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Cook As You Are

Recipes for Real Life, Hungry Cooks, and Messy Kitchens: A Cookbook

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Hardcover (Flexibound)
$35.00 US
6.4"W x 9.38"H x 1"D   | 31 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Nov 08, 2022 | 352 Pages | 9780593321546
additional book photo
A BON APPETIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A cookbook for the real world: a beautifully illustrated, inclusive, and inspiring collection of delectable and doable recipes for home cooks of all kinds that shows you don't have to be an aspiring chef to make great food—or for cooking to be a delight. Just cook as you are.

"Not simply a recipe book, but a warm invitation to relax into and enjoy the experience of cooking and eating. Ruby Tandoh offers understanding, encouragement and completely glorious food.” —NIGELLA LAWSON, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat

From last-minute inspiration for feeding an entire family to satisfying meals for just one person, easy one-pot dinners to no-chop recipes, in these pages Ruby Tandoh shares a feast of homey, globally inspired dishes, such as:

•Carrot, Lemon and Tahini Soup
•Smoky Chicken, Okra and Chorizo Casserole
•Gnocchi with Harissa Butter and Broccoli
•Lightning-Quick Asparagus and Chili Linguine
•Tofu and Greens with Hot and Sour Chili Sauce
•Rosemary Baby Buns
•Lemon Mochi Squares

A no-nonsense collection of more than 100 accessible, affordable, achievable—and, most importantly, delicious—recipes (plus countless variations), Cook As You Are is an essential resource for every taste, every kitchen, and every body.
One of the Best Cookbooks of the Year: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Epicurious, and Bon Appetit

“As soon as I started reading and cooking from Ruby Tandoh’s practical and generous new book, Cook As You Are, I wanted to buy a copy of it for just about everyone I know: my 84-year-old friend who lives alone and cooks most nights, my cousins in their 30s who just had a baby, my 17-year-old niece applying to college. Ms. Tandoh is a warm and deeply considerate recipe writer who understands that putting dinner on the table is a daily necessity that should bring you the maximum amount of joy for the least amount of work.” —Tejal Rao, The New York Times

"Not simply a recipe book, but a warm invitation to relax into and enjoy the experience of cooking and eating. Ruby Tandoh offers understanding, encouragement and completely glorious food.” —NIGELLA LAWSON, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat

“Tandoh has a rare talent of putting together common words in the most uncommon and beautiful way. I can make a fine evening just reading her headnotes, chapter introductions and interstitial stories . . . She meets the home cook, be they accomplished or novices, with hours to putter around the kitchen or with mere minutes to spare, on their own terms.” —Olga Massov, The Washington Post
 
“Ruby Tandoh has cultivated a distinctly reassuring voice: one that balances the sensorial beauty of food with an understanding of the many reasons why it can make us anxious, too . . . Cook as You Are is thoroughly steeped in empathy for the reader and whatever material and emotional resources they're able to bring to the act of cooking.” —Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle

Cook As You Are was the cookbook I kept , turning to when I was supposed to be trying recipes from others . . . Tandoh is a skillful writer . . . The recipes are so spring-loaded with inspiration that each chapter has an included reading list, from Fresh India to The Hobbit. Though flavors from Tandoh’s British and West African roots make appearances (see her Ghanaian groundnut soup), there’s an exciting variety of dishes from all over the globe.” —Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit

“A celebration of people as much as delicious food. Ruby Tandoh writes with a cooks-first mind-set, curating a mouthwatering collection of recipes that are as inclusive as they are attainable.” —VALLERY LOMAS, author of Life Is What You Bake It, winner of The Great American Baking Show

“Throughout her career, Ruby Tandoh has called out wellness culture and elitism in food media, and has consistently advocated for marginalized communities. Her new cookbook, Cook As You Are, shows that same dedication of practicing her principles and making cooking accessible to everyone—not just the elite . . . Filled with easy, affordable, and accessible recipes, this is the book I turn to when I need dinner in a pinch. And usually, that dinner is soba noodles with fermented black beans and broccoli.” Epicurious

“For my money, Tandoh is not just an inventive and exciting recipe developer, she's one of the most articulate and expansive food writers out there right now. She deeply understands the emotional complexities of eating and the realities of time, ability and budget constraints, and she will actively help you make a great meal whether you're working with garlic cloves or powder, fresh lemon zest or bottled juice. I love this book like I have loved few others of the past few years, in no small part because Tandoh is so effortlessly judgement-free." —Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon

“In this soulful collection of recipes, Ruby Tandoh nourishes us physically, mentally and intellectually. Cook As You Are brims with easy, approachable everyday fare, but also exists as a blueprint for what all cookbooks should strive to be—a space that is inclusive, thoughtful and accessible to all. With a no-nonsense, egalitarian approach to ingredients, and enticingly cookable recipes that offer a plethora of variations and substitutions, Tandoh liberates the home cook, empowering them to be exactly the type of cook they want to be.” —HETTY LUI McKINNON, food writer and award-winning author of four cookbooks, including To Asia, with Love

“The book is an exercise in creating room for every kind of recipe and every kind of cook . . . If anything is radical, it’s the way in which Tandoh, who has written a thoroughly empathetic cookbook, conceives of breaking away from the form’s constraints.” —Eater

“Ruby Tandoh once again shows us what eating can be instead of what it is—something usually defined by the white gaze using white hands to signpost for us what is trendy, culturally relevant and acceptable. As a gifted guide through the journey of her own adventures as a cook, Tandoh makes her identity and experiencea central focus point for what she is sharing here—a gorgeous selection of recipes that have risen from her lived experience of being of and in the world as a human consuming her culture and experience—something we all do every day but less deftly explain.” —ZOE ADJONYOH, author of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen

“Great recipes, of course, but also a wealth of modern kitchen wisdom. Practical, straight-talking, endlessly inspirational.” —NIGEL SLATER, author of The Kitchen Diaries
© Courtesy of the author
RUBY TANDOH is an author and journalist who has written for The New Yorker, The Guardian, Vittles and Elle. A finalist on The Great British Bake Off in 2013, she has written Eat Up!, a book about the pleasure of eating, as well as three cookery books, Crumb, Flavour, and Cook As You Are. View titles by Ruby Tandoh
Pearl couscous with anchovies, tomatoes and olives
This is just like a traditional puttanesca but with bouncy pearl couscous in place of the usual pasta. I love the chewiness of pearl couscous and how it releases starch into the sauce, creating something between pasta and risotto in its carby creaminess. Pearl couscous is also sold as giant or Israeli couscous. You can get it from lots of Middle Eastern stores and most larger supermarkets. Don’t be tempted to swap it for regular couscous, or the dish will end up thick and oatmeal-like. There are better alternatives listed below.

The toppings here—crunchy breadcrumbs and bright parsley—are optional, but I think they provide a welcome textural and flavor contrast to the salty, silky pearl couscous underneath.

Serves: 4

Ready in: less than 30 minutes

2–2⅔ cups (300–400g) pearl couscous
4 cups (1 liter) water, freshly boiled
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
6–8 anchovy fillets (from 1 small can)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
14 ounces (400g) cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup (60g) black olives, pitted (Kalamata olives are particularly good)
3 tablespoons (25g) capers
½–1 teaspoon chili flakes, to taste

To finish:
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup (20g) dried breadcrumbs or fresh breadcrumbs from 1 slice of white bread
Handful of parsley leaves (roughly ½ ounce/10–15g), roughly chopped

If you’re planning on topping the dish with breadcrumbs, it’s best to get these out of the way first. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the breadcrumbs. Toast them for a few minutes, stirring very often, until they’re golden brown and crispy, then tip them into a small bowl and leave to cool.

Pour the pearl couscous into a large mixing bowl and cover with the freshly boiled water. Give it a good stir, then cover with a large plate and leave to sit for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add the olive oil, garlic and anchovy fillets. Sauté gently for a couple of minutes, stirring all the time, until the garlic is cooked and the anchovies have dissolved into the fragrant oil. Add the tomato paste and sauté for 30 seconds more, then add the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and chili flakes. Cook the mixture over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes, or until the tomatoes are collapsed and pulpy.

By now, the couscous should be ready: the grains should have the slightest bite in the middle, but be almost cooked through. Drain it and stir to break up any lumps, then add to the tomato sauce. Mix to combine, then simmer for 2–3 minutes more so that the grains finish cooking and absorb some of the flavor. Once the couscous is springy—neither chewy nor mushily soft—it’s done. The sauce should generously engulf the couscous, creating a risotto-like consistency. Serve straightaway, sprinkled with the toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, if using.

Variations and substitutions:
As I mentioned above, the traditional accompaniment for this sauce is pasta. Just cook your pasta—roughly 4 ounces (100g) per person—according to the instructions on the package and mix with the sauce before serving. Orzo—a pasta shape that looks like little grains of rice (although confusingly it means “barley” in Italian)—is also an option: soak 1⅓ –1¾ cups (300–400g) orzo in plenty of freshly boiled water for 8–10 minutes, until it’s cooked but al dente, then proceed with the recipe.

If you don’t like olives or capers, you can leave these out, though I really love the tangy pop of caper in the midst of what is quite a rich, flavorful sauce. You can make this dish vegan by leaving out the anchovies, but it’ll have a completely different energy. Make sure you add a pinch of salt if you do so.

A can of chopped tomatoes is a good swap for the fresh cherry tomatoes if you struggle with chopping things; just leave out the tomato paste if you make this change. You could also swap the cherry tomatoes for diced larger tomatoes if that’s what you have.

Coconut, plantain and spinach curry with toasted cashews
This is the first of a few plantain recipes in this book, testament to the versatility of this wonderful fruit. You’ll find it in the eden rice with black beans and plantain (page 58), spiced and fried as kelewele (page 238), sugared and wrapped in spring roll pastry (turon, page 312) and shaped into crunchy, savory fritters (green plantain, coconut and chili rösti, page 169). Writer and photographer Yvonne Maxwell discussed the magic of plantain in the online food magazine Vittles. “Its skin is perfectly blemished and, at its finest, darkened with black lines,” she wrote. “Even bruised, its beauty shines through and sweetness prevails.” It has a place in the hearts—and bellies—of people from so many different culinary cultures.

In this recipe, medium-ripe plantain provides bulk to a creamy coconut curry, loosely similar to South Indian kache kele ki sabzi. You should use yellow plantain, which are sweet enough to complement the creamy coconut sauce, but firm enough to hold their shape as they simmer. This won’t be the last time I say this in this book, but I need to be very clear: banana isn’t a good substitute for plantain here. Its flavor is stronger, and it will collapse into mush when cooked.

Serves: 4

Ready in: less than 1 hour

1 cup (100g) unsalted cashews
1⅔ cups (400ml) water, freshly boiled
2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
5 tablespoons (75g) tomato paste
1½–inch (4cm) piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
1½ teaspoons black or brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
½–1 teaspoon chili powder, to taste
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 x 14 ounce (400ml) can coconut milk, full-fat or “light”
2 yellow plantain
7 ounces (200g) fresh or frozen whole leaf spinach
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (from roughly ½ lemon or 1 lime)
Salt, to taste

Serve with: steamed rice

Special equipment: stick blender, food processor or blender (check the variations and substitutions below if you don’t have one)

Start by soaking ¾ cup (75g) cashews in 1⅔ cups (400ml) freshly boiled water. Leave to sit for 10 minutes or so, then blitz the cashews and water together using a blender or food processor.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until it begins to lightly brown in parts. Add the tomato paste, ginger and garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes, stirring, then add the mustard seeds, garam masala, cumin, chili powder and turmeric and cook for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk and blitzed cashew mixture, making sure you scrape the brown bits (known as the fond) off the bottom of the pan from when you fried the onions—this sticky stuff adds a lot of flavor.

Bring the sauce to a simmer, then turn down the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes. While it simmers, peel the plantain (cut off each end, slit the skin lengthways and peel it all around—not down—the fruit) and cut into ½–¾ inch (1.5–2cm) slices.

Add the sliced plantain and spinach to the curry. Simmer for a further 15 minutes, stirring often and adding a little extra water if the sauce catches or browns on the bottom of the pan. It’s ready when the spinach has collapsed and the plantain is tender.

Roughly chop the remaining ¼ cup (25g) cashews and toast for a few minutes in a dry frying pan, until just beginning to brown. When the curry is ready, add the lemon or lime juice, then check the seasoning and salt generously to taste—I start with about ½ teaspoon table salt and work from there. Serve with lots of steamed rice, with the toasted cashews sprinkled on top.

Variations and substitutions:
In place of the spinach, you could use Tuscan kale, chard or spring greens (slice across the leaf into ⅜ inch [1cm] ribbons). Frozen peas also work really well!

Brown or black mustard seeds can be found in any large supermarket or in a South Asian grocery, but if you can’t get hold of them you can use 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard instead—add it at the same time as the coconut milk.

Butternut squash—peeled and cut into 1¼ inch (3cm) chunks—is a good alternative to plantain. It takes longer to cook, though, so add it to the curry at the same time as the coconut milk.

If you don’t have a blender or food processor (and so can’t blitz the cashews), use ¼ cup (60g) cashew or peanut butter instead. Add the nut butter to the pan just after you’ve fried the spices, stir to combine, then slowly mix in the coconut milk and the 1⅔ cups (400ml) boiling water.

Earthy, smoky lentil and beet stew
I’m pretty confident that, even if you think you’re not a beet fan, you’ll enjoy it in this smoky, comforting stew. In the absence of meat, the root vegetable contributes an earthy depth and also has the benefit of dyeing this dish an amazingly vibrant fuchsia color.

Serves: 4

Ready in: less than 1 hour

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
Salt, to taste
9 ounces (250g) cooked or fresh beets
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½–1 teaspoon chili powder, to taste
⅔ cup (125g) dried French green lentils (you might see them sold as Puy lentils or lentilles vertes)
1 x 14 ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes
1 x 14 ounce (400g) can red kidney beans, drained
2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2½ cups (600ml) water

Serve with: steamed rice, tortillas or baked potatoes, along with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt (dairy or non-dairy)

Heat the oil in a large, deep pot over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the onion doesn’t stick and burn. The onion should soften and become translucent.

Meanwhile, prepare the beets. If you’re using cooked beets—the ones that come in a vacuum-sealed pack—just drain them and coarsely grate them. If you’re using fresh beets, wash and trim off the roots and stems before grating. (If the fresh beets have their leaves still attached, you can use these! Wash them well, then roughly chop and add to the stew 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.)

Add the grated beets to the onions, stir to combine, then put a lid on the pan. Let the veg sweat for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.

Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano and chili powder. Stir well and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic loses its raw pungency and the smell of the spices begins to waft up from the pan.

Into the pot, add the lentils, chopped tomatoes, red kidney beans, soy sauce and cocoa powder, and stir to combine. Add the water (2½ cups/600ml is is the same as filling the empty chopped tomato can 1½ times), then bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes partially covered by a lid. Stir regularly to make sure the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pan—if it starts to dry out (it will sputter and puff rather than quietly bubbling), add a splash more water. When it’s ready, the lentils and beets should be tender. Add plenty of salt to taste, and check whether you want to add more chili powder. Serve straightaway.

Variations and substitutions:
Swap the ground cumin for cumin seeds (toasted for a minute or so in a hot dry frying pan) if that’s what you’ve got, or leave it out if you must. Chili, in some form or other, is vital: swap in chili flakes, hot sauce or chopped fresh red chilies if that’s all you have. Marjoram or dried mixed herbs can take the place of the oregano.

You can use green or brown lentils in place of the French green lentils if that’s what you have available. I wouldn’t recommend using red lentils as they tend to break down and lose their shape during cooking. If you want to use canned green lentils, or the cooked French lentils that come in pouches, go ahead. You’ll need roughly 9 ounces (250g) of cooked lentils, and should use much less water to start off with, adding more only if needed. Because these lentils are pre‑cooked, they don’t technically need a long cook. However, I think the stew tastes better with extra simmering time—the flavors get a chance to mingle and soften—so I’d cook it for at least 20 minutes regardless of the type of lentil you use.

Photos

additional book photo

About

A BON APPETIT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A cookbook for the real world: a beautifully illustrated, inclusive, and inspiring collection of delectable and doable recipes for home cooks of all kinds that shows you don't have to be an aspiring chef to make great food—or for cooking to be a delight. Just cook as you are.

"Not simply a recipe book, but a warm invitation to relax into and enjoy the experience of cooking and eating. Ruby Tandoh offers understanding, encouragement and completely glorious food.” —NIGELLA LAWSON, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat

From last-minute inspiration for feeding an entire family to satisfying meals for just one person, easy one-pot dinners to no-chop recipes, in these pages Ruby Tandoh shares a feast of homey, globally inspired dishes, such as:

•Carrot, Lemon and Tahini Soup
•Smoky Chicken, Okra and Chorizo Casserole
•Gnocchi with Harissa Butter and Broccoli
•Lightning-Quick Asparagus and Chili Linguine
•Tofu and Greens with Hot and Sour Chili Sauce
•Rosemary Baby Buns
•Lemon Mochi Squares

A no-nonsense collection of more than 100 accessible, affordable, achievable—and, most importantly, delicious—recipes (plus countless variations), Cook As You Are is an essential resource for every taste, every kitchen, and every body.

Praise

One of the Best Cookbooks of the Year: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Epicurious, and Bon Appetit

“As soon as I started reading and cooking from Ruby Tandoh’s practical and generous new book, Cook As You Are, I wanted to buy a copy of it for just about everyone I know: my 84-year-old friend who lives alone and cooks most nights, my cousins in their 30s who just had a baby, my 17-year-old niece applying to college. Ms. Tandoh is a warm and deeply considerate recipe writer who understands that putting dinner on the table is a daily necessity that should bring you the maximum amount of joy for the least amount of work.” —Tejal Rao, The New York Times

"Not simply a recipe book, but a warm invitation to relax into and enjoy the experience of cooking and eating. Ruby Tandoh offers understanding, encouragement and completely glorious food.” —NIGELLA LAWSON, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat

“Tandoh has a rare talent of putting together common words in the most uncommon and beautiful way. I can make a fine evening just reading her headnotes, chapter introductions and interstitial stories . . . She meets the home cook, be they accomplished or novices, with hours to putter around the kitchen or with mere minutes to spare, on their own terms.” —Olga Massov, The Washington Post
 
“Ruby Tandoh has cultivated a distinctly reassuring voice: one that balances the sensorial beauty of food with an understanding of the many reasons why it can make us anxious, too . . . Cook as You Are is thoroughly steeped in empathy for the reader and whatever material and emotional resources they're able to bring to the act of cooking.” —Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle

Cook As You Are was the cookbook I kept , turning to when I was supposed to be trying recipes from others . . . Tandoh is a skillful writer . . . The recipes are so spring-loaded with inspiration that each chapter has an included reading list, from Fresh India to The Hobbit. Though flavors from Tandoh’s British and West African roots make appearances (see her Ghanaian groundnut soup), there’s an exciting variety of dishes from all over the globe.” —Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit

“A celebration of people as much as delicious food. Ruby Tandoh writes with a cooks-first mind-set, curating a mouthwatering collection of recipes that are as inclusive as they are attainable.” —VALLERY LOMAS, author of Life Is What You Bake It, winner of The Great American Baking Show

“Throughout her career, Ruby Tandoh has called out wellness culture and elitism in food media, and has consistently advocated for marginalized communities. Her new cookbook, Cook As You Are, shows that same dedication of practicing her principles and making cooking accessible to everyone—not just the elite . . . Filled with easy, affordable, and accessible recipes, this is the book I turn to when I need dinner in a pinch. And usually, that dinner is soba noodles with fermented black beans and broccoli.” Epicurious

“For my money, Tandoh is not just an inventive and exciting recipe developer, she's one of the most articulate and expansive food writers out there right now. She deeply understands the emotional complexities of eating and the realities of time, ability and budget constraints, and she will actively help you make a great meal whether you're working with garlic cloves or powder, fresh lemon zest or bottled juice. I love this book like I have loved few others of the past few years, in no small part because Tandoh is so effortlessly judgement-free." —Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon

“In this soulful collection of recipes, Ruby Tandoh nourishes us physically, mentally and intellectually. Cook As You Are brims with easy, approachable everyday fare, but also exists as a blueprint for what all cookbooks should strive to be—a space that is inclusive, thoughtful and accessible to all. With a no-nonsense, egalitarian approach to ingredients, and enticingly cookable recipes that offer a plethora of variations and substitutions, Tandoh liberates the home cook, empowering them to be exactly the type of cook they want to be.” —HETTY LUI McKINNON, food writer and award-winning author of four cookbooks, including To Asia, with Love

“The book is an exercise in creating room for every kind of recipe and every kind of cook . . . If anything is radical, it’s the way in which Tandoh, who has written a thoroughly empathetic cookbook, conceives of breaking away from the form’s constraints.” —Eater

“Ruby Tandoh once again shows us what eating can be instead of what it is—something usually defined by the white gaze using white hands to signpost for us what is trendy, culturally relevant and acceptable. As a gifted guide through the journey of her own adventures as a cook, Tandoh makes her identity and experiencea central focus point for what she is sharing here—a gorgeous selection of recipes that have risen from her lived experience of being of and in the world as a human consuming her culture and experience—something we all do every day but less deftly explain.” —ZOE ADJONYOH, author of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen

“Great recipes, of course, but also a wealth of modern kitchen wisdom. Practical, straight-talking, endlessly inspirational.” —NIGEL SLATER, author of The Kitchen Diaries

Author

© Courtesy of the author
RUBY TANDOH is an author and journalist who has written for The New Yorker, The Guardian, Vittles and Elle. A finalist on The Great British Bake Off in 2013, she has written Eat Up!, a book about the pleasure of eating, as well as three cookery books, Crumb, Flavour, and Cook As You Are. View titles by Ruby Tandoh

Excerpt

Pearl couscous with anchovies, tomatoes and olives
This is just like a traditional puttanesca but with bouncy pearl couscous in place of the usual pasta. I love the chewiness of pearl couscous and how it releases starch into the sauce, creating something between pasta and risotto in its carby creaminess. Pearl couscous is also sold as giant or Israeli couscous. You can get it from lots of Middle Eastern stores and most larger supermarkets. Don’t be tempted to swap it for regular couscous, or the dish will end up thick and oatmeal-like. There are better alternatives listed below.

The toppings here—crunchy breadcrumbs and bright parsley—are optional, but I think they provide a welcome textural and flavor contrast to the salty, silky pearl couscous underneath.

Serves: 4

Ready in: less than 30 minutes

2–2⅔ cups (300–400g) pearl couscous
4 cups (1 liter) water, freshly boiled
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
6–8 anchovy fillets (from 1 small can)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
14 ounces (400g) cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup (60g) black olives, pitted (Kalamata olives are particularly good)
3 tablespoons (25g) capers
½–1 teaspoon chili flakes, to taste

To finish:
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup (20g) dried breadcrumbs or fresh breadcrumbs from 1 slice of white bread
Handful of parsley leaves (roughly ½ ounce/10–15g), roughly chopped

If you’re planning on topping the dish with breadcrumbs, it’s best to get these out of the way first. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan over a medium-low heat and add the breadcrumbs. Toast them for a few minutes, stirring very often, until they’re golden brown and crispy, then tip them into a small bowl and leave to cool.

Pour the pearl couscous into a large mixing bowl and cover with the freshly boiled water. Give it a good stir, then cover with a large plate and leave to sit for 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat, and add the olive oil, garlic and anchovy fillets. Sauté gently for a couple of minutes, stirring all the time, until the garlic is cooked and the anchovies have dissolved into the fragrant oil. Add the tomato paste and sauté for 30 seconds more, then add the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers and chili flakes. Cook the mixture over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes, or until the tomatoes are collapsed and pulpy.

By now, the couscous should be ready: the grains should have the slightest bite in the middle, but be almost cooked through. Drain it and stir to break up any lumps, then add to the tomato sauce. Mix to combine, then simmer for 2–3 minutes more so that the grains finish cooking and absorb some of the flavor. Once the couscous is springy—neither chewy nor mushily soft—it’s done. The sauce should generously engulf the couscous, creating a risotto-like consistency. Serve straightaway, sprinkled with the toasted breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, if using.

Variations and substitutions:
As I mentioned above, the traditional accompaniment for this sauce is pasta. Just cook your pasta—roughly 4 ounces (100g) per person—according to the instructions on the package and mix with the sauce before serving. Orzo—a pasta shape that looks like little grains of rice (although confusingly it means “barley” in Italian)—is also an option: soak 1⅓ –1¾ cups (300–400g) orzo in plenty of freshly boiled water for 8–10 minutes, until it’s cooked but al dente, then proceed with the recipe.

If you don’t like olives or capers, you can leave these out, though I really love the tangy pop of caper in the midst of what is quite a rich, flavorful sauce. You can make this dish vegan by leaving out the anchovies, but it’ll have a completely different energy. Make sure you add a pinch of salt if you do so.

A can of chopped tomatoes is a good swap for the fresh cherry tomatoes if you struggle with chopping things; just leave out the tomato paste if you make this change. You could also swap the cherry tomatoes for diced larger tomatoes if that’s what you have.

Coconut, plantain and spinach curry with toasted cashews
This is the first of a few plantain recipes in this book, testament to the versatility of this wonderful fruit. You’ll find it in the eden rice with black beans and plantain (page 58), spiced and fried as kelewele (page 238), sugared and wrapped in spring roll pastry (turon, page 312) and shaped into crunchy, savory fritters (green plantain, coconut and chili rösti, page 169). Writer and photographer Yvonne Maxwell discussed the magic of plantain in the online food magazine Vittles. “Its skin is perfectly blemished and, at its finest, darkened with black lines,” she wrote. “Even bruised, its beauty shines through and sweetness prevails.” It has a place in the hearts—and bellies—of people from so many different culinary cultures.

In this recipe, medium-ripe plantain provides bulk to a creamy coconut curry, loosely similar to South Indian kache kele ki sabzi. You should use yellow plantain, which are sweet enough to complement the creamy coconut sauce, but firm enough to hold their shape as they simmer. This won’t be the last time I say this in this book, but I need to be very clear: banana isn’t a good substitute for plantain here. Its flavor is stronger, and it will collapse into mush when cooked.

Serves: 4

Ready in: less than 1 hour

1 cup (100g) unsalted cashews
1⅔ cups (400ml) water, freshly boiled
2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
5 tablespoons (75g) tomato paste
1½–inch (4cm) piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
1½ teaspoons black or brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
½–1 teaspoon chili powder, to taste
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 x 14 ounce (400ml) can coconut milk, full-fat or “light”
2 yellow plantain
7 ounces (200g) fresh or frozen whole leaf spinach
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (from roughly ½ lemon or 1 lime)
Salt, to taste

Serve with: steamed rice

Special equipment: stick blender, food processor or blender (check the variations and substitutions below if you don’t have one)

Start by soaking ¾ cup (75g) cashews in 1⅔ cups (400ml) freshly boiled water. Leave to sit for 10 minutes or so, then blitz the cashews and water together using a blender or food processor.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until it begins to lightly brown in parts. Add the tomato paste, ginger and garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes, stirring, then add the mustard seeds, garam masala, cumin, chili powder and turmeric and cook for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Stir in the coconut milk and blitzed cashew mixture, making sure you scrape the brown bits (known as the fond) off the bottom of the pan from when you fried the onions—this sticky stuff adds a lot of flavor.

Bring the sauce to a simmer, then turn down the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes. While it simmers, peel the plantain (cut off each end, slit the skin lengthways and peel it all around—not down—the fruit) and cut into ½–¾ inch (1.5–2cm) slices.

Add the sliced plantain and spinach to the curry. Simmer for a further 15 minutes, stirring often and adding a little extra water if the sauce catches or browns on the bottom of the pan. It’s ready when the spinach has collapsed and the plantain is tender.

Roughly chop the remaining ¼ cup (25g) cashews and toast for a few minutes in a dry frying pan, until just beginning to brown. When the curry is ready, add the lemon or lime juice, then check the seasoning and salt generously to taste—I start with about ½ teaspoon table salt and work from there. Serve with lots of steamed rice, with the toasted cashews sprinkled on top.

Variations and substitutions:
In place of the spinach, you could use Tuscan kale, chard or spring greens (slice across the leaf into ⅜ inch [1cm] ribbons). Frozen peas also work really well!

Brown or black mustard seeds can be found in any large supermarket or in a South Asian grocery, but if you can’t get hold of them you can use 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard instead—add it at the same time as the coconut milk.

Butternut squash—peeled and cut into 1¼ inch (3cm) chunks—is a good alternative to plantain. It takes longer to cook, though, so add it to the curry at the same time as the coconut milk.

If you don’t have a blender or food processor (and so can’t blitz the cashews), use ¼ cup (60g) cashew or peanut butter instead. Add the nut butter to the pan just after you’ve fried the spices, stir to combine, then slowly mix in the coconut milk and the 1⅔ cups (400ml) boiling water.

Earthy, smoky lentil and beet stew
I’m pretty confident that, even if you think you’re not a beet fan, you’ll enjoy it in this smoky, comforting stew. In the absence of meat, the root vegetable contributes an earthy depth and also has the benefit of dyeing this dish an amazingly vibrant fuchsia color.

Serves: 4

Ready in: less than 1 hour

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
Salt, to taste
9 ounces (250g) cooked or fresh beets
4 garlic cloves, crushed or finely grated
1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½–1 teaspoon chili powder, to taste
⅔ cup (125g) dried French green lentils (you might see them sold as Puy lentils or lentilles vertes)
1 x 14 ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes
1 x 14 ounce (400g) can red kidney beans, drained
2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2½ cups (600ml) water

Serve with: steamed rice, tortillas or baked potatoes, along with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt (dairy or non-dairy)

Heat the oil in a large, deep pot over a medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the onion doesn’t stick and burn. The onion should soften and become translucent.

Meanwhile, prepare the beets. If you’re using cooked beets—the ones that come in a vacuum-sealed pack—just drain them and coarsely grate them. If you’re using fresh beets, wash and trim off the roots and stems before grating. (If the fresh beets have their leaves still attached, you can use these! Wash them well, then roughly chop and add to the stew 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.)

Add the grated beets to the onions, stir to combine, then put a lid on the pan. Let the veg sweat for 10 minutes, stirring every so often.

Add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano and chili powder. Stir well and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic loses its raw pungency and the smell of the spices begins to waft up from the pan.

Into the pot, add the lentils, chopped tomatoes, red kidney beans, soy sauce and cocoa powder, and stir to combine. Add the water (2½ cups/600ml is is the same as filling the empty chopped tomato can 1½ times), then bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes partially covered by a lid. Stir regularly to make sure the lentils don’t stick to the bottom of the pan—if it starts to dry out (it will sputter and puff rather than quietly bubbling), add a splash more water. When it’s ready, the lentils and beets should be tender. Add plenty of salt to taste, and check whether you want to add more chili powder. Serve straightaway.

Variations and substitutions:
Swap the ground cumin for cumin seeds (toasted for a minute or so in a hot dry frying pan) if that’s what you’ve got, or leave it out if you must. Chili, in some form or other, is vital: swap in chili flakes, hot sauce or chopped fresh red chilies if that’s all you have. Marjoram or dried mixed herbs can take the place of the oregano.

You can use green or brown lentils in place of the French green lentils if that’s what you have available. I wouldn’t recommend using red lentils as they tend to break down and lose their shape during cooking. If you want to use canned green lentils, or the cooked French lentils that come in pouches, go ahead. You’ll need roughly 9 ounces (250g) of cooked lentils, and should use much less water to start off with, adding more only if needed. Because these lentils are pre‑cooked, they don’t technically need a long cook. However, I think the stew tastes better with extra simmering time—the flavors get a chance to mingle and soften—so I’d cook it for at least 20 minutes regardless of the type of lentil you use.

Staff Picks + Upcoming Titles: November

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