For about 12 years now I’ve been predicting North African flavours will make a big impact on our cooking and it looks like this year, I’ll finally be right.
You’ll see ingredients such as freekeh and harissa making their way onto menus. Freekeh is a grain, a little like barley, widely used in the Middle East. It has a lovely earthy, slightly smoky flavour and is high in fibre with a very low GI. It’s becoming more and more widely available and can be bought in Holland and Barrett and larger supermarkets.
I’ve also used harissa which is a fabulous North African spice which has a lot of chilli in it.
The recipe I’ve created here is a proper dinner party dish, one that will impress your guests. I’ve used freekeh in a salad served with pigeon which is the best value game on the market, available all year round and hugely underused. The important thing to remember with pigeon is to never overcook it and always serve it pink.
To follow is my version of a classic upside down cake but with a twist as it’s a sort of cross between an apple pie, tart tartin and apple sponge. It’s one of these things that sounds tricky to make but is very easy to do.
You can cook it in one big pan then cut wedges from it and serve with ice-cream, whipped cream or both. The secret to serving is to let it sit for at least 10 minutes before taking it out of the pan.
For an extra treat, serve with a classic toffee sauce (melted sugar and double cream) or a caramel sauce (melted sugar and water).
FREEKEH SALAD WITH PAN FRIED PIGEON BREAST
SERVES 4
4 pigeon breasts
200g freekeh
A selection of attractive salad leaves, including baby chard, rocket
4 shallots, peeled but kept whole
1 aubergine
1 pomegranate
20g mint leaves
20g coriander leaves
20g flat leaf parsley
Maldon salt
Black pepper
Harissa
Olive oil
1tsp coriander seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
First cook the freekeh according to the pack instructions – usually 20-30 minutes in simmering stock or salted water. Slice the aubergine into thin rounds. Spread these onto a board and sprinkle salt over them. Now leave for about 30 minutes. After this, rinse the slices and pat dry on kitchen towel. Now brush on a little olive oil. Heat a griddle pan and chargrill the oiled slices on both sides, to get a criss cross pattern. Set aside.
Cook the shallots in simmering water for about 20 minutes until softened. Leave to drain on some kitchen towel. Now halve them, and separate into largish pieces. Chargrill these pieces. Set aside. For the pigeon breasts, heat a frying pan, add the olive oil and add the whole pigeon breasts to sear for about three minutes on each side. Remove and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. After this, slice thinly.
Halve the pomegranate and scoop out the seeds into a sieve over a bowl to catch the juice. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan for three minutes until popping. Set aside. Chop the mint, coriander and parsley, keeping a few whole leaves. Stir olive oil into the harissa until you have a pouring consistency.
Assemble the salad, starting with the leaves, now add in pieces of chargrilled aubergine and onion, the pomegranate seeds, herbs and freekeh. Sprinkle over the toasted spices and finish with thin slices of pigeon breast. Drizzle over the dressing and toss carefully with your hands. Serve.
SPICED APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH ICE-CREAM AND TOASTED ALMONDS
SERVES 4
4 Granny Smith apples
20g butter
2 eggs
110g sugar
110g self-raising flour
110g butter
30g sultanas
Zest of an orange, grated
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
Good quality vanilla ice cream
20g tasted flaked almonds
Caramel (optional)
125g sugar
20ml water
Heat the oven to 180C. Peel, core and chop the apples into even-sized cubes. If you are using individual rosti pans, use these on the hob to cook the apple in butter until slightly softened. Otherwise do this in a larger pan, then tip the buttery apples into a greased cake tin. Arrange them neatly on the base.
FOR THE SPONGE: Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then fold in the flour with the orange zest, raisins and spices. Now tip this over the apples taking care not to dislodge them. Place in a 180C oven for 20 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the oven and turn out so the base is now on the top.
Serve with the ice-cream and almonds, and caramel drizzled over the top. If making caramel, melt the sugar in a medium saucepan on the hob. Don’t let it burn, or splash. Add a little water (it will splutter and spit) to thin the caramel if necessary.