One Dish Four Ways – Barny Desmazery is a long-standing member of the Good Food magazine team, so certainly knows his stuff. His latest book, one that’s just been published, is One Dish Four Ways and is packed with easy family favourites that will help you eat the seasons or create a twist on a classic. It gives your repertoire the ultimate refresh – without complicating the weekly shop or compromising on flavour. ‘Food trends come and go, but our favourite things to eat remain constant, so in this book I’ve chosen 25 timeless dishes that I know you already love and that lend themselves beautifully to seasonal variations.’ says Desmazery aka ‘the dude from Good Food’, He takes 25 of the UK’s most popular dishes, and gives them a different spin for each season, resulting in 100 recipes for year-round crowd pleasers.
From Soups, Salads, Roast Chicken to Cheesecakes, One Dish Four Ways is everything you need for delicious and reliable recipes all year round. The book was published last week by Quadrille at £22 for a lovely hardback with great photography by Sam Folan.
To tempt you to invest in the book, here are a couple of recipes:
Sweetcorn, Courgette and Halloumi Fritters (makes 6 large fritters)
“When I lived in Australia, nearly 30 years ago, the brilliant Bill Granger had just one little restaurant. It rewrote the rules for breakfast, and it was there that I had sweetcorn pancakes for the first time, which I’ve been making and evolving ever since. This version is as happy with eggs for breakfast as it is with a nice punchy dressing as a starter (appetizer) or as a light meal with a salad.”
1 large courgette, grated
1 corn on the cob, kernels sliced off, or 100g (3½oz/⅔ cup) frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
100g (3½oz) halloumi, coarsely grated
2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
1 egg
2 tbsp self-raising flour
2 tbsp cornflour
oil, for frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing (optional)
100g (3½oz/½ cup) green olives, pitted
small handful of parsley or mint leaves
juice of ½ lemon
4 tbsp olive oil
If serving straight away, make the dressing by blitzing together all the ingredients in a blender or finely chopping the olives and herbs and mixing with the lemon juice and oil into a loose dressing.
To make the fritters, tip the grated courgette into a colander and toss with a generous pinch of salt. Leave for 10–15 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can – the most efficient way to do this is to transfer it to a clean dish towel and wring it as tightly as possible, really trying to get every last drop out of it.
Tip the courgette, corn, halloumi, spring onion and egg into a bowl, scatter over the flours, and season with pepper. Scrunch it all together with your hands, so you have a sticky mix.
Heat a layer of oil in a frying pan and pat out rough patties between your hands, making them as thin as possible – the thickness of two stacked pound coins is ideal. Slip them into the oil and cook in batches for 3–4 minutes on each side (turning carefully) until crisp and browned – don’t be afraid to take them to a deep brown, as this is when they will be best.
Drizzle the dressing, if using, over the warm fritters to serve.
MAKE AHEAD: The fritters can be fried, cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer. The dressing keeps well for a day in the fridge – just give it a quick stir before serving.
Summer Berry Tira-mess-su Pots (Serves 4)
“Make these individually or double this up for a crowd in a baking dish, or turn them into a trifle. The ‘mess’ in the title refers to the scattering of meringue, which, though optional, does add some much-needed texture. The elderflower cordial is also optional, but if there’s one flavour that sings spring into summer for me, it’s elderflower. If you want a summer reminder during the colder months, I’ve also made a perfectly passable version of this using defrosted frozen summer fruits.”
200g (7oz) strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
100g (3½oz/3/4 cup) raspberries
75g (2½oz/½ cup) blueberries
1 tbsp elderflower cordial (optional, but delicious)
2 tsp lemon juice
70g (2½oz) raspberry or cherry jam
200g (7oz/¾ cup) mascarpone
200ml (7fl oz/scant 1 cup) double cream
2 tbsp icing (confectioner’s) sugar
¾ tsp vanilla extract
16 sponge fingers or Savoiardi biscuits
1–2 shop-bought meringue nests, crushed (optional)
Tip the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries into a bowl. Gently fold through the elderflower cordial (if using), lemon juice and jam, then set aside while you make the cream
In a separate bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. It should be thick enough to hold its shape, but still soft and billowy.
To assemble, divide a few spoonfuls of the berries and their juices between four glasses. Break up the sponge fingers or Savoiardi biscuits and add a layer over the fruit – press them down slightly if needed. Spoon over a layer of the mascarpone cream and gently smooth the top. Repeat with another layer of berries, sponge and cream. Finish with a final spoonful of berries and a swirl of cream. Chill for at least 3 hours, or ideally overnight. Just before serving, sprinkle with crushed meringue (if using).
MAKE AHEAD: The trifles can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead (without the meringue) and kept chilled. Add the meringue just before serving, so it stays crisp. Leftovers will keep for 1–2 days in the fridge and still taste great, even if the sponge softens.
The Seasoned Gastronome