Who: Genevieve Halbert – Marketing Executive, The Happy Foodie What I made: Sticky Rice Balls in Tamarind Rasam Broth What I thought: This was hands down the best thing I’ve cooked all year. The tamarind rasam broth, made with tamarind pulp, ginger, and fresh turmeric, had an incredibly intense flavour – sweet, salty, sour, and spicy all at once. This mouthwatering broth was punctuated by charred, sugar-sweet cherry tomatoes, blackened lemon slices, and herb-flecked sticky rice balls. The delicate, clean tasting rice balls provided a perfect counterpoint to the robust, complex flavours of the broth. For such a flavourful dish this was surprisingly easy to make. There are a few stages involved, but the rice balls can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge, making this a very viable midweek meal. I made this for my family and there were literal “wows” all round, even from my usually vegan-sceptic brother. What I thought: How do you make Cacio e Pepe, one of the best, creamiest, most satisfying dishes known to man, even better? Add za’atar, apparently. The addition of this fragrant, delicious spice really gave this comforting dish a bit of edge, and shot it to the top of my favourite midweek meal list. I didn’t have bucatini in the cupboard so I used humble old whole wheat spaghetti (in an attempt to be slightly healthy, in spite of the mountains of cheese involved), and I also swapped the marjoram leaves for some homegrown oregano, simply because I struggled to find the real ingredient in the supermarket. It was a super easy, quick meal to knock out after a stressful day at work, with barely any prep, just a little frying of butter, cooking of pasta, and grating of two kinds of cheese. Even I, the most basic of cooks, couldn’t really get this one wrong. Throw it together for a bowl of warm, cheesy heaven, and Bob’s – Yotam’s? – your uncle (I WISH Yotam was my uncle.) What I made: Saffron Tagliatelle with Ricotta and Crispy Chipotle Shallots What I thought: This was unlike any pasta dish I’ve ever made. The combination of the slightly pickled chillies and the sweet, crispy chipotle shallots was heaven. It was simple to make and you can soak the saffron and pickle the chillies earlier in the day to get ahead. Perfect for an indulgent week night meal or to make a big batch for a dinner party. I used shop-bought tagliatelle but there is also a recipe to make your own Saffron Tagliatelle for the very brave cook. Who: Morgana Chess – Campaigns Assistant, Ebury Publishing What I made: Broccoli with Mushroom Ketchup and Nori What I thought: This dish delivered the flavour on every level. The dried porcini mushrooms made the ketchup really earthy and rich, and the crunchy salty peanuts with nori flakes were the perfect topping for the broccoli. I served this dish with the Dirty Rice from Ottolenghi FLAVOUR as a side and it was a winning combo. Delicious! And much easier to make than I thought it would be – next time I will be making additional quantities of the ketchup to have on toast! Who: Clara Triboul – Senior Data & Strategy Manager, Penguin Random House What I made: Chickpea pancakes with mango pickle yoghurt What I thought: I love the modernity of well-balanced vegetarian dishes. This book is a gem of creativity, and I can’t wait to explore more recipes! To begin with, I set my mind on these chickpea pancakes because they seemed simple enough and quite frankly I had a big bag of gram flour I didn’t know what to do with. Well, who knew pancakes could be so flavourful? Their rich depth of flavour was nicely balanced with the tangy sweetness of the mango yoghurt. An absolute winner. Making these (vegan!) pancakes is straightforward, perfect for a Sunday brunch, and the recipe invites experimentation. I’ve already switched the boiled egg for a fried, and I might add roasted veggies next!
