RECIPES

Lemon, chickpea and green herb stew

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• Coconut or groundnut oil • Bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, • Small bunch of coriander, stalks chopped and leaves picked • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric • 3x400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed • 200ml hot vegetable stock • 1x400ml tin coconut milk • 2 unwaxed lemons, zested and cut in half • 2 shallots, peeled, halved and very thinly sliced

To serve • Large handful of green herb leaves picked and torn (I use a mixture of mint, basil and coriander) • A pinch of dried chilli fl akes

METHOD

This lemony, coconut and herbtopped stew has a freshness I love, but it’s hearty and fi lling at the same time. You add the halved, squeezed lemons to the stew as it cooks, which imparts a great citrussy zin. Not all chickpeas are created equal. Some pre-cooked tinned chickpeas can be hard as bullets, so I plump for the jarred: I fi nd that they are more carefully cooked and expertly seasoned. 1 Put a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add a little oil, the spring onions, garlic and coriander stalks. Cook for about fi ve minutes or until the spring onion is soft and sweet. 2 Add the turmeric and cook for a couple of minutes to toast and release the oils. Add the chickpeas, stock and coconut milk, the zest and juice of both lemons and the squeezed lemon halves. 3 Bring to a boil and simmer over a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until slightly thickened and a vivid yellow. 4 In a separate frying pan, heat three tablespoons of oil and fry the shallots over a medium-low heat until golden and slightly crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. 5 Once the stew is ready, scoop out the lemon halves, stir through most of the herbs and serve topped with the crispy shallots, remaining herbs and chilli fl akes.

Cinnamon and cherry tomato koshari

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 150g green/brown lentils • 750g fresh cherry tomatoes or 2x400g tins cherry tomatoes, drained • 4 cloves of garlic • 6 shallots, very thiny sliced • 5 tbls extra veiring olive oil • A small bunch of coriander, including stalks, • 1 teaspoon ground allspice • 1 stick cinnamon • 300g rice, rinsed • Rapeseed oil • Small bunch of parsley, chopped, • Small bunch of mint, chopped

METHOD

1 This bravely spiced rice and lentil dish is more than the sum of its parts and comes (mostly) from the store cupboard. It’s topped with a crown of crispy fried shallots, which brings a key level of crunch and contrast to what is otherwise soft and comforting. In its pure Egyptian street food form there is pasta – macaroni to be precise – and often chickpeas too. I’ve just used rice and lentils here for simplicity, but you could add a handful of macaroni to the rice, or a drained can of chickpeas to make it a little more authentic. 2 First, soak your lentils in 300ml warm water for an hour, then drain and rinse. Preheat the oven to 200C/180 fan/gas 6 3 In a large cast-iron pot with a lid, put the tomatoes, garlic, a quarter of the sliced shallots and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Chop the coriander stalks then add those as well, along with the allspice and cinnamon stick. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes then remove and sprinkle on the rice and rinsed lentils. Add 900ml boiling water, season with salt, cover with the lid and place in the oven for another 25 minutes. 4 Meanwhile, make the crispy shallots. Fill a saucepan with a 3cm depth of room-temperature rapeseed oil. Put over a high heat and then once hot, add the remaining shallots. Give them a quick stir so they are all evenly submerged in the oil, then leave to cook for around 4 minutes, keeping an eye on them as they cook. Once they start turning a light golden colour, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and leave to cool completely on some kitchen paper. 5 Remove the rice from the oven and using an oven glove, take o the lid and remove the whole garlic cloves. Let the rice stand for 10 minutes and meanwhile, pop the garlic out of its skin and mash with some sea salt and

Spiced aubergines with halloumi

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium aubergines • 600g tomatoes • A pinch of cumin seeds • A pinch of smoked paprika • Olive oil • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and fi nely chopped • 1 tablespoon tomato puree • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar • ½ teaspoon sugar To serve • 200g block of halloumi, sliced lengthways into 1cm slices • Extra virgin olive oil • Small bunch of mint, parsley or both, leaves picked • Warm fl atbreads

1 This recipe is based on zaalouk, that I am told is half-dip, halfsalad, and is Morocco’s answer to baba ganoush. I eat it topped with grilled halloumi (but not in any way traditional, but delicious), with some fl atbreads and a good green salad. It would also be brilliant as part of a spread when you have people round. 2 Blacken the aubergines all over, either under a hot grill or on a foillined tray or by turning them with tongs over a gas hob or hot barbecue. Make sure they char completely. On a gas hob it will take 4-5 minutes on each side, so about 20 minutes in total. They need to be softened all the way through. Leave them to cool so that the skin comes away from the fl esh. 3 For an authentic fi nish, peel the tomatoes (I sometimes skip this step if I am in a hurry); score a cross in the base of the fruit, place them in a heatproof bown then cover them with just-boiled water. Leave for 30 seconds to a minute, then drain and cool slightly before peeling o the skin. Chop fi nely. 4 Heat the spices in a dry frying pan until fragrant. Add a glug of oil, tomatoes and garlic, season well and fry for a few minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down. Stir through the tomato puree, vinegar and sugar, then squeeze the fl esh from the charred aubergine into the tomatoes. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Transfer to a bowl, then give the pan a quick wash. 5 If you are serving it with halloumi, heat the frying pan over a high heat. Cook the halloumi for 2 minutes on each side until melting and golden brown. Serve it on top of the warm dip. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, add the herbs and scoop it all up with warm fl atbreads.

One Pot, Pan, Planet by Anna Jones is published this month by 4th Estate, £26 h/b

FASHION

THE FRILL OF IT

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