So you've been told to bring a plate...

Ottolenghi, I love you, but I’m not de-seeding a pomegranate. Minimal stress but maximum sex appeal sides to bring to your friends place.

Ottolenghi, I love you, but I’m not de-seeding a pomegranate. Minimal stress but maximum sex appeal sides to bring to your friends place.

A barbeque is more than a barbeque, it’s a rite of passage. If you have been invited to an event that requires you bring a plate, I regret to inform you that you are over the hill. Your days of twofer bin-end shirazes are over, you now have to pretend to care about pet nat. 

Aging comes for us all. The days of rocking up to a friend's house with a block of Mersey Valley cheddar and Red Rock Deli pesto dip are finite. We will all inevitably, and reluctantly, be forced into the kitchen. Doomed to a fate of ribboning basil and straining tomatoes. 

There are crucial things to consider when deciding what to bring to a shared gathering:

Transport: No tiering, no structure. You want to put together a meal that can be shoved unceremoniously into a tupperware container. Experts will blame the fall of the Adriano Zumbo empire on unpaid debts in the millions; I suspect it’s because those croquembouches were a pain in the ass to lug around.

Heat: Unless you have specifically been assigned potato bake duties, do not prepare something that needs to be warmed up. Your host is one empanada away from breaking out in stress-related hives. 

Aesthetics: What’s a gathering without a photo dump? Think of all those aspirational women that flood our Instagram feeds with their Round The House ‘Bon Appetit’ plates, molten puddles of Béarnaise, and boiled wax beans. For that reason, we’re turning to salads.

Spicy tomato salad with burrata

Photo: Guy Bailey

When did we experience the great burrata emergence? If memory serves it was the summer of 2017. The same summer that Aperol Spritz reigned supreme. Whilst we’ve silently come to terms with that seasonal cocktail being nothing more than a glorified, spiked Metamucil, the allure of the unctuous burrata has endured. Ooh and ahh over oozing stracciatella with this summery salad. 

450g mixed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon chilli oil
1 French shallot, finely sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 burrata
Handful of basil leaves
Crusty bread to serve 

• Halve or quarter tomatoes and place on a platter. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic slices.
• Heat olive oil and chilli oil in a small pan over a gentle heat. Add shallot and cook until softened. Remove from heat and whisk in vinegar and sugar. Allow to cool.
• Tear burrata over tomatoes or leave whole to be cut at the table. Spoon over dressing, top with basil leaves and season with a little black pepper.
• Serve with crusty bread. Serves 3-4 for lunch

Tomato tarte tatin

Photo: Guy Bailey

2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
30g butter
1 tablespoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
650-750g cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers, drained
Small handful of basil leaves

• Defrost the pastry and brush one sheet with a little of the soft butter; place the other sheet on top, pressing down. Return to the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling. Heat oven to 180C (fan). Melt butter in a 20-22cm ovenproof frying pan and stir in the sugar and vinegar; simmer for 5 minutes or until thick and like caramel. Take the pan off the heat and scatter over garlic and thyme, then arrange tomatoes in one layer in the pan (be careful as the caramel will be hot). Roll out pastry on a lightly floured work surface until it’s about 1cm larger than the pan. Place it over the tomatoes, tucking it in around the edge and cutting a few small vents in the top to let steam escape. Bake for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven, then run a palette knife around the edge and leave for 10 minutes. Hold the pastry gently with one hand and carefully tip the pan so any juices run out into a jug, then carefully invert the tart onto a plate. Scatter with capers and basil and serve with the juices. Serves 4-6

Nectarine & prosciutto salad

Photo: Guy Bailey

5 ripe nectarines, stoned and sliced into half moons
8 slices prosciutto
250g buffalo mozzarella, roughly torn
Juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Small handful mint leaves, roughly torn
2 tablespoons slivered pistachios

• Arrange nectarines on a serving platter, drape slices of prosciutto among them, then tuck in the mozzarella.
• Make dressing by whisking together the lime juice, honey and oil; season with a little sea salt and black pepper.
• Scatter mint over salad, drizzle with some dressing and sprinkle with pistachios.