DINING I N...
Amazing homemade meal's shouldnt be hard in this extract from her debut cookbook, food writer and Instagram star Alison Roman shares her tips for creating effortless dishes, whether you’re dining solo or feeding a crowd.
OVER TIME, IN and out of restaurant and editorial test kitchens, I’ve cultivated my own cooking style, which is hard to classify. I wouldn’t call it lazy – I prefer the term ‘lo-fi’ – but to give you some insight into my life as a home cook, I don’t own a blender, and up until a few months ago, I didn’t own a food processor (my love for good breadcrumbs finally broke my resolve). The recipes in this book follow my general approach, in that I would never ask you to toast nine different hard-to-locate spices on a Monday after work, and I’d never suggest you make something that takes two hours if there were a simpler and equally delicious way to do it in one. I’ve been calling these recipes ‘highly cookable’. They prove casual doesn’t have to mean boring and simple doesn’t have to be uninspired, and that more steps or ingredients don’t always translate to better. Table for one? Yes, please. Weekend dinner party? You got this. There is no occasion too big or too small to decide that, tonight, you’re dining in.
SALTED BUTTER & CHOCOLATE CHUNK SHORTBREAD
MAKES 24 COOKIES The cookie dough can be made ahead and stored, tightly wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Cookies can be baked and stored, in plastic wrap or an airtight container, for up to 5 days.
225g salted butter, cut into 1cm pieces 1/2 cup (110g) raw sugar 1/4 cup (60g) light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 21/ 2 cups (375g) plain flour 170g semi- or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (but not too fine; you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate) 1 large egg, beaten Demerara sugar, for rolling Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
1. Line a rimmed baking tray (two, if you’ve got ’em) with baking paper. 2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, both sugars and vanilla on medium-high till super light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, followed by the chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend. 3. Divide the dough in half, placing each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over so that it covers the dough to protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form the dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. You can also do this using baking paper, if you prefer, but I find using plastic wrap easier when it comes to shaping the log. Each half should form two logs 5-7cm in diameter. Chill until totally firm, about 2 hours. 4. Preheat the oven to 175°C. 5. Brush the outside of the logs with the beaten egg and roll them in the demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges). 6. Slice each log into 1.5cm-thick rounds, place them on the prepared baking tray(s) about 2cm apart (they won’t spread much) and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the edges are just beginning to brown, 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.
VINEGAR-ROASTED BEETS WITH SPRING ONIONS AND YOGHURT
SERVES 4 2 bunches tiny beetroots, trimmed
(about the size of a golf ball) 2 tbs white distilled vinegar (white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar also work well) 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil Kosher salt or sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper 2 medium spring onions with bulb,
quartered, or 4 long green shallots 1 cup (280g) full-fat Greek yoghurt 2 tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh dill, tender stems and leaves 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Divide the beets and place them on two large pieces of foil. Drizzle each set of beets with the vinegar and 2 tbs oil; season with salt and pepper. Wrap each bunch tightly, so that any steam created stays inside the packet. Roast until the beets are totally tender and cooked through – check them after 45 minutes; they should be easily pierced with the tip of a knife or fork (if larger than golf-ball size, they may take upward of an hour). Once they’re cooked through, open the packets and let them cool slightly. 3. Using paper towels or a kitchen towel you don’t mind staining forever, gently peel the beets. If they are on the larger side, halve or quarter them; otherwise, leave them whole. Place them in a small bowl with any juices from the foil packet and season with salt and pepper; just let them hang out here for a bit. 4. Heat the remaining 1 tbs oil in a large frypan over high heat. Once it’s super hot and shimmery, add the spring onions and season with salt and pepper. Toss them every so often, until they’re charred in spots and the bulbs are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set them aside. 5. In a small bowl, combine the yoghurt and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon it on the bottom of several (or one large) serving platters and top with the beets and a couple of spoonfuls of the juices that have pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Top with spring onions and dill.
CARAMELISED PUMPKIN WITH TOASTED COCONUT GREMOLATA
SERVES 4 Everything but the coconut can be made 1 day ahead; when ready to serve, toast the coconut and add it to the chive mixture (toasted coconut will start to soften once mixed with the herbs and refrigerated). PUMPKIN 1 medium butternut pumpkin 1/4 cup (60ml) coconut oil, melted, or olive oil 1 tbs honey Kosher salt or sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper TOASTED COCONUT GREMOLATA 3/4 cup (30g) unsweetened coconut chips 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives 1/2 cup fresh coriander, tender leaves and stems, finely chopped 1 tbs finely grated lemon zest 2 tsp Aleppo pepper or 1 tsp crushed red chilli flakes Kosher salt or sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. 2. Leaving the skin on, slice pumpkin into 1.5cm-thick rings. (I roast my pumpkin with the seeds still inside, because they get all crispy and I love the texture they bring to the table, but you can remove them if you like. The best way to do that is cut the pumpkin in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then slice pumpkin into rings.) 3. Toss the pumpkin with the coconut oil and honey on a rimmed baking tray and season with salt and pepper. Roast, flipping the pumpkin once, until it is completely tender, browned and caramelised, 25-30 minutes. 4. Make the gremolata: while the pumpkin is roasting, heat a small frypan over medium heat and add the coconut. Shake the frypan occasionally until the coconut is starting to brown at the edges and smells all toasty and amazing, 3-4 minutes. Place it in a medium bowl to cool completely. 5. Once the coconut has cooled, add the chives, coriander, lemon zest and Aleppo pepper, and season with salt. Using your fingers, mix this together until the oils in the lemon zest have released and everything is evenly distributed (especially the lemon zest, which can stubbornly clump up). 6. Sprinkle the coconut gremolata over the roasted pumpkin and serve.
BAKED PASTA WITH ARTICHOKES, GREENS AND TOO MUCH CHEESE
SERVES 6-8 The pasta can be assembled and baked 1 day ahead, then refrigerated. Cover with foil and reheat in a 175°C oven until warmed through, 30-40 minutes.
12 lasagna sheets, fresh or dried,
or 340g pasta Kosher salt or sea salt 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 large onion, thinly sliced Freshly ground black pepper 1 bunch spinach (about 280g), stems removed, leaves chopped (about 3 cups) 1 bunch kale (about 225g), stems removed, leaves chopped (about 4 cups) 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped 400g jar marinated artichoke hearts,
drained, chopped 2 cups (480g) fresh full-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream 2 cups (160g) finely grated parmesan or
pecorino cheese, plus more as needed 225g good mozzarella cheese, shredded
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Working in batches, cook the sheets of pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water (if you crowd the pot, they will most definitely stick together), just to al dente, 5-8 minutes, depending on the brand and type of pasta. If you’re using fresh pasta, it’ll be more like 30- 60 seconds, just enough to soften. 3. Once it’s ready, transfer each sheet, one by one, to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Don’t let the pasta sheets touch or they’ll stick together. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto each sheet of pasta before separating each sheet with paper towels. Set aside while you prepare the filling. 4. Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is totally softened and caramelised, 15-20 minutes. 5. Working in batches, add handfuls of
greens to frypan, seasoning with salt and pepper, and letting them wilt down before adding the next handful (when the frypan becomes too crowded even after wilting, transfer cooked greens to a bowl and continue wilting raw greens in the pan). Once your last batch of greens has finished cooking, add garlic and any cooked greens you set aside, and toss to coat. Add artichoke hearts and mix well; set aside. 6. Mix the ricotta, cream and parmesan together in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. 7. Drizzle olive oil into the bottom of a 23cm x 13cm x 6cm baking dish. Place a layer of cooked pasta on the bottom and top with one-third ricotta mixture. Top with one-third of the greens and artichokes, and top that with one-third of the mozzarella. Repeat until you have a layer of pasta on the top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle more parmesan over the top. 8. Cover with foil and bake until everything is warmed through and the cheese has started to melt, 15-20 minutes. Remove the foil and raise the oven temperature to 250°C. Bake until the top is browned and the filling is bubbling along the edges, 8-10 minutes longer. Let cool slightly before slicing and eating.
ROASTED TOMATO & ANCHOVY BUCATINI
SERVES 4 The tomato sauce can be made 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or 1 month ahead and frozen.
Kosher salt or sea salt 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced Crushed red chilli flakes 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained 2 tbs tomato paste 400g can whole peeled tomatoes,
crushed 340g bucatini or spaghetti Lots of grated parmesan cheese
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frypan or heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add onion and season with salt and a pinch of red chilli flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is totally cooked through but not browned, 10-15 minutes. Add the anchovies and stir until they’ve melted into the pan, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook until it turns a brick-red colour and sticks a bit to the bottom of the pan, about 90 seconds. 3. Add tomatoes, scraping any bits on bottom of pan. Season with salt and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until the sauce thickens and it tastes so good you can hardly stand it. Add more salt and red chilli flakes if you want. Keep warm and set aside. 4. Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water. 5. Add the pasta along with cup of the cooking water to the frypan and toss to coat. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the pasta is really well coated, the sauce sticking to each individual piece in a way that can only be described as perfect. 6. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the pasta to a large bowl, or divide it among four smaller bowls. Top with lots of parmesan cheese. 1/2
RHUBARB-ALMOND GALETTE
SERVES 8 The galette can be baked 1 day ahead.
1 large egg, lightly beaten Plain flour, for dusting 1/4 cup store-bought marzipan (from supermarkets) 1kg rhubarb, leaves trimmed, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 15cm pieces 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar Vanilla ice cream, to serve THE ONLY PIECRUST 11/ 4 cups (185g) plain flour 1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt 140g cold unsalted butter, chopped 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1. For the piecrust, in a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt together. Add butter and toss to coat in flour mixture. Using your hands, smash the butter between your palms and fingertips, mixing it into the flour, creating long, thin, flaky, floury, buttery bits. Once most of the butter is incorporated and there are no large chunks remaining, dump the flour mixture onto a work surface. 2. Combine the vinegar with 2 tbs ice water and drizzle it over the flour mixture. Run your fingers through the mixture like you’re running them through your hair, to evenly distribute the water through the flour until the dough starts coming together. 3. Knead the dough a few more times, just to gather up any dry bits from the bottom and place them on the top to be incorporated. Once you’ve got a shaggy mass of dough (it will not be smooth and it certainly will not be shiny), knead it once or twice more. Pat into a flat disc, about 2.5cm thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 4. Preheat the oven to 190°C. 5. Beat egg with 1 tsp water and set aside (this is your egg wash, and it will help the crust get super golden brown on top). 6. Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface to a round 35-40cm in diameter, more or less. 7. Transfer the dough to a baking-paperlined baking tray. 8. Flatten large bits of marzipan between your palms until they are super thin (about 3mm thick) and place them on top of the dough, leaving a 5cm border. Arrange the rhubarb pieces on top of the marzipan. Don’t worry about placing them in any sort of pattern or anything; just kinda lay them alongside and on top of one another. 9. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the rhubarb. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle the whole thing with caster sugar, throwing most of it on the rhubarb (the marzipan is pretty sweet, so you don’t need as much sugar as you think you might). 10. Place the galette in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown (think the colour of a roasted cashew), 50-60 minutes. Let it cool slightly before eating with the best vanilla ice cream you can find.