Recipes

Chosen from Moro East by Sam & Sam Clark, they write “If you’re a fan of bitter flavours, then this is the one for you. Combined with the lemony tahini and sweet onion, the bitter leaves are very good indeed. You can eat this on its own, but it is also excellent accompanying fish or lamb”.

Serves 4

    40g unsalted butter
    2 tbsp olive oil
    2 heads of white or green chicory, cut in half lengthways
    1 head of trevise or small Cos lettuce, cut in quarters lengthways
    1 head of radicchio, cut into quarters (or two heads if you can’t get trevise or Cos)

For the crispy caramelised onion

    1 very large Spanish onion
    Vegetable oil for frying

For the tahini sauce

    ½ garlic clove, crushed to a smooth paste with a pinch of salt
    1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    1 tbsp lemon juice
    6-8 tbsp water

    100g frisee salad or dandelion
    2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
    A squeeze of lemon

First prepare the onions. Careful slicing is crucial for beautifully crispy, evenly caramelised onions, so first halve and peel the onion, then slice it across the grain as consistently thinly as possible. If you have a mandolin, now may be the time to use it.

Heat 8-10mm depth of vegetable oil in a wide saucepan over a high heat. When it is hot but not smoking, add a 1cm layer of the shaved onions and reduce the heat to medium. Fry, stirring often, until they are an even golden colour (they will get a little darker after you take them out the pan). Drain and spread out on kitchen paper to cool, then repeat the process (you may need to top up the oil) until you have used all the onions – you can cook this quantity in two batches in a 30cm pan. The onions can be cooked ahead of time.

For the tahini sauce, combine the garlic, tahini and olive oil in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, then whisk in the water a tablespoon at a time, stirring briskly between additions to ensure a smooth sauce. The consistency should be between single and double cream. Season with salt and pepper.

To cook the leaves, place a large (30cm) frying pan over a medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. When the butter begins to foam, add the chicory, trevise and radicchio, season with a little salt and pepper and fry for about 10 minutes, until caramelised and light brown on one side. Turn over and repeat for the other side. As you turn the chicory over, add the frisee or dandelion to the gaps in the pan, season and push gently until wilted. When the chicory and other leaves are lightly browned all over, remove from the heat and transfer to a warm plate. Drizzle over the tahini sauce, sprinkle with the caramelised onions and chopped parsley and finish with a squeeze of lemon.