/ 19 December 2022

What’s On My Table – With Alexandra Dudley

Alexandra Dudley is a food columnist, cookbook author and host of the Come For Supper podcast. In this monthly column, she takes us inside her east London kitchen to show us what she’s cooking and the tools she’s loving. This time, it’s a weekend brunch – plus, three of her top serving accessories…

Alexandra Dudley

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Heartier than a soup but equally comforting, a warming broth is the sort of food I crave in December – a dish I can happily eat with just a spoon, the bowl propped up on my knees as I rewatch Love Actually for the zillionth time. I love the buttery softness of roasted onion squash, but butternut squash is equally good. You don’t need to make the pesto but I usually have some sort of pesto knocking about in my fridge and love the zap of freshness it brings. Make sure you go for good quality jarred beans, as it makes all the difference.

I usually eat this midweek, when I try my best not to drink too heavily. I often have a box of The Uncommon bubbly white wine in my fridge and find these single-serve cans of wine both handy and delicious.

Brothy Beans With Onion Squash & Hazelnut Sage Pesto

Serves

Total Time

50 Minutes

Ingredients

1 onion squash (or use butternut)

½ white onion, finely diced

660g jar of cannelloni beans (try Bold Bean Co.)

1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves, removed from the stem

2 bay leaves

150ml of water or stock (try Take Stock)

10g of parmesan or Grana Padano, finely grated

Zest of 1 lemon

For the pesto:

Small handful fresh sage leaves

Handful of parsley

40g of roasted hazelnuts

30g of parmesan or Grana Padano, finely grated

1 small garlic glove, finely grated

1 lemon, zest and juice

Olive oil

Method

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Halve the squash, scoop out and discard the seeds and cut into wedges. Place onto a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt and toss to coat using your hands. Roast for 40 minutes or until slightly charred.

Step 2

As the squash cooks, heat a good glug of olive oil in a frying pan and gently cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add in the jar of beans with the bean broth, then add the thyme, bay leaves and water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened.

Step 3

Add the parmesan and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it has melted into the broth. Then add the zest of one lemon and a generous dose of freshly cracked black pepper. Taste for seasoning.

Step 4

While your beans are simmering, make the pesto. In a food processor, blend together the sage, parsley, hazelnuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and juice and a good glug of olive oil until well broken down. I like to then transfer the pesto to a small bowl and gently add more olive oil to reach a textured loose pesto.

Step 5

To serve, divide the brothy beans among bowls and top with 2-3 wedges of squash. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and spoon over the pesto.

THE THREE THINGS ALEXANDRA'S LOVING THIS MONTH

Bobbin Salt & Pepper Grinder, £55 | Addison Ross

I love the playful colours of these salt and pepper mills. Even more wonderful is the fact that you can choose to mix and match the colours however you wish. Each one comes with a set of S or P screw stainless steel knobs, so you can choose which one you would like for salt or pepper.

Visit AddisonRoss.com

Holly Menu Cards, £16 | By Hope

I like to scribble out a menu when entertaining and fell in love with these hand designed menu cards to use at dinner parties. I’ve bought a set of the place cards to use on Christmas Day too.

Visit ByHope.co.uk

Set Of 2 Chequerboard Napkins, £45 | Tori Murphy

I love the weight of these linen napkins. They have a luxurious heaviness that brings a wonderful warmth to a winter table. I have a thing for green and fell for these right away, but they come in blue and red too.

Visit ToriMurphy.com

For more from Alexandra, follow @AlexandraDudley or visit AlexandraDudley.com