Sandwiches should be far more than a simple add on to a menu, quickly thrown together with no thought. In the deli we take care in putting together a list of sandwiches that balance flavours and textures. We also take care in picking the right bread to go with each one, this is vital. We use a baker in Birkdale (The Dutch Bakery) who produce properly made bread, fresh every day with a texture you can't get from supermarket alternatives.
Beef Po Boy
This is a version of a recipe taken from the chilicheesefries.net website.
Makes at least four sandwiches.
Kilo of beef brisket or skirt
1/2 Table spoon cayenne pepper
Table spoon white pepper
Table spoon black pepper
2 Table spoon dried oregano
1/2 Table spoon chilli flakes
Baguette (please don't use super market versions, they're awful)
Iceberg lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
Dijon Mustard (English is too much of a battle)
Mayonnaise (Helman's is my choice, always)
Jalapeno peppers and gherkins (optional)
Dry fry the spices and herbs in a casserole or deep frying pan (with a lid) for a minute. Then add the beef, turn over in the spice mix and cover in water. Bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of hours with the lid on. It should be softened, but not quite falling apart.
Take out the beef and raise the temperature, reduce the liquid till by half. While this is reducing, warm the oven to medium and slice the beef. Cut across the grain of the meat. Add the slices to a baking tray and top with the cooking liquid (generously,) cook in the oven for half an hour. Take out and check the meat and juice, top up if it is drying out, keep cooking till the beef is falling apart.
Slice 1/3 of baguette (toasted) with dijon on 1 side and mayo on the other. Add lettuce, chopped tomatoes and (if you like) jalapeno peppers and sliced gherkins. Now add the beef and the gravy, this should be a messy eating experience.
Try with a Sierra Nevada Stout. Light enough not to over power the sandwich, but enough going on to still taste the beer.
Thursday 15 September 2011
Monday 5 September 2011
Pork, Morcilla and Chickpea Stew
This is a version of a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe. It's worth searching out Morchilla for this as it does have a totally different taste and texture to English black pudding. There's a particularly good Spanish deli in Liverpool, www.lunya.co.uk which has a great selection of traditional cheese and meat.
1/4 bag of dried chickpeas (soaked overnight and then cooked till soft)
or 2 tins of chick peas
2 medium onions, sliced finely
1 tea spoon Thyme
2 carrot diced
2 stick of celery diced
2 garlic cloves
1 kg pork shoulder cubed
300g Morcilla chopped
Glass dry sherry/dry wine
700ml chicken stock
2 bay leaf
3 handfuls curly kale
1 lemon
2 chillis (use depending on heat tolerance)
chopped parsley
Add the garlic to a cold pan with 2 table spoons of cooking olive oil, put on a low heat then fry the onions and chilli till soft; then add the thyme, carrot and celery and soften; put to the side. Add more olive oil if needed (not much) then brown the pork shoulder (do this in batches, you don't want to over crowd the pan as this will just steam it and never add any colour) and add to the veg. Brown the Morcilla and set aside.
Add the sherry/wine to the warm pan, making sure to scrape the bottom, then add the pork and veg back in. Add the bay leaf and top up with stock till it just covers the ingredients, season and simmer. After half an hour add the chickpeas, half an hour later, check the pork is tender and then add the Morcilla and kale, simmer till the kale softens. Add the juice of a lemon to cut through some of the fat and check for seasoning.
Although this dish screams out for a Ribera Del Duero, it equally could stand up to a strong beer with a bitter finish, a Duvel would work very well.
1/4 bag of dried chickpeas (soaked overnight and then cooked till soft)
or 2 tins of chick peas
2 medium onions, sliced finely
1 tea spoon Thyme
2 carrot diced
2 stick of celery diced
2 garlic cloves
1 kg pork shoulder cubed
300g Morcilla chopped
Glass dry sherry/dry wine
700ml chicken stock
2 bay leaf
3 handfuls curly kale
1 lemon
2 chillis (use depending on heat tolerance)
chopped parsley
Add the garlic to a cold pan with 2 table spoons of cooking olive oil, put on a low heat then fry the onions and chilli till soft; then add the thyme, carrot and celery and soften; put to the side. Add more olive oil if needed (not much) then brown the pork shoulder (do this in batches, you don't want to over crowd the pan as this will just steam it and never add any colour) and add to the veg. Brown the Morcilla and set aside.
Add the sherry/wine to the warm pan, making sure to scrape the bottom, then add the pork and veg back in. Add the bay leaf and top up with stock till it just covers the ingredients, season and simmer. After half an hour add the chickpeas, half an hour later, check the pork is tender and then add the Morcilla and kale, simmer till the kale softens. Add the juice of a lemon to cut through some of the fat and check for seasoning.
Although this dish screams out for a Ribera Del Duero, it equally could stand up to a strong beer with a bitter finish, a Duvel would work very well.
Wednesday 31 August 2011
Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chick Pea curry
This is an idea that was put to me by one of our customers in the deli. We transformed our chicken, potato and spinach curry recipe for it. The first version was originally an idea by Anjum Anand. This dish followed me around a number of festivals this year, I can make it in my sleep.
Table spoon Garam Masala
Table spoon Cumin seed (roasted and ground)
Table spoon coriander seed (roasted and ground)
3" piece of ginger (chopped finely)
Table spoon dried chilli (this should be quite a spicy curry, drop the amounts if it's too much)
1/2 table spoon turmeric
3 cloves of garlic (crushed in sea salt)
2 table spoons ghee (or clarified unsalted butter)
6 table spoons of pasatta or chopped tomatoes
2 medium sized onions sliced thinly
300ml of chicken or chick pea water
1 large or 2 medium sweet potato (peeled, cubed and roasted)
3 handfuls of spinach roughly chopped
1 tin or 1/3 of a bag of dried chick peas (if dried, they need to have been soaked and boiled completely)
Plain yogurt
1 lemon (optional)
Bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks separated
Bunch of chopped parsley (optional)
Start by adding all the spices to a heavy based pan/casserole. Dry cook these on a medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the ghee and garlic, good hit of black pepper, sea salt and finely chopped stalks of coriander. Slow cook these for another minute and add the onions. Coat in all the spices, and slowly cook till they soften. Add the tomatoes and slow cook for another couple of minutes. Add the stock (or for a fully vegetarian version, the chick pea water) and reduce this by a third.
Check this sauce now for seasoning and when you're happy add the chick peas and sweet potato. After coating these in the sauce, add the spinach. After 30 seconds this will start to break down, now add about a table spoon or 2 of yogurt. This needs to be quite sharp, to balance the sweetness of the potato and the blandness of the chickpeas (add the juice of a lemon if you think it needs more.) Finally add the coriander leaves and parsley (if using.) I like the greenness this big hit of herbs gives it, however this can be scaled down by leaving out the parsley if you prefer.
This is great served with chapattis and a citrusy beer, an English IPA or a decent wheat beer.
Table spoon Garam Masala
Table spoon Cumin seed (roasted and ground)
Table spoon coriander seed (roasted and ground)
3" piece of ginger (chopped finely)
Table spoon dried chilli (this should be quite a spicy curry, drop the amounts if it's too much)
1/2 table spoon turmeric
3 cloves of garlic (crushed in sea salt)
2 table spoons ghee (or clarified unsalted butter)
6 table spoons of pasatta or chopped tomatoes
2 medium sized onions sliced thinly
300ml of chicken or chick pea water
1 large or 2 medium sweet potato (peeled, cubed and roasted)
3 handfuls of spinach roughly chopped
1 tin or 1/3 of a bag of dried chick peas (if dried, they need to have been soaked and boiled completely)
Plain yogurt
1 lemon (optional)
Bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks separated
Bunch of chopped parsley (optional)
Start by adding all the spices to a heavy based pan/casserole. Dry cook these on a medium heat for 2 minutes, then add the ghee and garlic, good hit of black pepper, sea salt and finely chopped stalks of coriander. Slow cook these for another minute and add the onions. Coat in all the spices, and slowly cook till they soften. Add the tomatoes and slow cook for another couple of minutes. Add the stock (or for a fully vegetarian version, the chick pea water) and reduce this by a third.
Check this sauce now for seasoning and when you're happy add the chick peas and sweet potato. After coating these in the sauce, add the spinach. After 30 seconds this will start to break down, now add about a table spoon or 2 of yogurt. This needs to be quite sharp, to balance the sweetness of the potato and the blandness of the chickpeas (add the juice of a lemon if you think it needs more.) Finally add the coriander leaves and parsley (if using.) I like the greenness this big hit of herbs gives it, however this can be scaled down by leaving out the parsley if you prefer.
This is great served with chapattis and a citrusy beer, an English IPA or a decent wheat beer.
Monday 18 July 2011
Pancetta Wrapped Coley with Beurre Blanc and fine beans
Coley is, unfortunately, an ugly fish. However, it has a great meaty texture and is a good alternative to Cod. When wrapped in pancetta, the grey colour is hidden and you have a great meal with a reasonably priced fish.
2 decent sized fillets of coley (skinned and pin boned)
4 rashers of pancetta
1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
2 shallots (finely diced)
1 lemon
50ml white wine vinegar
100ml white wine
100g unsalted butter from the fridge
2 handfuls of fine beans
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6.
Check the coley fillets for any remaining bones. Stretch the pancetta out on to a board and place the fillets in the middle. Wrap the pancetta around the fish as tight as you can, so they end almost cylindrical . Add some olive oil to an oven proof pan and when it starts to warm, and the onion. Cook lightly for a minute, but don't brown. Push this to the side of the pan then turn the heat to medium - high. Grind some black pepper onto the fish and add to the pan. Brown the pancetta on all sides, add the fine beans to the onion, mix together, season, add a couple of dots of butter and put the pan in the oven.
For the beurre blanc, add a little olive oil and butter to the pan then slowly warm the shallots, cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the vinegar, white wine and juice of a lemon. Let this reduce till it's almost disappeared. Then slowly add the butter a cube at a time, mixing it well, until it is fully incorporated. Keep adding until it has the consistency of double cream.
Take out the coley (after about 5 minutes) and check it's done (it should be firm to touch.) Serve on warm plates with the beurre blanc around the food rather than over it. Good served with new potatoes.
2 decent sized fillets of coley (skinned and pin boned)
4 rashers of pancetta
1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
2 shallots (finely diced)
1 lemon
50ml white wine vinegar
100ml white wine
100g unsalted butter from the fridge
2 handfuls of fine beans
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6.
Check the coley fillets for any remaining bones. Stretch the pancetta out on to a board and place the fillets in the middle. Wrap the pancetta around the fish as tight as you can, so they end almost cylindrical . Add some olive oil to an oven proof pan and when it starts to warm, and the onion. Cook lightly for a minute, but don't brown. Push this to the side of the pan then turn the heat to medium - high. Grind some black pepper onto the fish and add to the pan. Brown the pancetta on all sides, add the fine beans to the onion, mix together, season, add a couple of dots of butter and put the pan in the oven.
For the beurre blanc, add a little olive oil and butter to the pan then slowly warm the shallots, cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the vinegar, white wine and juice of a lemon. Let this reduce till it's almost disappeared. Then slowly add the butter a cube at a time, mixing it well, until it is fully incorporated. Keep adding until it has the consistency of double cream.
Take out the coley (after about 5 minutes) and check it's done (it should be firm to touch.) Serve on warm plates with the beurre blanc around the food rather than over it. Good served with new potatoes.
Monday 11 July 2011
Sauteed lambs liver and pancetta
My second post on liver and this one also uses pancetta. The pairing of rich liver with smoky pancetta just works so well. If you wrap these tight enough, they look like little sausages and taste amazing. This dish is part of an idea by Brian Turner and part of an idea by The 2 Hairy Bikers. This will feed two.
300g lambs liver (6 pieces of equal size)
6 slices pancetta
500ml chicken stock
Small glass white wine
Savoy cabbage sliced thinly
1 large or 2 small onions sliced thinly
Add half of the onion into a pan and add the chicken stock, let this simmer, you need it to reduce by half. Add the other half to a frying pan with a dash of olive oil, seasoning and a knob of butter and let it sweat down on a low heat. When this becomes translucent, take it out of the pan and set aside.
Wrap the pancetta around each of the pieces of liver, make sure it's quite tight. Add more oil and butter to the frying pan and give the liver a generous dusting of black pepper. Now saute the liver in the butter on a low to medium heat. Keep turning these regularly so all the sides get a nice browning. While this is cooking, lightly simmer the cabbage till it's al dente. When the liver is becoming firm to the touch (after about 5 minutes) take it out and place somewhere warm.
Add the onions back into the frying pan and raise the heat to medium, now add the glass of wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock (minus the onion.) Let all of this reduce by half again, until you are left with a rich, slightly salty and tangy stock .Now add a couple of table spoons of tomato ketchup (Heinz of course.) The sweetness of the sauce works amazingly well with the iron tang of the liver.
Add the cabbage to the pan of sauce, then put on a warm plate. Add the pieces of liver and top with the remaining sauce. This goes great with buttery mash potato or just a bit of bread and butter.
300g lambs liver (6 pieces of equal size)
6 slices pancetta
500ml chicken stock
Small glass white wine
Savoy cabbage sliced thinly
1 large or 2 small onions sliced thinly
Add half of the onion into a pan and add the chicken stock, let this simmer, you need it to reduce by half. Add the other half to a frying pan with a dash of olive oil, seasoning and a knob of butter and let it sweat down on a low heat. When this becomes translucent, take it out of the pan and set aside.
Wrap the pancetta around each of the pieces of liver, make sure it's quite tight. Add more oil and butter to the frying pan and give the liver a generous dusting of black pepper. Now saute the liver in the butter on a low to medium heat. Keep turning these regularly so all the sides get a nice browning. While this is cooking, lightly simmer the cabbage till it's al dente. When the liver is becoming firm to the touch (after about 5 minutes) take it out and place somewhere warm.
Add the onions back into the frying pan and raise the heat to medium, now add the glass of wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock (minus the onion.) Let all of this reduce by half again, until you are left with a rich, slightly salty and tangy stock .Now add a couple of table spoons of tomato ketchup (Heinz of course.) The sweetness of the sauce works amazingly well with the iron tang of the liver.
Add the cabbage to the pan of sauce, then put on a warm plate. Add the pieces of liver and top with the remaining sauce. This goes great with buttery mash potato or just a bit of bread and butter.
Monday 27 June 2011
Pork chops and potato rosti
Pork and cider is a marriage made in heaven. The potato rosti is Simon Rimmer's recipe.
2 Free range pork chops
2 Large potatoes
Fennel seeds
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Medium onion, finely sliced
1/2 bottle of decent medium cider
200ml of chicken stock.
Pre-heat the oven to medium (gas mark 5 or equivalent)
Boil the potatoes whole, in their skin, for seven minutes. Scrape the skin off and leave to cool. When you're able to handle it, grate into a bowl and mix with garlic and plenty of seasoning. Form into patties and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
In a frying pan, soften the onion and set aside. Turn up the heat and add the pork (seasoned) and brown. Put on a baking tray in the oven. Turn the heat down and add the onion, fennel seeds and garlic. Brown softly and add the cider, turn up the heat. Reduce this by 1/3 and add the chicken stock. Reduce this until you acheive a good, thick consistency.
For the rosti, fry them in olive oil till they're browned on both sides. Put all the ingredients together and serve with broccoli or spinach.
2 Free range pork chops
2 Large potatoes
Fennel seeds
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Medium onion, finely sliced
1/2 bottle of decent medium cider
200ml of chicken stock.
Pre-heat the oven to medium (gas mark 5 or equivalent)
Boil the potatoes whole, in their skin, for seven minutes. Scrape the skin off and leave to cool. When you're able to handle it, grate into a bowl and mix with garlic and plenty of seasoning. Form into patties and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
In a frying pan, soften the onion and set aside. Turn up the heat and add the pork (seasoned) and brown. Put on a baking tray in the oven. Turn the heat down and add the onion, fennel seeds and garlic. Brown softly and add the cider, turn up the heat. Reduce this by 1/3 and add the chicken stock. Reduce this until you acheive a good, thick consistency.
For the rosti, fry them in olive oil till they're browned on both sides. Put all the ingredients together and serve with broccoli or spinach.
Chicken liver, new potato and pancetta
This is an adaptation of a Nigel Slater recipe. It uses the cheapest of ingredients, offal, and yet has an amazing flavour. This is a recipe for 2.
200g Chicken livers
100g Pancetta, diced
300g New potatoes
150 ml Sour cream
Dill
Tbsp capers
Whole grain mustard
White wine vinegar
Rocket
Trim the chicken livers and put them in a bowl, covered in milk (this removes the bitterness.) Scrub the new potatoes clean and boil them in their skins till almost done. While they're still warm, break them up with a fork (don't mash, you still need large chunks.)
d
When they've stopped steaming, fry them in olive oil about 5 minutes each side. Be rough with them in this stage because the more they break up, the better. In a separate pan fry some butter in a little oil and add the pancetta. When this starts to colour, add the livers and season (go easy on the salt, the pancetta will add a lot of this.) Cook the livers for a couple of minutes on each side, they should still be slightly pink in the middle.
Make a dressing with the cream, couple of table spoons of dill, tsp of grain mustard , the capers and seasoning. Add the vinegar a little at a time till it achieves a touch of piquancy. Mix the rocket, potatoes, pancetta and livers and drizzle the dressing on sparingly.
200g Chicken livers
100g Pancetta, diced
300g New potatoes
150 ml Sour cream
Dill
Tbsp capers
Whole grain mustard
White wine vinegar
Rocket
Trim the chicken livers and put them in a bowl, covered in milk (this removes the bitterness.) Scrub the new potatoes clean and boil them in their skins till almost done. While they're still warm, break them up with a fork (don't mash, you still need large chunks.)
d
When they've stopped steaming, fry them in olive oil about 5 minutes each side. Be rough with them in this stage because the more they break up, the better. In a separate pan fry some butter in a little oil and add the pancetta. When this starts to colour, add the livers and season (go easy on the salt, the pancetta will add a lot of this.) Cook the livers for a couple of minutes on each side, they should still be slightly pink in the middle.
Make a dressing with the cream, couple of table spoons of dill, tsp of grain mustard , the capers and seasoning. Add the vinegar a little at a time till it achieves a touch of piquancy. Mix the rocket, potatoes, pancetta and livers and drizzle the dressing on sparingly.
The world's easiest chicken and chips
This embarrassingly easy and quick and yet it tastes amazing.
2 Free range chicken legs
2 Large potatoes
Celery salt
Hellmann's mayonnaise
Turn your oven on to its highest setting. Cut the potatoes into long chips and mix them with salt and olive oil. Put a couple of slashes in the chicken and cover in olive oil and a generous amount of celery salt and black pepper. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes or till the chicken is crisp skinned and the chips are nicely browned. Serve with dollops of mayonnaise to dip your chips in; that's it.
2 Free range chicken legs
2 Large potatoes
Celery salt
Hellmann's mayonnaise
Turn your oven on to its highest setting. Cut the potatoes into long chips and mix them with salt and olive oil. Put a couple of slashes in the chicken and cover in olive oil and a generous amount of celery salt and black pepper. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes or till the chicken is crisp skinned and the chips are nicely browned. Serve with dollops of mayonnaise to dip your chips in; that's it.
Monday 23 May 2011
Curried Lamb Burger
Using lamb mince is a much cheaper way to use this expensive meat.This should make four burgers.
500g lamb mince.
Crushed chilli as much as preferred
3 cloves garlic
Thumb sized piece of ginger
2 tbsp Garam Masala
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 onion, grated
Bunch of coriander, grated
Mix all the ingredients together, combining and seasoning well. Squash into thick burgers, put on a plate and chill; ideally over night. To cook, place into a pan, straight from the fridge, with a little oil. Fry till browned and carefully flip. When cooked through, remove to a warm place and rest for 5 minutes. Serve in a roll with shredded lettuce and hot mango chutney.
500g lamb mince.
Crushed chilli as much as preferred
3 cloves garlic
Thumb sized piece of ginger
2 tbsp Garam Masala
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 onion, grated
Bunch of coriander, grated
Mix all the ingredients together, combining and seasoning well. Squash into thick burgers, put on a plate and chill; ideally over night. To cook, place into a pan, straight from the fridge, with a little oil. Fry till browned and carefully flip. When cooked through, remove to a warm place and rest for 5 minutes. Serve in a roll with shredded lettuce and hot mango chutney.
Speedy poached rump of lamb
This is an adaption of a Gordon Ramsay recipe; I was sceptical when I saw it, but it does work. This is for 2 people.
2 lamb rumps/chumps
Enough chicken stock to cover
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
Tbsp coriander seed
Black peppercorns
Bring the lamb rump to room temperature and add to a pan with the chicken stock, herbs and spices and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to a light simmer. Then poach the lamb rumps for 8 minutes. Take them out and let them rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Reduce the stock to a decent sauce consistency.
Slice the rumps and serve with the sieved sauce and side orders of your choice; good with boulangere potatoes and green vegetables.
2 lamb rumps/chumps
Enough chicken stock to cover
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
Tbsp coriander seed
Black peppercorns
Bring the lamb rump to room temperature and add to a pan with the chicken stock, herbs and spices and bring to a boil. Lower the temperature to a light simmer. Then poach the lamb rumps for 8 minutes. Take them out and let them rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Reduce the stock to a decent sauce consistency.
Slice the rumps and serve with the sieved sauce and side orders of your choice; good with boulangere potatoes and green vegetables.
Monday 9 May 2011
Goan Fish Curry
This is a really tasty curry from the south west of the country. It uses ingredients that are easy to find, you don't need to search out specialist asian shops. It also uses cheap white fish as the base. The final stage can be any seafood, mussels are particularly cheap.
This makes enough sauce for four, you can make it stretch by adding more seafood
Table spoon of black mustard seed
Table spoon of black onion seeds
Ghee or clarified butter
2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
Can of chopped tomatoes
1 lime
2-3 inch piece of ginger
2-3 red chillies (depending on pain threshold)
6 cloves of garlic
Table spoon of coriander seed and cumin seed, dry fried and ground
Can of coconut milk
200g fillet of white fish (coley, whiting or pollock are good cheap alternatives)
Seafood (prawns, tiger prawns or mussels are good) 100g per person
In a decent sized pan, dry fry the mustard and onion seeds. When they start popping, add the ghee (be generous, a couple of table spoons) and the onion, season and fry on a low-medium heat, allow the onion to sweat and release the natural sugar. When they have softened well, throw in the other spices and after a couple more minutes, add the tomatoes and allow it to simmer for ten minutes.
During this time, smash up, or even better, puree the chilli, ginger and garlic. Add this to the tomatoes. Cook for a further two minutes, then add the coconut milk and the juice of the lime. Cook this for five more minutes. Chop the fish into decent sized cubes and cook in the sauce on a low simmer for ten minutes.
When the sauce has reduced to a thick liquid state, it is now ready. You can cool and refrigerate it at this point and leave it for a couple of days. When you come to use it again slowly bring it back to a low simmer. It can also be finished now, simply add the seafood at this stage. Try and find raw seafood, it is generally superior. Shell prawns if using, but mussels can be left whole, just make sure they've been cleaned and properly checked. Cook as you normally would and serve when the prawns are pink/mussels are open. If using cooked seafood, then simply warm it in the sauce.
This can be served with rice or noodles. I personally prefer it simply with a couple of chapattis, this makes it a much lighter dish.
This makes enough sauce for four, you can make it stretch by adding more seafood
Table spoon of black mustard seed
Table spoon of black onion seeds
Ghee or clarified butter
2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
Can of chopped tomatoes
1 lime
2-3 inch piece of ginger
2-3 red chillies (depending on pain threshold)
6 cloves of garlic
Table spoon of coriander seed and cumin seed, dry fried and ground
Can of coconut milk
200g fillet of white fish (coley, whiting or pollock are good cheap alternatives)
Seafood (prawns, tiger prawns or mussels are good) 100g per person
In a decent sized pan, dry fry the mustard and onion seeds. When they start popping, add the ghee (be generous, a couple of table spoons) and the onion, season and fry on a low-medium heat, allow the onion to sweat and release the natural sugar. When they have softened well, throw in the other spices and after a couple more minutes, add the tomatoes and allow it to simmer for ten minutes.
During this time, smash up, or even better, puree the chilli, ginger and garlic. Add this to the tomatoes. Cook for a further two minutes, then add the coconut milk and the juice of the lime. Cook this for five more minutes. Chop the fish into decent sized cubes and cook in the sauce on a low simmer for ten minutes.
When the sauce has reduced to a thick liquid state, it is now ready. You can cool and refrigerate it at this point and leave it for a couple of days. When you come to use it again slowly bring it back to a low simmer. It can also be finished now, simply add the seafood at this stage. Try and find raw seafood, it is generally superior. Shell prawns if using, but mussels can be left whole, just make sure they've been cleaned and properly checked. Cook as you normally would and serve when the prawns are pink/mussels are open. If using cooked seafood, then simply warm it in the sauce.
This can be served with rice or noodles. I personally prefer it simply with a couple of chapattis, this makes it a much lighter dish.
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Roasted chunky chips
This recipe is part Heston Blumenthal, part Delia Smith. What a magic pairing.
Kilo of Wilja or Maris Piper potatoes
Scrub the skins of the potatoes until they're spotless. If they're odd sized, cut to even portions. Then boil in salted water until just cooked, don't allow them to get mushy. Drain and allow them to cool. Put them in the fridge, preferably over night without a lid on.
Pre-heat a grill on it's full setting. Cut the potatoes into even sized wedges (nice and thick.) Heat a heavy based frying pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Salt the potatoes generously and add to the oil. Brown them on one side for a minute then turn them and place under the grill. As they start to colour, turn again and return. When they're brown and crisp all over, and the oil has dried, put them in a warm bowl and add another good hit of salt.
Kilo of Wilja or Maris Piper potatoes
Scrub the skins of the potatoes until they're spotless. If they're odd sized, cut to even portions. Then boil in salted water until just cooked, don't allow them to get mushy. Drain and allow them to cool. Put them in the fridge, preferably over night without a lid on.
Pre-heat a grill on it's full setting. Cut the potatoes into even sized wedges (nice and thick.) Heat a heavy based frying pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Salt the potatoes generously and add to the oil. Brown them on one side for a minute then turn them and place under the grill. As they start to colour, turn again and return. When they're brown and crisp all over, and the oil has dried, put them in a warm bowl and add another good hit of salt.
Proper burgers
I got this recipe from our butcher. It's simple, but very tasty. Make sure you have a ridged pan for cooking them.
Makes 4 or 5 decent sized burgers
900g beef mince
100g suet
Tomato ketchup
English mustard
Garlic puree
Worcester sauce
Chopped parsley
*To make the garlic puree, simply skin a bulb of garlic, add enough oil (vegetable will do) to cover and blend till smooth. This should last a week if covered.*
Mix the mince well with the suet. The suet bastes the burger as it cooks, you need it throughout. Then add 2 table spoons of all the other ingredients and a very generous hit of seasoning. Take a little bit of the mix and fry it, this is the only way you can tell if you got the flavours right.
Shape into thick burgers (as the suet melts through the burger it will shrink.) Then leave in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Put a ridged pan on a high flame until it starts smoking. Add the burger and turn it down to a medium heat. after a couple of minutes flip it over. As it cooks it will release a lot of fat, you may need to drain the pan half way through. They need about 5 minutes on each side, depending how thick you made them.
We serve them in the deli on a ciabatta roll with goats cheese and chilli jam. Goes great with chunky chips.
Makes 4 or 5 decent sized burgers
900g beef mince
100g suet
Tomato ketchup
English mustard
Garlic puree
Worcester sauce
Chopped parsley
*To make the garlic puree, simply skin a bulb of garlic, add enough oil (vegetable will do) to cover and blend till smooth. This should last a week if covered.*
Mix the mince well with the suet. The suet bastes the burger as it cooks, you need it throughout. Then add 2 table spoons of all the other ingredients and a very generous hit of seasoning. Take a little bit of the mix and fry it, this is the only way you can tell if you got the flavours right.
Shape into thick burgers (as the suet melts through the burger it will shrink.) Then leave in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Put a ridged pan on a high flame until it starts smoking. Add the burger and turn it down to a medium heat. after a couple of minutes flip it over. As it cooks it will release a lot of fat, you may need to drain the pan half way through. They need about 5 minutes on each side, depending how thick you made them.
We serve them in the deli on a ciabatta roll with goats cheese and chilli jam. Goes great with chunky chips.
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Winter Vegetable Salads
Winter can be a bad time of year for fresh salads. As most salad produce is poor quality, imported versions, you have to be more experimental with vegetables in salads. Here are 3 of my favourites.
1 - Celeriac Remoulade (This is an adaptation of a James Martin recipe)
1/2 a celeriac
1 red onion
1 lemon - zested and juiced
Cider vinegar
Decent mayonnaise
Worcester sauce
Crushed white pepper
Start by skinning the celeriac, this is done best with a sharp knife, running in an arcing motion down the body. Then grate on a thick blade. As soon as it is grated, cover in 1/2 the lemon juice to stop it browning. Next, slice the onion very fine (ideally with a mandolin) and add to the celeriac.
Mix the dressing with the rest of the lemon juice, lemon zest, a couple of table spoons of vinegar, a good few dashes of Worcester sauce and a generous hit of salt and white pepper. Whisk this up and drizzle over a decent extra virgin olive oil until it starts to amalgamate. Check the dressing, it should be almost harsh with acidity and salt, and mix well into the salad.
Finally add the mayonnaise, you can make your own, but with the strength of flavours going on it 's harder to pick up. Also this narrows the time you can store it. Personally, I use Hellmann's, it's as good a shop bought mayonnaise as you'll need. Add it a couple of spoons at a time until it has coated the salad, you don't want it clogged. This can be served straight away, but I always find it better a couple of hours later to let the flavours infuse. Great with Serrano ham, toasted goats cheese or smoked mackerel.
2 - Mixed bean salad (I tried this at The Everyman Bistro in Liverpool and have tried to recreate it)
3 types of mixed beans, smaller ones are better, flagelot, chick pea, borlotti etc.
Bunch of basil
1 onion
2 celery stalks
1 red pepper
Red wine vinegar
1 lemon
2 table spoons of chopped parsley
3 cloves of garlic
2 chillies (deseed if you don't want it too hot)
It is better to use dried beans as they are much more economical; leave them in soak the night before and boil according to the packet. You can used tinned , just check for consistency, they may need boiling a little more, you want them soft with a tiny bit of bite.
Dice the onions, pepper and celery, add to the beans. Finely chop the garlic and chilli and mix with a good glug of red wine vinegar, juice of a lemon, loads of salt and pepper and enough extra virgin olive oil to amalgamate. Mix this with the beans and add roughly chopped basil and the parsley.
This should be made the day before for the flavours to blend into the beans.
We serve this in the deli with spicy fish cakes or in a wrap with hummus.
3 - Beetroot, carrot & cumin (This can also be mixed with a bit of feta to make a main course)
Bunch of raw beetroot
4 carrots
Spring onions
3 table spoons of cumin seeds (toasted & crushed)
1 orange
Red wine vinegar
Garlic
Sesame seeds
Peel the beetroot (same as a celeriac) and the carrots and grate them on a thick setting. Chop the spring onions and add (green bits and all.) Next make the dressing, put the cumin in a bowl with some chopped garlic. Add the juice of the orange, plenty of seasoning and a good glug of red wine vinegar. Drizzle olive oil over until it combines to a loose dressing. Mix with the beetroot and serve.
1 - Celeriac Remoulade (This is an adaptation of a James Martin recipe)
1/2 a celeriac
1 red onion
1 lemon - zested and juiced
Cider vinegar
Decent mayonnaise
Worcester sauce
Crushed white pepper
Start by skinning the celeriac, this is done best with a sharp knife, running in an arcing motion down the body. Then grate on a thick blade. As soon as it is grated, cover in 1/2 the lemon juice to stop it browning. Next, slice the onion very fine (ideally with a mandolin) and add to the celeriac.
Mix the dressing with the rest of the lemon juice, lemon zest, a couple of table spoons of vinegar, a good few dashes of Worcester sauce and a generous hit of salt and white pepper. Whisk this up and drizzle over a decent extra virgin olive oil until it starts to amalgamate. Check the dressing, it should be almost harsh with acidity and salt, and mix well into the salad.
Finally add the mayonnaise, you can make your own, but with the strength of flavours going on it 's harder to pick up. Also this narrows the time you can store it. Personally, I use Hellmann's, it's as good a shop bought mayonnaise as you'll need. Add it a couple of spoons at a time until it has coated the salad, you don't want it clogged. This can be served straight away, but I always find it better a couple of hours later to let the flavours infuse. Great with Serrano ham, toasted goats cheese or smoked mackerel.
2 - Mixed bean salad (I tried this at The Everyman Bistro in Liverpool and have tried to recreate it)
3 types of mixed beans, smaller ones are better, flagelot, chick pea, borlotti etc.
Bunch of basil
1 onion
2 celery stalks
1 red pepper
Red wine vinegar
1 lemon
2 table spoons of chopped parsley
3 cloves of garlic
2 chillies (deseed if you don't want it too hot)
It is better to use dried beans as they are much more economical; leave them in soak the night before and boil according to the packet. You can used tinned , just check for consistency, they may need boiling a little more, you want them soft with a tiny bit of bite.
Dice the onions, pepper and celery, add to the beans. Finely chop the garlic and chilli and mix with a good glug of red wine vinegar, juice of a lemon, loads of salt and pepper and enough extra virgin olive oil to amalgamate. Mix this with the beans and add roughly chopped basil and the parsley.
This should be made the day before for the flavours to blend into the beans.
We serve this in the deli with spicy fish cakes or in a wrap with hummus.
3 - Beetroot, carrot & cumin (This can also be mixed with a bit of feta to make a main course)
Bunch of raw beetroot
4 carrots
Spring onions
3 table spoons of cumin seeds (toasted & crushed)
1 orange
Red wine vinegar
Garlic
Sesame seeds
Peel the beetroot (same as a celeriac) and the carrots and grate them on a thick setting. Chop the spring onions and add (green bits and all.) Next make the dressing, put the cumin in a bowl with some chopped garlic. Add the juice of the orange, plenty of seasoning and a good glug of red wine vinegar. Drizzle olive oil over until it combines to a loose dressing. Mix with the beetroot and serve.
Wednesday 2 March 2011
Poached chicken thighs
This is a great way of getting a cheap cut of chicken and making it into a number of dishes. When you poach the chicken thighs, you are left with a good tasty meat that can be added to risottos, curries, stews, anything that has a sauce. You also have the benefit of a decent chicken stock that enhances dishes in a natural way.
12 chicken thighs
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
2 onions
2 bay leaf
Add all the ingredients into a large pan, add 2 litres of water and black pepper add the salt at the end as this dish reduces quite a lot and will intensify in flavour. Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour and a half. Remove the chicken and reduce the stock till it reaches a litre.
While the stock reduces, allow the chicken to cool slightly. When it is warm, but able to be handled, take the skin and the bone off the thighs. If it is still warm, this can be done by hand, this will then allow you to feel any knuckles left over.
You now have a good portion of poached chicken flesh and a litre of natural chicken stock.
12 chicken thighs
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
2 onions
2 bay leaf
Add all the ingredients into a large pan, add 2 litres of water and black pepper add the salt at the end as this dish reduces quite a lot and will intensify in flavour. Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour and a half. Remove the chicken and reduce the stock till it reaches a litre.
While the stock reduces, allow the chicken to cool slightly. When it is warm, but able to be handled, take the skin and the bone off the thighs. If it is still warm, this can be done by hand, this will then allow you to feel any knuckles left over.
You now have a good portion of poached chicken flesh and a litre of natural chicken stock.
Chicken, roast pepper & spinach risotto
A risotto, when done right, can be tasty, hearty and moreish.
Serves 2
4 chicken thighs in small strips *see poached chicken thighs in techniques*
500ml chicken stock
1 onion finely diced
250g arborio rice
Small glass of white wine
1 red pepper
50g spinach chopped
2 tbsp grated Grana Padano
Put the stock in a pan and bring to a simmer. Saute the onion in olive oil and a touch of butter. When it's browning slightly, add the rice. Turn it in the oil and lightly saute for a couple of minutes. then add the white wine. Mix this into the rice and start adding the stock. Add a ladel full at a time, stir the rice occasionally until the stock is soaked in. Keep adding and stirring until the rice puffs up.
While the rice is cooking. Pre-heat the grill. Halve and de-seed the peppers and place under the grill, skin side up. When the skin starts to blister, turn over. Grill for another minute until they start to dry. Put half the red pepper and half the spinach into a blender with a ladel of stock. Blitz to a puree.
As the rice starts to soften, add the pepper puree. Stir this in, the same way as the rest of the stock, this allows the flavours to develop into the rice and gives it a great colour. Then add the chicken and rest of the roasted pepper and spinach. Keep stirring and a little stock until it becomes al dente, the starch starts leaking from the rice to become creamy and the chicken is warm. Stir the Grana Padano in and serve. A fruity Pinot Grigio or Kiwi sauvignon blanc will match well with the sweetness of the peppers.
Serves 2
4 chicken thighs in small strips *see poached chicken thighs in techniques*
500ml chicken stock
1 onion finely diced
250g arborio rice
Small glass of white wine
1 red pepper
50g spinach chopped
2 tbsp grated Grana Padano
Put the stock in a pan and bring to a simmer. Saute the onion in olive oil and a touch of butter. When it's browning slightly, add the rice. Turn it in the oil and lightly saute for a couple of minutes. then add the white wine. Mix this into the rice and start adding the stock. Add a ladel full at a time, stir the rice occasionally until the stock is soaked in. Keep adding and stirring until the rice puffs up.
While the rice is cooking. Pre-heat the grill. Halve and de-seed the peppers and place under the grill, skin side up. When the skin starts to blister, turn over. Grill for another minute until they start to dry. Put half the red pepper and half the spinach into a blender with a ladel of stock. Blitz to a puree.
As the rice starts to soften, add the pepper puree. Stir this in, the same way as the rest of the stock, this allows the flavours to develop into the rice and gives it a great colour. Then add the chicken and rest of the roasted pepper and spinach. Keep stirring and a little stock until it becomes al dente, the starch starts leaking from the rice to become creamy and the chicken is warm. Stir the Grana Padano in and serve. A fruity Pinot Grigio or Kiwi sauvignon blanc will match well with the sweetness of the peppers.
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Potato Gnocchi Carbonara with Spinach
This is a take on the classic Carbonara. There are many places that will serve a Carbonara sauce with cream, however in Italy they make the sauce simply from the egg and olive oil. Instead of serving it with spaghetti, I've put it with homemade Gnocchi. There are some good shop bought versions, this just works out a lot cheaper.
500g kilo of waxy potatoes
200g plain flour
125g pancetta cut into lardons
2 eggs
50g Grana padano/Pecorino grated fine
2 tbsps of chopped flat leaf parsley
50g chopped baby spinach
First, make the gnocchi. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they start to fall apart. Drain and add them back to the pan. then warm to help them dry. Mash them to a smooth consistency. Throw a load of seasoning in and add the flour a bit at a time until you form a firm dough. Then knead the dough for a couple of minutes. Roll this into sausages (about 1cm thick) and cut into little rectangles (3cm wide.) Put a large pan of water on to boil and add lots of table salt.
For the Carbonara sauce, warm some olive oil and add the pancetta (you can add streaky bacon, but it's not as good.) Brown on a medium heat then add the spinach and some black pepper and let it wilt on a lower flame. In a separate bowl add the eggs (some recipes state just yolks, but you'll need 4,) cheese (Pecorino is the classic, but Grana Padano works just as well and is much cheaper than Parmesan,) parsley and a good hit of black pepper. Mix until well combined.
Put the gnocchi in the water and bring to a simmer. After a couple of minutes when the gnocchi floats to the top scoop it out with a slotted spoon and add it to the pan of pancetta. Mix the gnocchi in the oil and add to the bowl of egg mix (including the olive oil.) As the you stir the gnocchi, spinach and pancetta in the egg, it slowly cooks and creates a sauce.
Serve with a decent, chilled dry white, possibly a white Rioja, and some good bread.
500g kilo of waxy potatoes
200g plain flour
125g pancetta cut into lardons
2 eggs
50g Grana padano/Pecorino grated fine
2 tbsps of chopped flat leaf parsley
50g chopped baby spinach
First, make the gnocchi. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they start to fall apart. Drain and add them back to the pan. then warm to help them dry. Mash them to a smooth consistency. Throw a load of seasoning in and add the flour a bit at a time until you form a firm dough. Then knead the dough for a couple of minutes. Roll this into sausages (about 1cm thick) and cut into little rectangles (3cm wide.) Put a large pan of water on to boil and add lots of table salt.
For the Carbonara sauce, warm some olive oil and add the pancetta (you can add streaky bacon, but it's not as good.) Brown on a medium heat then add the spinach and some black pepper and let it wilt on a lower flame. In a separate bowl add the eggs (some recipes state just yolks, but you'll need 4,) cheese (Pecorino is the classic, but Grana Padano works just as well and is much cheaper than Parmesan,) parsley and a good hit of black pepper. Mix until well combined.
Put the gnocchi in the water and bring to a simmer. After a couple of minutes when the gnocchi floats to the top scoop it out with a slotted spoon and add it to the pan of pancetta. Mix the gnocchi in the oil and add to the bowl of egg mix (including the olive oil.) As the you stir the gnocchi, spinach and pancetta in the egg, it slowly cooks and creates a sauce.
Serve with a decent, chilled dry white, possibly a white Rioja, and some good bread.
Tuesday 22 February 2011
Pea & ham soup
A classic warming soup which is dead easy and dirt cheap, perfect.
Makes 1 litre
Ingredients
1 ham hock (fat, bone and everything left on) soaked in water over night
Bag of split green peas
2 onions sliced
Stock veg (onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks)
2 bay leaf
Drain the water from the hock and refresh. Put on to boil with 2 litres of water. Chop and add the stock veg, bay leaf and a good hit of black pepper (don't add salt yet as a lot will come from the ham.) Let it cook for over an hour until the ham is finished and the water reduced by 500ml.
Take the ham out and leave to cool. Discard the stock veg as they will have done their job. In a seperate pan, fry the 2 onions until they start to brown, then add the stock and the bag of split peas. While this is cooking, trim the fat from the hock. With the meat underneath, cut long, thin slices until you get to the bone. Add the fat and bone back to the soup. Cook this for another hour until the water has reduced another 500ml and the peas are starting to break up. Remove the fat and bone ( a lot of the meat will have come off them) and blend the rest. The peas will thicken the soup and give it a nice green colour. Now check for salt and seasoning. If you want you can add some of the ham back to the soup (chopped up), but there should be a strong meat flavour without this.
Makes 1 litre
Ingredients
1 ham hock (fat, bone and everything left on) soaked in water over night
Bag of split green peas
2 onions sliced
Stock veg (onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks)
2 bay leaf
Drain the water from the hock and refresh. Put on to boil with 2 litres of water. Chop and add the stock veg, bay leaf and a good hit of black pepper (don't add salt yet as a lot will come from the ham.) Let it cook for over an hour until the ham is finished and the water reduced by 500ml.
Take the ham out and leave to cool. Discard the stock veg as they will have done their job. In a seperate pan, fry the 2 onions until they start to brown, then add the stock and the bag of split peas. While this is cooking, trim the fat from the hock. With the meat underneath, cut long, thin slices until you get to the bone. Add the fat and bone back to the soup. Cook this for another hour until the water has reduced another 500ml and the peas are starting to break up. Remove the fat and bone ( a lot of the meat will have come off them) and blend the rest. The peas will thicken the soup and give it a nice green colour. Now check for salt and seasoning. If you want you can add some of the ham back to the soup (chopped up), but there should be a strong meat flavour without this.
Monday 21 February 2011
Spicy hummus
A must for a late night snack. Always have some lying around as it makes the best wraps when you're feeling healthy (with a bit of salad or leftover chicken/pork/lamb/roast vegetable).
1/2 bag of dried chick peas soaked over night
2 table spoons of tahini paste (preferably light)
2 cloves of garlic
2 table spoons of cumin seed, dry fried and crushed
2 table spoons of coriander seed, dry fried and crushed
Lemon
Red wine vinegar
Boil the chick peas for an hour or so, until they're softened. Add them to a blender while still warm (reserve the liquor.) Blend with the tahini, garlic, cumin, coriander seed and a good hit of seasoning and the juice of a lemon. Check for flavour and consistency. Add the chick pea juice to loosen it more, the red wine vinegar to add a bit more acidity, or more seasoning if needed. The flavours will enhance when it cools.
Serve with toasted pitta, bread sticks, warm ciabatta or decent crackers. Preferably with a decent chilled lager.
1/2 bag of dried chick peas soaked over night
2 table spoons of tahini paste (preferably light)
2 cloves of garlic
2 table spoons of cumin seed, dry fried and crushed
2 table spoons of coriander seed, dry fried and crushed
Lemon
Red wine vinegar
Boil the chick peas for an hour or so, until they're softened. Add them to a blender while still warm (reserve the liquor.) Blend with the tahini, garlic, cumin, coriander seed and a good hit of seasoning and the juice of a lemon. Check for flavour and consistency. Add the chick pea juice to loosen it more, the red wine vinegar to add a bit more acidity, or more seasoning if needed. The flavours will enhance when it cools.
Serve with toasted pitta, bread sticks, warm ciabatta or decent crackers. Preferably with a decent chilled lager.
Chicken, chorizo & chick pea stew
This is a deli classic. We make gallons of this whenever it's on the menu and take it to all the outdoor events as well. It takes a bit of prep, but it is worth it. It's cheap and damn tasty. It's better to start the day before. You can cheat, but it takes some of the natural flavours away. Serves 6
12 Chicken thighs *see poached chicken thighs in techniques*
2 Chorizo sausages
1/2 bag of dried chick peas left to soak over night or 2 tins
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch of parsley
1 Lemon
2 onions
Smoked sweet paprika
Dried chilli flakes
*If you're using dried chick peas, these will need boiling in unsalted water for an hour or so (until they're soft.) It's a bit of a hassle, but the quality is superior and you are left with a good cooking liquor.*
Chop the chicken up into large chunks. Finely slice the garlic and chop the parsley and thinly slice the onion and chorizo. Saute the onion in olive oil on a medium heat. When it starts to brown, add the chorizo and cook on a lower heat. When the oils start to run from the sausages, add the sliced garlic, dried chilli and paprika. Cook for another minute and then add the chick peas and mix in all the juices. Splash in some red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes with all the juices, season and reduce them down by half. Next come the stocks add 100ml of the chicken stock and a couple ladels of the chick pea juice. Again reduce this down by half. Then add the juice of a lemon and check for seasoning. When it's thickened (the chick peas will help this) and tastes right add the parsley and serve with good bread and a fruity red wine, maybe a Joven Navarra or Argentinian Malbec.
12 Chicken thighs *see poached chicken thighs in techniques*
2 Chorizo sausages
1/2 bag of dried chick peas left to soak over night or 2 tins
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
Red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch of parsley
1 Lemon
2 onions
Smoked sweet paprika
Dried chilli flakes
*If you're using dried chick peas, these will need boiling in unsalted water for an hour or so (until they're soft.) It's a bit of a hassle, but the quality is superior and you are left with a good cooking liquor.*
Chop the chicken up into large chunks. Finely slice the garlic and chop the parsley and thinly slice the onion and chorizo. Saute the onion in olive oil on a medium heat. When it starts to brown, add the chorizo and cook on a lower heat. When the oils start to run from the sausages, add the sliced garlic, dried chilli and paprika. Cook for another minute and then add the chick peas and mix in all the juices. Splash in some red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes with all the juices, season and reduce them down by half. Next come the stocks add 100ml of the chicken stock and a couple ladels of the chick pea juice. Again reduce this down by half. Then add the juice of a lemon and check for seasoning. When it's thickened (the chick peas will help this) and tastes right add the parsley and serve with good bread and a fruity red wine, maybe a Joven Navarra or Argentinian Malbec.
Roast pork and all the trimmings
Moist roast pork with crackling, stuffing, rich gravy and a ton of potatoes and vegetables is a stunning meal to serve for Sunday lunch. This recipe is for 6 people.
1.2kg pork shoulder
200g sausage meat
Potatoes (whatever is seasonal)
2 onions
6 carrots
6 parsnips
Head of Broccoli
Table spoon of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 crusts of bread
Bottle of cider
Cranberry sauce
*I've used pork shoulder as this is fattier, therefore better crackling, but when used right can be very tasty and much cheaper than loin*
Pre-heat your oven to its highest setting.
First the spuds. I've not added a weight here, because this is subjective. Personally, I always make far too many so I can eat them cold the next day with horse radish, my favourite snack. Wash, peel and wash the potatoes. Then add to a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. When it boils add a good hit of salt to the water.
*I use Maldon sea salt for cooking, it's the best. However, I always have a tub of cheap table salt for adding to water.*
Boil for about 5 minutes until they start going soft on the outside, but are still uncooked inside. Drain (reserve the water) and give them a shake to fluff up the outside. Then leave to cool down.
If you get your pork from a decent butcher, they should score the fat for you. If not, you should invest in a Stanley Knife for your kitchen. Nothing will cut through the outer skin better. Rub sea salt into the scored skin and rub with olive oil. Quarter one of the onions and place in the bottom of a pan (leave the skin on) and sit the pork on top. Put the pork on the top shelf for about half an hour, after 20 minutes keep checking on it, until the fat has gone crisp, but not burnt. While this is cooking, put a roasting tin on the bottom shelf of the oven and add fat/dripping. After a few minutes, put the tin on a medium heat and add the potatoes. Sprinkle lots of sea salt all over and a little black pepper and turn it in the hot oil (I recommend wearing an apron at this point.) Then put back in the oven.
Prep your carrots and parsnips by peeling and quartering (cut them into 6 if they're very big.) When the crackling is crisp, swap the potatoes onto the top shelf and turn the oven down to gas mark 6. Pour the bottle of cider into the roasting tin with the pork until it comes up to the top of the onions. Add the carrots and parsnips to the potatoes, season and turn them all in the oil.The pork should be checked after an hour. Insert a knife into the meat and check if the juices run clear.
For the stuffing, blitz the crusts into crumbs and add the onion, thyme and a good whack of seasoning. Pulse the blender to leave a chunky mix and add the sausage meat. Stir in together and add to a ceramic bowl. Cover in oiled baking paper and put on the bottom shelf.
When the pork has cooked, remove the crackling carefully, with a decent knife, and trim the fat until there's just a small layer on the top. Leave this in a warm place to rest (this is where a microwave comes in useful.) Keep turning the potatoes and vegetables to brown all over. Put the roasting tin with the cider on top of the hob on a medium heat. Add a couple of bay leaves and 2 table spoons of cranberry sauce. Bring to the boil and reduce to a low simmer. At this point take the baking paper off the stuffing.
Turn the broccoli into florets and add to a pan of boiling potato water and boil for a couple of minutes. Drain (reserve the water) and add the broccoli to the potatoes to keep warm. Check the cider gravy and add the potato water if it's reduced too much.
Then simply slice the meat, put everything into warm bowls on the table and open another bottle of chilled cider.
1.2kg pork shoulder
200g sausage meat
Potatoes (whatever is seasonal)
2 onions
6 carrots
6 parsnips
Head of Broccoli
Table spoon of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 crusts of bread
Bottle of cider
Cranberry sauce
*I've used pork shoulder as this is fattier, therefore better crackling, but when used right can be very tasty and much cheaper than loin*
Pre-heat your oven to its highest setting.
First the spuds. I've not added a weight here, because this is subjective. Personally, I always make far too many so I can eat them cold the next day with horse radish, my favourite snack. Wash, peel and wash the potatoes. Then add to a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. When it boils add a good hit of salt to the water.
*I use Maldon sea salt for cooking, it's the best. However, I always have a tub of cheap table salt for adding to water.*
Boil for about 5 minutes until they start going soft on the outside, but are still uncooked inside. Drain (reserve the water) and give them a shake to fluff up the outside. Then leave to cool down.
If you get your pork from a decent butcher, they should score the fat for you. If not, you should invest in a Stanley Knife for your kitchen. Nothing will cut through the outer skin better. Rub sea salt into the scored skin and rub with olive oil. Quarter one of the onions and place in the bottom of a pan (leave the skin on) and sit the pork on top. Put the pork on the top shelf for about half an hour, after 20 minutes keep checking on it, until the fat has gone crisp, but not burnt. While this is cooking, put a roasting tin on the bottom shelf of the oven and add fat/dripping. After a few minutes, put the tin on a medium heat and add the potatoes. Sprinkle lots of sea salt all over and a little black pepper and turn it in the hot oil (I recommend wearing an apron at this point.) Then put back in the oven.
Prep your carrots and parsnips by peeling and quartering (cut them into 6 if they're very big.) When the crackling is crisp, swap the potatoes onto the top shelf and turn the oven down to gas mark 6. Pour the bottle of cider into the roasting tin with the pork until it comes up to the top of the onions. Add the carrots and parsnips to the potatoes, season and turn them all in the oil.The pork should be checked after an hour. Insert a knife into the meat and check if the juices run clear.
For the stuffing, blitz the crusts into crumbs and add the onion, thyme and a good whack of seasoning. Pulse the blender to leave a chunky mix and add the sausage meat. Stir in together and add to a ceramic bowl. Cover in oiled baking paper and put on the bottom shelf.
When the pork has cooked, remove the crackling carefully, with a decent knife, and trim the fat until there's just a small layer on the top. Leave this in a warm place to rest (this is where a microwave comes in useful.) Keep turning the potatoes and vegetables to brown all over. Put the roasting tin with the cider on top of the hob on a medium heat. Add a couple of bay leaves and 2 table spoons of cranberry sauce. Bring to the boil and reduce to a low simmer. At this point take the baking paper off the stuffing.
Turn the broccoli into florets and add to a pan of boiling potato water and boil for a couple of minutes. Drain (reserve the water) and add the broccoli to the potatoes to keep warm. Check the cider gravy and add the potato water if it's reduced too much.
Then simply slice the meat, put everything into warm bowls on the table and open another bottle of chilled cider.
Sunday 20 February 2011
Chicken fajitas and Mexican side dishes
This is one of my favourite meals when you've got friends coming over. Spicy chicken with Guacamole, pickled vegetables, fragrant rice and all the accompaniments for a fajita. A lot of the work can be done before hand and finished at the end, and it looks and tastes amazing.
Recipe for 6
12 Chicken thighs *see poached chicken thighs in techniques*
Wraps (plain)
Basmati rice
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Mild cheddar/Lancashire grated
Sour cream
Lemon
2 ripe avocado
2 onions
6 spring onion
Bunch of coriander
6 garlic cloves
6 red chillies
Cauliflower
Red pepper
Green pepper
Yellow pepper
6 carrots
2 stalks of celery
Red wine vinegar
Cumin seeds - dry fried and crushed
Sweet smoked paprika
Oregano (dried is fine)
2 bay leaves
Turmeric
To start, prep the veg for pickling. Turn the cauliflower into small florets, de-seed and slice 2 chillies, roughly chop the celery, slice the peppers and the onions thinly, slice the garlic as thinly as possible and peel and slice the carrots. This can all then be softened in a large pan with a little olive oil, a pinch of the cumin and plenty of seasoning. After a minute or 2 add the oregano and bay leaves and a 50/50 mix of red wine vinegar and water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Check the veg at this point, you want it to be slightly softened but still al dente. Check it now for seasoning and acidity and adjust accordingly. When it's ready transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
Next the guacamole. Skin, de-stone and chop the avocados, slice the onion, de-seed and chop 2 chillies and chop 1 table spoon of the coriander leaves. Add all of these to a blender and add a pinch of cumin, olive oil, red wine vinegar and the juice of 2 limes. Then pulse until it is smooth, but with a few lumps left (this adds texture.)
Finally pick all the leaves off the coriander. Chop roughly and put in a bowl for later. Next chop the coriander stalks very finely, it's criminal to throw this part away. Add this to finely sliced spring onions and chopped garlic (I prefer not to crush garlic to retain the oil) and put in a bowl for later.
All of these jobs can be done in the morning, leaving you just to prepare the last parts as people arrive. For the final stage - start with the rice. I always use basmati rice in Mexican/Chinese/Indian cooking. I find it the easiest to work with. This way with rice is a version of Ken Hom's and is almost faultless. Wash the rice until the water comes clear, this can take about 10 minutes. In a saucepan, add some olive oil and lightly fry a table spoon of the coriander/onion/garlic mix. Then add the rice and coat it well in the flavoured oil. add enough water to come 1 inch above the rice and add seasoning and a table spoon of Turmeric. Bring to the boil with the lid off and don't be tempted to turn the down the gas. Keep it boiling ferociously until the water cooks below the level of the rice (you should see little craters.) Then turn the gas to its lowest setting and put a lid on top (this needs to be tight fitting, if not add a tea towel and then the lid.) Cook it like this for 5 - 10 minutes until the rest of the water has disapearred, then simply turn off the heat and leave it to stand for 5 minutes - perfect rice every time.
While the rice is cooking prep the spicy chicken. De-seed and slice 2 chillies. Add the rest of the coriander/onion/garlic mix, a large pinch of the cumin and the chillies to some olive oil and bring slowly to a light sizzle. Add the tomatoes, season and let it bubble away at a medium heat. When the tomato liquid reduces a little, add a dash of red wine vinegar. Then add your chicken and the juice of a lemon. Let the chicken warm in the sauce and check it for seasoning. When it is ready add the coriander leaves and transfer to a warm bowl.
Serve the chicken with a pile of tortilla wraps, sour cream, grated cheese, the rice, Guacamole and pickled vegetables. With all the different bowls and colours, it looks and tastes amazing.
Recipe for 6
12 Chicken thighs *see poached chicken thighs in techniques*
Wraps (plain)
Basmati rice
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Mild cheddar/Lancashire grated
Sour cream
Lemon
2 ripe avocado
2 onions
6 spring onion
Bunch of coriander
6 garlic cloves
6 red chillies
Cauliflower
Red pepper
Green pepper
Yellow pepper
6 carrots
2 stalks of celery
Red wine vinegar
Cumin seeds - dry fried and crushed
Sweet smoked paprika
Oregano (dried is fine)
2 bay leaves
Turmeric
To start, prep the veg for pickling. Turn the cauliflower into small florets, de-seed and slice 2 chillies, roughly chop the celery, slice the peppers and the onions thinly, slice the garlic as thinly as possible and peel and slice the carrots. This can all then be softened in a large pan with a little olive oil, a pinch of the cumin and plenty of seasoning. After a minute or 2 add the oregano and bay leaves and a 50/50 mix of red wine vinegar and water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Check the veg at this point, you want it to be slightly softened but still al dente. Check it now for seasoning and acidity and adjust accordingly. When it's ready transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
Next the guacamole. Skin, de-stone and chop the avocados, slice the onion, de-seed and chop 2 chillies and chop 1 table spoon of the coriander leaves. Add all of these to a blender and add a pinch of cumin, olive oil, red wine vinegar and the juice of 2 limes. Then pulse until it is smooth, but with a few lumps left (this adds texture.)
Finally pick all the leaves off the coriander. Chop roughly and put in a bowl for later. Next chop the coriander stalks very finely, it's criminal to throw this part away. Add this to finely sliced spring onions and chopped garlic (I prefer not to crush garlic to retain the oil) and put in a bowl for later.
All of these jobs can be done in the morning, leaving you just to prepare the last parts as people arrive. For the final stage - start with the rice. I always use basmati rice in Mexican/Chinese/Indian cooking. I find it the easiest to work with. This way with rice is a version of Ken Hom's and is almost faultless. Wash the rice until the water comes clear, this can take about 10 minutes. In a saucepan, add some olive oil and lightly fry a table spoon of the coriander/onion/garlic mix. Then add the rice and coat it well in the flavoured oil. add enough water to come 1 inch above the rice and add seasoning and a table spoon of Turmeric. Bring to the boil with the lid off and don't be tempted to turn the down the gas. Keep it boiling ferociously until the water cooks below the level of the rice (you should see little craters.) Then turn the gas to its lowest setting and put a lid on top (this needs to be tight fitting, if not add a tea towel and then the lid.) Cook it like this for 5 - 10 minutes until the rest of the water has disapearred, then simply turn off the heat and leave it to stand for 5 minutes - perfect rice every time.
While the rice is cooking prep the spicy chicken. De-seed and slice 2 chillies. Add the rest of the coriander/onion/garlic mix, a large pinch of the cumin and the chillies to some olive oil and bring slowly to a light sizzle. Add the tomatoes, season and let it bubble away at a medium heat. When the tomato liquid reduces a little, add a dash of red wine vinegar. Then add your chicken and the juice of a lemon. Let the chicken warm in the sauce and check it for seasoning. When it is ready add the coriander leaves and transfer to a warm bowl.
Serve the chicken with a pile of tortilla wraps, sour cream, grated cheese, the rice, Guacamole and pickled vegetables. With all the different bowls and colours, it looks and tastes amazing.
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