halloumi, fennel, asparagus and potato salad

as i mentioned recently, i’ve fallen in love with anna hansen’s lemon, fennel and halloumi bruschetta. the things which really makes this dish stand out for me are the layers aniseed flavours (fresh fennel and fennel seeds), the layers of caramelised flavours (the fennel and the strips of lemon zest both caramelise as they cook), the endlessly wonderful squeaky creaminess of the halloumi and the hit of citrus from the lemon.

so, when i saw hugh fearnley whittingstall’s recipe for potatoes, asparagus and halloumi which also uses lemon, i decided to combine the two, thinking that the potatoes could be used in place of the bruschetta bread. the result was fabulous, both eaten warm and as leftovers the following day.

to make this i cut my potatoes into bite size pieces, tossed them olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and then roasted them 180c for 10 minutes. while they were cooking i mixed together pieces of fennel (cut each bulb into 10 wedges), lemon zest (peel this off and then cut into matchsticks), lemon juice, fennel seeds and a bit more olive oil, salt and pepper. this was added to the potatoes after they’d been in the oven for ten minutes, mixed together and covered with foil. after 20 minutes roasting i added my asparagus and cubes of halloumi. another stir to mix the flavours and a final ten minutes in the oven uncovered.

i finished the dish with crispy capers (drain, dry and shallow fry in olive oil) and a squeeze of fresh lemon. i meant to add some parsley, as suggested in hfw’s recipe, but forgot and i don’t think it was missed at all.

fennel, lemon and halloumi bruschetta

fennel is one of my favourite vegetables; i also love fennel seeds as a spice. and lemon is one of the ingredients which i always need to have to hand, otherwise i start to feel twitchy. all of which makes it obvious that i was going to love this dish.

the flavour combination isn’t new but the results are absolutely superb – chunks of fennel are tossed with fennel seeds, matchsticks of lemon zest (use a vegetable peeler, avoid the white pith then cut into thin strips)the juice of the lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper. these are covered in foil and roasted at 180c for 20 mins and then, having been uncovered, are given a final 10 minutes to crisp up and caramelise the edges.

i think it’s the lemon peel match sticks which really make this taste so nice – cooking them slowly under cover so the peel softens before it starts to caramelise creates a mellow but rich flavour. this contrasts wonderfully well with the fennel seeds and creamy fried halloumi (slice and soak it overnight, to create a softer texture when it is cooked).

the final winning component in this anna hansen recipe, from her modern pantry cookery book, is crispy capers (shallow fry them in vegetable oil for a few minutes).

i piled these ingredients on top of some toasted sour dough bread, which was rubbed with a smoked garlic clove, and finished with some rocket and a drizzle of olive oil. just delicious and my favourite recipe from the book, so far.

chicken, fennel and orange salad

a lighter take on things, compared to the weekend’s cheesy pasta bake, was this chicken and fennel salad from jerusalem, the new cook book from yotam ottolenghi and sami tamimi, which i have already sung the praises of and which i am continuing to cook my way through.

this saffron, chicken and herb salad has a lot of light fresh flavours but the star component is, i think, the orange and saffron dressing, which is made from a boiled orange, honey, saffron and white wine vinegar which is blitzed together and used to make a paste which is then loosened with a bit of water and used to dress the salad. a simple salad of cooked chicken, thinly sliced raw fennel plus flavourings of mint, coriander, basil, chilli, garlic olive oil and lemon juice.

one orange gives you more than enough dressing for a salad for six so make sure you have a plan for using the leftovers. they suggest using it with oily fish. i think it would be great in a salad with duck or to add zing to a carrot soup. i also saw an idea that used it as  addressing for deep-fried artichokes and i think it would be lovely with stuffed courgette flowers (especially if they are stuffed with a tangy goats cheese).

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melting mozzarella and greens

london has become quite chilly over the past few days and stodge with gentle flavours is what i have been craving. in fact, this dish started off as an idea about stuffing cabbage leaves with a creamy leek and mushroom mix, but soon shifted towards pasta when i realised my cabbage was past its best.

it was also a great way to use up a random mix of other green vegetables that needed a bit of tlc. leeks and fennel were softened in melted butter with lots of garlic. i then added some reconstituted wild mushrooms and shredded sundried tomatoes plus a handful of marinated roasted artichokes and some leftover wilted spinach. a spoonful of flour was added and cooked for a minute and then i poured in the water from the mushrooms plus a couple of spoons of double cream (the dregs of a pot from the previous week) and some crème fraiche to lighten it all up. this was mixed with almost cooked pasta, chunks of mozzarella and then topped with breadcrumbs and grated cheese (a lurid red leicester!) before being heated through in the oven.

the greens made everything taste healthy whereas the stringy pockets of melted mozzarella made it taste decadent. perfect for a chilly sunday evening.

slow-roasted lamb with mediterranean vegetables and feta

this is the perfect dish for a hot sunny day when you really don’t want to have to put too much effort into knocking up something delicious. it was inspired by a picture i saw in a magazine and is very simple to make.

slow roasted lamb is the starting point – i used neck (which has the advantage of being cheap) which was roasted with onions, garlic, lemon and herbs. having said that, i have plans to repeat this dish next weekend, when our house has filled up with olympic visitors, using a shoulder of lamb. you can also use leftovers – just wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven, i don’t think the meat needs to be particularly hot.

about 40 minutes before the meat is ready and you want to eat, put a tray of chunked mediterranean vegetables into the oven – aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, fennel were my choices. season with salt, pepper and a few chilli flakes plus the juice of a lemon (add the lemon to the tray as well, sliced into centimetre pieces – it will caramelise and add a lovely flavour) and olive oil.

once everything is ready i piled the vegetables onto a serving platter, topped with the lamb (take it off the bone if you use a leg or shoulder), plus crumbled feta cheese, grated lemon zest and some shredded mint and/or basil. serve with a green salad, some hummus and flat breads, for scooping everything up.