Reem Kassis’s aubergine, yogurt and nut salad
Whenever we invited people over for a big lunch, my mother would usually make a variation of this salad and it would be the highlight for me. As far as the nuts and garnish go, I often play around with it depending on my mood, so feel free to adjust based on what you have to hand. For a variation, use courgettes, cut in half and sliced lengthwise, instead of the aubergines, and use walnuts, pomegranate seeds and sumac for the garnish.
Serves 4-6 as a starter or side dish
aubergines 1kg (about 4 medium)
olive oil for brushing
salt and black pepper
For the yogurt sauce
Greek yogurt 400g
garlic 1 small clove, crushed
salt ½ tsp
lemon juice ½ tsp (optional)
For the garnish
pomegranate seeds 2 tbsp
mixed nuts 50g, such as almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts, lightly toasted
green leaves a small handful, such as rocket, dill, or chives
Preheat the grill to high. Slice the aubergines into 1.5cm rounds, brush both sides with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the aubergines on a rack and grill for about 10 minutes on each side, or until they develop a golden brown exterior.
In the meantime, put all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce into a bowl and whisk together to a smooth consistency. The lemon juice is optional but it helps bring all the flavors together, especially if you are using a mellow yogurt, not a tangy one.
Once the aubergines are done, arrange in overlapping circles on a round platter. Spoon over the yogurt mixture then top with pomegranate seeds, toasted nuts, and green leaves.
From The Palestinian Table by Reem Kassis (Phaidon Press, £24.95)
Nigella Lawson’s crispy lamb chops
The joy of these, particularly, is that they are wonderful eaten cold as well, their pink juiciness trapped within their eggy parmesan coating. If you don’t have any stale bread to hand for making the breadcrumbs, then just split open some pitta breads, leave them a short while – even half an hour will do – to dry out and then tear them up and blitz them in a processor.
Serves 4
lamb chop cutlets 10, with bone in
fresh white breadcrumbs 175g, or 3 pitta breads, processed
grated parmesan 10g
eggs 2, beaten with salt and pepper
olive oil for frying (not extra virgin)
Remove the thick layer of fat from around the edge of each little chop, either by tearing it off by hand, or with a pair of scissors. Be careful not to lose the shape of the chop, or it will fall to pieces on frying.
Layer the chops between 2 sheets of clingfilm, and beat them vigorously with a mallet or rolling pin so that they are flattened a little. Then, in a wide, shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan, and put the seasoned eggs in another bowl.
Pour some olive oil into a frying pan, to come about 1cm deep, and put it on the heat. Dip the lamb chops first in the eggy mixture and then press them well in the cheese and breadcrumbs before frying them in the hot oil. Cook the chops for about 3 minutes each side: they should be a deep golden brown and crunchy outside, within a still tender pink.
Eat them as they are, left to get to room temperature or even cold: there is no way these are anything less than compulsively delicious.
From Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus, £16.99)
River Café’s spaghetti with lemon
Lemons, olive oil, basil … the only other ingredient needed is sun.
Serves 6 as a starter
spaghetti 250g
lemons juice of 3-4, preferably Amalfi lemons
olive oil 150ml
parmesan 150g, freshly grated
fresh basil 2 handfuls, leaves picked and finely chopped
lemon zest finely grated, optional
Cook the spaghetti in a generous amount of boiling salted water, then drain thoroughly and return to the saucepan.
Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil, then stir in the parmesan – it will melt into the mixture, making it thick and creamy. Season with sea salt and black pepper and add more lemon juice to taste.
Add the sauce to the spaghetti and shake the pan so that each strand of pasta is coated with the cheese. Finally, stir in the chopped basil and, ideally, some lemon zest.
From River Café 30 by Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray, Sian Wyn Owen and Joseph Trivelli (Ebury Press, £28)
Nathan Outlaw’s barbecued sardines with parsley, roast garlic and lemon butter
When the sun is out and the barbecue lit, the first thing I want to eat is sardines. The smell of them cooking over coals is fantastic. If you don’t fancy butter, make the same recipe but use olive oil. It will work just as well.
Serves 4
sardines 20, de-scaled, gutted and butterflied
olive oil to drizzle
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
lemons 1-2, cut into wedges, to serve
For the flavoured butter
garlic 8 cloves, skin on
unsalted butter 250g, softened
curly parsley 3 tbsp, chopped
shallots 2, peeled and finely chopped
lemon 1, finely grated zest and juice
To make the butter, heat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Lay a piece of foil on your work surface and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Place the garlic cloves on the foil and drizzle with oil. Wrap the foil over the garlic and seal to form a parcel. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes depending on the size of the garlic cloves. To check if they are done, open up the parcel and gently give them a squeeze; they should be soft. Once cooked, remove from the foil and allow to cool.
Put the butter, chopped parsley, shallots and lemon zest and juice into a bowl and mix well. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins onto a board and chop it through. Add the garlic to the butter and season with salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. Now either place in the fridge to use later or put to one side while you cook the sardines.
Light your barbecue around 30 minutes before you are planning to start cooking.
To cook the sardines, season them with salt and pepper and brush with a little olive oil. Place skin-side down on the barbecue grid and cook for 3 minutes; don’t be tempted to move them now or you may tear the skin (which is protecting the fish). Carefully turn the sardines over and place them on a baking tray. Once you have all the sardines on the tray, place it on the barbecue grid for 1 minute to finish cooking.
Once cooked, remove the sardines from the tray onto a platter so that everyone can help themselves. You can eat the sardines straight away or let them cool and eat them cold. Whichever way you choose, you’ll need to heat the butter until it is hot and melted and pour it over them before serving.
Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing and chunks of bread to mop up the delicious juices.
From Nathan Outlaw’s Home Kitchen by Nathan Outlaw (Quadrille, £20)
Meera Sodha’s hill station salad
In the heat of summer, the Darjeeling hills are a great shelter from the blistering temperatures of Kolkata. But the journey from Kolkata to Darjeeling is turbulent and long, and all I ever want when I arrive (aside from a medicinal gin and tonic) is a bath and the freshest, most cooling salad I can think of. This is that salad.
Serves 6 as a side
fennel 1 medium bulb
red onion 1 medium
mixed peppers 3 (red, yellow and orange)
cucumber ½
fresh coriander 10g
salt 1 tsp
nigella seeds 1 tsp, plus extra to serve
fresh mint leaves 20g
green finger chilli ½-1
Greek yogurt 100ml
lemon juice 2 tbsp
sugar 1 tsp (or to taste)
Remove and discard the tough outer leaves of the fennel, top and tail it, then cut off the fronds, reserving them for later. Chop the fennel bulb, red onion and peppers into 1cm dice (the smaller the better), and place in a serving bowl. Halve the cucumber lengthways, remove the seeds with a teaspoon, then chop it into 1cm dice and add to the bowl. Finely chop the coriander and add to the bowl, along with the salt and nigella seeds.
Next, make the dressing. Chop the mint and green chilli as finely as you can, put into a small bowl and mix well. Add the yogurt, lemon juice and sugar, mix together and taste. There should be a good balance between the heat, sweetness, saltiness and lemoniness, so adjust if need be.
Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving and mix well. Sprinkle over the fennel fronds, and a few more nigella seeds for good measure.
From Fresh India by Meera Sodha (Penguin, £20)
