Nancy mag

Pack the spinach into a large heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over and press the spinach down with a wooden spoon. Leave for 1 min to wilt, stirring a couple of times so all the leaves are submerged. Tip into a large colander and place under running cold water to cool quickly. Drain well – squeeze out any excess water by pressing the spinach down with the wooden spoon, then squeezing with your hands. Using kitchen paper, pat the spinach dry into a compact shape, lay it on a board and roughly chop, then set aside.

Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the shallot, spring onions and garlic, and fry over a high-ish heat for 3-4 mins, stirring often, until softened and just starting to brown. Lower the heat, tip in the spinach and stir for 1 min only to finish drying. Season with pepper and a good pinch of nutmeg, and leave to cool.

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and put a baking sheet in to heat up. In a bowl, stir the ricotta into the beaten egg and mix in the 2 tbsp dill, the chives and mint. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt.

Lightly oil a 20cm square x 4cm deep cake tin. Mix the remaining oil with the 1 rounded tsp dill. Lay the filo pastry sheets on a large board. Brush the top one with a little of the dill oil, then carefully lower it into the tin to line the base and 2 of the sides, with an overhang on both sides. The pastry doesn’t have to fit in smoothly – a few wrinkles and folds in it are fine. Brush a bit more oil over the second pastry sheet and this time lay it down in the tin the other way round, so it drapes over and lines the base and the other 2 sides. The tin should now be completely covered, with a pastry overhang all round. Repeat the criss-cross layering with 2 more oiled filo sheets.

Stir the ricotta mixture into the spinach, then crumble in the feta. Lightly stir it in so you leave a few chunky pieces. Spoon this filling into the lined tin and level it. Bring the pastry sides up and over the filling, then brush a little oil over them. Brush the remainder of the oil over the last filo sheet on the board. Cut the sheet in half widthways and lay one half over at a time, in big folds, to cover the filling and give you a pastry topping.

Place the tin on the heated baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Leave to cool for 10-15 mins. Remove the tin and transfer to a serving plate. If your tin doesn’t have a loose bottom, carefully upturn it onto a flat board, then flip it over onto the serving plate. Serve warm or cold with minted yogurt dip and a tomato, cucumber & pepper salad (see below), if you like.

To make the poolish, mix the flour and yeast in a medium, deep bowl. Add 200ml room temperature water and stir to a very thick batter. Cover with cling film then chill overnight, after which time the batter will have doubled in size.

The next day, combine the flours, remaining yeast and the salt in a large mixing bowl. Add another 250ml water to the poolish, then pour into the flours and mix to make a very wet, sloppy dough. Let this sit for 20 mins, which helps the dough to come together more quickly as you knead.

After 20 mins, the dough will still be wet – possibly much wetter than you’re used to, but this is important for a delicious loaf. Either knead by hand for 10 mins (see tip on kneading a very wet dough, below), or in a mixer with a dough hook for 5-8 mins, until the dough firms up and becomes smooth and elastic. It will still feel sticky but have shape and spring.

Dust a clean patch of worktop and the dough with a little more flour, then fold the dough inwards on itself to make a ball. It will be dry to touch on the outside, but pleasingly wobbly and alive within. Transfer to a lightly floured large bowl, cover with a clean teatowel and let rise for 1½ hours in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size.

Dust a heavy teatowel or baker’s cloth with plenty of flour, and put it onto onto a large kitchen tray or board. Shape three long, baguette-width ridges in the cloth. Turn the dough onto a floured worktop, then flour the sticky side lightly. Cut into 3 equal pieces using a large knife. Do not knead the dough or ‘knock it back’.

Working one at a time, press each piece of dough into a rough oval about 25cm long and 20cm deep. Fold one of the long sides to the middle and press it down well with your fingers. Fold in the other long edge in the same way, and press well again to make a long strip of dough with a groove down the centre. Now fold the dough over itself lengthways into a sausage, pressing the two sides together well in a tight seam against the worktop. Roll very lightly under your palms to seal and make the ends a little pointy. The loaf will be about 40cm long.

Place the dough seam-side down in your prepared cloth, then repeat. Dust all the loaves with a little flour, cover with a clean teatowel and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.

Heat oven to 220C/240C fan/gas 9. Put a roasting tin on a shelf towards the bottom of the oven, plus set a shelf in the top third. Scatter semolina or more flour over one or two large baking trays. Carefully roll or lift the breads onto the trays, leaving space for them to grow. If they stretch or go wonky don’t worry, just pat them back carefully into place.

With a very sharp craft knife or blade, slash the loaves diagonally 5 or 6 times, cutting 1-2cm in. Bake one tray at a time, adding 100ml water to the hot roasting tin and closing the oven door as quickly as you can. Bake for 20 mins or until dark golden, risen and crisp. Cool on racks and enjoy same day, or warmed in a hot oven for a few mins next morning.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a non-stick frying pan about 25cm across, add the courgette slices and cook for 5 mins until softened, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with seasoning and the garlic in a large bowl.

Tip the courgettes from the pan and wipe it out with kitchen paper. Add the remaining oil to the pan and return to the heat. Stir the courgettes into the eggs, then pour into the frying pan and cook over a low heat for 10 mins until almost completely set. Slide onto a large plate, then flip back into the pan and briefly cook the other side to set the last bit of raw egg. (If you are nervous about flipping it over, you can grill the top instead.) Remove from the pan onto a board.

Tip the tomatoes into the pan for 2-3 mins to soften a little and char the skins. Cut the tortilla in half widthways, spread one half with 2 tbsp pesto, then top with the other half. Cut into wedges and top with the remaining pesto, the tomatoes and rocket.

Put the onion, ginger, garlic and the halved tomatoes in a food processor with 50ml water and blitz to a smooth purée. You may need to scrape down the inside of the food processor a couple of times. Heat the oil in a large, deep non-stick frying pan, pour in the purée, cover with a lid and cook for 10 mins.

Add the 1/2 cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, coriander and curry leaves, and cook for a few mins, stirring. Pour in 300ml water with the stock cube, coconut and chilli, then leave to simmer for 10 mins more. Taste to ensure that the onion is fully cooked – if not, it is worth cooking for another 5 mins.

Finally, add the tomato wedges, prawns and fish, gently stir into the sauce, then cover and cook for 5 mins. Serve with the Spicy cauliflower pilau (see Goes well with).

Put the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse to make grains the size of rice. Tip into a microwaveable bowl and stir in the cloves, cinnamon stick, turmeric and curry leaves.

Mix well, cover with cling film, pierce and microwave on High for 3 mins. Fluff up with a fork and serve.

Using a sharp knife, or preferably a mandolin, very thinly slice the kohlrabi, then cut into strips. Tip into a bowl and toss through the spring greens, spring onions and 1-2 tsp sea salt. Set aside for 30 mins and let the salt draw out any excess liquid from the vegetables.

Meanwhile, mix together the mayonnaise, horseradish and black pepper. Give the vegetables a little rinse and squeeze out any excess water with a clean cloth, then tip into a bowl. Add the radishes, dressing and lemon juice, and toss everything together.

Bring a medium pan of water to the boil. Add the eggs and cook for 8-9 mins until hard-boiled. Meanwhile, halve the avocado and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add the lime juice, season well and mash with a fork.

When the eggs are cooked, run under cold water for 2 mins before removing the shells. Spread the avocado on the rye bread. Slice the eggs into thin rounds and place on top of the avocado. Drizzle some chilli sauce over the eggs, scatter the cress on top and add a good grinding of black pepper.

Turn on your hob’s largest gas flame and cook the aubergine directly over it for 7-8 mins, using tongs to turn it every 2 mins, until it is soft and the skin has charred. You can do this on the barbecue or under a hot grill if you don’t have a gas hob. Allow to cool a little.

Mix the lemon zest, half the garlic, the oregano, some black pepper and 1/2 tsp oil, then use to coat the lamb steaks. Boil the broad beans for 4 mins.

Put the aubergine on a large plate and carefully remove and discard the skin. Use a knife and fork to finely chop the flesh, which should now be soft and pulpy. Tip into a bowl with the remaining garlic, the yogurt, tahini and some seasoning, and stir well.

Heat the griddle or barbecue and cook the lamb for 5 mins, turning once. Meanwhile, mix the beans with the lemon juice, remaining olive oil and the mint leaves. Spoon the aubergine purée onto plates and scatter round the minty beans. Top with the lamb and serve with lemon wedges.

Put the cumin seeds in a small pan on the hob and lightly toast. Tip into a large bowl and mix with the beans, lime zest and juice, tomatoes, shallot, chilli and coriander. Crumble in the feta and gently toss.

Serve on top of the avocado halves, scattering with a few extra coriander leaves and squeezing over a little extra lime from the wedges.

First, make the marinade. Mix the spices and 3 tbsp salt in a bowl, then stir in the oil to make a paste. Use a knife to make a deep hole in each short rib, then rub the spice mix all over and into the hole, working the flavour into the meat. Place on a tray, cover and chill overnight.

The next day, heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Heat the oil in a large, shallow pan, tip in the onions and fry until you start to get a deep, rich colour – about 20 mins. Don’t be scared of the colour, this will add amazing savoury sweetness to the dish. Pour in the beer and boil to reduce by half, then add the stock, treacle, thyme and oak chips, if using. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Place the marinated short ribs in your largest roasting tin. Pour over the onion and beer braising liquid, then cover tightly with foil. Transfer to the oven and cook the short ribs for 5 hrs or until really tender.

Once the ribs are cooked, remove and put on a plate to rest and cool. Strain the braising liquid into a saucepan. Once settled, use a ladle to remove the top layer of fat, then set over a high heat. Simmer the sauce until it becomes rich and glossy, then whisk in the ketchup, mustard and brown sauce.

To barbecue the ribs, heat your coals until ashen or set a gas barbecue to medium. Cook the ribs until nicely charred and hot all the way through, then baste with the sauce to finish and cook until sticky. To cook them indoors, heat the grill. Set a wire rack over an oven tray and place the ribs on top. Baste well with the sauce and grill, basting with the sauce a few times, until it forms a charred, sticky crust. Set aside to rest before serving with the onion rings and slaw (see Goes well with).