You know those nights when you come home late hoping your Dearly Beloved will have thought about dinner, been shopping, made something fabulous and have it just about ready to serve? Just kidding.
No, I’m talking about those nights you come home, look in the fridge and think, ooh this is going to be interesting, there’s nothing there!
The other night, for instance, apart from the empty fridge, all I could find were a few bunches of small tomatoes and some lemons, but when I put the two together I’m sure it made nine. (I had brought some fish home with me too, what a liar I am. I also found some garlic and red onions, and had a pot of marjoram and thyme on the verandah.)
So, for a simple, gluten-free saucy mix that goes well with meat or fish: chop the onions roughly. Halve the lemons lengthways, deseed and slice them finely. Toss them together in a baking pan. Throw in the whole unpeeled garlic cloves along with a big handful of herbs, some chilli flakes and seasoning. Add a good splash of olive oil and half a cup of water. Mix it all together and roast at 200°C for about half an hour. When it’s all nicely caramelized, drizzle some vincotto over the top, and mix again.
This very tasty accompaniment is as easy as pie to put together and extremely versatile. You can add whole spice seeds – caraway, fennel, or cumin and coriander – chopped red peppers or fennel, or to make a more substantial dish add some canned chickpeas or beans. Anyone who’s turned up at dinnertime recently has been served a version of this …. Ha, and I’m wondering why aren’t my friends coming round any more?
Jan