TURKEY & HAM MONTE CRISTO

SERVES 2 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES / COOKING 5 MINUTES

The Monte Cristo sandwich is the American version of the croque monsieur. It’s a classic deli sandwich that traditionally features turkey, making it ideal for Christmas leftovers.

4 slices toast-cut sourdough bread 1½ tablespoons English mustard 120g cooked turkey, shredded 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 50g bread and butter pickles 25g dried cranberries

60g mortadella or shaved ham 50g gouda, sliced

2 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

2 tablespoons butter

Take two slices of bread and spread with mustard. Mix the turkey with the mayonnaise and a pinch of salt and spread on top of the mustard. Put the bread and butter pickles on top of the turkey and then scatter over the dried cranberries. Lay the shaved mortadella on top, then the cheese and finish with the remaining slices of bread.

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the milk and beat until smooth. Heat the butter in a large pan until foaming. Dip each sandwich carefully into the egg mix on both sides and place into the hot pan. Lower the heat and pan-fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and the cheese is beginning to melt. Serve immediately on their own or with a light salad.

I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings here, but vegetable skewers are undoubtedly one of the most hit-andmiss dishes. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they seek out where good is and then run as far from it as possible. The Achilles heel of products such as tempeh is they lack natural fats and their flavour can be mild. We are going to attack these two shortcomings with this recipe and deliver a barbecue hero that’s packed with texture, flavour and a pop of smokiness and heat.

Crumble the meat alternative into 1cm pieces and put into a large bowl. Cut the tempeh into 1cm pieces and add to the bowl along with the garlic, smoked paprika, chilli flakes and soy sauce. Blitz the kidney beans in a food processor to a semi-smooth paste and add to the bowl. Toss to combine. Coarsely break up the coconut oil with your fingers into half-teaspoon-sized pieces and add to the bowl with the spring onions. Mix all ingredients together and gently squeeze into a coarse, semi-dry paste that begins to clump together. Avoid over-mixing or making it too smooth, as you want some texture and for the coconut fat to be evenly distributed. Weigh the filling into 50g portions, then roll into sausage shapes.

Take one square of beancurd and put a portion of filling along the edge of the wrapper closest to you. Place a skewer on top of the mix, fold the wrapper over and roll tightly until the filling is enveloped in two layers of wrapper. Cut away any excess using scissors. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. The skewers can be kept in the fridge until ready to use.

Put the skewers on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 160℃ for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and barbecue on a low heat to blister and char. Remove from the grill and brush with chermoula paste. Serve the remaining chermoula on the side.

COOK’S NOTES:

You need to be able to break the oil into small chunks so in hot weather you may need to put it in the fridge to firm up to the required consistency. Watch the skewers carefully after baking as higher heat will begin to burn them quickly. ■