Marcus Wareing - New Classics

BRAISED TOFU WITH BUCKWHEAT, CAVALO NERO AND CAPERS

Tofu itself is a rather flavourless ingredient, however it does add a good texture to dishes. If you have never been a fan then do try this dish as the flavours work really well together and create a tasty and wholesome meal. Always use firm tofu, and preferably a refrigerated product, not an ambient, shelf-stocked one, as the flavour and texture are much better.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 50 minutes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

200g buckwheat

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp picked thyme leaves

2 tbsp tomato purée

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

300ml Vegetable Stock

350g firm tofu, cut into 5mm dice

200g cavolo nero or kale, tough stems removed and leaves roughly sliced

3 tbsp capers in brine, strained and finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over high heat. When hot, add the onions, season with sea salt and pepper and cook for 15–20 minutes until golden and caramelised.

Meanwhile, toast the buckwheat in a dry frying pan for 5 minutes over medium heat, then cook it according to the packet instructions. Drain well and stir through the olive oil. Keep warm.

Add the garlic and chilli to the onions and cook for a further 4 minutes, until soft, then add the balsamic vinegar and cook until it coats the onion mix. Add the thyme, tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and 200ml of the vegetable stock and mix well. Simmer rapidly for 5 minutes.

Scatter the tofu in the frying pan on top of the onion mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook the tofu for 10 minutes.

Add the cavolo nero to the pan with the capers. Add the remaining vegetable stock. Cover the frying pan and cook gently for about 5 minutes, or until the cavolo nero is cooked. Stir to combine.

Spoon the buckwheat into bowls then top it with the braised tofu, cavolo nero and caper sauce.

CAULIFLOWER BHAJIS WITH MANGO AND CORIANDER YOGHURT

A bhaji is an Indian fritter, typically made with onions and loads of spices. I have used cauliflower along with the onion, as it gives the bhajis a slight nuttiness. The sweet, slightly spiced yoghurt is a great accompaniment, too.

Serves: 4 as a starter (makes about 16 bhajis)

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: around 50 minutes

25g butter

2 onions, finely sliced

1 cauliflower, grated (a box grater works well)

1 green chilli, deseeded and finely diced

3 tbsp chopped coriander

1 egg

125g chickpea flour

½ tsp baking powder

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SPICE MIX

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp coriander seeds

¼ tsp black mustard seeds

½ tsp garam masala

FOR THE MANGO AND CORIANDER YOGHURT

2 tbsp mango chutney

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander

½ tsp nigella seeds

1 tsp sriracha sauce (hot chilli sauce)

100g Greek yoghurt

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions, season with sea salt and cook for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden and caramelised. Add the grated cauliflower and cook for a further 4 minutes.

To make the spice mix, toast the ingredients in a small dry frying pan over medium heat until fragrant and the mustard seeds begin to pop. Remove from the heat and grind to a powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.

Place the onion and cauliflower mix into a large bowl. Add the spice mix and mix well. Mix in the chilli, coriander and egg. Add the chickpea flour and baking powder and fold gently to just combine. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

To make the mango and coriander yoghurt, whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.

Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep-fat fryer or large, deep saucepan to come up to 6cm and heat it to 160°C. Carefully place spoonfuls of the bhaji mix in the hot oil and fry in batches for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to kitchen paper, to soak up any excess oil. Season with sea salt and serve with the yoghurt.

THAI VEGETABLE CURRY

This is my take on classic Friday night comfort food. Making your own curry paste really enhances the flavour of any curry, so I really recommend giving it a go. Using two chillies does create a spicy sauce, so if you prefer less heat then stick to just the one. You can find coriander with its roots intact at Indian grocers or specialist grocers, though if you can’t find it, regular coriander (just the leaves and stems) will do just fine.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: around 50 minutes

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 tbsp fish sauce

15g palm sugar

400ml coconut milk

400ml Vegetable Stock

2 sweet potatoes (around 600g), peeled and diced into approx. 1.5cm cubes

12 button mushrooms, quartered

8 stalks Tenderstem broccoli

100g fresh or frozen peas

1 × 220g tin sliced water chestnuts, drained

FOR THE GREEN CURRY PASTE

2 green chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped

3 shallots, peeled

4cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

2 lemongrass stalks

1 bunch of coriander (stalks and roots if possible)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

½ tsp table salt

grated zest and juice of 1 lime

To make the curry paste, put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the curry paste and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until very fragrant.

Add the fish sauce and palm sugar and cook for 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, discarding the remnants in the sieve.

Bring the curry sauce to a simmer and season to taste with salt (if needed). Add the sweet potato and cook for 10 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Cook the broccoli in a separate pan of boiling water for 6 minutes, until tender.

Add the broccoli, peas and water chestnuts to the curry, heat through and serve with fluffy rice.

AUBERGINE, FREEKEH AND CASHEW TAGINE

Freekeh is a roasted green wheat that that brings out nuttiness and earthiness in this tagine. It is similar in texture to bulgur wheat but is a little softer. It is readily available in most supermarkets. This is a great midweek meal as it is quick to prepare, but also very satisfying.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

100g cashew nuts

200g freekeh

6 tbsp vegetable oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp tomato purée

400ml tomato passata or 1 × 400g tin chopped tomatoes

250ml Vegetable Stock

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

1 tsp black treacle

50g dried currants

2 tsp saffron stands, soaked in 1 tbsp warm water for 10 minutes