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Someone, somewhere once said “If life gives you lemons, preserve them…” and whether or not you believe this to be a metaphor about how sometimes things come out better than before when they’ve been given a minute to mature OR you just really care about food sovereignity and preparing for our potential impending mass extinction: Either philosophy ends in the same delicious outcome, preserved lemons. A flavour bomb in a beautifully citrusy smelling jar that will 100% revolutionise your cooking if you’ve not yet had the joy of cooking with them before and make your mouth water at the thought of them if you have.

The recipe I’m using today has been inspired by the one and only Yotam Ottolenghi hero of Mediterranean fusion inspired cuisine and host to one of the most interesting and inspiring test kitchens in the world. Whilst I know it’s not intended that way, usually when I’m making one of his recipes I have to set aside a good half a day to carry it out, this however, is one of the quickest and simplest (and most fool proof) fermentation methods I’ve come across yet.

The key, like any successful ferment however is sterilisation, so please don’t skip on that step. Outside of that however, it’s fun and almost unbelievably simple recipe to follow which I hope you enjoy making as much as you do eating!

Here’s a veggie meal you can make in minutes, on mass, that will keep you and the family full and nourished for days. I cook most of the elements from scratch, but you can also just buy fried tofu, warm it with your pre-cooked rice, steam that broccoli, add your nuts, and all you have to do is knock up that sauce and throw it all together – it takes about 15 minutes total! An easy and mostly healthy everyday meal. It also makes a great side to serve at a gathering to help fill bellies and it caters to everyone including the vegans, veggos, dairy and gluten-free crew members! It’s a no-brainer crowd-please that should have you coming back to it time and again.

Nettle pesto is an interesting and seasonally abundant alternative to traditional basil pesto. Nettles have a unique flavor profile that’s earthy, slightly sweet, and slightly bitter and they lend themselves well to a pairing with walnuts. I wouldn’t serve this pesto as a dip at a party or as a main ingredient holding a dish together, but I would and do use this to enhance other recipes, the filling of a ravioli, as part of a stuffing for a roulade, spread on toast with fried mushrooms, really anywhere that you would use pesto but where an earthier flavour would contribute to the overall.