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Asparagus
032
Asparagus is something you feel the need to gorge on, rather than Wnding
the odd bit lurking almost apologetically in a salad or main course. The
exceptions are a risottofor which you will Wnd a recipe in Appetite
and a simple rice pilaf. The gentle Xavor of asparagus doesnt take well to
spices, but a little cinnamon or cardamom used in a buttery pilaf oVers a
mild, though warmly seasoned base for when we have only a small number
of spears at our disposal.
enough for 2
fava beans, shelled a couple of handfuls
thin asparagus spears 12
white basmati rice 2/3 cup (120g)
butter 4 tablespoons (50g)
bay leaves 3
green cardamom pods 6, very lightly crushed
black peppercorns 6
a cinnamon stick
cloves 2 or 3, but no more
cumin seeds a small pinch
thyme a couple of sprigs
green onions 4 thin ones
parsley 3 or 4 sprigs
to accompany the pilaf
chopped mint 2 tablespoons
olive oil 2 tablespoons
yogurt 3/4 cup (200g)
Cook the fava beans in deep, lightly salted boiling water for four minutes,
until almost tender, then drain. Trim the asparagus and cut it into short
lengths. Boil or steam for three minutes, then drain.Wash the rice three
times in cold water, moving the grains around with your Wngers. Cover with
warm water, add a teaspoon of salt, and set aside for a good hour.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the bay leaves, cardamom pods,
peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, and sprigs of thyme. Stir
them in the butter for a minute or two, until the fragrance wafts up. Drain
the rice and add it to the warmed spices. Cover with about 1 /4 inch (1cm) of
water and bring to a boil. Season with salt, cover, and decrease the heat to
simmer. Finely slice the green onions. Chop the parsley.
After Wve minutes, remove the lid and gently fold in the asparagus,
fava beans, green onions, and parsley. Replace the lid and continue
cooking for Wve or six minutes, until the rice is tender but has some bite
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Asparagus
to it. All the water should have been absorbed. Leave, with the lid on but
the heat oV, for two or three minutes. Remove the lid, add a tablespoon
of butter if you wish, check the seasoning, and XuV gently with a fork.
Serve with the yogurt sauce below.
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Beets
Make the icing. Sift the confecioners sugar into a bowl and add
enough lemon juice or orange blossom water to achieve a consistency where
the icing will run over the top of the cake and drizzle slowly down the sides
(about three teaspoonfuls), stirring to remove any lumps. Drizzle it over the
cake and scatter with poppy seeds. Rest for a bit to set before eating.
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Beets
Melt the chocolate, broken into small pieces, in a small bowl set over a
pot of simmering water. Dont stir.
When the chocolate looks almost melted, pour the hot espresso over
it and stir once. Cut the butter into small piecesthe smaller the better
and add to the melted chocolate. Push the butter down under the surface
of the chocolate with a spoon (as best you can) and let soften.
Sift together the Xour, baking powder, and cocoa. Separate the eggs,
putting the whites in a large mixing bowl. Stir the yolks together.
Now, working quickly but gently, remove the bowl of chocolate from
the heat and stir until the butter has melted into the chocolate. Let sit for a
few minutes, then stir in the egg yolks. Do this quickly, mixing Wrmly and
evenly so the eggs blend into the mixture. Fold in the beets. Whisk the
egg whites until stiV, then fold in the sugar. Firmly but gently, fold the
beaten egg whites and sugar into the chocolate mixture. A large metal
spoon is what you want here; work in a deep, Wgure-eight movement but
take care not to overmix. Lastly, fold in the Xour and cocoa.
Transfer quickly to the prepared cake pan and put in the oven,
decreasing the heat immediately to 325F (160C). Bake for forty minutes.
The rim of the cake will feel spongy, the inner part should still wobble
a little when the pan is gently shaken.
Set the cake aside to cool (it will sink a tad in the center), loosening
it around the edges with a thin icing spatula after half an hour or so. It is
not a good idea to remove the cake from its pan until it is completely cold.
Serve in thick slices, with crme frache and poppy seeds.
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It was a simple soup, ten minutes hands-on work and barely half an hour on
the stove. An onion, coarsely chopped, softened in a little olive oil in a deep
and heavy pan. An equal amount of carrots and yellow tomatoes (I used
1 pound [450g] of each to make enough for four), chopped and stirred into
the soft, translucent onion. About 4 cups (a liter) of water (I could have used
stock), and some salt, pepper, and a couple of bay leaves. It simmered for
half an hour, then I pured it to a thick, pulpy broth in the blender. We
ended up with four big bowls of coarse-textured soup, as bright and cheerful
as a pitcher of June flowers, a few chives stirred in at the table. As we licked
our spoons, someone mentioned it would have been good to have it chilled.
But by that time it was too late to try.
Carrots
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Young carrots, no thicker than a finger and often not much longer, appear
in the shops in late spring, their bushy leaves intac. Often, they have a justpicked air about them, their tiny side roots, as fine as hair, still fresh and crisp.
At this stage they lack the fiber needed to grate well, and boiling does them
few favors. They roast sweetly, especially when tucked under the roast. The
savory meat juices form a glossy coat that turns the carrot into a delecable
little morsel.
I have used a leg of lamb here but in fac any cut would worka shoulder
or loin, for instance. The spice rub also works for chicken.
enough for 4 to 6
leg of lamb 3 pounds (1.5kg)
garlic 4 cloves
cumin seeds 3 large pinches
mint leaves a large handful
juice of 2 lemons
olive oil
finger carrots 12
baby beets 4
white wine or stock a large glass
Carrots
133
Put the lamb in a roasting pan. Peel the garlic and put it into a food processor
with the cumin seeds, mint leaves, and lemon juice. Add a generous grinding
of salt and some black pepper. Process to a coarse paste, adding enough olive
oil to make a spreadable slush, thick enough to cling to the lamb.
Massage the roast well with the spice paste, spreading it over the skin
and into the cut sides of the flesh. Set aside in a cool place (preferably not the
fridge) for an hour, basting occasionally with any of the paste that has run off.
Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). Scrub the carrots and beets. If they
are small, you can probably get away with a rinse. Either way, be careful with
their skins, which are tender at this point in their life. Put the meat in the
oven and roast for forty-five minutes to an hour, tucking the vegetables in
around it after twenty minutes. The cooking time for the lamb will depend
on how you like it done; forty-five minutes should give you a roast that is still
pink and juicy inside. Remove from the oven and rest the meat for a good ten
to fifteen minutes before carving and serving with the mint barnaise below.
If you want to make a gravy, transfer the meat and carrots to a warm
place, put the roasting pan over medium heat, then pour in a large glass of
wine or stock, or even water, and bring it to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon,
scraping away at the pan to dissolve any stuck-on meat juices. Let the gravy
bubble a little, check it for seasoning (it may need salt and pepper), then keep
it warm while you carve the lamb.
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Peas
366
enough for 4
shelled fava beans 1 /3 cups (g)
shelled peas 3 cups (4g)
ciabatta 4 small slices
a little olive oil
salad leaves 4 generous handfuls
mint leaves a good handful
pecorino sardo cheese 3 ounces (8g), in thin shavings
for the dressing
a lemon
olive oil (fruity and peppery) 4 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar a teaspoon
Bring a pan of water to a boil, then salt it lightly. Cook the beans in this,
drain them, then rinse in cold water. Put more water on and cook the peas.
Drain them and mix with the beans. Both peas and beans will need barely
more than a couple of minutes if they are small and sweet.
Make the dressing by dissolving a good pinch of salt in the juice of the
lemon, then using a fork to beat in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a
grinding of black pepper (alternatively put all the ingredients in a screw-top
jar and shake).
Toast the slices of bread on both sides and tear them into short pieces.
Drizzle a little olive oil onto each one, then shake over a light dusting of
sea salt.
Toss the salad leaves and mint in the dressing, then add the peas, beans,
and pecorino shavings. Tuck in the toasted ciabatta and serve.
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Potatoes
Its the last week of June and the pink-mauve Xowers of the Charlotte
potatoes have started to fade. The stems are thick like old rhubarb, yet
almost transparent in the evening sun. Once the Xowers have gone, its okay
to lift them.
The tallest stalk doesnt disappoint. A good dozen potatoes are attached
to its Wne, creamy-white rootspale, golden eggs against crumbly black
soil. Not just hens either, there are diminutive spuds the size of quails eggs
and others more like ducks. It is said that they are best left to set for a day
before cooking. We dont, and they are rubbed clean with a thumb under
running water, then boiled in heavily salted water for Wfteen minutes,
eighteen for the ducks eggs.
Gently rub the potatoes clean, washing them well under running water.
Leave the skin be if it is young and thin. Peel it if not. Put the potatoes into
cold water and bring to a boil. Salt generously, then simmer until tender
when pierced with the tip of a knifea matter of anything from ten to
twenty-Wve minutes, depending on the variety of your potatoes. Drain and
return them to the stove, this time over gentle heat.
Put a large dollop of crme frache into the pan and a handful of
chopped dill fronds. Cover with a lid until the cream has melted. Fold the
potatoes gently over in the melted cream and herbs until they are lightly
coated, then eat with ham or oily Wsh.
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Tomatoes
Put your tomatoes in a shallow roasting tin and drizzle olive oil over them.
Grind over a little black pepper and add a few drops of balsamic vinegar.
Toss them around in the dressing, then roast at 00F (200C) for about
thirty minutes, until they are soft and oozing juices. Let them cool in their
dish, so as not to waste a drop of their juice.
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