Cold artichokes with roast new garlic mayonnaise

It takes 10 minutes to make this mayonnaise, but it is best left in the fridge to cool a bit afterwards, let's say an hour. The artichokes should be put on much earlier so they too can cool. It is for 4 people.

My dad once told me my grandfather used to make mayonnaise. I don’t remember when or how old I was, but I was a teen and it stuck with me. I think for two reasons, (1) I never saw my grandfather anywhere near a kitchen, let alone making any food and (2) I couldn’t quite figure out why, if you made one thing, it would be mayonnaise. (Though of course, he could also have made many, many more things, but this is the only food reference I have for him.)

At the time there was only one mayonnaise I was aware of and it came in a big jar with a blue and yellow label and lid. My mom (who is generally a very healthy eater/cook) would serve it with steamed broccoli, which is delicious and also my first memory of eating mayonnaise.

Over the course of my life my esteem for the condiment has only grown. In fact mayonnaise has become my favourite commonly found condiment. I am one of those people who slather it on fries, sandwiches, pretty much anything. And, it was about time I made my own.

As artichokes are currently in season and looking gorgeous …

… I decided to take my first stab at mayonnaise as a dish I would pair with cold artichokes, something that would be good for a picnic in a lovely English garden, and this past weekend was perfect picnic weather.

I decided I should incorporate this gorgeous veggie that makes an appearance in spring – new garlic:

A few hours before eating:

• 4 artichoke
• 1 head new garlic

Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and then put in the garlic on foil in a baking tray. Cook about 35 minutes, until you can push the side of the bulb and it feels soft. Remove from oven and let cool.

Simmer the artichoke in a couple of inches of water until the outer leaves pull out easily – circa 25-45 minutes. Remove from water and let cool.

One hour before eating, you will need:

• Guts of the baked garlic
• 2 egg yolks
• ½ tsp Dijon
• ½ lemon juiced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3 oz oil
• 1 tsp finely chopped tarragon

Combine everything but the oil and the tarragon in a bowl/blender/small food processor.

whizz it all up. Then keep the blade going and slowly drizzle in the oil. It will thicken substantially. Finally stir in the tarragon. Then put in the fridge to let the tarragon work its way into the mayonnaise and to get it slightly cold (Mayonnaise room temperature is very off putting).

And ... 

The mayonnaise is quite tart with the strong flavours of the lemon, tarragon and Dijon, and underneath lies the subtle depth of the roasted garlic. Alone, the tartness would be too much, but it goes very well with the sweet, meatiness of the artichoke. Eat it in modest dunks like this:

PS: It’s also really lovely on cold asparagus.

Fish with coriander pesto

Serves 2 in 25 mins – preferably 10 mins one day and 15 mins the next

I have been thinking about Hawaii a lot lately: my family, the sun, the sea, the sand, the waves, the hikes, the views, the relaxed life-style, and the food. You name it, I’ve thought about it. I think partly because it’s mid-May and we are still experiencing hail, and partly because I’ve started a company and I don’t know when I will get back. I miss the sunshine, but I don’t want to gripe. The weather is too easy to discuss in London, and, let’s face it; it’s not really that interesting.

Anyway, on Saturday I ventured down to Goode & Wright on Portobello Road for brunch with my friend Nicolle. This is an excellent brunch spot by the way. It has great food and a much better vibe than a lot of Notting Hill eateries – more relaxed and unpretentious.

Along the way, everything I saw was pointing to sunshine, from the Hawaiian Kukui nut leis hanging in market stalls to the dreadlocked Rastas selling coconut water and the Seychellois selling curries and fish samosas (yes Dad, sometimes they do have kari zourit).

After brunch I went down to Goldborne Road, which is my new favourite place in my extended ‘hood. It is just the right combination of ethnic, stores that have been there for years and new lifestyle type shops with interesting concepts.

One of the best parts of the street is the number of stalls/trucks that sell food to eat at makeshift tables – like this:

This is the real street food truck.

It also has the closest fishmonger to my house, Golborne Fisheries, and fish seemed like the perfect dish to bring some sunshine into my weekend.

Fishmongers are increasingly hard to come by. When I lived in Islington I went to the famous S J Hatt, and have been missing it. So, I am pleased to have found another.

There is plenty of choice, including this guy, who was alive and waving around a piece of parsley like the white flag of surrender.

I had decided on a tropical fish dish but bought sea bass, as it is more local and more sustainable than a lot of the tropical fish on display. Plus, I love how moist it is. I then made a coriander pesto with macadamia nuts and hard goats cheese to slather on top and served it with grilled plantain and a variation on Manto’s salad. (Manto being an extremely talented Indonesian chef who will get further mention on this blog.)

The coriander pesto is best made the day before so the ingredients have time get to know each other and the flavour really melds. Store it in the fridge but take it out a couple hours before you will serve it so it’s room temperature.

Coriander pesto ingredients:

• 1 bunch coriander – leaves only
• 1 lime juiced
• ½ red chilli, seeds removed
• 2 spring onions
• pinch salt
• 4 whole macadamia nuts
• 25g hard goat cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Blend everything except the olive oil. Once fine, add the olive oil. This whole process takes about 10 minutes.

The next day you will need:

• 1 sea bass filleted
• 1 plantain cut in half lengthways

And, for Manto’s salad:

• 1 small papaya at any stage of ripeness – riper will mean sweeter and green will mean more tart
• 1 head little gem lettuce
• 1/2 red chilli, seed removed
• 2 cm slice of shallot
• 1 lime juiced
• 2 tbsp mayo
• salt and pepper to taste

Turn the oven on to grill at 250C and put in plantain on some tinfoil for 4-5 mins. Then turn over and add the fish to the pan, putting it back in for another 5-7 mins.

While this is cooking, wash the gem lettuce and cut into strips widthways. Then chop the papaya, red chilli (finely!), and shallot (finely!) and add to the lettuce. Make a dressing from the mayo, limejuice and salt and pepper. Combine with the salad and toss.

Plate the fish and top each piece generously with the sauce, about 2 tbsp each (not just a drizzle!). Serve with half the plantain each and the salad.

The coriander pesto tastes cool and refreshing with a nutty creamy undertone and rising chilli.

The salad is quite chilli hot (Manto’s original even more so with raw garlic slices and two types of chilli) and then sweet or tangy depending on the ripeness of the fruit.

The chipotle pepper

A warming sweet potato soup recipe for 4 people, ready in 35 minutes (and vegetarian).

I have always loved going home to see my family as (amongst other reasons) I can really dig in and cook in a way I can’t as a single city dweller. My parents have a fully stocked kitchen, whereas I have one absolutely bursting at the seams and still missing what I would consider essentials, like a food processor.

During my university years, when I was with my parents for summer holidays I made an important discovery for my food lexicon. An ingredient that really has the power to change a dish completely: the chipotle pepper. It is hot and beautifully smoky and can own whatever other ingredients it is put with – in the same way that truffles can.

We were having people over and I wanted to make a dip for sunset cocktails on the lanai (essentially Hawaiian for patio) that was not dairy based as dairy featured elsewhere in the meal. I had found a simple recipe for a dip: drain and put a can of cannellini beans into a food processor/blender with one canned chipotle pepper and blend. Voila, a deep, rich smoky dip in one step. How great is that? I definitely recommend trying it.

Fast-forward a few years to almost present day London. I went to The Taqueria on Westbourne Grove for a Mexican fix and noticed they had things for sale from cornhusks (for tamales) to tortillas presses and yes, bottled chipotle in adobo (essentially a preserving sauce). The chipotle is made by the Cool Chile Company (which I’ve also seen at Borough Market). So exciting!

I have done many a thing with this little pepper, but one of my favourites is to make a soup with it and another Central American star, the sweet potato. Inspired to make it by the constant rain of late, I love this soup on cold, wet days. Not just because it is a warming temperature, but because it tastes like sunny places to me, with creamy coconut milk, smoky, hot chipotle pepper and tangy lime.

The ingredients are:

• 1 leek
• ½ white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 veggie oxo cube
• ½ can coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups diced sweet potato (inch-ish squared pieces) 
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 generous tbsp. chipotle in adobe
• 8 peanuts – crushed
• Whole corriander leaves to garnish

Heat the oil on a low heat and cook the onion, leek and garlic until soft/golden. Then add the stock cube, coconut milk, water and diced sweet potato and turn up to a medium heat. Simmer until the sweet potato is soft. Blend. Stir in the juice of the lime and the spoon of chipotle in adobe. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the soup topped with the peanuts and coriander.

Parsnips & figs

(No, not together)

A starter for 4, ready in 1 hour 30 mins.

I cook for a number of reasons. One is to show my friends and family I love them. It’s how I care for people. For a very special friend’s 30^th birthday I made a meal with 6 of her favourite foods (truffles, bourbon, feta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, figs, dark chocolate) in 4 courses. Two of the best dishes were a baked fig with feta dish (an amalgamation of a few different recipes), and a parsnip bruschetta recipe I nicked verbatim from BBC Good Food.

I chose this recipe as parsnips were still in season mid-March and are a vegetable my friend enjoys. Cooking the parsnips makes them sweet and combining it with the richness of the truffle and salty bite of the Parmesan makes for a delicious combination. They look like this:

Figs on the other hand are not in season until autumn, but I found plenty of them in March – really green ones in Portobello market, really big ones at the Arabian corner stores and small, deep purple ones at Waitrose. I used the last. The recipe is based on another BBC recipe.

To serve 4, you will need:

For the port and pomegranate reduction:

• 1 cup port
• ½ cup pomegranate molasses

Simmer the liquids until it has reduced to about a 1/3 (about 45 mins) and let it cool to room temperature. It should be thick and syrupy, sweet with a sour note.

For the pastry base:

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 5 needles of rosemary chopped very fine
• pinch salt
• ¼ cup cold milk

Combine the flour, rosemary and salt in a bowl. Mix in slowly the oil and the milk. Kneed until combined. Roll out until about ½ centimetre. Cut 3-inch diameter circles with a cookie cutter. Place the circles on a baking sheet and bake at 180 degrees Celsius until golden – about 30 mins. Let cool.

The pastry gives the dish some bite and weight, otherwise it would all be very soft. (Texture is so important to food.) The base has a lovely subtle rosemary flavour and is incredibly crumbly.

For the stuffed figs:

• 12 small figs
• 200g feta cheese
• 3 tbsp port
• black pepper

Hollow out the figs with a table knife. Combine the pulp with the port and black pepper to taste in a small pan on a low heat. It will start simmering, keep it simmering until all the pulp is soft. Crumble in the feta and keep stirring until it has combined.

Put the mixture back into the figs and grill them under a high heat until the top of the fruit is soft – 5-10 mins.

To plate, put one drop of the port and pomegranate reduction in the middle of a dinner plate, and place a pastry circle on top of it – this stops it from slipping around. Put 3 figs on each pastry circle. Around the edge of the plate dribble the reduction and a few pomegranate seeds. Top this with a few pea shoots.

It is a very pretty dish with a lovely fruity, creamy flavour!

@ShopMakeEat