Photo by Sam A. Harris
As Ed Smith showed in his first book, On The Side, he has a real flair for flavour and this is abundantly — and pointedly — evident in Crave: Recipes Arranged By Flavour, To Suit Your Mood and Appetite. This is the perfect book to prompt you to decide what to make day to day and, indeed, for special occasions. Smith arranges his chapters along flavour lines, with recipes broadly categorised as “fresh and fragrant”, “tart and sour”, “chilli and heat”, “spiced and curried”, “rich and savoury” and “cheesy and creamy”, while noting of course that many recipes contain elements that straddle more than one category. This arrangement is neither whimsical nor confining; indeed, it is a deliciously inviting book, crammed with recipes that had me reaching for the post-it notes!
To give you a taster of the book, let me tell you about: Burrata with Burnt Peaches and Basil (I make something similar with griddled nectarines, and can testify to the gorgeousness of the combination); Fermented and Fresh Tomato Salad with Feta; Fish Fillet Katsu Curry; Mushroom, Kale and Tarragon Lasagne; Lamb Chops with Cacio e Pepe White Beans; Buttermilk Pudding (I have quite a thing for buttermilk pudding, and this was a lovely one); and Bitter Chocolate and Halva Bread and Butter Pudding. And just writing out this sample list of recipes makes my tummy rumble! I could happily choose any of them to share with you today, but ultimately I couldn’t resist the Sriracha and Lemon Linguine with Chilli Pangrattato (ie breadcrumbs). It just hit the spot!
CRAVE: Recipes arranged by flavour, to suit your mood and appetite by Ed Smith (Quadrille, £26).
Photography: Sam A. Harris
