THE NOURISHING ONE

A veg-centric menu to revitalise, plus Apple and Ginger Cobbler!

MENU TO SERVE 6 PEOPLE

HUMMUS WITH ROASTED RADISHES, SHALLOTS AND PINE NUTS

CAROTTES RAPÉES

BRAISED LEEKS WITH LENTILS, CHIMICHURRI AND EGGS

APPLE AND GINGER COBBLER

2024 on the flooooorr!!! Is what I screamed to everyone I knew in voice notes on New Years Eve when I was 10 champagnes deep. It doesn’t really make sense but it rhymes so I went with it. A big Happy New Year to you all, my lovely subscribers, it’s gonna be a big one!! 

The days following New Year were filled with that familiar “eugh” I think we all get post festive season, where the combination of drinking fairly constantly and eating much more than we normally do finally catches up. So, as I did last year, I wanted to offer up a Dinner Party menu that provides a bit of relief from that feeling. A selection of dishes that are refreshing to the palate and good for the gut without scrimping on flavour and flare. 

Nourishing is a good word, I think. It spans much more than food groups, juices, diet plans. I feel nourished when I give myself 10 minutes to look at the red carpet from the Golden Globes (excellent this year) or when I go for a walk in a wet wood and smell all the good smells, when I buy myself a bunch of flowers to brighten my kitchen, or when I read a few chapters of a juicy book. Nourishment, by my definition, is achieved when something enriches you, makes you feel better and cared for. So, to be clear, this is not a menu which is about “healthy” food. These are dishes that can and should be eaten with abundant joy, because they taste good, are inspiringly different yet familiar, and they fill you up. Plus they all work wonderfully together, as a veg-centric feast for sharing. Not only that, they are also all really quite quick to make, which is a happy accident to be perfectly honest but nonetheless nourishing, as it gives you more time to feel peace and calm in your kitchen.

So, it’s probably worth cracking on, but before we do let’s run down what is coming this month on The Dinner Party.

• Later this week I’ve got a Recipe Round-Up coming for Veg-Centric dishes, because I think we all try and limit our meat at this time of year so it’s worth having a few ideas.

• Paying subscribers to More Please - today you’ll be getting 3 more recipes that I often turn to when I need something nourishing, satisfying and quick - Risi e Bisi, Huevos Rancheros with Salsa Verde, and Sweet Potato and Kale in Harissa-Onion Broth. 

• My Seasonal Supper for this month is going to be a glorious Golden Cauliflower Spaghetti, a Sicilian dish packed with softly cooked cauli, anchovies, pine nuts, sultanas and topped with a crispy breadcrumb.

• And finally More Please subscribers will be getting three recipes later this month all about TRAYBAKES. One knife, one board, one tray is the idea, because I don’t know about you but my hands don’t need to get any dryer from washing up when it’s this cold. 

ANYWAY. Back to the Nourishing One, let's go!!!

HUMMUS WITH ROASTED RADISHES, SHALLOTS AND PINE NUTS

I believe food that can be smooshed and dipped into is by default deeply nourishing. The action of using your hands and carefully curating a perfect bite is wonderfully meditative and ultimately satisfying. I’ve wanted to have a hummus with toppings as a starter option for a while, as it is such a good blueprint for an easy, delicious and beautiful sharing dish. Radishes are often overlooked as a hot ingredient but that’s mad because roasted like this they are juicy, crunchy little bombs that brighten up the mouth.This recipe is finished with pine nuts in brown butter but feel free to fry them in a plant based alternative - it will be just as good. 

For the Hummus

• 700g chickpeas from a jar (I like Bold Bean Co), drained, plus half of their juice/wobbly jelly.

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 tbsp good quality tahini

• 2 ice cubes

• Salt to taste - your chickpeas may be seasoned already so taste as you go

For the roasted radishes and shallots

• 150g radishes, halved or quartered if really big

• 12 - 14 small round shallots, halved and peeled

• 4 tbsps olive oil

• Plenty of salt and pepper

For the brown butter

• 50g salted butter

• ½ tsp aleppo pepper

• 50g pine nuts

• Flatbreads to serve (shop bought or you can make these)

To make the hummus gently warm the chickpeas in their juice in a pan or microwave, just so that they are warmer than body temperature but not hot. This will help them break down easier. Pop them and their liquid into a blender with the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, salt and ice cubes. Blitz until smooth, check the seasoning and then set aside until needed.

Preheat the oven to 200 fan. Coat the shallots in half the oil, plenty of salt and pepper and pop them onto a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the radishes in the remaining oil, season and then, after 10 minutes is up, add them to the tray with the shallots. When you do this, give the shallots a turn. Return the tray to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The shallots will blister, brown and crisp and the radishes will wrinkle and sweeten in the heat. 

Add the pine nuts and butter to a small frying pan and heat on medium. The butter will melt and then start to foam and as it does the pine nuts will toast in it. Don’t walk away! This only takes a minute or so. When the butter is smelling nutty and toasty, the pine nuts are golden and the foam starts to die down, remove the pan from the heat and add the aleppo pepper. 

To serve, spread the hummus over two large plates, using the back of a spoon to create attractive swirls. Dot the crispy shallots and roasted radishes over the top of both plates, then drizzle over the delicious hot butter and pine nuts, filling in any of the gaps you created with your spoon.

Serve with plenty of warm flatbreads for dipping.

MAKE AHEAD - 

• You can make the hummus ahead, but personally I think it always taste better on the day. Make it a couple of hours in advance.

• The butter and pine nuts can be made up to 3 days ahead, just reheat before you drizzle them.

SUBSTITUTIONS -

• Instead of radishes and shallots, any delicious roast vegetable will work here! Aubergine, spring onions, fennel, peppers would all be lovely. 

• Fry the pine nuts in olive oil until brown and drizzle that instead to keep this plant based.

CAROTTES RAPÉES

I deliberated this recipe for a minute or two just because it is SUCH a simple salad, I was worried people would feel short changed. But then I remembered this bloody newsletter is to encourage people to be brave with simple things and think about the table of food as a whole, both in terms of workload and synergy. This is a divine French number that is quite literally a shredded carrot salad. I feel innately nourished when I eat something crunchy and juicy, that gives good chew, and this is one of those things. I’ve added some lightly pickled sultanas on top because I can’t imagine carrots and sultanas apart (thanks to Delia), but you don’t have to have them if they are not your bag. To shred the carrots, I used a mandolin which I thoroughly recommend investing in. However they are lovely grated too, either on a box grater or with a food processor.

• 850g carrots, peeled and shredded (if on a mandolin - cut in half and use the julienne attachment to shred)

For the dressing

• 2 tbsps dijon mustard

• 8 tbsps red wine vinegar

• 100ml olive oil

• 3 tsps caster sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• A handful of tarragon leaves, finely chopped

For the sultanas

• 100g sultanas

• 3 tbsps red wine vinegar

Shred or grate the carrots whichever way you chose. Set them aside in a bowl while you make the dressing. 

Whisk the dijon, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper together. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the dijon mix, whisking as you go to make a thick vinaigrette. It will be sharp and mustardy which is perfect for our sweet carrots. Mix the dressing with the carrots and leave to stand for 20 minutes so that it soaks in. Put the sultanas into the same bowl you made the dressing in with the remaining red wine vinegar. Mix well and leave to stand as well. 

To serve, pile the dressed carrots onto plates, dress with the vinegary sultanas and then sprinkle over the chopped tarragon. 

MAKE AHEAD -

• The carrots are best shredded and dressed on the day, but you can shred them a couple of hours in advance, cover with a damp tea towel and keep in the fridge until needed. 

• The dressing will keep for 5 days in the fridge, remove and bring to room temperature before using.

SUBSTITUTIONS -

• I love tarragon with carrots but chives, parsley, mint or chervil (if you can get hold of it) would be lovely.

BRAISED LEEKS WITH LENTILS, CHIMICHURRI AND EGGS

In Italy, it is traditional to eat lentils in the New Year to bring prosperity and abundance and I am a superstitious lady if nothing else, so lentils it is! Incidentally they are also one of my most favourite things to eat and are a great way to cheaply feed a crowd. Here I’ve paired them with soft and sweet braised leeks, spiky, fragrant chimichurri and fudgy eggs. When I am feeling in need of nourishment, I often turn to eggs. I think they offer a nostalgic comfort and work wonderfully with every element of the dish. The chimichurri sauce is a little circuit breaker, a vibrant and refreshing kick against the softness of everything else. 

For the leeks

• 6 leeks, washed, dark green bits trimmed and halved

• 2 tbsps olive oil

• 50g unsalted butter

• 400ml vegetable stock

• 4 sprigs of rosemary

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the lentils

• 450g beluga or puy lentils, washed

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 3 tbsps olive oil

• 1.3l vegetable stock

• 4 tbsps red wine vinegar 

• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Chimichurri

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 3 tbsps red wine vinegar

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• 1 green chilli, whole (deseeded if you like)

• 1 red chilli, finely chopped

• 40g parsley, roughly chopped

• 40g coriander, roughly

• 4 sprigs of oregano, leaves stripped from the stalks

• 100ml extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp caster sugar

• Salt to taste

• 6 eggs

Preheat your oven to 170 fan. For the leeks, heat the oil butter in a large, shallow casserole (with a lid) or frying pan on a medium heat. When the butter is sizzling, carefully lay in as many leek halves as you can fit in, cut side down. You will need to do this part in two batches most likely. Seal the leeks for around 5 - 6 minutes on each side to get some nice golden colour, then set aside and repeat with the rest. When all your leeks are sealed, lay them back into your casserole, or if you don’t have one big enough then a roasting tray is fine.They don’t need to be in one layer, you can have a few on top. Cover with the stock, add in the rosemary and season. Cover with a lid, or tightly with foil, and then pop into the oven. Braise for 40 minutes until the leeks are very tender, soft and slippery. A knife should go through the root end easily. Set aside covered in their pan.

To make the lentils, fry the onion in the oil on a medium heat in a saucepan. Add in the washed lentils and cover with the stock. Season and leave to simmer gently on a low - medium heat uncovered for 35 - 40 minutes. The lentils will absorb the stock as they cook and become glossy, soft and rich. Taste them as they cook, they will be chalky and tough at first but will become tender and supple. When the lentils are cooked, set them aside until needed. 

Blitz all the ingredients for the chimichurri in a blender apart from the red chilli (it will make it go brown) to make a thick sauce - it doesn’t need to be super smooth. Stir in the red chilli, check the seasoning and set aside.

For the fudgy eggs, bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Gently lay in the eggs and set a timer for 6 and a half minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a bowl of iced water. When the timer goes, move the eggs into the iced water to stop their cooking. When they have cooled, peel them and pop back into the water until needed. To reheat the eggs to serve, bring a pan of water to a low simmer, then add in the cold eggs and turn the water off. Leave them for 90 seconds before removing them cut in half and serve.

Warm the braised leeks (still in their liquid) and the lentils if necessary. Right before serving, dress the lentils with the red wine vinegar and a drizzle of good olive oil if you like.

To serve, I like to make a bed of lentils topped with the ever so soft leeks, fudgy eggs and drizzled with the chimichurri sauce.

MAKE AHEAD - 

• The lentils can be made up to 3 days ahead and reheated when required.

• The leeks and eggs are best fresh on the day but can be cooked up to 6 hours ahead and reheated when required.

SUBSTITUTIONS - 

• Leave out the eggs for a plant based main.

• ALL OF THESE SAUCES WOULD BE GOOD TOO

  • Chermoula

  • Romesco

  • Olive Salsa

  • Zhoug

  • Sauce Gribiche

  • Sauce Vièrge

• If you don’t want to cook the lentils from scratch, packet lentils would still work wonderfully. I would heat them up with 75 ml of the leek cooking liquid, 4 tbsps olive oil, salt and pepper and the red wine vinegar to finish as per the recipe.

APPLE AND GINGER COBBLER

I would describe a cobbler as a rough hybrid of a crumble and a pie. It doesn’t have a pastry crust or a crumble topping, but it has a kind of dough which invokes elements of both whilst also being mildly similar to a scone. You arrange the rough, craggy dough all over the fruit filling of choice and as it cooks it spread to form a glorious crunchy yet spongey top. Apple and ginger are stunning together, the sweetness of the former working with the sharp heat of the latter wonderfully. It’s so, so comforting and yet somehow invigorating too.

For the cobbler dough

• 200g self raising flour

• 80g cold unsalted butter, roughly diced

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 80ml natural yoghurt

• 100g caster sugar

• 3/4 tsp cinnamon

For the apple filling

• 8 braeburn apples, more or less 1kg, peeled, cored and roughly chopped

• 140g caster sugar

• 70g piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated 

• Juice of 1 lemon

• A pinch of salt

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 2 tbsp water

• Greek yoghurt, crème fraiche or custard to serve

For the apples, mix them with the ginger, sugar, lemon juice, salt, cornflour and water in the bottom of your chosen baking dish (I used a xx/xx for this). Set aside while you make the dough.

Preheat the oven to 180 fan.

To make the cobbler dough, use your hands to rub together the flour, butter, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon to a rough breadcrumb texture - you should still see little chunks of butter in the mix. *If you are making this ahead of time, stop here and pop this in the fridge, if you were to add the yoghurt now it would activate the baking powder too early.* When you are ready, use a butter knife to stir in the yoghurt. It will look shaggy and dry to begin but don’t worry, ditch the knife and use your hands to bring it together to form a rough, crumbly dough. Take handfuls of the dough, around 8, and arrange them on top of the apple layer. I like to leave some exposed areas of fruit to get nice and caramelised when cooking. Bake in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crunchy, and a knife going into a doughy bit comes out clean.

Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then serve with greek yoghurt, crème fraiche or hot custard.

MAKE AHEAD -

• You can make the cobbler topping ahead as above up to 6 hours ahead and mix with the yoghurt when required. The apple mix can also be made up to 6 hours ahead and left covered at room temperature.

SUBSITUTIONS -

• Mix up your fruit by adding pears and blackberries during winter, or plums and peaches during the summer.

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

THESE DISHES ARE FOR SHARING!

I suggest serving the whole lot together (minus the pudding) and letting people get stuck in. Piles of bread on the table is a great idea, I like to buy flatbreads, toast them and tear them into pieces for everyone. 

Our hummus dish pretty much styles itself - the shades of beige, pink and brown look iconic on white plates. I would say less is more in a serving, so if your plates are a bit smaller, do three instead so you have space to add all those delicious toppings to the creamy hummus.

The carrots are delightfully retro so embrace it! I went for a full 70’s Dinner Party vibe with mine, on blue plates and crafted piles. I always say this, but salads are better on plates than in bowls as you get to see more of it!

The lentils and leeks are wonderful as a sharing dish but also work perfectly individually, so I’ll leave that up to you. I love the drama of the green sauce on the white egg and black lentils, so make sure you choose a pale plate (pastel blue/green/cream) for this to pick up!

And finally the cobbler is a DIY jobbie - serve it in it’s dish, it doesn’t need anything else apart from a dairy accompaniment.