New year, new menu, new you

55g/2oz hazelnuts
450g/1lb baby leeks
2 tbsp cider vinegar
6 tbsp hazelnut oil (or walnut)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 heads red chicory, separated

METHOD

- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes. Tip them into a clean tea towel and rub off the skins. Once cold, roughly chop and set aside.
- Trim the leeks, cut away the roots and the darkest part of the leaves. Remove the tough outer leaves and cut a cross in the pale green sections – to create a mop-like effect. Wash them thoroughly in cold water.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the leeks. Return to the boil and cook briskly for 2–3 minutes, or until the leeks are just tender. Drain and cool under cold running water, then pat dry on kitchen paper.
- Put the vinegar and oil in a large bowl. Whisk together and season to taste. Add the leeks and chopped hazelnuts. Slice the larger chicory leaves in half lengthways. Add the chicory leaves to the leeks, gently toss and divide between 6 plates. Serve immediately.

Adapted from The Great British Vegetable Cookbook by Sybil Kapoor, National Trust Books, £25.

Lisa Roukin's butternut squash frittata

Serves: 12
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

12 large eggs, beaten
150g stilton, crumbled
125g green beans
1 butternut squash, cubed into ½ inch cubes
1 tbsp honey
60g parmesan cheese
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Garlic granules
Sea salt and black pepper

METHOD

- Heat the oven to 190°C.
- Put the cubed squash on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Season the squash with sea salt, black pepper and garlic granules.
- Add the olive oil and then massage everything together.
- Roast for 30 minutes — check every so often the edges are not burning.
- Meanwhile, steam the green beans for about 5 minutes until just tender, and immediately plunge into cold water to stop them cooking.
- When the squash is cooked remove from the oven, drizzle with honey and set aside.
- Season the eggs well.
- Place a circular piece of greaseproof paper in the base of a 23cm ovenproof frying pan.
- Arrange the beans in a circular pattern around the tin.
- Scatter over the crumbled stilton and then add the roasted butternut squash.
- Pour over the egg mixture and bake for 20 minutes, then top with the parmesan cheese and bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Serve directly from the pan or loosen edges and flip onto a large serving platter, for presentation flip over again, so that the topside is facing downwards.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving and then cut into wedges and serve with a leafy salad.

www.cookwithlisa.com

Andy McCleish's sweet cured herrings with beetroot

Serves: 4
Preparation: 1 hour 20 minutes plus 48 hours marinating

INGREDIENTS

For the sweet cured herring:
12 herring fillets
500ml water
200g sugar
100ml white wine vinegar
20 peppercorns
8 bay leaves
2 red onions, finely sliced
200g leek, sliced
To serve:
3 large beetroots, uncooked
3 celery sticks, peeled
1 shallot, chopped
100g fresh horseradish
Salt
Olive oil
White wine vinegar

METHOD

- For the herring marinade, combine the water, sugar and vinegar in a pan then bring to the boil.
- Allow to cool. Add all remaining curing ingredients and the herring fillets. Leave for 48 hours for the herring to marinate.
- Tightly wrap the beetroot in tin foil and place in the oven for an hour. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Peel off the skin and cut the beetroot into wedges.
- Combine the beetroot and the chopped shallots. Add white wine vinegar to taste. Blanch the celery for about 20-30 seconds and then place in a bowl of iced water to refresh.
- Take the herrings out of the marinade and dab them on some paper towel to drain the liquid. Arrange 3 fillets on each plate along with some of the beetroot and celery.
- Pour some of the red onion and leek from the marinade over the herrings with some salt and a splash of olive oil. To give an extra kick to the dish grate some fresh horseradish over the top then serve.

Recipe courtesy of www.greatbritishchefs.com

Silvia Nacamulli's Libyan beef, bean and cumin stew

This hearty winter dish — Lubia bel kammun — is a classic. Do use dried beans soaked in water overnight, so the beans slow-cook with the beef and the flavour of the two, together with the cumin and spices marry perfectly. The flavour develops and it tastes even better the next day.

Serves: 4-6
Preparation: 10-15 minutes plus overnight soaking of beans
Cooking: 4 hours

INGREDIENTS
250g dried white cannellini beans
300g marrow bones, fresh or frozen
Approx. 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sweet paprika
1-2 tsp harissa, according to taste
2 tsp ground cardamom
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1.2 kg cubed chuck beef
140g tomato purée
Salt and pepper

METHOD

- Soak the beans in cold water overnight or for at least 12 hours.
- Put the marrow bones in a large saucepan filled with 1.2 litres of cold water.
- Add a tablespoon of salt, cover, bring to the boil and skim off any foam. Once it boils reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, skimming off any more foam as necessary.
- Turn off the heat leaving the bones in the water.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy base saucepan and add the onion. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes and then add the cumin, sweet paprika, harissa, cardamom, a teaspoon each of salt and ground black pepper.
- Cook for 10 minutes over low heat, then add the garlic, cook for another couple of minutes and add the beef.
- Sear the beef over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes then add the drained beans. Stir well and after a few minutes add the tomato purée. Stir and cover.
- After 10 minutes, add the marrow bones together with a couple of ladles of its cooking liquid — or stock.
- Cook on low heat, almost completely covered and stirring occasionally, for about 3 hours or until the beef is tender. Add the remaining stock half way through the cooking to keep the beef moist and for the beans to cook thoroughly.
- Serve with couscous or rice.

www.cookingforthesoul.com

Fabienne Viner-luzzato’s rich, velvety mixed mushroom soup

You can use and mix any type of mushrooms to create this tasty soup.

Serves: 6
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes in a pressure cooker, 45 in a pan

INGREDIENTS

350g mushrooms (cup, chestnuts or forestiere)
4 medium-sized potatoes
1 onion
1.5 litre vegetable stock
Olive oil
To serve:
150g chestnut mushrooms diced into small pieces
A dash of single cream, crème fraîche or pareve cream
15g flat parsley, finely chopped

METHOD

- Peel the potatoes and quarter them.
- Wash the 350g of mushrooms and cut them in half.
- Slice the onion and put it in a pressure cooker or a large saucepan with 4-6 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté until it is golden brown.
- Add the vegetable stock, turn heat up and bring to the boil.
- Add the halved mushrooms and potatoes and cook in a pressure cooker for 10-15 minutes or at medium temperature for 30 minutes in a traditional saucepan on a hob.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables and some of the stock to a blender.
- The soup should be a velvety texture — not too thick, not too liquid. Add the stock gradually so as not to thin it too much.
- To serve: dice the remaining 150g of mushrooms and sprinkle them over the soup with the parsley and a bit of cream.

www.homecookingbyfabienne.co.uk