RHUBARB! RHUBARB!
We all love rhubarb or at least we should. It is one of the culinary joys of early spring; the earliest, slimmest, sweetest, tenderest variety is called ‘champagne rhubarb’. Its arrival in the shops and on the table heralds a host of lip smacking and comforting puddings, many of them rooted in our childhood: rhubarb and custard, rhubarb crumble, rhubarb tart, steamed roly-poly pudding, rhubarb fool, and the list goes on.
Rhubarb is not only about nursery food; its beautiful pink hue can add sophistication and its tart sweetness, piquancy to any sweetmeat; jams, jellies, mousses, cakes, panna cotta. Imagine choux pastry filled with rhubarb flavoured crème pâtissière and covered with white chocolate. Rhubarb is enhanced with the addition of orange zest, star anise and root ginger. For a double rhubarb hit try lacing puddings with Chases rhubarb liqueur or simply serve a shot on the side.
Rhubarb and triple almond frangipan tart - serves 6
For cooking the rhubarb in advance
500 g young tender rhubarb,
100 g caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Chase’s rhubarb liqueur (optional)
For the pastry
100 g plain flour
10 g cornflour
30g icing sugar
60 g unsalted butter
1 small egg yolk
1 tablespoon iced water or Chase’s rhubarb liqueur
For the filling
150 g marzipan roughly grated
100 g unsalted butter
100 g caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 teaspoons baking powder
100 g ground almonds
Sieved icing sugar to serve
Equipment: 22 cm diameter tart tin
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.
To make the pastry, put all the ingredients in a bowl and work them quickly and lightly into a smooth ball with your hands. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
To cook the rhubarb, wash the rhubarb and without drying it cut into 2 – 3 cm lengths and put in a small pan with the sugar. Put over low heat and bring gently to simmering point. If the fruit is dry it may be necessary to add a couple of tablespoons of water at this stage. Cook gently until the rhubarb collapses. Add the rhubarb liqueur if using, stir well, then taste for sweetness. Transfer the rhubarb to a sieve, leave to drain over a small pan and leave to cool.
Put the pan of rhubarb juice on high heat and boil for 5 minutes or until reduced by half.
After an hour’s rest - with a rolling pin, roll the pastry out thinly on a floured surface and use to line the tart tin.
Spoon the cooled, drained rhubarb over the pastry base and scatter the roughly grated marzipan over the top.
Put the sugar and butter in a bowl and whisk until light and creamy. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well as you do so. Add the cornflour, baking powder and almonds then gently fold into the mixture.
Spoon the mixture on top of the rhubarb and marzipan, taking care to cover it all and to spoon the cake mixture right up to the pastry edge. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top.
Transfer the tart to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Reduce the heat to 160C/Gas Mark 3 for the last 20 minutes, or if the almonds start to turn too dark.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. Serve warm sprinkled with icing sugar. Drizzle a few drops of the rhubarb syrup on each plate when serving.
WAKE ME UP IN THE MORNING – National Marmalade week
It may surprise you to know, given we are a nation of marmalade makers and eaters, that we are going to celebrate National Marmalade week this year for the very first time from 25 February - 3 March.
This inaugural awareness week has been created by the organizers of The World’s Original Marmalade Awards & Festival held in Dalemain mansion in the Lake District because there has been a huge increase in the number of people making their own marmalades and artisan made marmalades on the market.
If you want to have a go yourself, entries to the awards are now open and jars from every type of marmalade maker are welcomed. Further entry details including a downloadable entry form, category criteria, submission details and entry fees can be found by visiting: www.marmaladeawards.com.
However if you simply want to have a bash at making your own to celebrate this great British tradition, here is a great marmalade recipe guaranteed to wake up your palate over breakfast. Don’t forget though, marmalade makes great sponge puddings and tarts too.
CHUNKY LIME,LEMON AND GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE
The combination of lemon, lime and grapefruit makes a delicious zingy ‘good morning world’ tasting marmalade. It can be made in small quantities at any time of the year, not just when the traditional Seville oranges are in season. I have given quantities to yield two or three jars but if you want to make in bulk, then simply double or triple the ingredients. Cut the peel to suit your taste – thick or thin by hand, chunky or fine using a blender. Vary the citrus fruit to suit your taste.
Ingredients
1 lemon
1 small pink grapefruit
1 lime
500 ml water
1 kg sugar
Juice of ½ lemon
Equipment
3 clean, dry, warm 259 g jam jars with lids
1 pack jam pot covers and waxed discs
Makes 500g 750 g
Scrub the fruit and prise out any stalk ends still attached. Put the fruit in a pan and cover with cold water, set over low heat and cook until tender – this will take 11/2-2 hours. The fruit is ready when it ‘collapses’. Lime zest is generally tougher than other citrus peel, so you must make sure it is tender at this stage otherwise it will taste woody.
Transfer the fruit to a chipping board, reserving the water) and leave until cool enough to handle. Cut in half, scrape out the pips and add to the pan of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Cut the zest into strips as finely as possible or put in a blender and whiz until chunky. Strain the water from the pips and flesh and return it to the pan, adding the chopped zest and the lemon juice. Discard the pips and the debris.
Add the sugar to the pan and bring slowly to simmering point, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Because the sugar content is high this will take quite a long time. When the marmalade has become translucent, you will know the sugar has dissolved and you can increase the heat. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached – 5-10 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and test for set (see below). If the marmalade is not ready, put the pan back on the heat to boil for a few more minutes and test again. Repeat this process if necessary and remember to take the pan off the heat during testing as over boiling the marmalade will ruin it.
When setting point is reached, return to simmering point, then turn off the heat. Skim with a perforated spoon, stir well and let stand for 20 – 30 minutes for the fruit to settle. Stir and ladle into clean, dry, warm jars and wipe the necks of the jar with a clean, damp cloth if necessary. Seal at once with waxed paper discs and covers.
Let cool, label and store in a cool, dark cupboard until required.
Testing for set
Before you start put a saucer and 2 – 3 teaspoons in the fridge to cool. When the marmalade is ready take it off the heat and using a cold spoon put a teaspoon full in the fridge on the cold saucer and leave for five minutes. After this time push the marmalade with a finger – if it offers resistance or crinkles it is ready, on the other hand if it is still liquid the marmalade needs to be boiled up again.
BEATING THE JANUARY BLUES
After the excitement and excesses of Christmas, it is always a relief to get back to normal. By the time the New Year celebrations are over I look forward to cutting back the feasting style meals, the snacking and to feeling hungry again.
The palate needs livening up with lots of fresh vegetables, crisp salad ingredients, colour, textures and exotic flavours. The worst of the winter is to come and so we still need hot comfort food; but it needs reinventing to wake up our taste buds.
Reaching for the wok is a great solution and so is lightening the diet with plenty of fish, shellfish and poultry. Wok style cooking is quick, which means ingredients cooked in it retain their integrity; their colour, flavour and good-for-us factor.
When we cook in a wok we look towards the East and are reminded there are myriad cuisines to bow down to. Indian, Malay, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese to name a few – and with them come infinite spices and sauces to help kick away the January blues.
If you would like to learn more about cooking in a work Shaun Nean our Malasian chef will be back at the Chef’s Room in January with “fish in a wok.”
MUSSELS WITH GINGER IN COCONUT MILK serves 4
This is a simple aromatic seafood recipe that I used to make frequently at this time of the year. I had actually forgotten about it until a recent chance meeting on Face Book when an old friend of my son’s described a dish of yellow mussels and then I remembered the rest. Here it is and Badge I hope you see this because it is for you.
Vegetable oil
150g shallots finely chopped
1 egg sized lump of ginger
8 small cloves of garlic
½ chili
100ml water
1 level tablespoon turmeric
1 level tablespoon cumin
salt
1kg mussels
400ml coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
Heat enough vegetable oil to cover the base of a wok over low heat, add the chopped shallots and cook gently until soft. Put the ginger, garlic, chilli and water in a small blender and reduce to a paste. Add the paste, turmeric, cumin and salt to the pan, mix well and leave to fry for a minute or two. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Add the mussels, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until they have all opened. Serve at once sprinkled with chopped coriander and hot crusty bread
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Bah humbug pie
I love Christmas and everything that goes with it except for the jolly, heart-warming festive cheer that is rolled out nightly from the beginning of November on our television screens in the names of the nation’s great harbingers of Christmas (the supermarkets). I do confess to a fleeting delight in guessing which retailing giant is hiding behind which tinsel trimmed advertising campaign and I might even enjoy the whole cosy experience in mid December but by the time I am ready to deck the halls with boughs of holly the TV is off on holiday.
Enough of my twenty-first century bah-humbug – I don’t have to watch the TV – and I don’t much. As I said I love Christmas and I do like to get organised. I have already made mincemeat and it won’t be long before the cake and pudding are done. Yes made and put away and forgotten until mid December when Christmas is a go-go at our house.
The whole concept of Christmas as we know it would not be unfamiliar to Charles Dickens – the tree, the cards, the presents, the hams, the goose and all the trimmings, the pies.....but he might be shocked to discover it starts in November.... where was I? Oh yes pies....let’s not forget the pies – steak and ale, pork in cider made with suet crust, baked and served hot. The secret is to make the fillings and cook them now and freeze in pie dishes and then make the suet crust on the day, then bake and serve with golden baked potatoes and piles of fresh greens or a crisp green salad ti liven up the taste buds
Traditional Pork in cider suet crust pie, serves 8
2 large onions, chopped
1600 g shoulder of pork, cut into bite sized pieces
2 large cooking apple, peeled and chopped
300 g parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
300 g carrots, peeled and cut into rings
2 heaped teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
4 heaped tablespoons plain flour
Sunflower oil
Salt and black pepper
1 L ml cider
For the pastry
300 g self raising flour, sieved
150 g suet
2 heaped teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and black pepper
6 - 9 tablespoons cold water
Equipment: 2 litre pie dish
Put a large frying pan or saucepan on medium to high heat, when hot add enough oil to cover the base of the pan then add the finely chopped onion and fry until soft and golden. Reduce the heat after a couple of minutes to avoid burning the onion.
When the onion is nicely caramelised, increase the heat again and add the pork and fry to brown – this may take some time – be patient! When the meat is nicely browned, add the apple and the vegetables, ginger, salt and pepper, thyme leaves, parsley and stir well , then stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes then reduce the heat and add enough cider to cover, stirring to create a smooth gravy. Transfer everything to a casserole dish at this stage. Cover with a lid and cook for 1 – 1.1/2 hours at 160 -180 C gas mark 3-4
Rest for half an hour or overnight as time allows
When ready to serve transfer the cooled pork to the pie dish. Put the sieved flour in a large bowl; add the suet, thyme leaves, chopped parsley, salt and black pepper. Mix and add the cold water and using the hands bring the ingredients together and roll into a neat ball. Flour the work surface, flatten the pastry and then roll out to fit the pie dish. Transfer the pastry and lay on top of the meat, sealing the edges and cook in a pre-heated oven 180 – 200 C gas mark 6 until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling hot – say 30 minutes.
Enough of my twenty-first century bah-humbug – I don’t have to watch the TV – and I don’t much. As I said I love Christmas and I do like to get organised. I have already made mincemeat and it won’t be long before the cake and pudding are done. Yes made and put away and forgotten until mid December when Christmas is a go-go at our house.
The whole concept of Christmas as we know it would not be unfamiliar to Charles Dickens – the tree, the cards, the presents, the hams, the goose and all the trimmings, the pies.....but he might be shocked to discover it starts in November.... where was I? Oh yes pies....let’s not forget the pies – steak and ale, pork in cider made with suet crust, baked and served hot. The secret is to make the fillings and cook them now and freeze in pie dishes and then make the suet crust on the day, then bake and serve with golden baked potatoes and piles of fresh greens or a crisp green salad ti liven up the taste buds
Traditional Pork in cider suet crust pie, serves 8
2 large onions, chopped
1600 g shoulder of pork, cut into bite sized pieces
2 large cooking apple, peeled and chopped
300 g parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
300 g carrots, peeled and cut into rings
2 heaped teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
4 heaped tablespoons plain flour
Sunflower oil
Salt and black pepper
1 L ml cider
For the pastry
300 g self raising flour, sieved
150 g suet
2 heaped teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Salt and black pepper
6 - 9 tablespoons cold water
Equipment: 2 litre pie dish
Put a large frying pan or saucepan on medium to high heat, when hot add enough oil to cover the base of the pan then add the finely chopped onion and fry until soft and golden. Reduce the heat after a couple of minutes to avoid burning the onion.
When the onion is nicely caramelised, increase the heat again and add the pork and fry to brown – this may take some time – be patient! When the meat is nicely browned, add the apple and the vegetables, ginger, salt and pepper, thyme leaves, parsley and stir well , then stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes then reduce the heat and add enough cider to cover, stirring to create a smooth gravy. Transfer everything to a casserole dish at this stage. Cover with a lid and cook for 1 – 1.1/2 hours at 160 -180 C gas mark 3-4
Rest for half an hour or overnight as time allows
When ready to serve transfer the cooled pork to the pie dish. Put the sieved flour in a large bowl; add the suet, thyme leaves, chopped parsley, salt and black pepper. Mix and add the cold water and using the hands bring the ingredients together and roll into a neat ball. Flour the work surface, flatten the pastry and then roll out to fit the pie dish. Transfer the pastry and lay on top of the meat, sealing the edges and cook in a pre-heated oven 180 – 200 C gas mark 6 until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling hot – say 30 minutes.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
changing seasons - Pumpkin, prawn and fish curry
Autumn and winter bring many wonderful things to eat that compensate for the passing of summer. One of the most spectacular and colourful arrivals is the pumpkin in its many guises. The Cinderella coach of pumpkins makes the most dramatic of entrances at the end of October. This vegetable often of gargantuan proportions is more likely to be snapped up to become a lantern than lunch. However if you can find one of more moderate size – say a kilogramme in weight it is as delicious to eat as it is delightful to see twinkling on a doorstep.
Pumpkins are versatile; they lend themselves to sweet and savoury dishes. The flesh is watery when boiled or steamed and has to be squeezed dry, I therefore prefer to roast or micro-wave them. Pumpkin soup and roast pumpkin with root ginger are two of my favourites. In the US pumpkin pie plays an important role in the traditional Thanksgiving feast. In many Italian regions, pumpkin is used as part of an autumnal stuffing for tortelli and other filled pasta shapes. This fish stew from Cambodia combines, fish, prawns and pumpkin and is a rollercoaster of aroma, flavour, colour and texture guaranteed to raise the most flagging spirits during the change of seasons.
500 ml coconut cream
2 teaspoons chilli paste (add more if you like your curry highly spiced)
1 small jar lemongrass paste 90 g
½ teaspoon shrimp paste
1 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar (or Demerara sugar)
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
2 heaped teaspoons turmeric
1 whole star anise or 1 teaspoon of ground star anise
½ teaspoon ground coriander
500 ml fish stock
1 small pumpkin – weight 1 kg
300 g whiting – skin on - cut into 2 cm strips
400 g raw shell-on prawns
Small bunch of fresh coriander
Put half the coconut cream in a large saucepan, rinse out the carton with 125 ml of hot water and add this to the pan; add all the spices and flavourings, whisk well and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes for the aromas to blend, add the stock, increase the heat and boil for five minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and cut into large wedges. You only need 500 – 600 g of the pumpkin flesh. Put on a plate, cover with cling film and put in a microwave oven on high for 3 - 6 minutes, at which point the pumpkin should still be firm but easy to cut away from the skin. Leave until cool enough to handle and then cut the pumpkin flesh from the skin and transfer onto kitchen paper to drain. When cold cut into 2 cm strips and salt lightly.
When the sauce has boiled for five minutes, reduce the heat to medium and add the prawns and the pumpkin and cook for 3 – 4 minutes, after two minutes add the fish and cook until the fish is just cooked and the prawns have turned pink. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the fish, prawns and pumpkin then set on one side.
Increase the heat and cook the sauce until reduce by half.
Reduce the heat again and whisk in the remaining coconut cream, return the fish to the pan and reheat gently.
Stand for ten minutes before serving.
Serve topped with fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley and boiled rice on the side.
Pumpkins are versatile; they lend themselves to sweet and savoury dishes. The flesh is watery when boiled or steamed and has to be squeezed dry, I therefore prefer to roast or micro-wave them. Pumpkin soup and roast pumpkin with root ginger are two of my favourites. In the US pumpkin pie plays an important role in the traditional Thanksgiving feast. In many Italian regions, pumpkin is used as part of an autumnal stuffing for tortelli and other filled pasta shapes. This fish stew from Cambodia combines, fish, prawns and pumpkin and is a rollercoaster of aroma, flavour, colour and texture guaranteed to raise the most flagging spirits during the change of seasons.
500 ml coconut cream
2 teaspoons chilli paste (add more if you like your curry highly spiced)
1 small jar lemongrass paste 90 g
½ teaspoon shrimp paste
1 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar (or Demerara sugar)
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon chilli powder
2 heaped teaspoons turmeric
1 whole star anise or 1 teaspoon of ground star anise
½ teaspoon ground coriander
500 ml fish stock
1 small pumpkin – weight 1 kg
300 g whiting – skin on - cut into 2 cm strips
400 g raw shell-on prawns
Small bunch of fresh coriander
Put half the coconut cream in a large saucepan, rinse out the carton with 125 ml of hot water and add this to the pan; add all the spices and flavourings, whisk well and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes for the aromas to blend, add the stock, increase the heat and boil for five minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and cut into large wedges. You only need 500 – 600 g of the pumpkin flesh. Put on a plate, cover with cling film and put in a microwave oven on high for 3 - 6 minutes, at which point the pumpkin should still be firm but easy to cut away from the skin. Leave until cool enough to handle and then cut the pumpkin flesh from the skin and transfer onto kitchen paper to drain. When cold cut into 2 cm strips and salt lightly.
When the sauce has boiled for five minutes, reduce the heat to medium and add the prawns and the pumpkin and cook for 3 – 4 minutes, after two minutes add the fish and cook until the fish is just cooked and the prawns have turned pink. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the fish, prawns and pumpkin then set on one side.
Increase the heat and cook the sauce until reduce by half.
Reduce the heat again and whisk in the remaining coconut cream, return the fish to the pan and reheat gently.
Stand for ten minutes before serving.
Serve topped with fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley and boiled rice on the side.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Kanpai: a toast to recovery
It is coming up to the six-month anniversary of the horrific tsunami that hit Japan in March. For days the media seemed to speak of nothing else and then all fell silent. We were left to guess at how the Japanese were coping with the aftermath.
Last week the Embassy of Japan in London hosted the IWC award-winning sake tasting event to support the Kuramotos –the sake brewers- and those affected by the disaster. Ambassador Hayashi spoke movingly about the road to recovery and the support from around the world.
The evening started with a traditional sake ceremony and a toast. Kanpai! One of the producers representing the affected region lost more than 10,000 bottles. The walls of the brewery collapsed and machinery broke down. Amid numerous aftershocks they like many others are rising out of the debris to rebuild their business.
I started by tasting the “champion” sake made by Fukuchiyo Shuzo – Nabeshima Daiginjo a fortified brew, served cold; it was light, yet pleasingly flavourful. I went on to try their Tokubetsu Junmai – a pure rice sake; fresh tasting with underlying richness. Sake is wonderfully savoury and leaves a lingering umami aroma. Some varieties of sake are warmed before consumption but be warned warmed sake produces a mild buzz faster than sake served cold.
Sake is brewed using long grained, starch-rich, sake rice varieties. The rice is milled to a high starch nub. The starch is converted to sugar and then the sugar to alcohol at low temperature over a long period of time; resulting in high alcohol content. The Sake is then heated to kill the bacteria. How it is heated determines the taste. Togi – master brewer – Hitoshi Tsuschiya told me what distinguishes a Sake. “climate, water and the knowledge and expertise of the master brewer. His family had been making premium sake for 120 years.
Shimi saba – pickled mackerel
Sake is served in tiny drinking vessels with food. In Japan fish is served raw, sashimi style but mackerel is always pickled. When you make this recipe why not try a premium, pure rice, junmai Sake.
1 good size mackerel, sea bass, herring or seabream
Use one heaped teaspoon of coarse sea salt to 150 g of filleted mackerel.
1 bottle of mirrin
1 bottle of rice vinegar
fresh ginger root
1 x 250 ml preserving jar, washed in hot soapy water and dried in a warm oven until required.
Ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you. Run your fingers over the cut surfaces to check for pin bones and use a tweezers to remove them. Trim any ragged edges from the fish fillets and snip off any fins.
Lay the fillets out on a non metallic tray skin side down and sprinkle with salt, use less salt at the tail end of the fish where the flesh is thinner and more salt where the flesh is thicker. Leave over night.
Rinse the fish fillets and pat dry leaving them for a few minutes in the air to dry.
Cut the fillets slightly on the diagonal creating rhomboids 1- 2 cm long. And pack them into a sterilised glass preserving jar with a seal.
Top up with equal quantities of mirrin and rice vinegar and add a scraping of ginger root, say half a teaspoon. Seal the jar and leave in the fridge for a week.
Last week the Embassy of Japan in London hosted the IWC award-winning sake tasting event to support the Kuramotos –the sake brewers- and those affected by the disaster. Ambassador Hayashi spoke movingly about the road to recovery and the support from around the world.
The evening started with a traditional sake ceremony and a toast. Kanpai! One of the producers representing the affected region lost more than 10,000 bottles. The walls of the brewery collapsed and machinery broke down. Amid numerous aftershocks they like many others are rising out of the debris to rebuild their business.
I started by tasting the “champion” sake made by Fukuchiyo Shuzo – Nabeshima Daiginjo a fortified brew, served cold; it was light, yet pleasingly flavourful. I went on to try their Tokubetsu Junmai – a pure rice sake; fresh tasting with underlying richness. Sake is wonderfully savoury and leaves a lingering umami aroma. Some varieties of sake are warmed before consumption but be warned warmed sake produces a mild buzz faster than sake served cold.
Sake is brewed using long grained, starch-rich, sake rice varieties. The rice is milled to a high starch nub. The starch is converted to sugar and then the sugar to alcohol at low temperature over a long period of time; resulting in high alcohol content. The Sake is then heated to kill the bacteria. How it is heated determines the taste. Togi – master brewer – Hitoshi Tsuschiya told me what distinguishes a Sake. “climate, water and the knowledge and expertise of the master brewer. His family had been making premium sake for 120 years.
Shimi saba – pickled mackerel
Sake is served in tiny drinking vessels with food. In Japan fish is served raw, sashimi style but mackerel is always pickled. When you make this recipe why not try a premium, pure rice, junmai Sake.
1 good size mackerel, sea bass, herring or seabream
Use one heaped teaspoon of coarse sea salt to 150 g of filleted mackerel.
1 bottle of mirrin
1 bottle of rice vinegar
fresh ginger root
1 x 250 ml preserving jar, washed in hot soapy water and dried in a warm oven until required.
Ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you. Run your fingers over the cut surfaces to check for pin bones and use a tweezers to remove them. Trim any ragged edges from the fish fillets and snip off any fins.
Lay the fillets out on a non metallic tray skin side down and sprinkle with salt, use less salt at the tail end of the fish where the flesh is thinner and more salt where the flesh is thicker. Leave over night.
Rinse the fish fillets and pat dry leaving them for a few minutes in the air to dry.
Cut the fillets slightly on the diagonal creating rhomboids 1- 2 cm long. And pack them into a sterilised glass preserving jar with a seal.
Top up with equal quantities of mirrin and rice vinegar and add a scraping of ginger root, say half a teaspoon. Seal the jar and leave in the fridge for a week.
Thursday, 11 August 2011
Laying something by - green tomato spiced pickle
As we come to the end of the summer it is time to get out the preserving pots, pans and jars to make pickles and chutneys and stock up our cupboards for the winter. Once upon time it would also have been time to start thinking about laying meat down for the winter.
Curing meat at home had become a thing of the past but in recent years there has been a renaissance of interest and small producers of cured foods are popping up all over the country. There is James Swift at Trealy Farm who now makes a huge range of continental type dried cured meat and salamis. I popped over to his new production house in Wales recently and I was bowled over by the sweet scent and the sight of rows and rows of freshly cured meats hanging to dry: something I never imagined I would ever experience in this country. This year we are to hold the first British Charcuterie Festival in London; running from 28 – 30 October at the Festival Hall.
I shall be demonstrating at the festival and also teaching hands on curing at the Chef’s Room in November but I will also be holding monthly Curing classes from September to February at Hart’s Barn in the Forest of Dean featuring preserving, smoking, curing, Xmas gifts, French farmhouse and raw.
Sweet and sour spiced green tomato pickle
This recipe is a gift for anyone who is left with a glut of unripe tomatoes at the end of the season. It is unusual as it is made with slices of tomato that are cooked very gently, so they retain their shape and colour. It looks really nice on the plate and is delicious with cold cooked and cured meats, cheeses, eggs and English breakfast!
4 x 250g glass jars with lid, washed in soapy water, rinsed, drained and heated in a low oven
1 kg green tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
50 g fine sea salt
½ teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
½ tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
250 g light cane sugar
250 ml cider vinegar
Layer the sliced tomatoes and onions in a large bowl with salt and leave to stand overnight covered with a clean tea towel.
The following day drain off the salt water and carefully rinse the tomatoes in fresh water and leave to drain well then transfer to a preserving pan. Tie up the spices in a piece of muslin and put that in the pan. Add the vinegar.
Put the pan containing the ingredients on a medium heat and bring gently to simmering point, stirring regularly until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to simmer for 45 – 60 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still intact and the vinegar has become syrupy.
Do not leave the pickle unattended it is essential to stir the pan regularly otherwise the pickle will stick and burn.
Leave to rest, say 20 minutes before potting. Spoon the chutney into warm sterile pots and seal but first cover the surface of the pickle with discs of waxed paper. Leave to cool before labelling. Store in the dark for at least a month before opening!
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Picnic perfect
August is upon us but there is still time and hopefully the weather to enjoy a few picnics. Whether it is at the heart of a simple family outing, devoured on a rug spread on the ground or the crowning glory of an outdoor festival, concert or special occasion, enjoyed in state with table, chairs and candelabra, a picnic is a memorable occasion and the perfect way to celebrate the summer.
A pie is always a favourite! A good quality pork pie with hard boiled eggs, carrot, celery and cucumber sticks, tomatoes, dips, cherries make light work of a picnic. However if you want to make something as a centre piece for a full-on eating al fresco experience try this simple to make but oh-so-impressive, layered salmon, prawn and potato file pie. It can be made in advance served hot, warm or cold.
Layered salmon, prawn and potato filo pie flavoured with tomato and basil serves 6-8
800 g (drained weight) canned tomatoes, drained, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 x cm square dried chilli
500 g salmon fillet cut into domino sized pieces (skin discarded) and seasoned with salt and pepper
500 g new potatoes, boiled, cooled and sliced lengthways
100 – 150 g readymade basil pesto
6 large sheets of filo pastry
100 g butter, melted
200g cooked peeled prawns
Salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Springform cake tin, 22 cm
Preheat oven to 200C 400F gas 6
Heat enough olive oil to cover the base of a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the prepared tomatoes, garlic and chilli, reduce the heat to minimum, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir from time to time.. Mash the tomatoes to a pulp and stir in the salmon pieces and cook for a minute or two. Transfer the salmon and tomato sauce to a bowl to cool. Toss the sliced potato in the pesto to coat evenly.
Brush the base and sides of the cake tin with a little of the melted butter. Paint the first sheet of filo with melted butter and lay it across the cake tin to line the base and sides of the tin, leaving any excess hanging over the sides. Paint a second sheet of filo with butter and lay it at right angles to the first, smoothing it down to line the base and sides of the tin. There should now be equal overhang of filo all the way round the tin. Repeat this until all six sheets of pastry have been used up.
Cover the base of the filo lined tin with half the potatoes, then half the salmon in tomato sauce and then half the prawns. Make a second layer of each and then carefully fold the over-hang of filo over the filling. Paint butter over the top of the pie.
Set the tin containing the finished pie on a baking sheet and put it in the preheated oven and cook until golden brown, say 25 minutes.
Allow to cool a little before taking the pie out of the tin. If baking freshly to serve warm on a picnic leave the pie in the tin, wrap in a clean tea towel and a blanket to transport and transfer carefully to a serving plate on arrival. Otherwise leave to cool completely, wrap in foil and refrigerate until required. Don’t forget to take a sharp knife and platter for serving.
A pie is always a favourite! A good quality pork pie with hard boiled eggs, carrot, celery and cucumber sticks, tomatoes, dips, cherries make light work of a picnic. However if you want to make something as a centre piece for a full-on eating al fresco experience try this simple to make but oh-so-impressive, layered salmon, prawn and potato file pie. It can be made in advance served hot, warm or cold.
Layered salmon, prawn and potato filo pie flavoured with tomato and basil serves 6-8
800 g (drained weight) canned tomatoes, drained, deseeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 x cm square dried chilli
500 g salmon fillet cut into domino sized pieces (skin discarded) and seasoned with salt and pepper
500 g new potatoes, boiled, cooled and sliced lengthways
100 – 150 g readymade basil pesto
6 large sheets of filo pastry
100 g butter, melted
200g cooked peeled prawns
Salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Springform cake tin, 22 cm
Preheat oven to 200C 400F gas 6
Heat enough olive oil to cover the base of a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the prepared tomatoes, garlic and chilli, reduce the heat to minimum, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir from time to time.. Mash the tomatoes to a pulp and stir in the salmon pieces and cook for a minute or two. Transfer the salmon and tomato sauce to a bowl to cool. Toss the sliced potato in the pesto to coat evenly.
Brush the base and sides of the cake tin with a little of the melted butter. Paint the first sheet of filo with melted butter and lay it across the cake tin to line the base and sides of the tin, leaving any excess hanging over the sides. Paint a second sheet of filo with butter and lay it at right angles to the first, smoothing it down to line the base and sides of the tin. There should now be equal overhang of filo all the way round the tin. Repeat this until all six sheets of pastry have been used up.
Cover the base of the filo lined tin with half the potatoes, then half the salmon in tomato sauce and then half the prawns. Make a second layer of each and then carefully fold the over-hang of filo over the filling. Paint butter over the top of the pie.
Set the tin containing the finished pie on a baking sheet and put it in the preheated oven and cook until golden brown, say 25 minutes.
Allow to cool a little before taking the pie out of the tin. If baking freshly to serve warm on a picnic leave the pie in the tin, wrap in a clean tea towel and a blanket to transport and transfer carefully to a serving plate on arrival. Otherwise leave to cool completely, wrap in foil and refrigerate until required. Don’t forget to take a sharp knife and platter for serving.
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Never bored with broad beans
The broad bean is a funny thing, with its fur lined pod, a rather thick skin and a very distinctive flavour. It has a fairly short season – although having said that I did notice last year that it was around for rather longer than usual. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing because I love broad beans; as long as they are picked while still young and tender; otherwise they go tough. When I lived in Cornwall the pods were often harvested while little more than pea size and the whole thing, pod and baby beans cooked as one, like mange tout.
I like to think of the broad bean as being quintessentially English; it appears in our gardens at just the same moment that wild salmon comes into season and at the same time as the first waxy new potatoes are pulled. Add some rich made mayonnaise or hollandaise and you have a simple seasonal meal that is simply manna from heaven. However the Italians are rather partial to them too. They eat them raw with pecorino cheese (sublime) mix them into pesto and serve with gnocchi or stir them into pasta dishes. The Spanish toss them in fried, chopped, spicy, chorizo and the Turks make a gorgeous, slightly sweet hummus type puree to serve with flatbreads.
Some people like to skin the beans; the bean inside is a beautiful vibrant green colour – but take off that rather flabby dull green skin and the bean loses its character. Yes it is tenderer, yes it is sweeter, but I think the skin gives the bean a distinctive flavour and special texture. Boil in salted water and serve, drained with chopped mint or savory and melted butter or even a light béchamel sauce but best of all to my mind, toss them in olive oil and finely chopped flat leaf parsley, leave to cool a little and serve. Any leftovers can be added to salads.
Quills with broad beans, tomato, pecorino shards and flat leaf parsley
1.5 - 2 kg fresh young broad beans shelled
Bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
400 g whole tinned plum tomatoes, drained deseeded and chopped or fresh skinned ones.
500 g good quality quills
100 g grated pecorino cheese
100g pecorino cheese shavings
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and milled black pepper
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
Blanch the shelled beans in a small pan of boiling water for 2 or 3 minutes or until tender.
Cover the base of a large wok with extra virgin olive oil and put on medium heat, add the finely chopped spring onion and stir fry for a minute, add the shelled beans, the mustard, salt and pepper and stir fry for another minute. Then add the prepared tomato and half the chopped parsley and cook to allow the flavours to blend – say 2-3 minutes.
When the large pan of water comes to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the recommended cooking time on the packet. When ready strain into a large bowl.
Add the broad bean and tomato sauce, half the grated pecorino cheese, half the chopped parsley and mix well. Scatter the pecorino shavings and the remaining parsley on top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if liked.
Serve at once with extra grated pecorino cheese.
I like to think of the broad bean as being quintessentially English; it appears in our gardens at just the same moment that wild salmon comes into season and at the same time as the first waxy new potatoes are pulled. Add some rich made mayonnaise or hollandaise and you have a simple seasonal meal that is simply manna from heaven. However the Italians are rather partial to them too. They eat them raw with pecorino cheese (sublime) mix them into pesto and serve with gnocchi or stir them into pasta dishes. The Spanish toss them in fried, chopped, spicy, chorizo and the Turks make a gorgeous, slightly sweet hummus type puree to serve with flatbreads.
Some people like to skin the beans; the bean inside is a beautiful vibrant green colour – but take off that rather flabby dull green skin and the bean loses its character. Yes it is tenderer, yes it is sweeter, but I think the skin gives the bean a distinctive flavour and special texture. Boil in salted water and serve, drained with chopped mint or savory and melted butter or even a light béchamel sauce but best of all to my mind, toss them in olive oil and finely chopped flat leaf parsley, leave to cool a little and serve. Any leftovers can be added to salads.
Quills with broad beans, tomato, pecorino shards and flat leaf parsley
1.5 - 2 kg fresh young broad beans shelled
Bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
400 g whole tinned plum tomatoes, drained deseeded and chopped or fresh skinned ones.
500 g good quality quills
100 g grated pecorino cheese
100g pecorino cheese shavings
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and milled black pepper
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil.
Blanch the shelled beans in a small pan of boiling water for 2 or 3 minutes or until tender.
Cover the base of a large wok with extra virgin olive oil and put on medium heat, add the finely chopped spring onion and stir fry for a minute, add the shelled beans, the mustard, salt and pepper and stir fry for another minute. Then add the prepared tomato and half the chopped parsley and cook to allow the flavours to blend – say 2-3 minutes.
When the large pan of water comes to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to the recommended cooking time on the packet. When ready strain into a large bowl.
Add the broad bean and tomato sauce, half the grated pecorino cheese, half the chopped parsley and mix well. Scatter the pecorino shavings and the remaining parsley on top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if liked.
Serve at once with extra grated pecorino cheese.
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