Flavour of the month

New dishes from around the world to try at home

By having such a global and diverse workforce, Informa is home to employees with a wide range of food tastes, cultures and recipes.

Get inspired with these dishes as we travel from the Ukraine to the Middle East, the Carribean and beyond.

Let us know what you make!

Deruny: Ukrainian Potato Pancakes

'This has become one of my family’s favorite dishes; it was my mother who originally taught me to cook it.'

Ingredients:

5 medium size potatoes (about 1.5 lb)
1 onion
1 egg
3 tbsp of all-purpose flour
1 tbsp of sour cream
1 tsp of salt and pepper to taste
oil (for frying)

Method:

Peel potatoes and onion
Take big bowl, grate potatoes and onion (on a star shaped grater), taking turns and mixing grated mixture - onion juice will keep potatoes from browning
Add flour, egg and mix it well, then add 1tsp of salt and some black pepper, batter should be still liquid enough so you can easily ladle it
Warm up a skillet or a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of oil over medium/high heat
Add 1 heaping tbsp of mixture at a time to the skillet fry on one side until golden brown in colour, then flip to other side and fry for the same amount of time.
Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the batter
Serve deruny warm, they are best served with sour cream.

Chicken shawarma pie from the new cookbook Falastin

'This is a wow of a pie. Serve it with a crisp green salad and some pickles.

The chicken can be made a day or two ahead of assembling the pie. Keep it in the fridge and just bring it back to room temperature before putting the dish together.

You can also just make the chicken part of the dish. It makes a delicious stew, served with steamed rice or piled into a pita or wrap. If you do this, keep the tahini sauce: it’s always a welcome addition.'

Ingredients:

Serves 6

Chicken thighs 750g, boneless and skinless
Garlic 4 cloves, crushed
Ginger 2cm piece, peeled and finely grated (15g)
Ground cumin 2 tsp
Ground coriander 2 tsp
Smoked paprika ¾ tsp
Ground turmeric ½ tsp
Ground cinnamon ¾ tsp
Ground cloves ⅛ tsp
Olive oil 90ml, plus extra for greasing
Cider vinegar 3 tbsp
Salt and black pepper
Baking potatoes 2 (450g), unpeeled and cut into ½cm thick rounds
Unsalted butter 45g
Onion 1, thinly sliced (150g)
Chicken stock 200ml
Parsley leaves 5g, roughly chopped
Coriander leaves 5g, roughly chopped
Filo 8 sheets (30cm x 38cm)
Nigella seeds 1 tsp
Aleppo chilli flakes ¾ tsp (or ⅓ tsp regular chilli flakes)

For the tahini sauce:

Tahini 50g
Greek yogurt 80g
Garlic 2 cloves, crushed
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Salt and black pepper

PTO FOR METHOD

Method:

Put the chicken into a large bowl with the garlic, ginger, ground spices, 1 tablespoon of oil, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix to combine, then leave to marinate for at least half an hour (or overnight in the fridge).
Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6.
Mix the potatoes with 1½ tablespoons of oil, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray and spread out so that they are not overlapping. Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the oven temperature to 220C fan/gas mark 9. Remove the tray from the oven, carefully flip over each potato slice, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180C fan/gas mark 6 again (or turn the oven off for now and preheat before baking).
Put 15g of butter and 1½ tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the chicken and cook for about 10 minutes, until lightly brown, then add the stock, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened and reduced to about 4 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for about 10 minutes, then use two forks to shred the chicken into large chunks. Stir in the herbs and set aside.
To make the tahini sauce, put the tahini, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of water into a bowl. Whisk together until smooth, then set aside.
Melt the remaining 30g of butter and combine with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin with baking parchment and lightly grease the sides with the butter mixture. Lay a sheet of filo out on a clean work surface and brush with the butter. Transfer this to the tin so that the base is covered and the filo rises up and over the tin’s sides. Repeat with the next sheet of filo, brushing it first with butter, then arranging it in the tin, rotating it slightly so that the excess hangs at a different angle. Continue in this fashion, brushing each piece generously as you go, until you have used up 6 pieces of filo in total and the base and sides are all covered.
Next, add the potato slices, overlapping slightly, so that the base of the pie is completely covered. Top with the chicken mixture and gently push down to even out. Lastly, spoon over the tahini sauce, spreading it gently to coat the chicken layer. Brush a piece of filo with butter and fold it in half horizontally,like a book. Place this over the tahini layer, tucking in the filo around the filling. Brush the top with the butter mixture, then repeat with the last piece of filo, angling it to cover any exposed areas. Now fold over the overhang, crinkling up the filo to create a nice crumpled effect on the top. Brush the top with the remaining butter, sprinkle with the nigella seeds, place on a tray and bake.

St Lucian fish cakes also known as 'Accra'.

Ingredients

1/2 lb boneless saltfish (dry salted cod)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 spring onions finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• Fresh thyme
• 1/4 cup chopped bell peppers any colour or mixed
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• 1 Maggie cube or an all-purpose seasoning powder
• 1 tsp hot sauce (optional - Barons preferably)
• 3/4-1 cup water
• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Boil the saltfish in a pot of water to get rid of most of the salt (about 20 minutes).
When saltfish has been boiled enough, drain and place in cold water, then shred fish into chunks.
Put all seasoning ingredients (spring onions, garlic, thyme, peppers, parsley, maggie cube or all-purpose seasoning) into a mixing bowl and mix well.
Add saltfish and combine completely – you can add a tad bit of salt and black pepper for further seasoning at this point if required (taste as you go along to decide).
Mix in the flour and baking powder, then add the water. Mix well.
Heat up the oil for frying.
Take dinner spoonful’s of the batter and place in the hot oil in a frying pan one by one.
Fry each side of the accra until golden brown. When the cake floats, flip it to the other side.
Place fried accra on a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil then serve warm.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
small bunch coriander stalks and leaves chopped separately
2 cans cherry tomatoes
1 tsp caster sugar
4 eggs

Easy shakshuka (from BBC Good Food)

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan that has a lid, then soften the onions, chilli, garlic and coriander stalks for 5 mins until soft.
Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, then bubble for 8-10 mins until thick. Can be frozen for 1 month.
Using the back of a large spoon, make 4 dips in the sauce, then crack an egg into each one.
Put a lid on the pan, then cook over a low heat for 6-8 mins, until the eggs are done to your liking.
Scatter with the coriander leaves and serve with crusty bread.

Chicken brown rice bowl (Zinque's Le Bowl)

This delicious, Chicken Brown Rice Bowl is an easy one-bowl meal with chicken breast, arugula, avocado, tomatoes, Gruyere with a sriracha yogurt sauce.

Ingredients

For dressing:
2 tablespoons plain whole milk Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha sauce, or more to taste
1 teaspoon water, to thin

For bowl:

1 ½ cups baby arugula
½ cup cooked brown rice
4 ounces cooked skinless chicken breast
1 ounce avocado, cubed
6 grape tomatoes, halved
½ ounce shaved gruyere cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

• In a small bowl, combine yogurt, sriracha and water.
• Place arugula in a shallow serving bowl. Layer with rice, chicken, avocado, tomatoes and cheese.
• Top with a pinch of salt and fresh pepper then drizzle with prepared dressing.

A Ghanaian recipe: whole grilled tilapia

Ingredients:

2 fresh tilapia
Lime wedges
1 white onion, grated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
2 green cherry chillies, deseeded and finely diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons ground mace or nutmeg
Half teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Half teaspoon ground hot pepper or cayenne pepper
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Cut 3 evenly spaced diagonal slashes into either side of the fish.
Place fish in a dish.
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl.
Pour marinade over the fish, reserving a small among for basting, ensuring it is rubbed into the slashes and cavity of the fish.
Cover dish with clingfilm and leave to marinade in the fridge for at least an hour, preferably overnight.
Preheat grill.
Place fish on baking tray lined with foil, or in a non-stick dish, and cook under the grill for 25 minutes, turning and basting with the reserved marinade half way through.
When fish is ready, remove and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over. Can be served with rice, couscous or a simple salad.