The evening of
Simple
23 · II · 2025
Hosted by Komal
A scrapbooking best seller You know that graphic designer style you didn't think you could pull off without going to design school? Now you can scrapbook like a graphic designer.
About the book
A scrapbooking best seller You know that graphic designer style you didn't think you could pull off without going to design school? Now you can scrapbook like a graphic designer. With her signature style, Cathy Zielske shares expert ideas on design, photography, journaling and typography in Clean and Simple Scrapbooking. From the back cover: 'Scrapbooking' and 'cool' belong in the same sentence, proclaims Cathy Zielske, author of Clean & Simple Scrapbooking. Known for her signature style, captivating photography and candid approach to journaling, Cathy has inspired a new breed of scrapbookers who want to preserve their memories simply, and with a classic, hip style. A graphic designer by trade, Cathy began scrapbooking as a way to give more context and meaning to the photographs she cherished. What she didn't realize initially was the powerful way in which scrapbooking allows us to examine and celebrate the very essence of what our lives are truly about. This ho
To start
Zucchini, pea, and basil soup ✦
Sneha
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp/75ml olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- about 6 zucchini, chopped into 1¼ inch/3cm-thick slices (9 cups/1.3kg)
- salt and black pepper
- 1 qt/1L vegetable stock
- 2 cups/500ml water
- 4¼ cups/500g frozen peas
- 2½ cups/50g basil leaves
- 7 oz/200g feta, broken into ½–¾ inch/1–2cm pieces
- 1 lemon, finely zested to get 1 tsp
Method
- Put the oil into an extra-large saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Add the whole garlic cloves and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until they turn golden. Add the zucchini, 2 tsp of salt, and plenty of pepper and continue to fry for 3 minutes, stirring continuously, until starting to brown. Pour in the stock, along with the water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 7 minutes, until the zucchini are soft but still bright green.
- Add the peas, stir through for 1 minute, then add the basil. Remove from the heat and, using an immersion blender, blitz until the soup is smooth and vibrant green.
- When ready to serve, spoon into eight bowls and top with the feta and lemon zest. Finish with a good grind of black pepper and a drizzle of oil.
Mains
Slow cooked lamb shoulder with mint and cumin ✦
Varsha
Ingredients
- 2 lemons: finely zest to get 1 tbsp, then juice to get ¼ cup
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds, lightly crushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1¼ cups/25g mint leaves
- ¾ cup/15g cilantro
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- 1 large lamb shoulder (4½ lb/2kg)
- ½ celery root, peeled and cut into 1¼-inch/3cm wedges (8 cups/850g)
- 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped in half crosswise (1 lb 5 oz/600g)
- 2 heads of garlic, sliced in half crosswise
Method
- Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, spices, herbs, and oil in the bowl of a food processor with 1½ tsp salt and plenty of pepper. Blitz to form a rough paste and set aside.
- Place the lamb in a large bowl and poke the meat all over about 30 times with a small sharp knife. Rub the spice paste all over the meat, massaging it into the incisions. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight, ideally) for the flavors to develop.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Transfer the lamb, along with all the marinade, into a large high-sided baking dish, about 12 x 16 inches/30 x 40cm. Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast for 1 hour. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and add the celery root, carrots, and garlic (cut side up) to the dish. Continue to roast for 4 hours, basting the meat and vegetables three or four times during cooking (and resealing the tray with the foil each time). Remove the foil and return to the oven for a final 1½ hours, until the lamb is browned all over, the meat is falling apart, and the vegetables are caramelized.
Fettuccine with spiced cherry tomato sauce ✦
Sneha
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp/75ml olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 lb 2 oz/1kg cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ tsp sugar (or a bit more or less, depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes)
- 1 dried ancho chile, torn apart
- salt
- ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp/200ml water
- 1 cup/20g basil leaves
- 14 oz/400g fettuccine (or spaghetti)
- 1¼ oz/35g Parmesan, finely grated
Method
- Put the oil into a large sauté pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and fry for up to 1 minute, stirring a few times, until starting to caramelize. Add the tomatoes—carefully, so that the oil doesn’t spit—along with the sugar, chile, and ½ tsp of salt. Pour in the water and stir for 4 minutes, until the tomatoes are starting to break down and the liquid is bubbling. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 hour, stirring every once in a while, until the tomatoes and ancho have broken down and the sauce has thickened. Stir in the basil and set aside somewhere warm.
- Fill a large pot with plenty of salted water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook for 10–12 minutes, or according to the package instructions, until al dente. Drain the pasta and stir it into the sauce. Divide among 4 bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve.
Chicken Marbella ✦
Pranav
Ingredients
- 8 chicken legs (skin on and bone in) skin scored a few times (3 lb/1.4g)
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- ¾ cup/15g fresh oregano leaves, plus extra to serve
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup/100g pitted green olives
- 6 tbsp/60g capers, plus 2 tbsp of their brine
- 4¼ oz/120g Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthwise
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and black pepper
- ½ cup/120ml dry white wine
- 1 tbsp date molasses (or standard molasses)
Method
- Place the chicken in a large nonreactive bowl and add the garlic, oregano, vinegar, oil, olives, capers, dates, and bay leaves, along with 1 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper. Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl, and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1–2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Spread out the chicken legs on a medium high-sided baking pan, along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. Place in the oven and cook for 50 minutes, basting two or three times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle with some oregano, and serve.
On the side
Burrata with grilled grapes and basill ✦
Varsha
Ingredients
- 11¼ oz/320g seedless red grapes, pulled off their vine
- 2 tbsp Valdespino vinegar (or other best-quality sherry vinegar)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1½ tsp dark brown sugar
- 1½ tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
- flaked sea salt and black pepper
- 3 large balls of burrata or buffalo mozzarella (1 lb 5 oz/600g)
- 6 small purple or green basil sprigs (¼ cup/5g), to serve
Method
- Put the grapes in a medium bowl with the vinegar, oil, garlic, sugar, 1 tsp of the fennel seeds, ¼ tsp of flaked salt, and plenty of pepper. Mix well and marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Thread 5 or 6 grapes onto each skewer. Don’t throw away the marinade; you’ll need it when serving.
- Place a grill pan over high heat and ventilate your kitchen well. Once hot, add the grape skewers in batches and grill for 2–3 minutes, turning after 1½ minutes. Remove from the heat.
- When ready to serve, tear the balls of burrata in half and place one-half on each plate. Arrange the grape skewers to lean against them—2 per portion—and spoon 1½ tsp of the marinade over the cheese. Alternatively, arrange on a platter to serve a crowd. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ tsp of fennel seeds, garnish with a sprig of basil, and serve.
Sweet
Sumac-roasted strawberries with yogurt cream ✦
Komal
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups/900g Greek-style yogurt
- 1 cup plus 3 tbsp/140g confectioners’ sugar
- salt
- ½ cup/120ml heavy cream
- 1 lemon: finely zest to get 1 tsp, then juice to get 2 tbsp
- �� cup/80 ml water
- 1 lb 5 oz/600g ripe strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
- 1½ tbsp sumac
- ½ cup/10g mint, half sprigs and the other half leaves, finely shredded
- 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
- �� cup/80ml water
Method
- Put the yogurt in a bowl with ½ cup plus 4½ tsp confectioners’ sugar and ¼ tsp salt. Mix, then transfer to a sieve lined with cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Tie the cheesecloth into a bundle with string, weight it down with a heavy bowl, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Extract as much liquid as possible, until you are left with about 2 cups plus 5 tbsp/550g of thickened yogurt. Remove from the cheesecloth—discarding any liquid—and transfer to a bowl. Stir in the cream and lemon zest and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Meanwhile, roast the strawberries. Toss the strawberries with the sumac, mint sprigs, vanilla pod and seeds, lemon juice, the remaining confectioners’ sugar, and the water. Transfer to an ovenproof dish measuring about 8 x 12 inches/20 x 30cm. Roast for 20 minutes, tossing after 10 minutes, until soft and bubbling. Let cool to room temperature, then lift out and discard the mint and vanilla pod. Strain the roasting juices into a jug. Pour 3 tbsp of the juices into the yogurt cream and gently fold it through so the cream is rippled. Set aside 3 tbsp of juices to serve. (Keep the remaining juices to drizzle over your morning granola.)
- To serve, spoon the rippled cream into bowls and top with the strawberries. Pour the juices over the top and garnish with the shredded mint.
6 dishes, cooked by 4 members. ✦ marks a recipe you can read here.