7 DELICIOUS RECIPES FROM LISA CLARK’S COOKBOOK, LISA CLARK EVERYDAY

PISSALADIÈRE

When we were growing up, my dad used to make a pizza with olives and anchovies – I loved this pizza but had a problem with the melted cheese (I’m not big on melted cheese). In my first year of cookery school when they showed us how to make a classic French

pissaladière, I was so excited that I think I made one weekly for about two years.

Serves 8 Preparation time: 35 minutes Baking time: ±35 minutes Difficulty: Easy

• 30ml olive oil • 1kg onions, thinly sliced • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 15ml sugar • 15ml finely chopped fresh thyme • 2.5ml salt • 1ml black pepper • ½ quantity Basic Bread Dough (recipe on page 110) • 50g anchovy fillets (drained weight) • 1 handful black olives, pitted

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions, garlic, sugar, thyme, salt and pepper together over a very low heat for about 30 minutes until the onions are caramelised and meltingly soft. 2. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 3. Roll the dough into a large, rough rectangle and place on a baking tray.

4. Spread the onion mixture over the dough and arrange the anchovies on top in a classic crisscross pattern (if you want). Scatter (or arrange) the olives between the anchovies.

5. Bake for 25–35 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

6. Remove from the oven, cut into squares and serve warm.

MOUSSAKA

The ONLY way I will eat aubergines!

Serves 8–10 Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Difficulty: Easy

• 2 large aubergines, thinly sliced • 90ml olive oil • 1 medium-sized brown onion, finely chopped • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 5ml ground cinnamon • 2.5 ml ground allspice • 1.8kg Basic Bolognaise (recipe on page 110) • 125ml grated mozzarella • lemon wedges, for serving

WHITE SAUCE

• 75g butter • 100g cake flour • 500ml milk, warmed

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium to high heat and brush the aubergine slices with 30ml of the olive oil. Cook the aubergines, in batches, for 2–3 minutes each side or until browned. Drain on kitchen paper.

2. Heat the remaining 60ml olive oil in a large saucepan over medium to high heat and add the onion and the garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion has softened.

3. Add the spices and cook for a further 2 minutes.

4. Add the bolognaise and cook for about 10 minutes, allowing the flavours to infuse. 5. Meanwhile, make the white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium to high heat and add the flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until bubbling. Gradually stir in the warm milk and slowly bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the

mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat. 6. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 7. Place one-third of the aubergine slices, slightly overlapping, on the base of an ovenproof dish. Spread half the meat sauce over the aubergines. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of aubergines.

8. Spread the white sauce over the aubergines and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

9. Bake for 30–40 minutes or until bubbling hot and golden.

10. Serve with lemon wedges.

TOMATO AND OLIVE FISH BAKE

I love tomatoes, olives and fish so it was a no-brainer to develop a recipe that contained these three ingredients. I’m pleased to say that this recipe was a winner and is now a keeper.

Serves 4 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10–15 minutes Difficulty: Easy

• 450ml Basic Tomato Sauce (recipe on this page) • 2 cloves garlic, crushed • 4 spring onions, finely sliced • 200g pitted black olives, halved • juice and zest of 1 lemon • 60ml olive oil • 45ml chopped fresh coriander • 500g Basic Grilled Fish (recipe on 110) • salt and freshly ground black pepper • lemon wedges, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. 2. Mix all the ingredients together, except the fish and seasoning.

3. Place the fish into an ovenproof dish and pour over the tomato and olive sauce.

4. Season with salt and pepper; bake for 10–12 minutes.

5. Serve piping hot with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

Makes 1 litre Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Difficulty: Easy

• 2kg ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped • 100ml olive oil • 60ml balsamic vinegar • 20ml sugar • salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. 2. Place the chopped tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle evenly with the olive oil and balsamic.

3. Sprinkle with the sugar and season very well with salt and pepper.

4. Roast in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, and allow the edges of the tomatoes to char slightly as this gives a delicious roasted flavour.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking tray.

6. Blend the roasted tomatoes until completely smooth.

7. Refrigerate or freeze the sauce until needed.

BASIC BOLOGNAISE

Makes ±3.6 kg Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 2 hours Difficulty: Easy

• 30ml olive oil • 1 white onion, finely chopped • 1kg lean beef mince • 250g button mushrooms, grated • 250g courgettes, grated • 1kg carrots, grated • 1 x 410g tin tomato and

onion mix • 60ml red split lentils • 70g tomato paste • 250ml beef stock • 100ml red wine • 100ml tomato sauce • 50ml chutney • 50ml Worcestershire sauce • 10ml brown sugar • 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried • juice and zest of 1 large lemon • 125ml fresh cream or

full-cream milk • salt and freshly ground

black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion; sauté until softened and golden.

2. Add the mince and sauté for about 15 minutes until the meat is well browned.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cream and seasoning. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and allow the bolognaise to cook for at least 1½ hours until the meat is very tender and the sauce thick and rich.

4. Add the cream, remove the bay leaf and season well to taste.

BASIC BREAD DOUGH

Makes 1 large loaf, 2 small loaves or 24 mini rolls Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours rising time Baking time: 30–35 minutes for loaves and 10–15 minutes for rolls Difficulty: Easy

• 500g white bread flour • 15ml salt • 30ml sugar • 10g (1 sachet) instant yeast • 45ml olive, sunflower or

coconut oil • ± 300 ml warm water

1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar and the yeast in a large bowl or into the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the centre and add the oil and the water. Mix well to form a soft dough. If the dough seems a little stiff, add another 15–30 ml water. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10–12 minutes until the dough is silky smooth (knead for the same length of time if using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment).

2. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise for 1 hour until doubled in size.

3. Knock back the dough and shape into either two loaf pans or 24 mini rolls on a baking tray. Allow to rise again until doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 220°C and, once the loaves or rolls have doubled in size, place into the oven.

5. Bake the loaves for 30–35 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Bake the rolls for 10–15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

6. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

BASIC GRILLED FISH

Makes 500g (serves 4) Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 5–7 minutes Difficulty: Easy

• 500g yellow-tail or other

sustainable white fish • juice of 1 lemon • 15ml chopped fresh parsley • 5ml grated garlic • 5ml salt • 2ml freshly ground black pepper • 35ml olive oil

1. Preheat the oven on the highest grill setting and move the oven racks into a suitable position before they get too hot.

2. Cut the fish into four portions and pat dry with kitchen paper.

3. Mix the lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and the olive oil in a shallow, flat dish.

4. Add the fish and gently flip over to coat the underside. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

5. Place the fish onto a baking tray or in an ovenproof pan, skin-side down, and drizzle with some of the marinade. Place under the hot grill for 7–10 minutes until the fish is lightly browned and the flesh separates easily with a fork.

6. Season with extra salt and pepper, if needed, and serve warm.