Cucumber Neapolitana

THIS is a terrifically versatile Darina Allen vegetable dish which may be made ahead and which reheats well. It is also delicious served with rice or pasta, makes a great stuffing for tomatoes and is particularly good with roast lamb.

But Neapolitana?  A friend from Naples says it's unknown there.


Serves 6 approx

1 cucumber

15g butter

1 medium onion (110g approx), sliced

4 very ripe tomatoes (or a tin of tomatoes)

salt and freshly ground pepper

60ml cream or creme frais

1 dessertspoon freshly chopped mint

roux (optional)

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add the onion. Cover and sweat for about five minutes until soft but not coloured.

Meanwhile, peel the cucumber and cut into 1cm cubes. Add to the onions, toss well and continue to cook while you scald the tomatoes with water for 10 seconds.

Peel the tomatoes and slice into the casserole, season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sugar.

Cover the casserole and cook for a few minutes until the cucumbers are tender and the tomatoes have softened. Add the cream and bring back to the boil.

Add the freshly chopped mint.

If the liquid is very thin, thicken it by carefully whisking in a little roux.

Cucumber neapolitana keeps for several days and may be reheated.

Thai Style Hot and Sour Soup Base

A spicy Thai style soup base that's full of flavour and very versatile.  The objective is to get a balance between hot, sour, sweet and salty flavours in the base.  It's endlessly variable - add vegetables (peas and green beans are very good,  chopped mushrooms also),  fish or shellfish (prawns are great), chicken or other meat,  noodles or any combination.

Ingredients for 8 portions
(basic soup can be frozen and additional ingredients added when thawed)

• 1 litre of stock (I use homemade chicken stock whenever possible)
• 1 400ml can coconut milk
• 1 large onion - peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots - peeled and chopped
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1-2 tbsp red or green Thai curry paste (Mae Ploy is good - quantity depends on desired spiciness)
• 1-3 tbsp fish sauce (depending on saltiness of the stock. Use soy sauce instead for vegitarians)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 limes, juiced (this is the sour component)

Method

• Sweat the onions and carrots over gentle heat for 15 mins, then add the curry paste and sir for a minte
• Add the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer until carrots are soft
• Blend, add the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice.
• Now taste it.  You're looking for a good balance between the hot, sour, sweet and salt flavours so you may need to adjust some of the last four ingredients to get your desired balance.
• That's the base - you can chill or freeze it at this satge.
• To serve,  add your desired ingredients, bring to boil and cook until additions are fully cooked.
• Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve

Sweet Cucumber Pickle

Another wonderful Ballymaloe recipe, this is a great accompaniment to cured meats, cheeses, smoked salmon. Other things too, I'm sure. It's really simple and delicious (even for people who hate cucumber, like me!)

Ingredients

• 300g thinly sliced unpeeled cucumber 
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced 
• 120g sugar 
• 2 level teaspoons salt 
• 75ml cider vinegar. 

Method

Combine the cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl. Mix the sugar, salt and vinegar together and pour over cucumbers. Place in a tightly covered container in refrigerator and leave for at least 4 or 5 hours, or overnight, before using. Keeps well for up to a week in refrigerator.

Add chopped chilli if you like a further bit of kick

Cauliflower steak with provolone and pickled peppers

This is a novel, and flavour-packed, way to use cauliflower. It’s also a great dinner party dish because it can be prepared ahead: cook the cauliflower ‘steaks’, pat on the topping, arrange them on a baking sheet and refrigerate until just a few minutes before serving. Then slide them into the oven, keeping in mind that the final cooking will take a little longer if they are cold.

Serves 2 to 4, depending on the size of your cauliflower and whether you serve a whole steak or half a steak per person

• 1 large head cauliflower (approx 700g-800g) 
• Extra-virgin olive oil 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1½ cups dried breadcrumbs 
• 1 cup grated (on large holes of a grater) aged provolone* (Italian soft smoked cow’s cheese), plus ¼ cup finely grated aged provolone for dusting 
• ½ cup chopped pickled sweet hot peppers** 
• ½ cup chopped mixed pitted olives 
• ¼ cup capers 
• ¾ cup lightly packed roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley 
• 1tsp finely grated lemon zest 

Heat the oven to 230°C. Trim the bottom of the cauliflower so that it sits steadily on the cutting board. Trim off about ½ inch from two opposite sides (to flatten them), then cut the cauliflower into three or four thick slabs. Brush both sides of each slab with olive oil and season generously with salt and black pepper. Chop and crumble the trimmings and set aside.

Figure out whether you need one or two baking sheets to fit the cauliflower steaks without crowding them, then heat the sheets in the oven for 10 minutes (this preheating will make the underside of the slabs nicely golden brown). Carefully lay the slabs on the sheet(s) and return to the oven. Roast the cauliflower until it’s tender all the way through, but not falling apart (18 to 20 minutes).

Make the topping by mixing together the breadcrumbs, large-grated provolone, pickled peppers, olives, capers, parsley, lemon zest and crumbled cauliflower trimmings. Moisten with a small glug of olive oil, just to help the topping hold together. Taste and season generously with salt and black pepper until it’s so delicious, you want to eat it all.

Take out the baking sheet(s) and distribute the topping among all the slabs. Press and pat to make a thick layer. Return the cauliflower to the oven and roast until the topping is lightly browned and starting to crisp, and the cheese is starting to melt (10 to 15 minutes).

With as wide a spatula as you have, transfer the slabs (they’re delicate) to plates and top with a dusting of the finely grated provolone.

Recipe taken from Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables (reviewed opposite). Photography by Laura Dart and AJ Meeker

* other cheeses work too - just different

** Chop a red pepper and simmer in a few tablespoons of white wine (or apple cider) vinegar, sugar and hot chilli sauce (like Tobasco) for 10 mins. Leave for a while for flavours to infuse.

Bacon Onion and Potato Hotpot

From Jocasta Innes 1971 “The Pauper’s Cookbook” - this is a wonderfully tasty dish and easy to make from store cupboard stand-bys. Ultimate cold weather comfort food,  I've been making this since I was an impoverished student.

The only downside is that it takes 2 hrs to oven cook (but you can cheat with a microwave if you're in a hurry*)

To Serve 4

• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 600ml milk
• sea salt and pepper
• grated nutmeg (optional)
• 4 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 125-225g bacon rashers (rind removed) - any bacon pieces will do.

1. Make a white sauce by melting the butter on a low heat in a small pot, stir in the flour and gradually whisk in the milk
2. Bring to the boil stirring all the while. Once smooth and thick, reduce the heat to a very low simmer, add seasoning and nutmeg (if used) and leave while preparing the rest
3. Grease a cassarole dish and build up layers of onion, potato and bacon bits ending with potatoes
4. Pour the while sauce over the top and jiggle well to distribute the sauce evenly
5. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 200C then uncover and reduce heat to 150C and cook for 1 final hour.

*If you don't have 2 hours, use a Pyrex casserole and microwave on medium high for 20 mins then finish at 200C in the oven for 50 mins