There is method behind the madness of charring vegetables so much that you are forced to open every window and door to avoid the dreaded fire alarm orchestra. On a cellular level, amino acids and sugars are rearranging themselves nicely; for non‑scientists, that means flavours are concentrating, imparting complexity, bitterness, sweetness and deliciousness. This is why I tend to recommend roasting carrots (and any other veg, really), rather than boiling them. It’s also why today I can bunch together three such different recipes – a bread, a dip and a leafy salad – all joined together by the enchanting power of heat and smoke.
Charred parsnip and Jerusalem artichoke bread (pictured above)
This soft, crumbly, oaty loaf is brilliant toasted and served for breakfast with lots of butter, or with a soup or stew at any other time of day. Potato flour is starchy and makes the bread very light. It will keep well for three days.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 6
300g parsnips (3-4 parsnips), skin left on and roughly chopped into quarters
200g jerusalem artichokes, skin left on and roughly chopped in half
120g potato flour (I used Doves Farm)
120g rolled oats, ground in a spice grinder or food processor
60g quick-cook polenta
1 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ caraway seeds, toasted and roughly blitzed
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
30g soft light brown sugar
25g spring onions (1-2 spring onions), finely chopped
120ml olive oil
360g soured cream
2 eggs, separated
Salt and black pepper
Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas 3. Line and grease a 20cm x 10cm 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Put the vegetables in a food processor and roughly blitz into 1cm pieces (or chop by hand).
Put a large frying pan on a high heat and, once very hot, add half the parsnips and jerusalem artichokes. Dry-fry for about eight minutes, turning down the heat to medium-high after a few minutes and stirring every so often, until the vegetables are lightly charred but not burned. Repeat with the rest of the veg, then leave to cool for a few minutes.
Put all the remaining ingredients except the egg whites and seasoning in a large bowl, stir to combine, then add the cooled vegetables, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.
Whisk the egg whites for a minute or two, to soft peaks, then gently fold into the bowl until just combined, taking care not to overwork it.
Spoon the dough into the lined tin and bake for 30 minutes, until risen and beginning to colour. Cover loosely with foil, bake for another 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a final 10 minutes, until golden brown (a skewer will not come out totally clean, but it should be only slightly moist). Leave the loaf to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a rack.
Warm aubergine, red pepper and tomato dip
This aromatic vegetable dip, with eggs folded through it at the end, is a non-traditional take on an Iranian dish. Serve as part of a meze spread, or as a light supper or weekend breakfast with good bread and some salty cheese or crunchy salad.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 2-4
500g aubergines (2-3 aubergines)
150g red pepper
350g vine tomatoes (4-5 tomatoes)
15g red chilli
75ml olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp tomato paste
Salt and black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
5g mint leaves, roughly torn at the last minute
30g walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Heat a large griddle pan on a high flame. Toss the aubergine, peppers, tomatoes and chilli in a tablespoon of oil. Once the pan is very hot, add the vegetables in stages and cook, turning every so often, until deeply charred all over and soft – about 10 minutes for the tomatoes and chilli, 35 for the aubergines and peppers.
As each vegetable is cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside on separate plates to cool for about 10 minutes. Once cool, peel the pepper, discard the skin, stem and seeds, and finely chop the flesh – you should end up with about 80g. Peel and roughly chop the tomatoes, to leave you with about 250g flesh and juice. Peel the aubergines, discard the skins and stems, but leave some of the char on the flesh to add smokiness to the dish, then put in a sieve set over a bowl and leave to drain for 15 minutes. Finely chop the aubergine flesh, to leave you with about 200g. Discard the stem and seeds of the chilli, and finely chop the flesh.
Heat two and a half tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame. Fry the onion until softened and lightly browned – about seven minutes – then add the spices, garlic, cooked chilli and tomato paste, and cook for a minute more. Add the aubergine, pepper, tomato, a teaspoon of salt, a good grind of black pepper and 100ml water, turn the heat to medium, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces.
Slowly add the eggs, stirring continuously, and cook for two minutes on a medium-low heat, until they are just cooked.
Transfer to a shallow serving bowl and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Scatter over the mint and walnuts, drizzle with the remaining oil and serve hot with warm bread to scoop it all up.
Grilled radicchio and kale salad with orange and hazelnuts
It may seem a little counterintuitive to grill leaves, but it really elevates certain salads, particularly those with hardy wintry leaves.
Prep 15 min
Cook 8 min
Serves 4 as a starter
2½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1½ tsp runny honey
1 shallot, peeled and very finely chopped
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
250g radicchio, (1 head) trimmed and cut into 8 wedges
150g kale, woody stems removed and discarded, leaves roughly shredded
1 orange, skin and pith removed, flesh cut into half-moons
40g blanched hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
1½ tsp toasted sesame oil
In a small bowl, whisk the first five ingredients with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking continuously, to emulsify.
Put the radicchio and kale in a large bowl, add half the dressing, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and toss gently.
Heat a well-oiled griddle pan on a high flame and, once smoking, cook the radicchio and kale in batches, until charred in places but not completely wilted – about 90 seconds to two minutes. Transfer to a plate while you griddle the rest.
Toss the orange and hazelnuts in the remaining dressing until coated.
To serve, spread out the grilled kale and radicchio on a serving platter, pour over the dressed orange and hazelnuts, drizzle with the sesame oil and serve.
