THE CUT THE RICHNESS ONE

A vegan menu in January? Groundbreaking.

MENU TO SERVE 6 PEOPLE 

• KOHLRABI AND FENNEL SALAD

• MARINATED SQUASH WITH WHITE BEANS AND TARRAGON 

• OVERNIGHT FLATBREADS

• GIANT COUSCOUS WITH SAFFRON, OLIVES, AIOLI AND CHERMOULA

• CITRUS AND COCONUT CAKE

I’m nothing if not a shameless bandwagoner, and thus, this month's menu is ENTIRELY plant based. It seemed like as good a time as any to remove my crutches of parmesan and anchovies and create something footloose and animal product free. I do think there is a genuine collective fullness that we experience after Christmas and New Year. I hate to say it but there’s only so much ham and cheese a human can take. Fruit, veg and nourishing zing is what we crave after a rich few weeks and it helps reset our gut biomes too. 

I want to make it clear now however that there is a difference between plant based and “healthy”. This is not a “lighter” menu. There is no calorie counting, no scrimping, no punishing here. Diet Culture is not welcome at The Dinner Party table. This menu is about celebrating the wondrous possibilities of vegan cooking so that when we can do our bit and cut down on our meat, fish and dairy for the good of the environment, it isn’t intimidating, it’s fun! And boy did I have fun creating today's menu. 

“To cut the richness” is a phrase I often find myself saying or writing. Striking balance in a dish is a wonderful nuance of cooking and I love the endless learning and experimenting it requires. By balance I mean offsetting opposing things - sometimes that’s salty with sweet, crunchy with soft, hot with cold. Most commonly though I find I am seeking balance between richness and freshness ie. cutting the richness. I love creamy and I love sour. I love mild and I love spicy. I always want the best of both worlds and it’s not always possible because that’s life (or so they tell me). In cooking though, it can be. 

I already tend to use a lot of citrus, herbs and chilli but you might notice they are in almost everything in this week's menu. I really wanted the dishes to refresh and revitalise our palates from the winter break. Lemon juice and zest is not something I am shy with at the best of times but I have gone to town with it today. I love its effect in the dressing of the Kohlrabi and Fennel Salad - somehow with the anise from the fennel it is brightened even more, tasting almost aromatic. And the grapefruit and clementine zest that permeate our Citrus and Coconut Cake takes it from a Malibu and Coke vibe to Negroni levels of sophistication. 

Herbs are my achilles heel and wow does it show. The tarragon amps up the savouriness of the creamy white beans which works perfectly with the sweet squash. The Chermoula, which is heady with coriander and parsley, addresses the perfume and clout of saffron - somehow all together they become a unified fragrant team. 

Chilli doesn’t need to be hot to have an effect. Green chillies in particular have an incredibly refreshing flavour and are so divine in salads; they give a cooling, peppery slant without the bitterness. Red chillies are warmer and great with sugary things - the chilli that sits in the oily marinade of our squash rounds out the sweetness with punchy heat. 

All this to say - if you’re worried that plant based food will be boring then perhaps you need to employ more of a Cut the Richness mentality. Use the tools of citrus, herbs and chilli to get your dishes where they need to be, which is No. 1 Mouth Party House, Great Tasting Road, Yumville. Incidentally this is the address of all the recipes in this episode. 

NB - No “snack” for this menu - serve the kohlrabi fennel salad and the squash and beans together with the flatbreads.

KOHLRABI AND FENNEL SALAD

This is one of those salads where you don’t make a separate dressing, you bung all the ingredients together and a salad is formed. It’s the blueprint for the salad I make the most because honestly who can be bothered to get out a separate bowl and whisk? I love using firm, crisp white vegetables like fennel and kohlrabi (a kind of turnip/cabbage hybrid) because the dressing acts as a marinade and they soak it up brilliantly. I’ve employed my mandolin to get these veg lovely and finely sliced and I highly recommend you purchase one, but if you’re not in the market then try using vegetable peeler, or even a coarse grater. 

Serves 6 for sharing 

• 2 kohlrabi

• 2 small fennel, top and bottom trimmed

• Juice of 2 lemons, grated zest of 1

• 60ml extra virgin olive oil

• 1 green chilli, finely chopped (and deseeded if you prefer)

• A large handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped

• At least 1 tsp flaky sea salt, plus more and black pepper taste 

• 2 tbsps pomegranate seeds

• 20g flaked almonds, toasted

Start by using a small knife or good vegetable peeler to remove all the thick, green skin on the kohlrabis. Set your mandolin to a fine setting, around 2/3mm. Carefully finely slice the kohlrabi into a bowl, zest over one of the lemons and the cover with the juice of 1 too. This is to stop it from oxidising. Do the same with the fennel, dressing again with the juice of another lemon. Add the olive oil, chopped chilli, dill, salt and pepper and mix really well - take care to make sure the dressing hits every single slice. Leave to sit for 15 minutes. Use this time to toast your almonds - my preferred method is for about 12 minutes at 160 fan in the oven for a really even toast. Pile the salad onto a plate or plates and top with the pomegranate seeds, toasted almonds and some extra frothy dill fronds. 

MAKE AHEAD - 

• The salad can be made up to 6 hours ahead and will stay crisp and delicious in the fridge, just remember to remove it at least 30 minutes before serving so it can come to room temperature. 

• You can toast the almonds up to 3 days ahead and keep in an airtight container. 

SUBSTITUTIONS -

• If you can’t get hold of kohlrabi then turnip, daikon, white or red cabbage or even carrots would work wonderfully here. 

• If fennel isn’t your bag then green apple, beetroot, cucumber or courgette could be employed instead. 

• This salad is very customisable and feel free to play with it. Using different nuts or dried fruit would be lovely, try adding in fresh ginger, onion or a dollop of yoghurt (plant based or otherwise). 

MARINATED SQUASH WITH WHITE BEANS AND TARRAGON 

My very first job in the kitchen was in the local cafe near my parents house in Frome, Somerset. It was a lovely little place and I was taught so much by my head chef Karina who completely inspired me to pursue a career as a chef. She showed me this preparation of squash, where you would finely slice it, grill or roast it and then marinade it whilst it was still hot. It had a delicious smokey, sweet flavour and was fabulous on salads, bruschettas, tarts, pizzas - anything! I was surprised at how little cooking it needed and how much flavour it took on from the “reverse” marinade. Here, the delicious squash crowns a pile of savoury, creamy white beans spiked with tarragon and it is an utterly addictive combination, especially with fluffy flatbreads for mopping. 

Serves 6 for sharing 

For the squash

• 1 large butternut squash, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced - no need to peel!

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 4 to 5 sprigs fresh oregano leaves

• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

• 1 small clove garlic, crushed

• 1 tsp sea salt

• Juice of half a lemon

For the beans

• 1 540g jar of white or cannellini beans

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• 1 large clove garlic, sliced

• 20g tarragon leaves, picked

• Salt and pepper to taste

The day before or morning of, preheat the oven to 215 fan. Use a mandolin or sharp knife to slice the squash thinly - ideally 3mm slices. I like to keep the barrel of the squash whole and slice into rounds, then half the end with the seeds (so as to get the seeds out, duh) and slice that into kind of C shapes. Spread the squash over three oven trays lined with greaseproof paper, ideally in one even layer on each. Put into the oven to dry roast just like this for 15 - 20 minutes. The slices are so thin that they will cook and crisp pretty quickly - you definitely want some more charred bits and the skin tends to colour up beautifully. While the squash is cooking, prepare your marinade in a large bowl. Mix together the oil, cumin, oregano, chilli, garlic, sea salt and lemon juice. When the squash has got some good colour and is tender remove it from the oven transfer the slices into the marinade while they are still hot. Leave to cool before transferring to the fridge to sit overnight, or for a few hours before serving. 

To make the beans, put the oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for a minute or so until just beginning to turn golden, then pour in the beans and all of their juice from the jar. Mix well and cook for about 5 minutes, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if it gets too thick. The jar juice is so important for a creamy finish here, don’t be tempted to drain it off and don’t be tempted to use tinned! When the beans are hot and luscious, add all the tarragon and stir in to wilt, then remove from the heat. When you are ready to serve make sure the squash is at room temperature. Spoon the hot beans onto a plate and then top with the ruffles of marinated squash, drizzling over any leftover marinade. Serve immediately with the flatbreads. 

MAKE AHEAD - 

• The squash can be roasted and marinated up to 24 hours before you need it and is definitely best after a minimum of 6 hours in the fridge. 

• The beans can be made up to 3 days ahead and reheated when needed.

SUBSTITUTIONS - 

• The “thinly slice, dry roast and marinade” treatment can be used on a number of different vegetables including aubergine, courgette, pepper, jerusalem artichoke, potato, broccoli stalks, leeks and cauliflower.

• If it is summertime and you prefer to barbecue or grill the veg by all means do. 

• White beans can be swapped for jarred chickpeas, butter beans or even lentils.

OVERNIGHT FLATBREADS 

I haven’t done ANY yeasted dough yet for the Dinner Party, partly because I’m a massive advocate for just buying good bread and saving yourself the trouble, and partly because factoring proofing and kneading into prep time felt like it would be intimidating. These  flatbreads are thankfully a lovely hands-off type of bread and a really impressive treat to give your guests. Plus they keep well and involve a very low key overnight fridge proof that isn’t stressful at all. I wanted to achieve the pillowy softness of naan and the puff and robustness of pitta. Both these breads use milk and sometimes butter so I knew I needed to include some kind of dairy substitute and I am pleased to report that coconut yoghurt works perfectly in their stead with its high fat content. 

Makes 6 flatbreads

• 280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

• 7g dried yeast ie. 1 sachet

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 2 tsps fine salt

• 90ml warm water

• 90ml coconut yoghurt

• 2 tbsps olive oil, plus extra for greasing the bowl

Start by combining the yeast, warm water and caster sugar in a bowl. The mix will become cloudy and a bit bubbly and will continue to grow small bubbles on the surface - this is the yeast activating. Set it aside for 10 minutes to properly wake up. In a large bowl or the base of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached, combine the flour and salt. After 10 minutes, add the yeast mix, coconut yoghurt and oil into the bowl and stir really well to combine evenly - if doing this by hand I like to use a butter knife and then my hand. When the dough starts to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl cleanly, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. If using a stand mixer, knead on a medium speed for 5 - 6 minutes. If the dough is at all tacky or sticky, add a little bit more flour to the surface as you knead. When the dough is fairly smooth and springy, lightly oil a clean bowl and pop the dough in. Cover with a piece of lightly oiled cling film and then put in the fridge to proof for a minimum of 8 hours, but if you put it in at 6 and don’t come to making the flatbreads til 12 the next day for example it will be absolutely fine.

Remove the dough from the fridge at least an hour before you want to use it - it will have doubled in size but it needs to warm up before you use it. 

When the dough has come to temperature, pop it on to a floured surface and divide it into 6 balls. Place balls on a floured tray, cover with cling film or a tea towel and if you have time leave to proof for 30 minutes, but to be honest they are also great if you cook them straight away. 

Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a medium to high heat. Roll 2 flatbreads out at a time - I quite like small, thick ones round 10 -12 cm in diameter but if you want to roll them thinner be my guest. Pop the flatbreads into the hot, dry pan 2 at a time. Leave them to puff on one side before flipping, around 2 - 3 minutes. Cook on the other side for another 2 - 3 minutes then flip again, taking care to ensure even colour on both sides. You want a slightly burnished, speckled surface. When the flat breads are cooked - they take about 8 minutes total, transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel - this keeps them soft and warm. Cook all the flatbreads and then either serve immediately or leave to cool. You can reheat the flatbreads in the oven at 180 for 5 minutes and cover with a tea towel again to recreate the steamy fresh effect. 

MAKE AHEAD - 

• The dough can be made and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days, just remember to bring it up to room temperature before using. 

• Make your flatbreads and keep covered with cling film up to 2 days ahead and reheat as needed.

SUBSTITUTIONS - 

• If you want to use a different plant yoghurt or natural yoghurt you can, just be aware that some plant yoghurts have a lower fat content - aim for one that is high!

GIANT COUSCOUS WITH SAFFRON, OLIVES, AIOLI AND CHERMOULA

Arroz al horno is a baked rice dish from Valencia, home of all the best Spanish rice dishes. It is however literally filled to the brim with pork, so I took the principle as inspiration and looked at it another way. I adore giant couscous and really loved the idea of baking it with delicious things - it is an incredible flavour sponge and feeds a crowd beautifully. Rice dishes in Valencia are often served with aioli and I didn’t want to miss that out, however I wanted something herby and fresh too. Chermoula is a vibrant sauce-come-marinade found across North Africa and is so good drizzled on the warm, saffron soaked couscous. All together this is a stunning meat free main, easy to make and a really fabulous centrepiece for a Dinner Party.

Serves 6-8

For the giant couscous

• 4 tbsps olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

• 0.5g saffron, crushed

• 750ml hot vegetable stock

• 1 tsp salt

• 8 small plum tomatoes, halved

• 1 660g jar of queen chickpeas 

• 600g giant couscous

• 60g pitted green olives

For the Aioli 

• 160g vegan mayo

• Zest of half a lemon

• 1 clove of garlic, grated

For the chermoula 

• 40g fresh coriander, finely chopped

• 1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, grated

• ½  tsp ground cumin

• ½  tsp ground ginger

• ½ tsp paprika

• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

• 80ml extra virgin olive oil

• Zest and juice of half a lemon

• Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 180 fan. In a large cast iron pan (mine is 32cm) or casserole, heat the oil, and then fry the onion for around 10 minutes on a medium heat until just turning gold. Make the saffron stock by crushing the saffron in a pestle and mortar to a powder before adding to the hot vegetable stock. If you don't have a pestle and mortar don’t worry, you can soak the saffron in the stock as it is, crushing it just helps it diffuse better. Add the garlic to the onions and fry for a minute or so before adding in the chickpeas including their liquid and stirring well. Fold in the giant couscous and mix well, then pour over the stock. Season well and bring to a simmer, continuing to stir. When the mix is lightly bubbling, dot the halved tomatoes over the top as well as the olives. Season the surface of the tomatoes, cover with a tight fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes with the lid on, and then remove it and continue for 15 minutes without.

While the couscous is baking, combine all the aioli ingredients and adjust the seasoning if necessary. For the chermoula you can do it either in a blender or by hand, I quite like to see the flecks of chilli through mine so prefer it a bit more rustic. 

Serve your baked couscous in all its glory in the pan at the table , drizzled with some of the chermoula and with plenty of aioli for your guests. 

MAKE AHEAD -  

• The aioli and chermoula can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge

• To save time you can pre-cook the onions and garlic for this dish, but it comes together very quickly and doesn’t need much attention so it’s not vital. 

• You can let the cooked dish sit covered for up to 30 minutes before serving if you wish.

SUBSTITUTIONS - 

• If you don’t want to spend the money on saffron leave it out, or use 2 tsps of turmeric when cooking the onions for a similar golden glow.

• I love the jammy baked tomatoes here but you can swap them with padron peppers or even small chunks of potato. 

CITRUS AND COCONUT CAKE

I won’t lie to you - I bloody love coconut. It can be quite cloying however, especially in baked things, so using tonnes of fresh citrus here really mellows it and makes it more grown up. This is a rustic cake but beautiful in its ease and I love it for January when citrus is at its absolute best. I am not an experienced vegan baker and used the excellent Lilli Vanilli vegan cake recipe as a base for my version, otherwise I would have been completely blind. Top the cake with any citrus you like and do it as an upside down cake as I have, or turn it into a loaf if you prefer - the world is your oyster!

Serves 8-12

For the batter

• 210g plain flour

• 200g caster sugar 

• 25g desiccated coconut

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 200ml coconut milk

• 45ml coconut yoghurt

• 80ml coconut oil, warmed to a liquid

• Juice of 1 large lemon

• Zest of 1 pink grapefruit

• Zest of 1 clementine

For the top 

• 1 pink grapefruit, thinly sliced (use the one you zested for the batter)

• 1 clementine, thinly sliced (use the one you zested for the batter)

• 3 tbsps smooth marmalade, warmed

• 2 tbsps caster sugar

• 2 tbsps desiccated coconut, lightly toasted

Preheat the oven to 180 fan and grease and line a 23cm tin on the bottom and sides. Zest the grapefruit and clementine into a bowl, then use a sharp serrated knife to slice them into rounds as thinly as possible. This is easier with the rind still on, once you have sliced them remove any excess rind with your knife. Spread the warm marmalade onto the base of the lined tin and sprinkle over 1 tsp of sugar. Then arrange your grapefruit slices over it. I used most of my space with my grapefruit slices and then filled in any gaps with small pieces of clementine slices which looked really pretty - like a stained glass window. Make sure the space is really tightly filled - the fruit will shrink in cooking. Sprinkle over the remaining tablespoon of sugar and set aside while you make the batter.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, coconut and bicarb. Add the coconut milk, yoghurt, lemon juice and citrus zests and use electric beaters to combine, then add in the coconut oil and beat again. You will have a thick, fragrant batter which you should spoon over the grapefruit and clementine slices gently. Smooth the batter in the tin and tap it on the surface a couple of times before popping in the oven for 35 - 40 minutes. The top of the cake should be golden and springy to the touch when cooked and a skewer will come out clean. Remove from the oven and pop on a cooling rack in the tin for 10 minutes. Find a plate, ideally the one you want to serve the cake on, that is bigger than the tin and pop it on top of the cake. Flip the tin over so the cake is inverted onto the plate. Let it sink to the bottom before removing the tin gently. If you get a little crack in the surface, don’t worry - it will still taste delicious. Remove the greaseproof and leave the cake to cool completely. Take the remaining desiccated coconut and toast it briefly in a pan until just fragrant and golden. Scatter it on the top of the cake - I used it to border the sliced fruit which looked divine. Serve with lashings of coconut yoghurt. 

MAKE AHEAD -

• The cake is best freshly baked on the day and can be made up to 6 hours ahead

SUBSTITUTIONS - 

• If grapefruit is too sour for you, use blood oranges if you can find, or mandarins, tangerines or just clementines.

• If you don’t like coconut flavour, swap the coconut oil for veg oil, the yoghurt for a different plant based one and the milk for almond milk. Swap the desiccated coconut in the batter for ground almonds and the topping for flaked almonds.  

TIMEPLAN 

This first plan should help you see what you can get done in advance, so that for each course on the day you have at least 1, maybe 2 major parts of it taken care of. I appreciate that not everyone’s weeks are easily peppered with dinner party prep, but if you’re hosting after work or on a day where you can’t be in the kitchen, getting ahead is going to save your arse.

MISE-EN-PLACE

This is the fancy name we give to the food prep each section in the restaurant needs to do for their dishes. Hopefully breaking down each dish like this will help you feel organised. 

Use the hour before your guests arrive to organise your space too- I find it helpful to group ingredients by dish so it is all in the same place. Little ramekins are really useful for this.

STYLING GUIDE

KOHLRABI AND FENNEL SALAD

The thinly sliced pale ruffles of fennel and kohlrabi flecked with green and pink are so so pretty on pale blues, greens and pinks. I piled my salad onto one platter for my shot above, but you could just as easily plate it flat across 2 or 3 smaller plates to be scattered over the table - that would look both beautiful and generous.  

MARINATED SQUASH WITH WHITE BEANS AND TARRAGON AND OVERNIGHT FLATBREADS

This dish is SO vibrant and doesn’t need much help from the plate. I would stick to a white plate here- beige or browns might make it harder to see the creaminess of the beans and any darker colours will lose the definition of that gorgeous orange squash oil. This is fabulous on an oval platter - I love the celebratory crown of squash over the beans, it feels modern yet somehow deliciously kitsch too. Serve the flatbreads in a clean, pretty teatowel or simply on a plate or board alongside. 

GIANT COUSCOUS WITH SAFFRON, OLIVES, AIOLI AND CHERMOULA

This looks best in its dish so if you have a fabulous casserole or cast iron pan that is best. I love my 32cm black cast iron pan - it holds a huge amount and is easily cleaned, plus the black is always quite striking against the contents of the pan. Drizzle some of the bright green chermoula over the top of the dish for a seriously beautiful finish.

CITRUS AND COCONUT CAKE

A classic “it styles itself!” situation. This cake is so beautiful with the dusky pinks and oranges from the fruit and warming brown coconut. I like it on blue or purple or yellow but whatever you have will be fabulous, it really doesn’t need much help.