Georgina Hayden presents a trio of Mediterranean-inspired dishes perfect for a party: a Tunisian chickpea soup, a simplified one-pan moussaka, and a nostalgic basil viennetta. These recipes, from her new book MEDesque, are designed to be shared and enjoyed with family and friends.
Lablabi Party
This Tunisian chickpea stew-soup is traditionally a breakfast dish, but Hayden suggests serving it as an evening meal. The key is to prepare a flavorful pot of chickpeas and offer a variety of accompaniments such as pickles, olives, capers, and boiled eggs, allowing guests to customize their bowls. It's a nourishing and healthy option that's also fun and interactive.
Preparation takes 10 minutes, cooking 25 minutes, and serves 4. You'll need 2 x 570g jars or 3 x 400g tins of chickpeas, 1 ciabatta or baguette, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, ½-1 tbsp harissa plus extra to serve, 120g baby spinach, 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, ½ bunch coriander, 1 bunch spring onions, and juice of 1-2 lemons. Suggested accompaniments include capers, pitted olives, pickles, and boiled eggs.
Start by emptying the chickpeas into a large saucepan with 750ml water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, tear the bread into chunks, crush the cumin and coriander seeds, toss with olive oil and most of the spices, season, and bake at 220°C (200°C fan) for 8-10 minutes until golden. Make a paste by crushing garlic with salt, then adding Aleppo pepper, harissa, and olive oil. Stir this paste into the chickpeas along with spinach, most herbs and spring onions, lemon juice, and seasoning. Serve the toasted bread in bowls, ladle the chickpea broth over, and let everyone add their chosen toppings.
One-Pan Moussaka
This simplified version of the classic Greek dish delivers all the flavor without the lengthy preparation. It's a weeknight-friendly meal that still impresses. Preparation takes 10 minutes, cooking 1 hour 25 minutes, and serves 4-6.
Ingredients include olive oil, 1 large aubergine (peeled and cubed), salt and black pepper, 400g minced meat (beef, pork, or lamb), 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 2 red onions (chopped), 2 garlic cloves (chopped), 2 tbsp tomato purée, 400ml meat stock, 750g waxy potatoes, 250g mascarpone, 250g Greek yoghurt, 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, and 50g Parmesan.
In a wide flameproof casserole, fry the aubergine in olive oil until golden. Add the minced meat, increase heat, and brown. Stir in cinnamon, oregano, cayenne, onions, and garlic; cook for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Stir in tomato purée, then stock; bring to a boil and simmer. Slice potatoes thinly (2-3mm) and layer over the meat, overlapping like a hotpot. Season, sprinkle with oregano, drizzle oil, cover, and bake for 30 minutes (remove lid for last 10 minutes). Mix mascarpone, yoghurt, egg, egg yolk, and most Parmesan; season. Pour over the potatoes, top with remaining Parmesan, and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until golden. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Basil Viennetta
This frozen dessert features a surprising basil flavor that delights guests. Preparation takes 5 minutes, cooking 30 minutes, and freezing at least 6 hours. Serves 10-12.
You'll need 150g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), flaky sea salt, 50g fresh basil, 300g caster sugar, 400ml double cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 250g mascarpone, and 2 tbsp milk.
Line a 900g loaf tin with clingfilm. Melt 125g chocolate, stir in salt, and set aside. Blend basil with half the sugar, 100ml cream, and vanilla until smooth. Add mascarpone and milk; blend again. Whip remaining cream with remaining sugar to medium-stiff peaks; fold in basil mixture. Drizzle one-fifth of melted chocolate in the tin, spoon a quarter of the cream, and repeat layers (4 cream layers, 5 chocolate layers). Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours. To serve, melt remaining chocolate, turn out the viennetta, drizzle with chocolate, and scatter basil leaves if desired.
These recipes are edited extracts from MEDesque by Georgina Hayden (Bloomsbury Publishing, £26).
