The Times - UK (2022-05-28)

the times Saturday May 28 2022

6Weekend

Nigella’s beetroot and

chickpea dip

Makes about 900ml
Ingredients
225-250g raw beetroot
1 jar of chickpeas (700g) or 300g dried
chickpeas (soaked, cooked and cooled)
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tsp sea salt flakes or 1 tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp tahini
2-3 lemons
A few ice cubes, for blending

Method
1 Heat the oven to 220C/gas 7. Cut the
stems and tails off the beetroot and
wrap each loosely in foil. Seal the
parcels tightly and roast for about two
hours, though be prepared to go up to
three. Open and pierce each beetroot
with a normal eating knife to make sure
it’s tender. When you’re satisfied your
beetroot is cooked, unwrap the parcels
and leave to cool.
2 Peel and break apart the beetroot and
drop the pieces into the bowl of a food
processor. Tip the chickpeas out of the
jar, helping them loose with a bendy
spatula or spoon and making sure
you get all the gloop too — it’s this that
will help to make it all so gorgeously
creamy. If using chickpeas you’ve
cooked yourself, add a couple of
tablespoons of the liquid they cooked
in, or more as needed.
3 Press on two of the garlic cloves with
the flat of a knife to bruise them and
release the skin. Peel it away and add
the cloves to the processor. Add the
salt, tahini and 4 tablespoons
(60ml) of lemon juice. Process patiently
— it will take a while to combine — and
once it’s well mixed, scrape down the
bowl, add a couple of ice cubes and blitz
again until gorgeously smooth and
radiantly, improbably pink. You can add
another ice cube or two and go on for
longer if you feel it needs it, until you
have a light, super-smooth texture.
4 Taste to see if you would like any
more lemon juice, garlic or salt, adding
as necessary and blitzing again, then
scrape into a serving bowl.
Recipe from Cook, Eat, Repeat by
Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus, £25)

Angela Hartnett’s

asparagus quiche

Serves 6-8
Ingredients
For the pastry
170g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Pinch of salt
50g lard
50g unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp iced water
For the filling
2 bunches of asparagus (about 800g) or
200g purple sprouting broccoli
15g salted butter
1 banana shallot
1 garlic clove

3 egg yolks

1 egg

200ml double cream

200g cheddar cheese, grated

Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1 First, make the pastry. Sift the flour

into a large bowl and add the pinch of

salt. Add the lard and butter and rub

them in with your fingertips, until the

mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2 Mix the egg yolk with the water and

lightly whisk, then add to the flour mix

and use the back of a knife to combine,

then use your hands to bring the

mixture together to a firm dough.

3 Tip the dough onto a lightly floured

board and knead it gently. Cover in

clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 20 min.

4 Snap off the woody stems of the

asparagus (feel along the stem until it

bends) and blanch them in boiling

salted water for about 2 min (depending

on the thickness of the asparagus), until

just cooked. Drain well. If you’re using

broccoli, trim the stems and blanch

them in salted boiling water for 2 min,

until just cooked, then drain well.

5 Heat the oven to 200C/gas 6.

6 Roll out the dough on a lightly floured

board to a 25cm disc about the

thickness of a £1 coin. Use the pastry

disc to line a 20cm, loose-bottomed

fluted tart tin, pushing the pastry into

the edges and grooves. Trim the excess

then chill in the fridge for 20 min.

7 Prick the base of the chilled tart case

all over with a fork, then line it with

scrunched-up baking paper and pour in

some baking beans. Blind bake the case

for 20 min, until lightly golden, then

remove the paper and beans and return

to the oven for another 5 min, until

golden brown. Remove from the oven

and allow to cool slightly in the tin.

8 Turn the oven down to 180C/gas 4.

9 While the tart case is cooling a little,

make the filling. In a pan, add the butter

and cook the shallot and garlic for about

10 min, until soft but not coloured.

Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool,

then add the egg yolks, egg, cream and

cheese to the bowl. Mix well to break up

the eggs and combine the ingredients,

and season with salt and pepper.

10 Line the base of the pastry case with

asparagus, then pour in the egg and

cheese mixture. Bake for 25 min, until

set to the touch and golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly, then remove from

the tin to serve, with a crisp green salad.

The Weekend Cook by Angela Hartnett

is out now (Bloomsbury Absolute, £26)

Thomasina Miers’s

hibiscus and pear trifle

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3 tbsp hibiscus flowers (plus 1 tbsp for

the garnish)

½ cinnamon stick

200g granulated sugar

Juice and zest of 2 limes

4 firm pears, the firmer the better

Go alfresco What chefs serve at

ANNA KUCERA/THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD VIA GETTY IMAGES; JONATHAN LOVEKIN; CREATEACADEMY.COM

Nigella Lawson Gelatine, vegetarian or otherwise, to set

the hibiscus cordial

300g pandoro, cut into thick slices

4 tbsp any good-quality aged tequila or

dark rum

For the top

400g ricotta

200ml double cream

50g caster sugar

For the custard

500ml whole milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

80g caster sugar

3 egg yolks

2½ tbsp plain flour or cornflour

To decorate

30g flaked almonds

30-40g dark chocolate

Silver balls

Sparklers

Method

1 Combine the 3 tbsp hibiscus,

cinnamon, sugar, lime zest and 700ml

water in a pan and bring to the boil,

lower the heat and simmer gently for

20-25 min. Remove from the heat, strain

the liquid through a sieve and discard

the flowers and the cinnamon stick.

2 Peel, quarter and core the pears. Put

them back into the pan with the

hibiscus cordial and add the lime juice.

The pears should be covered by the

liquid. Simmer until just tender but

holding their shape (the time this takes

depends on the ripeness of the pears).

Once tender remove the pears from the

liquid and lay out on to a plate.

3 Measure the liquid and use enough

gelatine according to the packet

instructions to set the cordial in the

bottom of a trifle bowl. Refrigerate and

once the liquid is beginning to set, cut

the pears into wedges, arrange in the

jelly and put back in the fridge.

4 To make the custard, heat the milk

until just shimmering with heat. Do not

boil. Whisk the yolks and sugar together

and then whisk in the flour, followed by

the milk. Heat over a medium flame for

5-8 min, stirring all the time, until the

custard is thick. Cover the surface of the

custard with clingfilm and leave to cool.

5 When you are ready to assemble, blitz

the last of the hibiscus flowers in a spice

grinder to a powder, sieving away any

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