3 Recipes We Love From MEDesque By Georgina Hayden

With longer evenings finally here, this is the moment cooking starts to shift. Lighter trays go into the oven, herbs return to the shopping list and dinners move back towards the table rather than the sofa.

Georgina Hayden’s new cookbook MEDesque arrives at exactly the right time. A north London–based cook, food writer and mother of two, Georgina grew up above her grandparents’ Greek Cypriot taverna before spending more than a decade working alongside Jamie Oliver. Her recipes have always balanced generosity with practicality, and this book continues that approach with over 100 Mediterranean-inspired dishes designed for real kitchens and busy weeks.

These are three we’ll be making first.

Spatchcocked Chicken With Chorizo, Tomatoes & Cream

Serves 4–6

A traybake that feels quietly impressive but asks very little of you. The chicken roasts over sourdough so it absorbs all the juices, creating something halfway between stuffing and the best kind of savoury bread sauce.

Ingredients

• 1.8kg whole chicken, spatchcocked

• ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Olive oil

• 2 onions, cut into wedges

• 1 garlic bulb, halved

• 125g cooking chorizo, chopped

• 4 slices sourdough, torn

• 400g cherry tomatoes

• ½ bunch basil

• 150ml double cream

• 30g Parmesan

• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan).

2. Rub the chicken with paprika, oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Line a large roasting tray with torn sourdough. Scatter over onions, garlic and chorizo, then place the chicken on top. Add the tomatoes around the tray and scatter over half the basil.

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan) and roast for about 1 hour, basting halfway if possible.

5. Remove the chicken to rest. Squeeze the roasted garlic back into the tray, discard skins, then stir through the cream and most of the Parmesan, breaking up the bread slightly.

6. Return the chicken to the tray or serve alongside the bread mixture. Finish with remaining Parmesan and basil.

One-Pan Moussaka

Serves 4–6

All the comfort of a traditional moussaka without the layering and frying. Everything cooks in one dish, making it ideal for a midweek evening when you still want something substantial.

Ingredients

• 2 red onions, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 large aubergine, diced

• Olive oil

• 400g minced meat (beef, pork or lamb)

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 400ml beef stock

• 750g waxy potatoes, thinly sliced

• 250g mascarpone

• 250g Greek yogurt

• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

• 50g Parmesan

• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan).

2. Heat olive oil in a wide casserole dish and fry the aubergine until golden.

3. Add the mince and brown well. Stir in cinnamon, oregano and cayenne, then add onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add tomato purée and cook briefly before pouring in the stock. Simmer while slicing the potatoes.

5. Layer the potatoes over the meat mixture. Season, drizzle with olive oil and bake covered for 30 minutes, removing the lid for the final 10 minutes.

6. Mix mascarpone, yogurt, egg and egg yolk with most of the Parmesan. Spread over the potatoes, finish with remaining Parmesan and bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes until golden.

7. Leave to rest before serving.
   
   

Basil Viennetta

Serves 10–12

Part nostalgic pudding, part dinner-party showstopper. The basil adds freshness rather than sweetness, and the layered chocolate makes it feel quietly celebratory.

Ingredients

• 150g 70% dark chocolate

• Pinch sea salt flakes

• 50g basil leaves

• 300g caster sugar

• 400ml double cream

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 250g mascarpone

• 2 tbsp milk

Method

1. Line a loaf tin with clingfilm.

2. Melt 125g of the chocolate and stir in the salt. Leave to cool slightly.

3. Blend most of the basil with 150g sugar, 100ml cream and vanilla until smooth. Blend in mascarpone and milk.

4. Whip remaining cream with remaining sugar until medium peaks form, then fold into the basil mixture.

5. Layer chocolate and cream alternately in the tin, finishing with chocolate. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours.

6. Turn out to serve, drizzle with remaining melted chocolate and scatter with basil leaves if using.
   

Extract taken from MEDesque by Georgina Hayden(Bloomsbury Publishing, Hardback, £26). Photography © Laura Edwards. Buy your copy here.