MEZCLA: Recipes to Excite

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Although if you can get your hands on queso Oaxaca/quesillo, please use this instead of feta and mozzarella. Gnocchi would also work really well here instead of the beans; cook them in salted water before adding them to the roast tomatoes.

Meanwhile, make the salsa fresca. In a small bowl, mix the tomato, chilli, onion, oil, lime juice and half a teaspoon of flaked salt. Just before serving, stir in the coriander.Once the tomatoes are roasted, stir in the drained butter beans and a tablespoon of water. Turn the grill to its highest setting. Top the beans with the bechamel, leaving spaces here and there for the tomatoes and liquid to bubble through when grilled, then drizzle with oil and grill, again near the top of the oven, until golden brown and bubbling – depending on the strength of your grill, this will take anywhere between five and 12 minutes, so keep an eye on it. (If you have a blowtorch, use that to get a uniform char on the surface once the bechamel has heated through.) Remove and set aside to cool for five minutes. Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the bechamel in a blender with about 10 twists of the pepper mill and blitz smooth. While the rice is cooking, make the salsa. Put the first 10 ingredients (everything except the water and tomato purée/paste) into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat and fry, stirring often, for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and the onions are soft and golden-brown. Turn the heat down to medium or medium-low if the mixture starts to catch or burn. First, I know that these are not chiles rellenos in the true sense of the dish. They are not made with Poblano chillies, they are not filled with traditional ingredients,* they are not battered and deep-fried. They are, however, inspired by chiles rellenos (one of my favourite dishes of all time) and they are also, quite literally, chiles rellenos – stuffed (chilli) peppers.**

Sprinkle over the chilli flakes, spoon over the ricotta (break it into chunks) if you are using it, garnish with the other half of the leaves, basil and chives and the pine nuts.

Prawn Lasagne with Habanero Oil

The recipe I’ve chosen is the rapturous (and vegan-friendly) Tomato Salad with Tahini Ginger Sauce, Chilli Oil and Crumpet Croutons. And yes, I did say Crumpet Croutons! In the past 20 years, the London chef has revolutionised the way British people see vegetables, but his motivation remains as simple as ever: to share delicious meals.