ROCo. blog

For the lamb:
1 small leg of lamb
2 tbsp shawarma spice paste
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 tsp smoked sea salt
200g Kalamata olives
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
6 dates
200ml red wine

For the asparagus:
8 asparagus spears
2 preserved lemons, roughly chopped
1 tbsp chermoula
2 tsp olive oil

To serve:
Multi grain cous cous
Flatbreads
Natural yogurt

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Rub your lamb with oil, salt and the spice paste. Next sear the lamb in a pan on all sides to brown the meat. Add the fennel, garlic and rosemary.

Transfer to the oven and roast on a high temperature for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 160˚C and add in your red wine, olives and dates.

Roast for 1 hour 20 minutes until the lamb is cooked. Allow to rest for 10 minutes and slice the lamb returning it to the pan with your olive and wine sauce.

Next prepare your asparagus by simply cooking for 3-5 minutes in a frying pan with chermoula and preserved lemon.

Warm the flatbreads and serve with couscous, grilled asparagus and a good handful of chopped lamb and juicy olives. Top with a dollop of yogurt and fresh herbs.

2 fillets of MSC certified Cornish Hake
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp of sea salt
100g butter

For the polenta:
150g polenta
100g La Verde olives
1 small bunch of basil
2 tsp of roasted garlic puree
500ml water
100ml milk
50g grated parmesan
Pinch of grated nutmeg

Heat the milk and water in a saucepan and slowly whisk in your polenta over a medium heat. Stir well and cook for 15-20 mins.

Pan fry the hake by salting with sea salt and then placing it in an oiled pan skin side down. Cook for 4 mins until the skin is crispy and then turn over. Add half your butter and spoon the bubbling butter over the fish as you finish cooking it for the final couple of minutes.

To finish the polenta, blitz your olives into a coarse paste in a food processor with the basil, parmesan, roast garlic and remaining butter. Add this to the polenta as it starts to come away from the side of the pan.

Serve the olive and basil polenta with the hake fillet on top and some sprigs of baby basil. Finish with extra parmesan.

1 kg organic mussels
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100g pancetta
Pinch of saffron
1 tsp paprika
185g La Verde olives
200ml cider
1 red onion, roughly diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6-8 heritage tomatoes, roughly chopped
Handful of shelled broad beans
12 basil leaves
1 tsp cracked green pepper

Heat your oil in a large pan and saute the pancetta, paprika and saffron.

Add in your diced red onion and cook. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the pancetta and onion caramelise nicely.

Next add chopped tomatoes and reduce the heat slightly. Simmer for 5 minutes and when a sauce starts to form add in a tablespoon of butter, peppercorns, mussels and cider.

Stir well and place a lid over the pan and steam for 4-5 minutes until all the mussels are open and cooked.

Finish the dish by warming through the broad beans, torn basil leaves and La Verde olives.

Serve with sourdough bread.

For the burgers:
400g lamb mince
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp shawarma spice
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp smoky harissa tapenade
1 tbsp of each mint, oregano, fennel tops or dill, finely chopped
1 preserved lemon, finely chopped 
Pinch of smoked sea salt

For the La Verde focaccia buns:
500g strong white bread flour
7g sachet easy-bake dried yeast 
1 1/2 tsp salt 
1 tbsp soft butter
100g La Verde olives, sliced

For the pickled veg:
1 carrot, grated plus carrot tops
1 red onion sliced
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp smoky harissa tapenade
1 tsp olive oil

To serve:
1 peach or apricot, roughly sliced
4 focaccia or bread rolls
150g feta cheese, crumbled [optional]

Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a dip in the centre of the flour and pour in almost 300ml hand warm (cool rather than hot) water and 1 tbsp olive oil, with a round-bladed knife. Then mix in enough of the remaining water and a bit more if needed, to gather up any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl, until the mixture comes together as a soft, not too sticky, dough. Gather it into a ball with your hands.

Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 mins until it feels smooth and elastic, only adding the minimum of extra flour if necessary to prevent the dough sticking. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cover with an upturned, clean, large glass bowl and leave for 45 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size and feels light and springy. Timing will depend on the warmth of the room.

Knock back the dough by gently kneading just 3-4 times. You only want to knock out any large air bubbles, so too much handling now will lose the dough’s lightness. Shape into a ball, then cover and leave for 10 mins.

Cut the dough into 10 even pieces. Shape each into a ball and sit them on 2 baking parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with a clean dry tea towel and leave for 40-45 mins, or until about doubled in size.

Finish by using your fingers press a wide indent in the middle of each roll. Scatter over the sliced olives pressing down quite firmly into the indents. Drizzle with most of the remaining oil and season.

Put a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven 20 mins before ready to bake and heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the risen bread in the oven, carefully pour about 250ml cold water into the roasting tin (this will hiss and create a burst of steam to give you a crisp crust), then lower the heat to 200C fan. Bake for 20 mins or until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. If you tap the underneath of the loaf if should be firm and sound hollow. When baked, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and set aside before making the burgers. 

To make the burgers, mix the lamb mince with your spices, fresh herbs and tapenade together with preserved lemon and a pinch of salt.

Form into large patties and cook on the BBQ, grill or a ridged skillet in a pizza oven for 6-8 mins. Flip halfway through cooking.

For the pickles, add grated carrot and sliced red onion to vinegar with a little spoon more of the tapenade and some carrot tops. Warm through for 4-5 mins with a little drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt.

Add your sliced stone fruit to the BBQ or grill with your patties and allow to char for 2-3 mins to soften.

Build your burger by spreading a generous amount of tapenade on the base of your focaccia bun and then adding your spiced lamb burger, some crumbled feta cheese, quick pickled veg and charred peach or apricot. 

1 cauliflower, carved into two steaks
180g Nocellara del Belice olives
6-8 spring onions, halved 
1 tbsp chopped chives
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Romesco (roasted red peppers) sauce
Pinch of sea salt 
Handful of watercress

Preheat your oven to 180˚C and start by drizzling your cauliflower steaks with oil and a pinch of sea salt. Cook in a ridged skillet and bar mark them on both sides for 2-3 mins. 

Transfer to the oven along with the cauliflower leaves. Roast for 20-25 mins until the core and stalk is tender. 

In another pan grill your spring onions and olives for 5 mins until softened and slightly charred to release the sweetness. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and finely chopped chives.

Serve the roasted cauliflower steak with roasted red pepper sauce, olives, spring onions and a generous bunch of watercress on the side.

185g La Verde olives
250g chickpeas, drained
1 preserved lemon
4 tbsp cooked cous cous, bulgar wheat or pearl barley 
½ sweet potato, peeled, roasted and diced
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp tahini
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp shawarma spice
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sumac
½ tsp rose petals
6 boiled eggs
2 tbsp gram flour
50g panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp za’atar
2 eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying

Start by blitzing your olives, chickpeas and preserved lemon with all your spices and tahini. Also include your sweet potato and grains. 

Pulse into a coarse sausage mince texture. Next grab a handful of your spiced olive mix and coat a boiled egg to cover. Form into a ball and then roll in gram flour to coat. 

Dip into beaten egg and the coat in seasoned breadcrumbs with za’atar. Fry your olive scotch eggs in hot oil preheated to 180˚C for 3-4 minutes until crispy. Serve with a salad and some harissa mayo with extra olives on the side.