Taken from Anna Jones’ The Modern Cook’s Year, a delicious smoky mushroom and roast kale lasagne recipe.
A fish pie, bulging at the seams like an overstuffed pillow, its filling full of herbs, cream and smoked fish oozing as it’s cut.
Pimiento de piqulllo con crema de queso y mojo verde
(Piquillo pepper stuffed with goat’s curd mixed herbs and mojo verde)
These are really quick and colourful: great for summer parties and picnics. Josep, our executive chef, who came up with the combination, uses goat’s curd from La Bauma, but you could substitute cream cheese or cottage cheese.
Sardinas fritas con pipirrana
(Pan-fried sardines with pipirrana)
Pipirrana is a refreshing combination of tomatoes, onions, peppers and hard-boiled eggs which balances out the stronger flavour of the pan-fried sardines very well.
May 28
A pile of mash, so loose and silky it is on the verge of becoming a puree. The season’s asparagus, grilled and glistening with olive oil. The bright notes of lemon zest.
A treat today, but something I could happily eat all sunmer long. By the way, I use Maris Pipers for this very soft mash, but a waxy-fleshed potato such as Charlotte would be good too; unorthodox, but capable of giving an even smoother, more velvety mash.
Menestra de verduras often served in littles bowls in fashionable Madrid bars, but probabaly the best I have ever had was made for me by Raul Domingo, when I stayed with him and his family in the city. Raul is a history lecturer, his wife, Carmen, a photographer, lecturer and archivist, and their student daughter Livia is a jazz and classical violinist. The shelves of their home groan with incredible books and the walls are covered in extraordinary paintings, and when it comes to food, Raul is in charge of the kitchen and his cooking is excellent. While I was writing up recipe notes he brought me a Madrid tapa of fine crisps and escabeche mussels (see page 111) and then a little bowlful of this light, delicious, nutritious menestra.
‘This is a light but hearty pancake made from chickpea flour and grated carrots. I made these a lot while staying with my sister in California, and they are what Californian cooking is all about for me – delicious, nourishing, light and bright. Chickpea flour is cheap and easy to find; it will be in the Indian section at the supermarket and may be called gram flour.
The spiced pecans are so delicious that you will have to guard them or they will disappear before you have a chance to serve the salad. You could always cut out the salad and serve the pecans on their own with drinks! If you can’t get Devon Blue, gorgonzola or dolcelatte make good substitutes. Read more…
