Ixta Belfrage’s style of cooking draws inspiration from three countries she grew up travelling to, eating in and obsessing over. Brazil (where her mother is from), Italy (where she lived as a child) and Mexico (where her grandfather lived). 

She cut her teeth at NOPI before moving to the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, where she worked for Yotam Ottolenghi for five years, contributing to his columns in The Guardian and The New York Times . In 2020 she co-authored the New York Times bestselling FLAVOUR with Yotam Ottolenghi and in 2021 she was named one of the most influential women in food by Code Hospitality.

Mezcla means mix, blend or fusion in Spanish and is the perfect title for a book inspired by Belfrage's unusual ingredient combinations — this book is stuffed with quick dinner ideas that deliver flavour explosions in the best possible way. 

Chicken, pineapple and ’nduja bake recipe by:Ixta Belfrage The combination of sweet and savoury makes this meal a winner Servings 4 Preparation Time 30 mins Cooking Time 45 mins Total Time 1 hours 15 mins Course Main Cuisine Mexican Ingredients 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, at room temperature 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife 1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced on a mandolin ½ large, extra-ripe pineapple, peeled (300g) 4 sweet tangerines (or 2 oranges), squeezed to get 100g juice (see notes) 100g chicken bone broth, stock or water 2 tbsp double cream 5g fresh coriander 1 lime, cut into wedges ’Nduja and chipotle paste: 50g ’nduja paste/spread 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp tomato purée/paste ½ tsp chipotle flakes ½ tsp paprika ¾ tsp fine salt about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper Method Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C. Put all the ingredients for the paste into a large bowl and mix together. Add the chicken, garlic and three-quarters of the sliced onion and mix well so everything is coated evenly. Tip the onions and garlic into a 28cm ovenproof cast-iron skillet or similar-sized baking dish and spread out. Place the chicken thighs on top, skin side up and spaced apart. Cut the pineapple into 4 rounds, then cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever's left there, then arrange the pineapple around the chicken. Pour the tangerine juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet), then bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the stock or water into the pan around the chicken (again, don’t get the skin wet). Return to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is browned and crispy. If you have a blowtorch, use it to char the pineapple a little. Drizzle the cream into the sauce. Toss the coriander and the remaining sliced onions together with a tiny bit of oil and salt and arrange on top. Serve from the pan, with the lime wedges alongside.

The combination of sweet and savoury makes this meal a winner

4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, at room temperature

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife

1 medium onion, halved and very thinly sliced on a mandolin

½ large, extra-ripe pineapple, peeled (300g)

4 sweet tangerines (or 2 oranges), squeezed to get 100g juice (see notes)

100g chicken bone broth, stock or water

5g fresh coriander 1 lime, cut into wedges

2 tsp tomato purée/paste

about 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C.

Put all the ingredients for the paste into a large bowl and mix together.

Add the chicken, garlic and three-quarters of the sliced onion and mix well so everything is coated evenly.

Tip the onions and garlic into a 28cm ovenproof cast-iron skillet or similar-sized baking dish and spread out. Place the chicken thighs on top, skin side up and spaced apart.

Cut the pineapple into 4 rounds, then cut each round into quarters, removing the hard core (you should have about 300g). Add the pineapple to the bowl with the remnants of the paste, mix to coat with whatever's left there, then arrange the pineapple around the chicken.

Pour the tangerine juice around the chicken (don’t get the skin wet), then bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and pour the stock or water into the pan around the chicken (again, don’t get the skin wet). Return to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is browned and crispy. If you have a blowtorch, use it to char the pineapple a little.

Drizzle the cream into the sauce. Toss the coriander and the remaining sliced onions together with a tiny bit of oil and salt and arrange on top. Serve from the pan, with the lime wedges alongside.

I’m not sure if you’re allowed to call a sauce that doesn’t contain meat, doesn’t start with a soffritto, and that only cooks for 10 minutes a ragù, and yet because of the concentrated flavour of the dried porcini, this has all the intensity of a meat ragù that has simmered for hours. Anyone who has made the spicy mushroom lasagne from Ottolenghi Flavour will realise what I’m trying to achieve here:

an abridged version of that ragù with the same intensity but without the hours chopping kilos of mushrooms (yes, I heard you!). This recipe is inspired by two of my favourite dishes at Ristorante Pizzeria Acone near where I grew up in Tuscany – penne all’Aconese and tagliatelle alla Beppa.

Serves 2 as a main with leftovers or 4 as a starter 

4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve 

3 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped (not crushed!) 

½ teaspoon chilli flakes (or less if you prefer) 

10g fresh parsley (stalks and leaves), finely chopped, plus extra to serve 

1½ tbsp tomato purée/paste 

about 50 twists of freshly ground black pepper 2

40g Parmesan, very finely grated, plus extra to serve 

In a medium bowl, cover the porcini with boiling water and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 75g of the soaking liquid. Very finely chop the porcini to mince consistency, then set aside.

Put the oil, garlic, chilli flakes, parsley and fine salt into a cold, large sauté pan on a medium-low heat. Very gently fry for 5 minutes until soft and lightly golden, turning the heat down if the garlic starts to brown.

Increase the heat to medium-high, then add the chopped porcini, tomato purée/paste and plenty of pepper. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then set the pan aside while you boil the pasta.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 6 minutes, until al dente.

Drain, reserving 350g of the pasta water.

Return the sauté pan with the porcini to a medium-high heat, then add the 350g of pasta water and the reserved 75g of porcini soaking liquid. Stir, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, leave to bubble away for 3 minutes.

Add half the Parmesan to the pan, stirring until it has melted before adding the rest. Lower the heat to medium, then stir in the cream, followed by the drained tagliatelle. Toss over the heat until the pasta and sauce have emulsified – about 1½ minutes.

Remove from the heat and serve at once, finished with as much extra oil and Parmesan as your heart desires.

You can easily make this vegan by using plant-based cheese and cream.

It’s always good to have all your prep done before you start cooking, but it’s especially important with this recipe, as things happen rather quickly. Make sure you have your porcini soaked and finely chopped, garlic and parsley finely chopped, and your Parmesan finely grated before you turn the heat on.

Whipped yoghurt with roasted strawberries and peanut fudge sauce 

The lime-roasted strawberries and peanut fudge sauce are essentially a refined combination of peanut butter and jelly, and boy do they sing together! Here I serve them with a simple whipped yoghurt, but you could serve with plain yoghurt or shop-bought ice cream. If you’re feeling wild, pile the whipped yoghurt, roasted strawberries and fudge sauce on top of a caramelised roasted crumpet (page 236) and dust with cocoa powder to offset the sweetness.

300g frozen strawberries, defrosted (frozen strawberries will produce a redder syrup, but you can use fresh strawberries – stalks removed and roughly chopped – just make sure they’re extra ripe) 

50g smooth peanut butter (I use Manilife) 

1 tsp soy sauce (or tamari) 

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C.

For the roasted strawberries, place all the ingredients in an ovenproof dish just big enough to fit the strawberries in a single layer. They should be snug, but not piled on top of each other. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway.

Place the mascarpone, yoghurt, vanilla paste and maple syrup in a large bowl and whisk together until completely smooth. Keep the bowl in the fridge until ready to serve.

For the fudge sauce, whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. You may need to add more water or maple syrup, depending on the thickness of your peanut butter. You’re looking for a smooth, thick but pourable consistency.

In individual glasses, layer the chilled yoghurt with the warm strawberries and the fudge sauce and serve.

Extracted from Mezcla by Ixta Belfrage (Ebury Press, £26) All photography by Yuki Sugiura.

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