Planet Food Recipes

Food writer Anna Jones serves up three great planet-friendly recipes; the perfect tea-time snack; a speedy mid-week supper; and the ultimate crispy snack.

Cashew nut pakoras recipe with green dipping sauce

“These pakoras are crisp-edged, highly-spiced and everything I want to eat with friends,” says cookery writer, Anna Jones.

“I like to eat these with my lemon and cardamom dhal on or biryani. They are also great wrapped in a chapati with the green sauce and some crunchy shredded veg.”

Cashew nut pakoras recipe with green dipping sauce

Ingredients:

(Makes 12)

For the pakoras:

100g cashew nuts

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1tsp chilli powder

1 handful of fresh curry leaves

1 green chilli, thinly sliced

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely grated

3 cloves of garlic, finely grated

1tsp (heaped) fennel seeds

1tsp (heaped) cumin seeds

Groundnut or vegetable oil for shallow frying

½tsp bicarbonate of soda

80g chickpea flour

2tbsp ghee, softened

Salt and black pepper

For the green sauce:

1tsp black mustard seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

A bunch of coriander, stalks and leaves

½ a bunch of mint, leaves picked, stalks discarded

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled

1 green chilli

1tsp honey or agave syrup

Juice of 1 unwaxed lime

1tbsp coconut oil

To serve:

Lime-dressed salad leaves (optional)

Method:

1. Measure the cashew nuts into a small, heatproof bowl and cover with double the volume of hot water. Set aside.

2. Next, make the green dipping sauce. Toast the mustard and cumin seeds in a dry deep frying pan until the cumin smells fragrant and the mustard seeds start to pop. Remove from the heat and tip into a blender with the rest of the green dipping sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth (adding up to two tablespoons of cold water to loosen if you need – it should be like thick yoghurt), then taste and add more salt, lime or honey to balance. Cover and set aside.

3. Mix the onion, chilli powder, curry leaves, chilli, ginger, garlic, fennel and cumin seeds in a large mixing bowl and give it a really good scrunch. Season generously with salt and black pepper and leave to one side. Drain the cashews well and add to the bowl.

4. Add 3cm-depth of oil to the frying pan and heat gently over a low-medium heat. Add the bicarbonate of soda, chickpea flour and ghee to the mixing bowl along with 60ml of cold water and mix until it comes together in a chunky batter.

5. Test to see if the oil is ready by dropping a little of the mixture into the hot oil. If it sizzles and rises to the top it is ready. Add tablespoons of the mixture to the hot oil, a few at a time so as not to overcrowd the pan. Fry for a couple of minutes each side, using a slotted spoon to turn them over. Drain the cooked pakora on kitchen paper and continue until all the mixture has been used.

6. Season with a pinch of salt while warm and serve with the dipping sauce and some lime-dressed salad leaves if you like.

Honey, almond and cardamom drizzle cake recipe

“This cake is based on a recipe cooked by my friend Alex from 26 Grains. For days after eating this cake, I could think of very little else. This is my version. It makes a large loaf and is quite rich, so you’ll get a lot of slices out of it.”

Ingredients:

(Makes one loaf)

For the cake:

200g light spelt or plain flour

150g ground almonds

2tsp baking powder

250g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

200g demerara sugar

150ml honey or maple syrup

Zest of an unwaxed orange

Zest of an unwaxed lemon

4 medium organic eggs

For the drizzle:

4 cardamom pods

4tbsp honey or maple syrup

1tsp orange blossom water

2tsp toasted sesame seeds

1tsp fennel seeds

1tsp coriander seeds

To serve:

A good drizzle of honey or maple syrup

Plain yoghurt of your choice

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3.

2. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line with baking paper. Put the flour, almonds, baking powder and a good pinch of sea salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk until there are no lumps of baking powder. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or with an electric hand whisk, beat the butter, sugar and honey until creamy and combined.

3. Add both orange and lemon zests, then the eggs one by one, mixing well between additions.

4. Add the dry ingredients a large spoonful at a time, again mixing between additions. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Bake for 55 minutes to one hour, until the cake is dark golden on top. It will sink a little in the middle.

5. Take the cake out of the oven and leave in the tin. Bash the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar to release the seeds, then put the seeds into a small saucepan with all the remaining drizzle ingredients. Bring to a simmer and reduce to a thin syrup – it will thicken a little more as it cools.

6. Prick the cake a few times with a skewer and pour over the syrup, then leave the cake in the tin until cooled completely. Serve in thick slices, with yoghurt mixed with honey.

Orecchiette recipe with sweetcorn and green chilli

“Sweetcorn and pasta are not an obvious pairing, but I love the chewiness of the pasta next to the sweet crunchy pop of sweetcorn, which here is backed up by green chilli, ricotta and greens. You can use frozen corn if fresh is not around. If you don’t have smoked salt, sea salt will do just fine. If you are using frozen corn, defrost it in a heatproof bowl by pouring boiling water over it, leave it to sit for a few minutes, then drain.”

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

A bunch of rainbow or Swiss chard (about 250g), stalks and leaves separated

2 green chillies, finely chopped

The kernels from 2–3 corn on the cob or 350g frozen kernels

400g orecchiette or other small dried pasta

Extra virgin olive oil

Smoked salt or flaky sea salt

250g ricotta or vegan ricotta-style cheese (I like the Tofutti brand)

The zest and juice of an unwaxed lemon

A large bunch of basil, leaves picked

Method:

1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Finely chop the stalks and shred the leaves of the chard and finely chop your chillies. If you are using frozen corn, put it into a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions or until al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the corn (drained if using frozen) and a good pinch of smoked salt or sea salt and black pepper. Cook for four to five minutes (a few minutes longer if you are using frozen) until the kernels are tender and beginning to brown.

3. Next, add the chard stalks and cook for a few minutes more, before adding the leaves and the chillies. Cook for a further four to five minutes, until the leaves have wilted.

4. Drain the pasta once it is cooked, reserving a large mugful of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the frying pan with half the ricotta and half the reserved pasta water and mix well. Turn off the heat, then add the lemon zest and juice. Toss, then, if need be, add more cooking water, so you end up with a silky sauce that coats each piece of pasta. Toss through most of the basil. Spoon the pasta into bowls, spoon the rest of the ricotta on top and finish with the last of the basil leaves

One: Pot, Pan, Planet by Anna Jones, photography by Issy Croker, is published by Fourth Estate. Available now.