Feasts- Little Bites Read online

  SERVES 4–6

  300g podded edamame beans (or broad beans, if preferred), fresh or frozen

  2 long red chillies

  olive oil

  6–8 slices of sourdough bread

  2 tablespoons dried marjoram or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram

  2–3 fat garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped

  juice of ½ lemon

  finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

  4 spring onions, thinly sliced from root to tip

  350g labneh

  sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

  Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the edamame and blanch for 2 minutes to soften but not cook them through. Drain the beans and immediately plunge them into a bowl of cold water to arrest the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

  Roast the chillies over a direct flame on the hob for a few minutes on all sides, until nicely blackened in parts but not completely charred. (Alternatively, char them under a hot grill or blister them in a very hot, dry frying pan.) Set aside until cool enough to handle, then slice them open and remove and discard the seeds. Cut the flesh into thin ribbons and set aside.

  Heat a large griddle pan over a high heat. Drizzle a little olive oil over the sourdough slices, then char in the pan for 1–2 minutes on each side, or until char marks appear. Set aside.

  Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the beans, marjoram and garlic and season well with salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 5–6 minutes, or until heated through, then transfer to a bowl, add the chillies, lemon juice and zest and spring onions and mix well.

  Spread a good amount of labneh on each slice of bread. Divide the bean mixture across the slices and arrange on the tops to serve.

  LAMB PATTIES

  __________

  with cranberries, cumin & spiced orange yogurt

  __________

  MAKES 16–20

  3 heaped teaspoons cumin seeds

  500g minced lamb

  100g dried cranberries

  2 large eggs

  1 large onion, minced in a food processor or very finely chopped

  2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

  1 heaped teaspoon ground turmeric

  1 small packet (about 30g) of fresh coriander, leaves and stems finely chopped

  2 heaped teaspoons sea salt flakes, crushed

  vegetable oil

  freshly ground black pepper

  large pinch of sumac, to garnish

  FOR THE SPICED ORANGE YOGURT

  finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed oranges

  250g thick Greek yogurt

  juice of ½ orange

  2 heaped teaspoons ground coriander

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds and dry-toast for about 2 minutes, until lightly toasted, to intensify their flavour. Take care not to burn the seeds.

  Put the lamb, cranberries, eggs, onion, garlic, toasted cumin seeds, turmeric, fresh coriander, crushed sea salt and a generous seasoning of pepper into a large mixing bowl. Using your hands, pummel the meat thoroughly and ensure the ingredients are evenly combined.

  Drizzle enough vegetable oil into a large frying pan to just coat the base and set it over a medium heat. Line a plate with a double layer of kitchen paper.

  Take a golf-ball-sized amount of the meat mixture, shape it into a patty and add it to the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is full. Fry for 6–7 minutes on each side, until nicely browned and cooked through. Reduce the heat if they colour too quickly or start to blacken. Transfer to the paper-lined plate to drain any excess oil.

  Mix together all the ingredients for the spiced orange yogurt in a bowl (reserving some of the orange zest for a garnish), and season generously. Transfer the drained koftas to a serving plate. Drizzle over some of the yogurt sauce and sprinkle over a little sumac and the reserved orange zest. Serve the remaining sauce in the bowl on the side.

  POMEGRANATE SALMON BITES

  MAKES APPROXIMATELY 20

  600g skinless salmon fillets, cut into equal squares of approximately 30g

  seeds of ½ pomegranate

  FOR THE MARINADE

  200ml pomegranate molasses

  100ml clear honey

  2–3 teaspoons chilli flakes, to taste

  2 heaped teaspoons ground cinnamon

  freshly ground black pepper

  Mix the pomegranate molasses, honey, chilli and cinnamon in a large bowl and season generously with black pepper. Put the salmon pieces into the bowl and turn to coat them in the marinade. Marinate for about 15 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.

  Preheat the oven to 260°C (240°C fan), Gas Mark 10 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

  Place the marinated salmon pieces on to the baking tray and drizzle a little of the marinade over the fish to glaze. Roast for 8–9 minutes, until the salmon looks sticky and is cooked through, then serve scattered with pomegranate seeds.

  GOLDEN POTATO & VEGETABLE CAKES

  MAKES 20–24

  700g floury white potatoes (such as Maris Piper or King Edward)

  4 spring onions, thinly sliced from root to tip

  2 teaspoons garlic granules

  1 teaspoon ground turmeric

  1 large carrot, peeled, coarsely grated and any juice squeezed out and discarded

  2–3 generous handfuls of green cabbage or kale, tough stalks discarded, roughly chopped

  2 hot green chillies (not jalapeño), finely chopped

  1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

  1 tablespoon nigella seeds

  5 tablespoons plain flour

  vegetable oil

  sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

  ready-made date and tamarind sauce or sweet and spicy relish, to serve

  Cook the potatoes with their skins on in a large saucepan of boiling water for 20–25 minutes. When cooked, plunge them immediately into a bowl of cold water to arrest the cooking process. Leave to cool, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

  Roughly crush – not mash or purée – the potatoes using a fork. Add the spring onions, garlic granules, turmeric, carrot, cabbage or kale, chillies, thyme, nigella seeds and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix well.

  Line a tray with a sheet of baking paper. Divide the potato mixture into 40g portions and form each portion into a disc with a diameter of roughly 5cm and a thickness of 1cm. Lay these on the prepared tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm them up before frying.

  Spread the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Drizzle a little oil into a large frying pan and heat it over medium heat. Remove the potato cakes from the fridge. When the oil is hot, dust the potato cakes in the flour and fry for 6–8 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Reduce the heat if they colour too quickly or start to blacken. Serve immediately, sprinkled with salt flakes. Date and tamarind sauce or sweet and spicy relishes complement these potato and vegetable cakes very well.