Our cookbook of the week is Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet by chef Tom Hunt. Over the next three days, we’ll feature more recipes from the book and an interview with the author.
Perennial crops, such as Jerusalem artichokes, apples and other tree fruits “are what I’m excited about at the moment,” says Tom Hunt . Blooming each spring and summer, with the stems (but not the roots) dying back each winter, they require less frequent tilling than annual crops, he explains.
“I’ve seen the light and now I’m really trying to focus on perennials in my dishes whenever I can. And flipping the plate, so rather than just doing chorizo-spiced new potatoes, I’m adding perennials like Jerusalem artichokes and apple that just grow back year after year,” says Hunt. “They support good soil and prevent carbon release through tilling. And they’re fun and easy to grow at home yourself.”
Here, Hunt tosses new potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and apple with a chorizo spice mix — a blend of caraway, coriander, cumin, paprika and chilies — he picked up during his time at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage HQ in Dorset, England.
Immersed in butchery and sausage-making during his tenure there, he carried forward some of the flavour combinations to vegetable dishes in Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet . In addition to this smoky, chorizo-spiced dish, he seasons a whole head of cauliflower with a merguez spice blend “to give it some extra oomph.”
CHORIZO-SPICED NEW POTATOES WITH JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES AND APPLE
1 lb 2 oz (500 g) new potatoes
10 1/2 oz (300 g) Jerusalem artichokes (optional, otherwise replace with more potatoes)
Glug of oil, for roasting
1 tsp (5 mL) caraway seeds
2 tsp (10 mL) coriander seeds
2 tsp (10 mL) cumin seeds
2 tsp (10 mL) sweet paprika
1 1/2 tbsp (22 mL) smoked paprika
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 apple, cut into eighths
6 flat-leaf parsley sprigs, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped, optional
Aioli to serve, optional
Sea salt
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Step 2
Place the new potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes, if using, in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle generously with salt and scatter with the spices. Toss well to make sure everything is well coated and roast in the oven for 50 minutes, then add the apples and return to the oven for 10–20 minutes, until everything is crispy and cooked through.
Step 3
Serve as they are or toss in the parsley and splatter with the aioli for extra unctuousness.
Serves: 4
Recipe from Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet by Tom Hunt, published by Interlink Books, text copyright © Tom Hunt, 2020. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
