Georgina Hayden. Photo: Laura Edwards
“There’s no denying that food hailing from the sunny Mediterranean coastline has been placed on a pedestal for decades,” notes the bestselling cookery writer Georgina Hayden in the introduction to her fifth book, MEDesque, which is published this week. She says: “It has not only versatility and mass appeal, but is also seen as healthy and nutrient-rich.”
MEDesque, as its subtitle makes clear, focuses on “recipes with Mediterranean roots”. with dishes ranging from Georgina’s version of moussaka to a one-pan ’nduja, pepper and three cheese lasagne. She has Hellenic heritage; her grandparents came to the UK from Cyprus and she was born above their Greek taverna in north London. She grew up learning how to cook by helping her mum and her yiayias in the home kitchen. After studying art history in Leeds, she worked for over a decade for Jamie Oliver, who now calls her his “Greek-Cypriot sister”. Her first book, Stirring Slowly, was published in 2016 and she is a regular on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and Saturday Kitchen on BBC One.
“Cooking should never feel like a burden,” she says, “and the beauty of Mediterranean food is that it can be low-key and simple but still packed with flavour.” Here she shares a family favourite for spring meatballs with pasta and peas. According to Georgina, “you can’t go wrong with a meatball”.
Words by Jane Ferguson
Spring meatballs, pasta and peas. Photo: Laura Edwards
Georgina’s spring meatballs, pasta and peas
These are lighter than classic meatballs – lemony, springlike and a gorgeous way of getting greens into your dinner; the brothy recipe is comforting and fresh at the same time. My kids love it, especially when I roll the meatballs really small.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 bunch of spring onions
1 garlic clove
½ bunch of flat leaf parsley
A few mint sprigs
50g breadcrumbs (gluten-free, if needed)
400g minced meat (beef or pork; I like a mixture of both)
1 unwaxed lemon
Olive oil
1 litre chicken stock or vegetable stock
180g mini pasta shells, or other small pasta shapes (gluten-free,
if needed)
150g peas, frozen or freshly podded
40g pecorino or Parmesan (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Trim and finely slice the spring onions, peel and finely slice the garlic, and finely chop the herb leaves.
Place half the sliced spring onions in a food processor with the sliced garlic clove, the breadcrumbs, half the chopped herbs and the minced meat. Finely grate in the lemon zest, season generously with salt and pepper, and blitz until it all comes together (you can of course do this by hand and mix well in a bowl).
Roll the mixture into small meatballs, around 2.5cm.
Set a large casserole over a medium heat, drizzle in 3 tbsps of olive oil and fry the meatballs for around 10 mins, turning, until browned all over.
When the meatballs are browned and gnarly, pour the stock into the pan, bring to the boil and stir in the pasta and peas. Return to the boil, then simmer for 5-7 mins, or until the pasta is tender. Remove from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Finish by stirring in the remaining herbs and spring onions and serve in warmed bowls, finely grating over the pecorino or Parmesan, if using.
MEDesque: Everyday Recipes with Mediterranean Roots by Georgina Hayden is published by Bloomsbury (£26)