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Roasted Red Pepper Soup

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Developed from an idea in a Waitrose Seasons magazine – yet to be tried. I want to roast the peppers whole so as to profit from the juices that accumulate inside. This means they’ll need seeding after roasting. Served with Dukkah.

Planning

serves: 6
preparation time: 10 mins
cooking time: 50 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 red peppers
  • 1 large carrot, peeled & roughly chopped
  • 1 red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 litre stock
  • 50g roasted unsalted pistachio nuts
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • salt & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C (gas mk 5). Toss the vegetables together with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and place in a roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast for about 35 mins, stirring halfway through, until they are tender and caramelised.

Meanwhile, make the dukkah. Place the nuts and seeds in a dry frying pan and toast over gentle heat until the mustard seeds start to pop. Allow to cool, then pulse them in a food processor until coarsely ground. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the vegetables, together with any accumulated juices, and stock to a pan and heat for a few minutes to blend the flavours. Blitz in a blender (preferably the same one that the dukkah was ground in). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some of the dukkah sprinkled on top.


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Posted in Soups Tagged with:

Rillettes de Saumon

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Straight out of the Roux Brothers’ Cooking for Two . I’ve increased the quantities for you to allow for six hungry Horaces.

Planning

serves: 6
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients

  • 3 Salmon cutlets/steaks
  • court bouillon (made with 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 leek, bouque garni, peppercorns, 1 glass dry white wine)
  • 6 oz butter, softened
  • 5 fl oz whipping cream (lightly whipped to ribbon stage)
  • 30 green peppercorns (in brine, not dried)
  • 3 tbs lemon juice
  • 3 pinches cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbs chives, snipped
  • coarse sea salt

Method

Make the court bouillon: add its ingredients to about 1 pint water, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and discard the vegetables.

Bring the bouillon back to the boil and place the salmon cutlets in it. Immediately remove it from the heat. Leave the salmon in the hot liquid for 5 minutes. Drain the salmon, then skin and fillet it. Cover it with a damp cloth (to prevent it drying out) and leave it for about 20 minutes.

Gently flake the salmon and work in the softened butter. Add the cream, the crushed green peppercorns, lemon juice, cayenne and chives. Season with the coarse sea salt. (Be gentle darling – try not to break the salmon too much.) Pack the rilettes into ramekins, cover with cling film and chill for 2 hours.

Serve with some good bread lightly toasted. Accept plaudits!


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Posted in Starters Tagged with:

Rillettes de Porc

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The absolute classic French way of dealing with succulent and cheap belly pork.

Planning

serves: 6
preparation time: 25 mins
cooking time: 3½ – 4 hrs

Ingredients

  • 900g belly pork, rind removed and chunked
  • 300g goose fat or lard
  • 150 ml dry white wine
  • 10 juniper berries, crushed
  • 1½ tbs sea salt
  • 1½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 3 fresh bay leaves
  • 2 thyme sprigs

Method

Preheat the oven to 130°C/°F/gas ½.

Place the belly pork in a large casserole with all the other ingredients and mix well. Cover with a tight lid and cook for 3½ – 4 hrs until the pork soft and surrounded by melted fat.

Pour off the juices through a sieve into a measuring jug. Allow this to cool before putting in the fridge for 30 minutes to solidify the fat.

Remove teh fat and put it in a small pan Shred the pork meat with two forks and mix in 4 – 6 tablespoons of the cooking juices, just enough to moisten it a little. Check the seasoning, remembering that cold foods tend to need a little more, and pack into individual ramekins.

Melt the fat over low heat and pour just enough over each ramekin to create a thin seal. Garnish each with a bay leaf, preferably fresh, and set in the fridge for 24 hours.

Serve with crusty bread or toast.


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Posted in Starters

Richmond Scallops

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I don’t know whether this has an official name but I call it this because I was introduced to the basic idea in Richmond, Virginia whilst visiting friends. It’s quite a rich combination so I think it makes a better starter than it does a main course but that’s up to you. For a main course, increase the quantities accordingly.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 large red pepper
  • 8 oz scallops (preferably without the roe)
  • 5 fl oz whipping cream
  • 1 oz butter
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 8 oz fettucine (preferably black but white will do)
  • salt and pepper

Method

Trim the scallops if necessary and halve each to form two thinner discs of meat.

Roast the red pepper (I flatten them out and put them close to a very hot grill) and skin them. Cut the flesh into thin strips (about ¼ cm).

Melt the butter over medium heat in a sauté pan and sweat the red pepper strips for about five minutes without colouring them further. (While these are cooking, you can get the boiling water ready for the pasta.) Add the scallop discs and cook them gently for 2 – 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in the nutmeg (don’t overdo it) and stir in the cream. Bring it to a gentle simmer, season with salt and pepper and it’s ready.

Cook the pasta in salted water according to its own instructions. Drain the pasta and mix in a little of the scallop/cream liquid Divide it into portions and pour the scallops and red peppers on top.


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Posted in Starters Tagged with:

Ragoût of Lamb

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From Rick Stein’s French Odyssey

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

  • 225g dried flageolet beans, soaked overnight
  • 1 shoulder of lamb (~2kg cut into 3cm chunks)
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 7 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbs tomato purée
  • 500g vine tomatoes skinned, deseeded & chopped
  • 300ml rosé wine
  • 600ml chicken or lamb stock
  • Bouquet garni of thyme sprigs & bay leaves
  • Large handful of flat leaf parsley
  • 2 tbs plain flour
  • salt & pepper

Method

Drain the beans, cover with fresh water and boil until tender removing all scum as they boil.

Season the chunks of lamb before browning in 2 tbs of oil in a large flameproof casserole. Put the lamb to one side and add the rest of the oil to the pan. Fry the onions until lightly golden then add 5 cloves of garlic and fry for another minute. Now add tomato puree and tomatoes and fry for a further two minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 mins, return the lamb to the pan, pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Simmer rapidly until the wine has reduced by half. Add enough stock to just cover the meat and add the bouquet garni, a teaspoon of sea salt and plenty of black pepper. Part cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Add the cooked flageolets and simmer uncovered for a further 5 – 10 mins until the beans have heated through. taste for seasoning.

Make some persillade by crushing 2 garlic gloves with the blade of a knife and chopping together finely with the parsley. Sprinkle this over the ragout and serve.

(Rick suggests serving this with tubetti pasta but I’d prefer some green vegetables or, at a push, ribbon noodles.)


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Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Conejo en Salsa de Almendras

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A minor modification of a recipe from Culinaria Spain ; apparently a dish from the Balearics.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 1½ hrs

Ingredients

  • 2 rabbits, cut into portions
  • 125ml olive oil
  • 2 onions, peeled & chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tbs flour
  • 250g tomatoes, skinned, deseeded & chopped
  • 250ml white wine
  • 250ml water
  • 150g ground almonds
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • 1 tbs flaked almonds
  • 1 tbs chopped parsley
  • salt & pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large flame proof casserole and brown the rabbit pieces lightly on all sides, seasoning them with salt & pepper as you go. Do them in batches to avoid over crowding the pan and remove them to a plate as they are done.

Add the onions to the same pan and fry them for about 5 minutes until soft but not coloured. Stir in the chopped garlic and fry for a minute more. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well, then add the chopped tomatoes and mix well together. Now stir in the wine and water and, when all is well amalgamated, stir in the ground almonds, thyme and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Return the rabbit pieces to the pan and bring to simmering point. Cover and cook gently over a low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the almonds burning on the bottom of the pan.

Cooking time is likely to depend upon the age of your rabbits, so check the rabbit back legs and, if necessary, cook a little longer until they are tender.

Serve sprinkled with the parsley and flaked almonds.


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Posted in Game Tagged with:

Prune and Almond Tart

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One of the more successful recipes from Rick Stein’s French Odyssey.

Planning

serves: 8
preparation time: 1 hr
cooking time: 1 hr

Ingredients

  • 225g plain flour, sifted
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 130g butter, chilled and diced
  • 1½ – 2 tbs cold water
  • 55g caster sugar
  • 300g mi-cuit (semi-dried) Agen prunes, stoned
  • 4 tbs Armagnac
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 35g ground almonds
  • 55g caster sugar
  • 200ml crème fraîche
  • icing sugar (for dusting)
  • additional crème fraîche (for serving)

Method

First make the pastry. Put the flour and salt in a food processor or mixing bowl. Add the butter and work together to the fine breadcrumb stage. Stir in the water with a round-bladed knife until it comes together into a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Rest the pastry in a fridge for about 30 minutes before using.

Put the prunes into a bowl with the Armagnac and leave to soak for one hour, turning them occasionally to help them absorb the alcohol.

Roll out the pastry and use it to line a greased loose-bottomed flan tin (2½ cm deep, 24cm diameter). Prick the base all over and chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Blind bake the case for 15 minutes then remove the blind baking gubbins and bake the case for a further 5 minutes. Set the case aside and reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/gas 5.

Drain the prunes over a bowl to reserve the remaining Armagnac. Add the ground almonds, egg, sugar and crème fraîche to the Armagnac then beat together until smooth. Distribute the prunes over the base of the pastry case and pour over the almond mixture. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes away clean.

Cool the tart before dusting with a little icing sugar. Serve with additional crème fraîche.


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Posted in Desserts Tagged with:

Poulet à la Crème

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This is a Normandy recipe taken from the Reader?s Digest Cookery Year . Being from Normandy, apples feature strongly. It is a very rich sauce which, being cream based and thickened with egg yolk, demands caution to avoid curdling.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 1¼ hrs

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken (3 – 4 lbs.)
  • 1 mild onion, finely chopped
  • 2 oz lean green bacon, diced
  • 2½ oz butter
  • 4 tbs calvados
  • 1 tbs celery leaves, chopped
  • 10 fl oz dry still cider
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 5 fl oz double cream
  • salt and pepper

Method

Clean the chicken and season it inside and out with salt and pepper. Reserve the giblets if there are any.

Melt the butter over moderate heat and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the bacon and cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes. Remove the onion and bacon from the pan and reserve it while you lightly brown the chicken all over in the same pan. Return the onion and bacon mixture to the chicken and flame it all with the calvados. Add the chicken neck, gizzard and heart to the pan. (Be careful to omit the liver.) Sprinkle in the celery leaves and add the cider. Bring the liquid to the boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Turn the chicken on its side, cover the pan closely and cook over a very low heat for 20 – 25 minutes. Now turn the chicken onto its other side and cook for a further 20 – 25 minutes still covered. Finally, turn the chicken onto its back and cook covered for another 10 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and keep warm while you make the sauce. Strain the cooking liquid and reduce it slightly. Remove the pan from the heat. Beat the egg yolks into the cream and mix in a few spoonfuls of the warm cooking liquid. Whisk the egg and cream mixture into the cooking liquid and return the pan to a low heat. Stirring constantly, cook the sauce until it has thickened. Be very careful not to let it approach boiling as it will curdle.

A garnish of fried apple rings, about ¼ inch thick goes well with this.


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Posted in Poultry Tagged with:

Pork Sauerkraut

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This one is entirely down to me. It is an attempt to create something of the hearty, warming Germanic food to be found in the alpine huts of the Austrian ski resorts without going to the elaborate lengths of a full blown Choucroute Garni . This is a one pot meal that requires no accompaniment other than, perhaps, some chilled hefe weizen or riesling.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 6 oz smoked bacon lardons
  • 2 pork chops
  • 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 eating apple, cored, skinned and chopped
  • 8 juniper berries, crushed
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp plain flour
  • 1 small wineglass dry white wine (preferably Riesling)
  • 1 “barrel” sauerkraut (approx 800g)

Method

Empty the sauerkraut into a colander. If you prefer a milder flavour, rinse it to remove excess vinegar and drain it briefly. (Don’t squeeze it, we want a little moisture.)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a suitable casserole (which should have a tight-fitting lid). Fry the bacon lardons until the fat begins to run. While the bacon is cooking, remove any rind and bone from the pork chops and cut them into ½ inch chunks. When the bacon is browned and has released most of its fat, remove it from the pan and set aside.

Now add the pork chunks to the casserole and brown them evenly over quite high heat. While the pork is browning, skin, core and finely chop the apple. When the pork is browned, remove it from the pan and set aside with the bacon.

Now add the onion to the pan with a little more olive oil if necessary and fry until soft and translucent. Stir the apple into the onion and cook for another couple of minutes before returning the bacon and pork chunks to the pan. Toss in the crushed juniper berries, add the flour and stir. When the flour is incorporated, stir in the white wine and bring to simmering point.

Now lower the heat and stir the sauerkraut into the pan. Season with freshly ground black pepper and stir all the ingredients together. Cover and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning – depending upon the bacon and the sauerkraut, you may or may not want to add a little salt.

Serve platefuls of this with glasses of hefe weizen.


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Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Pork Green Curry

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This is a variation on the Chicken Green Curry but needs longer cooking. Since I can’t stand referencing other recipes and piecing things together, I have documented this in its entirety separately. I’ve also written this one up using green beans, which resemble the commonly-used Thai long beans, as the vegetable content.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 1 hr mins
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 fresh lemongrass stalks
  • 6 medium-hot green chillies
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 tbs fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbs Thai fish sauce
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 pork tenderloins
  • 3 tbs groundnut oil
  • 200g fine green beans
  • 400 ml tinned coconut milk
  • 400 ml home-made chicken stock
  • 8 lime leaves
  • 1 tbs Thai fish sauce
  • 1 tbs brined green peppercorns, drained
  • ~20g basil leaves, shredded
  • ~20g fresh coriander, chopped

Method

First, make the green curry paste. Slice the lemongrass as finely as you can. According to preference, with or without the seeds, chop the green chillies. Place the lemongrass and chillies, together with the other ingredients down to and including the black pepper, into a food processor. Blitz this lot together, scaping down the sides regularly, until you have a thick paste. (You can add a little water to help slacken it if necessary.) Cover and refrigerate this until you need it.

Split each tenderloin lengthwise. Wrap the halves in cling film allowing some space for expansion and flatten each with a steak mallet to a thickness of about ¾cm. Now cut each tenderloin piece into strips of about ¾cm across the grain. Lightly brown the pork in the groundnut oil, then drain and reserve.

Wash the green beans and cut them into approximately 3 cm lengths.

Add the coconut milk, stock, lime leaves, four heaped tablespoons of the chilli paste, fish sauce, peppercorns and half the chopped herbs. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 10 mins. Return the pork strips to the pan with the green beans, stir and simmer for a further 40 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in the remaining herbs and serve with boiled Thai fragrant rice.


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Posted in Meat Tagged with: ,