100 GOURMET TRAVELLER
Tofu,radish, ponzu
SERVES 2A gossamer-thin,crispcrust. Trembling tofu. A salty citrus
dressing.Pictured p99.340 gmsilkentofu
80 ml(1/3cup)ponzu sauce
(seenote)
3 tspsesameoil
60 ml(1/4cup)ricewine vinegar
1 springonion
4 radishes
Handfulofcorianderleaves
75 gm(1/2cup)cornflour or
potatoflour
Thumb-sizedlumpofginger
Oil, for deep-frying1 Drainthetofuonkitchen
paper.Mixtogethertheponzu,
sesameoilandvinegar.Trim
andfinelychopthespring
onion,thenthinlyslicethe
radishandaddbothtodressing
with the coriander leaves.2 Putthecornflourorpotato
flourintoa shallowbowlor
deepplate.Cutthetofuinto
sixlargecubes.Finelygrate
thegingertoa purée.
3 Warmtheoilto180°Cin
a deeppan.Gentlytossthe
cubesoftofuin theflour,then
lowerintotheoilandfryfor
3-4minutestilllightgolden
in colour.Dividethedressing
betweentwodeepbowls,lift
thetofufromtheoilwitha
slottedspoon,thenlowerthree
piecesintoeachbowl,topwith
thepuréedgingerandeatwhile
thetofuis stillhotandcrisp.
NotePonzusauceis available
fromAsiangrocers, or see
recipe p81.A
utumnis hereonceagain.Youmaysigh,rejoice
oropena bottle.Withthechangeofweather,
suppertakesona moresignificantrole.Weare
suddenlyhungry.Oncethenightsdrawin,I am
nolongersatisfiedbyplatesofmilkyburrataandslicesof
sweet,apricot-fleshedmelon.NomoreamI contentwith
a bowlofcouscouswithpeaches,softcheeseandherbs
fordinner.WhatI cravenowis foodthatis bothcosseting
andwarming,substantialanddeeplysatisfying.Andyet,
I stillfindmydietis heavilyplant-basedwithlessemphasis
onmeat.It is simplythewayit hasprogressedoverthe
yearsandshowslittlesignofabating.
At thestartofthelongesthalfoftheyear,ourappetite
is pric kedbythesuddendropintemperature,andas evenings
getlonger,wehavetheopportunitytospenda littlemore
timeinthekitchen.Tomashbeansintobutteryclouds.
Simmervegetablestewstoservewithbowlsofcouscous.
Tobringdishesofsweetpotatotomeltingtendernessin
spicedcream.Andofcourse,thepastajarcomesoutagain.
Therewillbecarbs.Theyprotectandenergiseus.They
bringbalmtoourjaggednerves.
Mycoldweathereatingis moresubstantialthanthefood
I eatfortherestoftheyear.Dinnerbecomesaboutonemain
dishratherthanseverallighterones,andthefocusshifts
towardskeepingwarm.OnreturninghomeI willnowhappily
spendanhourcooking.Maybea littlelonger.
Theovengetsmoreuseat thistimeofyear,thegrilland
griddleprobablyless.Morefoodwillcometothetablein
deepcasserolesandpiedishes.Thetemperatureoftheplates
andbowlswillchange.Wewanttoholdthings that warm
our hands, a sign of the happiness to come.Apples, blue cheese, walnuts
SERVES 2Crisp apples and toasted nuts. The colours of autumn.75 gmwalnuthalves
A largeapple
60 gmblackberries
A winterlettucesuch
asCastelfranco
250 gmbluecheesesuch
asShropshireBlue,
StiltonorStichelton
DRESSING
65 gmblackberries
80 ml(1/3cup)apple
cidervinegar
60 ml(1/4cup)walnutoil
60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil1 Fordressing, putthe
blackberries,cidervinegar
andtheoilsintoa food
processorandblendfora
fewseconds,then tip into
a salad bowl.2 Roastthewalnuthalvesin
a drypantillwarmandfragrant,
thenaddtothedressing.
Quarter,coreandslicethe
appleandgentlytosswith
thewalnuts,blackberries
anddressing.Tearthelettuce
intolargepieces,teasingthe
heartleavesapart,thendivide
betweentwoplates.Spoonthe
dressingovertheleavesthen
crumblethecheeseontop.
NoteInsteadofthelettuce,
usefinelyshreddedcabbage,
sauerkrautorradicchio.
Blueberriescanreplacethe
blackberriesandpearcanbe
used instead of the apple.➤Brusselssprouts,smoked
mozzarella, dill
SERVES 3Greens, herbs and cream.Pictured p98.300 gmBrusselssprouts
40 gmbutter
2 tbspoliveoil
15 gmdill,chopped
250 gmsmokedmozzarella
250 gmdoublecream
CRUMBS
40 gmbutter
Handfulofcoarse
breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped dill1 Preheatovento200°C.Trim
andshredtheBrusselssprouts.
Warmthebutterandoliveoil
ina shallowpan,thenadd
thesproutsandcookfor 2
minutesuntiltheybrightenin
colour. Foldinthechopped
dill,a littlesaltanda grindor
twoofblackpepper.Cutthe
smokedmozzarellaintothick
slices.Put half the sprouts intoa bakingdish,placemostof
themozzarellaamongthem,
thena secondlayerofsprouts,
finishingwithremainingcheese.
2 Forcrumbs, warmthebutter
ina shallowpan,addthe
crumbsandcooktillgolden,
thenstirinthechoppeddill.
3 Pourthecreamoverthe
sproutsandcheese,scatter
withcrumbsanddillandbake
for 25 minutesoruntilbubbling.
NoteA dishtowarmthesoul.
Youcoulduseshredded
cabbage,cauliflowerorlightly
cookedkaleinplaceofthe
sprouts.Themozzarellacould
bereplacedbya bluecheese
ofsomesort,whichwould
flatterthegreens.Shouldyou
haveanyleftovercookedpasta,
youcouldincorporateit with
the sprouts and cheese.