The best meatballs ever

From the Leon cookbook...

For the meatballs
1½ wholemeal pittas
120ml milk
1kg minced lamb
A small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
A small handful of mint, finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, chopped

For the sauce
30ml olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 x 800g tins of chopped tomatoes
1½ tbsp harissa
A handful of basil, leaves picked and chopped
A handful of parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Rip the flatbread into pieces and soak in the milk for 10 minutes. Put the bread into a mixing bowl, add the mince and stir in the parsley, mint, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well, then roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls. On a griddle pan, brown the balls quickly - it's all about colouring them and not cooking them through, for about five minutes, turning occassionally.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and gently fry the crushed garlic. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and harissa and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the sauce has reduced. Put in the meatballs and continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes with a lid on until the sauce looks about right. Stir in the herbs.

Beef and Guinness Pie for Matt and Becky

I should have made this pie with stewing steak, but couldn’t find any in Shepherds Bush, so rather luxuriously made it with rump steak.

About 900g rump steak, trimmed of its fat and cut into 4cm chunks
Plain flour
Salt and pepper
Butter
Olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into batons
1 leek, finely sliced
100g mushrooms, wiped and halved or quartered if very big
A large can of Guinness
A pint of beef stock
A good squeeze of tomato puree
Ready-made puff pastry

Put the beef on a work surface, scatter with a couple of tablespoons of flour, plenty of salt and pepper, and toss well to coat. Heat a good large knob of butter and glug of oil in a large heavy casserole dish and, in small batches, fry the beef on a high heat, quickly, turning it, to brown it on all sides. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on a plate somewhere warm. Add more oil to the pan and fry the onions until soft, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the leek, carrots and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for five minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the browned beef, pour in the Guinness, then the stock, stir, season, and bring to the boil. Allow it to simmer vigorously for about ½ an hour, then turn the heat right down and leave it for a further hour and a half to 2 hours, blipping quietly. Allow to cool, with a lid on.

Meanwhile divide the pastry into two balls, one double the size of the other. On a floured work surface roll both pieces out into large circles. Lay the bigger circle into a deep pie dish, so it reaches up the sides and over the edges a bit, gently pressing it into shape. Pour the filling in, reserving some of the liquid if it looks too runny. Brush the edge of the pastry with water (to make it stick) and lay the other pastry circle on the top, sealing it around the edges with the tines of a fork. Trim the excess and roll this out again to make pasty shapes to decorate the top – letters to spell a name, or pretty leaves, or B Loves M, as I did. Brush the whole top with beaten egg and bake at 180c for 45 mins, until golden. Serve with mashed suede and parsnips and hot mustard.

Pears poached in mulled wine, ginger cream

Serves four

6 comice pears
Bottle of red wine
Cinnamon stick, broken in two
Vanilla pod, slit in two lengthwise, with a sharp knife
5 cloves
Peel and juice of an orange
Two large mugfuls of sugar
Half a teaspoon grated nutmeg
One star anise

For the cream
Crystallized ginger in syrup (you buy it in a jar)
one knob of fresh ginger, peeled
Half a pot of single cream

Half the pears, top to bottom, and carefully peel them, cutting out the stalk and root. Using a teaspoon, neatly scoop out the core and discard. Pour the wine into the largest saucepan you have. Drop in the cinnamon, sugar, star anise, nutmeg, vanilla, cloves, peel and orange juice. Stir very well. Lower in the pears. Put a plate on top, to keep them submerged. Bring to a simmer, put a lid on and allow to poach for 20 mins, turning once. Carefully take the pears out, arrange in a pretty bowl. Scoop out the cloves, orange peel and cinnamon stick, then bring the mulled wine to an aggressive boil and reduce by half. Pour the liquor over the pears. Serve warm or cold, with a bowl of ginger cream and a plate of Almond Thins to pass around.

For the ginger cream:
Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Grate in a knob of fresh ginger and a knob of crystallized ginger, adding a large tablespoon of the syrup from the candied ginger. Fold together and keep in the fridge until you're ready.

Inspired by a recipe from The Kitchen Revolution. Picture from Apple Pie Patis and Pate.

Roast chicken with garlic and tarragon, Puy lentils and roasted tomatoes

A large organic chicken

A bunch each of chives, parsley and tarragon, all chopped finely

Juice of half a lemon, plus the zest

3 cloves garlic, sliced finely

A third of a pat of butter - softened to room temperature, plus an extra knob

Salt and pepper

For the lentils

250g Puy lentils
Half an onion, very finely diced
Olive oil
Pint of chicken stock
Thyme, leaves picked and roughly chopped

For the tomatoes

Two "branches" of vine tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Put the chicken in a large, ceramic ovenproof dish. The tricky bit: gently loosen the skin from around the neck, and gently (remove any rings that will snag the skin) separate the skin from the flesh all over the breasts. It's fiddly - don't tear the skin. In a small bowl, mix the herbs, lemon juice and zest, pepper, salt and garlic into the butter, to make a paste. Now, using your hands, push the butter underneath the skin you've loosened, smoothing it all over the flesh of the breasts as evenly as you can. Then neatly truss the bird up. Melt the extra butter and rub it all over the outside of the bird, sides and all, season it very well, and then roast it in a hot oven for 15mins. Turn the oven down to medium and then roast for a further hour or so. After half an hour's cooking time, cover with foil. After cooking, the bird should rest under the foil for about 15mins.

Meanwhile, the lentils... Sweat the onions in the olive oil for ten minutes. Add the lentils, stir, then pour in the stock. Stir and bring to a gently simmer for about 20mins, until the lentils are tender. Stir in the thyme leaves, plus a couple of teaspoons of cooking juice from the chicken.

Meanwhile the tomatoes... Keeping the toms on their vine, place in a small ceramic dish so that they fit snugly but not overlapping. Drizzle with oil, scatter with salt and pepper and roast in the top of a hot oven for about 8 mins, until tender but not too coloured.

Inspired by a recipe by Rick Stein. Painting of garlic by my sister, Amy.

Pumpkin soup with walnut bread

A whole pumpkin
Olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
Salt and pepper
One onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
An organic chicken stock cube dissolved in 2 pints of hot water
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
A glug of single cream

Half the pumpkin, and scoop out the seeds. Half it again, and once again (eighths) and peel with a potato peeler. Chop the flesh into large chunks and tip them into a baking tray. Scatter with the cumin, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat everything. Toss together, using your hands, and roast in a hot oven for about 20 mins. Meanwhile sweat the onion and garlic for 10 mins. Add the potatoes, season well, and cook for a couple of mins. Pour in the stock, followed by the roasted pumpkin chunks - which should be charred in places and soft. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. Then blend until smooth. Stir in the cream, season again, and gently reheat. Serve with slices of walnut bread, spread thickly with butter.

Pea puree

Last night we had chicken and waxy new potatoes roasted slowly with lemon zest and olive oil, with scoops of pea puree on the side. My recipe for pea puree is unbelievably moreish and works brilliantly with frozen peas.

Into a food processor tip a tablespoon of live plain yoghurt, half a garlic clove peeled and choppped into chunks, a tablespoon or two of parmesan flaked into shards, a couple of good glugs of olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Tip half a bag of frozen peas into a sacepan of cold water, bring to the boil and immediately drain. Tip the peas into the blender and blitz to a chunky paste. Return to the saucepan and very gently reheat it before serving.

Picture from here

Porridge with pear puree

Every morning for the past week I've been making the most autumnal of breakfasts: porridge with homemade pear puree. Our friend in Gloucestershire gave us a bag of deliciously ripe pears from her own trees, and this is my favourite way to eat them. For one serving, peel and core a pear, chop into chunks and tip into a saucepan. Add the tiniest drizzle of water, or orange juice, to the pan, to prevent sticking. Gently heat for two or three minutes, then puree with a potato masher. Pour over a bowl of hot, thick porridge, and a top with a drizzle of Greek honey.

Delicious toffee apples

225g demerara sugar
110 ml water
A drizzle of vinegar
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
25g butter
6 best English apples
6 wooden skewers
A little ground-nut oil

Tip the water and sugar into a saucepan and heat, stiring, until completely dissolved. Stir in the vinegar, golden syrup and butter and bring to a vigorous boil. Cook (without stirring) until it reaches what they call “hard-crack” stage – which means it hardens into a ball when you drop a teaspoon of it into a jug of cold water. It normally takes about 10 minutes. While the syrup is cooking, pierce each apple with a wooden stick. Once the toffee is ready, dip each apple into the hot toffee, turning it around in the syrup to silkily swathe each apple with its new toffee jacket. Lightly oil a baking tray with some ground-nut oil, and rest the apples on this for a while before serving.

Picture from here

Supper for Lola

Griddled garlicky steak, new potatoes, Greek salad
Serves three

3 fillet or rump steaks
3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Black pepper

New potatoes

For the Greek salad
1 Cucumber
3 large ripe tomatoes
Fresh mint, leaves picked
Black olives, pitted
Feta

Make the salad: Peel the cucumber, slice in two length ways and using a teaspoon scoop out the seeds and discard. Chop into chunks. Using a small knife cut out the root from the tomatoes, and chop into chunks. In a bowl, gently combine with mint and olives, and dress with olive oil, salt and pepper, then gently crumble over the feta. Cook the new potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, then dress with butter and black pepper.

Lay the steaks out on a wooden board and using a rolling pin, beat until thin and flat. Using your hands, massage a crushed clove of garlic into each steak, along with some olive oil, masses of black pepper and salt. Heat a griddle until smoking hot, then sear the meat (one steak at a time) for a minute or two on each side - don't move them until the minute is up, so you get nice griddle marks. Transfer to a warm plate to rest, before slicing into thick strips and serving alongside a pile of salad and a few buttery new potatoes.

Aubergine salad

I'd happily eat aubergines every night: slow roasted and pureed into a spiced babaganoush, simmered in a ratatouille, sliced and deep fried and dressed with red-wine vinegar and garlic... Last night I adapted an Ottolenghi recipe (substituting pine kernels for shavings of pistachio; and basil for mint) and I have to say it was the most darned delicious mouthful of aubergine that has ever passed my lips.

Aubergine with saffron yoghurt, pistachios, pomegranates and mint

Serves two as a light supper - alongside some really good humus (I spruce up the shop-bought stuff with my best olive oil, a handful of rinsed capers and some chopped fresh coriander) and steaming-hot flatbreads

1 aubergine

Olive oil

Pinch of saffron strands

Greek yoghurt

One garlic clove, crushed

Maldon salt and black pepper

large handful of shelled, chopped pistachios

the seeds of half a pomegranate, all white pith removed

Fresh mint leaves

Wash the aubergine, cut the stalk of and slice length-ways into long, thin strips (about 2cm thick). Brush with plenty of olive oil, scatter with salt and roast in a medium-hot oven for about 20-25 mins. Meanwhile, drop a pinch of saffron stands into a bowl, and slosh over a few tablespoons of boiling water from the kettle. Allow to infuse for 5 mins. Scoop two large spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt into a mixing bowl, drop in the saffron infused water (and strands), a good slosh of olive oil, one crushed garlic clove, salt and pepper. Whisk well into a creamy dressing.

To serve, allow the aubergines to cool slightly, arrange on a plate (not overlapping). Drizzle generously with the dressing, and then scatter liberally with the nuts and pomegranate seeds and decorate with whole mint sprigs.

Supper for Amy - part two

Wholemeal linguine with anchovy and broccoli

Wholemeal linguine

Olive oil

two handfuls shallots, or one small white onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 tin anchovies, drained and rinsed

Broccoli

Parmesan to serve

In a heavy saucepan heat a few glugs of olive oil. Tip in the anchovies, breaking them up with a wooden spoon until they disintegrate, becoming a sort of anchovy mush. Chop the onions and garlic finely and tip into the saucepan. Turn the heat down and cook slowly for 8 or 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the linguine (according to pack instructions). Next, slice the broccoli. Chop away almost all of the stalk, leaving just the perfect, bite-size green posies. If you think that's too rustic, chop down the broccoli to thin shards. Turn the heat up and add the broccoli, coating it in the onions. Add a slosh of water and allow the broccoli to steam/simmer for a few minutes, until tender but still with bite - most of the water will have evaporated. Season with black pepper. Drain the pasta, and immediately tip in the sauce, tossing to combine. Bring to the table with a hunk of Parmesan for people to grate over, and a bottle of best olive oil for extra drizzling.

Supper for Amy - part one

Broad bean salad with dill and feta

Small bag frozen broad beans
Extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
large handful Greek feta cheese
Bunch fresh dill

Tip the frozen broad beans into a large pan of vigorously boiling, salted water and simmer for a minute or two, until thawed and tender. Drain under running cold water - this will stop them cooking. Using your thumb and forefinger, squeeze the beans out of their papery shells - it might help to make a tiny nick in the skin to ease the shelling. This process takes ages but is strangely therapeutic - share the chore with a loved one, or do it in front of the telly, or sitting on a sunny porch. Tip the bright green beans into a mixing bowl and dress liberally with your best olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, Maldon salt and pepper. Roughly chop the dill and combine. Crumble in the feta and lightly mix again. Slide the salad out onto a large, wide serving platter - it will look lovely. Zest half an unwaxed lemon and sprinkle this over the salad. Drizzle again with olive oil and serve.

Scones with rose petal jam

Nothing says summer more to me than homemade scones, proper clotted cream and strawberry jam. But we were out of strawberry jam last weekend so we tried it with rose petal preserve instead - it was delicious: a bit tart and sour. Yummy.

My recipe for homemade scones

8oz self raising flour

pinch of salt

2oz butter

1oz caster sugar

150ml milk

Heat the oven to 200c. Cover a baking tray with a sheet of grease-proof paper. Sift the flour into a bowl, throw in the salt, and - using your hands - rub in the butter. Tip in the sugar, and then drizzle the milk in gradualy, mixing until you get a dough-like consistency. Scatter your kitchen table with flour and knead the dough lightly for a minute or two. Break of pieces and gently pat them into flattish disc-shapes about 2cm thick, 5cm across, and place on the baking tray. Brush the scones with a little milk and bake for about 12 mins - they will rise and turn golden brown. I prefer to let them cool, but you can eat them warm of course.

Raspberries

Whisk together briskly a heaped teaspoon of runny honey with a scoop of creme fraiche and a scoup of plain yoghurt - to pour over raspberries. Scoop with cantuccini.

Tuesday supper

Spiced mackerel, crushed Jersey Royals, cucumber and dill salad

Serves two

Whole Cornish mackerel, filleted (skin on)
Teaspoon fennel seeds
Teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
Garlic
Jersey Royal potatoes
Whole cucumber
Bunch fresh dill
Extra-virgin olive oil
Maldon salt
Black pepper

First make the marinade. In a pestle and mortar crush to a paste two cloves of garlic with a big pinch of salt and the spices. Add four tablespoons of oil and combine well. Lay the fish out in a shallow dish and, using your hands, coat the fish in the marinade. Cover and chill for at least half an hour, if not overnight. Scrub the potatoes and put in a pan with cold water and three garlic cloves still in their skin, plus a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender. Meanwhile, peel the cucumber, slice in half lengthways, and - using a teaspoon - scoop out all the seeds and discard (or eat). Using a potato peeler, shred the cucumber into wafer-thin strips. Dress with salt and your best olive oil. Chop the dill and - using your hands - coat the cucumber in herbs. It will sit happily for 10mins or so. When the pots are ready, drain them well and return to the pan. Squeeze the garlics out of their skins (they will be tender and mild and delicious). Dress with olive oil, salt and pepper and using a masher break them up loosely - do not mash, just rough them up a bit so they absorb the oil and seasoning. To cook the fish, heat a non-stick pan to very hot; lay the fillets skin side down first and cook each side for a couple of minutes, turning carefully once. Serve the fish on a bed of the crushed spuds, with a generous heap of the salad on the side.

The last of the Suffolk asparagus

Bring a large pan, with about 3cm of salted water, to the boil. Gently drop the trimmed asparagus into the pan and simmer for 3 mins (or less). Drain carefully, arrange on two plates, swathe with a slice of Serrano ham, season with Maldon salt, drizzle with your best extra-virgin olive oil and scatter with shavings of parmesan.

Panzanella

I made this salad for Archie, Amy, Jeremy on Friday, to eat with a roast chicken cooked with thyme, lemon and garlic; it was the summeriest of suppers. It’s the second time I’ve made Panzanella – the first was properly, in Tuscany last summer, with stale, Italian bread, and local, fruity, sludge-green olive oil - the way it’s supposed to be. But it tasted just as good even though we were in Shepherds Bush. Probably because I had lost my mind momentarily in Waitrose and spent £18 on a bottle of delicious Colonna olive oil.

A small loaf of white, crusty, country bread – best if it’s a day or two old
Dijon mustard
Maldon salt
Black pepper
Three cloves garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 red onion
A shocking amount (a couple of coffee-cups) of really good, expensive olive oil, or half the amount of very expensive stuff and half the supermarket’s extra virgin, if you like
8 of the ripest tomatoes (the ones that really smell tomatoey)
A whole cucumber
A jar of (importantly) pitted black olives, drained
A large bunch each of fresh basil, mint and flat-leaf parsley

If your bread is fresh, not stale, rip it into bite-size pieces and bake dry on a roasting tray in the oven for 10 minutes or so. Don’t let it colour, just completely dry it out. Allow to cool thouroughly. If it’s suitable stale, just tear it into pieces and set aside.

Drop a teaspoon of the mustard into a large, pretty salad bowl and slosh over the vinegar and whisk together. Chop the onion and garlic and finely as humanly possible and tip into the bowl. Stir to combine, press down gently with your hands and leave to rest for 20 or 30 minutes – this will temper the onionness of the onions and soften them, too. Next, slosh in the olive oil, and stir to combine. Season well with salt and pepper. Using a small, sharp knife, cut out the tough, stalk root of the tomatoes and chop into chunks of about 2cm. Peel the cucumber, slice in half length-ways and using a teaspoon, scoop out all the seeds (and immediately eat them). Then chop the cucummber into similar sized chunks as the toms. Add the tomatoes, cucumber and bread to the bowl, and gently toss, using your hands, so everything is properly dressed. You can leave it sitting there for 20 mins or so. Just before serving, add the olives and herbs and toss again.

Soup for Nico

Broad bean and watercress soup with pea shoots

1 medium white onion, diced

60g butter

500g frozen broad beans
1 bag (or large bunch) watercress, washed and roughly chopped

1 litre chicken stock

organic plain yoghurt

1 bag (or small bunch) pea shoots

Salt and pepper

Sweat the onion in the butter for five minutes in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Tip in the frozen broad beans, coat with butter and cook gently (until thoroughly defrosted - about 10 mins). Tip in the roughly chopped watercress, stock and bring gently to a simmering point for a minute or two. Turn of the heat, allow to cool a little, and taste - then season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Gently reheat, but don't serve it too hot. Garnish with a swirl of yoghurt and a handful of peashoots in the centre of each bowl. You'll need plenty of bread with it.

Saturday lunch

A yoghurty pickle to eat with smoked salmon

Finely dice two large Polish-style gherkins and throw into a bowl. Add one (or half a fat one) crushed garlic clove, a large heaped tablespoon of plain live yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon juice, lots of ground black pepper and two glugs of your best olive oil. Stir gently to combine. Softly fold plenty of smoked salmon onto a crispbread and serve with a generous spoonful of relish.

Spring lunch

Asparagus with goat’s cheese and sourdough croutons

Poilaine sourdough bread
Asparagus
Rindless goat’s cheese, such as a Childwickbury from Neal’s Yard Dairy
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Maldon salt

Cut the crusts from the bread and dice into neat, small cubes. Slosh some of the oil into a frying pan and gently fry the bread to golden crispness. Tip onto a plate covered in kitchen paper and set aside.

Meanwhile bring a wide but shallow pan of salted water to the boil (barely enough to cover the asparagus). Lower the spears into the pan and partly cover with a lid. Allow to boil for about 4 mins. Drain well and tip out onto a large, flat platter. Drizzle liberally with oil, and then crumble over the goat’s cheese and croutons. Season with pepper and salt.