Calling a dish ‘Chinese’ or ‘Asian’ has got me into trouble in the past, with accusations of laziness, reductionism and over-simplification. ‘You wouldn’t call a recipe “European”, would you?’ the argument goes, at which point I usually concede and try a bit harder.
Today, however, we are celebrating the notion of European food, which, like so many other expressions of our culture, is both particular and general. It’s impossible to deny the differences between the continent’s various cuisines, true, but you also can’t ignore its common spirit, which here in Britain is evident wherever you look. We may have left the EU six weeks ago, but we are still proudly (and greedily) European.
Tahini chicken schnitzel (pictured above)
This may sound an unlikely combination, but nutty tahini brings rich creaminess to crisp schnitzel. The same treatment also works with pork chops, but adjust cooking times accordingly. Serve with a green salad or a more traditional potato salad, if you prefer.
Prep 15 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4 as a main
2 shallots, peeled and sliced into very thin rounds (90g net weight)
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
2 large eggs
80g good-quality tahini
2 tbsp dijon mustard
130g panko breadcrumbs
50g sesame seeds
50g plain flour
4 large skinless chicken breasts (680g net weight)
300ml sunflower oil, for frying
For the dressing
60g good-quality tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
1½ tbsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2-3 tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan)/465F/gas 9. Put the shallot, lemon juice and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt in a small bowl, toss to combine, then leave to soften while you make the rest of the dish. Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl with 50ml water and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, until smooth.
Whisk the eggs, tahini, mustard, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of water in a shallow container (or on a plate with a lip). In a separate container (or plate), mix the panko, sesame and a teaspoon of salt. Put the flour on a third plate.
Lay the chicken breasts on a board and, using a meat mallet (or the base of a heavy saucepan), lightly bash them, until they are about 1½cm thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then, one by one, coat the breasts in the flour and shake off any excess. Dredge them one by one in the egg mixture, then coat in the breadcrumb mixture.
Put the oil in a saute pan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, fry one chicken breast for about two minutes on each side, until golden, then transfer to a rack set on an oven tray (the rack ensures the bottom of the schnitzels won’t go soggy in the oven). Repeat with the remaining chicken, one breast at a time, then bake for seven minutes, or until cooked through.
Cut each schnitzel widthways into 2cm-wide strips, then use the knife to transfer each breast neatly to a large platter. Scatter the shallots on top, drizzle on half the dressing and serve with the rest alongside.
Serviettenknödel
This German bread dumpling gets its name from the way it’s traditionally shaped and cooked in kitchen cloth (serviette). It’s like a savoury bread pudding and would make a great side for a Sunday roast with lots of gravy. Get ahead by cooking the dumpling the day before and leaving it to set in the fridge, ready to be sliced and fried the next day.
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr 45 min
Rest 30 min
Serves 4
1 large baguette, crust removed and cut into roughly 1½-2 cm cubes (340g net weight)
500ml whole milk
70g unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 onions, peeled and each sliced into 5 rounds (450g net)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
Salt and black pepper
20g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
20g chives, sliced into 1½cm lengths, plus 1 tbsp extra, finely chopped, to serve
1 generous grating nutmeg
1 lemon – zest grated, to get 1½ tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp
120g soured cream, to serve (optional)
Heat the oven to 190C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Spread out the bread on an oven tray lined with baking paper and toast in the oven for eight minutes, to dry out but not colour. Leave to cool a little, then transfer to a large bowl.
Put the milk and 50g butter in a medium saucepan on a medium heat and leave until the butter has melted and the milk is steaming. Whisk the eggs in a large, heatproof bowl, then very slowly pour in the hot milk, whisking continuously. Pour this over the bread cubes and leave to soak for 30 minutes, stirring every now and then – the bread will soften and absorb lots of liquid.
Put a well-greased griddle pan on a high heat. In a bowl, gently toss the onion rounds and garlic with a tablespoon and a half of oil, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Once the pan is hot, grill the onion rounds in two or three batches for about five minutes on each side, until well charred and softened. Remove the onions, then griddle the garlic for two to three minutes, until well charred. Finely chop all the garlic and half the onion, and add to the bread bowl with the herbs, nutmeg, lemon zest, a teaspoon of salt and lots of pepper.
Cut out three pieces of foil roughly 40cm x 30cm in size, and cut out one piece of baking paper of similar size. Top the paper with the bread mixture and use the paper to roll and shape it into a roughly 22cm-long x 9cm-diameter cylinder. Wrap in a piece of foil, twisting the ends to seal it tightly, then repeat twice more with the remaining foil sheets, so the parcel is as compact as possible.
Fill a large, 28cm, cast-iron saucepan for which you have a lid with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, then lay in the dumpling cylinder seam side up – it won’t be completely submerged. Cover the pan with the lid and leave to cook for an hour.
Use tongs to lift the dumpling from the pan and, when it’s cool enough to handle, gently unwrap the foil and paper. Leave to set for 30 minutes, or longer, if time allows (the longer it’s left, the easier it will be to slice), then use a serrated knife to cut it into 2cm-thick slices – you should end up with 10.
Melt 10g butter and half a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, sear a third of the dumpling slices for two minutes a side, or until nicely browned. Repeat with the remaining slices, using up the last of the butter and oil as you go.
Gently toss the reserved grilled onion with the lemon juice, extra chives and a pinch of salt, and put on a large platter. Arrange the dumpling slices alongside and serve with soured cream, if using.
Peaches with ginger custard and biscoff crumble
This makes more crumble than you need: save the excess for sprinkling on yoghurt or ice-cream. All the dish’s different components can be made up to a day ahead. And if you really want to save time, used just crushed Biscoffs instead of making the crumble.
Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr
Infusion 1 hr-plus
Serves 4–6
2 x 410g tins sliced peaches in juice, drained (500g net)
1 lemon – zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp thyme leaves
For the custard
700ml whole milk
100g piece fresh ginger, skin-on and thinly sliced
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out
5 large egg yolks
55g caster sugar
For the crumble
50g plain flour
45g unsalted butter, fridge-cold, and cut into 1½ cm cubes
30g caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
40g Lotus Biscoff biscuits, blitzed or crushed by hand into a coarse crumble
1 pinch flaked sea salt
First make the custard. Put the milk, ginger and vanilla pod and seeds in a medium saucepan for which you have a lid. Bring to a gentle simmer on a medium heat, pressing down on the solids to extract as much flavour as possible, then turn off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for at least an hour (if you’re getting ahead, now refrigerate overnight). Strain into a second pan, discard the solids and bring back to a simmer on a medium heat.
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until smooth. Pour in the warm milk in a slow, steady stream, whisking, until everything is combined and the bowl is warm to the touch. Pour the lot back into the pan, put on a medium heat and cook, stirring continuously, for about 15 minutes, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl, cover the surface of the custard with clingfilm and refrigerate until ready to use (you want it fridge-cold).
In a bowl, mix the peaches, lemon zest and juice, and sugar, and refrigerate (again, so it’s fridge-cold).
Heat the oven to 170C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. For the crumble, put the flour in a large bowl and, with your fingers, rub in the butter until the mix resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sugar, cinnamon, crushed biscuits and flaked salt, toss to mix, then spread out on a medium oven tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 18 minutes, stirring once halfway, or until nicely browned, then set aside to cool and crisp up further.
Divide the custard between four shallow glass bowls. Top with the peaches and their liquid, followed by a generous spoonful of crumble and some thyme leaves. Serve with extra crumble in a bowl on the side.
