12 large sea scallops (about 1 pound), side muscle removed
kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup hearty sprouts (such as daikon or sunflower) or pea shoots
STEP 1
Core 1 apple; cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in a blender with lemon juice and 1/4 cup water; purée until smooth. Strain juice through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Peel, core, and cut remaining apple into 1/4-inch cubes. Add to bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook scallops until golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
Add butter to skillet. Cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Add reserved apple mixture and cook, stirring often, until juice is thickened and apple pieces are tender, about 4 minutes. Spoon over scallops; top with sprouts and season with salt and pepper.
Add all of the ingredients, except for the water, to a food processor or blender and blend on high until smooth.
While the mixture is blending, in a thin and steady stream, add half of the ice water to the food processor*. If desired, skip this step by simply adding the water in with the ingredients in step #1.
Taste test the hummus. If too thick, add the remaining water. For a creamier consistency, add more olive oil and/or tahini. For more zest, add more lemon juice. Plate, garnish, and serve!
Notes
* Adding the water in this way helps to aerate the hummus and make it more ‘fluffy’.
Lightly boil or steam the tempeh in a pan on the stove for 10 minutes*. Then rinse and pat dry.
Arrange the tempeh in a baking dish, pour on the BBQ sauce, and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours – the longer the better.
Line a tray and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)**.
Place the marinated tempeh on the baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes, stopping to flip once halfway. Remove from oven and brush with additional BBQ sauce if desired.
Meanwhile, add all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk.
Add the soba noodles and edamame to a pot of boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the noodles are al dente*. Drain and rinse.
Add the oil and garlic to a pan on medium-high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.
Then add the broccoli and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the drained noodles and edamame to the pan. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Divide into bowls, add the BBQ tempeh, garnish, and enjoy.
Notes
* This is an optional step, but can remove bitterness.
** We used top and bottom heating (not fan-assisted/convection).
* If your noodles need longer to cook, add the edamame in the last 5 minutes.
270 g fresh pastry (or see below for homemade pastry)
Preheat oven 180c
Cook the spinach in a pan with olive oil until wilted. Put in a colander and squeeze out as much water as you can. Set aside to cool.
Chop the onion and garlic and cook it with 2 table spoons of olive oil. Onion first 5 min and garlic 1 min. When it’s golden, chop the cooled spinach and add to the pan. Add the parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. and stir well.
In a large bowl, whisk 4 eggs and add the ricotta and the nutmeg. Add the spinach mixture and stir together.
*note: you can drain the ricotta beforehand as well if it is watery.
Separate 2.3 of the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out as thin as possible. I used a deep springform pan (you can use a deep pie tin). Butter it generously and line the inside and sides with the dough. You can rollout the sides separately and then re-attach inside the pan but I did it in one piece….carefully.
Make 5 dents in the top of the spinach mixture, like little nests, and break the raw eggs (5) one into each indentation. Roll out the remaining 1/3 dough into a circle (a bit larger than the pan, wet the top edge of the dough and then lay the circle over the top, attaching to the wet edge.
Whisk the final egg and add a bit of water. Paint over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Watch it and if the top seems to be browning a bit too fast, place a sheet of aluminum foil to keep it from burning.
Cool for at least 10 minutes.
With the back of the spoon, make 6 small caves around the surface of the stuffing. Put the 6 eggs on these small holes.
Cover with the 2 remaining sheets of dough (between the 2 sheets spread some olive oil). Close properly the cake with the dough.
To make the crust nicer to see, spread it with some olive oil.
Cook the torta pasqualina in the oven at 180°C for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.½ cup quinoa
Wash the sweet potato and cut half and then dice it in ice cube sized pieces.9 oz sweet potato
Cut broccoli into small florets.9 oz broccoli
Thinly slice chilli, parsley, garlic and green onion and add to a bowl with olive oil and 3 tbsp water.1 red chili pepper,2 sprigs parsley, fresh,2 clove garlic,1 green onion,1 tbsp olive oil
Lay sweet potato and broccoli on a baking sheet. Top with the olive oil mix, salt and black pepper per taste. Toss a little.Salt and pepper to taste
Bake for 23 minutes or until the sweet potatoes and broccoli are tender. Then add the edamame beans to the baking sheet and toss. Get back to the oven for 2 minutes.1 cup edamame beans
Meanwhile, to make the dressing mix the grated ginger, apple vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Allow to rest so the ginger infuses.1 tsp ginger, fresh,1 ¼ tbsp apple vinegar,2 tsp sugar,4 ½ tsp low sodium soy sauce,1 ½ tsp sesame oil
To serve, lay the quinoa as a base and top with roasted veggies and spinach. Drizzle dressing and enjoy.2 oz baby spinach
Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C. Drizzle 1 tbs of the oil over the cauliflower in the trays and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 mins or until light brown.
Step 2Meanwhile, cook the couscous in a saucepan of boiling water for 5 mins or until just tender. Drain well. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and stir in the lemon juice and remaining oil.
Step 3Heat pan over medium-high heat. Cook the zucchini and haloumi for 2 mins each side or until golden.
Step 4Add the tomato and onion to the couscous in the bowl with the cauliflower and currants. Gently toss to combine. Arrange on a serving platter with the zucchini and haloumi. Sprinkle with coriander and drizzle with reserved dressing. Serve with lemon wedges.
Score the skin side of the salmon with a sharp knife making horizontal scores about 1 inch apart. Season both sides of the salmon with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil once the pan is hot. Add the salmon to the pan skin side down. Press the salmon gently with a spatula to prevent buckling as it cooks. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip the fish to cook it for another 1 to 2 minutes until browned. Flip the salmon so that the skin side is down once again. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, half of the sliced garlic, and the 4 sprigs of thyme. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the salmon for 5 minutes. Remove the salmon from the skillet, leaving the pan on the heat. Add the zest, lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and the remaining sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring until the butter is melted and creamy. Plate the salmon and top the fish with the lemon butter sauce.
for the potatoes: 1 1/2 lbs very small potatoes (all should be smaller than a golf ball), such as Yukon Gold 1 small yellow onion scant 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for salting the water 7 tbsp olive oil freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
for the aioli: 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (plus more to taste) 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 3/4 cup (170g) olive oil
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Add the potatoes and boil until just tender and easily pricked with a knife, about 10 minutes, though the timing will vary depending on the size of your potatoes so check them often. You want them to be cooked enough to crush easily but not so cooked that they will break apart completely when smashed. When they’re done, drain and set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, cut the onion in half, then into 1/4 inch-thick slices.
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Sprinkle a large rimmed baking sheet with 3 tbsp of olive oil. Scatter the boiled potatoes across the tray and, using a small glass or measuring cup, smash them until they’re about 1/4 inch thick. Carefully, so as not to break them too much, toss the potatoes with the other 4 tbsp olive oil, the onion slices, scant 1 tsp kosher salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Spread into an even layer across the baking sheet.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, flipping the potatoes and onions once or twice during baking. They’re done when the edges and little cast off bits of the potatoes are super crispy and browned. Scatter with 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley. Eat warm.
While the potatoes bake, make the aioli. Combine 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tsp lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt in a food processor.* Pulse a few times and then let sit for a couple of minutes to allow the garlic time to mellow. Add the egg and egg yolk and blend until fully combined. With the food processor on, pour in 3/4 cup olive oil in a very slow, steady stream, until all the oil is used up (you can pour more quickly when half the oil is left) and the aioli is totally emulsified; it will be the consistency of a slightly looser mayonnaise. Taste and add lemon juice and salt as needed. Either serve the aioli in a communal bowl for dipping, or allow diners to dollop a spoonful on their plate to dip from. (Note: the aioli will thicken in the fridge.)
4 tbsp soured cream, mixed with 1 tbsp ice-cold water
pickled cucumber
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly diced
1 tsp sea salt
25g caster sugar
25ml white wine
25ml white wine vinegar
Courgette soup
50ml olive oil
750g courgettes, quartered lengthways, seeds removed and finely sliced
100ml chicken stock
15g marjoram or oregano
50g spinach
STEP 1 Toss the cucumber with the salt and put into a sieve for 20 minutes. Add the sugar, wine and vinegar to a pan, bring to the boil and allow to cool completely.
STEP 2 Rinse the cucumber under cold running water, put into the cool pickling liquid and chill until needed.
STEP 3 Sprinkle the sea salt over the trout portions and chill for 20 minutes. Rinse under cold running water and pat dry.
STEP 4 For the courgette soup, heat the oil in a large pan over a high heat and add the sliced courgettes. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until they stop giving off as much steam.
STEP 5 Add the chicken stock and cook until nearly evaporated. Add the marjoram and spinach and cook for a final minute.
STEP 6 Transfer to a blender or food processor and whizz to a purée. Keep warm.
STEP 7 Heat a tbsp of oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the trout, skinned-side down and cook for 3 minutes.
STEP 8 Turn each fillet and add the butter. Cook for 1 minute and remove to a plate to rest for a few minutes. Flake into large pieces.
STEP 9 Put the shredded lettuce and butter in a pan and cook for 1 minute, adding 1 tbsp of water. Add the chervil and remove from the heat.
STEP 10 Divide the soup between 4 bowls, top with the trout, soured cream, lettuce and drained, pickled cucumber.
STEP 1Wrap the goat’s cheese tightly in clingfilm and freeze for at least 5 hours, but preferably overnight.
STEP 2For the tomato essence, add all of the ingredients to a bowl, mix well, cover and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
STEP 3Pour the mix into a food processor and pulse several times until it’s a rough pulp. Pour into a large mixing bowl lined with a double layer of clean muslin. Tie together the 4 corners of the muslin with string and suspend over the bowl – we do this using the taps above a sink or two overturned chairs and a broom handle. Leave to hang for at least 4 hours.
STEP 4Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the cherry tomatoes for 15-20 seconds before plunging straight into iced water. Peel and put into a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt, sugar and smoked paprika, and leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
STEP 5When ready to serve, warm the tomato essence in a pan. Divide the peeled tomatoes between bowls, sprinkle with pine nuts and basil, and grate over the frozen goat’s cheese so that it completely hides the tomatoes. Pour the warmed tomato essence at the table, if you like.
