I’ve collected all the various recipes accumulated on the blog under the umbrella of a new ‘Recipes’ category. To mark the occasion, a tribute to Yotam Ottolenghi
GRUEL
Prep 15 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4 as a main
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp peanuts, shelled, skinned and roughly chopped
1 tbsp Iranian pistachios, shelled, skinned and roughly chopped
1 tbsp katsuobushi shavings
1 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted and crushed
1 tsp black sesame seeds, toasted
1 tsp poppy seeds, toasted
1 tsp dried kombu powder
½ tsp Urfa biber
½ tsp bonito flakes
½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, finely crushed
½ tsp Aleppo chilli flakes, lightly bruised
flaked sea salt
4 black garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 spring onions, washed, trimmed and sliced diagonally
2 sustainably caught pufferfish, skinned and boned and poisonous parts carefully removed with tweezers
1 cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and cut into ½cm cubes
1 zucchini, sliced lengthways very thinly with a spiraliser
2 cardoons, washed and peeled, stalks cut into 3cm slices
60ml safflower oil
For the marinade
2 preserved lemons, pulped
3 tbsp loquat juice
3 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
1 tbsp Palestinian za’atar
5g sustainably sourced cuttlefish ink
½ tsp Peruvian maca
½ tsp galangal
For the dressing
2 tbsp date syrup
1 tbsp rose harissa
1 black lime, juiced
1 mooli, sliced thinly with a mandoline
½ tbsp pomegranate molasses
½ tsp jaggery
3 kinome leaves, fermented
2g goji berries, liquidised
For the decoration
2g pomegranate seeds
2g Hunza apricots, crystallized and finely diced
handful of physalis, soaked in hibiscus tisane
handful of barberries, pickled
handful of feijoa petals
METHOD
1) Put the first 12 ingredients in a food processor and, using the sharpest blades, grind until fine powder
2) Stuff the pufferfish with the garlic, ginger and spring onions.
3) Transfer the fish, cucumber, zucchini and cardoons to a bowl containing the marinade, combine well and leave to steep for 15 mins
4) Flash fry the fish in the hot oil for no more than 20 seconds, turning once
5) Place on a large sharing platter, toss with the spice blend, season with a teaspoon of flaked sea salt.
6) Randomly sprinkle over the dressing ingredients and finish with the artfully scattered pomegranate seeds, apricots, physalis, barberries and feijoa petals (my husband and I reject the vulgar pretentiousness of MasterChef-style fussy presentation – we prefer the rustic and the artisanal)
7) Serve immediately to the people you love.