A combination of the warmer weather, dusting off my sunglasses and the impending release of my new book, MEDesque (out on Thursday!), has got me fully focused on sunshine food and Mediterranean flavours. OK, so I’m not quite in rosé-in-the-garden territory just yet, but it’s close. And I am counting down the days. At home, I am leaning heavily on recipes from the queen of all things Med, Claudia Roden, to get my fix. Big hitters such as her bean stew with chorizo and bacon and chicken traybake with olives and boiled lemon deliver on all fronts, and immediately transport me to my favourite region. And gone are cold, slow days spent labouring over a lasagne. Instead, I am gravitating towards lighter pasta dishes such as Georgia Levy’s broccoli and anchovy farfalle, Giorgio Locatelli’s pasta con le sarde (with sardines, anchovies, fennel, raisins and pine nuts) and Yotam Ottolenghi’s straccetti with red mullet, harissa and black olives – all effortless yet flavoursome. If you’re not quite ready to give up on wintry ragu and bolognese just yet, then Anna Tobias’s lamb shanks and orzo are a joy – it’s how many pasta dishes are cooked in the eastern Mediterranean and north Africa, where the pasta is stirred through the meat and absorbs all those juices and flavours. It’s my favourite way to eat pasta.
While I’m not quite ready to eat outdoors, I have started cooking outdoors, and last week I reawakened our wood oven. It was heated out of its winter slumber especially for Greek Orthodox Easter, because my yiayia (grandma) had requested kleftiko for Sunday lunch. Nothing screams summer and Med cooking as much as when I get that wood oven going, and not just for pizzas (although they do taste pretty elite when cooked outdoors). Nigel Slater’s pizette recipes are a great place to start if you are giving homemade pizza a go, and The Ultimate Wood-Fired Oven Cookbook, by Genevieve Taylor, was a bible when we first got acquainted with our new toy. I’m yet to dust off the barbecue, but that will undoubtedly be the next step, and I cannot wait for the smell of perfect pork souvlaki and charred, spiced adana kebabs to waft through the garden.
For a sweet fix, I am a big fan of gelato and sorbet once the sun starts making an appearance. Having a stash of lemon sorbet in the freezer is always a good idea, and this one by Felicity Cloake is a real winner. For a showstopping make-ahead pud, Helen Goh’s almond and honey semifreddo is perfect for when you have guests over, and will instantly transport you to a sunny Italian spot, too – as, indeed, would any of Yotam’s grownup granitas. Perhaps I will have my first rosé in the garden this weekend, and perhaps it will be in granita form? That would be glorious indeed.
My spring food highlights
You say tomato, I say tomato | The first UK tomatoes are now being harvested, and you can order them direct from the brilliant Isle of Wight Tomatoes. I love it when a box of their colourful sweet toms turn up on my doorstep, plus they also have an excellent range of sauces and preserved tomatoes. Greek salads are officially a go.
Break the ice | Having tubs of gelato in the freezer, just because, is one of my adult “musts”. It started when London favourite Nonna’s Gelato began delivering its incredible Christmas range (sage and brown butter, anyone?), and I bought tubs and tubs of the stuff as treats over the festive season; they’re now a freezer essential. We’re also big fans of Baboo, which makes small batches of delicious gelato in Dorset, with local produce and delivery nationwide; there’s even a banana and peanut butter gelato especially for dogs.
Get into the grill | While I am a dab hand at Greek and Cypriot barbecue, this year I have made a pact to learn a variety of techniques, to which end I’ve been devouring the latest release from barbecue master Melissa Thompson. Her new book, Fired Up, has everything you’d want and more: weeknight grilled peanut and cumin lamb chops, and courgette and halloumi buns, as well as larger projects such as coffee-rubbed smoked short ribs and cornbread with brown butter, chilli and thyme.