FOOD: MAD ABOUT THE MED

The food stylist’s stylist Susie Theodorou celebrates her culinary heritage and life passions in a glorious new book that counts Gwyneth Paltrow as a fan

Watermelon & feta salad

When I was growing up, chilled watermelon was always a refreshing snack or part of a picnic lunch on the beach, eaten with hunks of halloumi, black salty olives and crusty bread. The modern fashionable watermelon salad is I suspect more of an Australian invention but as it is so good, and contains all the flavours of the Mediterranean, I couldn’t leave it out. SERVES 4 675g watermelon, cut into wedges 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper 25g mint leaves, torn 150g feta cheese, broken into chunks edible herb flowers, such as peppery radish or rocket lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, to serve

Using a sharp knife, cut away the green skin and rind from the watermelon up to where the white flesh starts to turn pink (or leave a hint of green if you prefer).

Slice the flesh into 1.5cm thick triangles and layer on a large serving platter. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the mint, feta and herb flowers. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Fava bean dip

The Greeks and southern Italians serve this fava bean purée as a dip or as a simple sauce with meat and fish. Favas are dried green broad beans. I use the ‘split’ kind here which don’t need pre-soaking and cook down easily. You can find them in larger supermarkets, in Mediterranean delis and online. SERVES 4 225g split (cracked) fava beans, washed and drained 900ml water 1 medium onion, roughly chopped pinch of sea salt flakes 75ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling juice of 1 lemon a topping of your choice (see below for one idea and the book for more) flatbread, to serve

Place the fava beans in a large sauté pan with a lid, cover with the water and bring to the boil, skimming any white foam off the surface. Reduce to a simmer, add the chopped onion, cover with the lid and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, stir the beans and season with salt. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the beans are very soft. Allow to cool slightly.

Transfer the beans to a food processor or blender. Add the olive oil and lemon juice little by little and process until super smooth. Taste, add extra lemon juice and salt if necessary, then spread over a large plate and scatter with one of my suggested toppings from the book (one of which is pictured). Serve with flatbread. WITH OLIVES, TOMATOES & ROSEMARY

Heat a large cast-iron pan until very hot. Add 300g cherry tomatoes and cook until they char, about 2-3 minutes, then add 75g pitted Kalamata olives and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Stir once, then add 2 large sprigs of rosemary (broken into smaller ones) and season. Cook for another minute, then stir in 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and swirl the pan to incorporate all the flavours. Spoon over the dip or purée of your choice and serve.

Orecchiette with butternut squash & sage

SERVES 4 300g peeled, deseeded butternut squash pieces 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 2 shallots, chopped ½ tsp Calabrian chilli flakes orecchiette or cavatelli pasta shapes for 4, cooked and drained (see the book for homemade) 150ml cooking water reserved from the pasta 75g almonds or walnuts, toasted and chopped 3 tbsp finely chopped sage sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper 75g finely grated Parmesan

Using a food processor, shred the butternut squash. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the shallots and chilli flakes and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the squash and sauté for 3 minutes.

Have ready the cooked pasta and the reserved cooking water. Stir the pasta water into the pan, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the nuts, sage and cooked pasta and simmer, stirring well. Remove from the heat and season. Stir in the Parmesan; drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Yes please to fresh cheeses

Originally, all the delicious Mediterranean cheeses that we love were made with goat’s, sheep’s or buffalo’s milk. Now, because of high market demand, cow’s milk often creeps into the production so keep an eye on the label and choose the former – from a cooking point of view, for authenticity of flavour and for nutritional purposes (fewer people are intolerant to goat’s and sheep’s milk). MOZZARELLA WITH COURGETTE & MINT SERVES 4 Place 1 whole small yellow, green or stripy courgette (about 75g) in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and thinly slice while still warm. Place the warm courgette in a bowl, mix in 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 6-8 mint leaves and season to taste. Partially split open 1 x 150g buffalo mozzarella ball on a serving plate. Spoon over the courgette mixture and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Roughly tear 1-2 courgette flowers (optional) into pieces and scatter them over. Serve as part of a spread or as a sharing plate. BURRATA WITH POMEGRANATE & PISTACHIO SERVES 4 Place 75g pomegranate seeds in a bowl with 75g roughly chopped pistachio nuts, 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses and stir. Season to taste. Tear 1 x 150g buffalo burrata into large pieces, arrange on a serving plate and spoon over the pomegranate mixture. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then serve as part of a spread or as a sharing plate. DATES STUFFED WITH FETA & SESAME SEEDS SERVES 6 These make an excellent aperitif finger food or an alternative dinner party dessert. Slice 115g feta thinly. Open out 12 pitted medjool dates. Insert a slice of feta in the middle of each one, then arrange on a serving plate. In a small bowl, whisk 2 tbsp tahini paste with 50ml water until smooth, then sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Drizzle the tahini over the dates, then drizzle over 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Scatter over 1-2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and serve. RICOTTA WITH FLAT PASTA, ASPARAGUS & PEA SHOOTS SERVES 4 Have ready 150g fresh ricotta, drained. Finely slice 2 small shallots. Trim 350g asparagus and cut into 3cm pieces. Place the shallots in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Cook and drain pasta to serve 4 (for example, thin sheet pasta cut into triangles, squares or rounds, such as the homemade ‘rag’ pasta in the book, or use wide flat noodles). Heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the asparagus for 3 minutes. Add the shallot mixture to the pan and continue to cook until the asparagus is tender, adding a little reserved pasta cooking water if necessary. Stir in the cooked pasta, toss in 150g pea shoots and season. Divide among serving bowls and top each one with a heaped spoonful of ricotta, dividing it equally. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil. ➤

Bulgur wheat pilaf

SERVES 6 I grew up eating this pilaf with stews, grilled meats, fish or slow-cooked roasted meat. My family have always toasted the vermicelli in the recipe before cooking, and I have since come across a similar method in Spanish cooking. Have ready 225g bulgur wheat, 50g vermicelli pasta and 500ml chicken stock (or use water from soaking dried mushrooms or plain water). Peel and finely chop 1 onion and finely chop 25g parsley. Heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté or risotto pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook the onion for 10 minutes until soft and starting to brown in places. Remove the onion and set aside. Add another 2 tbsp oil to the pan. Crush the vermicelli once in your hand, then add to the hot oil and cook, stirring, until golden and toasted. Stir in the bulgur wheat and coat all the grains with the oil. Return the onion to the pan with the stock or water, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes until the grains have swelled and all the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside with the lid on for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and season with salt and pepper. Fluff up the grains with a fork and gently mix in the parsley. Serve warm or cold with dollops of Greek yoghurt.

Kleftico slow-roasted lamb

The Greek word kleftico translates as ‘stolen meat’ and refers to days gone by, when poachers would steal a goat or sheep then cook the pieces slowly in an underground oven or sealed container, so as not to give themselves away by the cooking aromas! The meat simply cooks in its own juices until it falls off the bone. I like to serve this with a pilaf (see above left) and a bitter green salad. SERVES 8 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 lemons, sliced 2 whole garlic bulbs, cut in half 2.4kg shoulder of lamb sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper 100ml red wine 2 large rosemary sprigs mixed bitter green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Cover the base and sides of a deep roasting pan with two really long overlapping pieces of foil, shaped in a big cross. Line each sheet of foil with parchment paper and drizzle the base with a tiny bit of the oil. Arrange the lemon slices and garlic on top.

Rub the lamb all over with a little oil and a good amount of salt and pepper. Place on top of the lemons and garlic. Drizzle over the red wine and top with the rosemary. Wrap the parchment and then the foil over the meat and seal the parcel well by folding and scrunching over the ends firmly.

Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast for 3 hours, until the meat is falling off the bone. Open up the foil and paper and return to the oven for another 30 minutes for the meat to brown a little.

Use a spoon and fork to lift the meat gently from the bone, and serve over the green salad, adding a few roasted garlic cloves and lemon slices to each portion.