An Australian friend's genius solution for feeding masses without sweltering next to coals is the 'barbecue plus one': throw one thing on the grill and serve with a huge bowl of something else. The idea came after a chaotic afternoon when she made loads of dishes and compromises, yet still didn't manage to make everyone happy. Clearing up, she thought: 'That's it – next time it is going to be one or two things on the barbecue plus the biggest bowl in the house, filled with one substantial dish.' To be precise, it should be barbecue plus one, plus pitta bread, so helpful people can stuff the item from the grill plus the bowl thing into a pitta pouch, avoiding the need of a plate, plus sauces in squeezy bottles.
Jollof Rice: A West African Classic
Jollof takes many forms depending on the region. Nigerian chef Aji Akokomi has a particularly good version, including basmati rice, curry, thyme, ginger, red peppers and fish sauce, with a crispy, toasty layer on the bottom. Akokomi explains that jollof rice's rich combination of sweet, umami and spice goes well with marinated lamb, barbecued carrots and halloumi. Kate Young developed a jollof rice recipe after reading about it in Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: 'She made him the kind of jollof rice he liked, flecked with bits of red and green peppers and, as he ate, fork moving from the plate to his mouth, saying, "This is pretty good," as he always had in the past, she felt her tears and her questions gathering.'
Roasted Aubergine with Tahini and Greek Salad
Claudia Roden's batinjan bil rumman wal laban is grilled aubergine on a base of yoghurt and tahini with pomegranate seeds. Rukmini Iyer provides a quick and easy version with her roast aubergines, chickpeas and pomegranate traybake, pictured top. For Greek salad, if you can find tasty cucumbers (small Lebanese ones are good), great tomatoes and meaty olives, it's the ticket. Nigel Slater's recipe is classic, while David Carter's version has real zing from galomizithra, a soft sheep-and-goat's-milk cheese from Crete, with carob rusks adding crunch.
Tabbouleh: A Mineral Tonic of a Salad
Most visualise tabbouleh as bulgur with specks of herbs, but in Lebanon it's the reverse: a mass of green with specks of bulgur. At Moro, Sam and Samantha Clark sit in the middle with their tabbouleh, described as a mineral tonic of a salad with finely chopped parsley, soaked bulgur, tomatoes, mint and onion, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chef Joudie Kalla, whose family comes from Palestine, prepares tabbouleh with maftoul, a large-grain couscous that soaks up flavours. She adds dried mint for sweetness, pomegranate molasses for sticky sourness, depth and colour, and chilli flakes for heat.
Ratatouille and Caponata
For ratatouille, Felicity Cloake combines aspects from Raymond Blanc, Gui Gedda, Marie-Pierre Moine and Thomas Keller for her perfect version. Nigel Slater's classic recipe is similar, while Adam Byatt is inspired by confit byaldi, a ratatouille variation by Michel Guérard. He arranges slices of aubergine, courgette, onion and tomato in a fallen-domino spiral, allowing all vegetables to cook at the same time and melt into each other. Caponata combines aspects of ratatouille with sweet and sour dishes typical in Italy. My version is from the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school—a foundation of celery and just a little tomato, plus aubergine fried separately. Jacob Kenedy reminds us that caponata is as generic a word as soup, listing possible additions: red peppers, ginger, courgettes, chilli flakes, artichoke, raisins, green olives, flaked almonds, pine nuts, dark chocolate, herbs. Meera Sodha's oven-baked caponata is an ideal plus one.
My Week in Food: Souvenirs and Discoveries
As well as being a beautifully situated restaurant, Mitch Tonks's Rockfish in Lyme Regis is an online fishmonger offering fresh and tinned fish: British crab meat, mackerel, escabeche, south coast squid in ink sauce. A tin of sardines came back to Rome with me and will be mixed with spaghetti, thinly sliced fennel, lemon zest and red chilli. At West Beach Cafe Bar, run by Adam Donald and Romla Walker, the pizza bases remind me of Roman pizza bianca—oblong, tender and cushion-like, baked on semolina, with firm crisp edges. The classic tomato, mozzarella and oregano, and the spinach, egg, rocket and parmesan stood out. Recipes close each chapter in Sudi Pigott's Consider the Anchovy: butter and anchovy bagna cauda, braised lamb cacciatore, minced pork balls 'boles de picolat', salad niçoise. The chapters—Athens, Sicily, Cantabria, Basque Country, Costa Brava—hold a fascinating, obsessive and witty memoir-travelogue in search of a small fish with a huge flavour.
