Spiced olive & lemon chicken

Spiced olive and lemon chicken

1 HOUR 20 MINUTES + MARINATING | SERVES 6 | EASY

chicken legs 6, skin on red onions 2, sliced plum tomatoes 4, peeled and halved garlic 3 cloves, finely chopped lemon 1, thinly sliced green olives 100g, pitted smoked paprika 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp olive oil cherry tomatoes 225g on the vine flat-leaf parsley a small bunch, roughly chopped

• Put all of the ingredients, except the cherry tomatoes and parsley, into a large bowl with 220ml water. Season, cover and leave to marinate for at least a few hours but preferably overnight.

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Add all the marinated ingredients to a deep baking dish with the chicken skin-side up and roast for 40 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a further 20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Padrón peppers

15 MINUTES | SERVES 6 EASY | padrón peppers 500g olive oil sea salt

• Heat your grill to high. Toss the peppers with 2 tbsp of oil, then spread onto a baking sheet and grill for 10-15 minutes, turning regularly, until the skins are blackened and blistered. Season well with salt and serve.

Roasted chickpea salad

25 MINUTES | SERVES 6 EASY | V chickpeas 400g tin, rinsed, drained and patted dry olive oil smoked paprika 2 tbsp red onion 1 small, sliced cherry tomatoes 450g, halved celery 1 stick, finely chopped red chilli 1, finely chopped coriander a small bunch, torn feta 150g, crumbled

• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Add the chickpeas, 2 tbsp of oil and the smoked paprika to a roasting tin, mix and season. Roast for 15-20 minutes until golden.

• Add the remaining ingredients to a bowl, add the chickpeas and gently toss. Serve with a drizzle of the oil from the roasting tray.

Beetroot, goat’s cheese and mint dip

20 MINUTES | SERVES 6 EASY | V blanched hazelnuts 70g cooked beetroot 500g garlic 2 cloves, crushed greek yogurt 50g extra-virgin olive oil lemon 1, zested and juiced goat’s cheese 40g firm, crumbled mint leaves from a small bunch • Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Spread half of the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. Leave to cool slightly and roughly chop.

• Put the toasted nuts, beetroot, garlic, yogurt, 1 tbsp of olive oil, lemon zest and juice into a food processor and blitz. Season and transfer to a bowl.

• Roughly chop the remaining nuts and sprinkle over the blitzed beetroot along with the goat’s cheese, mint leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

Walnut labneh

15 MINUTES + DRAINING SERVES 6 | EASY | V natural yogurt 500g walnuts 40g extra-virgin olive oil

• Line a bowl with a double layer of muslin and spoon in the yogurt. Gather the edges of the muslin around it, tying a knot at the top. Hang the yogurt over the bowl for 4-6 hours, we find it easiest to hang it from a tap or using 2 chairs with a broom handle balanced on top. Turn out onto a plate and chill.

• Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Spread the walnuts on a baking tray and toast for 10-12 minutes until golden. Allow to cool and roughly chop.

• To serve spread the labneh out on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, season and scatter with walnuts.

Thin, crispy flatbreads

30 MINUTES + RESTING MAKES 12 | EASY | V strong white bread flour 400g unsalted butter 30g, melted sea salt a pinch OPTIONAL TOPPINGS egg 1 medium, beaten dukkah 2 tbsp (turn to page 24 for O’s homemade dukkah recipe)

• In a large bowl, mix the flour with 200ml of lukewarm water, the melted butter and salt. Knead for 10 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic, then wrap in clingfilm and rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

• Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll each to a large, thin circle. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until browning in patches. Cool on a wire rack while you cook the rest.

• Brush the flatbread with beaten egg while it’s still hot, and sprinkle with dukkah.

Chocolate mousse with pine nut brittle

40 MINUTES + CHILLING SERVES 6 | EASY dark chocolate 300g, broken into pieces eggs 8 at room temperature crème fraîche to serve (optional) BRITTLE caster sugar 75g pine nuts 50g, toasted sea salt

• To make the brittle, put the sugar and 2 tbsp of water into a pan over a medium heat and bring to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and cook until a caramel forms, swirling regularly. Stir in the nuts and pour onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and cool for 1 hour.

• Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water and melt, stirring occasionally.

• Separate the eggs, putting 6 of the yolks into a jug and all 8 whites into a large, clean bowl. Add the yolks to the melted chocolate and stir until well combined.

• Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. Using a large metal spoon, add a spoonful of the whites to the chocolate mixture and beat well. Continue until you see the mixture slacken, and then gently fold in the remaining egg white, trying to keep as much volume as possible. Divide the mousse between serving glasses and chill for at least 3 hours.

• Take the mousse out of the fridge 15 minutes early and serve with the brittle, broken into pieces, and crème fraîche.

COOK’S NOTES

Egg yolks freeze well – so bag up the leftovers in this recipe to use later.