Two hero hosting sides
These spicy lemony beans and punchy panzanella with celery and capers will brighten any table
Hello from a hot and humid Sydney! We have officially arrived. We moved over here from Cape Town last week, and though it has been a total whirlwind, it is so lovely to be back in Australia.
I actually spent half of my childhood here, so being back feels like a proper homecoming. And after living in the UK for so long, getting to spend all of this quality time with my parents and my sister, not to mention my best friends and their families, is just so special.
But I have to be completely honest. I am still very much lingering on those phenomenal five months in South Africa that we just wrapped up. And as I’m basically always thinking about food, I also keep thinking about that beautiful and relaxed farewell dinner party I hosted just a few weeks ago.
I told you all about that herb roasted sea bass a couple of issues ago, and she really was a goody! That said, I think it was actually these two sides that brought the whole table to life. They are the perfect, abundant accompaniment to that fish platter. As with most of my favorite things to cook, they’re the kind of recipes that make you look like a total pro while actually giving you the time to sit down and enjoy that first glass of wine with your guests.
Whether it’s the restaurants I love visiting, or what I cook for my guests, I’m always such a fan of menus that feel thoughtful, but remain completely unpretentious.
These two sides hit that hosting sweet spot perfectly, and that is exactly the kind of effortless hosting I love.
Why these dishes will work wonders for your hosting game
It’s all about the prep. Believe it or not, you can actually cook the beans the morning of, or even the night before, and simply bring them back to life with a splash of stock or water before your guests arrive. The kale only needs a minute to wilt in the residual heat.
Also, if you’ve been reading along for a little bit now, you’ll know that when I plan a dinner party menu, I always look for a balance of something starchy and something green. These lovely white beans are so satisfying, because they give you both of those elements in a single pan. They are creamy and comforting, but the Tuscan kale adds that hit of earth and colour that every table needs.
Oh, and believe it or not, the whole prep-in-advance thing is also totally doable for the tomato salad: you can salt your tomatoes in the morning and let them do their thing.
By “do their thing,” I mean the beautiful process of maceration. Salting halved tomatoes, and letting them sit in a colander, allows the salt to draw out all that incredible, concentrated moisture creating some salty, intense tomato water that collects in the bowl below.
And this does a couple of brilliant things: it intensifies the flavour of the tomatoes themselves by seasoning them deeply. But it also provides the perfect liquid to lightly soften your sourdough croutons just before serving, so they soak up all that goodness, without losing their structural integrity.
It is a simple, hands-off step that actually makes the final salad taste like you have spent far more time on it than you actually have!!
Oh, and the celery and onions can be sliced and tucked away in the fridge, and the croutons can be made whenever you have a spare moment. When it is time to eat, you just toss it all together and bring it to the table. It is efficient, it is low stress, and it is so, so good!
Recipe: Lemon, chilli and anchovy white beans with Tuscan kale
Serves: 6 to 8 as a side
Cook time: ~40 minutes
TOOLS
Large frying pan or shallow pot
Chef’s knife
Chopping board
Wooden spoon
INGREDIENTS
2 large jars of white beans (like butter beans or cannellini beans) or 3x cans. If you use glass jars, keep the liquid. If using tins, drain them
