From CSA Member Sadhbh O’Flynn!

note on the breading --- it was way too much! I will use two thirds in the future

While frying, the nori sprinkle in this made it smell like the fish in fish and chips! 

The curry leaf (buy them fresh from Everest Indian Grocery) mayo oven chips, recommended in the cookbook as accompaniment, were amaziiiiing so I definitely recommend doing both -- you could get away with frying the chips on the cooktop if you're comfortable with frying!

ROMANO PEPPER SCHNITZELS - from Ottolenghi's vegetarian cookbook, Flavour

SERVES FOUR

  • 8 red Romano [I use whatever is sweet and pointy from September Sun!] peppers (850g)

  • 100g plain flour

  • 4 eggs, beaten [THIS WAS TOO MUCH!!]

  • 100g panko breadcrumbs

  • 60g white or black sesame seeds, or a mixture of both 

  • 16 fresh kaffir lime leaves, stalks discarded and leaves finely chopped

  • 1 tbsp nori sprinkles (or finely blitz a sheet of nori in a spice grinder and use 1 tbsp)

  • 600ml sunflower oil, for deep-frying

  • 2 limes: finely grate the zest to get 2 tsp, then cut into wedges to serve salt, flaked sea salt and black pepper

MARIE ROSE SAUCE (recipe says optional - DEFINITELY MAKE IT)

  • 1 whole head of garlic, top fifth cut off to expose the cloves

  • 180g cherry tomatoes

  • 4 large red chillies [I used the fun round ones from September Sun!] (75g)

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

  • ½ tsp chipotle flakes 

  • 60g mayonnaise

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F (conventional oven)

2. Start with the Marie Rose sauce, if you are making it [DO]. Sprinkle the garlic bulb with some salt and pepper, then wrap tightly in foil and place on a parchment-lined baking tray with the tomatoes and chillies. Roast for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes and chillies begin to blacken and blister. Remove from the oven and, when cool, squeeze the garlic into the small bowl of a food processor, discarding the skins. Add the chillies (deseeded for less heat), tomatoes, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, chipotle flakes and ½ teaspoon of salt and blitz to a coarse paste. Leave to cool completely, then mix in the mayonnaise and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

3. Meanwhile, cut a 5cm slit vertically in the base of each pepper, then place them on a large parchment-lined baking tray (you can roast the peppers on a separate tray at the same time as the garlic and tomatoes, towards the bottom of the oven). Roast for 16 minutes, turning the peppers over halfway, until cooked through and beginning to blacken a little. Transfer to a sieve cut side down, to drain any liquid, taking care to keep the stalks intact. Once cool enough to handle, carefully peel away as much of the skin as possible without puncturing the flesh, then sprinkle each pepper with a good pinch of salt and set aside.

4. Prepare three shallow containers long enough to fit the length of the peppers. Mix the flour with 1 teaspoon of flaked salt and plenty of black pepper in the first container. Put the eggs into the second container. In the last container, mix the panko breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, lime leaves, nori, 2 teaspoons of flaked salt and a generous grind of pepper.

5. Set a large metal rack over a tray (on which to place the panko-coated peppers). Prepare a separate tray lined with plenty of kitchen paper (on which to place the fried peppers). Dip each pepper first into the flour, then into the egg and finally into the panko mixture, shaking any excess off as you go, and lay it on the rack while you repeat with the rest of the peppers.

6. Pour the oil into a large, high-sided sauté pan or wok and place on a medium-high heat. Once very hot (180°C if you have a temperature probe), fry the peppers two at a time so you don't overcrowd the pan. Lower each pepper carefully into the oil and fry for 1½-2 minutes on each side, until golden-brown and crisp. Transfer to the kitchen paper-lined tray as you go.

7. Serve the peppers straight away, with the lime zest and some flaked salt sprinkled on top and the lime wedges and Marie Rose sauce (if you made it)[you should have made it!!] alongside.

OVEN CHIPS WITH CURRY LEAF MAYONNAISE

  • 1kg Maris Piper [goldens work here] potatoes, skin on and cut into 1cm-thick chips

  • 45ml sunflower oil salt and flaked sea salt

CURRY LEAF MAYO

  • 14 cardamom pods, pods discarded and seeds blitzed in a spice grinder (or crushed in a pestle and mortar)

  • 30 fresh curry leaves, 20 blitzed in a spice grinder (or finely chopped) and the rest left whole 

  • 120ml sunflower oil

  • 1 egg yolk small garlic clove, crushed

  • 4 limes: finely grate the zest to get 1.5 tbsp and juice to get 20ml, then cut the remainder into wedges to serve

1. For the mayonnaise, put the cardamom and the blitzed curry leaves into a small saucepan on a high heat for 1 minute, until fragrant. Pour in the oil and heat for 30 seconds, or until gently bubbling, before adding the whole curry leaves and gently frying until they are crisp, about 30 seconds. Take the pan off the heat, remove the whole curry leaves with a slotted spoon and set them aside, to garnish. Leave the oil to infuse with the rest of the aromatics for half an hour, or until completely cool. Set aside ½ tablespoon of the oil (with some of the aromatics), to serve. Strain the remaining oil into a measuring jug, discarding the remaining aromatics.

2. Put the egg yolk, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and ½ teaspoon of salt into the small bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine. With the motor running, start adding the cooled infused oil, very slowly and in a very thin stream, until it thickens to mayonnaise. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the remaining teaspoon of lime juice to let the mayonnaise down a little. If it splits or gets too thick, whisk in a teaspoon of water until it's emulsified.

3. Preheat the oven to 450°>

4. Spread the chips out on a large, parchment-lined tray. Add the oil and ½ teaspoon of salt and gently toss to coat the chips. Immediately transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then turn the chips and bake for another 25 minutes, turning the chips again halfway, until crisp and golden-brown all over.

5. Mix the lime zest with ½ tablespoon of flaked sea salt, gently crushing it as you go. Add the lime salt to the chips and toss to coat. Transfer the chips to a large platter. Drizzle the mayonnaise with the reserved infused oil and top with the crispy curry leaves. Serve at once, with the lime wedges alongside.