Spicy herb and noodle salad (pictured above)
Most writers I know get by on egg on toast or leftovers for lunch – when you are on the scribble, it’s good not to get out of the zone for long. This is for the other days: a bowl of lively refreshment for when you are flagging. It is so very simple, yet full of flavours rubbing up against each other like passengers on a jammed tube. It has a fair bit of south-east Asia about it, and I like it quite fierce on the chilli.
Prep 25 min
Serves 4
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped
1–3 Thai bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced (seeds and pith removed if you prefer less heat)
1 large shallot, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 tbsp palm sugar, or soft light brown sugar
2 ripe tomatoes, seeds squeezed out, juice sieved and reserved, flesh thinly sliced
1 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 1 large lime
2 tart apples (eg, granny smith)
1 handful cold/barely warm cooked rice noodles
1 little gem or soft round lettuce, washed and shredded
1 small bunch basil (Thai, green or purple), leaves picked
1 small bunch mint, leaves picked
1 small bunch coriander, leaves picked
4 tbsp roasted cashew nuts or peanuts, crushed to a powder
Mix the garlic, chillies, shallot and sugar, then stir in the reserved tomato water, fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings as you like, and put to one side to infuse.
Slice or shred the apples with a peeler, or cut them into matchsticks by hand, and put them straight into salted water.
To assemble, drain the apples, put them in a large bowl with the dressing, noodles, lettuce, sliced tomato and all the herbs, and toss to combine. Top with the nut powder and serve immediately.
Roman herb and anchovy salad
Classically, this sort of salad might be dominated by puntarelle, but celery and herbs work very well, too. You can use any bitter leaves, such as chicory, dandelion, endive, escarole and radicchio, or even mustard leaf, watercress or rocket, if you prefer.
Prep 15 min
Marinate 10 min
Cook 5 min
Serves 4 as a starter
2 tbsp capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
12 anchovies fillets in oil, drained and roughly chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
½ tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
6 tbsp coarse breadcrumbs
Leaves and stalks from 1 celery heart, thinly sliced
1 big bunch chervil, barely chopped
1 big bunch parsley, barely chopped
Mix the capers, anchovies, lemon zest and juice, garlic, vinegar and chilli flakes, then season to taste (it should be quite salty already, so go easy). Leave to marinate for about 10 minutes, then stir through four tablespoons of the olive oil.
Fry the breadcrumbs in the remaining two tablespoons of oil (add a squashed garlic clove and a good sprig of rosemary, if you like) until golden and crisp (they keep well, so make a bigger batch, if you fancy).
Combine the celery and herbs with the oily anchovy mix, scatter with the breadcrumbs and serve.
Lemon thyme and leek tart
A sublime lunch or dinner that beautifully illustrates the power of the tweak. Make this with common thyme, lemon thyme or orange thyme, and that slight shift in bias makes three very different tarts. Lemon thyme makes the sunniest, orange thyme is altogether more resinous and autumnal, and common thyme gives a tart you could eat for breakfast, lunch and tea and not tire of it. You could make this with onion rather than leeks, and in a tart tin, if you prefer. A swizz of herb oil or picada to serve is a fine option.
Prep 20 min
Chill 30 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 4–6
For the pastry
250g plain flour, plus a little extra for rolling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
150g butter, cubed
1 medium egg, beaten
1 tsp picked lemon thyme leaves
For the filling
30g butter
500g leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced
3 bay leaves
2 medium eggs
150g soured cream or creme fraiche
1 tbsp picked lemon thyme leaves
¼ whole nutmeg, or to taste, grated
20g parmesan or cheddar, grated
For the pastry, put the flour, a pinch of salt and the butter into a food processor and pulse until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and pulse again until the mixture just comes together. (Alternatively, mix the butter into the flour and salt in a bowl with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg and mix to form a dough.) Add the thyme leaves, then bring the dough together with your hands and shape into a round. Wrap the pastry and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Melt the butter in a pan over a low-medium heat, add the leeks and bay leaves, and cook for 15 minutes, until really soft and sweet, then leave to cool a little.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Beat the eggs in a bowl, then scoop out enough beaten egg to glaze the pastry later, and add the soured cream, thyme leaves and nutmeg to the bowl.
Stir in the cooled leeks and season to taste. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out into a circle about 3mm thick, leaving no gaps or holes. Put a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking sheet and put the circle of pastry on to it. Spoon the creamy leeks on top, spreading them out evenly and leaving a 1–2cm border around the edge.
Fold the edge of the pastry over to create a lip, then nudge the bay leaves to the top of the filling. Glaze all the exposed pastry with the reserved egg and sprinkle the cheese over the filling.
Bake the tart in the middle of the oven for 35–40 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and pale golden and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for five or so minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.
Tarragon and olive oil ice-cream
What an elegant ice-cream this is, full of tarragon’s gentle aniseed and the silk of olive oil. Use very fresh tarragon to get the fullness of its flavour, and a good, fruity (rather than peppery) oil. Depending on what you eat before you serve this, you may feel this needs a little straightening out with flaky salt, pomegranate molasses, extra oil or even a few chilli flakes over the top. A shot of gin can soften the texture and the sweetness, if you fancy. Thai basil, Korean mint and sweet cicely make fine alternatives to tarragon.
Prep 15 min, plus freezing
Cook 10 min
Makes 900ml
250ml double cream
300ml whole milk
1 bunch fresh tarragon, leaves stripped from half the stalks
6 large egg yolks
140g caster sugar
120ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 good pinch salt
Pour the cream and milk into a medium-sized pan with the half-bunch of tarragon that isn’t stripped and bring gently to a simmer.
Meanwhile, put the egg yolks, sugar and tarragon leaves in a blender, blitz on low speed, then briefly increase the speed to high. Add the oil and salt, and blend again, increasing the speed until the mix is smooth.
Pour the hot, creamy milk through a sieve into a jug. Turn the blender on low, and pour the creamy milk very slowly into the oily tarragon mixture. When fully incorporated, pour the mixture back into the pan and heat gently, whisking frequently, until it thickens a little. Cover and leave to cool.
Churn in an ice-cream maker, if you have one, or pour into a plastic tub, freeze for a few hours, then spoon into a blender, whizz briefly, pour back into the tub and return to the freezer. Remove from the freezer 20 minutes before serving, to make it easier to scoop.
The Link LonkApril 24, 2021 at 05:00PM
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Salad, tart and ice-cream: herb recipes by Mark Diacono - The Guardian
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Herb
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