Flavour bombs to transform last-minute meals

Photographs and prop styling by Ellis Parrinder

Food styling by Keiron George

When it comes to flavour, my approach is: go big or go home. On the other hand, I’m lazy. Or perhaps more accurately, busy and tired. This combination of factors led me to develop an approach to cooking that revolves around make-ahead sauces, nifty techniques and/or ways to extract the most flavour from an ingredient.

I still love to spend time in the kitchen – it is, after all, my life’s work – but I also take great joy in having something on hand to make a fast but full-of-flavour meal, or finding a way of preparing a dish that maximises flavour.

I’m so dedicated to this way of cooking that it inspired me to start a newsletter, Flavour Nuggets, in which I share weekly recipes and tips for adding excitement to everyday recipes. I never want to eat a boring meal – it’s a wasted opportunity – and I’m willing to bet you don’t either.

What follows is a set of recipes that tap into my general approach, by which I mean dialling up that excitement level. Life is too short for bland, underwhelming meals.

A new take on chilli-chocolate sauce that will become a staple. The key is the dates, which bring substance and a hint of sticky-toffee flavour. A luxurious sauce with a depth of flavour that belies its simplicity, it’s the mysterious, intellectual cousin of regular old milk chocolate sauce.

Why it works: Bitter chocolate, the caramel-candy sweetness of dates and the background hum of smoky chilli. It hits all the pleasure points: sweet, salty and slightly bitter.

Serves 4

Medjool dates 4, pitted

Double cream 100ml

Dark chocolate 150g, chopped into small pieces

Unsalted butter 15g

Ancho chilli powder ½ tsp

Sea salt ½ tsp

Directions

Place the pitted dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, then drain. Slide off the skins and discard them.

Transfer the dates and cream to a blender and blitz until smooth. Don’t blend for too long, or you’ll whip the cream.

Set a bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water, taking care that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the chocolate and the date cream and melt gently together, stirring.

Add the butter and stir until glossy, then season with the ancho chilli powder and salt. Taste and add more chilli, if you like. Keep warm until serving, otherwise, store in the fridge till needed.

Tips: If you live near a Turkish or Middle Eastern supermarket, you will likely be able to buy date syrup, an option for sweetening this sauce, rather than blending the dates (add a tablespoon, taste, then add more if needed). Date syrup also makes a fantastic sweetener for coffee. The ancho chilli powder can be made by blitzing ancho flakes in a spice grinder. Or use chipotle if it’s easier to find. Serve this over vanilla ice-cream, or go all out and use it to top a sundae or mega banana split.

Fresh artichokes are beautiful but annoyingly seasonal and – let’s face it – a bit of a faff. I have a soft spot for the jarred ones, but they do tend towards flabby blandness. Those packed in oil are ripe for roasting, however, and they become something wonderful after a quick flash through the oven.

Why it works: Once cooked, the artichokes become crackly crisp on their frilly ends but remain tender in the centre. They’re perfect for quick pasta dishes, in substantial salads or as a topper for toast with a lick of ricotta. If you don’t have the seasonings, just roast the artichokes on their own – they’ll still be lovely.

Makes 4 servings

Artichokes 1 x 280g jar in oil

Garlic 1 bulb

Lemon peel a few strips

Rosemary or thyme 1 sprig

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. Drain the artichokes through a sieve into a bowl, reserving the oil.

Pat the artichokes gently with kitchen paper to remove a little of the excess oil, but not too much.

Spread them out on a baking tray, then add the whole garlic bulb, citrus peel and rosemary or thyme sprig. Drizzle a little of the reserved artichoke oil over the garlic bulb.

Transfer to the oven and roast for 10 minutes, before turning and roasting for a further 10, or until golden and crisp. Season with a little flaky salt.

Leave the garlic bulb in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes and save the roasted, caramelised cloves to spread on toast with salted butter.

Tips: These work particularly well with grains and sharp, salty cheeses. Try making a salad with freekeh or bulgur wheat and feta, or shavings of pecorino. Mix them through a fistful of chopped dill or parsley, and make a dressing with the roasted garlic, juice of half a lemon, a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a large pinch of salt and a teaspoon of honey.

Don’t ignore that brine in the pickle jar! While pickled chillies are a handy ingredient to have on hand full stop, whizzing them into dressings with their brine is a fun way to bring spice and acidity to your plate.

Why it works: The spiky qualities of the dressing are balanced by the sweetness of honey and richness of extra virgin olive oil. Another tip for pickle brine is to to preserve leftover feta by submerging the cheese in the liquid and storing it in the fridge. It will keep for ages.

Makes 4 servings

Pickled chilli brine 125ml (from a 300g jar of pickled chillies – I use Cooks & Co green frenk chillies)

Honey 1 tbsp

Extra virgin olive oil 80ml

Garlic 1 clove, grated to a paste

Pickled chillies 3, finely chopped (or to taste)

Directions

To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in a clean-lidded jar or bowl and shake or whisk to combine. This will keep for at least a few days in the fridge.

Ezme is a type of chopped Turkish “salad” served as an appetiser, and while some of the core ingredients here are the same – peppers, onions, tomatoes and herbs – the method is different. The result is a more substantial dish suitable for serving as a main course with warm bread, or as a side to roasted or grilled meats or fish. Don’t ditch that roasted garlic, if you don’t want to use it in the salad, keep it to add flavour to another meal.

Serves 2

Banana shallots 3, peeled, halved and petals separated into layers of 2 or 3

Red pepper 1, quartered and deseeded

Green pepper 1, quartered and deseeded

Vine tomatoes 4, quartered

Garlic 1 bulb

Flat-leaf parsley leaves a small handful, finely chopped

Sumac to garnish

Pickled chilli dressing 3 tbsp

For the yoghurt base

Greek yoghurt 200g

Pomegranate molasses 1 tbsp

Lemon juice 1 tbsp, or to taste

Mint leaves a handful, finely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas mark 7. Place the shallots, peppers, tomatoes and garlic bulb on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss to coat. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway, until everything is soft and charred at the edges.

Combine all the ingredients for the yoghurt base with a pinch of salt and mix well.

To serve, spread the yoghurt over a serving plate. Toss the roasted vegetables with the dressing and spoon over the yoghurt. Garnish with the chopped parsley and a sprinkling of sumac.

This recipe was inspired by Cantonese raw ginger and spring onion oil. Fragrant with herbs, hot with the clean, grassy heat of jalapeno and with texture from the seeds, it’s addictive. Make it once; make it a hundred times.

Why it works: Versatility is key with a make-ahead sauce like this; there’s no point in it lingering in the fridge for ages. This is a one-stop flavour shop perfect for sloshing over anything from morning eggs to evening noodles.

Makes about 250ml

Sesame seeds 2 tbsp

Poppy seeds 1 tbsp

Flaky sea salt 1 tsp

Caster sugar 1 tbsp

Spring onions 1 bunch, trimmed and finely chopped

Fresh jalapeno or green chilli 1, deseeded if you like, and finely chopped

Coriander leaves 20g, chopped

Ginger 5cm piece, peeled and finely chopped

Neutral oil 150ml

Garlic 6 cloves, finely sliced

Lime 1, zested and juiced

Directions

Combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, salt, sugar, spring onions, jalapeno, coriander and ginger in a heatproof bowl.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan or saucepan and once hot cook the garlic until just golden. Drain over a bowl, reserving the oil. Set the garlic aside on kitchen paper until cooled and crisp.

Pour the hot oil over the seed mix in the bowl. Stir through the lime juice and zest, and garlic.

This keeps in the fridge in a sealed jar for about a week.

Tips: Make a top-notch chicken sandwich filling by mixing 1 tablespoon of the oil through 2-3 tablespoons of ready-made mayo and a handful of cooked, shredded chicken.

For a quick evening meal, drizzle a tablespoon on a fried egg and serve over rice with some sliced, soy-drizzled cucumbers.

Dress up a fridge-raid bowl of noodles made with stir-fried veg and any leftover meat or seafood such as trout, salmon or prawns.

Chicken makes a meal of this classic salad. This has it all: that punchy dressing, crisp lettuce, and an intense chicken flavour running throughout. Chicken thighs are far superior to breast in terms of flavour and fat content, with plenty of skin for crisping up.

Why it works: This recipe makes the most of the rendered chicken fat by using it for cooking the croutons. The richness of the dressing is cut with sparkly acidity from lemon juice and the salty backbone of anchovy. A neat way to upgrade a classic that’s already hard to beat.

Serves 2

chicken thighs 2 large, skin on

sourdough 2 slices, slightly stale, torn into crouton-sized chunks

romaine lettuce 1, leaves chopped or torn into large pieces

For the dressing

Anchovy fillets 3, in oil

Egg yolk 1

Dijon mustard 1 tsp

Worcestershire sauce a dash

Garlic 1 clove, grated to a paste

Lemon juice 1 tbsp, plus more to taste if needed

Extra virgin olive oil 50ml

Parmesan 40g, grated (20g for dressing, 20g for serving)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. Place the chicken thighs skin down in a cold skillet or heavy frying pan and set the heat on the hob to medium-low. Season the flesh side of the chicken with salt.

Place something heavy, such as another pan, on top of the chicken thighs to ensure full skin contact with the pan underneath.

Cook the thighs for 15 minutes, or until the skin is golden and crisp. Transfer them to a baking tray, skin-side up, and place them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the thighs are cooked through.

Add the bread pieces to the chicken pan and cook in the fat, tossing them often to ensure even crispness, about 10 minutes. Set aside and season with a pinch of salt.

Make the dressing: put the anchovy fillets in a bowl and mash to a paste. Add the egg yolk, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and lemon juice with a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

Whisk together, then begin adding the oil in small amounts, as if making mayonnaise. Continue adding the oil a little at a time until it’s all used up. Stir through 20g of the grated parmesan and check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary.

Toss the lettuce leaves and croutons with the dressing. Slice the chicken and serve on top with their crispy skin, sprinkled with the remaining parmesan.

Helen Graves is the author of BBQ Days, BBQ Nights (Hardie Grant, £22), and her Substack is Flavour Nuggets