Neven Maguire - Food from the Sun

To make the lemongrass sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the shallot, lemongrass and lemon rind and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened but not browned, stirring occasionally. Pour in the wine and simmer until reduced by half, stirring at intervals. Stir in the cream and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly reduced and thickened. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the lemon juice. Blitz with a hand-held blender and pass through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Keep warm over a low heat.

Just before you poach the oysters, melt the butter in a large pan and add the spinach and a pinch of salt. Cook for a minute or so over a high heat until just wilted, then drain off any excess liquid and spoon a mound of spinach into each oyster shell. Arrange on heated plates and keep warm. Add the oysters to the warm lemongrass sauce, still over a low heat, and gently poach for 30 seconds, but no longer. Carefully remove the oysters with a slotted spoon and place on top of the spinach in the shells. Place the hand-held blender in the sauce and blitz to lighten, then spoon the sauce over the poached oysters to serve.

Serves 4| VEGETARIAN

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

225g (8oz) black or green olives, or a mixture

finely grated rind and juice of

1 small lemon

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 tsp dried crushed chillies (optional)

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

In my opinion, the best type of olives for this dish come from Italy and have been stored in olive oil. You’ll find them at farmers’ markets or in a good deli. The longer you leave them to marinate, the better the flavour will be.

Toast the cumin and fennel seeds in a small, dry frying pan for 1–2 minutes until they become aromatic. Tip into a bowl and add the olives, lemon rind and juice, garlic, chillies, if using, and olive oil.

Toss until each olive is well coated and either drain off the excess liquid immediately and tip into small bowls to serve, or leave to marinate and allow the flavours to develop for as long as possible. The olives can be prepared up to one week in advance and stored in a bowl covered with clingfilm in the fridge.

Serves 4| VEGETARIAN

1 tbsp olive oil

225g (8oz) roasted salted whole almonds

4 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

These crunchy spiced nuts make an excellent snack to go with a few drinks. I like to use almonds but cashew nuts or pecan halves also work well.

Heat the oil in a frying pan set over a medium heat and add the almonds, stirring to coat. Sprinkle over the sugar, paprika and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the almonds are golden brown and the sugar has caramelised.

Spread out on a baking sheet to cool and harden, then break up any clusters as necessary before piling into small bowls to serve.

Serves 6–8

175ml (6fl oz) olive oil, for cooking

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

750g (1 3 4lb) lean minced turkey

175ml (6fl oz) white wine 1 4tsp ground cinnamon

1 4tsp ground allspice

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

2 bay leaves

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

4 medium aubergines plain flour, for dusting

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chunky Greek Salad, to serve (see page 111)

75g (3oz) unsalted butter

75g (3oz) plain flour

900ml (1 1 2pints) milk

75g (3oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

100g (4oz) Gruyère cheese, grated

1 egg, plus 2 egg yolks

Moussaka is a Greek dish made up of layers of minced lamb and aubergine, covered with a cheese sauce. Here, I’ve used turkey instead, which is economical and quite low in fat, but you could always make it the traditional way if you prefer. There are a few stages to the recipe, so it is best prepared in advance and then cooked just before serving.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Add the onion and cook gently for 6–8 minutes, stirring at intervals. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened but not browned.

Put a little olive oil in a frying pan set over a fairly high heat, then tip in half the minced turkey. Cook until lightly browned, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, then empty onto a plate. Repeat until all of the turkey is cooked, then deglaze the pan by adding just a little white wine and scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any sediment, allowing the liquid to simmer until it has reduced slightly.

Stir the cinnamon, allspice, oregano, bay leaves and thyme into the casserole dish with the onion mixture and cook for about a minute, stirring. Add the cooked turkey and the reduced wine, along with the remaining wine and the chopped tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 45–50 minutes until the turkey has broken right down and the liquid has reduced.

Meanwhile, cut the aubergines into slices 1cm ( 1 2in) in thickness and layer them up in a colander, sprinkling with salt between each layer. Set aside on the draining board for 30 minutes to allow the salt to draw out any bitter juices.

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a large non-stick saucepan set over a low heat and stir in the flour. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk, then return to the heat and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Remove from the heat again and stir in 50g (2oz) of Parmesan and 50g (2oz) of Gruyère until melted.

Add salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly, then whisk in the egg and egg yolks to combine.

Set a large frying pan over a high heat. Rinse the aubergines under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust the aubergine slices with flour. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the frying pan and fry the dusted aubergine slices in batches for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until cooked through and golden. Replenish the oil for each new batch. Drain the cooked slices on kitchen paper. You are now ready to construct the moussaka.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas mark 4. Spoon a third of the turkey mixture (discarding the bay leaves) into the base of an ovenproof dish measuring about 30 x 20cm (12 x 8in). Cover with half of the aubergine slices. Repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of the turkey mixture, then pour over the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and Gruyère on top and bake for 50–60 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. Allow the moussaka to settle for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and arranging on warmed plates with the chunky Greek salad.

Serves 4

450g (1lb) skinless chicken fillets

100g (4oz) vermicelli rice noodles

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

small bunch of fresh coriander

handful of fresh mint leaves

1 ripe mango, peeled, stone discarded and cut into fine strips

4 tbsp roughly chopped toasted cashew nuts

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

juice of 1 2lime

1 tsp mild curry powder

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed