I am under no illusion that I can turn a committed blue cheese hater into a fan of Penicillium roqueforti, the mould responsible for that funky flavour. But when cooked, what normally makes blue cheese so divisive is harnessed to add a complexity that isn’t about the cheese itself, but about giving the other components extra depth. The sweetness of slow-cooked red cabbage, the earthy creaminess of potato cakes and the grassy notes of chard pie are all improved by the power of a little modest mould.
Swiss chard galette with dolcelatte and sumac (pictured above)
The dough is the star here: buttery, flaky and easy to put together. Use a stronger blue cheese, such as roquefort, if you prefer. The sweet raisins are fantastic with the savoury chard and cheese, but you can also leave them out.
Prep 20 min
Cook 2 hr 25 min
Cool 15 min
Serves 4
10g unsalted butter
2½ tbsp olive oil
1 large onion (200g), thinly sliced
250g Swiss chard, stems chopped into 1cm cubes, leaves roughly shredded
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper
10g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
30g golden raisins, soaked in 100ml hot water for 20 minutes, then drained
20g pine nuts
¾ tsp sumac
45g ricotta
100g dolcelatte, roughly crumbled
1 egg, beaten
For the crust
80g plain flour
35g wholemeal flour
½ tbsp sugar
½ tsp flaked sea salt
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
115g unsalted fridge-cold butter, cut into 1½cm cubes
60ml ice-cold water
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6. Melt the butter and a tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan on a medium heat, then fry the onion, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until it’s completely softened and deeply caramelised. Set aside.
While the onions are cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon and a half of oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame. Once hot, fry the chard stems for five minutes, until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the chard leaves, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and cook for three minutes, until the chard has wilted and released some of its liquid. Transfer to a sieve set over a bowl, gently squeeze out any excess moisture, then put in a bowl and mix in the parsley, raisins, pine nuts, half a teaspoon of sumac and the caramelised onions, and leave to cool.
Make the crust by whisking both the flours in a large bowl with the sugar, salt and herbs. Add the butter and incorporate it into the flour by squashing each cube between your fingers. Don’t overwork the butter – you want chunks throughout the dough – so a light squish will do. Add the water and use your hands to gather the dough together into a shaggy mess – it will be quite wet.
Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and roll out into a rectangle about 28cm x 18cm. Fold the longer ends in towards each other, so they meet in the centre, then roll over once with a rolling pin. Fold in the shorter ends in the same way, roll out once again, then fold in half, so you’re left with a square. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
On a well-floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a 28cm-diameter disc, then carefully lift on to an oven tray lined with baking paper. Spread the ricotta all over the dough, leaving a 1cm rim all around the outside edge, then cover with half the blue cheese. Top with the chard filling and the remaining blue cheese.
Use a knife to make small, 2cm cuts about 8cm apart all around the circumference of the galette. Take one of the resulting dough strips and fold it inwards towards the centre. Repeat with the next strip, pulling gently so it overlaps slightly with the previous one and seals the previous fold. Repeat with all the strips all around the edge of the galette, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining sumac.
Bake for 25 minutes, until golden and cooked through, then leave to cool and rest for 15 minutes before serving warm.
Leek, potato and stilton cakes
Serve the cakes as they are, drizzled with lemon juice, or with fried eggs, smoked salmon or grilled bacon. If you can’t get hold of dried Iranian lime, use a teaspoon of lime zest, or just leave it out altogether.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 25 min
Serves 6
2 large potatoes (900g)
60ml olive oil
3-4 leeks (400g), trimmed and finely sliced
½ tsp ground dried Iranian lime
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
10g tarragon, roughly chopped
15g mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 small preserved lemon (15g), skin finely chopped
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
Salt and black pepper
100g stilton, roughly crumbled
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas 7. Put the potatoes on a baking tray and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the flesh is soft. Remove from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, cut in half, scoop out the flesh – you should have about 600g – put in a large bowl and roughly mash. Discard the skins (or drizzle with olive oil and grill, to serve as a snack).
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high flame. Add the leeks and fry for seven to eight minutes, stirring frequently, until soft but still bright green. Add the leeks to the potato, along with the Iranian lime, cumin, herbs, preserved lemon, lemon zest, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Mix together, then form into 12 6cm-diameter x 2cm-thick cakes.
Heat the grill to its highest setting. Put a large frying pan on a medium heat with a tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add six cakes and fry for about four minutes, turning once halfway, until golden brown on both sides, then transfer to a baking tray. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining cakes. Dot the stilton on top of the cakes and put under the grill for two to three minutes, until melted and browned on top.
Serve hot with a crisp fried egg alongside, if you like.
Grilled red cabbage with gorgonzola and grapes
This is a recent wintry addition to the menu at my new restaurant, Rovi. We bake the cabbage for hours, then grill it with cheese until everything is intensely soft and seductively unctuous. Get ahead by braising the cabbage the day ahead, before finishing it under the grill.
Prep 15-20 min
Cook 3 hr 30 min
Serves 6
1 small red cabbage (1.1kg), cut lengthways into 6 wedges held together by the stem)
300g red grapes
50g soft dark brown sugar
300ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
2 tsp juniper berries, crushed in a mortar
40g unsalted butter, melted
Salt and black pepper
60g gorgonzola, torn into 1-2cm pieces
2 tsp thyme leaves
200g soured cream
Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas 3.
Arrange the cabbage wedges and 200g grapes snugly in a high-sided, 20cm x 30cm baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, stock, vinegar, juniper, butter, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Pour this over the cabbage wedges, so they’re well coated, then cover securely with tin foil. Bake for two and a half to three hours (depending on the size of the cabbage), basting a few times, until the cabbage is completely soft. Remove from the oven, put the wedges and cooked grapes on a plate and strain the liquid into a small saucepan – you should have 150-200ml. Reduce on a high heat for four to six minutes, stirring frequently, until you have about 50ml of thickened liquid left.
Turn the grill to its highest setting and put an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Arrange the wedges and cooked grapes on a baking tray with the remaining 100g grapes and dot the gorgonzola between the cabbage wedges. Grill for six to seven minutes, until the cabbage is starting to crisp up, the grapes are scorched and the cheese has melted. If the cabbage starts to burn, turn down the grill.
To serve, drizzle two teaspoons of the thickened syrup over each cabbage wedge, sprinkle over the thyme and spoon over the soured cream or serve on the side.
