Feta, fig and olive on sourdough (pictured above)
Prep 10 min
Serves 2
4 thick slices fresh sourdough
2 heaped tbsp black olive tapenade
1 handful rocket
4 sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 figs, thinly sliced
100g feta, thinly sliced
Honey, for drizzling
Extra-virgin olive oil
Drizzle each slice of bread with olive oil.
Spread the tapenade on two of the slices of bread.
Sprinkle the sundried tomatoes over the tapenade, then add a good layer of rocket.
Add the slices of feta, and lay over the figs.
Drizzle with honey, then sandwich together with the remaining two slices of bread.
By Sam Dixon, samdixonstylist.com
Grilled mackerel buns with horseradish cream
Prep 30 min
Cook 5 min
Serves 6
12 mackerel fillets, about 100g each, boned, skin on
Sunflower oil, for frying
6 buns, warmed in the oven
100g watercress
Salt and black pepper
Gooseberry jam (optional), to serve
For the horseradish soured cream
4 tbsp soured cream
30g fresh horseradish peeled and grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
To make the horseradish soured cream, mix all the ingredients together a bowl.
Season the mackerel well with salt and pepper. Heat two tablespoons of oil over a medium-high heat in a frying pan and add the fillets skin-side down. Cook in batches of two to four fillets, depending on the size of your pan. Press down for the first 10 seconds so that the mackerel doesn’t curl up. Cook for two minutes until crisp, then flip over and cook for a further 30 seconds on the other side. Repeat with the remaining fillets.
Cut the warmed buns horizontally, put two mackerel fillets in each along with a good spoonful of the horseradish soured cream and some watercress. If you have any gooseberry jam in the fridge, dot some on the mackerel.
Adapted from The Hidden Hut by Simon Stallard (HarperCollins)
Lemongrass fried tofu banh mi
Prep 20 min
Pickle/drain Overnight
Cook 15 min
Makes 4
For the pickle
250ml rice vinegar
250g sugar
250g carrots, julienned
250g daikon, julienned
For the tofu
400g firm tofu, drained and pressed overnight
500ml vegetable oil
For the filling
1 tbsp garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp lemongrass stalk, finely diced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp mushroom oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp red chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp onion, finely diced
3 tbsp sesame oil
For the banh mi
4 half baguettes, warmed in the oven (or 2 long ones, cut in half)
2 tsp butter
3 tsp mayonnaise
1 cucumber, deseeded and cut into thick slices
To garnish
2 stems coriander leaves, chopped
1 spring onion, sliced
2 tsp soy sauce
¼ red chilli, sliced
Crispy fried shallot slices (optional)
Black pepper
The night before, heat the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool completely, then pour over the carrot and daikon in a sterilised jar, seal and refrigerate.
Cut the tofu into four and fry in the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat for three minutes a side, until golden, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel. Then put the tofu in a bowl.
For the filling, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add in the garlic and lemongrass. Fry for two minutes then add the remaining ingredients and fry for a further three minutes. Take off the heat, add the tofu, coat completely on all sides, then leave to cool.
Open the four half-baguettes lengthways. Remove some soft crumb, spread each with butter and mayo, and a quarter of the filling. Top with pickles and garnishes.
Adapted from The Little Viet Kitchen by Thuy Diem Pham (Absolute Press)
Vegan oyster mushroom po’boy
Prep 45 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 4
4 hot dog-style buns
190g lettuce, finely sliced
3 tomatoes, thinly sliced
3 gherkins, sliced into rounds
For the mushrooms
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
6 tbsp water
225ml unsweetened non-dairy milk
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground white or black pepper
225g oyster mushrooms
1-1.4 litres vegetable oil, for frying
For the breading
20g panko breadcrumbs
25g polenta
35g plain flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cayenne
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground pepper
For the dressing
225g vegan thousand island dressing or vegan mayonnaise
4 tbsp sweet green relish
For the mushrooms, mix the flaxseed and water in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to thicken. In another bowl, mix the non-dairy milk, vinegar, oyster sauce, garlic powder, basil and pepper. Add the flax mixture, then pour the marinade over the mushrooms in a large ziplock bag, making sure they are well submerged.
Chill for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot to 190C/375F on a deep-frying thermometer. The oil should be heated to the right temperature just as you’re about to bread the mushrooms.
Mix all the breading ingredients in a bowl, then coat each mushroom evenly on all sides using your hands. Fry for two to three minutes in batches, then drain on kitchen paper.
Combine the dressing ingredients, then halve each bun, spread with the dressing, layer with lettuce, tomato, gherkins, the mushrooms and more dressing, if you like. Reheat any leftover fried mushrooms at 220C/425F/gas 7 for 10–12 minutes until crisp.
From Vegan Comfort Classics by Lauren Toyota (Ebury)
Egg, tomato and anchovy
Prep 10 min
Rest 2 hours +
Serves 2
2 large white rolls, focaccia loaves or half-baguettes
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
Salt and black pepper
1 dash red-wine vinegar
2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 large hard-boiled egg, peeled and sliced (optional)
8 black olives, pitted and halved
100g anchovies, rinsed and patted dry
8 fresh basil leaves, torn into strips
2 handfuls mixed greens, about 20g
Slice the rolls in two horizontally. Drizzle the inside of each, top and bottom, with oil.
Core the tomatoes, slice them thinly (don’t discard the juice or seeds), and arrange them on the bottom half. Press the garlic cloves through a garlic press (or finely mince them), and spread the pulp and juices over the tomatoes. Season with a little salt, plenty of pepper and a dash of vinegar.
Top with the spring onions, egg (if using), olives, anchovies and basil. Arrange the greens over the filling, and cover with the top half.
Bring to room temperature before you eat.
Adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini by Clotilde Dusoulier (Marion Boyars)
Shooter’s sandwich
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Press 6 hr+
Serves 4
1 crusty round loaf
75g butter
500g mushrooms, finely diced
200g shallots, finely diced
Garlic, finely grated, to taste
A shot of brandy
A splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 handful chopped parsley (optional)
2 rib-eye steaks (around 300g each)
Salt and black pepper
Horseradish sauce
Dijon mustard
Slice off the top quarter of the loaf and pick out most of the crumb.
Put the butter in a pan and cook the mushrooms and shallots, stirring continuously, until softened and reduced in size.
Add the garlic, brandy and Worcestershire sauce, season, and add the parsley if using.
Season the steaks and sear in a hot dry pan just to the pink side of medium rare – don’t bother resting them. Work fast and tuck the first one, dripping and hot, straight into the bottom of the hollow loaf. It doesn’t matter if the juices leak now – in fact, it just makes the whole thing more sublime. Dollop your hot mushroom mixture over, then put the second steak on the top. Smear the horseradish and mustard on the inside of the lid, then fit it back on to the loaf.
Wrap the whole thing in greaseproof paper and tie with butcher’s string, then wrap in two layers of foil and smush flat under a heavy chopping board and as many weights as you can find. Leave under the weights in a reasonably cool place (don’t refrigerate) for at least six hours, and preferably overnight. When ready to serve, remove the foil and cut through the string, paper and sandwich. Slice like a cake to serve.
From The DIY Cook by Tim Hayward (Fig Tree)
- Food styling: Sam Dixon. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins
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