Everyday eating with built in wow factor - from the Ottolenghi protege shaking up the food world. MEZCLA means mix, blend or fusion in Spanish and in her first solo cookbook, Ixta Belfrage - loved for her inventive ingredient combinations - shares her favourite mezcla of flavours. Helpfully divided into quick recipes (for when you need something great on the table, fast) and longer recipes (for when you have time to slow down and savour the process), here are 100 bold, impactful recipes inspired by Italy, Brazil, Mexico and beyond. Creative, colourful and always delicious, this is food for every day and every occasion.
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Chicken, pineapple and ’nduja bake
Sticky Coconut Rice Cake
with turmeric tomatoes
Serves: 4
RICE CAKE
400g Thai sticky rice (aka glutinous rice or sweet rice), rinsed and drained (see notes)
400g tin of full-fat coconut milk (at least 70% coconut extract)
250g water
2 small cloves of garlic, finely grated/crushed
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
2 spring onions, very finely chopped (25g)
1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
TURMERIC TOMATOES
400g sweet, ripe cherry tomatoes, such as Datterini
15g fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
15g fresh coriander, stalks and leaves
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
70g olive oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1¼ teaspoons cumin seeds
½ teaspoon fine salt
TO SERVE
2 spring onions, finely sliced
5g fresh coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges
Preheat the oven to 230°C fan/250°C. Line a 23 x 23cm baking tin (or a similar-sized ovenproof dish) with non-stick parchment paper.
Whisk all the ingredients for the rice cake together, making sure to get rid of any lumps of coconut milk. Pour into the prepared tin and flatten the top.
For the tomatoes, put all the ingredients into an ovenproof dish that’s just big enough for them all to fit snugly in a single layer.
Put both dishes in the oven – the tomatoes on the top shelf and the rice on the bottom shelf (or preferably both on the top shelf, if they’ll fit). Bake for 30 minutes. The tomatoes should be soft and slightly charred and the rice should be cooked through and golden-brown on top.
Remove both dishes from the oven. Cover the tomatoes to keep them warm. Leave the rice to rest for 20 minutes. Turn the oven grill to its highest setting.
After 20 minutes, lift the rice cake on to a flat baking tray with the paper. Tear away any overhanging parchment that could burn under the grill. Grill for 5–8 minutes near the top of the oven, or until the rice is crisp and golden-brown on top. All grills are different so this could take more or less time. If you have a blowtorch, use it to crisp up and lightly char the surface a little more.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes before slicing into squares. Serve with the warm tomatoes and garnish with the spring onions, coriander and lime wedges.
NOTES
Both parts of the dish can be made the day before and reheated in a warm oven.
I use sticky rice, which doesn’t need to be soaked. Check the instructions on the side of the packet, as the rice may need to be soaked overnight.
Chicken, pineapple and ’nduja bake
Serves: 4
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, at room temperature
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced on a mandolin
½ large, extra-ripe pineapple, peeled (300g)
4 sweet tangerines (or 2 oranges), squeezed to get 100g juice (see notes)
100g chicken bone broth, stock or water
2 tablespoons double cream
5g fresh coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges
’NDUJA AND CHIPOTLE PASTE
50g ’nduja paste/spread
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons tomato purée/paste
½ teaspoon chipotle flakes
½ teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon fine salt
about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C.
Put all the ingredients for the paste into a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken, garlic and three-quarters of the sliced onion and mix well so everything is coated evenly. Tip the onions and garlic into a 28cm ovenproof cast-iron skillet or similar-sized baking dish and spread out. Place the chicken thighs on top, skin side up and spaced apart.
Cut the pineapple into 4 rounds, then cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever's left there, then arrange the pineapple around the chicken.
Pour the tangerine juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet), then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the stock or water into the pan around the chicken (again, don’t get the skin wet). Return to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is browned and crispy. If you have a blowtorch, use it to char the pineapple a little.
Drizzle the cream into the sauce. Toss the coriander and the remaining sliced onions together with a tiny bit of oil and salt and arrange on top. Serve from the pan, with the lime wedges alongside.
NOTES
- Marinate the chicken in the ’nduja and chipotle paste up to 2 days ahead, but don’t mix in the onion and garlic until you’re ready to bake.
- I use tangerines over oranges as they have a more complex, floral flavour, but feel free to use oranges if that’s easier (use fresh fruit, though, not juice from a bottle or carton). If your tangerines/oranges aren’t particularly sweet, you may want to add some maple syrup or honey – do this when you add the stock or water.
Porcini ragù
“I’m not sure if you’re allowed to call a sauce that doesn’t contain meat, doesn’t start with a soffritto, and that only cooks for 10 minutes a ragù, and yet because of the concentrated flavour of the dried porcini, this has all the intensity of a meat ragù that has simmered for hours. Anyone who has made the spicy mushroom lasagne from Ottolenghi Flavour will realise what I’m trying to achieve here: an abridged version of that ragù with the same intensity but without the hours chopping kilos of mushrooms (yes, I heard you!). This recipe is inspired by two of my favourite dishes at Ristorante Pizzeria Acone near where I grew up in Tuscany – penne all’Aconese and tagliatelle alla Beppa.”
Serves: 2 as a main with leftovers or 4 as a starter
40g dried porcini
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to serve
3 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped (not crushed!)
½ teaspoon chilli flakes (or less if you prefer)
10g fresh parsley (stalks and leaves),
finely chopped, plus extra to serve
1/3 teaspoon fine salt
1½ tablespoons tomato purée/paste
about 50 twists of freshly ground black pepper
250g dried tagliatelle nests
40g Parmesan, very finely grated, plus extra to serve
3 tablespoons double cream
In a medium bowl, cover the porcini with boiling water and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 75g of the soaking liquid. Very finely chop the porcini to mince consistency, then set aside.
Put the oil, garlic, chilli flakes, parsley and fine salt into a cold, large sauté pan on a medium-low heat. Very gently fry for 5 minutes until soft and lightly golden, turning the heat down if the garlic starts to brown.
Increase the heat to medium-high, then add the chopped porcini, tomato purée/paste and plenty of pepper. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then set the pan aside while you boil the pasta.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 6 minutes, until al dente. Drain, reserving 350g of the pasta water.
Return the sauté pan with the porcini to a medium-high heat, then add the 350g of pasta water and the reserved 75g of porcini soaking liquid. Stir, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, leave to bubble away for 3 minutes. Add half the Parmesan to the pan, stirring until it has melted before adding the rest. Lower the heat to medium, then stir in the cream, followed by the drained tagliatelle. Toss over the heat until the pasta and sauce have emulsified – about 1½ minutes.
Remove from the heat and serve at once, finished with as much extra oil and Parmesan as your heart desires.
VEGAN OPTION
You can easily make this vegan by using plant-based cheese and cream.
NOTES
It’s always good to have all your prep done before you start cooking, but it’s especially important with this recipe, as things happen rather quickly. Make sure you have your porcini soaked and finely chopped, garlic and parsley finely chopped, and your Parmesan finely grated before you turn the heat on.
Extracted from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage, out now. All photography by Yuki Sugiura.
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