Bitter

Alexina Anatole · Bitter

This is a delicious, warming dish that hails from Belgium (and Northern France): bitter chicory are braised, wrapped in salty ham, smothered in a mustard-spiked béchamel sauce and showered in umami-rich grated Gruyère. I am indebted to MasterChef winner Eddie Scott for alerting me to the beauty of braising the chicory in beer — something that obviously suits the theme of this book. This dish is delicious as a meal in its own right, served with a green salad, but it also works well as a side to meat. If you’d rather keep this dish meat-free, you can easily leave out the ham, bearing in mind that the bitterness of the chicory will come through a little stronger.

Alexina Anatole · Bitter

Turn your favourite cocktail into a beautiful dessert with this recipe for individual negroni pavlovas, perfect for your next dinner party.

Alexina Anatole · Bitter

Adapted from Samin Nosrat's recipe for the Iranian rice dish tahdig, this delicious version includes plenty of herbs and cranberries.

Alexina Anatole · Bitter

For a super speedy twist on a tantanmen ramen, look no further than this deeply flavourful recipe, which also happens to be vegan.