Eat – The Little Book of Fast Food

A sort of teriyaki sandwich

Mix together 50ml groundnut oil, 50ml soy sauce, a crushed clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of mirin, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of dried chilli flakes. Let 2 salmon steaks soak in it for 20 minutes, turning occasionally, then grill till crisp and dark on the outside. Break into large pieces then stuff into split baguettes with slices of cucumber and soft green leaves such as lamb’s lettuce.

Chilli-spiced chicken rolls

Cut 400g chicken meat into thin strips. In a food processor whizz a medium-hot, deseeded chilli, a pinch of dried chilli flakes, 2 cloves of garlic, a small handful of mint leaves, the juice of a large lemon and 4 tablespoons of oil to a coarse paste. Toss the meat in the spice mixture and set aside for 20 minutes. Grill the chicken and any clinging marinade till sizzling (there will be quite a bit of smoke) then stuff the hot, spicy chicken into rolls, with watercress or crisp lettuce.

Fig and Goat’s Cheese Focaccia

figs, goat’s cheese, honey, focaccia, rosemary

Split a piece of focaccia, about 10cm x 15cm, horizontally to give two rectangles, then place them side by side in a shallow baking tin or oven tray. Set the oven at 200ºC/Gas 6.

Pour 4 tablespoons of honey over the focaccia (if you are using thick honey then warm the jar first in a small pan of boiling water to make it runny). Slice 5 figs into four from top to bottom and place over the focaccia, then trickle over another tablespoon of honey and a few finely chopped rosemary leaves. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and turn the oven to the grill setting.

Slice 10g goat’s cheese into thick rounds and place on top of the figs. Grill for 5 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. Serve immediately.

For 2. Crisp bread. Melting cheese. Sweet figs.

Ricotta Burgers

minced beef, ricotta, spring onions, capers, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, sherry vinegar, ciabatta

Mix together 400g minced beef, 200g ricotta, 4 chopped spring onions, 1 tablespoon of capers and a little picked rosemary. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Shape the mixture into 6 thick burgers, about the diameter of a digestive biscuit, then leave for as long as you can in the fridge to firm up. Fry the burgers in a little olive oil in a shallow, non-stick pan for 6–8 minutes per side.

For the relish, chop 100g sun-dried tomatoes (the sort that come in oil) and mix with a little of the oil from the jar. Add a tablespoon of sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper. When the patties are cooked, sandwich them between 6 ciabatta rolls spread with the relish.

For 6. A fresh take on the classic burger.

Jerk burger

Season the burger opposite with a proprietary jerk seasoning – the best of them contain allspice, cloves, cinnamon, thyme and chilli. Fry the burgers, then serve in soft, toasted buns with a little cooked spinach, or if you are near a West Indian market try and get hold of some callaloo.

Gorgonzola, the richest burger

Instead of the ricotta, double up on the beef. Place each burger in your hand and press a ball of Gorgonzola into the centre, then squeeze the meat around it so it covers the cheese. Carefully flatten out into a thick patty then fry as opposite. Soft, toasted buns and slices of ripe tomato complete them.

A burger with attitude

Chop a gherkin. Not finely. Not coarsely. Add it to the mince. Stir in a sprinkling of sesame seeds, a little ketchup, salt and pepper and some hot French mustard. Shape and fry.

Tomato Focaccia

tomatoes, focaccia, ricotta, basil, olive oil

Make a basil oil by whizzing 10 basil leaves and 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a blender or food processor till you have a bright green dressing. Slice a couple of large tomatoes in half and grill till soft and slightly charred at the edges.

Split a rectangle of focaccia, about 10cm long, horizontally and brush with some of the basil oil. Grill till lightly crisp. Spread a large tablespoon of ricotta on top, then add the tomatoes and trickle over any spare dressing.

For 1. High-summer lunch.

The Sunday Roast Pork Sandwich

leftover roast pork, roast potatoes, crackling and roasting juices, bread, apple sauce

Slice the leftover pork very finely and salt it generously. Cut up the leftover roast potatoes and warm them in the juices from the roasting tin. Spread the bread – a panini would be spot on too – with apple sauce or mayonnaise. Add the hot roast potatoes, the slices of pork, a bit of crackling if you have it and then spoon over the warm roasting juices.

The pork crackling sandwich

Thin slices of roast pork, shredded crackling, a smear of apple sauce.

Roast pork, cut as thick as a pound coin. A russet apple, sliced but not peeled. Gravy. Wholemeal bread, untoasted.

The pork rib sandwich

Slice the meat from last night’s barbecue ribs. You will probably get in a sticky mess. Cut the meat into thin shreds then stir into mayonnaise, together with a couple of tablespoons of the barbecue sauce, tasting as you go. Pile a piece of soft, good bread – ciabatta or a bap – with a little shredded carrot or some chopped apple, some tufts of watercress, then pile on top of the pork.

A rare delight (let’s face it, it’s not that often you have leftover barbecue ribs), but one of the most memorable sandwiches I have ever eaten and one I felt I should share.

Apple pork roll

Finely chop a sweet apple, removing the core as you go. Warm the juices, fat and interesting bits from the roasting tin, then stir in the chopped apple, a dash of cider if needs be, or perhaps a little Marsala. Briefly add thinly sliced cold pork then stuff into a roll, letting the juices soak through the bread. Glorious.

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There is much pleasure to be found in a bowl of soup. Cradling our food is a great comfort, especially when it comes in the form of an aromatic liquid such as a steaming broth or thick soup. This is food that instantly soothes and satiates, warms and satisfies. Food that restores.

There is something right about food in a bowl. The hot liquor on your spoon; the warmth of the bowl in your hands; the final scraping of spoon against china – they enable us to feel closer to what we eat. Unlike a plate on a table, we can feel the heat of our food through the porcelain.

The shape of a bowl traps the smell of our food, like a wine glass. As we hold it in our hands and dip in our spoon, fork or chopsticks we experience more of its fragrance: the scent of sweet garlic, warm rice, hot milk, deep broth. Of course we can’t cut food in a bowl, and neither should we. The ingredients should be in small enough pieces that no knife is required.

Meals in a bowl are probably at their best when they are simple. I have always loved rice in a bowl. Just plain, white rice. Pure and unsullied. You know you could, if needs be, survive on it. You feel you need nothing more.

But there is more. Oh glory, yes. A little stew of chicken with herbs; a deep, salty broth of beef stock and green vegetables; a spicy laksa; a dahl thick with soft pulses and spice; a Vietnamese-style pho with slithery noodles and coriander. The simplicity of a bowl of golden chicken stock.

Our bowl can be as simple or as elaborate as we wish. A crude earthenware container, a delicate porcelain receptacle, a workaday white soup dish, a piece of ironmonger’s enamel, something hand thrown, a family heirloom or something disposable. Whatever we use, it fulfils the same purpose. To hold our food and enable us, should we wish, to cradle it. Comfort food at its most satisfying.

A few favourites

A simple miso broth for a fragile moment

Bring a litre of chicken or vegetable stock or dashi almost to the boil (powdered dashi works well here). Stir in 3 tablespoons of light miso paste, a tablespoon of sesame oil and a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce. Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, then turn off the heat. To this you can add thinly sliced cabbage or kale, plus paper-fine slices of radish, carrot or fried mushrooms. I like to put coriander in mine, too.

Yellow split peas, spices and tomato

A rich, thick dhal in just over half an hour. Boil 250g yellow split peas in a litre of water for about 35 minutes till almost soft, then drain. In a saucepan, lightly brown a sliced onion in a little oil then add 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds, about 25g ginger, peeled and shredded into fine matchsticks, and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Stir in a teaspoon of ground turmeric and a pinch of dried chilli flakes, then add a can of chopped tomatoes. Stir in the cooked split peas. Keep cooking for 10–15 minutes, adding vegetable stock or boiling water if necessary, and crushing some of the peas as you stir (or use a vegetable masher). Finish with a teaspoon of garam masala, salt and some fresh coriander. Eat with warm Indian bread or rice. For 4.