I recently contracted Covid — and completely lost my sense of taste, again. For any of us, losing our sense of taste is troubling. But as a chef it renders you almost entirely useless. The first time it happened, not knowing what to do, I parked myself on the pavement outside my restaurant and asked my chefs to cobble together dishes based on my rough descriptions. The dishes were waved out of the window for me to approve, before I watched the sous chef eat them. Is it sharp enough? Spicy enough? Yes, not quite. It was only later, a week into opening, that I got to try them.
For this week’s recipes, I set about jotting down ideas that celebrated the one thing I knew to be true at the time: texture. Not just ‘‘crunch’’, which from watching endless TikToks you’d think is the only desirable texture of the moment. But crumbly, juicy, chewy, creamy — all of the textures I crave from my sick bed. Both of the following recipes are a meditation on these things. And, when my taste came back to me, a celebration of a palate reawakened.
Roast beetroot and aubergine with black garlic yoghurt and kaffir lime pangrattato
It’s the black garlic that teases out the earthy sweetness of the aubergine and beetroot in this dish. It’s generally sold in bulbs, but you can purchase the paste at some supermarkets and online. If you’re just working with the cloves, then you can pound them into a fine paste with a splash of water in a pestle and mortar before adding to the yoghurt.
Serves 4 as a side
Ready in about 1 hour
Ingredients
2 aubergines
550g beetroot, peeled
5 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp table salt
For the pangrattato
4 Tbsp olive oil
30g panko breadcrumbs
4g kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
A good pinch of table salt
1 lime, zested
For the black garlic yoghurt
200g Greek yoghurt
1 tsp black garlic paste
1 Tbsp tamarind paste
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C fan. Cut the aubergine and beetroot into 3-4cm pieces on the diagonal and place on a lined baking tray. Toss them with the olive oil, cumin and salt and roast for 50 minutes, tossing halfway through, until they are both cooked through and the aubergine is golden and crisp.
For the pangrattato, set a large pan on a medium heat. Add the oil and once hot, add the panko, lime leaves, garlic, chilli and salt and gently toast, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes, until golden and fragrant.
Decant to a small bowl, stir in the lime zest and set aside.
Mix all the ingredients for the garlic yoghurt, then smooth over the base of a serving dish. Top with the roasted veg and sprinkle over the pangrattato.
Tomato parmesan tart with almond ricotta and everything seasoning
Good tomatoes aren’t a given; they’re a blessing. Working in restaurants, I was so lucky to get hold of some incredible specimens, including tomatoes plucked from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. These days, when I have to shop like a muggle, I try to swerve supermarket tomatoes entirely, and opt for markets or organic vegetable shops, where I can smell them, looking for an aroma that is deeply vegetal and viney.
Serves 8
Ready in 3.5 hours
Ingredients
For the pastry
180g plain flour
50g parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp caster sugar
125g unsalted butter, cubed
1-2 Tbsp ice-cold water
For the almond ricotta
250g ricotta
30g ground almonds
1 egg
15g panko breadcrumbs
zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely grated
½ tsp table salt
For the tomato topping
600g mixed heritage tomatoes, cut into 1cm slices
1 tsp table salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp harissa
1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
1½ Tbsp everything bagel seasoning
Method
To make the pastry, add the dry ingredients to a food processor and mix briefly to combine. Add the butter, then pulse a few times until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until the mixture comes together in a rough ball. Remove from the processor, shape into a flat disc and place in a ziplock bag or wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
For the almond ricotta, stir everything together in a small bowl and set aside.
To prepare the topping, mix the tomatoes with the salt, then place in a sieve set over a mixing bowl. Allow to drain for at least 10 minutes, then discard the liquid. In another bowl, stir together the oil and harissa, then toss in the tomatoes and spring onions.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Once the pastry is chilled, generously flour a work surface, as well as the top of the pastry. Use a rolling pin to very gently roll out the pastry to a 35cm circumference, rotating it between each roll, and flipping it over to ensure it doesn’t stick to the work surface. The pastry will be fragile and a little crumbly around the edges, but that’s OK — this is a rustic tart, and you can squash the pastry together if it breaks around the edges. Transfer to a large baking tray lined with parchment paper (the easiest way is to half roll it over the rolling pin, and use it to lift and transfer it to the tray).
To assemble the tart, place the ricotta mix into the centre and smooth it out, leaving a 10cm border around the edges. Top with the tomatoes, spreading them evenly over the ricotta, tucking the spring onions between the tomatoes to prevent burning. Fold the edges of the pastry over the tomatoes. Sprinkle over the bagel seasoning, then bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the tomatoes are soft and bubbling. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving, so that the excess juices can be absorbed into the ricotta. — The Observer
Helen Graham is a chef and food writer in London.
