home
in Virginia, written
by James Hemings
himself in 1796
TURN THE PAGE FOR
ELAINEA’S RECIPE
IN HOMAGE TO
JAMES HEMINGS
››
Elainea
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 29
Serves 6
Hands-on time 2 hours,
plus freezing
Oven time 1 hour 15-20 min,
plus cooling
Each element can be
prepared a day ahead,
leaving you to assemble
the dessert when ready to serve.
Keep the mango juice
DON’T
WASTE from the tins for
IT
cocktails if you like
MAKE
AHEAD
For the mango sorbet
• 2 tins (460g drained weight)
mango slices, drained
• Juice 1 lime
For the meringues
• 2 medium free-range
egg whites
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 100g caster sugar
For the crème pâtissière
• 300ml whole milk
• 3 drops vanilla extract
• 3 medium free-range
egg yolks
• 50g caster sugar
• 20g plain flour
• 10g cornflour
• 200ml whipping cream
For the coulis
• 6 passion fruit
• Juice ½ lime
NEXT MONTH
A pasta bake
from Instagram
star Meliz Cooks
2 Meanwhile make the meringues.
Heat the oven to 120°C fan/
gas 1. Whisk the egg whites in
a bowl until stiff, then add the
vanilla, followed by the sugar,
a spoonful at a time, whisking
all the while. Whisk until all
the sugar is used up and the
meringue has become stiff again.
Line an oven tray with baking
paper, then use 2 tablespoons
to form oval meringues (called
quenelles; you’ll need 12 but you
should have enough meringue
for more, so make more),
spooning them onto the paper.
Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the
oven and leave the meringues to
cool inside (don’t open the oven).
3 While the meringues bake,
prepare the crème pâtissière.
Pour the milk into a saucepan
and add the vanilla. Put over a
medium heat and cook until just
beginning to simmer, then remove
from the heat. Meanwhile, whisk
the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl
until smooth. Add a few tbsp of
the hot milk to the eggs, whisk
to combine, then whisk in the
plain flour and cornflour, making
sure there are no lumps. Pour the
rest of the milk onto the eggs,
whisking constantly, then
transfer the mixture back into
the pan and cook over a low heat
for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Pour into a bowl, cover with
baking paper (touching the
surface of the custard to avoid
a skin forming), leave to cool,
then set aside in the fridge.
4 To make the coulis, halve the
passion fruit, then scoop out the
juice and seeds into a small pan.
Put over a medium heat and
simmer briefly until the juice
thickens slightly. Add the lime
juice, then set aside to cool.
5 Once the meringues have
cooled, take them out of the
oven. Separate your 12 best
meringues from the rest. Heat
the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4.
Mix all the dry ingredients for
the crumb in a bowl, then rub
in the butter with your
fingertips until you get
a breadcrumb-like texture.
Sprinkle the crumb into a baking
dish, then bake for 15-20 minutes
until golden. Once cool, crumble
in the less perfect meringues and
mix into the almond crumb.
6 Take the chilled crème
pâtissière out of the fridge and
give it a whisk to loosen it up.
Whip the cream until stiff, then
fold it through the crème pât to
loosen the mixture. Return
to the fridge until needed.
7 When ready to serve, tip the
frozen mango into a blender and
whizz into a sorbet, adding the
lime juice as you do so. It should
be firm and slightly slushy. Spoon
generous dollops of the crème
pat into serving bowls, then put
2 quenelles of meringue on top.
Sprinkle the almond crumb
between them, then add a
spoonful of mango sorbet on top
of the crumb. Drizzle the coulis
over the top with a spoon.
Per serving 554kcals, 29.8g fat
(15.1g saturated), 9g protein,
61.5g carbs (50.8g sugars),
0.2g salt, 1.9g fibre
For the crumb
• 50g plain flour
• 50g ground almonds
• 15g caster sugar
• 25g demerara sugar
• 50g unsalted butter, chilled
JAMES HEMINGS’ LATER YEARS... AND THE MAC & CHEESE MYTH
1 First, put the drained mango
slices in a container or bag and
into the freezer to freeze solid
(at least 3 hours).
Jefferson later made James Hemings a free man, but tragically he took
his own life at the age of 36. Despite many social media accounts
claiming he invented macaroni cheese, it had been around for a long
time before him (supposedly the Ancient Romans invented it). He did,
however, help to popularise the dish in the USA, all those years ago.
30 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
RECIPE: ELAINEA EMMOTT. PHOTOGRAPH: KATE WHITAKER. FOOD STYLING: POLLYANNA COUPLAND. STYLING: TONY HUTCHINSON
Snow eggs with almond
crumb, mango sorbet
and passion fruit
voices in food.
“Snow eggs is a
simple showstopper
dessert packed
with zingy tropical
flavours. Inspired
by James Hemings,
I’ve floated the
meringues on light
crème pâtissière
next to silky mango
sorbet and crunchy
crumb, with the
tang of passion
fruit on top”
BURNS NIGHT
Hot Scottish chef Roberta Hall-McCarron’s menu has
neither a neep nor tattie in sight, and (whisper it)
there’s no haggis... But if you want to celebrate
25 January with something different, Roberta’s menu
showcases the contemporary side of Scotland’s food
scene. It’s a little bit cheffy, but everything can be
made in advance – we’ll raise a wee dram to that
PHOTOGRAPHS KATE WHITAKER
FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN
AND POLLYANNA COUPLAND
STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON
Rhubarb
collins
32 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
menu.
Smoked ham,
leek and
mustard pie
“I absolutely love pies, and I’ve gained quite
a reputation for them. They’re great for using
up leftovers, easy to prep ahead and go with
every side dish under the sun – crispy
potatoes and cabbage are my favourites”
CHEF ROBERTA HALL-MCCARRON
ABOUT ROBERTA
She’s at the forefront of Scotland’s new
wave of chefs. Roberta worked in restaurants
in Scotland, Northumberland and Dubai
before returning to her home town of
Edinburgh, where she worked her way up
to head chef at Tom Kitchin’s Castle Terrace
restaurant. There she met her now-husband
Shaun, who worked front of house, and in
2018 the two of them opened their own
restaurant in the city, The Little Chartroom, to
rave reviews. They moved to a bigger venue in
2021, while also opening a wine bar, Eleanore.
The best quality ingredients
are where everything starts
for me. Scotland has some
of the world’s best suppliers,
making the food scene here
so exciting. There are so many
talented people cooking in
Edinburgh now, and it’s a great
community to be a part of
ROBERTA HALL-MCCARRON
YOUR MODERN
BURNS NIGHT
Menu for 6
Rhubarb collins
Smoked duck and beetroot salad
Ham, leek and mustard pie
White chocolate cheesecake
with rhubarb and oat crumb
34 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
Smoked duck and
beetroot salad
• 20g hazelnuts, toasted and
roughly chopped
Serves 6
Hands-on time 45 min
Simmering time 1 hour
Specialist kit Handful smoking
chips
For the dressing
• 500ml beetroot juice
• 20ml olive oil
• 20ml sherry vinegar
Prepare everything to
the end of step 5 up
to 1 day ahead and keep
separately in the fridge – then
all you need to do on the day is
dress and assemble the salad.
It’s a good idea to wear
KNOWgloves when prepping
HOW
the beetroot to avoid
staining your hands.
Hot-smoking at home
BE A
BETTER can seem intimidating,
COOK
but it’s easy. You can
buy smoking chips where you
get charcoal for your barbecue,
and the foil-nest-in-a-pan
method ensures an easy clean
up and stops your kitchen
getting too smoky. Give it a go!
MAKE
AHEAD
• 400g beetroot, ideally golden
and/or candy heritage beets
• 2 large duck breasts
• 200g bitter leaves (such
as chicory and radicchio)
• 2 clementines, segmented
or finely chopped
For the relish
• 250g red beetroot
• 60g dark soft brown sugar
• 60ml white wine vinegar
1 To make the dressing, pour the
beetroot juice into a saucepan
and put over a medium-high heat.
Simmer for 30-40 minutes until
it has reduced down into a syrup
(around 50ml). Leave to cool,
then whisk in the olive oil and
sherry vinegar. Season to taste,
then put in the fridge.
2 To make the relish, peel the
red beetroot (see Know-how),
then grate into a saucepan.
Stir in the sugar and vinegar,
then put over a medium heat
and simmer for 10 minutes
until the liquid has reduced
to form a syrupy relish. Cool,
then season with salt.
3 Put the heritage beetroot
in a large saucepan and cover
with cold water. Add a big pinch
of salt, put over a medium heat →
menu.
“This dish sings of winter, thanks to the earthy flavours
of beetroot. It’s a light, flavoursome starter that’s easy to
put together for a gathering, as all the prep can be done in
advance – you just have to assemble on the day itself”
and bring to a simmer. Cook
for 45-50 minutes until the
beetroot is tender. Drain, leave
until cool enough to handle,
then peel the skin off (it should
come away easily) and cut into
chunks. Leave to cool.
4 Put the duck breasts skin-side
down in a cold, dry frying pan.
Put over a medium heat and
cook, undisturbed, for around
5 minutes, or until the fat has
rendered out and the skin turns
golden. Flip the breasts, cook
for another 2-3 minutes, then
remove from the pan and
leave to rest.
5 Turn your extractor up high.
Take a sheet of foil, scrunch it
up into a little nest, then put
it in the bottom of a saucepan.
Fill the foil nest with smoking
chips. Put the duck breasts
in a steamer basket or metal
colander that fits over the top
of the saucepan, then use a
lighter to set fire to the smoking
chips, ensuring they’re lit enough
to smoulder away. Put the
basket/colander on top of the
pan (if you’re using a colander,
cover it with more foil to trap
the smoke), then leave the duck
breasts to smoke for 15 minutes
(don’t open the basket or lift the
foil during this time). Remove the
duck, cover and set aside until
needed (see Make Ahead).
6 To serve, slice the bitter
leaves into large pieces, then
put in a mixing bowl with
the chopped beetroot and
generously dress with the
beetroot dressing. Cut the duck
breasts into thin slices, then
start building the salads on
serving plates. Begin with the
dressed beetroot and beetroot
relish, then add the leaves, a
little clementine and finally the
duck, with a few more leaves on
top. Garnish with hazelnuts.
Per serving 546kcals, 33.5g fat
(8.4g saturated), 18.5g protein,
39.9g carbs (38.4g sugars),
0.6g salt, 5.5g fibre
36 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
For the pastry
• 340g plain flour
• 170g salted butter, chilled and
diced
• 4 medium free-range egg yolks
• 20g whole milk
Ham, leek and
mustard pie
Serves 6 with leftovers
Hands-on time 1 hour 20 min,
plus chilling
Oven time 40 min
Simmering time 2 hours
Specialist kit 15cm cake tin
(or thereabouts)
The pie can be
assembled entirely in
advance up to a day
ahead, then baked before
serving. Any leftovers will keep
in the fridge for up to 3 days.
It may sound like a bit
BE A
BETTER of a faff, but waiting for
COOK
the filling to set into
a disc is how you’ll get that
beautiful shape to the pie. If
you’re short of time, the pie is
great when made using a regular
pie dish, but you’ll still need to
ensure the filling is cold before
it goes in the pastry to prevent
the pastry turning soggy.
Smoked ham hock is
KNOWan affordable cut that
HOW
delivers handsomely
on flavour. It’s available online
and from good butchers, but
if you’re struggling to find it
you could use packs of cooked
smoked ham batons or readypulled ham hock (both available
from supermarkets). You’ll need
around 500g meat in total,
plus 400ml ham stock.
Lightly beat the leftover
DON’T
WASTE egg whites, then freeze
IT
in a labelled bag to use
in other recipes. Leftover stock
will keep in the fridge for up to a
week – use in soups and sauces.
MAKE
AHEAD
For the filling
• 2 smoked ham hocks (or 500g
smoked ham batons/pulled
hock – see Know-how)
• 1 large leek
• 3 carrots, cut into 5cm chunks
• 1 onion, quartered
• 5 black peppercorns
• Bunch thyme
• 40g salted butter
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 30g plain flour
• 50ml double cream
• Large bunch parsley, leaves
picked and finely chopped
1 For the filling, put the ham
hocks in a large saucepan and
cover with cold water. Bring to
the boil, skimming off any scum
that rises to the top. Cut the
leek in half where the white
meets the green, then chop the
green part into 5cm chunks (save
the white for later). Once the
water is boiling, add the green
leek, carrots, onion, peppercorns
and thyme. Cover and gently
simmer for 2 hours until the
meat is falling off the bone.
2 Meanwhile, make the pastry.
Mix the 340g flour and 170g
butter using a stand mixer with
a paddle attachment (or your
hands) until you can no longer
see any pieces of butter – but
try not to overwork the mixture
too much. Add 2 of the egg
yolks, the milk and 50ml water,
then mix until it just comes
together into a dough. Divide
the dough into 2 pieces – one
weighing roughly 350g, the other
200g – then wrap and keep in
the fridge for at least 2 hours.
3 Once the ham hocks are
tender, strain the stock through
a fine sieve into a large jug.
Measure out 400ml of the →
menu.
“Easy to assemble, this
cheesecake is great as it provides
individual portions instead of
one big cake. You can include
any fruit that’s in season –
I’ve used rhubarb as it goes so
well with the sweet chocolate,
but any tart fruit can be made
into a compote in the same way”
NEXT MONTH
Chefs of the
moment create
a cool new
brunch menu
liquid and set aside for later. Wait
until the hocks are cool enough
to handle, then pick the meat off
them, discarding any bone, sinew
or fat. Put the picked meat in
a large bowl and set aside.
4 Slice the reserved white
part of the leek into quarters
lengthways, then into 1cm pieces.
Cook in a pan with 10g of the
butter for 5 minutes until
softened, then mix into the
shredded ham along with the
mustard. In the same pan,
melt the remaining 30g butter,
tip in the flour, then cook
gently, stirring, for 10 minutes
to create a roux (paste).
5 Gradually start adding the
reserved ham stock to the roux,
stirring constantly, until fully
incorporated, then add the
cream. Gradually stir this sauce
into the ham mixture until it’s
coated but not swimming in
liquid (you may not need all the
sauce). Stir in the parsley.
6 Line the cake tin with baking
paper, then pour the ham mixture
into it. Flatten the top, then cover
with another sheet of paper. Put
in the fridge to set and firm up
for at least 3 hours or overnight
(see Be A Better Cook).
7 Once the filling has set, unwrap
and roll out the smaller piece of
pastry until 3mm thick. Cut out
a 20cm circle, then put it on a
baking tray lined with baking
paper. Beat the remaining 2 egg
yolks, then brush the circle with
a little of the egg wash. Roll the
large piece of pastry to the same
thickness and cut out a 30cm
circle. Reserve any trimmings for
decorating the pie (if you like).
8 Take the set disc of pie filling
out of the cake tin and put it on
top of the smaller pastry circle,
then put the larger pastry circle
on top. Use your hands to mould
the pastry around the filling,
then crimp the 2 discs together
to seal. Neaten up the edges,
decorate the pie however you
like, then brush liberally all over
38 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
with the remaining egg wash.
9 When ready to cook, heat the
oven to 180°C fan/gas 6. Pierce
a 1cm hole in the centre of the
pie, then make a little funnel
out of tin foil and pop the thin
end in the hole – this will let
steam out of the pie and ensure
any sauce that bubbles out of
the top doesn’t spill over onto
the pastry. Bake the pie for
40 minutes, then serve with
your favourite sides.
Per serving (for 6) 758kcals,
45g fat (24.5g saturated),
30.2g protein, 54.8g carbs (6.7g
sugars), 2.7g salt, 6.5g fibre
White chocolate
cheesecake with
rhubarb and oat crumb
Serves 6
Hands-on time 1 hour
Oven time 20 min
You can make each
element of this dish
up to 2 days ahead.
Keep the filling and compote
in the fridge and the crumb in
an airtight container.
Instead of making your
TIMESAVER own biscuit crumb, buy
oatmeal biscuits and
bash them with a rolling pin.
Put the scraped vanilla
DON’T
WASTE pod in a jar of sugar – it
IT
will infuse the sugar and
add flavour to your bakes.
MAKE
AHEAD
• 200g white chocolate, chopped
• 250g full-fat cream cheese
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds
scraped (see Don’t Waste It)
• 70g double cream
For the compote
• 150g caster sugar
• 500g rhubarb, chopped
• Finely grated zest ½ lemon
For the biscuit
• 75g unsalted butter
• 70g light brown sugar
• 35g granulated sugar
• 1 medium free-range egg
yolk, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 70g plain flour
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 115g small rolled oats
1 To make the biscuit, cream the
butter and both sugars together
using a wooden spoon or electric
mixer until light and fluffy, then
beat in the egg yolk and vanilla
extract. Sift the flour, cinnamon
and bicarb into a separate bowl,
then gradually stir the dry
ingredients into the wet mixture
until just combined. Gently stir
in the oats using a large metal
spoon, then put in the fridge
to rest for at least 30 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, put the white
chocolate in a heatproof
bowl set over a pan of barely
simmering water (ensuring the
bowl doesn’t touch the water)
and allow it to melt slowly.
Beat the cream cheese and
vanilla seeds in a mixing bowl
until smooth and fluffy, then
fold in the melted white
chocolate using a large metal
spoon. Lightly whip the cream
to soft peaks, then fold it
through the cream cheese.
Put in the fridge until needed.
3 For the compote, put the sugar
in a saucepan over a mediumhigh heat and cook, swirling
rather than stirring, until it turns
pale golden (about 5 minutes).
Add the rhubarb and a splash
of water, then cook, stirring
occasionally, until the rhubarb
has broken down into a compote
and almost all the liquid has
evaporated (about 10 minutes).
menu.
The compote will initially harden,
but will eventually melt again.
Remove from the heat, stir in
the lemon zest and allow to cool.
4 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/
gas 4 and line a baking tray
with baking paper. Roll the
biscuit dough into 12 balls
(approximately 30g each)
and put them on the lined
tray, ensuring there’s lots
of space between them (you
may need 2 trays). Leave to
come up to room temperature
for 20 minutes, then put them
in the oven and bake for
20 minutes. Allow to cool,
then chop into a rough crumb.
5 To serve, spoon a generous
dollop of the white chocolate
cheesecake mixture into serving
bowls, then use the back of
the spoon to make a well in the
middle. Spoon the compote into
the well, then sprinkle over the
chopped biscuit.
Per serving 734kcals, 38.5g fat
(23.1g saturated), 9.9g protein,
85.1g carbs (63.3g sugars),
0.7g salt, 3.6g fibre
Rhubarb collins
Makes about 300ml cordial
(enough for 10 cocktails)
Hands-on time 10 min, plus 2-3
days infusing
Simmering time 2 hours
You’ll need to be patient
when prepping the
cordial, but the actual
making of it is almost effortless.
As well as using it in the cocktail,
you can simply top it up with
soda water for a seriously good
thirst-quencher. For sterilising
tips, search ‘sterilise’ at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk.
Save the rhubarb that’s
DON’T
WASTE kept in the fridge with
IT
sugar and water after
straining – use it in the compote
for the cheesecake or stew it
down in a pan for 5 minutes for
a wonderful sauce for ice cream.
KNOWHOW
For the cordial
• 500g rhubarb, cut into
1cm slices
• 200g granulated sugar
For the cocktail
• 300ml non-alcoholic spirit
(Roberta uses Feragaia) or gin
• Soda water
• Rhubarb ribbons, created
with a Y-shape peeler,
to serve (optional)
1 Put 300g of the rhubarb
in a container and freeze. Put
the remaining rhubarb in a jar
or container with the sugar
and 100ml water, giving it a
good stir, then cover and put
in the fridge for 2-3 days – it’s
a long time to wait, but this will
allow the sugar to dissolve and
the rhubarb’s colour and flavour
to infuse into the liquid.
2 After 2-3 days, put the frozen
rhubarb in a metal bowl. Cover
tightly with foil, then set it
over a pan of simmering water.
Leave the rhubarb to defrost,
then continue to cook it like
this for 2 hours, topping up
the water if needed – the
freezing process breaks down
the cells in the rhubarb, which
allows the juice to leach out
of it as it is heated.
3 Strain the juice from the
cooked rhubarb into a sterilised
jar or bottle (discard the pulp),
then strain the syrupy liquid
from the refrigerated rhubarb
into it, shaking to mix the two
liquids together. Keep in the
fridge for up to a week.
4 To serve, mix 30ml of the
rhubarb cordial with 30ml
of non-alcoholic spirit or gin,
then top with soda water.
If you like, garnish with a
ribbon of rhubarb, cut using
a Y-shape peeler.
Per serving 89kcals, 0.1g fat
(trace saturated), 0.6g protein,
21.1g carbs (20.4g sugars),
trace salt, 0.9g fibre
“This tart, super
refreshing
cocktail uses
a homemade
cordial, which
highlights both
the sweet and
vegetal flavours
of the rhubarb.
It’s a bright and
spritzy aperitif”
food stories.
It’s a workaday ingredient, but are you aware of the
months of care and attention that go into making
a wheel of parmesan? Sue Quinn travelled to Parma
to find out more – and our food team have created
all-new recipes to celebrate Italy’s king of cheeses
ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
››
The wonder stuff
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 41
round the city of Parma in
northern Italy, parmigiano
reggiano is more than just
cheese: it’s part of daily life. On
average, the locals consume 500g
each of the umami-rich stuff
every week. “We put parmigiano reggiano in
almost everything,” Maria Chiara Passani from
the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium (PRC) tells
me. “We use it like salt. It’s in our DNA.”
But parmesan producers have had it tough in the
past 10 years. An earthquake, recession, Covid and
a series of audacious parmesan robberies (the 40kg
wheels of cheese are worth around €700 each) have
troubled producers. And now there’s another
growing problem: counterfeit parmesan.
The name parmigiano reggiano is protected
under EU law, which means it can only be used for
cheese made to the exacting standards demanded
by the PRC. But outside Europe, cheap imitations
can legally be labelled ‘parmesan’ – in one case a
US version was found to contain wood shavings.
“We estimate the total value of counterfeit cheese
sold as almost that of the real thing,” says the PRC’s
Igina Morinia. The counterfeit stuff is sold at
much lower prices, too, so the total amount sold is
more than the real stuff. Igina adds that millions
of Euros will be spent this year tackling the
problem (they are currently trialling putting
microchips into the wheels so they can be
identified as genuine cheeses).
We British have a hearty appetite for the real
stuff – we’re the fourth largest market for it, in
42 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
fact. Fourth generation cheese maker Damiano
Delfante is gratified that British food lovers
appreciate parmesan because he literally devotes his
life to making it. The father of four works from 5am
to 9pm every day, including Christmas, in his small
dairy in the foothills of the mountains near Parma.
Milk is collected twice a day from 10 small nearby
dairy farms. Cows that produce milk for parmigiano
reggiano must eat a rich diet of local hay and grains,
in accordance with detailed rules set out by the PRC.
This means farmers can spend more than €10 per day
per cow just on feed. Cows here generally don’t graze
on open pasture; instead, they’re kept in barns with
access to outside pens. When I ask about this, farmers
explain there’s a shortage of open pasture and no
tradition of grazing in Italy. Moreover, they say,
calves, pregnant cows and ‘teenage’ cows can be
separated within the barn and fed according to their
specific needs. It’s not quite the bucolic scenes of cows
grazing on mountain pastures that I’d imagined.
In the dairy, Damiano uses methods little changed
since the Middle Ages, apart from the use of stainless
steel and copper vats. He assesses the milk quality by
its colour and smell, using a sixth sense passed down
by his ancestors. “I put all the love I’ve got into the
cheese – it’s my life,” he says. “What drives me is the
will to make the best cheese possible.”
Although demand for parmigiano reggiano
worldwide is growing, Damiano is worried about the
future. The number of dairies that produce the
cheese is dwindling because it’s ever more difficult to
make a profit. Young Italians are no longer interested
in traditional cheese making as a career, and climate
change is affecting the seasons, which can have a
negative impact on the quality of the milk. So why
does he continue to do it? “You have to be a bit crazy,”
Damiano admits, as he dips his hand into a vat of
curds and assesses the ‘grains’, brow furrowed. “But
if you have love for it like I do, you can taste it in the
cheese. And that’s satisfaction enough for me.”
Turn the page for the recipes
››
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHS: GEORGIE HACKETT. RECIPES & FOOD STYLING: POLLYANNA COUPLAND. FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS: TOBY SCOTT. STYLING: TABITHA HAWKINS
Parmesan maker Damiano
Delfante taps a cheese
with a brass hammer – he
can tell its quality from
the sound it makes
food stories.
This takes caesar
salad to the next
level by pairing it
with bavette, one of
the best (and most
affordable) steaks
With parmesan, smoky
paprika and fruity quince
soldiers for dipping, these
set custards are a simple
make-ahead starter
delivering serious flavour
food stories.
We’ve created these dishes to show that, even when you go beyond
the Italian classics you know and love, parmesan is just as
effective at giving a meal that wonderfully satisfying umami depth
Parmesan and smoked
paprika custards with
quince soldiers
Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 min, plus
chilling
Oven time 45 min
Specialist kit 4 small ramekins
(about 200ml each)
As these are served at
room temperature, they
can be made up to a day
in advance. Bring them out of the
fridge 20 minutes before serving.
The toasts are best made fresh.
The easiest way to split
KNOWeach slice in half is to lay
HOW
the warm toast flat on
a board and hold it in position
with the flat of your hand. Slice
into the end and carefully saw
through the bread, keeping the
blade level between the board
and your palm.
Whisk, then freeze and
DON’T
WASTE label leftover egg whites
IT
for other recipes.
MAKE
AHEAD
• 200ml whole milk
• 200ml double cream
• 50g parmesan, finely grated
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 6 medium free-range egg yolks
• 4 slices bread
• 80g quince paste
1 Put the milk, cream, parmesan
and paprika in a small pan and
bring to the boil, stirring regularly.
Remove from the heat, leave to
cool slightly, then gradually whisk
in the egg yolks and season with
salt and pepper. Strain through
a fine sieve into 4 ramekins, then
cover and chill in the fridge.
2 Once chilled, heat the oven to
130ºC fan/gas 2. Put the
ramekins in a deep tray. Boil a
kettle, then pour enough boiling
water into the tray so it reaches
halfway up the ramekins. Cook in
the oven for 45 minutes until
set, then leave to cool to room
temperature (see Make Ahead).
3 To make the quince soldiers,
toast the bread, then cut off the
crusts. Using a serrated knife,
carefully split each warm piece
of toast in half horizontally, so
each slice becomes 2 thinner
slices (see Know-how). Spread
half the slices with a thick layer
of quince paste, then assemble
into sandwiches and cut neatly
into finger-width soldiers. Serve
with the custards.
Per serving 586kcals, 42.3g fat
(22.7g saturated), 17.5g protein,
32.8g carbs (5g sugars),
0.8g salt, 2.5g fibre
Bavette is the French
name for flank steak and
it’s worth a trip to a good
butcher to get some, but you can
use whatever steak is available
in your supermarket if you like.
KNOWHOW
•
•
•
•
500g British bavette steak
4 medium free-range eggs
1 romaine lettuce
Parmesan, shaved, to serve
For the dressing
• 5 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 medium free-range egg
• 80ml olive oil, plus extra to fry
• 25g parmesan, finely grated
• Juice ½ lemon
For the pickled shallots
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 banana shallot, finely sliced
into rings
Bavette caesar salad
Serves 4
Hands-on time 1 hour
You can prepare the
recipe to the end of step
4 up to a day in advance.
It’s particularly
BE A
BETTER important you slice
COOK
bavette against the
grain and cook it no more than
medium-rare, or it will be tough.
If you get a piece with a thick
and thin end, either use a meat
hammer to flatten out the thicker
end (while tenderising it) or cut
the steak into 2 pieces and cook
for different lengths of time.
MAKE
AHEAD
For the croutons
• 2 thick slices white bread
• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 10g parmesan, finely grated
1 Begin by making the dressing,
as you’ll also marinate the steak
in it. Use a pestle and mortar to
grind the anchovies and garlic to
a paste, then whisk in the
vinegar and egg. Slowly stream
in the oil while whisking to
create an emulsified dressing.
Stir in the 25g grated parmesan,
then season with a pinch of salt
and pepper and the lemon juice
to taste (you might not need all
the juice). Divide between 2 wide
bowls and submerge the steak in
one of them, reserving the
second to dress the salad with.
Put both bowls in the fridge. →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 45
7 STEPS FROM MILK
TO PARMESAN
1. Unpasteurised milk is poured
into giant copper pans: 16 litres
are used to make just 1kg cheese.
2. Fermented whey from the
previous day (the liquid left after
the curds are removed) and
rennet (an enzyme that curdles
milk into curds and whey)
are added to the milk.
3. The curds are then cut into tiny
grains with a tool called a ‘spino’.
The mixture of whey and curds
is heated and the curds fall to
the bottom of the pans.
4. The curds are strained through
linen cloth, then transferred to
large round moulds where the
name of the dairy, date of
production and PARMIGIANO
REGGIANO are pressed into the
still-soft cheese rind in pin dots.
5. After three days, the wheels
are transferred to tanks of salty
water to soak for 20 days.
6. The wheels are transferred to
a warehouse and left to age for
12 months. Officials inspect
each wheel, tapping it with
a hammer, to gauge whether
it’s worthy of the official
parmigiano reggiano stamp.
7. The wheels are left to mature
for another year or more. A silver
seal identifies a cheese over
22 months old; a gold seal marks
a cheese more than 30 months old.
2 For the shallots, stir the
vinegar and sugar in a small bowl
with 2 tbsp water and a pinch
of salt. Add the shallot rings,
ensuring they’re submerged,
then set aside to quick-pickle.
3 Fill a small saucepan with
boiling water from the kettle
and put over a medium heat.
Boil the eggs for 6½-7 minutes,
then drain and cool under cold
running water. Set aside.
4 To make the croutons, cut the
bread into 2cm cubes. Melt the
butter over a medium heat in a
small frying pan, then add the
bread and crushed garlic and
toss for a couple of minutes until
crisp and golden. Take off the
heat, season with a pinch of
salt and pepper, toss with the
10g grated parmesan, then
leave to cool. Store in an airtight
container if making in advance.
5 Add a drizzle of olive oil to a
large frying pan over a high heat.
Lift the steak out of the dressing
and lay it flat in the pan (see Be A
Better Cook). Cook for 2 minutes
on each side for medium-rare
(a little less if it’s thin, a little
more if it’s thick). Leave to rest
while you assemble the salad.
6 Roughly chop the lettuce
leaves, then toss with the
reserved caesar dressing and
divide among 4 bowls or plates.
Peel and halve the eggs, nestle
them on top, then sprinkle with
the pickled shallots, croutons
and parmesan shavings. Slice
the steak and arrange on top.
Per serving 611kcals, 41.6g fat
(13.8g saturated), 44.9g protein,
13.6g carbs (2.7g sugars), 1g
salt, 1.4g fibre
Pork schnitzel
sandwiches with
parmesan mayo
Serves 2
Hands-on time 25 min
• 2 pork loin steaks
• 30g plain flour
• 2 medium free-range eggs,
beaten with a pinch salt
•
•
•
•
•
75g panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil to shallow fry
15g parmesan, finely grated
2 ciabatta rolls
2 handfuls rocket
For the mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp finely grated parmesan
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
1 Trim any fat and sinew from
the pork loins, then put them
on a sheet of baking paper. Put
another sheet of baking paper
on top, then bash them with a
rolling pin until evenly flattened
out. Season on both sides with
salt and pepper.
2 Put the flour in a wide shallow
dish, then the eggs in another
and the breadcrumbs in a third.
Coat the schnitzels in the flour,
then egg, then the breadcrumbs,
patting the crumbs down to make
sure they’re firmly stuck on. Dip
in the egg and breadcrumbs
again for an extra crispy crust.
3 Put a large frying pan over a
medium heat and add a good
glug of vegetable oil – it should
completely cover the base of the
pan and be at least 2mm deep.
Once shimmering hot, carefully
lay the schnitzels flat (if there
isn’t enough room, cook them
one at a time) and fry for about
2 minutes on each side until
crisp and golden. Drain on
kitchen paper, sprinkling the
cheese over each side as you do
so – it will melt onto the crumbs
creating a crispy, cheesy crust.
4 Halve the ciabatta rolls and
put them cut-side down in the
pan to quickly toast (pour out
any excess oil if need be). Mix
the mayonnaise with the
parmesan and capers, then
spread over the toasted buns.
Add a handful of rocket to each,
then top with the cooked
schnitzels and eat immediately.
Per serving 975kcals, 51.2g fat
(8.5g saturated), 53.9g protein,
73g carbs (4.1g sugars), 2.5g
salt, 3.7g fibre
food stories.
Pork loins are great but have a tendency to dry out in
the pan. Giving them the schnitzel treatment
ensures the meat steams within the crisp crust,
keeping it juicy and full of flavour
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 47
MY COOKING YEAR: JANUARY
The joy of
winter citrus
voices in food.
Now settled in southwest France, Debora
Robertson fills her midwinter shopping
basket with cheering local treats and
bright citrus orbs, bringing a welcome
blast of sunshine, freshness and flavour
RECIPE: DEBORA ROBERTSON. PHOTOGRAPH: KATE WHITAKER. FOOD STYLING: EMILY GUSSIN. STYLING: TONY HUTCHINSON
H
ow are you doing? I hope you had
a blissful Christmas full of family,
friends and good food. For many of
us, there’s a price to pay for all these
celebrations; a food hangover that means it can
be deeply challenging to pull ourselves out of
bed to face the daily tyranny of Real Life, when
the bloodstream is equal parts gold chocolate
coins and turkey stuffing sandwiches.
The only thing that can make this feeling
worse is the relentless, cheerless bombardment
of advertisements and
articles extoling us to
embrace a ‘New Year, New
You’. Please. Ho ho ho no,
absolutely not. I quite like
the old me, I’d just like her
to be a little less tired.
One of the aspects of life
in France I enjoy the most
is, while they go full-on
with their Christmas
celebrations, by December
26 it’s all over for another
year. Everyone goes back
to their normal lives.
And this seldom involves
punishing diets – good
food is too important,
too central to civilised
life to sully yourself with the misery of crackers
and low-fat cottage cheese. In fact, I don’t even
know where you would buy cottage cheese, low
fat or otherwise.
Once the last of the goose has been fricasséed,
the ends of the festive cheese stirred into one
final sauce, I’m much more likely to fall into the
tart embrace of the many kinds of citrus that fill
the shelves at this time of year. My greengrocer
calls the orange ‘la reine de l’hiver’, the queen of
winter, which is more poetic and beautiful than
the rather industrial-sounding French word for
citrus fruit, agrumes.
Before Christmas, market stalls are filled with
beautiful, jewel-like confit fruit, sparkling
whole satsumas, fat slices of candied pink
grapefruit, limes and oranges. In January, they
are replaced by crates of fresh citrus, mostly
from Spain and Morocco, some from the south
of France: ‘Lulu’ clementines, wrapped in tissue
paper covered in the company’s mascot, a little
white terrier; heavy, thick-skinned navel oranges;
kumquats; and baskets of lemons and limes.
In Fresh, the smart organic shop, I sometimes
find more exotic citrus
such as bergamots,
little caviar limes and
crinkly-skinned combava
(also known as makrut
lime), so precious and
expensive it might be
cheaper to fly to Morocco
and pick your own.
In the markets and
greengrocer there are
sometimes, prominently
displayed, piles of ‘oranges
chocolats’. These are
nothing to do with our
magnificent Terry’s
Chocolate Orange. They
look so unpromising, their
skin a brownish green, that
their price – as much as €3 each – comes as a
little bit of a surprise. They’re quite a novelty –
“un orange pas comme les autres” (an orange
unlike the others) is how one wholesaler
describes them. An accidental hybrid discovered
in a Valencian orchard about 10 years ago,
they’re what all the most fashionable fruit bowls
here wear in winter. They’re seedless, juicy, very
sweet and have a slightly sherbetty flavour.
Last winter, I got most of my steps in trawling
the shops and markets, desperate to find bitter
seville oranges (what the French call oranges
amères or les bigaradiers) to make marmalade. →
“In France, good
food is too important,
too central to civilised
life to sully yourself
with the misery of
crackers and low-fat
cottage cheese. In fact,
I don’t even know
where you would buy
cottage cheese, low
fat or otherwise”
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 49
voices in food.
I finally found some but was immediately laid low by
Covid. When I was well enough to face all the juicing
and chopping, they were mushy and blooming with
green mould in their basket. A bitter disappointment
indeed, and I’m hoping for better luck this year.
In the month of January, the book Citrus
(Quadrille £20) is seldom far from my hands. It’s by
my friend Catherine Phipps (see p62 for her pressure
cooker brilliance). With recipes such as pomelo crab
salad, sea bass with citrus butter sauce, and blood
orange and rhubarb meringue pie, it inspires me to
slice citrus into meals almost every day. Put it this
way, I am highly unlikely ever to get scurvy.
Our house has what is rather grandly called an
orangerie; in reality it’s a tiny, dilapidated glass box
which perches precariously off the dining room. In
order not to look at the crumbling plaster, I bought
three beautiful old yellow ceramic pots and planted
them with metre-high yuzu, hand of buddha
and bergamot plants. For now, when starry with
blossom, they act as exquisite room fragrancers,
but I’m hopeful for fruit to come, which sounds
like a New Year’s blessing all of its own.
IN MY FRENCH SHOPPING
BASKET...
Oysters Our village’s biggest
industry, along with wine, is
oysters. We eat them raw and
grilled, all the time. They’re
so full of zinc and other good
things, I call them vitamin O.
Celeriac Brilliant roasted,
puréed, added to gratins
and transformed into that
classic French staple,
celeriac remoulade.
Kaki fruit Also known as
persimmons and sharon fruit,
this winter favourite is used
in salads, smoothies, jams
and cakes. It also makes
a wonderful sorbet.
Orange and poppy seed
cake
Serves 8-10
Hands-on time 20 min
Oven time 50-60 min, plus
cooling
Simmering time 1¾-2½ hours
Specialist kit 23cm springform
cake tin
Claudia Roden’s boiled orange
and almond cake is a favourite
of mine and I’ve used her recipe
as the starting point here. This
is beautiful as it is, but if you
want to gild the lily, melt a little
dark chocolate and trickle it over
the top when the cake is cold.
MAKE
AHEAD
This cake will keep in an
airtight container for up
to 3 days.
For the orange slices
• 2 unwaxed oranges
• 200g caster sugar
For the cake
• 2 unwaxed oranges
• Olive oil or butter to grease
• 130g plain flour, plus extra
to dust
• 200g caster sugar
• 130g ground almonds
• 50g poppy seeds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 medium free-range eggs,
lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp grand marnier or
cointreau (optional)
1 For the orange slices: cut the
top and bottom off the oranges
50 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
(discard), then cut into 1cm thick
rounds, removing any pips. Put
the slices in a small pan and
pour over boiling water from the
kettle. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then
drain and rinse with cold water.
You can repeat this process
twice to remove all the bitterness
from the oranges or carry on
with the recipe if you like (the
oranges will be slightly bitter,
not unlike marmalade).
2 Put the 200g sugar in a large
pan with 400ml water. Simmer
until the sugar has dissolved,
then add the orange slices.
Simmer for 15-30 minutes until
the slices are very soft, topping
up with extra hot water if need
be. Leave in the syrup to cool.
3 Put a separate pan of boiling
water over a high heat and add
the whole oranges for the cake.
Simmer for 1½-2 hours until very
soft. Drain, slice, remove the
pips, then whizz in a food
processor – skin and all – into
a smooth paste. Leave to cool.
4 Heat the oven to 150°C fan/
gas 3½. Lightly grease the cake
tin and line with baking paper.
Dust lightly with flour.
5 Whisk the sugar with the flour,
almonds, poppy seeds, baking
powder and a pinch of salt. In
a separate bowl, combine the
orange pulp, eggs and alcohol (if
using). Pour the wet mixture into
the dry mixture and combine well.
6 Pour the batter into the lined
tin, smooth gently, then arrange
the orange slices on top, brushing
over plenty of the syrup from
the pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes
until a toothpick pushed into the
middle comes out clean. Leave to
cool in the tin for 10 minutes,
then release the sides and put
on a rack to cool completely.
Per serving (for 10) 414kcals,
12.1g fat (1.6g saturated),
9.2g protein, 65.6g carbs
(55.2g sugars), 0.2g salt,
1.2g fibre
Every month, we’re looking to raise your cookery game
with in-depth tips, a technical challenge and a project
for the weekend. Let’s create a nation of great cooks!
52
Roasting... It’s a
workaday technique,
but we share the
know-how that will
transform your results
from good to fantastic
54
How do you get the
flavours of pasta
classic cacio e pepe
into bread rolls?
Follow baking maestro
Edd Kimber’s recipe
56
If you haven’t yet
heard of crispy chilli
oil, where have you
been? We have a killer
recipe for this winter’s
HOT condiment
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 51
Expert knowledge.
How to roast
like a pro
Roasting may not be
the most thrilling or
theatrical element of
cooking, but there’s
a world of difference
between food that’s
little more than
warmed up in an oven
and food that’s
roasted, crisp and
caramelised. In these
times when many of
us are thinking twice
before turning on the
oven, follow these tips
to make sure you
get the best results
when you do.
W
hen I was learning to cook, it wasn’t cheffy skills like constructing grandiose
pies, spinning sugar marvels or piping pomme purée that taught me the
most. It was the simpler things, the building blocks of cookery: knowing
how to caramelise onions properly; the importance of seasoning at the beginning,
middle and end of cooking; how acidity in marinades can transform flavour and
texture – these were the little epiphanies that boosted my skillset and covertly (yet
greatly) improved my dishes. They might not have showstopper appeal or make a
difference to anything visually, but these dark horses can make all the difference.
Knowing how to roast things properly in an oven is one such skill. Recipes keep
roasting simple – put food on tray, put tray in oven – but there’s more to it than that.
Space, temperature, coverage – these three variables can make all the difference
between something that’s merely cooked through and something that’s properly
roasted. Thankfully, they can all be mastered with ease.
52 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
PHOTOGRAPHS: GARETH MORGANS, ISTOCK/GETTYIMAGES
TOM SHINGLER, FOOD EDITOR
be a better cook.
Getting the oven to
temperature: can you skip it?
Ensure even coverage
with the oil and seasoning
Heating the oven before you put food
in to roast or bake is something every
cook learns to do when they start
cooking, and it’s long been accepted
lore, but there’s now social-media
chat about cooking from a cold start.
We all do it – throw some meat
or chopped veg on a tray, sprinkle
a pinch of salt over it, drizzle over
a zig-zag of oil and slam it in the
oven. The result? Unevenly seasoned
and half-roasted, half-baked food.
So... Question: do you really need
to wait (and waste all that energy)?
Learn to toss it!
It takes seconds, but tossing your
food, oil and seasoning in a bowl
(or, for fragile food such as a piece
of fish, brushing it with oil, then
seasoning) before it hits the tray
ensures complete, even coverage.
Answer: it depends on what you’re
cooking. As a general rule, it pays to
wait – especially if you’re following
a recipe to the letter – but putting a
few jacket potatoes in the oven
before it kindly beeps or turns a light
off to let you know it’s reached
180°C fan/gas 6 certainly isn’t going
to do any harm. Think of it like this:
• Anything that’s gently roasted
from raw until crisp on the
outside and soft in the middle
(root veg, slow-cooked joints of
meat, anything that requires little
more than toasting or drying out):
totally fine to put in the oven
before it’s up to temperature.
• Food that requires precision or
a sudden wave of heat to crisp
up and sear quickly (roast
potatoes, Yorkshire puddings,
bakes, pizza, fish): wait for the
oven to give you the thumbs-up.
PUT THAT
HEATING-UP
OVEN TO GOOD USE
While you’re waiting for the
oven, toast some nuts or dry out
leftover bread for croutons, both
of which keep well in an airtight
container. Also, take the baking tray/
dish you’re going to use and put it
in the oven from the get-go. It gives
things a head start, meaning
caramelisation starts to happen
the second the food
touches it (another
energy-saver).
Give your food
breathing space
Like chefs, ingredients don’t like
their personal space being invaded
when they’re cooking. Throw too
many chips into oil and you’ll end
up with a soggy mass of potato;
overcrowd a skillet with steaks and
they’ll boil as much as they’ll fry,
resulting in tough, grey meat. The
same goes for your oven.
...or get your hands dirty
If an extra bowl to wash up is too
much to bear, give all the ingredients
a good scrunch and mix with your
hands once they’re on the tray.
All that hot air needs to be in
contact with as much of the food as
possible. You then get the Maillard
reaction – that wonderful thermochemical joining of sugars and
proteins that browns food and
creates flavour. Space also gives
the evaporating moisture from food
room to get away – vital for creating
roasted rather than steamed food.
Whichever method
you use, the result
is that each piece
of food is evenly
salted and coated in
oil – the conductor
for the heat in your
oven. No more
leathery aubergines
or patches of dried,
unseasoned chicken;
instead, everything
will cook at the same
time in the same way,
creating a uniform
consistency.
Use the space in your oven to its full
potential. Try to
roast ingredients in
a single layer, with
each piece spaced
apart. If that means
separating out
a chopped squash
across 2 trays, it’s
worth it – trust me.
You’ll end up with
caramelised gold
nuggets of flavour
instead of limp,
soggy slices
of dismay.
And finally…
• Don’t open the oven
door unless you need
to – look through the
window instead.
• When a recipe gives
you a roasting time,
it’s only a guide. All
ovens vary slightly and
the actual temperature
can be out by as much
as 25°C. Trust your gut
and cook something a
little longer if you think
it needs it. Buy an oven
thermometer (from £5)
if you want to test the
oven’s temperature.
• Most ovens have three
shelves, each of which
will produce slightly
different results. The
top one will usually be
the hottest. The middle
shelf is your reliable
all-rounder. The bottom
shelf is the coolest –
use it for slow-roasting
and gentle casseroles.
• Think about the heat
conductivity of your
kit – a metal sheet heats
up faster than a Pyrex
glass dish. For the best
caramelisation, metal is
best; for reheating, use
Pyrex-style borosilicate
(toughened) glass.
Technical bake.
Cacio e pepe stuffed rolls
Makes 6
Hands-on time 35-40 min,
plus overnight resting and
1-1½ hours proving
Oven time 20 min
These are best served warm
while the cheese is gooey. You
can chill in a sealed container
for a couple of days, then reheat at
160°C fan/gas 4 for 10 minutes.
To make the recipe vegetarian
EASY
SWAPS use a veggie parmesan
alternative.
EDD’S
TIP
These rolls are inspired
by cacio e pepe, literally
‘cheese and pepper’, a
classic pasta dish from
Rome. They’re fantastic
on their own, but would
also be great with a bowl
of tomatoey pasta, as
long as you’re okay with
an imminent carb coma
EDD KIMBER
Recipe taken from
Small Batch Bakes by
Edd Kimber (Kyle
Books £18.99) and
tested by delicious.
54 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
15g granulated sugar
125ml whole milk
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
50g unsalted butter, at room
temperature and diced, plus extra,
melted, to brush
For the filling
• 100g ricotta
• 50g mozzarella, coarsely grated
• 25g parmesan, finely grated, plus
extra to sprinkle
• ½-1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
(depending on how strong you like it)
1 You’ll need to start the recipe the
day before baking. If using a stand
mixer, put the flour, salt, yeast and
sugar in the bowl and whisk briefly to
combine. Make a well in the centre,
then add the milk and one of the eggs.
With the dough hook attached, mix to
form a shaggy dough. Mix on a lowmedium speed for another 10 minutes
until the dough is smooth and elastic,
forming a ball around the hook. Add
the butter, 2 pieces at a time, and mix
until the dough is smooth and elastic
and is no longer sticking to the bowl.
2 If making the dough by hand, follow
the steps above, but rub the butter into
the flour mixture before adding the milk
and egg. Knead by hand for 15 minutes
or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
3 Form the dough into a ball and put in
a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight.
4 The next day, divide the dough into
6 equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover
with a clean tea towel and allow to rest
for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the
filling ingredients in a bowl and mix
together. Line an oven tray (about
23cm x 15cm) with baking paper.
5 Lightly flour a work surface and roll
each ball of dough into a rough 12cm
circle. Divide the filling equally among
the circles, then fold the dough up and
over the filling, pinching together to
form a ball. Put on the prepared tray,
cover loosely and set aside for 1-1½
hours or until almost doubled in size.
6 Heat the oven to 170°C fan/gas 5.
Beat the remaining egg and brush the
risen buns with it, then bake for 20
minutes or until golden. Allow to cool
for a few minutes before brushing
with the melted butter and sprinkling
over a little extra parmesan.
Per roll 320kcals, 14.2g fat (8.9g
saturated), 11.2g protein, 36g carbs
(4.1g sugars), 0.7g salt, 1.7g fibre
RECIPE, PHOTOGRAPH AND STYLING: EDD KIMBER
Edd Kimber’s
cheesy brioche rolls
be a better cook.
NEXT MONTH
Your new
favourite
potato bread
The project.
Crispy
chilli oil
It’s the condiment of the moment... Our food
editor Tom Shingler is a superfan with a
secret recipe to share, and he promises that
whether you’re a spooner-over, a stirrer-in
or a dunker, you’re going to love it
PHOTOGRAPHS ANDY GRIMSHAW
FOOD STYLING SEIKO HATFIELD STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON
be a better cook.
“No food
sub-genre
inspires as much
zealotry as
condiments.
Love mayo? You
probably fall into
the Hellmann’s or Kewpie camp,
eschewing all others. Hot sauce
is a whole other battleground:
Tabasco, sriracha, Frank’s
– each has its army of
followers. Crispy chilli oil,
or chilli crisp, is the newest cult
condiment in the UK, but has quickly
become a must-have – and I’m going
to show you how to make it.”
WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS STUFF?
Chilli crisp – chilli oil complete with an edible
‘sediment’ of crunchy garlic, shallot, chilli and spices
– has been used in Chinese cooking for centuries, but
it only recently started gaining ground in the UK.
The lip-tingling heat, addictive savouriness and
endless variations (containing everything from tofu
and peanuts to black beans and dried shrimp) make
it one of my favourite things to spoon over rice, eggs
and stir-fries for an instant hit of flavour that almost
smacks you in the face. Feeling hardcore? Try it on
vanilla ice cream for a feisty alternative to sprinkles.
The thing with shop-bought chilli crisp is that
it’s never quite tailored to your individual taste. In
terms of flavour, I like Lao Gan Ma – most certainly
the top dog in the chilli crisp kingdom – but, on the
heat scale, it lacks the almost-too-hot-to-eat punch
of Lee Kum Kee’s Chiu Chow chilli oil. The solution?
I make it myself, combining my favoured parameters
of chilli, spice, crunch and seasoning, resulting in
my own Goldilocks chilli crisp – it’s just right.
Of course, what’s right for me probably isn’t right
for you (I tend to go overboard with heat, black beans
and sichuan peppercorns), but the joy of homemade
chilli crisp is that it’s very easy to prepare and tweak
until you have your own version nailed. In just
24 hours, you can be the proud owner of a homemade
jar of the hottest condiment in town (in every sense).
GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR AROMATICS
Chilli is, of course, essential, but the type of chilli
you use will provide different levels of heat and
flavour. I tend to stick with a base of gochugaru
(Korean red pepper flakes), as these aren’t too hot,
have a smoky fruitness to them and provide plenty
of deep red colour to the oil. I can then tweak the
amount of heat with regular chilli flakes (for me,
plenty) and add in other chillies if I want to layer
the hot flavours further. While they’re certainly
not traditional, dried Mexican chillies are the
easiest way to provide depth. Ancho adds raisin-like
sweetness while chipotle adds bags of smoke, but
there are literally hundreds of varieties from all
over the world, each with their own flavour profile.
Next up are your fresh aromatics, of which garlic
and shallots are the most important. These provide
the majority of the ‘crisp’ along with the chilli flakes
and ground spices. Beyond that, there’s fresh ginger
and – if you like – fresh chillies. These aren’t essential
but will add a slightly brighter note to the final flavour.
They – and any other fresh ingredients you’re adding
apart from the garlic and onion – are best used as
larger pieces to infuse the oil before being discarded.
When it comes to dried aromatics and spices,
it’s really up to you. The most common inclusions
are sichuan peppercorns for their floral flavour and
mouth-numbing qualities, cinnamon for warmth,
cardamom and star anise for aroma and dried bay
leaves for rounded flavour. I like a little fennel seed
to up the aniseedy-ness and a touch of paprika for
extra colour and sweetness; other times I’ll add in
something bolder, like chopped fermented black
beans and peanuts or a crumbled chicken stock cube.
This is where you can get properly experimental.
Finally, you want to season your oil to help bring
out all those infused flavours. A decent amount
of salt and some sugar will ensure it’s at its best.
THE METHOD: JOIN THE CULT
Throwing everything into a pan with the oil and
heating it is the classic infusion method, but this
isn’t the best process in this case – by the time your
onions and garlic are crisp, the other aromatics will
have burnt. A two-step approach works far better,
separating fresh ingredients from dried. Begin →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 57
be a better cook.
with a pan of cold oil and add your garlic and shallots (plus anything
else fresh). Gradually bring it up to temperature, keeping a close eye
on it and using a slotted spoon to whip out the solids as soon as they
turn golden. You’ve now got a wonderful infused oil, plus a heap of fried,
crunchy bits ready to bolster your crispy sediment.
The next part involves pouring very hot oil – so take care. Put the rest
of your ingredients in a large heatproof container (metal or borosilicate
glass are best). As you gradually pour the hot oil over them, it will bubble
up and instantly infuse, searing the spices to ensure a crispy sediment.
This flash-infusion gets as much flavour out of the aromatics as possible.
Leave the oil to cool a little before adding the fried garlic and shallot
back in (so they don’t burn), then give it a 24 hour rest to allow all those
flavours to meld, infuse and combine. Fish out any larger whole spices
and congratulations – you’re ready to drizzle your homemade chilli
crisp over dumplings, noodles, fried rice and, well, whatever you fancy...
Crispy chilli oil
Makes 250ml
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
overnight infusing
Specialist kit Probe
thermometer; sterilised jar
This is an in-your-face
chilli oil with plenty of
fire, spice and floral
heat from sichuan
peppercorns. Tweak
and experiment with
the base recipe until
you find your perfect
combination
58 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
• 250g vegetable or sunflower oil
• 2 slices fresh ginger
• 3 banana (echalion) shallots,
finely sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp sichuan peppercorns
• 3 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 50g gochugaru (Korean red
pepper flakes – from
theasiancookshop.co.uk and
other online suppliers)
• 25g chilli flakes
• ½ tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
1 Pour the oil into a saucepan.
Add the ginger, shallots and
garlic, then put over a medium
heat and gradually bring to
160°C. Meanwhile, put the
sichuan peppercorns, star
anise, cinnamon stick and
fennel seeds in a dry frying
pan and toast over a medium
heat for a few minutes until
fragrant. Set aside the cinnamon
stick and star anise, then crush
the peppercorns and fennel
seeds in a pestle and mortar.
2 Mix all the toasted spices with
the remaining ingredients in a
heatproof container that holds
at least a litre, as the oil will
bubble up when you pour it in.
Shape the mixture into a pyramid,
then make an indent in the top
to pour your oil into.
3 As the oil heats up, the ginger,
shallots and garlic will sizzle and
begin to colour. As soon as they
turn golden, remove with a
slotted spoon. Discard the
ginger and leave the shallots and
garlic to crisp up as they cool.
4 Once the oil is up to 160°C,
very carefully pour around
a quarter of it into the chilli
mixture – it will instantly bubble
up and produce a lot of steam.
Give it a mix with a metal spoon,
then continue to pour in the oil
slowly until it has all been added.
Leave to cool for 10 minutes,
add the fried garlic and shallots,
then transfer to a sterilised
jar. Seal and leave to infuse
at room temperature overnight.
5 The next day, remove and
discard the star anise, cinnamon
and bay leaves. Keep the chilli oil
in the fridge for up to a month.
Per tsp 105kcals, 11.4g fat
(0.8g saturated), 0.1g protein,
0.5g carbs (0.3g sugars),
0.6g salt, 0.1g fibre
WARM UP with
online
Find our best collection of hearty soups at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk/collections/winter-soup-recipes
be a sustainable cook.
DON’T
BIN IT!
Citrus fruit
To kick off this new page
aimed at reducing waste,
Emily Gussin shares ideas
to use up unwanted bits
of lemons, limes and more
EASY CANDIED
LEMONS
These pretty slices are a
wonderful way to
decorate cakes and puds.
Heat the oven to 100°C fan/
gas ½. Put 50g caster sugar
and 30ml water in a small
frying pan. Bring to the boil,
stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Cut a leftover ½ lemon into
3mm slices (or half moons),
then put them in the pan in
a single layer. Simmer for 10
minutes until tender, turning
halfway, then lift out onto
a lined baking tray. Bake for
2 hours, turning halfway,
to stiffen a little. Cool, then
store in an airtight container
for up to 1 month.
HOW TO FREEZE CITRUS
The fruit don’t defrost well if frozen
whole – prep them first for best results:
• Freeze slices or wedges of lemon, lime,
orange or grapefruit on a tray, then
transfer to a freezer bag once solid. Add
pieces to drinks – ice and a slice in one.
• Pour citrus juice into ice cube trays
and freeze. Transfer to a bag once solid.
Melt cubes straight into sauces,
soups and stews at the end of
cooking to add zingy flavour in
place of freshly squeezed juice.
• Stir grated zest into
breadcrumbs and freeze in a
sealed container. Sprinkle over
gratins or pasta bakes to make
a crunchy topping or toast in a
pan for a pangrattato (see p22).
JUICY TIP
Don’t cut open a
lemon or lime if
you need just a
splash of juice.
Instead, roll the
fruit firmly back
and forth on the
worktop with your
hand to break up
the cells inside,
then use a skewer
to make a small
hole in one end.
Squeeze it in your
hand to produce
a trickle of juice
through the hole
(the lemon/lime
will last several
days in the fridge).
SAVE THE PIPS!
DIY preserved lemon
Preserved lemons are a staple of Moroccan and Levantine cooking. This version
uses just the peel, so you can make it after juicing the fruit; it works with any citrus.
Put 2cm coarse salt in a sterilised jar. Each time you juice a piece of citrus, cut
the leftover peel in half, press into the salt, then cover with more salt. Keep the
jar at cool room temperature, moving it to the fridge on hot days. The peel will
be ready to use in about 6 weeks. As the peel releases its juices, the salt will start
dissolving into it and the peel will soften,
so you can add more salt and peel on top.
Lemon seeds are naturally
high in pectin, so they’re
excellent for helping
low-pectin fruit (such
as strawberries and
raspberries) set when
making jam. Rinse the
seeds, allow to dry, then
store in a bag in the freezer.
Pop a few in a muslin bag
and add to the jam pan
at the start of cooking,
removing the bag before
you put the jam in jars.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 61
If you love warming casseroles but, in these fuel-crisis
days, aren’t keen to have the oven on for three or more
hours of slow-cooking, it’s time to consider an
oft-overlooked kitchen gadget: the pressure cooker.
For the delicious. food team it’s the energy-saving kit
they’d choose above all others. We asked expert
Catherine Phipps to share her wisdom, along with
foolproof recipes that go far beyond steamed puds
PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTYIMAGES
THE ENERGYSAVING
GADGET
WITH
SUPERPOWERS
be a sustainable cook.
t can take seeing something through
fresh eyes to make you understand its
value and potential. This happened to
me with pressure cookers 15 years ago.
I had only used one for the odd batch
of stock and to steam Christmas puds.
Then one night my Brazilian sister-inlaw blew me away by cooking a quick
version of feijoada for dinner – a bag of
unsoaked black beans transformed by
pressure cooking in 35 minutes into a rich, aromatic
stew. I was converted. Years of experimenting since,
constantly asking myself “Can I do this in the pressure
cooker?”, have led me to believe that if you cook mainly
from scratch, you can’t do
better than keeping a pressure
cooker (or two) on the stove.
Part of their versatility is due
to how they work. Stove-top
and electric pressure cookers
are specially adapted saucepans
– or, as I like to think of them,
saucepans with superpowers.
The magic lies in the gasketlined lids, which allow steam,
and therefore pressure, to build
up. As it builds, the temperature
within rises to around 120°C, which cuts the cooking
time by a frankly miraculous 70-75 per cent.
That isn’t the full story, though. With many dishes
a proportion of the cooking takes place without using
any fuel. Why? Because a pressure cooker can be left
to drop pressure naturally off the heat and will stay
hot for a very long time. The food continues to cook
as the vessel drops in temperature.
Then there are the dishes where elements are
normally cooked separately but can be cooked
together in a pressure cooker. For example, you can
cook an all-in-one pasta dish by the absorption
method (using precise ratios of liquid and dry
ingredients so all or most of the liquid absorbs) in the
time it would normally take you to bring a pot of water
to the boil. This is one of several mainstays in my
house – so quick I can make a batch in the morning
for my children’s school lunch Thermos flasks.
FEELING THE FEAR?
I imagine you’re thinking, ‘Yes... but are pressure
cookers safe?’ Granted, old-style models were noisy,
steam-belching, jiggling beasts that needed constant
supervision. The good news is the technology has
moved on. Modern pressure cookers have been
re-engineered to include many
safety features. They’re now
virtually silent when cooking at
pressure and more efficient, as
all the steam is kept within.
If you’re worried about using
a manual stove-top version, an
electric version will automate
much of the process for you.
“Once you understand
a pressure cooker’s
value and versatility, it
will never be off your
hob – and it makes
cooking so much
more sustainable”
ASTOUNDING SCOPE
You can steam, boil, stew,
poach, pot roast, sauté, braise,
infuse – even roast and bake, in drastically reduced
times. That makes pressure cooking so much more
sustainable. Not only will it you save time, fuel and
money, the food will have excellent flavour and texture.
Some of our best-known chefs use pressure cookers
for the depth of flavour they achieve in sauces and
stocks, as well as for their superior meat-tenderising
properties. Studies also show pressure cooking is one
of the best methods for nutrient preservation. Once
you understand a pressure cooker’s value and
versatility, it will never be off your hob. →
5 SURPRISING THINGS TO COOK IN A PRESSURE COOKER
Fresh green
vegetables Put them
in the pressure cooker
with a splash of water.
Bring the cooker up to
high pressure, then
immediately release
the pressure for fresh
al dente greens. For
softer greens, add 30
seconds incrementally.
Eggs Pressure cookers
steam soft-boiled,
mollet (fudgy-yolked)
and hard-boiled eggs
perfectly, plus even
the freshest eggs peel
easily. A soft-boiled
egg takes 2 min.
Put on a piece of tea
towel/napkin and add
just a splash of water.
Roast beef! Sear a
500-750g beef joint all
over, then put on a
trivet over water (or
gravy) and cook for
3-5 min, then release
pressure naturally or
faster, depending on
how you like your beef
cooked. Rest for 15
min before serving.
Quick preserved
lemon peel Put the
juice, pared zest of 4
lemons and 1 tsp salt
in the pressure cooker.
Cook for 1 min, then
release the pressure
naturally. Decant the
lemons into a jar and
keep in the fridge – use
the liquid in dressings.
Dulce de leche
Put a tin of condensed
milk on a trivet or a
piece of tea towel/
napkin, then add 2cm
water to the cooker.
Cook at high pressure
for 20 minutes,
then leave to cool
completely before
opening. Yum...
TURN THE PAGE FOR RECIPE INSPO
››
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 63
RECIPES CATHERINE PHIPPS PHOTOGRAPHS ANDREW HAYES-WATKINS FOOD STYLING LOLA MILNE STYLING REBECCA NEWPORT
be a sustainable cook.
“I’ve given variations to show how versatile a pressure cooker pot
roast can be. You can make it in a simple form – a quick browned
chicken, a few aromatics and minimal liquid, then 15 minutes at
high pressure – but it also lends itself well to being a one-pot meal.
Grains work particularly well but potatoes will sit comfortably
around the chicken, too, even with the longer cooking time”
Pot-roast chicken with
freekeh and greens
Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 25 min
Simmering time 15 min
• 15g butter
• 1 tbsp baharat spice mix
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 chicken, trussed
• 1 mint sprig, plus extra to serve
• 2 garlic cloves, bruised
For the pot
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 100g cracked freekeh, soaked
in cold water for 5 minutes
• 100g frozen broad beans,
defrosted (optional)
• 200ml chicken stock or water
• Juice 1 lemon
• 150g greens, such as cavolo
nero, chard or similar
1 Mix the butter, spice mix, lemon
zest and salt, then rub over the
chicken. Put the mint and bruised
garlic cloves inside the chicken
cavity. Heat the olive oil in the
pressure cooker, then brown the
chicken all over.
2 Remove the chicken from the
pressure cooker, then put in the
onion and chopped garlic. Fry for
a minute or two, then add the
freekeh, broad beans (if using)
and stock or water. Return the
chicken to the pressure cooker
and squeeze over the lemon
juice. Bring up to high pressure
and cook for 15 minutes, then
leave off the heat so the
pressure can drop naturally.
3 Remove the chicken from the
pressure cooker and cover
loosely with foil to rest. Put the
greens in the cooker and return
to high pressure. Fast release.
Spoon the freekeh and greens
around the chicken and serve
sprinkled with a little more mint.
Per serving (for 6) 413kcals,
13.2g fat (4.1g saturated), 54.3g
protein, 16.3g carbs (2.8g sugars),
→
0.5g salt, 5.6g fibre.
TWO VARIATIONS TO TRY
Spiced pot-roast chicken with wild rice and
a quick coriander chutney
Put a few fresh curry leaves (optional), a few coriander stalks and 2 bruised
garlic cloves into the chicken cavity. Mix 15g butter with the grated zest of
1 lime and 2 tsp of your favourite curry powder, then rub over the chicken. Sear
as in the main recipe. Remove and put 1 finely chopped onion, 2 tbsp chopped
coriander stalks and 4 finely chopped garlic cloves in the pressure cooker. Fry
for 2 minutes, then add another 2 tsp curry powder, 150g wild or brown rice
and 250ml chicken stock or water. Dot with butter. Return the chicken to the
pressure cooker and cook as in the main recipe.
Serve with this QUICK CORIANDER CHUTNEY: whizz 1 large bunch coriander
with the grated zest and juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp honey, a pinch of ground turmeric
and 2-3 green chillies. Temper this with cooling plain yogurt, if you like.
Pot-roast chicken with 40 garlic cloves
Brown the chicken as in the main recipe. Put herbs in the cavity and in the base of
the pressure cooker: tarragon works beautifully, so does thyme or bay, or even all
three. Add about 40 unpeeled garlic cloves, 100ml vermouth or dry white wine and
100ml chicken stock. Cook as in the main recipe. Remove the chicken and garlic
from the pot. Squeeze out all the garlic cloves (discard the skins) and return to the
cooker, then mix with the cooking liquid. Add crème fraîche and more chopped herbs,
if you like, or a squeeze of lemon/lime juice to counter the creamy savouriness.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 65
be a sustainable cook.
“This recipe is a good blueprint for any meat and alcohol casserole,
so you can vary all aspects of it if you keep the quantities of liquid
the same. This casserole is good served with dauphinois potatoes
(see box, below) and greens, and any leftovers can be shredded or
chopped and stirred into cooked pasta”
Beef casserole
Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 30 min (extra
if making the dauphinois)
Simmering time 20 min, plus
depressuring (extra if making
the dauphinois)
To deglaze a pan, add
some liquid (wine or
stock) over the heat and
scrape up any flavourful brown
bits stuck on the bottom of the
pan with a wooden spoon.
If making both the stew and
the dauphinois (below), make
the stew first, then decant into
a large pan/hobproof casserole.
When you grill the dauphinois,
reheat the stew so they’re ready
at the same time.
• 2 carrots, cut on the diagonal
• 2 celery sticks, cut into chunks
• 150ml red wine or beer
• 1 garlic bulb
• 1 bouquet garni (2 bay leaves,
1 thyme sprig and 1 rosemary
sprig, tied with kitchen string
• 150ml good beef stock or jus
• Handful parsley, chopped
KNOWHOW
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100g smoked bacon lardons
or pancetta
• 750g stewing beef, diced
• 2 tsp plain flour
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• 1 onion, sliced
Gratin dauphinois
Serves 4-6
“It’s up to you what type of
potato you use – floury or
waxy (floury potatoes
release more starch and give
a denser finish). It’s also
optional whether you peel
the potatoes or not. I tend
not to because I want the
nutrition from the skins.”
Use butter to grease an
ovenproof dish that will fit in
66 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
For the beurre manié (optional)
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp softened butter
1 Heat the olive oil in the pressure
cooker. Add the bacon/pancetta
and fry until crisp, then set aside.
Toss the beef in the flour and
mustard powder and season well
with salt and pepper. Sear over a
high heat in the pressure cooker
pan until brown all over. Set aside.
2 Put the onion, carrots and
celery in the pressure cooker
and fry for a few minutes until
just starting to take on some
colour. Pour in the red wine or
beer, then stir, making sure you
deglaze the base of the cooker
your pressure cooker, then cut
1 garlic clove in half and rub
this over the buttered dish.
Arrange 500g finely sliced
potatoes in the dish, seasoning
with salt and an occasional
rasp of nutmeg as you go.
Gently whisk 1 tsp plain flour
into 150ml whipping cream,
then add 2 tbsp water and pour
it over the potatoes. Dot the
potatoes with a little more
butter, then cover with a sheet
of baking paper so it’s touching
properly (see Know-how) – this
is especially important if you’re
using an electric pressure cooker
as anything stuck to the base
can set off the burn alarm.
3 Add the garlic, bouquet garni
and beef stock or jus. Return
the beef to the cooker. Season
again, then close the lid and
bring up to high pressure. Cook
for 20 minutes. Remove from the
heat (or turn off) and let it drop
pressure naturally. Remove the
garlic cloves and squeeze out
the flesh from their skins into
the cooker, then add the bacon
lardons and stir over a low heat
for a couple of minutes. Serve
with a sprinkling of parsley.
If you want to thicken the
casserole, make a little beurre
manié – mash the flour with the
butter to form a paste, then stir a
little at a time into the casserole
over a low heat until it thickens.
Per serving (for 6) 286kcals,
10.9g fat (3.6g saturated), 32.4g
protein, 49.4g carbs (5.3g
sugars), 1g salt, 3.3g fibre →
the potatoes. Put 2cm water in
the pressure cooker and add a
trivet. Put the dish on top,
close the lid and bring to high
pressure. Cook for 8 minutes,
then remove from the heat (or
turn off) and let the pressure
drop naturally. Put the dish
under a hot grill to brown the
top (if you want to).
Per serving (for 6) 184kcals,
11.5g fat (7.2g saturated), 2.2g
protein, 16.9g carbs (1.4g
sugars), 0.1g salt, 1.7g fibre
Spiced shepherd’s pie
68 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
be a sustainable cook.
Kimchi soup
“This soup is a good example of how to make a small
amount of meat go a long way, as it’s included mainly for
flavour. If you want to dispense with it altogether you can
replace it with aubergine or mushrooms (fry them with the
onions). A word of warning – the soup can be really fiery,
depending on the kimchi you use. If yours is particularly
hot, reduce the amount and add more greens at the end”
“You can cook the potatoes for the mash in the bottom
of the cooker – this will be faster (about 4 minutes) but
I like the fluffiness you get from steaming them”
Spiced shepherd’s pie
Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 30 min
Oven time 30 min
Simmering time 20-35 min
•
•
•
•
400g lamb mince
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
300g mixed root vegetables
(carrot, swede, celeriac or
sweet potato), finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 25g fresh ginger, grated
• Small bunch coriander, stalks
and leaves chopped separately
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 75g brown or green lentils
• 100g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Pickapeppa sauce or
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 100g coconut cream (optional)
• 250ml chicken stock or water
Recipes taken
from Modern
Pressure
Cooking by
Catherine
Phipps
(Quadrille £26)
and tested by
delicious.
For the topping
• 750g floury potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 12 fresh curry leaves
• ½ tsp mustard/cumin seeds
• 25g butter
• 4 green chillies, finely chopped
• 100g hard cheese, such as
cheddar, grated (optional)
1 For the filling. If your lamb is
fatty and you’d like to remove
some of it, fry it in a pan until
browned and a lot of fat has
70 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
rendered out. Drain off the fat
and set the mince aside.
2 Heat the coconut oil in the
pressure cooker and add the
onion and mixed root veg. Fry
until they start to brown, then
stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander
stalks (save the leaves for the
mash) and curry powder. Cook for
2 minutes, then add the reserved
mince and the lentils. Season well
with salt and pepper. Pour in the
tinned tomatoes, Pickapeppa or
Worcestershire sauce, the
coconut cream (if using) and the
stock or water. Close the lid and
bring up to high pressure. Cook
for 10 minutes, then allow the
pressure to drop naturally. You
should have quite a thick ragù.
Transfer to an ovenproof dish.
3 Wash out the pressure cooker
and add water. Put the potatoes
in the steamer basket and steam
at high pressure: potatoes up to
100g will take around 10 minutes;
large potatoes will take up to
25 minutes. Release the pressure,
then peel the potatoes when
cool enough to handle. Mash or
preferably rice the potatoes.
4 Heat the oven to 180°C fan/
gas 6. Heat the olive oil in
a pan and add the onion. Fry
until softened, then add the
garlic, curry leaves and spice
seeds. When the crackling
stops, add the butter to melt,
then stir in the mash, chillies
and reserved coriander leaves.
5 Spread the mash over the
filling, then rough up the top
with a fork and sprinkle over the
cheese, if using. Bake for 30
minutes until the cheese has
melted and is starting to brown.
Per serving (for 6) 508kcals,
26.2g fat (14.8g saturated), 25.7g
protein, 38.3g carbs (7g sugars),
0.7g salt, 8.3g fibre
Kimchi soup
Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 min
Simmering time 15 min
• 1 tbsp olive or groundnut oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 200g lean or fatty belly pork
(depending on taste), diced
• 1 tsp sugar or honey
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 25g fresh ginger, finely
chopped (optional)
• 300g kimchi, roughly chopped
(see intro on previous page)
• 1 litre stock (veg or chicken)
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 4 spring onions, halved and
shredded lengthways
• Small bunch coriander, pulled
into small sprigs
• Sesame oil or crispy chilli oil
(see p56) to serve
1 Heat the oil in the pressure
cooker over a high heat, then
add the onion and pork. Fry,
stirring, until the pork is
browned on all sides, then stir in
the sugar or honey along with
the garlic and, if using, ginger.
2 Cook for a minute more, then
add the kimchi. Pour in the stock/
water, then season with salt and
pepper. Close the lid. Bring up to
pressure and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and leave
to drop pressure naturally.
3 Add the soy sauce, taste for
seasoning, then serve topped
with spring onions, coriander and
a drizzle of your preferred oil.
Per serving 317kcals, 16.9g fat
(5.7g saturated), 25.8g protein,
13.2g carbs (6g sugars), 3.3g
salt, 4.4g fibre
be a sustainable cook.
Why we love our pressure cookers
The delicious. food team are unanimous in choosing the pressure
cooker as their number-one energy-saving gadget.
HEAD OF FOOD TOM SHINGLER
EXPLAINS WHY…
“Pressure cookers can be used for
pretty much anything, but my real
‘this gadget is amazing’ moment came
when I first cooked pork shoulder in
it for carnitas (Mexico’s answer to
pulled pork). What normally takes
6-8 hours on the barbecue or in the
oven takes just over 30 minutes in
a pressure cooker, leaving you with
fall-apart meat ready to be shredded,
then crisped up in a frying pan for
tacos or stirred into chilli. It makes
slow-cook meat weeknight-friendly.”
Tom has a 3 litre Tower T80245
pressure cooker
EDITOR KAREN BARNES
IS A NEW CONVERT
I was terrified of pressure cookers as a
child as I have memories of my mum’s,
with its wobbly weight on top, hissing
menacingly. How times have changed.
I now have an Instant Pot and it’s a
dream – easy to seal and no hissing (so
quiet that I wonder if it’s working, but
it always is). Up until now I’ve only
ever used mine for steaming puddings
at Christmas, but reading Catherine
Phipps’ wisdom and talking to our
team has converted me… I had no idea
you could make things like dulce de
leche and dauphinois in a pressure
cooker. In these days of trying to cut
down on fuel usage, I’m discovering
the joy of cooking pulses, a
bourguignon or chilli in as little as
half an hour. It’s life-changing. Next
stop: pot-roast chicken.
Karen has an Instant Pot Duo (see below)
Pressure cookers tested: Catherine’s choice
Stove top
• The Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Classic 5 litre cooker
is excellent but pricey. £179.95, kuhnrikon.co.uk
• If you’re looking for a good budget option, try the
Tower 6 litre pressure cooker. £44, argos.co.uk
Electric
• I use an Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 5.7 litres – and
I can’t recommend it highly enough.
£89.99, robertdyas.co.uk
MANAGING EDITOR LES DUNN
IS AN OLD HAND
I’ve been boring people with my
pressure cooker proselytising for
years. I got into them after seeing
a cook in Spain use one to make
fantastic fabada (a pork and bean stew
from Asturias). Call me shallow and
impressionable, but suddenly a boring
workaday gadget seemed exotic and
sexy. The other week I found three
saved chicken carcasses in the freezer
and used them to make a 30-minute
stock – the kind that’s so intense, it
turns to jelly when it’s cooled. And
don’t get me started about my
signature lamb shoulder...
Les has a Tefal Clipso Jamie Oliver
6 litre (alas, discontinued)
It’s time for a revival
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN
FEATURE WORDS CLARE FINNEY
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS KATE WHITAKER
STYLING TONY HUTCHINSON
PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES
If you’re looking to cook and eat more sustainably, boosting
your intake of pulses and beans is a no brainer. Read on for the
compelling reasons, the key cooking tips – and tempting recipes
be a sustainable cook.
into our diets. With
wartime rationing we
took to baked beans;
then more recently
we’ve adopted dishes
like houmous and
dhal. Yet these are all
made with imported
pulses such as navy
beans, chickpeas and
lentils.” Nowadays there’s a
demand for pulses, but “there’s
little understanding of the ones
grown in Britain. We set up
Hodmedod to establish that
connection between British
crops, farmers and the
consumer, and to encourage
people to think about the
provenance of their pulses”.
We think of them as a
classic British food, but
the beans in baked beans
are invariably imported.
Look for the Hodmedod
brand for beans and peas
grown here on a small,
sustainable scale.
*FEEDING BRITAIN: OUR FOOD PROBLEMS AND HOW TO FIX THEM BY TIM LANG (PELICAN £25)
HY SHOULD WE EAT THEM?
Put it this way: there’s no reason not to eat pulses,
and a whole host of reasons to eat more of them.
“Pulses are a rarity because they tick every box.
They’re nutritious, they store and travel well, they grow
well in different geographical zones – and they’re good
for the environment,” says Tim Lang, professor of food
policy at City, University of London*. “Most foods have
contradictions and tensions around aspects of the biosphere
or human health, or trade and the economy – but not beans and pulses.”
Because they’re a high yield crop that requires little or no fertiliser,
pulses are inexpensive; even in jars they’re great value in terms of taste
and nutrition. They’re filling and readily take on
Good for us, good for
flavours, so they make any meal go further for less
the soil, easily stored:
– a stew, soup, fish fillet or joint of meat. At a time
pulses are good news for where we’re being encouraged to produce and eat
both us and the planet.
less meat for the planet’s sake, they’re the perfect
solution. “Make something that’s good as it is, like
a bean taco – then have a bit of meat or fish on the side if you want to,”
says Joe Woodhouse, author of Your Daily Veg. Pulses promise protein,
fibre and complex carbs, so they release energy slowly.
WHY ARE PULSES GOOD
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
Pulses – or, rather, legumes
because pulse refers to the seed
rather than the plant – fertilise
the soil through root nodules
containing bacteria that convert
atmospheric nitrogen into
ammonia. This means even when
grown in non-organic systems,
pulses don’t need artificial
fertilisers that pollute our
WHY DID WE STOP EATING THEM?
waterways and degrade the soil.
The answer is simple: because meat and dairy became more affordable.
The nodules also feed microbial
Nick Saltmarsh is the co-founder of Hodmedod, which sells Britishlife, boosting soil biodiversity and
grown heritage beans and pulses. He says: “One of the things that
its organic matter. When those
prompted us to start our company in 2012 was the realisation that
microbes die, carbon is locked in.
farmers were growing fava beans in the UK – but for livestock, not
All this makes legumes perfect
humans. We learned that fava beans and common peas have been grown
for crop rotation systems, says
in Britain for thousands of years. They were introduced here by farmers
Saltmarsh. “After harvesting,
who spread north and west across Europe from the Fertile Crescent [in
some of the nitrogen is left behind
the Middle East]. Beans and peas were harvested in the late summer,
to benefit the next set of crops.”
dried and stored, then eaten throughout the year. They would have
The harvested pulses are a dense
provided most of the protein we required.”
source of protein that can either
As agricultural technology advanced and the industrial revolution
replace or supplement meat
created a new, wealthier middle class, meat and dairy gradually replaced
(there’s a limit to how much we
pulses as the source of protein. “Once you’re getting your nutritional
should be producing of the latter).
requirements from meat and dairy, there’s no pressing need to eat pulses
“Pulses actually have a
– unless you’re poor. Then pulses become stigmatised as ‘poor food’.”
meatiness to them, especially
Arable and livestock farmers kept growing them because
if you cook them in
they‘re “fantastic crops, well suited to the British climate”,
Pulses reduce both chicken or beef stock,”
says Nick. They restore fertility to the soil between crops,
our dependence on says Chantelle
break up the cycle of pests and diseases, and they’re
artificial fertiliser Nicholson, chef and
nutritious feed for the animals we were eating instead of
and our dependence owner of sustainable
the pulses. “Only in the 20th century did pulses come back
on dairy and meat. restaurant Apricity. →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 73
Buying British pulses
supports the rural economy
as well as reducing the
financial and carbon cost
of transportation.
ARE BRITISH-GROWN PULSES
WHICH TYPE HAS THE
BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
LOWEST CARBON FOOTPRINT?
The benefits are true of all pulses
Each type has its merits. Glass
everywhere, but what Hodmedod
jars can be re-used (as storage
is doing in the UK is significant from
containers and cocktail glasses)
a sustainability perspective, says
as well as recycled, but tins are
Professor Lang. “They’re championing a new generation
more recyclable still, lighter and
of farmers to show food we’re used to importing can
less fragile. “Their transport and
grow easily here.”
production are therefore easier
Hodmedod works directly with farmers to incorporate
and consume less in terms of
pulses that are suited to Britain into their crop
resources and emitted CO2,” says
rotation systems, reducing reliance on fertilisers and
Valerio. Britain doesn’t have the
supplementing their income. Crops that work particularly
facilities for canning in glass, so
well are carlin peas, fava beans, even chickpeas and
jarred pulses are most likely to
lentils specifically bred to thrive in this climate.
have been processed in Spain.
Sustainability isn’t just about our environment; it’s
Cooking dried lentils on the stove
about our economy and society too, and there’s a huge gap
may be inefficient compared to
between what we import and what we export. Prof Lang
a factory, but dried are more
continues: “British pulses are good news for food security
eco-friendly because of less
– as well as being good for the soil and soul.” And of course
packaging and no added water,
the low carbon footprint of pulses is reduced
which means less carbon
Dried are best,
even further by growing them here, rather
used to transport.
but don’t shy
than trucking and shipping them from abroad.
away from jarred SO HOW SHOULD
or canned if it
YOU CHOOSE?
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU SHOP?
means you’re
According to your time,
First of all, buy British. Broadly speaking you
eating more.
budget, recipe and
want pulses that have been grown in crop
ability. If you have time
rotation systems rather than intensive
to soak and cook your pulses, then
monocultures, from brands that can trace their produce
dried are best, from a cost and
back to the growers. How can you tell? One option is to
carbon footprint perspective. Joe
choose organic. “With organic farming, legumes are often
Woodhouse batch-cooks 500g at
used in crop rotation – one of the oldest, most natural
a time, refrigerates them and uses
methods of ecosystem management,” says Valerio
them during the week.
Simonetti, founder of Mr Organic. That said, many
Investing in a pressure cooker
producers follow organic practices, but aren’t yet certified.
(see p62) will make cooking faster
Another sign your pulses have probably been grown
and less costly, but it can be hard
with respect to the environment is if they’re in jars:
to achieve the same texture as a
“You’re more likely to find quality beans in jars than tins
processed product when cooking
because tinned beans are one of the most commoditised
them yourself. If you’re short of
products in the market,” says Amelia Christie-Miller,
time, tinned pulses offer
founder of Bold Bean Co, which buys heirloom beans
consistency and ease at a price
from Europe for its jarred products.
that won’t break the bank. Jarred
The process of canning in glass entails cooking slowly
are easily the most flavoursome,
at a low temperature to preserve flavour and texture, so
so if you want to convert beanpulses are chosen for quality rather than price. In other
haters, these are your answer.
words, you’re more likely to be buying heritage varieties
They’re also the most expensive,
grown using sustainable methods.
To get the best for yourself and “We need to diversify the varieties
though, so save them for salads
the planet, look for organic or we use across the food system,” says
and dishes where the beans aren’t
heritage varieties grown in the Amelia. “If one of our major crops
braised for hours or overwhelmed
UK, and buy dried. But even if that are grown in the same patch
by other flavours.
you’re buying the cheapest of land year after year becomes
tins, only good things come pesticide-resistant or faces disease,
TURN THE PAGE FOR THE
from eating more pulses. there could be a worldwide crisis.”
RECIPES AND TIPS
››
74 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
be a sustainable cook.
Roasted whole
pea, squash and
tamarind
flatbreads
Tinned chickpeas are a storecupboard staple these days, but you can
get British-grown pea varieties – here we’ve roasted whole peas in spices
until crunchy, then paired them with tangy tamarind on flatbreads
Creamy white
beans, savoy
wedges and
’nduja
White beans provide an ideal foundation for almost any savoury
dish. With wedges of charred savoy cabbage and a drizzle of that
incredible spicy ’nduja, this dish provides a hearty veg-forward dinner
be a sustainable cook.
TO SOAK OR NOT TO SOAK?
Soaking dried beans (overnight or even for just a few hours) will
reduce the cooking time and provide you with a softer, creamier
textured pulse. You can cook unsoaked beans – they’ll just take
longer (although a pressure cooker slashes the time).
Beans expand as they soak (they absorb water) so give them
lots of space and water. And don’t waste the soaking liquid; you
can use it to boil them too. NB: Kidney beans are the exception
– when raw they contain a toxin. Always pour away the water
used for soaking them and boil the beans vigorously for a good
15-20 minutes. After this they’re perfectly safe to consume.
Creamy white beans,
savoy wedges and ’nduja
Serves 2
Hands-on time 20 min
The liquid from jarred
and tinned beans is full
of starchy goodness, so
don’t automatically drain and
rinse beans every time. See
aquafaba info (below right).
Make this recipe vegan
EASY
SWAPS by using a spicy chilli
and pepper paste
instead of the ’nduja (we love
Belazu Ve-Du-Ya – see this
month’s Discoveries).
This recipe doubles
SCALE
easily and (if doubled)
IT UP
makes a wonderful side
to serve 6 with a roast chicken.
DON’T
WASTE
IT
• Extra-virgin olive oil to fry
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 600-700g cooked white
beans, drained (we used
Bold Bean Co’s jarred Queen
Butter Beans)
• Finely grated zest and juice
½ lemon
• ½ savoy cabbage, cut into
3cm wedges
• 2 tbsp ’nduja paste (from a jar)
or 30g ’nduja sausage
1 Heat 1 tsp oil in a saucepan
over a low-medium heat, then
add the shallot and cook for
about 4 minutes until softened.
Add the garlic and cook gently
for another minute, stirring to
make sure it doesn’t catch. Tip
in the beans and stir over a low
heat until they’re soft and a little
saucy (about 5 minutes). Season
with a pinch of salt and pepper,
stir in the lemon zest and juice,
then keep warm over a very
gentle heat.
2 Meanwhile, heat a large frying
pan with a lid over a high heat
and add 2 tsp oil. Season the
cabbage wedges and cook
cut-side down for 3 minutes until
golden and charred. Flip over to
the other uncooked cut side and
cook for 2 minutes. Add 60ml
water to the pan, cover and
reduce the heat to medium.
Steam for 3-5 minutes until
the cabbage is tender.
3 Just before you’re ready to
serve, heat the ’nduja in a small
pan. Break it up with a wooden
spoon, adding a little extra-virgin
olive oil if needed to reach a
spoonable consistency (if you’re
using sausage, you’ll definitely
need to add oil and break it up
more than the paste). Spoon the
creamy beans onto plates, top
with the cabbage wedges, then
spoon over the ’nduja. Season
with a final crack of black pepper.
Per serving 484kcals, 15.1g fat
(3.4g saturated), 24.7g protein,
48.4g carbs (14.4g sugars),
→
0.8g salt, 27.9g fibre
AQUAFABA: A TREASURE OFTEN
THROWN AWAY
This is the liquid in tins of pulses, often poured down the drain –
it’s what they were cooked in, but you also get it when you boil
dried beans in water. Aquafaba is starchy and it foams and traps
air when whipped, similar to whisked egg whites but not as stable
(the stuff from tinned pulses is best for whipping). Use it to:
– make vegan meringues, adding sugar and cream of tartar.
– replace egg white in a frothy cocktail such as a pisco sour.
– thicken stews, or use as a binding agent when making fritters
or coating something in breadcrumbs.
The most popular aquafaba is found in tinned chickpeas, but
any tinned pulse liquid will work. (And it doesn’t taste of beans.)
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 77
It’s a myth that salting your beans at the
start of cooking turns them hard. Season
the beans with a good amount of salt at the
start of cooking, then again when you serve.
Treat the liquid your beans are simmering
in as you would a stock; the more aromatic
things you add to the water, the more
flavour the beans will soak up. Simply
adding a stock cube, half an onion and/or
a few cloves of garlic instantly takes the
flavour of the pulses up a notch. You can
add herbs and dried chillies, as in the black
bean recipe in this feature, or even a
parmesan rind.
Roasted whole pea,
squash and tamarind
flatbreads
Serves 2
Hands-on time 15 min
Oven time 25 min
Don’t peel your squash!
Once it’s roasted,
you’ll be surprised
at how tender the skin becomes
and, as with most veg, a lot of
the nutrients are found in the
skin. If the skin is still tough
when roasted, pull it off the
flesh and discard.
For vegans, use a dairyEASY
SWAPS free yogurt alternative
and vegan flatbreads.
DON’T
WASTE
IT
NEXT MONTH
Venison: why
it’s the most
sustainable
meat
• 1 tsp chaat masala or
garam masala
• ¼-½ tsp chilli powder
(depending on taste)
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 Heat the oven to 200°C fan/
gas 7. In a small bowl, mix the
masala, chilli powder, salt and oil.
Spread the whole peas out in a
shallow baking dish and put the
squash wedges on another tray.
Drizzle the spiced oil evenly over
both, then roast for 25 minutes,
stirring and swapping the trays
over halfway, until the squash is
tender and golden at the edges
and the peas are crisp.
2 Meanwhile, stir the tamarind
paste into the yogurt and finely
chop the red onion. Put the
naans or flatbreads in the oven
a few minutes before everything
is cooked (you can sit them on
top of the squash if you don’t
have another shelf).
3 Put the bread on plates,
then top with the squash and
crispy peas. Drizzle over the
tamarind yogurt, then scatter
over the onion and some
coriander. Serve straightaway.
Per serving 459kcals, 11.6g fat
(1.7g saturated), 20.9g protein,
58.3g carbs (17.4g sugars), 1.3g
salt, 18.9g fibre
Brothy lime and chilli
black beans with corn
dumplings
Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min
Simmering time 1½-2 hours
Smaller beans such as black or
pinto don’t need to be soaked
before cooking, so they need
less forward planning. We’ve
taken inspiration from Mexico
for this zingy broth, complete
with fluffy corn dumplings.
If you’d prefer not to
make the dumplings,
you can serve the soup
with tortilla chips.
If you’re vegan, use a dairyfree soured cream alternative.
Masa harina (finely
KNOWground maize) is a key
HOW
ingredient in Mexican
cooking, used to make tortillas.
Find it online at souschef.co.uk
and mexgrocer.co.uk.
EASY
SWAPS
• 300g dried black, pinto or
red haricot beans
• 1 dried pasilla or ancho chilli,
stem and seeds removed,
finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1 green or jalapeño chilli
• Soured cream to serve
• Grated zest and juice 2 limes
For the dumplings
• 120g masa harina
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• Bunch coriander
1 Rinse the beans, then put
them in a large saucepan and
cover with 1.5 litres water (it
should cover the beans with
about 5cm water on top). Add
the dried chilli, oregano and salt
to the pan, put over a mediumhigh heat and bring to the boil.
2 Meanwhile, put a small dry
frying pan over a high heat and
BEAN COOKING TIPS: EMILY GUSSIN
ADDING SALT BEFORE
COOKING: YAY OR NAY?
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or
sunflower oil
• 400g tin cooked whole peas
(not garden peas or petit pois),
such as carlin peas, yellow
peas, blue peas or chickpeas,
drained – we used Hodmedod’s
British Carlin Peas
• 300g squash or pumpkin,
cut into 3cm thick wedges
(see Don’t Waste It)
• 1-2 tbsp tamarind paste
(brands vary in strength
so taste as you add)
• 75g natural yogurt
• 1 small red onion
• 2 small naans or flatbreads
• Small handful coriander,
roughly chopped
be a sustainable cook.
add the unpeeled garlic and
whole green chilli. Cook for
3-5 minutes until charred all
over. Leave to cool slightly,
then peel the garlic cloves and
remove the stem and seeds
from the chilli. Finely chop,
then add to the pan of beans.
3 Boil the beans for 10 minutes,
then reduce to a low simmer,
cover and cook for 1½-2 hours
until creamy and tender. You’ll
need to stir the pot about every
30 minutes to prevent it sticking
(add more water if it drops below
the top of the beans).
4 Make the dumplings once the
beans have been simmering for
1 hour. Put the masa harina,
olive oil and salt in a bowl, then
finely chop about half the
coriander and add that too (save
the rest to garnish). Slowly add
160ml lukewarm water while
mixing the dough with your
hands until it comes together.
Knead lightly for about 1 minute
to form an even dough.
5 With wet hands, roll pieces of
the dough into spheres, about
the size of a golf ball. Lightly
press your thumb into the
centre of the ball to form
a little crater. Pop them
on a plate and repeat until
all the dough is used up.
6 When the beans are tender,
add the dumplings to the broth,
keeping it at a low simmer
(uncovered). Let them sit
without stirring at first, then
start spooning over some of
the broth to help them cook
through. After 10 minutes,
gently stir the broth to move
the dumplings around. Cook
for another 5 minutes.
7 Add the lime juice to the
soup and season. Serve
topped with a dollop of
soured cream, the lime zest
and the remaining coriander.
Per serving 375kcals, 4.3g fat
(0.6g saturated), 16.3g protein,
67.1g carbs (0.1g sugars),
2.8g salt, 1g fibre
Brothy lime and
chilli black beans
with corn dumplings
HOW TO BOIL DRIED BEANS
Cover with cold water or, if you’ve soaked the beans first, leave
in their soaking liquid (except for kidney beans – see soaking
tips on previous page). Make sure there’s 3-5cm liquid above
the top of the beans, then put over a high heat.
Boil for 10-15 minutes, then turn down to a low simmer.
The initial boil will help the final texture of the beans (especially
if they’re unsoaked). The larger the bean, the longer it will take
to cook. Follow the pack instructions but taste towards the end
of the suggested time – older dried beans can take longer.
If the water sinks below the bean level, top it up. Cook
uncovered, unless you’re unable to keep an eye on the liquid –
as the liquid reduces, the flavour will intensify.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 79
Let’s hear it for pollock
This versatile member of the cod family deserves more than being used just
for fish fingers… Show pollock some love with Middle Eastern flavours
Alaska’s pollock fishery is one of the biggest in the world, with around
3 million tonnes landed every year. Despite this staggering total, it’s a poster
child for sustainable fishing, with most Alaskan pollock carrying the Marine
Stewardship Council’s blue tick. The nets used to catch these fish don’t touch
the seabed, so there’s little collateral damage to the marine environment.
With such consistent catches, Alaskan pollock finds its way into some wellknown favourites such as fish fingers. It’s a hugely efficient business too, with
all the trimmings turned into surimi (crabsticks to you and me). This budgetfriendly, mild flavoured, flaky white fish is a brilliant and healthy option.
Za’atar and almondcrusted pollock with
tahini, potatoes and
cavolo nero
Serves 2
Hands-on time 15 min
Oven time 30 min
Before you start, sit the
fillets on a plate lined
with kitchen paper.
Letting the fish air-dry a little
will help it take on seasoning
and give a better cooked texture.
Keep your cavolo nero
DON’T
WASTE stalks for stock or finely
IT
chop them for a stir-fry.
You can use kale or
EASY
SWAPS cabbage instead of
cavolo nero if you prefer.
BE A
BETTER
COOK
The Marine
Conservation
Society’s Good
Fish Guide is
a simple online
tool that uses
a traffic light
rating system
to help you
make oceanfriendly fish
and seafood
choices. Head
to mcsuk.org/
goodfishguide
for more info.
• 3 medium or 2 large potatoes
• 1½ tbsp olive oil, plus extra
to grease
• 2 large or 4 small (300g in
total) skinless pollock fillets,
defrosted if frozen
80 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
• 1 lemon, half juiced, half cut
into wedges
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 10g salted butter
• 120g cavolo nero, stalks
removed, leaves torn
For the crust
• 1 tbsp za’atar spice mix
• 20g blanched almonds, finely
chopped
• 20g coarse or panko
breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp pul biber (aleppo pepper)
or a pinch of regular chilli flakes
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 1 tsp olive oil
1 Heat the oven to 200°C fan/
gas 7 and put an oven tray in
to heat up. Cut the potatoes into
chunks (about 4cm), put in a pan
of cold salted water, then cover
and bring to the boil. Simmer for
5 minutes, then drain and steam
dry for 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp oil,
season and ruffle them in the
colander. Tip onto the hot baking
tray and roast for 20 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, grease another
oven tray, season the pollock
fillets with salt, then put them
on the tray and drizzle with the
remaining ½ tbsp oil. Mix the
crust ingredients in a bowl, then
pack evenly on top of the fillets.
3 Once the potatoes have been
cooking for 20 minutes, give
them a stir, then return to the
oven. Bake the fish on the
shelf above for 5-9 minutes,
depending on the thickness
of the fillets, until they’re
opaque and flake easily.
4 In a bowl, stir together the
lemon juice, garlic and tahini
(it will solidify, but this is fine).
Trickle in 2-3 tbsp ice-cold
water until the mixture loosens
to a smooth, spoonable sauce.
Season with a pinch of salt.
5 In a frying pan, melt the butter,
then add the cavolo nero. Stir-fry
for a minute or so until starting
to wilt, then add a splash of water
and cook until it evaporates.
Serve the potatoes and cavolo
nero drizzled with the tahini
saucer, then sit the fish on top,
adding the lemon wedges
on the side for squeezing.
Per serving 771kcals, 35.9g fat
(7g saturated), 40.7g protein,
66g carbs (4.3g sugars),
0.6g salt, 10.9g fibre
PHOTOGRAPH: KATE WHITAKER. RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: EMILY GUSSIN. STYLING: TONY HUTCHINSON
We asked Jack Clarke, sustainable seafood advocate at the Marine
Conservation Society, to explain why pollock is a good choice...
be a sustainable cook.
Pollock is a great swap for cod or haddock.
Here, we’ve topped it with a spiced crumb that
offers up bags of flavour, but you could also
try the fillets in tacos, curries and fish pies
Filled with love
For migrants learning English with charitable organisation Heart & Parcel,
friendships are being forged and their confidence is growing – and it’s
all because of something surprising: the simple magic of dumplings
I
f you’ve had to move to a new
country but can’t speak the
language, being encouraged
to find your voice can be
life-changing. When Hanane El
Hadioui moved to Manchester
from Italy in 2017 (she’s originally
from Morocco), she was looking for
an opportunity to learn English.
“I’m a woman who’s determined
to become a valuable person in
society,” she says, explaining how
she also wanted to share her life
experiences and ideas.
Local community project Heart
& Parcel enabled her to do all that,
through sharing recipes and
culture and celebrating diversity.
“They gave me the opportunity
to enrich my knowledge and skills
and open my mind.”
The Manchester-based
initiative teaches English
to migrants through food,
encouraging them to make and
share recipes and dishes from
a range of cuisines, many of
which are introduced by learners
themselves. They’re also helped
to develop soft skills such as
leadership and critical thinking,
and to build relationships, with
the aim that by 2025 the initiative
will be fully led by the learners.
COOKING CONNECTION
Clare Courtney and Karolina
Koścień founded Heart & Parcel
in 2015 after working together in
hospitality and sharing their
experiences – Clare as a specialist
English language teacher and
Karolina as a social worker and
Polish migrant. Karolina’s move
to the UK had left her feeling
82 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
frustrated and isolated, with her English classes
providing no time for interaction, to practise the
language or get to know other learners and their
cultures. Over food, she and Clare talked about
how migrants are perceived in Britain and
discussed their mutual love of dumplings, which
they started making together.
“The process of one person filling, one folding and
one pinching means everyone has a role in creating
something together,” explains Clare, who is Heart &
Parcel’s managing director. “It’s an amazing way to
develop language skills.”
The pair began running free six-week courses where
migrant women learned English while cooking and
eating dumplings. They were free to make and fold the
dumplings in their own way – a process that reveals
dishes and recipes that link dozens of cultures: from
samosas to sambusa, mantou to momos, gyoza, pierogi,
tiropitakia and more. “People are so excited to see we
have that connection through cooking,” says Clare.
Dumplings became a metaphor for the cause, and
feature with other recipes, many written by the
women involved, in Heart & Parcel’s self-published
cookbooks, Cook Eat Write Share and From Home
to Home. Clare explains: “We felt the dumpling
represented migrant women… A dumpling needs
to be tapped into to realise its potential – once you
break into it, it’s nourishing and interesting.” She
argues migrants’ skills,
knowledge and
contribution are often
overlooked: “When these
women come to the UK,
they’re recognised on the
surface, just for their
English language skills.” That’s where Heart & Parcel
comes in – championing the voice and experience
of every learner.
As for language, the project advocates that everyone
learning English in the UK has a right to free language
provision – crucial not only for employment but also
for social integration. The aim is to pick up where
government funding for English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) classes falls down: in England,
that funding shrank between 2008 and 2018 by
“Everyone has a role in creating
something together – it’s an amazing
way to develop language skills”
DUMPLING POWER
Karolina (bottom
right) and Clare
(middle right)
had an idea that’s
helped women such
as Fatima, Naima and
Hanane (clockwise
from left) to change
their lives
appetite for change.
“I’m passionate about
cooking and have become
a confident woman who
can speak great English”
• To find out more and
buy Heart & Parcel’s
latest cookbook, From Home
to Home (out soon), visit
heartandparcel.org
Follow them on social media
@heartandparcel
PASSION MEETS PURPOSE
Cookbook sales and events help to boost funding.
In 2020, classes went online, and a WhatsApp group
kept learners connected and cooking. Grants helped
Heart & Parcel launch a blog series and podcast,
written by and featuring migrant women, and livestream cookalongs, led and attended by learners,
reached people further afield. This led to online
cookalongs for the public to raise money for classes,
and there are in-person demos planned for 2023. So
much has been achieved in the seven years since Heart
& Parcel began: they’ve run more than 250 sessions
and 90 demos, as well as markets and supper clubs –
ideal scenarios for learners to apply their English
language and other skills.
Graduate Hanane is now a support manager and
co-ordinator with the organisation. “I gained a unique
sense of purpose. Being part of Heart & Parcel is
an important part of my heart. In simple words, it’s
‘home’.” Liza Rasool, another graduate, who moved
to the UK from Afghanistan in 2015, was offered a
teaching assistant role at a school after she demo-ed
a traditional Afghani savoury dumpling called mantu.
“I’m passionate about cooking,” she says. “I’ve become
a confident woman who can speak great English and
work with people.”
The simple idea of talking about and preparing food
has produced a cohort of graduates who’ve not only
become assured English speakers but been empowered
to thrive thanks to the sense of community and
self-expression Heart & Parcel encourages. “Food
can be liberating and a tool for social change,” says
Clare. It’s a powerful, life-changing message – who
knew a simple dumpling could stand for so much?
*SOURCE: REFUGEE ACTION. WORDS: LAURA DAY. PHOTOGRAPHS: REBECCA LUPTON, AYÇA YÜKSEL ÖZER
almost 60 per cent*. Clare says Heart & Parcel has
the flexibility to be bespoke, too. “We have no targets,
we’re not part of any examination board. We’re
effective because we give time and have the luxury
of focusing on the individual.”
Government-funded ESOL classes are often
based on visa status or offered to job seekers as
a priority, which can mean women from minority
ethnic backgrounds are excluded. “For example,
Bangladeshi women at home with children, who’ve
migrated on a spouse visa, aren’t able to access
these classes,” explains Clare. Heart & Parcel’s
primary focus has been on reaching migrants
who’ve missed out.
Cuvée Rosé, chosen by the best.
Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Michel Roux at Le Gavroche
MAISON FAMILIALE INDÉPENDANTE
champagnelaurentperrier www.laurent-perrier.com
Photo credit: Iris Velghe / Illustration credit: Quentin Blake / Conception Luma
Lighter but flavour-packed wines and beers, plus a zingy mocktail
Cocktail of
the month
PHOTOGRAPH: VINNY WHITEMAN. ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY
This Dry January
pick-me-up is from the
refreshingly non-nerdy
book 60 Second Cocktails
by Joel Harrison and
Neil Ridley (Mitchell
Beazley £12.99).
Brite-side
Serves 1
Make a cup of earl grey tea in a small jug (no milk!),
then leave to cool. Put some ice in a cocktail shaker,
then add 50ml cloudy apple juice, 12.5ml freshly
squeezed lemon juice, 2 dashes of Angostura bitters
and 50ml cooled tea. Shake well, then strain into a
small coupe glass. Cut a slit down the middle of
a thin strip of lemon peel, twist the peel over the drink
to release the oils, then place on the rim to finish.
Per serving 20kcals, no fat, no protein, 4.8g carbs
(4.8g sugars), no salt, no fibre
››
Susy’s
best buys
Even if you’re not doing Dry January, there’s a lot to
be said for choosing lower alcohol drinks – especially
when they’re as palate-pleasing as Susy Atkins’ picks
for the month. And if you demand something stronger,
she’s sorted out a good whisky for Burns Night too
NATURALLY
LOWER ALCOHOL
WINES
Sturmwolken Riesling 2021,
Pfalz, Germany 11%
Super-refreshing dry riesling,
alive with zesty lime and crunchy
green apples. A proper palatewakener on its own, it’s also one
to match with spicy stir-fries
and the egg-based dishes in this
issue. £7.50, Sainsbury’s
The Blind Spot Pinot Meunier
2021, Yarra Valley,
Australia 11%
Sitting somewhere between
a bright rosé and a light red,
it’s a highly likeable Aussie with
juicy cranberry and red cherry.
Smashing with cold cuts of
chicken, turkey or ham. Pinot
meunier is one of the grapes
in champagne, here pressed
into service in a still wine.
£12.95, thewinesociety.com
Nivola Lambrusco
Grasparossa di
Castelvetro, Emilia
Romagna, Italy 10.5%
A dark purple, gently
sparkling lambrusco with
blackcurrant and a hint
of violets. Chill lightly
and match with
charcuterie, pork rillettes
or a chunk of parmesan.
£14.99 or £11.99 as
part of a mixed six,
Majestic
A SOFTIE FOR
DRY JANUARY
Belle & Co Sparkling Rosé,
Germany 0%
With lively fizz and slightly sweet
flavours of creamy strawberry
mousse and rhubarb, this is
the best no-alc sparkler around.
It’s keenly priced too.
£4 for 75cl, widely available,
including Morrisons, Asda
and Booths
drinks.
LONGER,
LIGHTER
MIXED DRINKS
Cucielo Dry Vermouth
di Torino, Italy 18%
A new vermouth designed for
martinis, but which also
makes a scented drink topped
up with tonic (I went for
50:50). There are light herbal
tones, a core of poached pear
and some ripe citrus on the
finish. Very elegant.
£16.94 for 50cl,
masterofmalt.com
Savoia Americano Rosso
Amaro Dolce, Italy 18.6%
A ruby-red aromatic vermouth
with bittersweet notes
of orange peel and ginger.
It’s a fine base for a stronger
cocktail but also makes
a full-flavoured long one
with less alcohol using
soda or tonic water.
£19.95 for 50cl,
thewhiskyexchange.com;
£20, Amazon
Churchill’s White Port,
Douro, Portugal 19.5%
Mix this with twice as much
tonic, add ice, a fresh mint
sprig and bingo – you have
a great aperitif with flavours
of nuts and citrus peel that’s
much lighter than the average
G&T. Have a bowl of salted
almonds on hand, too.
£25 for 75cl,
tanners-wines.com;
£27.95, masterofmalt.com
Match
of the
month
M&S Classics No.20 Côtes
du Rhône Villages 2020,
France 13.5%
The mellow style and rounded
texture of this Rhône red, plus
its soft hints of sweet spices
and ripe redcurrant fruit, make
it a winner with this month’s
spiced shepherd’s pie (p70). £8
WHISKY FOR
BURNS NIGHT
ON 25 JANUARY
Johnnie Walker Black
Label 12-Year-Old
Whisky, Scotland 40%
A rich, smoky blend that
can stand up to the
peppery wee beastie
(haggis). Punches above
its price point too.
£26.89 for 70cl,
houseofmalt.co.uk and
masterofmalt.com;
£30, Asda; £30, down
to £22 until 1 January,
Waitrose
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 87
drinks.
Beer school
Light
entertainment
Looking for beers at the lower
end of the ABV scale that are
still full of flavour? Our expert
Mark Dredge has the lowdown
I
TO TRY
The Kernel Table Beer,
England 3%
Every batch of Kernel’s Table
Beer uses a different hop
combo (and the ABV varies
slightly), but you can always
expect a strongly fruity hop
aroma balanced by a biscuity
sweet malt base. A modern
classic British beer from London.
£2.60 for 500ml,
thekernelbrewery.com
WHEN WE DRANK
BEER LIKE WATER...
Small beer and table beer were styles
drunk centuries ago as low-alcohol
brews (under 3% ABV) to sip from
breakfast until bedtime as a safer
and more nutritious drink than
water. Today they’ve been
modernised to be refreshing,
hoppy pale ales but, light or not,
in January you’re probably best
off waiting until the evening...
88 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
Ilkley Mary Jane, England 3.5%
The American hop duo of
amarillo and cascade give this
Yorkshire brew bright aromas
of lemon and grapefruit, with
some toasty malt sweetness
for balance. Try it with a
roasted veg salad or frittata.
£2.25 for 500ml, Morrisons
Perfect
pairing
Try Wiper and True’s
tropically fruity
small beer with Ping
Coombes’ nyonya-style
chicken and coconut
laksa. Find the recipe at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk
Wiper and True Small Beer Light
Pale Ale, England 2.7%
This light pale ale from Bristol
has hefty hop aromas of citrus
and tropical fruit in a beer with
great texture for its modest
ABV. Try with creamy or
coconutty curries.
£2.55 for 440ml, Waitrose
Find more picks at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk/
beerschool
PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
t’s a rare occurrence that a new beer style becomes
popular all around the country. Most styles either
come from a place of long-held tradition, such as
stouts and pale ales, or they’re riding a trend until
the next big thing arrives. Around 20 years ago,
though, a new style emerged, and it’s become one of
Britain’s favourite beers: the pale and hoppy session ale.
Pale gold in colour, the beers usually use American hops
to give citrus, pine and tropical fruit aromas. Leaving a
quenching bitterness, they have a low or moderate alcohol
content, typically under 3.9% ABV. Different versions have
evolved, often even lower in alcohol, giving us the hop
flavour we love in a lighter brew.
The style – which has many names, including pale ale,
session IPA and, more vogueishly, table beer – succeeded
thanks to it combining the British tradition for low-strength
beers with the high-impact aromas of modern hops. It’s been
hugely influential on breweries, where it’s arguably the
style that’s had the greatest impact on British beer in the
past 50 years. Go to any pub or beer shop and they’ll very
likely have a beer under 4% ABV which is pale and hoppy.
Time to take a walk on the light side. markdredge.com
PHOTOGRAPH: TOBY SCOTT. FOOD STYLING: EMILY GUSSIN. STYLING: TABITHA HAWKINS
New flavour combos, wonderful one-pot meals
and moreish ginger slices, all quick and easy
››
In with the new!
Each month we make it our mission to get a brilliant new recipe or two into your weeknight
repertoire. We bet you’ll be trying to cram all these in – it is a new year, after all
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN PHOTOGRAPHS TOBY SCOTT STYLING TABITHA HAWKINS
Ready
in 20
minutes
Mussel and
egg pancake
with soy
beansprouts
make it every day.
Easy onepan meal
Sprout, bacon and red
pepper panzanella
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 91
Only six
ingredients
Chicken,
lemon and
orzo soup
92 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
make it every day.
Sausage,
beetroot and
apple stew
One-pot
wonder
Chicken, lemon
and orzo soup
Serves 4
Hands-on time 25 min
Inspired by avgolemono,
a traditional Greek dish
with eggs and lemon juice
whisked up to thicken chicken
broth, this light, creamy and
zesty soup is perfect for cold
winter evenings.
The eggs are tempered
with warm liquid before
they’re added to the
main pot in this dish to prevent
them from curdling. Make
sure your eggs are at room
temperature before you start –
if they’re cold, this can also
cause them to scramble.
Turn to p61 for ideas
DON’T
WASTE on how to use leftover
IT
lemon peel.
KNOWHOW
• 350-400g free-range chicken
thigh fillets, any excess fat
trimmed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 70g orzo
• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 2 lemons
• 80g baby leaf spinach
1 Put the chicken and onion in a
large saucepan and cover with
1.5 litres cold water. Cover and
bring to a simmer, then leave to
cook gently for about 15 minutes
until the chicken is cooked
through. Lift the chicken out
onto a board and scoop out
a large mugful of the broth.
2 Bring the liquid left in the pan
back to the boil, add the orzo
and cook for 2 minutes less than
it says on the packet. Meanwhile,
shred the chicken with 2 forks.
When the orzo is done, return
the chicken to the broth and
keep over a low heat.
3 Crack the eggs into a bowl,
then juice 1½ of the lemons,
cutting the final half into wedges
to serve. Use a balloon whisk to
whip the eggs for a few minutes
until frothy, then continue
whisking while adding the lemon
juice. Slowly add the mugful of
reserved liquid, still whisking.
Once combined, pour the
mixture into the pan of orzo
and chicken, then add the
spinach. Cook, stirring, for about
3 minutes to thicken the soup
– but be careful not to boil it.
4 Taste the soup and season
with salt, then divide between
bowls and serve with plenty of
black pepper on top and the
lemon wedges on the side.
Per serving 238kcals, 7g fat
(1.9g saturated), 27.1g protein,
15.7g carbs (2.8g sugars), 0.4g
salt, 1.9g fibre
Leek, mushroom and
cheddar gnocchi
Serves 2
Hands-on time 25 min
Using cheddar in pasta dishes
might seem wrong – but let’s
be honest, it melts well and
tastes good. Embrace the
comfort of this Britalian
mashup with in-season leeks
and mushrooms; just don’t
serve it to any Italian purists!
ECO
TIP
Nuts roasted in the oven,
rather than toasted in a
pan, can have a richer,
deeper flavour. Rather than
turning the oven on just to roast
them, roast nuts alongside other
meals, leave to cool, then store
in a jar or airtight container,
ready to sprinkle over dishes
such as this gnocchi.
You can make this with
EASY
SWAPS a pasta like conchiglie
rather than gnocchi if
you prefer. Or swap the cheddar
for stilton if you like – although
you won’t need as much.
• 20g salted butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 leek, sliced
• 120g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 500g pack gnocchi
• 80ml double cream
• 80g extra-mature cheddar,
finely grated
• 20g walnuts, toasted and
chopped
1 Heat the butter and oil in
a large frying pan over a lowmedium heat, then cook the
leeks for 10-12 minutes until
tender and starting to caramelise
at the edges. Add the mushrooms
and garlic, increase the heat to
medium, then fry for 2-3 minutes,
stirring occasionally until the
mushrooms have softened.
2 Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi
in a pan of salted water for
a couple of minutes less than
the pack instructions until
al dente (still with some bite).
3 Stir the cream into the pan
of leeks along with half the
cheddar. After a minute or so,
as the cheese is melting, stir in
the gnocchi and season, then
divide between plates. Scatter
over the remaining cheddar
and the walnuts to serve.
Per serving 937kcals, 55.4g fat
(29.3g saturated), 25g protein,
79g carbs (4.5g sugars), 1.9g
→
salt, 11.3g fibre
make it every day.
Britalian
comfort
food
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 95
Sausage, beetroot
and apple stew
Serves 3-4
Hands-on time 20 min
Simmering time 35 min
Earthy beetroot contrasts
with sharp apples and tangy
cider in this sausage stew.
Prepare all the elements
while the sausages brown
and the onions cook down,
then you can leave it
bubbling away while you
enjoy a glass of wine or cider.
You can make this stew,
then freeze it for up to
2 months. Defrost
thoroughly before reheating.
When you season this
BE A
BETTER dish at the end of
COOK
cooking you might like to
try adding a little cider vinegar
as well as salt and pepper.
Acidity can open up the other
flavours in any dish, making
everything taste brighter.
Don’t worry about
DON’T
WASTE peeling beetroot before
IT
cooking – you can eat
the skin too. Just give the beets
a good scrub, then trim off the
end where the stalks meet the
beetroot. Trim any dry woody
ends from the stalks and you
can use those in the dish too.
MAKE
AHEAD
• 1 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil
• 400g pork sausages
• 1 large or 2 small onions, sliced
• 500g beetroot, stalks sliced
and roots cut into 1cm wedges
• 300ml dry cider
• 400ml chicken or
vegetable stock
• 1 large floury potato
(such as king edward),
cut into 1.5cm cubes
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 sage sprigs
• 2 eating apples, cored
and sliced
1 Heat the oil in a large hobsafe
casserole (one with a lid) over a
medium heat. Add the sausages
and cook for 5 minutes until
browned all over, then lift them
out onto a plate. Tip the onions
into the pan with a pinch of salt
and cook over a low-medium
heat for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Add the beetroot
(see Don’t Waste It) and cook
for 10 minutes.
2 Increase the heat a little and
add the cider. Let the mixture
simmer for a few minutes,
then pour in the stock. Stir in
the potato, mustard and sage
(reserving a few leaves to serve).
Return the sausages to the
pan. Cover and simmer over a
low-medium heat for 25 minutes.
3 Stir in the apples and simmer
without the lid on for about
10 minutes until the sauce has
reduced a little and the veg are
tender. Season to taste, shred
the reserved sage leaves and
scatter them over to serve.
Per serving (for 4) 558kcals,
28.6g fat (9.8g saturated),
19.1g protein, 46.5g carbs
(25.1g sugars), 1.6g salt,
9.5g fibre
make it every day.
Sprout, bacon and red
pepper panzanella
Serves 4
Hands-on time 10 min
Oven time 20 min
Sprouts aren’t just for
Christmas! This wintry take
on Italy’s beloved bread salad
pairs sprouts with salty lardons
and sweet roasted red
peppers. Cooking everything
in one tin keeps it simple.
This recipe is perfect for
(and tastes even better
with) slightly stale bread
– it soaks up the roasting juices
for flavour and toasts on top to
give crisp edges and texture.
You don’t need to remove the
outer leaves of brussels sprouts
– just trim away any ends or
leaves that look particularly
brown or wilted.
DON’T
WASTE
IT
• 500g brussels sprouts, halved
• 3 shallots, quartered
• ½ tsp caraway seeds
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 150g bacon lardons
• 2 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
• 200ml chicken stock
• 3 thick (3cm) slices sourdough
bread, torn into bite-size chunks
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp nonpareille capers
• 2 roasted red peppers from
a jar, cut into strips
1 Heat the oven to 200°C fan/
gas 7. Spread out the sprouts
and shallots in a large roasting
tin. Season with a pinch of
salt, then scatter the caraway
seeds on top, drizzle over 1 tsp
of the oil and top with the
lardons. Put the garlic cloves
in acorner of the tin, then roast
for 10 minutes.
2 Stir the contents of the tin,
pour in the chicken stock, then
scatter over the torn bread.
Roast for 10 minutes more
until the lardons are crisp,
the sprouts are beginning to
caramelise and the bread is
golden on top.
3 Remove the garlic cloves from
the roasting tin, then squeeze
the flesh out of the skins into
a small bowl. Mash the garlic
with a fork, then whisk in the
remaining 3 tsp oil and the
vinegar. Tip into the roasting
tin along with the capers and
peppers. Toss everything
together, season and serve.
Per serving 286kcals, 14.7g fat
(4.2g saturated), 9.9g protein,
24.3g carbs (6.5g sugars), 1.7g
salt, 8.4g fibre
Mussel and egg pancake
with soy beansprouts
Serves 2
Hands-on time 20 min
Inspired by the Thai street
food dish hoi tod, this speedy
savoury pancake is packed
with flavour and feels special,
thanks to the mussels
studded throughout.
EASY
SWAPS
Swap the beansprouts
with any stir-fry-suitable
veg you have.
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 100g cooked sustainable
mussel meat, rinsed
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a
little extra (optional)
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 230g beansprouts
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• Handful coriander to serve
• Sweet chilli sauce and/or
sriracha to serve
1 Put the flours in a bowl and
whisk in 4 tbsp cold water plus
a pinch of salt to make a batter.
Stir in the mussels and half the
spring onions. Heat a medium
saucepan or wok over a high
heat and add the oil. Tip in half
the batter, which will spread
out in the pan, then crack
an egg in the centre. Quickly
spread the egg over the batter,
breaking the yolk and forming
a pancake shape, then cook for
about 3 minutes until golden
underneath. Flip and cook for
another minute until set. Slide
out onto a plate and keep warm
while you repeat with the rest
of the mixture (add a little
extra oil if you need it).
2 After you’ve cooked the
second pancake, add the
garlic to the pan followed by
the beansprouts. Stir-fry for
1 minute, adding the soy
sauce, then serve underneath
the pancakes. Scatter over
the remaining spring onions
and the coriander, then add
chilli sauce to finish.
Per serving 350kcals, 13.2g fat
(2.5g saturated), 21.5g protein,
34.3g carbs (4.7g sugars), 1.6g
salt, 4.1g fibre
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 97
Cauliflower
with olives,
preserved
lemons and
giant couscous
3 DINNERS + 1 POT =
Heaps of flavour
It’s not easy to find meat-free family dinners that save on time but deliver on
taste. Alan Rosenthal, author of the Foolproof One-Pot cookbook series, comes
to the rescue with reliable recipes guaranteed to delight everyone who tastes them
PHOTOGRAPHS RITA PLATTS FOOD STYLING LIBBY SILBERMANN STYLING MAX ROBINSON
make it every day.
Smoky
potatoes with
roast garlic
and lancashire
cheese
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 99
I love how onepot recipes are
simultaneously
delicious and
practical. They
deliver amazing
layers of flavour,
save on energy,
reward you
with very little
washing up and
make great
statements in the middle of the dinner table.
Although I’m not a vegetarian, I do tend
to cook vegetarian food most of the time
at home. When I’m dreaming up recipes,
seasonal vegetables offer me so much
more inspiration than a piece of meat or
fish. Indeed, I made it my mission to make
these recipes as appealing to meat eaters
as vegetarians!
ALAN ROSENTHAL
Potato, pineapple and
cashew curry
Serves 4
Hands-on time 10 min
Simmering time 35 min
“Although it has a fairly
lengthy ingredients list, this
curry is straightforward to
make. It’s sweet, sour and
fragrant, with aromatic
spices. I like to eat it as it is,
but you can make it go further
by serving with some plain
rice or flatbreads.”
100 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
•
•
•
•
•
1 red onion, coarsely grated
1 tbsp tomato purée
1½ tbsp finely grated garlic
1½ tbsp finely grated ginger
1 tsp chilli powder or more
to taste
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• Pinch ground cloves
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 400ml tin coconut milk (at
least 55% coconut extract)
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 lemongrass stalk, halved
and bashed
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 tsp soft light brown sugar
• 150g cashews
• 2 tsp salt
• 400g new potatoes, cut
into 3cm chunks
• 250g fresh pineapple, cut
into bite-size chunks
• 3-4 tbsp roughly chopped
coriander
1 In a medium bowl, mix the
onion, tomato purée, garlic, ginger
and ground spices to create a
coarse paste. Heat the oil in
a deep saucepan over a medium
heat. Once hot, add the paste
and the cinnamon stick then
cook, stirring regularly, for
3-4 minutes until noticeably
drier and just starting to catch
on the bottom of the pan.
2 Add the coconut milk,
vegetable stock, bay leaves,
lemongrass, tamarind paste,
peanut butter, sugar, cashews
and salt. Bring to a simmer,
then cook, bubbling gently, for
10 minutes until the liquid has
reduced and thickened slightly.
3 Add the potatoes, then bring
to a simmer and cook for 15-20
minutes or until the potatoes
are tender. Stir in the pineapple,
allow to come back to a simmer
and cook for 2 minutes. Serve
sprinkled with the coriander.
Per serving 642kcals, 45.4g fat
(20g saturated), 14.8g protein,
39.7g carbs (16.5g sugars),
→
0.2g salt, 7.7g fibre
make it every day.
make it every day.
NEXT MONTH
The family
recipes Anjum
Anand cooks
at home
Cauliflower with olives,
preserved lemons and
giant couscous
Serves 4
Hands-on time 15 min
Oven time 45 min
“This fragrant one-pot nods
to a Moroccan classic.”
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium cauliflower,
separated into florets
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp finely grated garlic
• 1 small (50g) preserved lemon,
finely chopped (discard pips)
• 800ml vegetable stock, hot
• 100g pitted green olives
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained
• 1½ tsp salt
• 350g giant couscous
• 3-4 tbsp chopped coriander
For the spice paste
• Large pinch saffron
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp mild paprika
• ¼-½ tsp cayenne pepper
(depending on how spicy
you like things)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
Recipes taken
from Foolproof
Veggie One-Pot
by Alan
Rosenthal
(Quadrille £14)
and tested by
1 Heat the oven to 180°C fan/
gas 6. To make the spice paste,
mix the spices in a small bowl
with 2 tbsp water and set aside.
2 Heat 4 tbsp of the oil in a wide,
shallow pan with a lid over a low
heat. Add the cauliflower florets
and a sprinkle of salt and cook
with the lid on for 10-12 minutes,
occasionally turning the florets
until caramelised. Transfer to
a bowl, leaving as much of the
102 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
oil in the pan as possible.
3 Increase the heat to medium
and add the remaining oil. Add
the onion and a pinch of salt,
then cook for 7-10 minutes until
very soft but not starting to
colour. Add the grated garlic
and cook for 2 minutes more,
then add the spice paste and
chopped preserved lemon and
cook for another minute. Add the
stock, olives, chickpeas and salt.
Now add the giant couscous,
mixing well to distribute it evenly.
4 Lay the browned cauliflower
florets on top, bring to a simmer,
then cover with the lid and put
in the oven for 20 minutes until
the cauliflower is totally tender,
the couscous has puffed up and
most of the stock is absorbed.
Mix well, then sprinkle over the
fresh coriander and serve.
Per serving 689kcals, 25.6g fat
(3.8g saturated), 21.7g protein,
87.2g carbs (10g sugars), 1.5g
salt, 11.9g fibre
Smoky potatoes with
roast garlic and
lancashire cheese
Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 min
Oven time 2 hours
“Who doesn’t love a baked
potato stuffed with cheese?
This simple recipe is great to
cook with kids – just make
sure the potatoes aren’t too hot
when scooping out the flesh.”
Get ahead by baking the
potatoes and making
the fillings in advance,
allowing you to finish off the
ALAN’S
TIP
potatoes shortly before you’re
ready to eat.
• 4 large baking potatoes
• 1 small garlic bulb
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• 100g vegetarian lancashire
cheese (or strong vegetarian
cheddar)
• 4 spring onions, trimmed
and finely chopped
• 3 tbsp soured cream
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Handful chopped chives
• Dressed green salad to serve
1 Heat the oven to 180°C fan/
gas 6. Prick the potatoes all over
with a fork and season with some
salt, then put in a wide shallow
baking tin. Cut the garlic bulb
in half widthways and put it on
a piece of foil. Drizzle over the
olive oil. Wrap it in the foil and
put in the tin with the potatoes.
Pop the tin in the oven for
1-1½ hours or until the potatoes
are cooked in the middle when
tested with a skewer (the exact
timing will depend on how big
your potatoes are). Remove the
garlic after 1 hour. Once they’re
ready, cut the tops off the
potatoes, using a tea towel
to protect your hands.
2 Scoop out the flesh and
add to a large bowl. Using your
fingers, squeeze out the garlic
cloves from their papery cases
and add to the bowl, along with
the smoked paprika, 75g of the
cheese, the spring onions, soured
cream, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3 Divide the mixture among
the hollowed-out potatoes,
allowing the stuffing to pile
up. Top with the remaining
cheese and bake for another
25-30 minutes until browned
on top. Sprinkle with chives and
serve with dressed salad leaves.
Per serving 413kcals, 11g fat
(6.8g saturated), 13g protein,
62g carbs (4.2g sugars),
0.4g salt, 7g fibre
THIS IS
YOUR SONG
YOUR RELAXING MUSIC MIX
Easy bake
A slice of
spice heaven
In this popular Kiwi bake, crunchy biscuit base meets thick fudgy icing,
with plenty of warming ginger marrying the two together. It’s love!
RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING KIRSTEN JENKINS PHOTOGRAPH BEN DEARNLEY STYLING EMMALY STEWART
New Zealand
ginger crunch
Makes 16 squares
Hands-on time 20 min
Oven time 25-30 min
Specialist kit 20cm square
cake tin or deep tray
MAKE
AHEAD
These slices will keep
in an airtight container
for up to a week.
•
•
•
•
Vegetable oil to grease
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger,
plus 1 tbsp for the icing
• 265g unsalted butter, diced
and softened
• 110g caster sugar
• 40g golden syrup
• 240g icing sugar, sifted
NEXT MONTH
Skye McAlpine’s
flourless
chocolate and
espresso cakes
104 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/
gas 4, then grease and line the
cake tin with oil and baking
paper. Sift the flour, baking
powder and 2 tsp ground ginger
into a mixing bowl and stir to
combine. In a separate bowl
or in a stand mixer, beat 190g
of the butter with all the caster
sugar until thick and pale, then
stir in the flour mixture using
a large metal spoon.
2 Transfer the mixture to the
prepared tin/tray, pushing it down
and flattening the top. Prick all
over with a fork, then bake for
25-30 minutes until light golden.
3 Meanwhile, make the icing. Put
the remaining butter in a medium
saucepan with the golden syrup,
icing sugar and 1 tbsp ground
ginger. Put over a low heat and
cook, whisking, for 3 minutes
or until the butter has melted.
Keep warm over a low heat until
the base has finished baking.
4 Pour the warm icing over the
baked base as soon as it comes
out of the oven. Leave to cool
completely for at least 1 hour
or until set. Use a knife dipped
in hot water (then dried) to cut
the cake into 16 squares.
Per square 290kcals, 14.1g fat
(8.7g saturated), 2g protein,
38.4g carbs (23.8g sugars),
0.1g salt, 0.8g fibre
make it every day.
C
ookery teacher and recipe
writer Alan Rosenthal believes
one-pot cooking is the way
forward for creating meals that
save time and energy without losing out
on flavour – see his recipes on p98 of
this issue if you need more convincing...
Veggie One-Pot is the latest in Alan’s
Foolproof cookbook series. It celebrates
the essence of one-pot cooking with
60 excellent modern vegetarian and
vegan recipes – from creamy pastas and
risottos to curries and stir-fries. Don’t
miss the chance to get a free copy when
you subscribe to delicious. this month.
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deliciousmagazine.co.uk 107
Don’t miss
THE NEXT ISSUE OF
ON SALE
1 FEBRUARY
ONE WORD... PIE!
• Chilli pork • cauli cheese • butter chicken
and more...
WORLD’S BEST BRUNCH
RECIPES – no avocado required
WHY VENISON IS THE MOST
SUSTAINABLE MEAT – and the dishes
that will make you fall in love with it
HOME COOKING
HEALTH Why you should be
Plus...
108 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
eating 30 different plants a week
• The great rhubarb & custard makeover
• Do Pancake Day Belgian-style
(it involves beer waffles!)
• Stupendous air-fryer chicken wings
ANJUM ANAND: APARNA JAYAKUMAR
What Anjum Anand makes on a weeknight
health matters.
A plan for all seasons
It’s not just eating our 5-a-day that’s
important – variety is crucial too. Experts
say consuming different kinds of fresh
produce helps cover all your nutritional
bases. Eating seasonally is a great way to
do this, and a new book makes it easy:
Turnips’ Edible Almanac by Fred Foster
(DK £27), from acclaimed fruit and veg
supplier Turnips at Borough Market. It
has a chapter for every week of the year,
highlighting the products at their best that
week with recipes. Look out for tasty ideas
from Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.
Health
NEWS
PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
VEGGIE WOMEN
AT HIGHER RISK
OF HIP FRACTURE
A new study involving
women has found the
risk of breaking a hip
is one third higher
for vegetarians
than for those who
regularly eat meat.
But this doesn’t
mean women should
quit their meat-free
diets, according to
researchers. They
said the study simply
highlighted the need
for non-meat eaters
to make sure they
consume adequate
amounts of good
sources of protein
and calcium in
their diet.
News, nuggets
of knowledge and
advice you can trust.
By Sue Quinn
SWEET
DANGER?
A new French study
has found artificial
sweeteners may
not be “a safe and
healthy alternative to
sugar”. Reporting in
the British Medical
Journal, researchers found
a link between the sweeteners
(especially aspartame, acesulfame potassium or Ace K,
and sucralose) and an increased risk of heart disease.
Independent scientists who reviewed the study said it
was ‘high quality’ research that should not be ignored.
However, they said it did not prove artificial sweeteners
caused heart disease, and more research was needed.
DON’T BE AFRAID
OF THE DARK
Do you avoid the dark
meat of a chicken?
You’re not alone. Brits
prefer breast meat
over thigh and leg so
much that we have to
import some to satisfy
demand. But there are
good reasons to enjoy
both. Dark meat has
more saturated fat
than white, but it’s
richer in minerals
such as iron, zinc and
selenium, as well as
vitamins A, B and K.
It’s also high in taurine,
which has heartprotective benefits.
Dark meat is more
flavourful, too, plus
it’s cheaper, and if
you buy British you’re
supporting British
producers. Try some
in our soup on p94.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 109
How to
EAT
SMARTER
Want healthy meals to work harder? It’s all in the prep. Playing
matchmaker with your nutrients and cooking ingredients the
right way can boost the benefits. And don’t worry – a biology
degree isn’t required to get clever with the way you eat!
health matters.
E
ating well, according to the latest science,
isn’t simply about consuming as many
nutrient-rich foods as you can. A food might
be packed with good stuff, but the amount your body
can actually absorb (and therefore use) depends
on a range of factors. Pairing certain ingredients
– or avoiding combining others – can help you get
more benefit from healthy foods, as can the way
you prepare and cook them.
For instance, you may already know that lentils
are a fantastic plant-based source of iron (see our
feature on p72). But were you aware that pairing
lentils with peppers can help your body absorb
more of this vital mineral?
It’s a dietary trick that involves a concept known
as nutrient bioavailability. “This means the percentage
of the total quantity of a nutrient in a food that can
be absorbed and utilised by the body for normal
physiological functions,” explains Professor Susan
Fairweather-Tait from Norwich Medical School.
PLAYING THE COMBINATION GAME
Here are some expert suggestions on how to combine
certain foods for the best outcome for your health:
Vitamin C and iron
Iron plays a key role in numerous biological
functions, including the transportation of oxygen
around the body. Yet iron deficiency is a significant
global problem, including in the UK. Vegetarians
and vegans are particularly at risk, because the
iron in plant foods (known as non-haem iron) isn’t
as easily absorbed by the body as the kind found
in meat, poultry and seafood (haem iron).
There’s good news though: it’s possible to boost
the bioavailability of iron by pairing plant foods with
sources of vitamin C. “Vitamin C enhances nonhaem iron absorption,” Professor Fairweather-Tait
says, adding that it has no effect on the uptake of haem
iron. “Studies have shown that 60mg of vitamin C,
the amount in one large orange, gives a
three-fold increase in iron absorption.”
Iron-rich plant foods include
lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu
and cashews, while citrus,
pineapple, strawberries,
kiwi, kale, mango, broccoli,
parsley and peppers are
great sources of vitamin C.
To boost your iron uptake,
try the following pairings:
• BROCCOLI in a TOFU stir-fry
• PEPPERS in a LENTIL curry
• MANGO & TOASTED CASHEWS
• ORANGE SLICES in a KALE salad
Nutrients and fats
Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, which
means they don’t dissolve in water and require fat
to be absorbed. Animal sources come with fat (think
vitamin A in dairy and vitamin K in meat). But for
plant sources, it’s best to add a little fat into the mix.
“This makes these vitamins easier to absorb
because, being dissolved in fat, they can pass through
the membranes in the gut,” says Prof Gunter Kuhnle
from Reading University. “One good example is
adding a little olive oil to your carrot juice. The oil
dissolves the vitamin A in the carrot and makes it
much easier for the body to take up.”
Adding oil can enhance the absorption of other
micronutrients, too. Studies have shown that adding
olive oil to cooked tomatoes boosts the uptake of
lycopene, a chemical linked to heart and skin health.
Try the following combinations:
• LEAFY GREENS (vitamins A, E and K) with AVOCADO
• PUMPKIN soup (vitamin A) with a swirl of YOGURT
• Vitamin D-rich SALMON with a little OLIVE OIL
ANTI-NUTRIENTS – ARE THEY A PROBLEM?
Compounds known as anti-nutrients are found
in many plants. Research is ongoing, but some are
thought to block the absorption of certain nutrients.
Phytate (phytic acid), for example, found in grains,
seeds and nuts, can hinder the uptake of nutrients
including iron, calcium and zinc.
“This is mostly of concern for people whose
micronutrient supply is restricted,” stresses Prof
Fairweather-Tait. “For example, vegans who have
low calcium, iron and zinc intakes, and those whose
nutrient requirements are high, such as pregnant →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 111
health matters.
Some vitamins must be
partnered with a little fat
in order for the body to
absorb them – a drizzle of
olive oil, swirl of yogurt
or topping of smashed
avocado will do the trick
NEXT MONTH
The new
wisdom on
eating plants
women, children who
are undergoing
a growth spurt and
women with high
menstrual losses.”
Soaking grains, pulses,
nuts and seeds – or leaving
them in water to sprout – breaks
down phytate, which allows more
nutrients to be absorbed. Fermenting grains (part
of the process of making sourdough bread) has
a similar effect, as does cooking them.
“Leaving oats in water or milk overnight should
improve the mineral bioavailability of porridge,” says
Prof Fairweather-Tait. “Sourdough baking is also good
for improving iron bioavailability because the long
baking process breaks down phytate.”
She recommends enjoying high-phytate foods such
as nuts and seeds on their own as snacks, at least some
of the time, as eating them as part of a meal can affect
the uptake of nutrients in other foods on the plate.
Tea contains tannin, another compound that
can interfere with iron absorption. Some research
suggests that those at risk of iron deficiency should
consume tannin-rich drinks after or between
meals – rather than at the same time – to avoid this.
Trying to cut out anti-nutrients isn’t recommended,
though. Many foods that contain them are highly
nutritious and research suggests their benefits
outweigh any possible negative effects. “If you enjoy
a wide range of foods, there’s no reason to be
concerned about anti-nutrients,” says Prof Kuhnle.
112 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
DOES HOW YOU COOK
MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Some nutrients are more
readily available in cooked
food. Examples include beta
carotene (which converts to
vitamin A) in carrots, cabbage,
peppers, kale and spinach; vitamins A, C
and E in asparagus; and lycopene in tomatoes
(more so when cooked with olive oil).
But the situation isn’t clear cut. “Raw vegetables
provide more fibre,” Prof Fairweather-Tait adds.
And heat can also destroy vitamins as well as
reducing the beneficial effects of antioxidants
(compounds that protect cells from damage).
Microwaving vegetables or cooking them in
a dry griddle pan are the best ways to limit
these losses, studies show.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It’s worth bearing in mind that combining certain
foods and preparing them in particular ways can
help you absorb more nutrients and maximise the
health benefits of what you eat. This can be especially
beneficial for vegetarians, vegans and others
at risk of deficiencies in certain nutrients.
Don’t get too obsessive about pairings, though –
it’s important to enjoy your food and not dwell on
the nutritional profile of everything you put on your
plate. The ideal approach is to make it your goal to
eat as wide a range as possible of fruit, vegetables,
grains, pulses, nuts and seeds.
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* FROM PRICE IS PER PERSON, BASED ON TWO SHARING, SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY, BASED ON 18 OCTOBER 2023
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experiences, such as pasta-making
classes, olive oil tastings and dining
at excellent local restaurants.
There are also plenty of cultural
attractions in Puglia to discover
while you work up an appetite.
You’ll visit the UNESCO World
Heritage Site of Sassi di Matera,
with its ancient cave dwellings
and rock churches, and Alberobello,
where you’ll see the iconic trulli –
circular white houses with
T
cone-shaped roofs. There’s also
a stop in magical Locorotondo,
said to be Puglia’s prettiest town.
Apulian cuisine is helped by
the wonderful fresh produce
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climate, and a spring or autumn
visit means enjoying pleasant
temperatures, perfect for
exploring on foot or by bike.
Throughout the trip, you’ll
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YOUR ITINERARY
Day 1 Arrive in Bari Day 2 Sassi di Matera
Day 3 Alberobello, Altamura & Locorotondo
Day 4 Bari and Ostuni Day 5 Bari
WHAT’S INCLUDED
• An Italian cookery masterclass and dinner
in Sassi di Matera
• A bakery tour & bread tasting, Altamura
• Vineyard tour & wine tasting, Locorotondo
• Olive oil tasting at a farm visit near Ostuni
• Pasta-making class in Bari and bike tour
• Services of a bilingual guide on the trip
• Two nights in a cave hotel in Matera
• One night in a Trullo hotel in Alberobello
• Two nights’ hotel accommodation in Bari
• Breakfast each day
• Return flights
• All transfers in Italy
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 113
discoveries
The top new products from producers big and small,
thoroughly tested for you by the delicious. team
Hail the king of
British cheese!
At the back end of last year,
the British Cheese Awards
took place for the first time
since 2019. The Supreme
Champion was Ashcombe,
a French-style cheese
modelled on morbier (the
one with a thin line of wood
ash through the middle)
and made at King Stone
Dairy in the Cotswolds
near Cheltenham. It’s a
far cry from your average
supermarket morbier
though – Ashcombe is
aged for three months
and pungently flavoured,
with hints of hazelnuts
and a beefiness from
the orangey washed rind.
A large wedge would
brighten up your January
cheeseboard a treat.
£9.20 for 250g,
thecheeseworks.co.uk
WARMINGLY WINTRY
If the idea of hot Ribena sends you yearningly back to your
childhood, you’ll love Macclesfield-based Fruits of the Forage
and its Winter Warmer Cordial (made with damsons and
plums). It takes the best elements of the hot fruit drink, then
spices them up for adults. Enjoy as a cracking non-alcoholic
tipple for Dry January, or warm with cider or brandy for a
fireside sipper. Bonus Brownie points: the company’s USP
is that it makes use of fruit that would otherwise go to waste.
£8.40 for 550ml, fruitsoftheforage.co.uk
in the know.
Real-deal kimchi
Our tester Les confesses he was glad to
be WFH – he didn’t want to share this
with the office! Jongga is the top kimchi
brand in South Korea, and when you’ve
tasted it you’ll see why. It has great bite
and juiciness, the perfect heat level and
a moreish sweet-sour-savoury-saltiness.
It’s a live fermented product so it’s good
for your gut and
there’s a vegan
version, too. Add it to
a cheese toastie and
you’ll never look back.
RRP £3.29 for 300g from Costco
and Seoul Plaza stores UK-wide,
Asian food shops and online
ITALIAN
FOR
EXPERTS
We don’t quite know how
Seggiano makes its freshtasting (they call it ‘raw’) pesto, available in
an ambient jar – but they do. Basil is mixed
with cashews, pine nuts and sea salt in
extra-virgin olive oil, and it’s become our
tester’s go-to pesto in a jar. It doesn’t contain
cheese though (it’s vegan), so you might want
to keep a hunk of parmesan handy. Also good:
Seggiano’s semi-fresh herbs. A useful
halfway house between fresh and dried.
Raw Basil Pesto, £7 for 200g; Organic Semi
Fresh Herbs, £3.70 for 18g; seggiano.com
TESTERS: LES DUNN, KAREN BARNES, THEA EVERETT
VE
RY
The best new vegan stuff from the big retailers
N
GA U
A
Hot on the shelves
SPECIA
L
MADE FOR COMFORT
RICE IN A TRICE
HOW DID THEY DO IT?
If you’re merely Veganuary-curious, you
may be reassured to know our tester
enjoyed this soup without realising it
was plant-based. It gets its big flavour
from seven types of mushroom and
manages a good measure of ersatz
creaminess too. A proper toast-dunker.
Tideford Organics Creamy Mushroom
Soup, £3 for 600g, Sainsbury’s
Tilda’s ready-cooked rice pouches come
in handy for nights when dinner prep
time is non-existent. The newest is
Masala Rice, with onion, garlic, tomato
and, of course, masala spices. Heat
in moments and serve with warmed
leftover roasted root veg, lime pickle
and a spoonful of yogurt for a speedy,
comforting plateful. £1 for 250g, Tesco
We’re not given to hyperbole in
delicious. but this vegan condiment
really is a game changer. Somehow it
manages to conjure the texture and
flavour of ’nduja, the spicy spreadable
Italian sausage. A few dabs will turn
workaday steamed broccoli into the
best side dish you’ve ever had. Belazu
Ve-Du-Ya, £4.35 for 170g, Waitrose
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 115
travel.
When somewhere
SPECIAL
is in order…
Okay, so there might not be much to celebrate as
the January cold grips and prices keep rising. That
doesn’t mean we can’t plan and dream – and there
are still birthdays and anniversaries to honour. If
you need something to look forward to, consider
booking one of these hallowed havens
Leonardslee’s
estate supplies
much of the
tasting menu,
with views of
the woodland
gardens from
the dining
room. The
Magnolia Suite
is a stunner
THE COUNTRYSIDE ONE
Leonardslee, near Horsham, West Sussex (leonardsleegardens.co.uk)
REVIEW: LES DUNN. *FOR STAYS UP TO 31 MARCH 2023
CELEBRATORY CREDS
It’s a 19th-century Italianate house
and woodland gardens rescued by
South African entrepreneur Penny
Streeter, with the restored Grade I
listed gardens re-opening in 2019
and the house’s transformation
into a hotel completed in 2021. It’s
quite the destination. Plus: where
else are you greeted coming up
the drive by frolicking wallabies?
(They were introduced by
naturalist owner Sir Edmund
Loder in 1889.)
THE FOOD AND DRINK
Interlude restaurant has won chef
Jean Delport a Michelin star for its
18-course menu with an ethos of
cooking food foraged or raised on
or near to the estate. That includes
everything from venison and
rabbit to bracken(!) and sap tapped
from birch trees (a map shows you
where each course came from).
The meal is an evening-long,
one-sitting, occasionally bonkers
adventure, the out-there cooking
featuring some surprising delights,
from cod paired winningly with
elderflower to a crisp chicken’s foot
(like an avian pork scratching) and
chocolate twigs and toffee leaves in
an exquisite pud.
Leonardslee’s own gin is a good
one, wines from the Streeters’
South African estate are excellent
and they’ve planted the UK’s first
pinotage vineyard in the grounds.
The multi-course set breakfast
is perhaps a bit too creative if you
just fancy a bacon sandwich, but
you have to applaud the sheer
ambition of it all.
THE ROOMS
They’re Netflix-period-drama
beautiful, with floral wallpaper
in yellows and apple greens. Each
room was styled by a different
design house, overseen by interior
designer Fiona Parke, and they
range from Classic (no bath but
still large bathroom) to Deluxe
(huge suites). There are fancy
Tyneham toiletries and bottles
of South Downs water (as well as
the Streeter estate’s wines to buy).
The Magnolia suite is a beauty if
you’re splashing out.
WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT?
If you demand exclusivity for your
buck, you may find it irritating
that visitors to the gardens and
café are milling about outside.
THE COST
Doubles from £297 room only
(£312 B&B). Estate Experience
menu (Thu-Sun from 6pm) £160.
Afternoon tea from £50. →
READER OFFER
Complimentary wine... Book
online* and in ‘any special
requests’, type ‘Delicious
magazine – free welcome
bottle of Benguela Cove’.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 117
travel.
THE COSY ONE
The Dipping Lugger, Ullapool, Scotland (thedippinglugger.co.uk)
CELEBRATORY CREDS
Up on Scotland’s northwest coast,
this tiny inn was once the parish
manse. It overlooks Loch Broom,
which offers stunning vistas.
When the mist descends over the
mountains beyond, the moody
scene is truly magnificent.
The village of Ullapool is a top
stop if you’re exploring the west
coast, and from here you can take
the ferry to the celebrated Outer
Hebrides, but when the Dipping
Lugger opened in 2021, it gave a
new excuse to linger in the village.
THE FOOD AND DRINK
Head Chef David Smith’s passion
for the local surroundings shines
through in all seven dishes of the
tasting menu, which changes most
days. Come with a willing-to-tryanything attitude and let yourself
be pleasantly surprised at the
inspired combinations, such as
locally caught Loch Broom
oysters served with champagne
granita and an apple, cucumber
and mirin dressing. Another
standout: succulent fillet of roe
deer, dusted with a liquorice root
powder, served with a haunch
pithivier and a gloriously sticky
red cabbage purée.
A wine pairing can be served
with your lunch or dinner, and it’s
almost mandatory to try the Seven
Crofts gin, which is made by the
owners (their other business is
the Highland Liquor Company).
Breakfast is an enjoyable
miniature tasting menu. Watch
the morning boats set out from the
harbour as you munch on toast
with freshly made preserves,
cured Scottish salmon and a
chorizo poached egg muffin stack.
touches such as homemade chilli
shortbread from the chef.
On the way back to your room
after dinner, stop off at the hotel’s
honesty bar and tuck-shop,
stocked with local whiskies, good
wines, biscuits and sweets.
THE ROOMS
There are just three, all exquisitely
designed suites with more space
than you could need. Expect huge
beds, rolltop bathtubs, more of
those panoramic views and nice
To receive a welcome Seven
Crofts gin cocktail for stays
booked before 31 Mar 2023,
mention delicious. when
you check in.
WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT?
Ullapool is sleepy and quiet, which
is wonderful for kicking back, but
not so great if you’re looking for
a buzzy Saturday night.
THE COST
Dinner (seven-course tasting
menu) B&B for two starts at £410.
Wine flight, £55.
READER OFFER
REVIEW: FIONA LOGAN
The Dipping
Lugger is a
place to tarry
a while. Kick
back in an
armchair, sip
tea by the fire
and linger over
the tasting
menu, with
local oysters
a highlight
THE SEASIDE ONE
REVIEW: KAREN BARNES. *APPLIES TO STAYS UP TO 31 MAR 2023
St Enodoc, Rock, Cornwall (enodoc-hotel.co.uk)
CELEBRATORY CREDS
Great food in a stunning setting
with a laidback-to-horizontal vibe
– it feels like being in a gorgeous
family home. The hotel looks out
over the Camel Estuary: golden
sand, bobbing yachts and sparkling
sea (sunshine permitting), with
lush green fields in the distance.
St Enodoc has two restaurants
– one fine dining, one a relaxed
bistro (good if you’re staying
more than one night and eat in).
There’s an emphasis on relaxed
comfort in the communal rooms
– lots of books and squishy sofas
with big windows overlooking a
garden sweeping down towards
the sea. They grow some of their
own fruit and veg, too.
The hotel is within five
minutes’ walk of one of the
country’s best beaches, at Rock,
for reviving walks along the
water’s edge, through dunes
or round the headland – or nip
across the estuary on the ferry
to Padstow (best out of season) for
shopping and Stein-spotting.
THE FOOD AND DRINK
More noise needs to be made about
executive chef Guy Owen. He’s
filled the (big) shoes of Nathan
Outlaw – now up the coast in Port
Isaac – and Guy is a serious talent.
The burnished fluffy-light sharing
roll is the first hint of excellence
to come. The set menu changes
constantly; memorable dishes
when we visited were the freshest
mackerel sashimi; seared scallop
in an intense sauce that brought
to mind one word: sea; and pollock
with a creamy Milanese risotto.
In the bistro, the burgers and
fishcakes are great. Wine is well
priced with a broad-ranging list.
THE ROOMS
Comfortable and light with white
walls, bright art and textiles
in shades of sky blue, mustard
yellow and vibrant green. Several
rooms have a window seat (gotta
love a window seat). Bathrooms
are smart and functional rather
than uber-luxurious.
WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT?
The fine-dining room is slightly
soulless, which is a shame because
the food is worth making a detour
for. Intimate lighting and more
art would make a difference.
It’s light and
bright at St
Enodoc, with
the pull of
window-seat
gazing and
seriously good
food, but the
sands of the
Camel Estuary
beckon
THE COST
Doubles from £170 B&B. Karrek
restaurant: £65 for a six-course
tasting menu; nine-courser, £100
(wine flight, £70). Brasserie: set
menu, £35 for three courses. →
READER OFFER
Save 20% on the online B&B
price* (minimum two-night
stay). Book by phone
on 01208 863394 and
mention delicious.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 119
THE TRADITIONAL ONE
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa, Llandudno, Wales (bodysgallen.com)
CELEBRATORY CREDS
Here on the edge of Snowdonia,
the 17th-century house that’s
the heart of Bodysgallen is so
well preserved, you might
imagine it’s a National Trust
place – and indeed it is. Don’t
come here for flashiness – it’s
refreshingly old-school. Sounds
are muffled by drapes and fabrics,
and only recently did the hotel
drop its jacket-required code.
The 200 acres of parkland and
Arts & Crafts gardens are a
delight. There are views too: from
the terrace you can see mountains.
Bonus: there’s a spa with an indoor
pool you can do proper lengths in.
Service is formal but friendly.
It’s a great spot for walking, and
pretty Conwy with its famous
castle is a 10-minute drive.
THE FOOD AND DRINK
The dining room is all thick
tablecloths, candles and polished
silverware. In summer, try to get
a table by the window with
mountain views. Some of the
handsomely constructed dishes
come from the kitchen garden.
It’s a reassuringly traditional
three courses and there’s also
an excellent vegetarian menu.
Curry-flavoured bread was a hit,
as were ham hock croquettes and
avocado sorbet with local crab.
Conwy lamb and pork feature too.
Sweet highlights included rhubarb
sorbet with poached rhubarb and
tonka bean parfait.
The wine list is huge, but there
are plenty of reasonably priced
bottles on it, and eight house wines
from £35, all available by the glass.
THE ROOMS
The ones in the main house, with
its authentically creaky staircases,
have the best atmosphere.
Standard rooms are a good size,
with huge comfy beds. Ask for
room 18 – what you lose in extra
sitting room, you make up for with
the wowser view from the bed.
Valances are, of course, in place
and the bathrooms are quaintly
old-fashioned, albeit with modern
water pressure and Penhaligon’s
smellies. There are more modern
rooms a short walk from the house.
WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT?
If the wind’s in a certain direction,
you may get a little traffic noise
from the A470, which is quite close.
THE COST
Doubles from £240 B&B. Finedining three-course dinner (WedSun), £74. Less formal two-course
dinner (Mon-Tue) from £27.
READER OFFER
Quote ‘delicious magazine
Jan 2023’ when you book
and on check-in* to receive
a free glass of house wine/
soft drink each pre-dinner.
REVIEW: TINA GRUBB. *APPLIES TO STAYS UP UNTIL 31 DEC 2023
A beautifully
preserved
historical
building,
Bodysgallen
has cosily
old-school
interiors and
200 acres
of grounds,
including
gorgeous
gardens
travel.
THE ULTRA-FOODIE ONE
REVIEW: KAREN BARNES. *EXCLUDES 11 FEB
Moor Hall, Aughton, Lancashire (moorhall.com)
CELEBRATORY CREDS
As soon as you step through the
door into the wood-panelled
16th-century hall, you’re made to
feel special, warmed by open fires
and smiles, your energy restored
by tea, pork pie slivers and posh
cake. Although the setting and
service are second to none, make
no mistake: it’s all about the food
at Moor Hall. There are two
restaurants: the award-winning
fine-dining one has two Michelin
stars; the other (The Barn) has one.
The five acres of grounds have
a lake and walled organic kitchen
garden whose raised beds could
win a medal at Chelsea – so many
of the chefs’ ingredients have
travelled only a few feet. There’s a
cheese-maturing room, and they
even make their own charcuterie.
THE FOOD AND DRINK
Chef Mark Birchall’s kitchen,
lined with glowing jars of pickles
and ferments, is open to the main
restaurant – a modern rendition
of a tithe barn. The star moment is
the tasting menu (mighty fine but
extensive, so go easy on the bread).
Every plateful is an artistic gem,
layered with light-touch sauces and
decorated with home-grown herbs
and petals. The meal is book-ended
by charcuterie, pillowy bread and
a finale of dainty macarons and
the like, displayed like a sweetshop
window – and the wine flight goes
beyond the ordinary too.
Food in The Barn has a relaxed
vibe, so if you can stay two nights,
do Barn first, fine dining second.
Breakfast featured the best
sausages and black pudding we’ve
tasted; pastries, preserves and
bread, all made on the premises,
are excellent too. A nice touch to
note: overnight guests are given a
boxed pastry for the journey home.
THE ROOMS
There are seven, all luxurious,
with jars of homemade biscuits
and beds that are collapse-into
comfortable. The bathrooms
exude marble glamour, with fluffy
towels almost too thick to fold.
WHAT’S NOT SO GREAT?
Yes, Moor Hall is pricey, but that’s
because it’s ultra-special. It’s less
than you’d pay at other places
with a comparable offering.
They could cut a course from
the tasting menu. It’s all so good;
just a bit too much.
Moor Hall’s
fine-dining
restaurant
is a tithe barn
reimagined.
The kitchen
gardens are
medal-worthy,
and chef
Mark Birchall’s
food is a
work of art
THE COST
Provenance menu, £225;
dinner B&B from £700 for two.
Barn: set menus from £36pp.
READER OFFER
Book a stay in Feb 2023*
and receive a welcome
bottle of Gusbourne Brut
Reserve. Use/quote the
code MHD23 when booking.
NEXT
MONTH
A cosy winter
break in York
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 121
Champion producers
“You can have fantastic
taste without compromising”
The Scottish
seashore is
where Sozyë
sources seaweed
for its sauces
Ethical food entrepreneurs Manisha Solanki and Jacob
Thundil are determined to help stop deforestation with
their double award-winning, allergen-free ‘soy sauce’
in the know.
F
rom beef to palm oil, much of the
food we eat raises difficult ethical
and environmental questions – but
did you know that even includes soy sauce?
According to Jacob Thundil, founder
of London-based Sozyë, our appetite
for the dark, umami-rich condiment is
contributing to the world’s ever-worsening
deforestation problem. “The soy sauce
industry is heavily reliant on soya, and
soybean farming is responsible for
causing widespread deforestation and
displacement of indigenous people around
our planet,” says Jacob.
PHOTOGRAPHS: GUILD OF FINE FOOD (RICHARD FAULKS). WORDS: GUILD OF FINE FOOD (LYNDA SEARBY)
SCOTTISH MAGIC
Noya is Jacob’s answer to the ethical
dilemma posed by conventional soy sauce.
Instead of being brewed from soya, it
gets its umami punch from seaweed.
“We brew our sauces in the UK using
certified organic Scottish seaweed,” says
Jacob. “Our seaweed is harvested from
the remote and pristine shores of Wick,
in Caithness at the tip of the Scottish
mainland. We make sure only the tops
of the leaves are collected so they can
regrow within a few weeks.”
It took years and hundreds of kitchen
trials before Jacob and his business
partner, Manisha Solanki, had perfected
the product. “We spent three years on
the development of Noya, but it’s not the
complexity of the process that makes
“We brew our sauces
in the UK using
certified organic
Scottish seaweed”
How to use
Use it as you would soy
sauce – dressings made
with Noya and toasted
sesame oil are great.
Try it in these dishes for
Chinese New Year (22
January). Find them at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk
Sauce entrepreneurs
Manisha Solanki
and Jacob Thundil
this umami bomb – it’s the quality of the
ingredients,” says Jacob.
Finding the exact variety of seaweed was
one of the most time-consuming aspects
of the development process, which is why
Sozyë is anxious to keep this a trade secret.
“The taste profile of commercially available
seaweeds wasn’t right – they have a sort
of leathery aroma,” says Jacob. “We found
a Japanese seaweed that worked, but we
didn’t want to source ingredients from
somewhere so far away. We were sure there
must be a way of finding a local organic
source.” Eventually, Sozyë found a company
based in Wick that hand-harvests a variety
with a taste similar to fish stock, and in
2021 the firm was ready to bring its
soya-free sauce to market.
WINNING COMBINATIONS
The years of looking for the right ingredients
paid off, as Noya won the Great Taste Golden
Fork for the South East 2022 and also Great
Taste Startisan of the Year, awarded to the
best-performing winning product entered
by a business less than two years old.
Planet Organic, Whole Foods Market
and Marqt in The Netherlands are among
the outlets that have bought into the ‘no
soya’ sauce concept. And Jacob and Manish
aren’t stopping there. Having nailed its
British-made soya sauce alternative, Sozyë
has gone on to develop Nish (a vegan fish
sauce alternative) and Noyster (a vegan
oyster sauce alternative). “We believe
you can have fantastic taste without
compromising the health of our
planet,” says Jacob.
£5.99 for 250ml, sozye.com
Broccoli and mixed
mushrooms in garlic black
bean sauce
You don’t have to be
vegetarian to love this
stir-fry
Stuffed bitter melon with
black bean sauce
The legendary Ken Hom
often cooks this dish
for Chinese New Year
Jeremy Pang’s
General Tso’s chicken
This is an amazing recipe
– one for spice lovers
delicious.
is delighted
to support the
Great Taste
Awards
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 123
in the know.
January
ESSENTIAL INFO ABOUT
OUR RECIPES
Recipe index
100
STARTERS, SIDES AND
NIBBLES
• Cacio e pepe stuffed
rolls 54
• Creamy white beans,
savoy wedges and ’nduja
77
• Gratin dauphinoise 66
• Kimchi soup
70
• Parmesan and smoked
paprika custards with
quince soldiers 45
• Smoked duck and beetroot
salad
34
MAIN COURSES
• Baked paccheri with
mushrooms, sprouts and
chestnut bechamel
25
• Bavette caesar salad 45
• Beef casserole 66
• Brothy lime and chili
black beans with corn
dumplings
78
• Cauliflower with olives,
preserved lemons and
giant couscous
102
• Cavolo nero and confit
garlic linguine with panko
pangrattato
22
• Chicken, lemon and orzo
soup
94
• Gochujang pork ragù
26
• Ham, leek and mustard
pie 36
• Lamb, mint and harissa
meatballs with trofie and
frozen feta 26
• Lasagne sheets with
celeriac sauce, olive
tapenade and egg yolk 22
• Leek, mushroom and
94
cheddar gnocchi
• Mussel and egg pancake
with soy beansprouts
97
• Pork schnitzel sandwiches
with parmesan mayo 46
• Pot-roast chicken with
freekeh and greens
65
• Potato, pineapple and
cashew curry
100
• Roasted whole pea,
squash and tamarind
flatbreads
78
• Sausage, beetroot and
apple stew
96
• Scrambled eggs
‘carbonara’ 3
• Smoky potatoes with
roast garlic and lancashire
cheese
102
• Spiced shepherd’s pie
70
• Sprout, bacon and red
pepper panzanella
97
• Za’atar and almond-crusted
pollock with tahini,
potatoes & cavolo nero 80
SWEET THINGS
• New Zealand ginger
crunch
104
• Orange and poppy seed
cake
50
• Snow eggs with almond
crumb, mango sorbet and
passion fruit
30
• White chocolate
cheesecake with rhubarb
and oat crumb
38
OTHER
• Brite-side cocktail
85
• Crispy chilli oil
58
• Rhubarb collins cocktail
39
Our symbols explained
You can freeze all or most
of the recipe. Unless stated
otherwise, freeze the finished dish
for up to 3 months. Defrost and
heat until piping hot throughout.
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten free
Dairy free
Recipes with the above symbols
are suitable for special diets
provided you choose appropriate
free-from ingredients – check the
label. Other recipes can easily be
adapted for special diets – see our
Know-how and Easy Swaps tips.
Standard kit
Our recipes assume cooks will have
a food processor/blender/stick
blender, an electric stand mixer/
hand mixer and a selection of pans,
tins and casseroles, as well as
compostable baking paper and
kitchen paper. We give alternative
methods for combining ingredients
if possible, and specify the size
of dish/tin needed if it’s relevant.
We also think a digital probe
thermometer is helpful for cooking
meat, making preserves and so on.
Prep and cooking times
All our timings include prep.
Hands-on time is when you’re
chopping, stirring, assembling,
frying or grilling.
Oven/simmering time is when you
can leave the dish unattended in
the oven or on the hob.
Nutritional information
Recipes are analysed for nutritional
content by an expert nutritionist.
Calculations may vary, depending
on your choice of ingredients, and
include listed ingredients only.
Our suppliers
Fresh eggs for our recipe testing
are supplied by Clarence Court
(clarencecourt.co.uk); meat is from
The Ginger Pig (thegingerpig.co.uk)
Prices
These are checked and correct at
the time of going to press.
Oven temperatures
We give fan oven and gas mark
temperatures in our recipes. For
conventional ovens without a fan,
add 20°C to the fan temperature.
OUR GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. All information forms part of the terms and conditions. 2. Competitions open to UK residents aged 18 and over, except employees (and their families) of Eye
to Eye Media Ltd or any other associated company. 3. Prizes are as offered. No cash alternatives. Subject to availability. 4. To enter, unless otherwise stated, visit deliciousmagazine.co.uk/promotions
and follow the instructions. No purchase necessary. One entry per household. 5. Unless specified otherwise, entry to competitions ends 31 January 2023. 6. Entries received after the closing date
will not be considered. 7. No responsibility is taken for entries lost or delayed. 8. Winners will be selected by an independent panel. The judges’ decision is final: no correspondence will be entered into.
9. Winners will be notified directly and their names listed at deliciousmagazine.co.uk/promotions. 10. Winners agree to take part in publicity. 11. Information given will not be supplied to a third party.
12. Eye to Eye Media Ltd reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions, or to cancel, alter or amend the promotion, if deemed necessary in its opinion. 13. Eye to Eye Media is not responsible
for third-party offers or discounts.
124 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
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‘Wicked Wolf®’, ‘Exmoor Gin™’ and ‘The Spirit of Exmoor®’ are trademarks or registered trademarks of ‘The Old Chapel Brendon Limited’ registered in the UK.
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This sensational range of sauces will
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take five.
PUZZLES PAGE
JUMBO CROSSWORD
There’s a prize to be won and fun to be had with Hugh Thompson’s crossword and food
quiz. Give your little grey cells a bit of exercise – it’s what a cuppa and cake were made for
2
3
4
Across
5
6
1 Originally consumed as a hot drink, only becoming
enjoyed as a solid in 1847 (9)
8 A few pastas, such as fusilli, have this shape (6)
9 How a not-so secret agent liked his martini (6)
12 Baking soda reacts with this to make cakes rise (4)
13 You don’t want your tart base to end up this way (5)
14 Brandy made from grapes after pressing for wine (4)
17 Biological catalysts: we use them to make cheese,
beer, bread etc (7)
18 Type of toffee, one famously made by a Liverpool
confectioner (7)
19 Artist who campaigned against the evils of gin (7)
22 An old-fashioned type of bread loaf or bun, small
enough to hold in your hand (7)
24 Pale lager, named after the Bohemian city where
it was first produced (4)
25 To spoil, primarily of eggs (but also the brain!) (5)
26 Fabled type of giant, enjoys feeding on humans (4)
29 Cuba’s famous rum, mint and lime cocktail (6)
30 Sea ______: the gonads are considered a
delicacy (6)
31 You may have some of these spiced biscuits left
over from Christmas (9)
7
8
9
10
11
12
14
13
16
15
17
18
20
21
24
23
22
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
HOW TO WIN A PRIZE
Complete the crossword puzzle correctly, take a picture and email it to
info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk by the end of the month for a chance to win*
JUMBO CROSSWORD PRIZE
Win a Flapjackery Taste of the West box
of 12 giant gluten-free flapjacks plus a
jute bag, worth over £50. Made in Devon,
the flapjacks’ array of flavours includes
clotted cream fudge and peanut butter
brownie – all crunchy, crumbly and laden
with golden syrup.** flapjackery.co.uk
CRYPTIC CLUE: WIN A £50 CO-OP GIFT CARD
£50
GIFT CARD
128 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
For your chance to win £50 to spend in store,
solve the cryptic clue on the magazine spine,
then email your answer with your name,
full UK address and phone number to info@
deliciousmagazine.co.uk by 31 January 2023.*
Solution to November’s clue: pigs in blankets
PRIZE CROSSWORD NO. 48
19
Down
2 Small, fast game animal – not so popular these
days (4)
3 Sweet green onions much loved in Catalonia (7)
4 Well known Italian layered pasta dish (7)
5 Another word for defrost (4)
6 Originally wine with a splash of soda, but now more
likely to be a bitter aperitif and prosecco (6)
7 What you might do to a full-bodied red wine to aerate
it and remove any sediment (6)
10 Very thin fried potatoes, enjoyed with 2 down (4,5)
11 Thin slice of meat coated in breadcrumbs and fried (9)
15 North American fireside classic: grilled marshmallow
and 1 across between two graham crackers (5)
16 Literary pasta shape? Often served with pesto or
arrabbiata (5)
20 There are 8 pints in one of these (6)
21 Type of fish used to make Arbroath smokies (7)
22 Term for an invertebrate marine animal such as
oyster, scallop, squid and octopus (7)
23 Scottish treat that will be eaten a lot this month (6)
27 The prong on a fork (4)
28 Area of land – originally as much as can be
ploughed in a day (4)
ANSWERS to NOVEMBER CROSSWORD NO. 46:
ACROSS 1 Panettone 8 Capons 9 Apples 9 Royale 12 Roll
13 Anzac 14 Tuna 17 Bayonne 18 Edamame 19 Anchovy
22 Forerib 24 Edam 25 Slurp 26 Puer 29 Mendel 30 Malbec
DOWN 2 Aloo 3 Essence 4 Teacake 5 & 6 Napa Valley
7 Beluga 10 Crab cakes 11 Camembert 15 Anjou 16 Sabre
20 Claret 21 Yule log 22 Foreman 23 Reuben 27 Eddo 28 Blet
CRYPTIC CLUE SET BY LES DUNN. *FOR TS&CS, SEE P124. **PLEASE SEE PRODUCT PAGE ON THE FLAPJACKERY
WEBSITE FOR INGREDIENT & ALLERGEN INFORMATION. CONTAINS MILK, SOYA, EGGS, NUTS, PEANUTS & SULPHUR
1
THE FOOD QUIZ
1
Choucroute garnie
is a hearty French
sausage and cabbage
stew. What wine is used
to make it?
a) Champagne
b) Pinot noir
c) Riesling
d) Chenin blanc
6
2
7
There are usually
about 10 segments
in an orange. How many
are there in a Terry’s
Chocolate Orange?
a) 10
b) 12
c) 16
d) 20
In Italy in 1641 the
Pope declared there
had to be 25 metres
between...?
a) Pizza shops
b) Gelateria
c) Coffee shops
d) Pasta shops
The clear gap in a
wine bottle between
wine and cork is
called...?
a) Punt
b) Meniscus
c) Ullage
d) Corkage
Madame Cholet
was the personal
chef to...?
a) Marie Antoinette
b) The Wombles
c) Elvis Presley
d) Kermit the Frog
3
8
4
9
Which country had
the most (627)
Michelin-starred
restaurants in 2022?
a) Italy
b) Japan
c) Spain
d) France
5
Strozzapreti is a type
of pasta, but what
does the name mean?
a) Priest strangler
b) Hollow spiral
c) Twisted old man
d) Coiled snake
What herb has a
mistaken historical
link with scorpions?
a) Tarragon
b) Basil
c) Rosemary
d) Sage
What is the usual
barrel ageing time
for VSOP brandy?
a) Up to 24 months
b) Between 2 & 4 years
c) Between 4 & 6 years
d) More than 6 years
10
Which do you
not have to do
on a macrobiotic diet?
a) Purify water
b) Avoid microwave
ovens
c) Chew food thoroughly
d) Eat three times a day
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ART DESK
Jocelyn Bowerman Art director, delicious.
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FOOD DESK
Tom Shingler Head of food
Emily Gussin Food producer
Pollyanna Coupland Food producer
Hannah Moyce Shoot production manager
hannah.moyce@eyetoeyemedia.co.uk
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Fiona Hunter Nutritionist
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Les Dunn Managing editor, delicious.
Hugh Thompson Projects editor
Louisa Davies Projects editor
Phoebe Stone Feature writer
and co-ordinator, delicious.
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Susy Atkins Wine editor
Sue Quinn, Debora Robertson
With thanks to: Tina Betts, Stephanie Thomson
EYE TO EYE MEDIA
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ANSWERS Food Quiz: 1) c (the Alsace dish usually uses riesling – or sometimes
gewurtztraminer) 2) d (pasta shops were competing with bakeries for wheat and
customers, so this papal edict was aimed at limiting their numbers) 3) b 4) d
(followed by Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain) 5) a (it’s not clear why: perhaps a wish
that gluttonous priests would choke on them or because they look like a priest’s
collar) 6) d 7) c 8) b (scorpions were believed to seek out basil pots to rest
under. This may have been due to people thinking it was named after ‘basiliskus’
(a legendary lizard/dragon) but it came from the Ancient Greek word for king) 9)
c (XO brandy is barrel-aged for at least 6 years) 10) d (the macrobiotic diet was
created by philosopher George Ohsawa in the 1930s and loosely linked to Zen
Buddhism – because of its restrictions it isn’t recommended for everyone)
talking point.
Where has the
salt gone?
In many high-end restaurants it’s
nigh on impossible to get your
hands on a salt mill, says writer
Matt Miller. Why are diners
no longer trusted with them?
Are diners being
denied their salt
rights, or are we
being saved from
high blood
pressure? Let us
know at info@
deliciousmagazine.
co.uk
O
130 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
The same goes for those who like their food salty.
Salt lovers might sometimes find the refined
flavours of fine dining lacking. That doesn’t mean
they should avoid nice restaurants; it just means
they might appreciate a few extra shakes of salt to
bring out the flavours the chef is
already patting themselves on the
back for creating. If more cooks
understood how different people
perceive taste, they might not get
so salty when a paying guest
suggests the food isn’t seasoned
to their liking. If it’s chefs’ egos
keeping salt off certain restaurant
tables, I suggest these chefs
study some gastronomical history,
because the offering of salt wasn’t
always verboten – it was a must.
In ancient Greece, guests were presented with
bread and salt as a symbol of hospitality.
Salt’s history in hospitality extends to our
language – in a restaurant you might order a salad,
salami, sausage, salsa or sauce, the root of all those
words, sal, being Latin for salt. It’s also the root
of the word salary, as in, a chef earns a salary by
cooking for paying customers, possibly because
Roman soldiers were given an allowance to buy salt.
If a restaurant rolls its eyes at you when you
request salt, it’s telling you it’s an inhospitable
and unwelcoming place whose claims to greatness
should be taken with a pinch of salt. Oh, and don’t
get me started on the missing pepper...
“If more cooks
understood how
different people
perceive taste,
they might not
get so salty about
the whole issue”
PHOTOGRAPH: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
h, you low-class simpleton, the waiter’s
eyes said to me when I dared ask for salt
at a fancy restaurant, followed by a
quasi-polite: “The kitchen seasons every dish and
requests that you taste the food first.” But I had
tasted my food; it needed salt.
At other establishments, with
waiters similarly reluctant to hand
over the salt, I’ve variously been
told: it’s because the chef has
seasoned everything perfectly
already; because the chef is gifted
and talented; because this is a
dining ‘experience’; because this
chef is going to be a star
(presumably one whose bestselling
cookbook recipes will never end
with ‘season to taste’).
If a chef is worth their (ahem) salt, the omission
of the most common of seasonings from a dining
table is fine because a diner won’t notice, but what
about when they do notice because the food is a
little underseasoned? What happens if the chef’s
threshold for the taste of salt is lower than the
customer’s? (If it’s higher, of course – often the
case too – there’s no remedy but lots of water in
the middle of the night...)
Salt, like chilli, is a flavour sensation to which
one develops a tolerance. Ever eaten with someone
who loves spicy food? The first thing they do is
shake hot sauce or chilli flakes all over their meal
because without the heat something is missing.
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booking conditions which are otherwise unchanged. ‡Pay monthly option is available on direct bookings only. For full terms and conditions, please visit www.pocruises.com/why-choose-us/pay-monthly. For up-to-date prices
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