Greenfeast. Nigel Slater

seeds 30g

      sunflower seeds 30g

      puffed rice, unsweetened 30g

      parsley a handful

      olive oil

      Crack open the pomegranate and remove the seeds, putting them into a mixing bowl and discarding any white pith as you go. Peel the cucumber, lightly, leaving as much colour as you can, then cut in half lengthways. Scrape out the seeds and pith with a teaspoon and discard, then cut the flesh into small dice. Toss the cucumber and pomegranate together.

      Put the coriander and cumin seeds in a shallow pan and warm them over a gentle heat. Let them cook, moving them around the pan, until crisp and fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and tip the toasted seeds into a mortar. Crush them to a fine powder.

      Warm the groundnut oil in the shallow pan, then, keeping the heat low, add the coriander and cumin, garam masala and curry powder, then the almonds. Warm the nuts and spices, moving everything round the pan so it doesn’t burn. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and stir them into the spices and almonds, together with the hemp and sunflower seeds and the puffed rice. Tear the parsley leaves from their stalks and add to the bowl. Tip the warm chickpea mixture into the pomegranate and cucumber, add a trickle of olive oil, then toss gently together and serve.

QUINOA, PEAS, SPROUTED SEEDS

      Soft leaves, crunchy, lightly cooked peas. The knubby quality of quinoa.

       Serves 6

      quinoa 100g

      peas 400g (weight with pods)

      sprouted mung, sunflower and radish seeds 100g

      cress a small punnet

      micro leaves and marigold petals a large handful

       For the dressing:

      pomegranate molasses 2 tablespoons

      lemon juice 2 tablespoons

      olive oil 2 tablespoons

      Put the quinoa into a pan with 175ml of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for six minutes before turning off the heat and leaving, covered, for twenty minutes.

      Pod the peas and cook them in deep, lightly salted boiling water for four minutes or until they are almost tender. (They are good when slightly undercooked.) Drain and plunge them into iced water.

      Mix the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and olive oil together in a large mixing bowl and season lightly. Run a fork through the quinoa to separate the grains, then tip into the dressing.

      Wash the sprouted seeds in a sieve in cold running water and shake dry. Mix the peas, seeds, cress, micro leaves and petals with the quinoa and its dressing and serve.

      • Once made, this is a good base in which to use other leftovers, torn into juicy pieces, or simply to put on the table with other dishes. I should add that it makes a sound addition to lunchboxes, and will be fine in the fridge for a couple of days.

RICE, BROAD BEANS, ASPARAGUS

      Homely buttered rice. The luxury of new season’s vegetables.

       Serves 2–3

      broad beans, podded a couple of handfuls

      asparagus 18 spears

       For the pilaf:

      white basmati rice 120g

      butter 50g

      bay leaves 3

      green cardamom pods 6

      black peppercorns 6

      a cinnamon stick

      cloves 2 or 3

      cumin seeds a pinch

      thyme a couple of sprigs

       For the herb butter:

      mint leaves 8 large

      parsley a small handful

      spring onions 2

      butter, soft 200g

      Cook the beans in deep, lightly salted boiling water for three or four minutes. Drain and pop the largest of the beans from their skins. Any very small beans can be left as they are. Trim the asparagus, removing any tough ends, then cut the spears into short lengths. Boil or steam for five or six minutes until just tender.

      Wash the rice three times in a bowl of warm water. This will prevent it sticking together. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat, add the bay leaves, the cardamom pods, lightly crushed, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds and sprigs of thyme. Stir the spices and herbs around in the butter for a minute or two, then, as soon as they are warm and fragrant, drain the rice and add it to the pan. Stir the rice to coat it with the butter, then pour in enough water to cover and leave 2cm of water above the rice.

      Season with salt, turn down the heat so the water simmers and cover tightly with a lid. After seven minutes, lift the lid, and fold in the drained asparagus and the broad beans. Replace the lid and continue cooking for a further five minutes. Remove from the heat, leave the lid in place and set aside for three minutes.

      Make the butter: put the mint leaves on top of one another, roll them up tightly, then shred them finely. Remove the parsley leaves from their stalks and finely chop. Discard the roots and the darkest green shoots of the spring onions. Finely chop the white and pale green part.

      Cream the butter until it is soft and fluffy. Season with a little coarsely ground black pepper and sea salt. Fold in the mint, parsley and spring onions.

      Lift the lid from the rice, stir with a fork to separate the grains, then fold in the herb butter. Alternatively, divide the rice between plates, place a spoonful of the herb butter on the hot rice and fold in so the grains are coated.

      • If you make the butter in advance, remove it from the fridge a good half hour before using. It should be soft and fluffy.

RUNNER BEANS, CASHEWS, TOMATOES

      Crisp, crunchy, refreshing.

       Serves 2

      runner beans 350g

      garlic 2 large cloves

      guindilla chillies 3

      olive oil 4 tablespoons

      cashews 100g

      cherry tomatoes 300g

      spring onions 3

      Put a deep pan of water on to boil. Remove any strings from the edges of the runner beans, then cut the beans into short, thick slices. When the water is boiling, salt it lightly and tip in the beans. Let them cook for two minutes, then drain and plunge them into deep, iced water.