Coleman cuts the mustard

It’s been a year since she won MasterChef, but life is still throwing up surprises for Natalie Coleman.

There was the MasterChef: The Finalists cookbook, which she co-wrote with runners-up Dale Williams and Larkin Cen, some very exciting work placements in the kitchens of celebrity chefs Tom Kerridge, Michel Roux Jr. and Marcus Wareing, and the hours she passed chewing the fat with childhood hero Ade Edmondson, who won Celebrity MasterChef last year.

She received another ‘pinch-me’ moment a few days after scooping the MasterChef title.

“I had a tweet from Nigella,” says the 31-year-old former credit controller, referring to her food idol, Nigella Lawson.

“It was something like, ‘Just back from Brazil… OMG so happy my girl Natalie Coleman won’.

Coleman jokes she’ll be putting her newfound status to good use, to help her with a meal she’s included in her new book.

Here we sample three of her recipes.

 

SLOW ROASTED LAMB WITH BUTTER BEANS AND SALSA VERDE

• (Serves 4-6)
• For the lamb and beans:
• 2.5kg lamb shoulder
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 celery sticks, cut into chunks
• 100ml white wine
• 3 x 400g tins of butter beans, drained
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• For the Salsa Verde:
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 100ml olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 red onion, roughly diced
• 1tsp Dijon mustard
• 15g fresh parsley, leaves and stalks roughly chopped
• 10g fresh basil, leaves and stalks roughly chopped
• 15g fresh dill, leaves and stalks roughly chopped
• 15g fresh mint (leaves only), roughly chopped
• 6 anchovies
• 1tbsp capers
• Salt and pepper
• Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas mark 3.

Use a small paring knife to make eight insertions into the lamb shoulder. In each hole, put half a clove of garlic and a small sprig of rosemary.

Put the onions, carrots and celery in a large roasting tin and place the lamb shoulder on top. Drizzle it with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour the wine and 200ml of water into the roasting tin, cover with foil and cook in the oven for two hours and 15 minutes.

After this time, remove the foil, add the butter beans and cook for a further 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Salsa Verde. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend into a fine puree. Season with salt and pepper and set aside until ready to serve.

When the lamb is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with the butter beans, vegetables and Salsa Verde.

 

 

SPANISH CHORIZO AND CHICKPEA STEW

• (Serves 6)
• 2tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm chunks
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 250g cooking chorizo, skin removed and cut into 1cm slices
• 1/2tsp cayenne pepper
• 1tsp smoked paprika
• 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400g tin of cherry tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 200ml chicken stock
• 3tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 200g spinach
• 2tbsp sherry vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Crusty bread, to serve

Heat the olive oil in a large pot (with a lid) over a medium heat and gently fry the onion for three to four minutes until softened, then add the red and yellow peppers and cook for a further five minutes until softened. Do not let them brown.

Add the garlic and bay leaves and cook for a further minute, stirring frequently, then add the chorizo and cook for another five minutes, continuing to stir so the garlic doesn’t burn or catch on the bottom of the pan. After five minutes, add the cayenne pepper and paprika, stir so everything is mixed well, and cook for two minutes. Add the chickpeas and cook for three minutes, then add both the tinned cherry tomatoes and chopped tomatoes and cook for two minutes.

Finally, pour in the chicken stock, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat by half and cook with the lid on for 45 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure nothing sticks.

After 45 minutes, remove the lid from the pan and cook for a further 45 minutes without the lid, so the stew thickens. Stir regularly so it doesn’t stick.

After this time, add the parsley and cook for two minutes. Add the spinach, put the lid on and cook for two to three minutes until wilted, then give it a good stir so it’s all well mixed.

Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the sherry vinegar – you may want to add a little more to taste, but do taste it first. Remove the bay leaves.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH MASCARPONE TART

• (Serves 6-8)
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-2cm chunks (chopped weight 650g)
• Leaves from 1 rosemary sprig
• 1tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 25g butter
• 1 1/2 large red onions, sliced
• 1tbsp caster sugar
• 4-5tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 x 375g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
• 2tbsp pine nuts
• 4-5tbsp mascarpone cheese
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced, or 1/2tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten, for glazing
• Handful of rocket leaves, to garnish (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.

Place the butternut squash in a baking tray and sprinkle with the rosemary leaves. Drizzle with a good glug of olive oil and season with salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the butternut squash is tender.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan set on a low heat, warm the tablespoon of olive oil and melt the butter. Add the onions, sugar and four tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook gently for 20-25 minutes until the onions are softened and caramelised. Taste the onions while cooking, as you may need to add the extra spoonful of vinegar.

Just before the butternut squash and onions are ready, unroll the pastry on to a large baking sheet and score a border around the pastry, about 1.5cm from the edge, like a picture frame. Using a fork, prick all over the pastry inside the ‘frame’.

When the squash and onions are ready, remove the onions using a slotted spoon to ensure any excess oil is left behind. Spread the onions evenly over the centre of the pastry (staying within the border), scatter with the squash, sprinkle on the pine nuts and dollop the mascarpone on top.

Season with a little more salt and a good grinding of pepper. Sprinkle with the chopped red chilli or chilli flakes, if using. Brush the border with beaten egg, so you get a nice shine on the pastry.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Garnish with rocket leaves.

• Winning Recipes For Every Day by Natalie Coleman is published in hardback by Quercus, priced £20.