MEZCLA: Recipes to Excite

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In the past 20 years, the London chef has revolutionised the way British people see vegetables, but his motivation remains as simple as ever: to share delicious meals.

The recipe I’ve chosen is the rapturous (and vegan-friendly) Tomato Salad with Tahini Ginger Sauce, Chilli Oil and Crumpet Croutons. And yes, I did say Crumpet Croutons! Cook the rice. Drain the soaked rice and put into a medium saucepan with 450g of water. Bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat. Once simmering, lower the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 25 minutes.And while, as mentioned, it’s Belfrage's first solo title, she co-authored Flavour along with the great Ottolenghi and is at her most contagiously confident with big, bold bright flavours. Some recipes, to be sure, include ingredients you might not have in your kitchen cupboards already, but there’s generous room for manoeuvre and plenty of recipes that provide adventure more accessibly. Once the tomatoes are roasted, stir in the drained butter beans and a tablespoon of water. Turn the grill to its highest setting. Top the beans with the bechamel, leaving spaces here and there for the tomatoes and liquid to bubble through when grilled, then drizzle with oil and grill, again near the top of the oven, until golden brown and bubbling – depending on the strength of your grill, this will take anywhere between five and 12 minutes, so keep an eye on it. (If you have a blowtorch, use that to get a uniform char on the surface once the bechamel has heated through.) Remove and set aside to cool for five minutes. Cut 400g of the stalks at an angle into 4cm long pieces. If your stalks are very wide, cut them in half lengthways first. Toss the celery pieces with the olive oil and salt. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes, spoon over the ricotta (break it into chunks) if you are using it, garnish with the other half of the leaves, basil and chives and the pine nuts.

verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ While the rice is cooking, make the salsa. Put the first 10 ingredients (everything except the water and tomato purée/paste) into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat and fry, stirring often, for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and the onions are soft and golden-brown. Turn the heat down to medium or medium-low if the mixture starts to catch or burn. Stir in half of the celery leaves, and half of the basil and chives. Transfer the salad to a serving platter.