Onion tart

Preparation time: less than 30 mins

Cooking time: over 2 hours

Serves 8

Ingredients

125g

14 medium onions, very finely chopped

100ml oz white wine vinegar

2 tbsp soft light brown sugar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp sea salt flakes

1 ready-cooked savoury pastry case

50g parmesan, freshly grated

To serve

freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

• Melt the butter in a large heavy-based non-reactive pan with a lid over a very low heat. Add the onions and cook with the lid on, stirring regularly to ensure the onions do not burn, for about two hours. The onions should be very soft, sticky and brown.
• Turn up the heat and add the vinegar, sugar, mustard and salt. Cook until the vinegar has almost completely reduced. Stir regularly for about 30 minutes to prevent the onions burning, until the onions are a deep golden-brown. (A little colour from the bottom of the pan is fine - just stir it in.)
• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Fill the ready-cooked pastry case with the onion mixture and smooth it out evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with grated parmesan season with freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake the tart in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and leave to rest for ten minutes.
• To serve, slice while warm and serve on warmed plates.

Mackerel on toast with salted cucumber and horseradish

Ingredients

½ cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced on a mandoline

salt

4 tbsp grated fresh horseradish

2 heaped tablespoon crème fraîche

2 tsp English mustard powder

4 fresh mackerel fillets

salt and freshly ground black pepper

knob of butter

To serve

4 slices soda bread, toasted, buttered

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

½ small lemon

Preparation method

• For the salted cucumber and horseradish, place the cucumber slices into a colander and sprinkle with plenty of salt. Mix well and leave the contents to drain over the sink for half an hour.
• Rinse the salt off the cucumber with cold water, then leave to drain. Gently wring out any excess moisture from the cucumber with your hands, then set aside.
• In a clean bowl, mix the horseradish with the crème fraîche and mustard powder, making sure the mustard powder is well combined with no lumps. Set aside.
• Season the mackerel fillets on their skin side with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan until it is foaming, then add the fillets skin-side down. Place a heat-proof plate onto the cooking fillets, as this will make sure they stay flat and cook evenly. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until nearly cooked through, then turn the fillets and cook for 30 seconds, or until just cooked through.
• To serve, place a small handful of the cucumber onto the toast. Place the cooked mackerel fillets onto the cucumber. Place a dollop of the horseradish sauce on top and garnish with a little of the sliced red onion and a squeeze of lemon.

Helsingin ravintolat

Kahviloita

Crustum

Ravintoloita

Chermoula aubergine

Served separately, both the aubergine and the bulgar salad from this dish are delicious with the accompanying Greek yoghurt, but all three together are a match made in food heaven. Chermoula is a potent North African spice paste that is ideal for smearing on your favourite vegetables for roasting. Serves two as a main course.

1 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon skin
70ml olive oil, plus extra to finish
Salt
1 medium aubergines
75g fine bulgar
25g sultanas
5g fresh coriander, chopped, plus extra to finish
5g fresh mint, chopped
25g green olives, halved
15g flaked almonds, toasted
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
60g Greek yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 180C. To make the chermoula, mix together the garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli, paprika, preserved lemon, two-thirds of the olive oil and half a teaspoon of salt.

Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and score the flesh of each half with diagonal, crisscross lines, making sure not to pierce the skin. Spoon the chermoula over each half, spreading it evenly, and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the aubergines are very soft.

Meanwhile, place the bulgar in a large bowl and cover with 140ml boiling water. Soak the sultanas in 50ml of warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and add to the bulgar, along with the remaining oil. Stir in the herbs, olives, almonds, spring onions, lemon juice and salt, taste and add more salt, if necessary.

Serve the aubergines warm or at room temperature. Place one half-aubergine per portion on a serving plate, spoon bulgar on top, allowing some to fall over the sides, spoon over a little yoghurt, sprinkle with chopped coriander and finish with a dribble of olive oil.

Aubegine cheesecake

(Serves four)

90ml olive oil
2 small aubergines, cut into 2cm thick slices
Salt and black pepper
150g feta
150g cream cheese
60ml double cream
3 eggs
150g baby plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthways
2 tbsp picked oregano leaves, torn
¾ tsp za'atar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 190C. Line with foil the base and sides of a deep, 19cm square baking tin (or a round, 22cm diameter dish), then brush lightly with oil.

Lay the aubergine slices on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and brush all over with four tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in the hot oven for 40 minutes – the aubergines need to go soft and golden. When cooked, remove, set aside to cool, and lower the oven to 150C.

Put the feta, cream cheese, cream, eggs and some pepper in a bowl and whisk until smooth and thick.

Arrange the aubergine neatly in the baking tin – the slices should fill up the tray as they lean against each other, almost standing on their sides. Fill the gaps with tomatoes and sprinkle over half the oregano.

Pour in just enough of the cheese mix to leave some aubergine and tomatoes exposed, sprinkle over the remaining oregano and bake for 30 minutes, or until the "custard" sets. Leave the cake to cool down to room temperature, then remove it from the tin and cut into four squares (or into wedges, if using a round dish). Before serving, gently brush all over with za'atar mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil, or just olive oil.

Like all good cheesecakes, tucking into this is so effortless and soothing that it's easy to forget yourself and just gobble up more and more. And, like a sweet cheesecake, it's also a bit of a no-brainer that yields very impressive results. Cut it into elegant squares and serve as a starter with a lemony salad of bitter leaves and fresh herbs. A rustic alternative would be to bake it in a casserole and spoon out portions at the table. Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix – buy it online (try steenbergs.co.uk), in specialist shops and in some supermarkets.

Rosmariinipesto

runsaasti rosmariinia
1 dl raastettua parmesaania
1–2 valkosipulinkynttä
½ dl paahdettuja pinjansiemeniä
suolaa, mustapippuria
oliiviöljyä

Piparjuurikermakastike

50 g voita
50 g vehnäjauhoja
1 iso sipuli
2 rkl raastettua piparjuurta
1 rkl väkiviinaetikkaa
5 dl lihalientä
2 dl kermaa
1 rkl Dijon sinappia
suolaa ja valkopippuria

Hienonna sipuli. Sulata voi ja lisää siihen vehnäjauhot. Kypsennä kunnes väri alkaa ruskistua. Kun seos on kanelin väristä, lisää sipuli ja piparjuuri. Lisää mukaan lihaliemi koko ajan sekoittaen voimakkaasti. Anna hautua muutama minuutti ja lisää sinappi ja kerma. Hauduta 10 minuuttia ja lisää etikka, suolaa ja jauhettua valkopippuria.