We all, at some point, want todo things differently – break the rules a little, throw off our parents' habits – so what better a target for the home cook than the dreary old three-course meal? Isn't it much more thrilling to eat like a Spaniard or a Lebanese?
This sense of nonconformity is definitely part of the attraction of small plates right now, but it also has something to do with the way we eat out these days. Going out for a meal, especially for young urbanites, is less about socialising over enjoyable food than about enjoying food as away to socialise. The food is now the initial reason for the gathering, and then the subject of debate, tweet, photograph or blog (or all four). And to make this worthwhile, you need lots of colourful, Instagramable plates, a constant flow of lovely, irresistible small things.
I'm certainly not going to lament this state of affairs – I love trying just about everything on a menu, taking loads of pictures and sharing them via every possible medium, and many of my customers do the same. And, of course, that's good for my business. But I have developed a fewbasic tactics aimed at avoiding the amnesia/self-loathing/bellyache that can come from sampling 23-odddishes in one short, alcohol-laden evening. First, distinguish between traditional tapas or mezze, and a restaurant that merely serves small plates. Lebanese mezze, Cantonese dim sum and Basque pinchos have all evolved over years and are designed to make sense together. They're normally quite simple or similar, or both, so are suited to having many as part of a meal. Less traditional small plates, however, are often complex main courses in miniature form, and few of us can stomach more than three offour of those.
Pace yourself. If a standard meal can be eaten in 45 minutes, say, give yourself at least double that time for a multiple-course one. That way, you will be able to appreciate every dish properly, and to take a breather every now and then. And keep it light: if you're going to have more than three dishes, make them vegetarian (or mostly vegetarian), because they are lighter and easier to digest.
And follow this mantra: something sharp, something salty, something hot – a citrussy dressing or intensely salty cheese will give you a big hit offlavour without filling you up. And when devising a menu, remember that sharp is fresh, whilesweet can be cloying.
Finally, you're mixing foods, but don't mix alcohols, too. Stick to one type, ideally one associated with thecuisine you're having. For example, it took many Turks several centuries to figure out that raki is the best companion to crushed aubergine and cubes of fresh feta, so I think it's safe to trust them on that.
Fried cauliflower with pine nuts, capers and chilli
A few familiar ingredients add up toquite a spectacular mezze dish that goes well with just about anything Mediterranean. Serves four.
50g capers, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
20g chopped parsley
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
2 medium cauliflowers, broken into5cm florets
Sunflower oil, for frying
2-3 red chillies, thinly sliced
40g pine nuts
Put the capers, garlic, parsley and oil in the small bowl of a food processor, add an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and blitz to a coarse paste. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of water toa boil, add the cauliflower and blanch for 30 seconds. Remove and plunge straight into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.
Dry the saucepan and add enough oil to come 3-4cm up the sides. Place on a high heat and, once hot, add the cauliflower – you may need to do this in batches. Fry for six to eight minutes, until golden-brown and crisp, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a kitchen paper-lined colander and sprinkle with another eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Keep the oil in the pan. Leave the cauli to drain for three minutes, stir gently into the caper and parsley sauce andarrange on a serving dish. Heat the oil pan on a medium flame, add the chillies and pine nuts, and fry fora minute. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen towel, sprinkle over the cauli and serve.
Honey roasted carrots with tahini yoghurt
Make this extra-vibrant by using different-coloured carrots. Serves two to four.
1.3kg carrots
60g honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
7g whole thyme sprigs
Salt and black pepper
1½ tbsp coriander leaves, roughly chopped
For the tahini-yoghurt sauce
40g tahini paste
130g Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Peel the carrots and halve them widthways, then quarter or halve lengthways; you're after long, roughly 2cm x 6cm pieces here. In alarge bowl, put the carrots, honey, olive oil, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, thyme, a teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix until the carrots are well coated, then spread out over one large or two medium baking trays and roast for 40 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until soft and glazed.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt.
Once the carrots are done, place on individual plates while still warm or at room temperature. Top with a spoonful of sauce and scatter over the chopped coriander.
Aubergine and parsley pesto
This smoky pesto is great spooned copiously on bruschetta, but is also good as a pasta sauce. Serves four.
4 large aubergines (about 1.4kg in all)
160g pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
100g parsley, roughly chopped
120ml olive oil
40g mature pecorino, finely grated
2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, shredded
Salt
Score the aubergines with a knife ina few places and place under ahotgrill for about 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes or so, until dark and charred all over. Cut a slit in each aubergine and use a spoon toscoop out the flesh; discard the skin. Leave in a colander to drain for at least an hour, roughly chop the flesh and set aside: you should have about 450g.
Blitz the pine nuts, garlic, parsley and oil until quite smooth, transfer to a bowl, add the aubergine, cheese, oregano and half a teaspoon of salt (or more to taste), and fold tocombine. Use at once or store in thefridge in an airtight jar for up tofive days.
