July 2023

I went ‘cookbook shopping’ recently and I was filled with pleasure at seeing such a mix of flavours from all over the globe. It hit me that modern British cooking is all about multicultural flavours (we have a lot to thank immigration for!). When I look at my cookbooks, it’s interesting to see how our tastes have developed over the years. If I were to put them in chronological order, I would see my early cookbooks from the late ‘80s with Delia Smith at the helm. She is renowned for sharing the great British classics but she also introduced exotic flavours to British cooking; a quick flick through her ‘Summer Collection’ will give you a taste of the Mediterranean with a few Thai and Indian-inspired recipes thrown in. Moving on from the ’80s and into the early ‘90s, I notice a couple of cookbooks by Madur Jaffery; she was by now known for her Indian cookery books which tapped into the increasing hunger for the exotic – forget English ‘Coronation Chicken’ from the ’70s, she was revealing the secrets of real Indian recipes. As my eye reaches the late 90’s there’s Antonio Carluccio who was not only serving food on our high streets but among an influx of Italian cookbook writers influencing my kitchen. A little later, at the beginning of noughties, the taste of Southern Spain, highlighted by the team behind the London restaurant Moro, was on my dinner table and it wasn’t long after that I was enjoying an influx of Middle Eastern ‘flavoured’ cookbooks –  thanks to  Ottolenghi! And so it continues… my book shelves are increasingly overweight – ever hungry for the next new thing! In fact, one of my newest cookbooks is called ‘Mezcla’; with recipes which combine the flavours of Mexican, Italian and Brazilian cooking it’s truly multicultural!

I love looking back at these cookbooks from over the years, so many of their recipes work as well today as they did when first published. So, it’s no coincidence that this month I’ve taken recipes from a mix of books, old and new. Of course, I had to take a recipe or two from Delia Smith. So, Menu One and Two are from her ‘Summer Collection’; ‘Roasted Red Peppers’ and ‘Roasted Tomato Salad’ are Mediterranean inspired recipes which I have been cooking for more years than I wish to admit. Together, they would make a lovely light vegetarian supper simply served with some crusty bread to mop up their juices or they would make a great addition to any summer spread. Menu Three is a North African ‘Fish Tagine’ from the duo behind Moro. Taken from the cookbook, ‘Moro Easy’, it’s both simple to make and more importantly very tasty! Menu Four is from the aforementioned book, ‘Mezcla’ which celebrates the benefits of mixing cultures in our cooking – the author draws inspiration from her childhood which was spent in Mexico, Italy and Brazil!

Enjoy July and these wonderful recipes – they’ll complement any sunny day and cheer up the most miserable!…

Menu One

Roasted Tomato Salad (Serves 4)

This is a perfect summer salad. Make sure you serve it with lots of bread to mop up the wonderful sweet juices. It’s one of those recipes which is so simple but Oh so good!…

12 large tomatoes

12 large fresh basil leaves

2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and black pepper

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

To garnish:

Fresh basil leaves

24 black olives

1. Skin the tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them and leaving for 1 minute, then drain and slip off the skins. Cut each tomato in half and place the halves in a shallow roasting tin, cut side uppermost.
2. Season each tomato and sprinkle over with the chopped garlic. Finally, pour a few droplets of olive oil over each one and top each one with half a basil leaf, turning each piece of leaf over to get a coating of oil.
3. Place the roasting tin in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, and roast for 50mins-1hour or until the edges are slightly blackened.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Transfer to a serving plate.
5. To serve, whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, and drizzle over the tomatoes. Finally, top each one with an olive and garnish with the basil leaves.

Menu Two

Roasted Red Peppers (Serves 4)

A wonderful classic Mediterranean recipe from Delia Smith’s ‘Summer Collection’ Cookbook. These peppers are incredibly good, they’re sweet yet with a salty edge; I’ve been cooking them for more years than I wish to admit!

4 large red peppers

4 medium tomatoes

8 tinned anchovy fillets, drained

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

8 dessertspoons olive oil

Freshly milled black pepper

A small bunch of basil

1. Half the peppers, removing the seeds but leaving the stalks intact. Lay the pepper halves on a lightly oiled roasting tray.
2. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour over boiling water, leave for 1 minute, then drain them and slip off the skins. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place two quarters in each pepper half.
3. Snip one anchovy fillet per pepper half into rough pieces and add to the tomatoes. Divide the garlic slices equally among the tomatoes and anchovies and finally add a dessertspoon of olive oil to each pepper. And season with black pepper (not with salt as you have the anchovies!).
4. Place the tray in a preheated oven, 180’c, for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Transfer the cooked peppers to a serving plate with all the precious juices poured over, garnish with the basil leaves and serve warm.

Menu Three

Fish Tagine with Potatoes, Peas and Coriander (Serves 4)

This is a great one-pot dish from the team behind London’s Moro restaurant, it can be found in their cookbook, ‘Moro Easy’. The subtle spices lift this simple dish to higher realms; it makes a fantastic mid-week supper. I have doubled the sauce ingredients as I prefer the dish a little more ‘saucy’.

6 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra to drizzle

4 banana shallots or 1 large red onion

4 garlic cloves

2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon rind (optional)

3 heaped teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

4 tablespoons finely chopped coriander, plus a few leaves to garnish

400g cherry tomatoes

400g small waxy new potatoes, e.g. Charlotte

400g frozen peas

4 fillets of firm white fish, e.g. sea bass, monkfish or cod

4 slices of lemon to serve

1. First of all slice the potatoes into very thin slices (0.5cm) – it is important that they are thin so that they cook all the way through.
2. Place all the rest of the ingredients, except the potatoes, peas and fish, into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the processed ‘sauce’ to a wide, deep pan with a tight fitting lid and add the sliced potatoes. Place over a medium to high heat. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the peas, stir well (if the sauce seems a little thick, loosen it with a couple of tablespoons of water). Bring back to a simmer and place the fish on top, replace the lid and cook for a further 8-10 minutes until just cooked through. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
5. To serve, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle over the reserved coriander leaves and top with the lemon slices.

Menu Four

Chicken with Pineapple and Nudja (Serves 4)

What a wonderful combination of flavours there are in this recipe – sweet and savoury with a hint of spice! The recipe is from Ixta Belfrage’s cookbook ‘Mezcla’ in which she draws inspiration from her childhood which was spent in Mexico, Italy and Brazil, it’s a truly multicultural flavoured book – fantastic!

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife

1 onion, halved and very thinly sliced

½ large, extra ripe pineapple, peeled (300g)

2 oranges, squeezed to get 100g juice

100g chicken stock

2 tablespoons double cream

5g fresh coriander

1 lime cut into wedges

For the Nudja and Chipotle paste:

50g nudja paste/ spread

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons tomato puree

½ teaspoon chipotle flakes

½ teaspoon paprika

¾ teaspoon fine salt

About 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper

1. Put all the ingredients for the nudja and chipotle paste in a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken, garlic and three-quarters of the sliced onion (save the rest to serve) and mix well so that everything is coated evenly. Tip the chicken, onions and garlic into a roasting tin, spreading out the chicken, skin side up on top of the onions and garlic (you will need the remnants of the paste in the bowl for the pineapple).
2. Cut the pineapple into 4 rounds and cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever is left in the bowl then add to the chicken.
3. Pour the orange juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet – you want it to crisp up!). Bake in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the stock into the pan around the chicken (again don’t get the skin wet!). Return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and at the skin is brown and crispy. Now, if you have a blowtorch, you can char the pineapple a little (but no worries if not – it will still taste delicious!).
4. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes, then drizzle the cream into the sauce.
5. Toss the coriander with the remaining sliced onion and a little salt and olive oil and arrange on top. Serve straight from the pan with lime wedges alongside.