Back again

I´m a little shocked to see that the last time I posted was almost a year ago. Where did the year go?? It´s crazy! Well, in fact, it´s been a busy and fun year. After the launch of my book, I had it translated into Spanish and then held another wonderful launch at our home in Spain. I must say that the feedback has been incredible ― and truly heartwarming. I get almost daily messages and photos of dishes people have made, and constant requests for more books. I have sold out of English copies and am getting through the Spanish. Altogether, it´s been really amazing experience and I couldn´t be happier.

Meanwhile, however, I have carried on exploring and trying out new dishes. Sometimes I discover new and surprising things simply from scrolling through my instagram, and other times, from cookbooks – mine or other people´s. And whilst I don´t want to distract you from ¨Levante¨, I thought it would be nice to share some of the great and not so Levante-like recipes I´ve been cooking recently.

I´ve picked a few recipes that are new to me, and will share them over the coming weeks. First off is a ¨Sweet and Sour Celery Salad¨ from Ixta Belfrage´s book Mezcla. I was blown away by this as I would never have thought to create it myself. The celery is charred then dressed with a sweet-salty-tangy dressing and topped with ricotta and pine nuts. I´ve served it with my Black Lentils (P.120 in Levante), and with bbq chicken, but I think once you try it you will find it compliments of whole host of dishes. It´s a recipe that takes the humble celery to a whole new level.

Sweet and Sour Celery Salad

Ingredients

• 60 g seedless raisins
• 1 bunch celery with leaves attached
• 1 tbs olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• 25g pine nuts
• ¼ -½ tsp chilli flakes (preferably Turkish or Aleppo)
• 125g ricotta
• Basil leaves
• Chives finely chopped

Dressing

• 2 ½ tbs soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs maple syrup or honey
• 1 clove garlic very finely chopped
• Generous serving of black pepper

Method

Start by placing the raisins in a small bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak.

Remove the leaves of the celery and set aside the brightest for garnish. Cut 400g of the stalks into 4cm long pieces, cutting the wider parts lengthwise first. Toss with the oil and salt

Take a large frying pan, and toast the pine nuts for a couple of minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add te celery to the pan and cook for 4 minutes undisturbed. Toss and cook for another 5-6 minutes until the celery becomes charred in places. Take off the heat and cover with a plate or lid, allowing it to soften a little more.

Mix the dressing ingredients. Drain and chop the raisins and add to the dressing. Add the cooked celery, half of the celery leaves, chives and basil and leave to steep for 5-6 minutes.

Stir everything together and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes, spoon over the ricotta and garnish with the remaining leaves and pine nuts.

Surprisingly delicious!

Mezcla, which means mixture or fusion, is an interesting cookbook, and its name suggests, has recipes with creative combinations. Check it out!

And stay tuned for more!