Darina Allen: Three recipes to try at home inspired by the London food scene

Delicious places to visit on your next trip to lively London

Darina Allen was inspired by a recent visit to London

This week, an update from the London food scene. I was over for a wedding lunch at Corrigan’s in Grosvenor St, and chic, delicious, and wonderfully convivial it was too. I particularly loved the new seasons’ English asparagus swimming in nori seaweed butter. They used yakisushinori-roasted nori seaweed and added a bunch of watercress as a garnish — delicious!

And guess what? I managed to get a table at the Yellow Bittern in Caledonian Rd. It felt like winning the Lotto! It’s owned and run by Hugh Corcoran from Belfast and his lovely daughter Frances. Open just for lunch Monday to Friday and closed at the weekend — two sittings, one at 12pm and the other at 2pm, and for just 20 people. 

The food is simple, comforting, and delicious. The super fresh ingredients are laid out on the worktop in the tiny kitchen at the end of the restaurant. Hugh and his assistant work their magic on two stove tops and a tiny oven. 

We ordered radishes with butter and flaky sea salt, brown crab with mayonnaise, and freshly-baked soda bread. The flavour of the mixed brown and white crab meat reminded me of the flavours of early Ballymaloe. 

Myrtle always served both brown and white crab meat to encourage the fishermen to catch and sell whole crabs rather than just claws. Many other good things included a succulent beef pie and one of the best crème brûlées I’ve ever tasted.

Always fun to catch up with Ballymaloe Cookery School alumni when I’m travelling. George Williams and Beth O’Brien have recently opened the Fat Badger over Canteen on Portobello Rd, a super cool bar with live music and a restaurant with an open kitchen on top. It was really rocking, and, once again, I enjoyed a delicious dinner. 

I particularly loved the intense nettle soup and a dotey little individual soda bread with good butter and a custard tart extraordinaire. Bravo to all again. A tough place to bag a table but definitely worth a try (tell them you read about it in the Irish Examiner!)

So proud of ‘our babies’, next stop Stevie Parle’s Town on Drury Lane. This is a much larger space designed by North End Design. It was absolutely throbbing with enthusiastic diners on its second night. Stevie offered me many tastes from his super creative menu, I particularly loved the deliciously fresh winter tomatoes with cod crudo and tomato water. He’s been experimenting with lots of heritage citrus from Todoli Farm in Spain’s Valencia, which provided little bursts of tart flavour.

The wine-cured wild-farmed beef with candied walnuts and cheese whizz was another intriguing combination — all the more interesting because the cheese came from his brother, Mike Parle, who hand makes several artisan cheeses in The Lost Valley Dairy and Creamery in Inchigeelagh in Co Cork. He and his partner sell from his stall at the Skibbereen Farmers’ Market every Saturday.

Add these to your London list, plus a sweet little place in Hampstead called La Cage Imaginaire, where I had a lovely lunch with my dear friend of many years Claudia Roden, author of A Book of Middle Eastern Food, and many others, and who introduced us all to hummus et al in the 1990s. Devotees will be happy to hear that Claudia, now in her late 80s, is working on yet another book — her 22nd… what an icon!

The Cage Imaginaire is the perfect place for a catch up. Cooking is done from scratch and there’s no loud, throbbing music so we could hear each other rather than having to lip read.

Claudia Roden’s Hummus bi Tahina

recipe by:Darina Allen

Hummus bi Tahina is brilliant as a starter served as a dip with pitta bread. It is also delicious as part of a mezze. This recipe is from Claudia’s Middle Eastern Food, first published in 1968 by Thomas Nelson.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 110-175g cooked chickpeas (see below) or use tinned for meals in minutes

• freshly squeezed juice of 2-3 lemons, or to taste

• 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

• salt

• 150ml tahini paste (available from health food shops)

• ½ to 1 tsp ground cumin

• To garnish

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

• a few cooked chickpeas

• pitta bread or any crusty white bread, to serve

• For the pitta crisps

• 3 mini pitta breads (about 9cm in diameter), halved crosswise

• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp freshly ground cumin

• ½ tsp salt

Method

1. Cover and soak the dried chickpeas overnight in lots of cold water.

2. Drain the chickpeas, cover with fresh water.

3. Add a good pinch of bicarbonate of soda, bring to the boil and cook until tender, this can take anything from 30 to 60 minutes. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid.

4. Remove any loose skins and keep a few whole ones aside for garnish.

5. Whizz up the remainder in an electric mixer or blender or food processor with the lemon juice and a little cooking water.

6. If necessary, add the crushed garlic, tahini paste, cumin, and salt to taste. Blend to a soft creamy paste, add more cooking water if necessary.

7. Taste and continue to add lemon juice and salt until you are happy with the flavour — the texture should be soft and silky. Pour the creamy mixture into a serving dish, mix the paprika with a little extra virgin olive oil, drizzle over the surface, do the same with the chopped parsley.

8. Sprinkle with a few cooked chickpeas. Serve as a dip with pitta bread or as an accompaniment to kebabs.

9. For the pitta crisps

10. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut the pita into triangles. Brush evenly with olive oil, sprinkle with cumin and salt.

11. Spread pita strips in a single layer on a baking tray and bake in the middle of the oven for three minutes or until crisp and golden.

12. Serve immediately to scoop up the hummus.

Stevie Parle’s Cod Crudo with Tomato Water and Basil Oil

recipe by:Darina Allen

Clean, vivid and elegant — this crudo balances the sweetness of tomato, fragrant basil oil, and bright citrus over delicate slices of cured cod.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the cod cure

• 300g caster sugar

• 600g coarse sea salt

• zest of 1 lemon

• zest of 1 orange

• For the tomato water (yields 400g)

• 400g Marinda tomatoes

• 400g vine tomatoes

• 20g fresh basil

• 4g fish sauce (we use colatura di alici)

• 16g sea salt flakes

• 16g sherry vinegar

• 16g white wine vinegar

• 10g caster sugar

• 4g black peppercorns

• For the basil oil (yields more than needed):

• 228g fresh basil leaves

• 900g sunflower oil

• To serve

• 1-2 Marinda tomatoes, sliced as thinly as possible with a sharp knife

• 180g cured cod (sliced)

• 100g tomato water

• basil oil, to drizzle

• a few segments of pomelo or grapefruit (optional)

Method

1. To cure the cod, bliitz the sugar, salt, and citrus zests in a food processor. Coat a cod loin evenly in the cure and refrigerate for four hours.

2. Rinse well, pat dry, and chill. Slice thinly just before serving.

3. Make the tomato water by roughly chopping the tomatoes and combine with the remaining ingredients. Marinate for 20 minutes. Blend everything, then strain through muslin cloth overnight without pressing.

4. For the basil oil, blend the basil and sunflower oil in a Thermomix at 90°C for nine minutes.

5. Alternatively, heat in a saucepan for a couple of minutes and use a blender to emulsify.

6. Strain through muslin cloth and chill. To serve, lay a few very thin slices of Marinda tomato on the base of each chilled plate.

7. Arrange slices of cured cod on top. Spoon over around 25g of tomato water per portion. Finish with basil oil and citrus segments if using.

Fat Badger’s Brown Sugar Custard Tart

recipe by:Darina Allen

Thank you to Beth O’Brien, pastry chef extraordinaire, for sharing this delicious recipe, best custard tart I’ve ever tasted.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• For the pastry

• 80g butter

• 80g icing sugar

• 1 egg

• 240g plain flour

• 35g ground almonds

• pinch of salt

• 1 egg, to egg wash

• For the custard

• 240g milk

• 900g cream 2

• 200g dark brown sugar

• pinch of salt

• 12 egg yolks

• caster sugar, Maldon sea salt and crème fraîche, to finish

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for two minutes until combined but not aerated. Add the egg and mix well, then add the flour, almonds and salt and mix to combine. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

2. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Roll out to an even disc around 3mm thick. Line a deep tart tin (25cm in size), pushing the pastry into the corners and pushing against the edges of the tin.

3. Chill for at least 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Trim the edges and line the tart with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then remove the baking beans, brush generously with egg wash and bake for a further seven minutes.

4. For the custard, eat the milk and cream to just about a simmer while you combine the sugar, salt and egg yolks in a bowl. Pour half the hot milk and cream over the yolks, whisk to combine, then pour this mixture back into the pot and whisk thoroughly. Reduce the oven temperature to 155°C/Gas Mark 3.

5. Pour the custard into the blind baked tin and return to the oven. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until there is only a very slight wobble in the centre when baked. Chill fully before slicing.

6. To serve, sprinkle a generous amount of caster sugar on top of each slice and use a blowtorch to brûlée. Put a pinch of flaky salt on top and serve with crème fraîche.

NOTS Inaugural Agri-Homeopathy Conference 2025

Don’t miss the Inaugural Agri-Homeopathy Conference run by the National Organic Training Skillnet taking place on Thursday, June 5, at Avalon House Hotel in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. In person or online event.

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Taste of Dublin: The Recipes Cookbook

Taste of Dublin. which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this year, has just launched its first cookbook Taste of Dublin: The Recipes with 20 recipes, all of which were demonstrated at the festival over the years. The festival has partnered with Dublin Simon Community to donate a portion of each sale directly to the charity’s vital housing and healthcare services.

The cookbook is available to pre-order for click and collect at the festival via tasteofdublin.ie or for postage on ninebeanrowsbooks.com