Helen Graham’s kitchen diary: rich and rustic veg-forward dishes

Photographs by Gareth Sambidge

For any of us, losing our sense of taste is troubling. But as a chef it renders you almost entirely useless. And this isn’t the first time it’s happened. There was the moment when, five days from opening the second location of Bubala, with the menu still in disarray and only half tested, I contracted Covid for the first time. Not knowing what to do, I did the only thing that felt logical: I parked myself on the pavement outside the restaurant and asked my chefs to cobble together dishes based on my rough descriptions. The dishes were waved out of the window for me to approve, before I watched the sous chef eat them. Is it sharp enough? Spicy enough? Yes, not quite. It was only later, a week into opening, that I got to try them.

Or, the time when I had a trial shift for my first ever chef job at the newly opened Palomar, straight off the back of a severe cold. I was asked to make the fattoush salads during service, a busy Friday night on the open counter, where you place the dishes in front of guests. I made up the salad: tomatoes, cucumber, onions, some tapenade, some brazil nuts, a good squeeze of lemon juice and some salt. Except it was still tasting bland to me. Another spoon of salt went in, before, eventually, a whole fistful. Nervous and stressed, I placed the salads in front of the guests, smiled, and told them to enjoy. Which, sadly, they most definitely didn’t. How I got that job is an absolute mystery to me.

For this week’s recipes, I set about jotting down ideas that celebrated the one thing I knew to be true at the time: texture. Not just “crunch”, which from watching endless TikToks you’d think is the only desirable texture of the moment. But crumbly, juicy, chewy, creamy – all of the textures I crave from my sick bed. Both of the following recipes are a meditation on these things. And, when my taste finally came back to me, a celebration of a palate reawakened.

It’s the black garlic that teases out the earthy sweetness of the aubergine and beetroot in this dish. It’s generally sold in bulbs, but you can purchase the paste at some supermarkets and online. If you’re just working with the cloves, then you can pound them into a fine paste with a splash of water in a pestle and mortar before adding to the yoghurt. Serves 4 as a side. Ready in about 1 hour.

aubergines 2
beetroot 500g, peeled
olive oil 5 tbsp
ground cumin ½ tsp
table salt ½ tsp

For the pangrattato:
olive oil 4 tbsp
panko breadcrumbs 30g
kaffir lime leaves 4g, finely chopped
garlic 1 clove, finely grated
red chilli 1, deseeded and finely diced
table salt a good pinch
lime 1, zested

For the black garlic yoghurt:
Greek yoghurt 200g
black garlic paste 1 tsp
tamarind paste 1 tbsp

Preheat oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. Cut the aubergine and beetroot into 3-4cm pieces on the diagonal and place on a lined baking tray. Toss them with the olive oil, cumin and salt and roast for 50 minutes, tossing half way through, until they are both cooked through and the aubergine is golden and crisp.

For the pangrattato, set a large pan on a medium heat. Add the oil and once hot, add the panko, lime leaves, garlic, chilli and salt and gently toast, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Decant to a small bowl, stir in the lime zest and set aside.

Mix all the ingredients for the garlic yoghurt, then smooth over the base of a serving dish. Top with the roasted veg and sprinkle over the pangrattato.

Good tomatoes aren’t a given; they’re a blessing. Working in restaurants, I was so lucky to get hold of some incredible specimens, including tomatoes plucked from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. These days, when I have to shop on the high street like a muggle, I try to swerve supermarket tomatoes entirely, and opt for markets or organic vegetable shops, where I can smell them, looking for an aroma that is deeply vegetal and viney.Serves 8. Ready in 3.5 hours.

For the pastry:
plain flour 180g
parmesan cheese 50g, grated
table salt 1 tsp
caster sugar 1 tsp
unsalted butter 125g, cubed
ice-cold water 1-2 tbsp

For the almond ricotta:
ricotta 250g
ground almonds 30g
egg 1
panko breadcrumbs 15g
lemon zest of 1
garlic 1 clove, finely grated
table salt ½ tsp

For the tomato topping:
mixed heritage tomatoes 600g, cut into 1cm slices
table salt 1 tsp
olive oil 2 tbsp
harissa 1 tbsp
spring onions 1 bunch, finely chopped
everything bagel seasoning 1½ tbsp

To make the pastry, add the dry ingredients to a food processor and mix briefly to combine. Add the butter, then pulse a few times until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water, 1 tbsp at a time, until the mixture comes together in a rough ball. Remove from the processor, shape into a flat disc and place in a ziplock bag or wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

For the almond ricotta, stir everything together in a small bowl and set aside.

To prepare the topping, mix the tomatoes with the salt, then place in a sieve set over a mixing bowl. Allow to drain for at least 10 minutes, then discard the liquid. In another bowl, stir together the oil and harissa, then toss in the tomatoes and spring onions.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6.Once the pastry is chilled, generously flour a work surface, as well as the top of the pastry. Use a rolling pin to very gently roll out the pastry to a 35cm circumference, rotating it between each roll, and flipping it over to ensure it doesn’t stick to the work surface. The pastry will be fragile and a little crumbly around the edges, but that’s OK – this is a rustic tart, and you can squash the pastry together if it breaks around the edges. Transfer to a large baking tray lined with parchment paper (the easiest way is to half roll it over the rolling pin, and use it to lift and transfer it to the tray).

To assemble the tart, place the ricotta mix into the centre and smooth it out, leaving a 10cm border around the edges. Top with the tomatoes, spreading them evenly over the ricotta, tucking the spring onions between the tomatoes to prevent burning. Fold the edges of the pastry over the tomatoes. Sprinkle over the bagel seasoning, then bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the tomatoes are soft and bubbling. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving, so that the excess juices can be absorbed into the ricotta.

Helen Graham is a chef and food writer in London. Nigel Slater returns in two weeks