Now that it’s officially spring I am turning to the brighter, more vibrant dishes I prefer. This one is inspired by a visit to a very old tapas bar I stumbled upon amongst the sprawling tobacco fields that surround the architectural wonder that is the grand old city of Granada in the south. The heat…
Category: Mains
Pizza Bianco with Lemony Courgette Ribbons, Dolcelatte and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Just an hour’s drive away from Assisi sits Cortona, a charming walled town in the Valdichiana Valley in southern Tuscany. After exploring its shady Medieval vicolos, inspiring artisan food stores and the beautiful duomo, we settled at the street-side table of a tiny local pizzeria. There we slowly sipped delicate glasses of an ice cold Italian rosato whilst we chatted over the…
Warm Cumin-roasted Squash, Wild Rice and Black Bean Salad with Cranberries
After a somewhat tumultuous couple of weeks preparing to close my beautiful little restaurant at Spark: York, I am back in my kitchen pondering the attraction of salads in the autumn when many are reaching out for carb-heavy cheesy comfort. Here’s the thing, I believe that, if you stay nutritionally focused, warm salads such as…
Roast Chestnut, Mushroom and Oloroso Sherry Tart
A nigh on perfect Andalusian tart for a bright autumnal Sunday lunch. All butter pastry encased around caramelised red onions, wild mushrooms, roast chestnuts, fresh lemon thyme and gently stirred with fragrant oloroso sherry and a generous knob of butter. I put some pieces of creamy citrusy Caerphilly cheese on top of this one just to…
Sami’s Koosa Mahshi, Stuffed Peppers with Sultanas, Pine Kernels and Seven Spices
Over dinner last Monday evening, my parents and I leafed through a pile of quietly ageing scrap books full of memories of their trip to Syria over 25 years ago. Our conversation focused on tickets to dusty archeological museums; faded postcards of antiquities long gone; photographs of groups of happy children curious to discover more…
Lebanese Batata Harra, Turmeric Spiced Potato Salad
Across the eastern Mediterranean – and, indeed, the whole of the Middle East – vegetable-based dishes are as much revered as any that may contain meat or fish. They are the heroes of mezze-based feasts; they are stuffed, they are stewed, deep-fried, sautéed and steamed. Above all, they are always in season and often purchased on…
A Sumptuous Spanish Tortilla
I’m trying – really trying! – to get back in the mode of recipe writing because it’s so important to me to enable you to re-create my food at home and I love to see your photos. So here we go then, here is the recipe for my gorgeous Spanish tortilla. You can prepare the…
Rana’s Lebanese Chickpea and Pomegranate Molasses Stew
With temperatures rarely rising above zero at the moment there is plenty of talk about the desirability of ‘comfort food’. But, for me, this doesn’t manifest itself as plates heaving under the weight of carbs and oozy cheesy layers. In fact, despite the cold, I still crave lighter food but I want that food to…
Ligurian Basil Gnocchi with Broccoli, Spinach and Creamy Cheesy Sauce
This beautiful dish is perfect for these early autumn days because, although it’s comforting, it is ultimately still light and delicious. The recipe is a little more complicated than you’re used to from me but it all comes together quite quickly in the end. If you don’t fancy making the gnocchi, you can always replace them with large white beans or thinly sliced cooked…
Greek White Beans with Spinach and a Basil and Pistachio Pesto
As you might imagine, with a little restaurant to open next month, our evening suppers need to be fast but not at the cost of nutrition. This über simple dish of white beans and spinach gently sautéed together with a quick basil and pistachio pesto and garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds and pomegranate arils delivers everything I need it to….
