Rustica E-Book

Theo A. Michaels

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 164

Beschreibung

A collection of delicious recipes inspired by the simple dishes enjoyed in villages and rural communities throughout the Mediterranean.

Das E-Book Rustica wird angeboten von Ryland Peters & Small und wurde mit folgenden Begriffen kategorisiert:
Theo Michaels cooks, european cooking, regional cooking, regional recipes, frech pasta recipes, eating by the sea, village food, cypriot food, greek food, mediterranean recipes, mediterranean dishes, sunshine food, Celebrity Chef, Theo Cooks, eating al fresco

Leseprobe

RUSTICA

RUSTICA

DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR VILLAGE-STYLE MEDITERRANEAN FOOD

THEO A. MICHAELS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOWIE KAY

Dedication

For my family and the generations before us.

Art director

Leslie Harrington

Senior designer

Sonya Nathoo

Editorial director

Julia Charles

Head of production

Patricia Harrington

Publisher

Cindy Richards

Food stylist

Kathy Kordalis

Prop stylist

Olivia Wardle

Indexer

Hilary Bird

First published in 2020 by

Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York NY 10029

www.rylandpeters.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Text © Theo A. Michaels 2020

Design and photographs

© Ryland Peters & Small 2020

ISBN: 978-1-78879-280-6

E-ISBN: 978-1-78879-312-4

Printed in Slovenia

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. US Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

IMPORTANT NOTES FOR COOKS

• OVENS: The recipes in this book have been tested in a fan oven.

• MEASURES: Both British (Metric) and American (Imperial plus US cups) are included within these recipes for your convenience, however, it is important to work with one set of measurements only when cooking.

• HERBS: All herbs used are fresh unless specified as dried.

• CITRUS ZEST: When a recipe calls for the grated zest of citrus fruit, buy unwaxed fruit and wash well before using. If you can only find treated fruit, scrub well in warm, soapy water before using.

• OLIVE OIL: Extra-virgin olive oil is the highest quality oil. It is unrefined, contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatories and has a low smoke point and heightened flavour. It is best saved for dressings. Refined olive oil is milder in flavour and contains less health benefits but its higher smoke point makes it more suitable for cooking.

• BEANS: Precooked canned beans are used in these recipes for convenience. If however you would prefer to use dried beans, convert them as follows, then soak and cook as appropriate to the variety before using as instructed:

400-g/14-oz. can cooked beans once drained yields 250 g/1 cup

115-g/heaping ½ cup dried beans once cooked yields 250 g/1 cup (equivalent to 1 can of cooked)

• STERILIZING JARS: Sterilize glass jars for use before filling with preserves. Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/160°C/325°F/Gas 3. Wash the jars and lids in very hot soapy water and rinse but don’t dry them. Remove any rubber seals, put the jars onto a baking sheet and into the oven for 10 minutes. Soak the lids in boiling water for a few minutes before using.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

SUSTENANCE

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

COMMUNITY

SMALL PLATES TO SHARE

GRATITUDE

LIGHTER DISHES FOR SUMMER

COMFORT

WARMING FOOD FOR WINTER

PLENTY

SALADS & SIDES

DELIGHT

SWEET TREATS

INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Rustica [ruhs-ti-kah]

Definition:

adj. humble; rural; frugal; peasant food; honest

n. cookbook celebrating the simple beauty of uncomplicated

village food from the Mediterranean

What follows is a collection of over 65 recipes inspired by Mediterranean village life; pages filled with simple yet delicious food, based on traditional dishes cooked across the region, but developed with modern life in mind. Some recipes are classics, while others are my fresh twists on traditional techniques and ingredients. My aim is to share my enthusiasm for this style of food and cooking with you, and also to offer you a blueprint for a simpler, more balanced way of eating. My recipes are not contrived or designed to be ‘healthy’. I just want to encourage you to eat in a naturally balanced way by enjoying good quality seasonal ingredients, sensible portion sizes, a few treats and a tumbler or two of wine – simple, frugal, humble eating.

My own family hail from Cyprus, coming originally from villages dotted all over the island. It is through conversations with them over the years that I have been able to paint a picture of what life might have been like a generation or two back, and this has shaped my ‘village food’ philosophy. They typically grew their own produce, foraged and fished, and also kept some small livestock, such as chickens, pigs, goats and rabbits, which gave them meat plus eggs, milk, butter and the means to make cheeses. Sourcing food this way automatically meant eating in tune with the seasons and a higher intake of vegetables, fruit, pulses, grains and nuts. Meat and fish, often considered a luxury, were reserved for feast days and celebrations. What was in effect a ‘Mediterranean diet’ (now recognized as one of the healthiest in the world) came from a place of necessity in these rural communities. What I love in particular about this Mediterranean style of cooking is the alchemy of simple, often frugal ingredients morphing into something delicious. It was built on the foundations of ‘low-waste kitchens’ and ‘nose-to-tail eating’, long before these phrases were coined. Never has stale bread tasted so good as when it is transformed into Pangritata, breadcrumbs fried until crisp in olive oil with garlic, and used in place of Parmesan (see page 130) or foraged wild greens and dandelions, pulled from the earth to be laced until silky with olive oil and become Garlic Horta (see page 122). When an animal is killed it is old and every part is used. A hen, tough as old boots, long retired from her egg-laying career, is used to make a flavoursome soup (see Avgolemono on page 108) or a frugal cut of meat will be slow-cooked in wine with herbs until it melts into something delicious, like my Oxtail Osso Buco on page 118. We should all also consider broadening our horizons and embrace meats like farmed rabbit (see Rabbit Pepitoria on page 117) and even goat; both sustainable choices.

My recipes feature all the headline acts you’d expect to find; olives and oregano from Greece, pasta and tomatoes from Italy, almonds and saffron from Spain and lentils and potatoes from France. I celebrate the food eaten in all these countries, and the ingenious and diverse ways that they use these ingredients, which are common to all of them.

Rustica is a cookbook, yes, but do consider it a starting point. Sure, you can run with me and cook my recipes just as I do, but feel free to add a little of this and leave out a little of that. I use drizzles and splashes, a pinch of this and a handful of that and I want you to feel comfortable doing the same, don’t overthink it, have fun. Ultimately, it’s these nuances and the personality of a cook that are the most important ingredient.

Theo x

SUSTENANCE

BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

SOCCA WITH CHARRED ASPARAGUS & SPICED LABNEH

Socca are delicious savoury pancakes that originate from Nice in France and make a delicious breakfast or brunch. They are simple to make, the main ingredients being gram (chickpea) flour and water, making these both vegan and gluten free. They are not as pliable as conventional pancakes, so better topped rather than filled and rolled up, and here charred asparagus and my Spiced Labneh do the job nicely (see recipe on page 127).

12 fresh asparagus spears

butter, for frying/sautéing

a pinch of chilli/hot red pepper flakes

a pinch of toasted cumin seeds

runny honey, to drizzle

leaves from a few sprigs of coriander/cilantro

lemon wedges, for squeezing

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

1 quantity Spiced Labneh, to serve (see page 127)

For the Socca Pancakes

100 g/¾ cup gram (chickpea) flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

leaves picked from 1 thyme sprig, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a splash for frying/sautéing

Serves 4

First make the pancake batter. Combine the gram flour, baking powder, salt, thyme and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl with 225 ml/1 scant cup cold water and whisk until smooth; you are aiming for a single/light cream consistency. Leave the batter to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes at room temperature (or even overnight in the fridge, to give the gram flour time to fully absorb the liquid).

Trim the woody ends off the asparagus spears at an angle. Heat a frying pan/skillet set over a high heat and drop the spears into the hot pan, along with a small knob/pat of butter. Season generously with salt, pepper and a pinch of chilli/hot red pepper flakes. Fry/sauté for a couple of minutes over a high heat and then remove from the pan whilst still firm. Place, uncovered, in a low oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

Using the same frying pan/skillet, heat a splash of olive oil and once shimmering pour in about half a ladleful of the batter to make a thin 20-cm/8-inch pancake. Cook for a few minutes until the pancake sets and bubbles just start to appear on its surface. Flip it over before fully cooked and cook for a further 30 seconds, before removing from the pan. Repeat until you have at least 4 pancakes, keeping them warm on a plate and covered with foil.

To assemble the dish, put a pancake on a serving plate and smear a few spoonfuls of Spiced Labneh across the surface, top with the cooked asparagus spears, add a pinch of cumin seeds and a drizzle of honey, and garnish with a sprinkle of coriander/cilantro leaves. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.

STRAPATSADA

Greek strapatsada is essentially a three-ingredient recipe; scrambled eggs with tomatoes and feta cheese. I find it a little sharp tasting and prefer a dish with more rounded flavours so add a few fresh herbs and spices and a little heat to mine to help kickstart the day. It’s also really good served with some home-made croûtons to add a satisfying crunch. It is surprisingly filling so make this for brunch rather than breakfast and if you’re feeling carnivorous throw in a few slices of cooked smoked sausage.

3 ripe tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ green (bell) pepper, deseeded and sliced

3 spring onions/scallions, sliced

1 green jalapeño chilli/chile, sliced

½ garlic clove, crushed

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon paprika

½ tablespoon dried oregano

a pinch of sugar

80 g/3 oz. feta cheese, broken into large chunks

3 eggs, whisked

a handful of mixed green herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, coriander/cilantro, dill and mint, roughly torn

¼ red onion, very thinly sliced

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

For the croûtons

1 slice rustic bread, cut into 1.5-cm/½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/425°F/Gas 7.

To make the croûtons, put the cubed bread in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss with the olive oil. Tip onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 4 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove and let cool.

Deseed the tomatoes and chop the flesh. Put the flesh in a sieve/strainer set over a bowl and let the juices run out.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Add the green (bell) pepper and spring onions/scallions and fry/sauté for 2 minutes, then add the chilli/chile, garlic, cumin, paprika and oregano. After a further 2 minutes, add the drained tomatoes to the pan along with the sugar. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the tomatoes have broken down, adding a splash of water if they start to dry out. When they are completely soft, turn down the heat and fold in half the feta cheese chunks and most of the fresh herbs, reserving some to garnish.

Using the back of a spoon, make a few indents in the tomato sauce around the edge of the pan and pour in the eggs. Now, still using the back of a spoon, drag a line from the eggs through the tomato mixture which will fill up with the runny egg. Do this several times, gently and slowly, until the egg is just about set then remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for a few minutes.

To serve, gently slide your strapatsada onto a serving plate, scatter over the remaining feta cheese chunks, thinly sliced red onion and reserved herbs and scatter over the croûtons.

SMOKED HADDOCK & EGGS ‘EN COCOTTES’

These French-inspired baked eggs wallow in a creamy sauce made from a smoked haddock poaching liquor and cheese and are just begging to be served with crisp toast for dipping. A little shredded cavolo nero or chard adds just a touch of bitterness, but fresh spinach does the job too. This recipe makes one 2-egg cocotte to share or split the recipe and make individual ones if you want one all to yourself.

a handful of cavolo nero (Italian black cabbage) or fresh spinach/chard, shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

150 ml/⅔ cup whole milk

1 dried bay leaf

6 cloves

100 g/3½ oz. undyed smoked haddock fillet, skin-on

1 tablespoon plain/all-purpose flour

30 g/¼ cup grated Comté or Gruyère cheese, or similar

2 small eggs

chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, to garnish

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

toasted rustic bread, to serve

a 10-cm/4-inch ramekin or 2 small individual ones, as preferred

a roasting pan, large enough to hold the ramekin(s)

Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Add the cavolo nero and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a frying pan/skillet and fry/sauté for a few minutes. Add a few drops of water and let it steam. Cook until the pan is dry, then tip the cavolo nero into the bottom of the ramekin(s) and spread it out into an even layer.

Pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the bay leaf and cloves. Bring the milk to a simmer over a low heat and add the haddock fillet, skin-side down. Poach for 6–8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. Remove the haddock from the poaching liquor using a slotted spoon and, when cool enough to handle, use a fork to flake the flesh into the ramekin(s) to join the cavolo nero.

Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the flour in a small dish and mix until fully incorporated. Pass the poaching liquor through a sieve/strainer and return it to the poaching pan. Set the pan over a low heat and add the flour and olive oil paste. Heat to a simmer, whisking continuously, until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in half the grated cheese until melted and incorporated into the sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Pour the sauce over the haddock in the ramekin(s). Make a couple of small wells in the sauce, crack an egg into each one, letting a little of the white fall away first before pouring in the rest of the egg. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top and place the dish in a roasting pan filled with enough just-boiled water to come about halfway up the sides of the ramekin(s).

Carefully transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake the cocotte(s) for about 10 minutes for a slightly runny egg. Garnish with a sprinkle of flat-leaf parsley and serve with toast for dipping.

MEDITERRANEAN ROSTIWITH GREEN TOMATO SOFRITO

These fresh and sharp-tasting courgette/zucchini, potato and feta rosti are fried until crisp and then topped with an egg and a tangy green tomato sofrito sauce. My advice is make more sofrito than you think you need; it is very moreish and I always wish I had another spoonful when I run out…

100 g/3½ oz. floury potatoes, unpeeled but well scrubbed

50 g/2 oz. courgette/zucchini

40 g/1½ oz. medium red or white onion, thinly sliced

40 g/1½ oz. feta cheese, crumbled

a generous pinch of dried mint or leaves from 3 sprigs of mint, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs, for poaching

a splash of white wine vinegar, for poaching the eggs

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

For the Green Tomato Sofrito

about 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely diced

½ green (bell) pepper, deseeded and finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 fresh green chilli/chile, diced

3 large green tomatoes, deseeded and flesh chopped

6 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

6 sprigs of coriander/cilantro, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Serves 2

To make the Green Tomato Sofrito, add a splash of olive oil to a large frying pan/skillet and add the onion, (bell) pepper, garlic and chilli/chile. Fry/sauté very gently over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until softened and starting to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the green tomatoes, flat-leaf parsley and coriander/cilantro (including the stalks) and simmer for another 20 minutes over a low heat, or until the sauce has thickened – add a splash of water if it starts to catch. Once cooked, fold in a little more olive oil to give it a silky finish, cover and set aside until ready to use.

Grate the potatoes (on the side of your box grater with the largest holes), then use your hands to squeeze out the excess liquid from the potatoes. Put in a mixing bowl. Grate the courgette/zucchini in the same way and again squeeze the excess liquid out. Add to the bowl with the grated potato. Fold in the sliced onion, feta cheese and mint. This should be quite a dry mixture.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan/skillet set over a high heat. Grab a quarter of the rosti mixture and use your hands to form it into a tight ball, then flatten to about 2 cm/¾ inch thick and put into the hot oil. Repeat to make 4 rostis. The secret to success here is not to touch the rostis while they are cooking as you need a strong crust to form and hold it all together. After about 5 minutes use a fish slice to gently flip them over and cook for a further 5 minutes, again without disturbing them. Remove the rostis from the pan and keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve.

To poach the eggs, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer with a drop of vinegar, swirl the water then slide an egg out of its shell and into the centre, poach for about 4 minutes until the white is cooked, then carefully remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the second egg.

Divide the rostis between serving plates, add an egg, spoon the Green Tomato Sofrito generously over the top and serve.

MICHAELS’ MORNING TORTILLA DE PATATAS WITH FRESH TOMATO SALSA

The combination of eggs, potatoes and onions creates something that is more than the sum of its parts. Inspired by the eggs my dad used to hash together for us as kids, my tortilla-making technique might be traditional but the addition of other ingredients isn’t, and it’s the way I like it because it reminds me of those family breakfasts. Whatever you do, don’t overcook it, you want a slight wobble.

250 ml/1 cup olive oil

1 medium white or red onion, sliced

350 g/¾ lb. waxy potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced

5 eggs

60 g/⅔ cup grated strong/sharp Cheddar cheese

80 g/½ cup smoked bacon lardons/cubed thick-cut smoked bacon

¼ green (bell) pepper, deseeded and diced

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

For the Fresh Tomato Salsa

150 g/5½ oz. baby plum tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon finely diced red onion

½ fresh green chilli/chile, deseeded and diced

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season

a 20-cm/8-inch non-stick, deep frying pan/skillet

Serves 4

To make the Fresh Tomato Salsa, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, cover and set aside.

Add the oil and onion to a frying pan/skillet set over a medium heat and fry/sauté for about 6–8 minutes, or until the onion starts to caramelize, then add the potatoes and continue cooking for about 10–15 minutes more, until the potatoes soften.