♥︎Thai whitefish with lemongrass & fish sauce

For ➍

1 stalk of lemongrass

500 g white fish fillets (e.g. cod)

2 tbs sunflower or other vegetable oil

1.5 tbs fish sauce

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 red chilli pepper, without seeds & chopped

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

freshly ground black pepper

pak choi*

rice

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Remove the outer hard leaves from the lemongrass. Chop the white part and discard the rest.

Place the fish, skin side down, in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan. Mix 1 tbs of the oil with the fish sauce, the shallot, the chilli and the lemongrass, season with pepper and pour evenly over the fish, so that it gets a nice layer of sauce. Bake the fish in the oven for 15 to 20-25 m, or until done.

Just before the fish is ready, heat the rest of the oil in a small frying pan. Add the garlic and fry slowly and at a lower temperature/4-5/ golden brown without burning. If necessary, add some water or cooking liquid from the pak choi.

Pour the hot oil with garlic over the cooked fish and serve immediately.

Serve the fish with rice and green vegetables, such as spinach or pak choy.

*Cut the pak choi into green and white pieces. Wok the white, harder, pieces for 3-5 m. Add the green parts and wok for another 1-3 m.

Thai fish soup

For ➍
1 tbs cooking oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 ts fresh ginger, grated
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
½ red chilli pepper, sliced (optional)
1 stalk lemongrass, bottom stalk only, bruised (substitute with peel of lemon or lime)*
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn (substitute with peel of lemon or lime)*
40 cl can coconut milk
2 dl vegetable broth
juice of ½ lime
1 tbs fish sauce
175 g shrimps, peeled & deveined
220 g salmon, cut into 2.5 cm chunks
assorted vegetables, such as spinach, snow peas, kale, tomatoes, bell pepper, etc.
1 tbs minced cilantro/coriander

In a wok or soup pot over medium high heat, add cooking oil and swirl to coat. When hot, add in the garlic, ginger, red onion, chilli pepper, lemongrass, kaffir and gently cook for about 2 m to release the aromas and flavors.
Pour in the coconut milk and broth and let simmer for 15 m. Remove the lemongrass, kaffir (or the lemon/lime peel if using)* and discard. Season broth with fish sauce and lime juice to taste.
Add shrimp, salmon, vegetables and cilantro. Cook for 3-4 m or until the shrimp and salmon is cooked through.
Add 250 g cooked dried rice noodles to turn the soup into a light dish.

*When substituting with the peel of a lemon or lime, use a vegetable peeler to get thin strips of peel  and give each strip a good bruising or twist to release the oils.
**Eventually, add some fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges.

♥︎Tray bake of giant beans with ratatouille vegetables & pistou

For ➍

2 cans giant white beans (400 g each), rinsed & drained

2 red onions, peeled, cut into 8 wedges each

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 eggplant, in pieces

1 zucchini, in pieces

4 small tomatoes on the vine, each cut in 4 wedges

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tbs rosemary needles, coarsely chopped

1 red chilli pepper, in rings

pinch chilli flakes

salt pepper

4 tbs olive oil

For the pistou*:

80 g pine nuts

40 g basil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

10-12.5 cl olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

Put the beans, all the vegetables, the garlic, rosemary, chilli pepper and chilli flakes, four tablespoons of olive oil, a good pinch of coarse salt and a pinch of pepper in a bowl and toss. Divide the mixture over two baking trays lined with parchment paper.

Slide the baking trays into the oven and roast for 45-60m, until the vegetables are tender and the beans are just a little crunchy. Switch the baking plates halfway through, so that they both receive the same amount of top and bottom heat.

For the pistou, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they are nicely browned. Set aside 12 basil leaves. Place the rest of the basil leaves, garlic and half the pine nuts in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times. Then, while the machine is running, pour in as much oil as needed for a runny sauce in a trickle. Taste and season the pistou with salt and pepper.

Transfer the beans and vegetables to a serving platter. Sprinkle over the rest of the pine nuts and the reserved basil leaves. 

Serve the pistou separately.

*Pistou is the Provencal version of Italian pesto. It's basically the same sauce without Parmigiano.

Chicken curry with cauliflower

For ➍ 

25 g old ginger (peeled & diced, about thumb size) 

3 cloves garlic (peeled & crushed) 

120 g red onion (peeled & diced, about 1 large) 

½ tbs chili flakes (or 1 to 2 fresh red chilis, sliced) 

4 tbs curry powder 

4 tbs water 

600 g chicken drumsticks (4 pieces) or thigh meat, cut in bite-size cubes 

3 tbs oil 15-25 cl water** 

20 g coconut cream or coconut milk 

1 cauliflower, cleaned, washed & portioned in florets 

1 carrot, sliced 

salt 

Peel and roughly chop onion, garlic and ginger. Blend in a food processor into a fine paste. Add water to curry powder. Stir to form a paste. Add in the onion-garlic-ginger and mix into the curry paste. Rinse and drain the chicken parts. Add in ⅔ of the curry paste. Mix well and marinate for at least 2 h.* 

Fry the remaining curry paste in oil until fragrant and colour has darkened.* Fry the chicken for another 5 m, flipping the chicken frequently.
  Add water**, followed by coconut cream and bring to a boil.  

Add cauliflower florets and carrot.
 Simmer for 25-35 m..

*Omit the marinate fase. Brown the chicken and set apart. Add all of the paste to the pan and cook a few m until fragrant. Add the chicken. 

**Add some more water when curry tends to dry out.

Spinach & minced meat curry

For ➍ 

450 g fresh spinach 

1 ts salt for cooking spinach 

1 tbs salad oil or olive oil 

300 g minced meat 

1 onion, finely chopped 

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

3-4 tbs curry powder 

1 red chilli, cut into small pieces 20 cl water 

1 ts salt for seasoning 

4 tbs ketchup 

2 tbs Tonkatsu sauce or 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce 

4 servings rice or naan 

4 boiled eggs (optional) 

Wash the spinach and drain the water. Boil plenty of hot water and add 1 ts salt. Put spinach in boiling water, submerge the spinach and boil for about 1 m. Immediately soak in cold water after boiling. When it cools, transfer it to a cutting board and cut it into 1 cm width. Then squeeze the spinach to drain excess water and set aside. (if you don’t cook curry immediately, keep it in the fridge until required). 

Heat 1 tbs of oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add chopped onions and garlic and fry. When they become soft, add minced meat and fry. When the color of the meat changes, lots of fluid and fat will come out. Absorb it with kitchen paper. Add curry powder and red chili and fry until the curry aroma comes out. Pour 20 cl of water and add salt, ketchup, tonkatsu (or Worcestershire) sauce. After boiling, cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 m. Take the lid off and cook for 5 m. 

Add spinach* to the curry and mix gently, and cook for 5 m. Serve with rice or naan. 

*Before adding spinach, if the curry is too watery, cook for an additional 5 m to reduce excess water. *About seasoning: at first, add less than the amount stated in the recipe, check the taste, and then add if it is not enough. 

-okawarishitene-

Fen'neru miso (fennel miso with ginger)

For ➍

2 tbs vegetable oil

500 g fennel bulbs, finely sliced

1 carrot, in thin sticks

white of 2 leeks, in rings

2 potatoes, peeled, diced

2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

½ small green chilli peppers, sliced

1 small red chilli pepper, sliced

1 ts fennel seeds, crushed

salt

3 tbs red miso paste with barley

1.5 l dashi stock*

150 g watercress, chopped + extra for garnish

5 snow peas, halved

1 tbs lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, carrot, leek and potatoes and fry the vegetables for a few minutes, until they are soft. Stir in the ginger, garlic, chillies, and fennel seeds. Season with salt and let everything cook on low heat for 10 m.

Dissolve the miso in 1.2 dl of boiling dashi stock.

Stir the miso mixture and remaining stock into the soup.

Let the soup simmer for 15-20 m, until the potatoes are soft. Add the watercress and snow peas. Boil gently for another 3 m.

Add the lemon juice to the soup.

Ladle the soup into bowls.

Garnish with additional watercress and serve the soup hot.

*Use chicken or mushroom stock

Mushroom lasagne

For ➏

750 g chestnut mushrooms, halved 

500 g oyster mushrooms 

13 cl olive oil, plus extra for greasing 

60 g dried porcini 

30 g dried wild mushrooms 

2 dried red chillies, roughly chopped, (remove the seeds for a less spicy result) 

50 cl hot vegetable stock 

1 onion, peeled, quartered 

5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 

1 carrot, scraped, quartered, 90 g 

2-3 roma tomatoes, quartered, 200 g 

75 g tomato paste 

13 cl whipped cream* 

60 g pecorino romano, finely grated* 

60 g Parmigiano, finely grated* 

5 g basil leaves, finely chopped 

10 g parsley leaves, finely chopped, plus 1 ts extra for dressing 

250 g dried lasagne sheets (approx. 14 sheets)** 

salt & black pepper

Heat the oven to 230 °C. 

Place the chestnut and oyster mushrooms in three or four batches in the large bowl of a food processor and chop finely using the pulse button (or chop by hand). In a large mixing bowl, toss the chopped mushrooms with 3 tbs oil and 1 ts salt and spread on a large, parchment-lined baking tray with a raised edge measuring 40 x 35 cm. Bake them in the top of the oven for 30 m, turning them three times in between until the mushrooms are golden brown; the volume will have shrunk considerably. Set them aside. Lower the oven temperature to 200 °C.

Meanwhile, in another mixing bowl, mix the dried mushrooms with chilies and hot stock and soak for 30 m. Strain the liquid into a third bowl and press as much moisture as possible out of the mushrooms, you will need about 34 cl in total; top up the soaking water with fresh water if necessary. Chop the soaked mushrooms very coarsely (so that there are also large pieces) and chop the chilies. Set aside the stock and mushrooms separately. 

Chop the onion, garlic and carrot in the food processor with the pulse button (or by hand). Heat 6 cl oil in a large sauté pan over medium to high heat. When hot, add the onion mixture and cook for 8 m, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and golden brown. 

Chop the tomatoes in the food processor with the pulse button (or chop them by hand), add them with the tomato paste, 1½  ts salt and 1¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Let everything simmer for 7 m, stirring occasionally. Add the soaked mushrooms, chilies and toasted mushrooms and let everything cook gently for 9 m, resist the urge to stir: the mushrooms should be slightly crispy and brown on the underside. 

Stir in the reserved stock and 80 cl water, turn the heat to medium-high when everything is simmering gently and let the sauce simmer for about 25 m, stirring occasionally until it has the consistency of ragout. Stir 10 cl of whipped cream into the sauce and let it simmer for 2 m more then take the pan off the heat. 

Mix the pecorino and Parmigino with basil and parsley in a small bowl. When assembling the lasagna, spread one-fifth of the sauce over the bottom of a round baking dish of 28 cm in diameter (or a rectangular dish of 30 x 20 cm), spread one-fifth of the cheese mixture on top, followed by a layer of lasagne sheets, broken where necessary to make them fit. Repeat these layers three times in the same order, finishing with a layer of sauce and cheese: a total of five layers of sauce and cheese, and four layers of pasta. 

Drizzle the top with 1 tbs of cream and 1 tbs of oil, cover the dish with aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 15 m. Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 220 ° C and bake the lasagna for another 12 m, turning the dish halfway through the baking time. Switch the oven to the grill setting and grill the lasagna for 2 m until the edge is brown and crispy. 

Put the bowl aside, let the lasagna cool for about 5 m, then drizzle the top with the remaining whipped cream and oil. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley, finally grind a generous twist of pepper and serve. 

*Discard for vegan version.

**Make it ahead of time and refrigerate it to serve it with pasta or polenta and save yourself the trouble of putting together a lasagna if you don't have much time. You can prepare the lasagna in advance, put it in the refrigerator and bake it the next day (after it has reached room temperature). 

This special ragout pays tribute to the penne all'Aconese,  served at Restaurante Pizzeria Acone, a community-run restaurant in the Tuscan town of Acone. The recipe is a carefully kept secret, but the complex, earthy and full umami flavor of dried porcini is not to be missed. This is Ottolenghi's meatless take on that mythical sauce.

Salmon with lentils & sweet potato salad & orange dressing

For ➍
4 salmon fillets, skinless, 500 g
1 ts chilli powder
1 ts salt
salad:
160 dry lentils, boiled, drained
400 g sweet potatoes, in cubes of 2x2cm
1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tbs olive oil
80 g rucola
150 g feta
salt
orange dressing:
3 tbs butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 orange, grated zest & juice
2 tbs apple vinegar

Prepare salad.
Preheat oven to 200 ° C. Place sweet potato cubes on baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and chili pepper. Bake 20 m.
Mix sweet potatoes with the lentils, rucola and feta in a large bowl.
Prepare orange dressing:
Melt butter, and stir until golden brown. Grate zest of ½ orange and add the juice of the whole orange. Add vinegar and remove pan from the heat.
Prepare salmon. Rub the salmon with chili and salt. Bake 6-7 m on one side over medium heat 1- m on the other side.
Serve the salmon with lentil salad and orange dressing.

Asari no sakamushi (steamed Venus clams)

For ➋
15 cl sake*
1 tbs ginger, julienned
600 g small clams (f.i. Venus clams), de-gritted**
1 dried red chili pepper
freshly ground black pepper
1 scallion, chopped

In a large frying pan, add the sake and ginger and bring it to a boil.
Add the clams and a red chili pepper. Place the lid and steam on high heat for a few minutes until all the clams open.
Remove the lid and add freshly ground black pepper and green onion. Shake the pan to make sure the clams are not over-lapping each other.
Serve with the soup and eat while warm.***

*Or for a non-alcoholic soup, use a dashi stock, with some mirin, lemon peel, garlic, (Chinese) chives. Replace sake with very dry sherry.
**Discard open clams. Clean the rest in clear cold water for at least 3 times.
*** For a main course, serve with stir-fried bean sprouts, enoki and nashi pear with a sesame sauce with dashi, sake and shichimi togarashi. A bowl of pimped rice.

Ginger steamed cod with chilli soy sauce

For ➍
dipping sauce:
8 cl low sodium tamari or soy sauce
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 ts minced red chilli
1 ts minced garlic
1 ts sugar
cod:
1 tbs peanut oil
1 ts sesame oil
300 g baby pak choi, trimmed & halved lengthwise
170 g shiitake or crimini mushrooms, halved
1 piece (7.5 cm) ginger, peeled & julienned
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
4 cod fillets (150-170 g each), fresh, thawed or frozen*

Thoroughly mix dipping sauce ingredients; set aside.
In a deep frying pan, sauté pak choi and mushrooms in peanut and sesame oils over medium-high heat until crisp-tender. Remove and keep warm.
Wipe pan clean. Bring 2.5 cm of water to boil; turn off heat. Place metal steamer basket in pan and open up sides. Portion ginger and ¾ of green onions in basket. Rinse any ice glaze from frozen cod under cold water; place fillets in steamer. Return water to boil; cover loosely and steam just until fish is opaque throughout, about 5 to 7 m. (Reduce cook time by half for fresh or thawed fillets.)
Serve cod over sautéed vegetables with dipping sauce; garnish with remaining green onion slices.

*Substitute pollock or sole fillets for cod, adjusting cook time for smaller fillets if necessary.

Kaukswe (Burmese chicken curry soup)

For ➍-➏
for the soup:
650 g boneless chicken thighs
1 tbs dried ginger
1 tbs dried turmeric
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tbs neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2 cloves garlic
2.5 cm piece ginger, peeled
1 shallot, peeled
1 dried hot chilli
1 bunch fresh coriander
5 cl unrefined coconut oil or a neutral cooking oil, such as grapeseed
400 g cubed sweet potatoes
40 cl chicken stock
40 cl unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbs fish sauce
2 limes, 1 juiced &1 quartered
salt, to taste
for the crispy shallots:
1 peeled shallot, sliced thinly
20 cl neutral cooking oil, such as grapeseed

In a food processor, mince the garlic, ginger, shallot, dried chilli, and the roots and/or stems of the bunch of coriander.  Cut the chicken thighs into about 2.5 cm pieces. Marinate overnight with the dried ginger, turmeric, coriander, and 1 tbs of neutral oil. (Or toss the chicken pieces with the spices before you start cooking.)
In the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, heat the coconut oil. Then add the cubed sweet potato. Fry until golden brown on at least 2 sides of each cube. Scoop out of the pan, leaving the oil, and set aside.
Add the chicken pieces (a few at a time so you can brown them without having them cool the pan down) and let them begin to brown. Season with a pinch of salt. When they are mostly browned, add the minced mix, stem mixture and let cook out a little.
Add a couple tbs of the chicken stock and let reduce until the mixture is soft and cooked. Add the rest of the chicken stock and the reserved sweet potatoes and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile fry the crispy shallots (this can also be done as much as a week ahead of time, as the shallots will keep in a closed container at room temperature for a week at least). In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the shallots and stir frequently. As the oil continues to heat, the shallots will start to color. When they get golden brown, scoop them out of the oil and drain on a paper towel. You want to pull them out of the oil a little before dark brown, as they'll continue to cook and crisp up on the paper towel.
Simmer the soup for about 30 m, until the chicken and sweet potatoes are close to tender. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and coconut milk and bring up to a simmer. Stir in a quarter cup of coriander leaves and taste for salt.
Serve garnished with the crispy shallots, a couple of sprigs of raw coriander, and the lime wedges. Add some noodles if you want.

Scallop & mango ceviche

For ➍
500 g dry sea scallops, tough white muscle removed*
2 ripe mangoes, peeled & chopped, divided
8 cl lime juice
¾ tsp salt
180 g thinly sliced chilli peppers, such as poblanos or jalapeños
50 g very thinly sliced red onion

Bring 1.2 cm water to a gentle simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Add scallops and cook until firm and just cooked through, 3 to 5 m. Transfer the scallops to a medium non-reactive bowl with a slotted spoon. (Discard the poaching liquid) Add half the mango to the bowl with the scallops. Puree the remaining mango with lime juice and salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the puree over the scallops.
Add chilli peppers and onion. Gently toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate the ceviche for 1 h, gently stirring halfway through.
Serve chilled.**

*Dry sea scallops differ from wet scallops, which have been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. Wets are less flavourful, and will not brown properly.
*Try serving this ceviche Peruvian-style, with hard-boiled egg, sweet potato, lettuce and corn. Or keep it simple and serve it on salad greens with tortilla chips on the side.

Halloumi salad with sweet chilli sauce

For ➋
3 fresh red chilli peppers
2 tbs liquid honey
1 lime, halved
1 block of halloumi 225 g
salad leaves of your choice
extra virgin olive oil to taste

Cut 2 chillies with seeds into rings. Remove the seeds from the third and cut the pepper into small pieces (this to get the full sharpness, remove if desired more seeds). Put the peppers in a small pan with a thick bottom, together with the honey, and squeeze 1 ts lime juice from a lime half on top. Put the pan on the smallest pit of the stove and bring the contents to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 4 m. Stir frequently and keep an eye on the pan, otherwise the contents will foam over the edge. Remove the pan from the heat.
Put a few salad leaves on 2 plates and pour as much oil as you want.
Cut the unused lime half into pieces and if desired place a piece on each plate.
Cut the block halloumi into 8 pieces. Heat a frying pan of cast iron or with a thick bottom. Put the slices in the hot pan and fry them without oil for 30-60 s, until the bottom has brown stripes. Turn the slices over and bake the other side until it is brown.
Put the halloumi on the lettuce and spoon the lipstick red chunks of chilli in their honey glaze over the cheese. Eat the dish immediately.

A more modest version without sauce.

Roedjak manis (Javanese fruit salad)

For ➍
2 tbs lime juice
100 g peanuts
3 tbs brown sugar or palm sugar
1 tbs tamarind (paste)
1 small chilli, cut in tiny pieces*
1 mango, chopped
1 green papaya, chopped or apple
1 pineapple, chopped
½ or 1 small cucumber, sliced or chopped

Roast the peanuts in a dry frying pan. Finely chop them.
In a bowl, mix the tamarind with the sugar, shrimp paste and lime juice. Stir in half of the peanuts. Add the finely chopped chilli pepper*.
Mix the selected fruit. Coat the fruit with the dressing*.
Serve chilled as a dessert or as a side_dish for Indonesian food.

*Or sprinkle the chilli over your salad.

Crisp chicken legs with sweet tomatoes & basil

For ➍
4 chicken leg quarters
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 big bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
2 big handfuls red and yellow cherry tomatoes and ripe plum or beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes halved, plum tomatoes quartered
1 whole bulb garlic, broken into cloves
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped, or a big pinch of dried chilli flakes
olive oil
410 g can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
2 handfuls new potatoes, scrubbed (optional)

Heat your oven to 180°C.
Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer, skin side up.
Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks. Then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chile and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath.
Place in the oven, uncovered, for 90 m, turning any of the exposed tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat is falling off the bone.
If after an hour or so the skin isn’t crisping to your liking, you can turn up the heat and switch to convection, or just blast it under the broiler for a bit at the end, rotating the pan occasionally and watching closely, until you get the skin as brown as you like.
Don't let the sauce simmer too vigorously or the meat might toughen up.
Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving. If you fancy, you can add some drained cannelini beans or some sliced new potatoes to the pan along with the chicken.

*Or you can serve the chicken with some simple mashed potato.
**Or make it part of a pasta dish: remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred it, then toss into a bowl of linguini or spaghetti and serve at once.

Tomato medley with halloumi

For ➋ as a salad or for ➍ as a starter
1 fresh red chilli
½ bunch fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
600 g mixed cherry tomatoes
250 g halloumi cheese
1 large beefsteak tomato
for the dressing:
2 yellow tomatoes
2 orange tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic

Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
For the dressing, place the tomatoes and garlic on a baking tray and roast for 15 m, or until soft.
Deseed and finely slice the chilli and pick and tear up the basil, reserving a few baby leaves for garnish.
Once roasted, pop the tomatoes in a blender and squeeze in the soft garlic flesh, then blitz until smooth.
Add a few swigs of oil, a splash of balsamic and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, blitz again and check the seasoning, then set aside.
Roughly chop the cherry tomatoes, then place in a bowl and dress with oil, the chilli and torn basil.
Slice up the halloumi, then hit it with some black pepper.
Preheat a large non-stick pan over a medium heat, then add the halloumi in a single layer so most of the slices are touching – you want to create a doily effect with a few gaps.
Cook for 4 to 5 m, or until golden and starting to melt together, then carefully flip over with a fish slice. If it breaks, don’t worry, it will all melt back together.
Once golden on both sides, slide it onto a serving board.
Finely slice the beef tomato and lay the slices on top of the halloumi.
Tip over the dressed tomatoes over and scatter with the reserved basil leaves.
Take to the table with the tomato and roast garlic dressing to drizzle over before serving.

Greek grilled vegetables with halloumi

For ➍
250 g mushrooms
1 red chilli, seeded & quartered
2 zucchini, chopped
1 small red onion, peeled & sliced
2 small eggplants, roughly chopped
6 tomatoes, halved
4 cloves garlic
9 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
8 tbs balsamico vinegar
2 tbs sugar
juice of 2 lemons
500 g halloumi cheese, cut into 0.5 cm slices*
½ small bunch basil
salt & pepper

Heat oven to 180°C.

Place the chilli, zucchini, mushrooms, onion, eggplant and garlic in an oven-proof roasting pan. Drizzle with a third of the olive oil and half the vinegar.

Place the halved tomatoes face up in another oven-proof pan. Sprinkle with the sugar, salt and pepper and drizzle with another third of olive oil and the rest of the vinegar. Place both pans in the oven and roast for thirty minutes, turning vegetables occasionally.

5 m before vegetables are ready, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. When sizzling, let the halloumi slices slide in and sear quickly (2 m a side).

Combine dish and dot with basil.

Serve with bread.

*Obviously you can omit the halloumi. Or serve with grilled fish or chicken.

Read more halloumi recipes: red sparkled halloumi or a recipe for balsamic roasted vegetables.

Cinnamon-braised lamb shanks

For ➍
4 cm piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves
100 g golden raisins
1 tbs ground cinnamon
2 red chillies
2 ts ground coriander
20 cl natural yogurt
6 lamb shanks
groundnut or vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 bay leaf
8 shallots
50 cl chicken stock
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger. Blitz along with the raisins, ground cinnamon, chillies and ground coriander in a food processor. Add the yogurt, and a good pinch of salt and pepper and pulse until just mixed. Make incisions in the lamb shanks and place in a bowl. Rub the marinade into the meat, cover and marinate for a few h or even for a day if possible.
When you are ready to cook the meat, peel and finely slice the shallots. Add a drizzle of groundnut oil to a deep, heavy-based casserole - large enough to hold all the shanks, and fry the cinnamon stick, star anise and bay leaf for a minute. Add the shallots, then turn the heat right down and sauté for 10 m until soft and sticky. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and leave to one side.
Drizzle in a little more oil and turn up the heat. Brown the lamb shanks in batches, reserving any marinade left in the bowl. When the meat is brown on all sides, return it all to the pan with the softened shallots and any reserved marinade. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Carefully cover with foil, then cook over a low heat for 3 h, turning the shanks regularly and adding more stock if it gets too dry. The lamb should be tender and falling off the bone.
Remove the shanks from the pan and cover with tinfoil to keep warm. Turn up the heat and let the sauce bubble away for around 10 m until you have a lovely, thick sauce.
Return the lamb shanks to the pot and serve. Perfect with mashed potato or creamed cauliflower and greens, or even steaming basmati rice.

Seared swordfish steaks with salmoriglio & tomato & pepper salad

For ➍
for the salmoriglio:
6 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 tbs water
1½ tbs lemon juice
pinch salt
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
1 tbs chopped fresh oregano
1 tbs chopped fresh celery herb or celery leaves (optional)
1 tbs chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
for the swordfish:
4 x 200 g swordfish steaks (about 2 cm thick)
olive oil
peperoncini or crushed dried chillies
salt & freshly ground black pepper
for the salad dressing:
1½ tbs lemon juice
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-hot red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
for the salad:
500 g ripe & juicy tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed, chopped
2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeds & stalk removed, cut into strips
1 small red onion, finely chopped
60 g preserved lemon, rinsed, flesh removed & discarded, skin chopped into small pieces
2 tbs chopped fresh coriander

Preheat a griddle pan until very hot, or preheat the barbecue, allowing the flames to die down (approximately 40 minutes).
For the salmoriglio, place the oil and water into a bowl and whisk together until thick and emulsified.
Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, to taste.
Add the garlic, oregano, celery herb or leaves (if using) and parsley and stir well.
For the swordfish, brush the swordfish generously with oil and season well with peperoncini or crushed dried chilli and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place the swordfish onto the griddle pan or barbecue and cook for four minutes on each side, or until completely cooked through.
For the dressing, place the lemon juice and olive oil into a clean bowl and mix well.
Add the red chilli, garlic and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, place the swordfish steaks onto four plates and drizzle over the salmoriglio. Place a large spoonful of the chopped tomatoes next to each portion of swordfish.
Top each pile of tomatoes with a little of the sliced roasted peppers, followed by some red onion and a sprinkle of preserved lemon pieces.
Drizzle the dressing over the tomato salad and sprinkle over the chopped coriander.

Read a similar recipe for Sicilan swordfish and its salmoriglio.
Read tip on grilling and marinating swordfish.

Steamed fish with ginger & scallions

For ➋-➍
600-800 g fish [porgy, black sea bass, Boston mackerel, or trout], scaled & gutted*
5-6 scallions, divided
4 cm knob ginger**
[optional alternatives: coriander or chilli]**
salt & pepper, for seasoning
1 ts Shaoxing wine or sherry
1 lime, juice & zest, divided
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs fine mild red wine vinegar
1 tbs sesame seeds
4 tbs sesame oil
[optional green: sautéed pak choi]
[optional aromatics for steaming water:
star anise
knob of ginger, roughly sliced
Szechuan peppercorn
scallions or green garlic]

Rinse the fish with cold water inside and out and pat dry. Score a couple of gashes in the flesh on either side of the fish.
Slice 4 of the scallions and the knob ginger into a fine julienne and set aside. Save the scraps for stuffing the fish belly. Season the fish belly with salt and pepper and the ts of wine or sherry.
Stuff the fish with the scallion and ginger scraps and the lime zest.
Take a large stock pot and put about 8 cm of water in it and bring to a boil.
Inside the pot, place an inverted cake pan or some other such thing so that you can rest a large plate with the fish on it inside the pot and out of direct contact with the water. (The fish will be on a plate that is resting on another object that is in direct contact with the bottom of the pot.)
Chop the final scallion into 3 pieces and rest it on the plate. Season the fish with salt and pepper on the outside with and place the fish on the plate.
Place the plate on the object in the pot, cover the pot, and steam over high heat for 10 to 12 m (more for a larger fish), until done.
While the fish is steaming, mix the soy sauce with the vinegar and lime juice.
Remove the fish carefully and place on a serving plate. Place the julienned ginger and scallions across the top of the fish and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Heat the sesame oil in a small pan until just before smoking, then pour over the fish.
Finally, pour the soy sauce mixture onto the plate and serve. This fish is also quite tasty still served at room temperature.
Serve with rice or some sautéed greens like pak choi.

*This can be made with fish filets, but fish in the bone comes out much more moist and flavorful, as well as being a beautiful presentation.
**Add coriander or chilli to the ginger, or make a mix.