It's already the FIFTH Issue
My new discovery in a tin, a substantial salad to keep your summer lunches going strong and a guide to happy cooking
What I’m currently consuming
The Documentary: Roadrunner: A film about Antony Bourdain
This exceptional documentary has just come onto Netflix. A heartbreaking insight into the life of the deeply troubled, charismatic and eloquent writer, adventurer and culinary icon, Antony Bourdain. Morgan Neville is a curious and respectful filmmaker and MY GOD, the interviews with his friends are just devastating. This documentary has come under a lot of scrutiny for its use of A.I. generated voice overs, I highly recommend reading this New Yorker Article about the discussion of the ethics around it.
The Product: Italianavera
My consumption of tinned tomatoes is insatiable, particularly at those times of year when fresh tomatoes are disappointing. But it has taken me this long to realise, that just like real tomatoes, not all tinned tomatoes are created equal. You get what you pay for. Which is why my heart now belongs to Italianavera. It’s fairly obvious to see what first attracted me to them, their cheerful pop-py colours and branding are irresistible. But it’s what’s inside that’s the real draw here. All the tomatoes are grown in different parts of Campania and picked when they’re ripe, meaning they impart their individual characteristics. There are seven varieties to choose from, including Corbara, a bitter-sweet variety grown in the hills of the Amalfi coast. If you want to go really fancy, you can also buy their tomatoes preserved in just water and salt, the Rolls Royce of cooking ingredients. You can find their tomatoes on Ocado and they’re often on sale so I suggest you have a go and see what you think.
The Tool: Mini Spatula
This is another new discovery. I have no idea how I got through life before this. How on earth was I scraping out my jars? And my food processor? And icing cakes? And scrambling eggs? It can get into every single hard-to-reach area that its older sibling can’t. I use it so much that it doesn’t even go back into the drawer, it just hangs out on my drying rack. This low-key character is a the hero of my kitchen. GET ONE.
The Maker: Ross from London Smoke & Cure
A self-taught master of his craft, Ross came to setting up his own smokehouse in South London after growing tired of the desk job life (he was a university researcher then worked in government policy and project management). He was in search of ’feeling more engaged in the course of my own life, and wanting to build something tangible and beautiful.’ He describes running a small business as being ‘full of highs and lows, moments of great elation and at times crushing defeats.’
London Smoke & Cure is famed for its close-knit team, small but perfect range and light-touch approach to curing, creating a fresher product. They use traditional curing and and smoking techniques, taking inspiration from the smokehouses of Japan all the way to the kipper smokehouses of the North-East of England.
I asked Ross what product he was most proud of?
“The one that’s closest to my heart is our sashimi-grade smoked salmon. It’s our most awarded, is our number one bestseller - and tastes like nothing else out there. We’re always hearing the same feedback, ‘I didn’t like smoked salmon, but I love this!’
Our secret is that the salmon is super fresh - taken from the cleanest Scottish waters and farms that grow and harvest responsibly. We typically start working with it 16 hours after harvest. So the fish are swimming on Monday, cured on Tuesday, smoked on Wednesday and you can buy them as early as Thursday. Because of the superior quality of the fish, we treat it like the finest Japanese sashimi and only lightly cure and smoke it so it retains its character.”
Something to fill you up
Roast Tomato & Pitta Bread Salad with Tahini
I’d call this the love child between a Levantine fattoush and an Italian panzanella. It’s got all the crunch and herby freshness of fattoush, but leans heavily on the delicious bread-soaked-in-tomato-juices union we know and love from the classic Italian bread salad. It also involves combining the zingy taste of raw tomatoes with the deep sweet flavours of roast tomatoes, which is a fun thing to do if you have a few extra tomatoes on your hands.
It also takes the most important element from fattoush and panzanella, which is heft. This plate of food is not some light, grazing leaf salad. It means business. Perfect for when you want something substantial, though it’ll also sit happily alongside a piece of chicken, lamb or fish, lending its delicious tahini sauce and roast tomato juices to whatever you put next to it. It’s also a great picnic or lunchbox salad.
Watch my how-to video here.
Serves 4
3 small pitta bread, split in half
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sumac, plus extra to serve
800g-1kg tomatoes, mix of sizes and colours, roughly chopped
½ cucumber, deseeded and cut into chunks
A large handful each of basil, parsley and mint leaves, left whole
Tahini sauce
75g tahini
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp water
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. Divide the tomatoes in half and cut the larger ones into big chunks. Prick the smaller ones with a sharp knife. Pour over 3 tablespoons of oil and some seasoning and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes until soft and sweet.
Next, split the pitta bread, lay out on a baking tray and drizzle over 2 tablespoons of oil. Scatter over the tablespoon of sumac and a little salt, then place in the oven for the final 15 minutes of tomato cooking until crisp and golden. Leave the pitta to cool and harden up, and keep the tomatoes warm.
While everything’s in the oven, cut the remaining tomatoes into chunks and place in a big salad bowl with the cucumber and the herbs.
Make the tahini sauce next by whisking tahini, lemon, oil and some salt together, then slowly whisk in the water. It may look a bit splitty but keep whisking and you’ll get to smooth. Add a dash more water until you arrive at double cream consistency.
Once everything is out the oven, break the pitta into your salad bowl, season the salad, then toss together and transfer to plates. Divide the roast tomatoes and their juices between plates, then drizzle over the tahini sauce. Finish with a sprinkling of sumac, then serve.
Something to finish you off
I have been hearing about Honey & Co’s Feta and Honey Cheesecake for YEARS. It has often been cited as London’s greatest dessert, and when things are that hyped, they often don’t quite meet your expectations. But when I finally encountered it at their new restaurant in Bloomsbury, it really did. Hitting all those taste bud targets, the unusual use of feta in the cream and the kadaif as the crunchy bit really is something special. Sweet, salty, fruity, toasted nuts. It’s genius. AND we can try and make it at home as here is the recipe.
10 steps to being a prepared cook
1. Pick your recipe and commit to it. Don’t be tripped up by indecision.
2. Get out all your ingredients from the fridge, drawers etc, (especially meat that needs to get to room temperature) and check you have enough ingredients for your recipe.
3. If you don’t have enough of something, make a choice whether to dash to the shops or simply substitute. Most things can be substituted, Google is your friend here.
4. Pull out your cooking equipment such as pots and pans. Most recipes are specific about what you need but you can always improvise a bit by using a plate for a lid, a frying pan for a baking dish etc. Size IS important though, too big is OK, too small is an absolute no-no as it won’t cook evenly.
5. Make sure your sink is empty and ready for some new dirty dishes. Clear your chopping board of all debris.
6. Wash all your fresh ingredients and remove any tired leaves or brown bits.
7. Sharpen your knife. Yes! Every time before you cook. This will change your life.
8. Get the recipe up on your phone/ipad/a scrap of paper. I use paper as it means I can make my own adjustments as I go along.
9. Skim read the recipe and chop/prepare everything as listed in the ingredients. If it’s written within the method, then this means it either requires extra preparation details or can just be done as you go along. Preheat the oven if necessary.
10. Turn on the radio or a podcast, pour yourself a glass of wine/cup of tea and know you’re ready to take on that recipe like the absolute pro that you are.