Spring Writing Food: Moroccan peas, artichoke, & preserved lemon

A hefty flavour burst of preserved lemon, artichokes, olives, garlic, ginger, turmeric and fresh coriander, all vibrant and zesty.
Gluten-free | Vegan

As always, perfect writing food is quick (either to make or to double up another day's cooking) so it doesn't steal your writing time, low-carb so your writing time isn't sabotaged by sleepiness, and as much a treat as writing itself. 

This spring's dish is all of those plus some: super quick to make and to double up, with a smack of flavours like the sunshine bursting out after a week of grey. Plus it's all that lovely freshness and can be served hot or cold, for when the spring sunshine still has a sharp nip of chill.

It also uses almost entirely "store cupboard" ingredients: quote-marks because they're not necessarily things you have lying about in the cupboard, but they're all things that keep pretty much indefininitely. So if you want an option in stock for future writing time, add these to your grocery list:

• a tin of artichoke hearts
• a jar of olives
• a jar of preserved lemons (which keep apparently indefinitely in the fridge once opened)
• a packet of frozen peas
• fresh ginger to chop into inches, pop in a freezer bag, and freeze

That's everything you need, alongside some garlic, powdered turmeric, and olive oil. And optional fresh coriander, but I often make it without, as there are plenty of other flavours loudly bellowing.

 It freezes well, too. The peas do fade a bit when they're frozen, so if you feel strongly about peas being the brightest green, then freeze some of it without the peas and add them when you reheat it. On a non-writing day, or for feeding non-writing gannets in the household, you can bulk it out with pitta or ciabatta; for writing, just have it as-is. Maybe with some extra peas if the flavours are blowing your head off!

Moroccan peas, artichoke, & preserved lemon

Serving and times

Prep: 15–20 mins
Cooking:  5 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 3 small preserved lemons, flesh and rind finely chopped (fish out the pips)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric or 1 inch fresh, minced
• 1 tsp ground ginger or 1 inch fresh, minced / grated
• 400g frozen green peas 
• 30g fresh coriander (in an ideal world), finely chopped
• Salt
• 2 generous pinches ground black pepper
• 400g tin drained precooked artichokes roughly chopped
• 120g pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• Optional: pitta bread or ciabatta to serve it with (for a non-writing meal)

Note: This really does need to use preserved lemons; normal lemons won’t do at all. Both Tescos and Sainsbury’s sell the Beldi Belazu jars, 320g, which contain about 6 preserved lemons each.

Method 

• Prepare all the ingredients first, as the cooking time is very quick. (I halve the 3 preserved lemons and fish out the pips, peel the 4 cloves garlic, and take an inch of ginger out the freezer, then throw all three together into the chopper.) If you're making this on a non-writing day, heat the oven to warm the ciabatta / pitta bread
• Heat the 6 Tablespoons oil in a large deep saucepan / wide pot over a medium heat.
• Add the crushed garlic, preserved lemon, 1 tsp/inch ginger, and 1 tsp/inch turmeric, fry, stirring, for a minute, until the oil is fragrant.
• Add the 400g peas and 30g coriander (if using), season and give everything a good stir.
• Cover the pan and leave until the peas are fully cooked – about four minutes.
• Mix in the tin of drained chopped artichokes and 120g chopped olives, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve warm or cold.
• If you’re having it with pitta bread for a non-writing meal, you can also fill the pittas with it or let people fill them themselves at the table. Make sure to nudge people until they say "Nice food" so you can say "Thanks! It has pockets!" And if a pea rolls free, you point at it and yell "ESCAPEE!"
• Eat, write, and rejoice!
  

If you want more writing-food ideas, here are all the seasonal recipes so far.

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Recipe credits: Nargisse Benkabou in The Guardian

Spring Writing Food: Italian Frittata

   

Flexible, fresh, and quick: flash-fried vegetables in an open omelette, topped with cheese.
Vegetarian / Omnivore | Gluten-free

Perfect writing food is quick (either to make or to double up another day's cooking) so it doesn't steal your wriitng time, low-carb so your writing time isn't sabotaged by sleepiness, and as much a treat as writing itself. 

In spring, I start hankering for fresher food than winter's roots, stews, soups and braised veg, but with a nip in the air, I still want something hot. Italian frittata fits the bill perfectly: flash-fried fresh salad vegetables in an open omelette, topped with cheese. It's ready in 5–10 mins from start to finish, packed with freshness, and piping hot. And unlike its Spanish cousin, no pototoes! (I love potatoes, but boy do they make me sleepy.) It's also super-flexible for whatever fresh veg and cheese you have about, and whatever herbs, chillies, or spices you fancy adding.

I got a little shy about suggesting it: it's hardly avant-garde or innovative, and I thought of another much more glamous recipe instead... But this isn't a cookery school or a place for me to show off a new recipe I've nicked; it's easy ideas to make the most of your writing time. And actually, now that it is spring, this is what I'm throwing together almost every writing day. So here you go!

Italian Frittata

Serving and times

Active time: 5–10 mins
Serves: 2 (easily halved or doubled and tasty served cold. I usually make enough for 2 and have it cold or quickly reheated later in the week.)

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, whisked
• 2 teaspoons butter / oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 handfuls of vegetables (see below)
• grated/crumbled cheese of your choice

Suggested combinations

This is what “2 handfuls of vegetables ” roughly equates to, in actual veg, plus the cheese combinations I like. Any veg that you can also eat raw does perfectly: use what you have and what you fancy. (Each suggested combo is for its own frittata, serving two.)

• 200g spinach (it looks like masses but quickly fries down to almost nothing), optional half-onion, lemon zest, topped with blue cheese
• 1 red pepper, 1 courgette, 1 chilli, optional half-onion, topped with cheddar
• 1 onion, 1 pepper, chilli flakes, topped with cheddar
• 2 courgettes, optional half an onion, topped with goats cheese
• 1/2 cup of peas and 50-100g mangetout or asparagus tips, topped with parmesan
• Peas and fresh herbs, topped with feta.

You could also add meats: ham, chorizo fried slowly to render it, bacon bits, etc.

Method

• Put the grill on to pre-heat.
• Whisk your eggs and the salt together.^*
• In a pan on the stove, heat the butter / oil and add pepper / chilli / any spices you’re using.
• Fry your vegetables – choose your temperature and timing accordingly. I gently wilt spinach on medium heat for 2 minutes, and sear peppers and courgette on high heat for 3–4 minutes.
• When the vegetables are almost done, turn the heat down to medium-low.
• Pour in your whisked egg, stir briefly to mix the egg and veg, shake the pan lightly to redistribute the egg, and return to the heat.
• While it cooks, grate or crumble your cheese over the top.
• After 2–3 minutes, when the bottom is cooked but the top is still wet. pop it under the grill for 1–2 minutes to cook the top and melt the cheese.
• Slice in the pan and lift out with a spatula, to serve.

Notes

• Leftovers: Any leftovers keep well in the fridge and make a lovely cold lunch.
• Pan sizes for doubling or halving: The recipe scales easily, but remember to scale your pan size too. If the frittata’s too thin, it won’t hold together; too thick, it’ll struggle to cook through. These are the approx pan sizes I use:
  2 eggs: 20cm pan
  4–6 eggs: 24cm pan
  6–8 eggs: 30cm pan
• Wet vegetables: If you use  mushrooms, tomatoes, or other vegetables that hold a lot of water, fry them for longer first so they release any water and it boils off before you add the eggs. For courgettes, I sear them hot rather than let them release all their water.
  
• Herbs: If you want to use any soft-leaved herbs (basil, mint, tarragon, coriander, chives, etc) chop them finely and mix them with the raw egg.

Recipe credits: Italians, generally, and Megan

^* Salt in the eggs? Really? Yes: Serious Eats says so!

And if it suddenly starts snowing...

Then you might want some Winter Writing Food: Bhakti Dahl Soup, a warming, bright and fragrant lentil soup, lively with ginger and chilli.

Happy eating and happy writing!