Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes for char-grilled squid with pitta croutons, plus braised chicory with shallot sauce

Char-grilled squid with pitta croutons There is a blast of flavours in this warm salad. Celery leaves are an underused ingredient, most likely because supermarkets sell mostly leafless stalks. If you can't get them, use rocket instead. Large squid, cut into 3mm rings, can be used instead of baby squid. Serves four. 750g baby squid, cleaned and cut in two, widthways, on an angle (around 400g after cleaning) About 230ml olive oil 2 tsp sumac Salt and black pepper 1 medium lemon 1 large pitta, cut into 5mm strips 30g capers 2 celery stalks, cut on an angle into 3mm slices, plus 40g picked leaves ½ tsp ground allspice ¼ tsp chilli flakes 15g parsley leaves, torn ½ tsp pink peppercorns, crushed Put the squid in a bowl with half a teaspoon of oil, a teaspoon of sumac, half a teaspoon of salt and a grind of pepper. Mix, cover and refrigerate. Peel the lemon, discarding the skin, pith and pips. Chop the flesh and put in a bowl with any juice. Heat 200ml oil in a medium saucepan. Fry the pitta on medium heat for 90 seconds (do this in two batches), until dark and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, sprinkle with salt and drain on kitchen paper. In the same oil, fry the capers for two minutes until crisp; drain alongside the pitta. You now need two tablespoons of oil in the pan, so top up or remove some as necessary. Sauté the celery stalks on low heat for three minutes, to soften, and drain alongside the pitta. When you're ready to serve, add the celery leaves, allspice, chilli, parsley and pink peppercorns to the lemon bowl. Place a large frying pan on high heat and, once very hot, add the squid and toss for a minute, until just cooked. Add to the lemon bowl with the pitta croutons, capers, celery, a tablespoon and a half of oil, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Toss and serve warm with the remaining sumac sprinkled on top. Braised chicory with shallot sauce (V) A terrifically comforting vegetarian main course. I make quite a lot of sauce because I like it so much, but you don't need it all. It keeps in the fridge for a few days, and is a good base for potato salad. Serves four. 20g unsalted butter 2 tbsp olive oil 4 thyme sprigs ½ tsp caster sugar 4 large heads chicory (or 8 small ones), cut in half lengthways 1 tbsp lemon juice For the sauce 40g unsalted butter 12 small shallots, peeled and chopped (200g net weight) 100ml white wine 200ml double cream 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely grated 2 tbsp chopped chive 2 tbsp chopped dill 2 tsp white-wine vinegar Salt and white pepper Start with the sauce. Melt the butter in a medium frying pan, add the shallots and sauté on medium heat for five minutes, until soft but with no colour. Add the wine and cook for two minutes. Add the cream, raise the heat a little to reduce the sauce by half – the sauce should be of pouring consistency; if it is too thick, add a teaspoon of water. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg, chive, dill, vinegar, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a grind of white pepper. Set aside and keep warm. In a large sauté pan, heat the butter, oil, thyme, sugar and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Add the chicory, cut side down, and cook on medium heat for three minutes. Turn and cook for two to three minutes more, until tender at the centre and golden. Add the lemon juice, stir and remove from the heat. To serve, put two pieces of chicory on each plate and spoon over the sauce. Serve warm. • Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.