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Katie, Highlands
“I was never a big aubergine fan,” sympathises Neil Campbell, head chef at Rovi in London. “The skin was always an issue for me: it’s bitter and astringent, but looks lush and shiny, and it tricked me every time.” While salvation can be found in the likes of Meera Sodha’s walnut-stuffed aubergines, Campbell finally saw the light when he started working for “the master of all aubergine dishes”, Yotam Ottolenghi. “I’m now fully converted.”
While we can’t transport an Ottolenghi to Katie’s kitchen to oversee her recovery, frying is as good a place to start as any. “Maybe it’s because I’m Scottish, but I love deep-fried aubergine,” Campbell says. Once fried, he then bakes it parmigiana-style, a tactic also employed by Ben Tish, whose new cookbook, Sicilia: A Love Letter to the Food of Sicily, is out next month. For the parmigiana served at London’s Norma, where Tish is culinary director, aubergines are salted “to get the water out�
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Last modified on Thu 13 May 2021 08.52 EDT
When asparagus season finally commences in Britain (from about the end of April to the end of June), we can often feel a bit guilty for giving those first spears anything but the simplest treatment: simmered until just done, drained and served, that’s it. Radical innovation, you might think, is best saved for the off-season, when the only available asparagus has journeyed thousands of miles and looks it. But variety doesn’t have to be complicated – there are lots of ways to liven up a serving of asparagus without overwhelming it. I don’t know exactly how many but, as usual, I stopped at 17.
What’s the secret to a great salad dressing? Mine’s always bitter.
Hilary, Alnwick, Northumberland
Vinaigrette consists of oil, salt and acid (vinegar or citrus juice, usually). There’s a bit more to it, of course – but not much. As in life, it all comes down to balance, which for chef Raymond Blanc means a 3:1 ratio of extra-virgin olive oil to wine vinegar (or balsamic “for a sweeter flavour”). “I often use a tablespoon of water to thin down the oiliness, so the leaves aren’t over-coated,” adds Blanc, whose latest book, Simply Raymond, Recipes From Home was published last week. “You can add a little magic with fresh herbs such as chervil, coriander or tarragon, or walnut oil.”