Super Natural Every Day (25 page)

MAKES 140 G

Watermelon Salad

MEDJOOL DATES, LIME JUICE, PISTACHIO NUTS, ROSEWATER

	Frosty watermelon spheres tossed with a few slivered dates, crunchy pistachio nuts, and a sprinkle of rosewater—it’s the perfect salad for those summer days when it is too hot to move. I make the effort to use a melon baller here and prefer the small-size melon baller to the large.
Or, you can simply cube the melon. The presentation isn’t quite as nice, but it still tastes good. The rosewater is actually optional, so don’t fret if you don’t have any. I use just a hint of it, more for its flowery scent than for actual flavour. As with perfume, restraint is key when adding rosewater.
Use one small, heavy watermelon and keep it in the refrigerator overnight to chill it thoroughly before using.

740 g watermelon balls, well chilled

6 Medjool dates, pitted and sliced into thin slivers

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

45 g pistachio nuts, toasted (see
Wholegrain Breadcrumbs
) and coarsely chopped

Scant 1/8 teaspoon rosewater

Put the watermelon and dates in a large bowl. Stir the salt into the lime juice in a small bowl, drizzle it across the melon, and toss well. Just before serving, turn the salad out into whatever serving bowl you’ll be using and sprinkle with the pistachio nuts and the rosewater. Serve well chilled.

SERVES 4–6

Stuffed Medjool Dates

PURE ALMOND PASTE

	This is the easiest sweet treat I know, and one of my favourites. The key is buying good dates. I see an impressive range of dates in the markets here, but I find myself reaching for sweet, sticky Medjools more often than not. When you sink your teeth through their crinkled sugary skins and into the creamy almond paste inside, you’ll understand why.
A couple of tips: if you happen to come across a store well stocked with pure almond paste, pick up a couple tubes; it lasts a while unopened. Also, if you want to dress things up a bit, work a splash of brandy or amaretto into the almond paste before filling the dates.

12 medium–large Medjool dates

70 g pure almond paste, at room temperature

Carefully cut a slit into the side of each date and remove the pit. If you are having trouble getting the date to open, give a gentle squeeze while holding the top and bottom ends—as you would with an old-fashioned coin purse.

Mold the almond paste into a cylinder and cut into 12 equal pieces. Use your hands to roll each piece into a little football shape. Stuff each date with a piece of the almond paste and pinch the seam on each date to seal it.

Sometimes I serve the dates whole; other times, I cut each date at an angle so people can see the almond paste hiding inside.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Membrillo Cake

POPPY SEEDS, FLAKED ALMONDS

For this cake, I cut slabs of membrillo paste into small cubes. As they bake into the cake, they turn into melty little jam pockets. The cake mixture contains a blizzard of poppy seeds and is topped with toasty flaked almonds. You can typically find membrillo paste, also known as quince paste, in the cheese section of well-stocked markets.

310 g wholemeal flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

70 g golden caster sugar

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

60 g poppy seeds

Grated zest of 2 lemons

2 large eggs

355 ml buttermilk

60 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit

255 g membrillo (quince paste), cut into tiny cubes

2 tablespoons raw sugar or demerara sugar

20 g flaked almonds, lightly toasted (see
Wholegrain Breadcrumbs
)

Preheat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6) with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter and flour a 23 cm x 33 cm baking dish (or equivalent).

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, poppy seeds, and lemon zest in a large bowl.

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk. Whisk in the melted butter. Add to the flour mixture and stir briefly, until just combined. Gently fold in two-thirds of the membrillo cubes until they are evenly distributed.

Transfer the cake mixture into the prepared dish. Arrange the remaining membrillo across the top in a pleasing pattern. Sprinkle with the sugar, then the almonds.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SERVES ABOUT 12

Sweet Panzanella

WHOLEGRAIN BREAD, RASBERRIES, MUSCOVADO SUGAR,
SEA SALT

The sugar-crusted, caramelised bread cubes are what make this panzanella special. Don’t limit yourself to making this treat only during raspberry season; you can make the panzanella with just about any juicy berry or stone fruit—I like to use golden raspberries, but if you can’t find them, use red ones, blackberries, cherries, plums, or peaches. Use a substantial, hearty bread (preferably one made with wholemeal flour and nuts), and use a serrated knife to cut the bread into cubes. If you buy a loaf without nuts, toss a few toasted nuts into the panzanella before serving.

60 g unsalted butter

95 g dark muscovado sugar or dark soft brown sugar

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

455 g day-old artisan wholemeal bread, cut into 2.5 cm cubes

225 g golden or red raspberries, gently brushed clean and halved

Toasted nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4) with a rack in the middle of the oven.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in two-thirds of the sugar and the salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat. Add the bread cubes and toss for a minute or so, until the bread is fully coated. Pour the cubes out onto a baking tray and arrange the cubes in a single layer. Toast for about 15 minutes, or until the bread is golden, tossing every 5 minutes to make sure all surfaces get nice and crunchy. Let cool for a few minutes; the cubes will crisp up further.

In the meantime, combine half of the raspberries and the remaining sugar in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Keep mashing until the berries are super juicy and appetisingly chunky; this is your dressing.

Toss the bread cubes in a big bowl with the mashed berries. Just before serving, add the remaining halved raspberries and gently toss a bit more.

SERVES 6–8