Ex Michelin chef and Great British Menu winner Kate Austen is back in The Go To Weekend kitchen, this time with towering 6 foot 6 Sunday Times bestselling author and MasterChef judge Big Has. Together they cook one of the sleeper hits from his new book Smoke and Seasoned Bread: stuffed onions with rice, caramelised shallots, heaps of herbs and pomegranate molasses. It is big on comfort, huge on flavour and, sacrilege to some, happens to be accidentally vegetarian.

As the onions slowly steam in garlicky tomato water, Fig traces the journey from flunking GCSEs and plumbing college to Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, brutal Michelin trials and finally finding his voice cooking food rooted in Turkish Cypriot home kitchens and Italian restaurant training. He and Kate get properly nerdy about rice, soffritto, tomato technique and why the smallest tweaks in prep can turn simple ingredients into something deeply special that still feels doable at home.

Between mouthfuls, the conversation flies from three dinners in four and a half hours in Soho to late night Chinatown eats, dream kebab dates, Kew Gardens at Christmas and whether cheffing is still a sustainable career. Fig talks honestly about industry abuse, social media fame, wanting kids and the kind of small, kebab led restaurant he might open one day. It is funny, sweary, properly heartfelt and sponsored by Square, who keep those busy Saturday night services running smoother than a perfectly cooked pot of rice.

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Soğan Dolması

Stuffed Onions • Serves at least 6

Ingredients

For the onions

• 2 kg onions (about 4 lb 8 oz)
• 1 mug short-grain rice (such as sushi rice)
• 400 g shallots, finely diced
• Olive oil, for frying
• 2 beef tomatoes
• 5 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 7 g mint, finely chopped
• 25 g parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp pul biber
• Salt and pepper

For the sauce

• Olive oil
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp sugar

To serve (optional)

• Yogurt
• Pul biber

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