Recipes Philippa Davis
Introducing Philippa
Hello, I’m Philippa!
I’m Philippa Davis, an international private chef, food writer and presenter.
I grew up on a small farm in Dorset, where we grew all our own fruit and vegetables, reared
our own meat and even had a go at winemaking, although with varying degrees of success!
At 18, I moved to London to become a chef and worked at The River Café, Moro and
Lidgates the Butchers before becoming a private chef. For the past sixteen years, my work
has taken me all over the world, cooking everywhere from the Scottish Highlands to the
Caribbean. I write for The Field magazine and BBC Food and can occasionally be spotted on
the telly eating and chatting about food.
At the heart of everything I cook are incredible ingredients, which is why I’m so excited to
have teamed up with The Gay Farmer to create some delicious, seasonal recipes for you
using his extra virgin olive oils.
Enjoy!
Philippa x
Photographer Rik Pennington https://rikpennington.co.uk/
Loaded White Bean Dip with Chorizo, Almonds and Pickled Onions
by Philippa Davis
Dips are great, but loaded dips? Now they are next level.
In this simple recipe creamy butter beans are blitzed with lemon, garlic and warming spices,
then generously topped with crispy chorizo, crunchy almonds, pickled onions and fresh
parsley. Finished with an extra drizzle of The Gay Farmer’s Picul extra virgin olive oil and
served with a handful of tortilla chips it’s the perfect way to begin a feast.
Serves: 6
Preparation: 10 minutes
Ingredients
For the white bean dip
1 × 570g jar Bold Bean Co butter beans
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 large tbsp tahini
2 small garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with a little salt
1 heaped tsp sweet paprika
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp The Gay Farmer Picul extra virgin olive oil
For the toppings
60g skin-on almonds, roughly chopped
120g chorizo crumb
20g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 tbsp Ottolenghi Hibiscus Pickled Onions
3 tbsp The Gay Farmer Picul extra virgin olive oil
To serve
1 x bag Blanco Niño tortilla chips
Method
1. Tip the butter beans and half the liquid from the jar into a blender. Add the lemon zest and
juice, tahini, garlic, paprika, cumin and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Blitz until
smooth and creamy, adding a little more of the bean liquid if necessary. Taste, check the
seasoning and spread the dip onto a large serving plate.
2. Gently fry the chorizo crumb in a pan over a medium heat until it releases its lovely red oil
and starts to turn lightly golden.
3. Scatter the almonds, chorizo, parsley and pickled onions over the dip, making sure to
distribute them evenly so everyone gets a bit of everything.
4. Finish with a generous drizzle of The Gay Farmer Picul extra virgin olive oil and serve
with plenty of tortilla chips.
Philippa’s tip
Don’t throw away the liquid from the butter bean jar! It is packed with flavour and is great
added to most soups, stews and casseroles.
Shopping note: The Gay Farmer’s Picul extra virgin olive oil, Bold Bean Butter Beans,
Ottolenghi Hibiscus Pickled Onions and all other ingredients can be sourced from Waitrose,
subject to availability.
Chocolate, Olive Oil and Kefir Cake
As a private chef, this is one of my most popular requests from clients when it comes to
teatime treats. The extra virgin olive oil and kefir both add a wonderful richness and
complexity to the flavour and help create a perfectly moist, soft and tender crumb.
For this recipe, I've chosen to use The Gay Farmer’s deliciously punchy early harvest Picual
extra virgin olive oil, alongside an excellent selection of ingredients all available from
Waitrose.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
225g Leckford Estate plain white flour
350g dark soft brown sugar
70g Menier 100% cocoa powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
Wet ingredients
120ml The Gay Farmer’s Picual extra virgin olive oil
250ml The Cultured Collective Natural Kefir Yoghurt
3 medium Clarence Court eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp Presto Intenso Espresso Barista Grade Instant Coffee, mixed with 200ml hot water
Chocolate Buttercream
40g Menier 100% cocoa powder
60g All Things Butter, Salted Butter, melted
100–120ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
420g icing sugar, sifted
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan.
Lightly grease and line 2 × 23cm round cake tins.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large jug or bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, then gradually pour in the wet ingredients in a steady
stream, whisking until well combined.
Divide the mixture equally between the cake tins and bake on the middle shelf for around
30–40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tins on a wire rack.
Chocolate Buttercream
Beat together the melted butter, 100ml of the cream, cocoa powder and vanilla extract in a
bowl.
Gradually beat in the sifted icing sugar, a little at a time, until fully combined and smooth,
adding the extra cream if needed.
To Assemble
Turn the cooled cakes out of their tins and place one layer on your serving plate.
Spread over half the chocolate buttercream, then place the second cake on top before
smothering with the remaining buttercream.
Brussels Sprout, Chestnut & Bacon Pasta with Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Serves 2
I think this wintry pasta recipe is one of the most delicious ways to use up any leftover raw or cooked Brussels sprouts. Joined by other Christmassy ingredients like nutmeg, bacon and chestnuts, it's an easy-to-throw-together festive feast.
For this recipe I have used the extra peppery Picual extra virgin olive oil as I love how its bold, pleasantly slightly bitter flavour notes balance beautifully with the sweetness of the chestnuts and bacon.
Ingredients
6 tbsp The Gay Farmer Picual extra virgin olive oil
4 rashers No. 1 Waitrose British Free Range Smoked Streaky Bacon, sliced into matchsticks
100g Merchant Gourmet Whole Cooked Chestnuts, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
300g Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
¼ nutmeg, finely grated, plus a little extra to finish
160g Northern Pasta Co. British Spelt Radiatori Pasta
30g Snowdonia Cheese Co. Rock Star Vintage Cave-Aged Cheddar, grated
(Ingredients available from Waitrose subject to availability and stock.)
Method
- Add 3 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil, all the bacon and chestnuts to a wide, shallow pan. Fry over a medium heat, stirring often, until golden (about 10 minutes).
- Once golden, stir in the sliced garlic, cook for about 30 seconds then add the Brussels sprouts. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring often, for a couple of minutes or until the sprouts begin to soften.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the grated nutmeg and keep warm.
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil, lightly salt, then cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Once cooked, drain the pasta through a colander, reserving most of the cooking water in another pan. Stir the pasta into the pan with the Brussels sprouts and place back over a low to medium heat.
- Gently shaking the pan, add about 100 -150ml of the pasta cooking water to form a sauce along with the remaining 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed.
- Serve in warm bowls, topped with the grated cheese and a little extra nutmeg.
Note: If using leftover cooked Brussels sprouts, add them at the stage with the garlic, just cook them for less time.
Tip: Adding the starchy pasta cooking water to the sauce helps create a delicious, glossy, emulsified finish to the dish.
