Inner calm: sublime sustenance at a John Pawson-designed retreat in the Welsh hills
These recipes were shot on location at The Life House, designed by John Pawson and available to rent through Living Architecture
Flick through this gallery to discover sublime sustenance in the form of festive recipes, as originally featured in our December 2017 issue (W*225).
Pictured: ‘CHA Holz’ dish, £37, by Federica Capitani, for Rosenthal. ‘Chamber’ candle holder, €140, by Sigurd Persson, for Svenskt Tenn. ‘Nattoffice’ candlestick, €80, by Richard Hutten, for Skultuna. Candles, £13 for pair, by Ester & Erik, from The Conran Shop. ‘Emerald’ dinner plate, €41, by Vista Alegre. ‘Silver Time’ bowl, £235, by Christofle, from Harrods. ‘The Free-Spirited’ light, part of the Ink and Wash collection, $735, by EY-Products. ‘Artesano Hot Beverage’ tumbler, £14; ‘Ella’ cutlery, £1,871 for 113-piece set, both by Villeroy & Boch, from Harrods. Tajine, £69, by Rodolfo Dordoni, for KnIndustrie. Brass bowl, £97, by Jasper Morrison, for Alessi. ‘Véga’ glass, £195, by Savinel & Rozé, for Baccarat; ‘Silver Time’ teapot, £730, by Christofle, both from Harrods. Photography: Henry Bourne. Entertaining Director: Melina Keays. Interiors: Matthew Morris
Lamb tagine
Serves 6-8
3 tbs olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed with a pestle
1 tsp chilli powder
1½kg boned lamb shoulder, in approx 5cm chunks
400ml lamb or chicken stock
400g can tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tbs tomato purée
pinch of saffron threads
1 tbs honey
200g stoned prunes
salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 160°C. Heat the oil in a large, heavy (lidded) casserole dish or tagine over a medium flame. Add the garlic, onion and ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the coriander, cinnamon, cumin and chilli, and cook for another minute. Add the lamb chunks, stock, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, saffron, honey and prunes. Season with 1½ tsp of salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Stir thoroughly and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on the casserole dish and place in the oven for 1½ hours, removing the lid halfway through cooking. If the sauce is still a little thin, place the casserole dish back on the stove and reduce over a medium heat until the sauce is thick and coats the meat. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with saffron rice.
Saffron rice
Serves 6
300g basmati rice
1 tbs light olive oil
1 tbs butter 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
generous pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 2 tbs hot water
600ml vegetable or chicken stock
Rinse the rice under cold running water, then leave to drain in a sieve. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy, lidded pan over a medium flame. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains in oil. Add the soaked saffron and its liquid, and the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to a soft simmer, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the rice in the pan for another 10 minutes, without removing the lid. Fluff up the grains with a fork before serving.
Shooter’s sandwich
Serves 2-4
1 round crusty white loaf
1 tbs light olive oil
25g butter
2 echalion shallots, finely chopped
200g chestnut or shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped
salt and pepper
2 steaks, well-marbled rib-eye or sirloin
horseradish sauce
mustard
Slice off the top quarter of the loaf and pull out the centre crumb, leaving approximately 2cm thickness of bread all around. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy pan over a medium flame and add the shallots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until soft, golden and considerably reduced in volume. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over a medium to high flame and cook the steaks to the pink side of medium. Spread a layer of horseradish, according to taste, over the base of the hollowed-out loaf. Place one of the steaks on top of the horseradish. Spoon in the fried mushroom mixture and place the second steak on top. Spread the surface of the steak with mustard and place the bread lid on top, pressing it down into place. Wrap the loaf in greaseproof paper. Place a large, flat plate or board on top of the wrapped loaf and weigh it down with heavy objects such as books. Leave for several hours, or overnight, in a cool place.
Fried egg soup
Serves 4
4 tbs light olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced, plus 1 whole peeled clove, cut in half, for rubbing
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp smoked paprika
400g chopped tomatoes
700ml chicken or vegetable stock
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
4 bread slices
4 eggs
Heat half the oil in a large, heavy pan set over a low to medium flame. Add the garlic slices and stir for a few minutes until softened but not brown. Add the pepper flakes and paprika, stir to infuse in the oil, then add the tomatoes, stock and sugar. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 3o minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Toast the bread, then rub the slices lightly with the cut side of the garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs. Ladle the soup into bowls. Place a slice of toast in each bowl of soup and place a fried egg on top.
Whisky, ginger and lemon hot toddy
Serves 1
lemon quarter
3 cloves thin slice of fresh ginger
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
45ml whisky
60-80ml very hot water
½ lemongrass stalk, split lengthways
Stud the lemon quarter with the cloves and place in a large, heatproof glass. Add the ginger, lemon juice and honey. Pour in the whisky, top up with hot water, and stir with the lemongrass.
Polenta and orange cake
Serves 12
2 oranges
1 lemon
120g polenta
200g ground almonds
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
200g unsalted butter, softened
180g caster sugar, plus 100g for the syrup
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste
2 tbs plain yogurt
6 whole cardamom pods
whipped cream or mascarpone, to serve
Heat the oven to 180°C. Line a 21cm cake tin with baking paper. Remove the zest from the oranges and lemon with a fine grater. Set aside. Squeeze and save the juice separately. Put the polenta, almonds, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix well and set aside. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the polenta mixture with each egg. Beat in the reserved zest, vanilla paste and yogurt. Add the remaining polenta mixture and mix well to make a smooth batter. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and level the top. Bake for about 45 minutes until a skewer emerges clean and the cake is coming away from the sides of the tin. Leave the cake to cool in its tin on a wire rack. Crush the cardamom pods with the flat of a knife and place them in a small pan with the reserved citrus juice and 100g sugar. Simmer over a low flame for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is reduced slightly. Strain into a jug. Prick the top of the cake with a skewer or fork and pour the warm syrup all over the surface. Serve with cream or mascarpone.
Dark soda bread
Makes 1 loaf
400g wholemeal flour
100g rolled oats
1 tsp salt
2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbs black sesame seeds
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
450ml milk
2 tbs molasses
1 tbs lemon juice
Heat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Measure all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir well to combine. Measure the milk into a jug and stir in the molasses and lemon juice. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the milk mixture. Mix together with your hands, quickly and lightly, until you have a soft, sticky dough. With floured hands, form the dough into a round on the baking tray. Use a knife to score a deep cross in the top. Bake the loaf for around 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Leave to cool on a wire rack with a tea towel draped over it.
Picked vegetables
Makes 3 large jars
1 head of cauliflower or romanesco, cut into bite-sized florets
300g carrots, trimmed and halved or quartered lengthways
200g green beans, trimmed
200g radishes, trimmed, with the large ones halved
500ml white wine vinegar
250ml cider vinegar
100g sugar
1½ tbs salt
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
10 black peppercorns
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tbs mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
You will need three large, sterilised glass jars with lids. Have ready a bowl of iced water large enough to contain your colander. Blanch the prepared vegetables (apart from the radishes) by dropping them into a large pan of boiling water. Cook for no more than 2 minutes, then drain immediately and place the colander containing the vegetables into the iced water. Drain the vegetables again and pat them dry. Pack them, and the radishes, into the glass jars. Put the vinegars, 500ml water, sugar, salt, garlic, peppercorns, chilli, mustard seeds and bay leaves into a pan set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then ladle into the jars so the vegetables are completely covered. Seal the jars and allow to cool completely before storing in the fridge. These are best eaten after 1 week and within 2 months.
Welsh rarebit
Serves 2
25g butter
25g flour
125ml stout, at room temperature
140g Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp English mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
black pepper
2 large, thick bread slices
Heat the grill. Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat. Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in the stout gradually, making sure you thoroughly incorporate each addition, until you have a smooth sauce. Add the grated cheese, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and a good grinding of black pepper, and stir until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Toast the bread on both sides. Spread the cheese mixture over the toast, right up to the edges. Grill (or use a blow-torch) until browned and bubbling.