”Have you heard the one about the Ottolenghi kitchen hack?”, goes the beginning of the joke. I know, I know. For me, though, a kitchen hack is about having something ready-made in the fridge – a chilli paste, for example, or today’s flavoured butter – which can make otherwise simple snacks and meals super-special in an instant. It’s also very often about the fridge- and cupboard-raid: using up spices and herbs, nuts and jars that are already open and in danger of being forgotten. Or it’s about things that just seem as if they require more work than they actually do: a no-cook pudding, say, where the result seems so much more impressive than the time taken might suggest.
Fridge-raid butters (pictured above)
Flavoured butters are a clever way to use up those odd ends of jars that have been camping out in the fridge for a little too long. Spread them on toast, dollop on top of a piece of grilled fish or meat, elevate your eggs and soldiers, fill your croissants … The opportunities are endless!
Prep 20 min
Serves About 4
For the lemon curd butter
80g unsalted butter, room temperature
4 tbsp lemon curd, alternatively use marmalade
¼ tsp urfa chilli
1 lemon; finely grated, to get 1 tsp zest
1 tsp soft light brown sugar
½ tsp flaked sea salt
For the chilli cumin butter
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp doubanjiang chilli, alternatively use harissa or your favourite chilli paste
½ tsp toasted cumin seeds, crushed in a mortar
For the salsa verde butter
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp green olive tapenade, alternatively use shop-bought pesto
1 tsp lemon juice
20g fresh herbs (I used dill and parsley), picked and finely chopped
2 anchovies in oil, finely chopped
To make the flavoured butters, put the butter and any wet ingredients (lemon curd, doubanjiang chilli, olive tapenade, lemon juice) in the small bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth and paler in colour. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse to combine, or stir through by hand. Adjust salt to taste.
If using in the next few days, store in a sterilised jar in the fridge and bring back up to room temperature before using. Alternatively, wrap in parchment paper, rolling the butter into a log, and seal the ends very well; store in the freezer for up to three months, until needed.
Vegan chocolate pots with tahini caramel
While it may appear compact, this decadent, rich pot delivers on intensity and flavour. The coffee sprinkle adds a pleasant bitter note to help out along the way. Almost unbelievably, this dessert is completely vegan and is made using just pantry items and a blender. See if you can guess which ultimate supermarket dessert this dish is inspired by (clue: you can find it in the yoghurt aisle).
Prep 20 min
Cook 10 min
Set 3 hr 30 min
Serves 6
For the caramel
4 medjool dates (90g), stones removed, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes
160ml soy milk
140g tahini
20ml maple syrup
Salt
For the chocolate ganache
120g dark chocolate chips (or a slab broken into small pieces)
150g silken tofu
65g maple syrup
50ml soy milk
For the coffee sprinkle
1 tsp ground coffee
½ tsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
First make the caramel. Put the dates in a blender, discarding the soaking liquid. Add the remaining ingredients with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and blitz for 60 seconds until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Divide between six small ramekins; this is a little sticky, I found it easiest to use a spoon and small rubber spatula. Firmly tap the base of the ramekins on a work surface to evenly spread, then refrigerate to set for 30 minutes.
Next, make the chocolate ganache. Fill a small saucepan halfway with boiling water and set over a medium heat. Put the chocolate in a medium heatproof mixing bowl and place over the saucepan, stirring occasionally, until melted. Meanwhile, put the remaining ingredients in a blender with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and blitz for 30 seconds until completely smooth. With the motor still running, slowly pour the melted chocolate into the blender, until completely incorporated and silky. Divide between the ramekins, return to the fridge to set for at least three hours, or overnight (they will keep in the fridge for three days, if you would like to get ahead).
To serve, mix the coffee sprinkle ingredients in a small bowl with an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, put in a sieve and dust over the chocolate pots.
Mango pickle fried rice with crispy fried egg
The sharp, spicy pickle and crispy bits of rice from prolonged frying makes this dish extra special and perfect as a fridge-raid midweek meal – just make sure you use the deeply savoury kind and not the sweet version. Swap the herbs and cashews for whatever herbs and nuts you have at hand.
Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
90ml sunflower oil, plus 2 tbsp extra
6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
140g mango pickle, finely chopped
500g ready-cooked or leftover rice
150g spring onions, finely chopped and 20g of the green parts set aside
250g mixed frozen vegetables, defrosted
Fine sea salt and black pepper
15g coriander, finely chopped
4 eggs
60g shop-bought roasted and salted cashews, roughly chopped
First, fry the garlic. Put a large saute pan on medium heat and, once hot, add 75ml oil and the garlic. Fry for two to three minutes until lightly golden and starting to crisp up. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper.
Add the pickle to the oil and cook, stirring frequently, for one minute until fragrant. Remove one tablespoon of the pickle and its oil from the pan and set aside in a bowl with another fresh tablespoon of oil. Add the rice and spring onions to the pan, stir gently to mix, then increase the heat to medium-high and cook for 10-15 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Do not be tempted to stir too often as you want the rice at the bottom of the pan to get crispy.
Stir in the vegetables with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Cook for a further two to three minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Take off the heat, stir in the coriander and set aside.
Meanwhile, fry the eggs. Put a medium frying pan on medium-high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Once hot, crack the eggs into the pan, sprinkle over a pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper and fry for two to three minutes, until the bottom of the whites are crispy. Separate the eggs if stuck together and drain on a paper towel.
Mix half of the reserved spring onion greens, fried garlic and the cashews into the rice and spoon on to a platter. Scatter the remaining fried garlic and cashews on to the rice and arrange the fried eggs on top. Drizzle the reserved pickle and its oil over the eggs and serve with the remaining spring onion greens scattered on top.
