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Leg of Lamb with JO’s Italian Stuffing

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One of Jamie Oliver’s from his Italian Adventure.

Planning

serves: 8
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 2½ hrs

Ingredients

  • 1 Leg of Lamb, tunnel boned
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 handfulls mixed fresh herbs (eg mint, parsley, oregano, thyme), chopped
  • 6 slices pancetta, chopped
  • 6 anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 3½ oz fresh breadcrumbs
  • 1 handfull pinenuts
  • 1 handfull green olives, chopped
  • salt & pepper

Method

Mix together all the ingredients (except the leg of lamb, of course). Stuff this mixture into the tunnel vacated by the lamb’s leg bone. Cook it how you like for as long as necessary and at the required temperature!!?


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Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Impanata di Pesce Spada

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This breaded swordfish in a piquant tomato sauce is from good ol’ Supercook by Marshall Cavendish. I have dropped the “breaded” bit and, thus, tend to refer to it as Unpanata di Pesce Spada . This is largely because I like to serve it with some tagliatelle pasta when the breading becomes overkill. However, the original version would go well with a green salad and is faithfully reproduced here so that you may choose.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 medium courgettes, cut into 1cm chunks
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 400g tin plum tomatoes
  • 1 tbs capers, drained
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • salt & pepper
  • 4 swordfish steaks, ~2cms thick
  • 75g dry white breadcrumbs
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 50g butter

Method

First, make the sauce. in a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over moderate heat. When hot, add the onions and courgettes and cook stirring occasionally for 8 – 10 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes with all their can juice, the capers, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to blend, reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs, oregano, salt and pepper. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Pat dry the swordfish and dip each piece in the egg followed by the breadcrumbs to coat thoroughly.

Melt the butter over moderate heat in a large frying pan. Add the swordfish pieces and cook them about 3 minutes on each side until they are lightly browned. Transfer the swordfish pieces to the tomato sauce using a slotted spoon or fish slice. Baste them well with the sauce and continue simmering for about 15 minutes.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Hummus bi Tahina

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Here’s my starting position for the classic middle eastern chick pea dip. Such things are always a matter of personal taste so adjust away to your heart’s content.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 8 hours
cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 250g dried chick peas
  • 100g tahina
  • 1 lemon, juice of
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Method

Soak the chick peas overnight in cold water. Drain them, add them to a saucepan and cover them well with cold fresh water. Do not add salt – it will toughen the chick peas and they’ll never get tender. bring them to the boil, skim any scum that rises to the surface, lower the heat and simnmer gently for about about 1 1/2 hours. Test the chick peas to see if they’re tender; if not continue simmering until they are. (I find it can often take 2 hours – top up with boiling water to keep the peas covered with water throughout.) Drain the peas in a collander reserving the cooking water. Allow everything to cool.

When everything is cool, put the peas in the bowl of a food processor. Add the tahina, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, pepper and salt (say, 1 tsp to start with). Blitz everything together adding enough cooking water from the chick peas to achieve a smooth paste of the desired consistency (that is, something that is suitable for dipping pitta bread). Taste and adjust the seasonings (salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, even tahina) to your liking.


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Posted in Starters Tagged with:

Herb Crusted Lamb

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This is my take on best end of lamb with a herb crust (originally Carré d’Agneau Provençale in Raymond Blanc’s Cooking for Friends . The original uses white breadcrumbs and a lesser quantity of dried herbs but I like this stronger flavour. This is one of the few times that I think rare(ish) lamb is right.

Planning

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

Ingredients

  • 100g fresh brown breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ tbs chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ tbs chopped fresh rosemary
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 best ends of lamb, French trimmed
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs Dijon mustard

Method

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas 8.

Now make the breadcrumb coating by mixing all the herbs with the breadcrumbs and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

Most people’s idea of French trimming isn’t quite severe enough for this recipe so check that all the fat is removed from the lamb and that only the eye of meat remains attached to the bones.

Heat the olive oil in a roasting pan on top of the stove and seal the lamb on all sides. Remove the lamb and put a rack (or some other suitable support) into the roasting pan and put the lamb back on top. Roast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Remove the lamb from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Smear mustard all over the meat (not the bones – it will burn) then use this to stick the breadcrumb mixture all over the lamb. Roast again for another 12 – 15 mins (the lamb should remain pink in the middle). Allow the lamb to rest, loosely covered with foil, for a few minutes before serving cut into single-bone slices.

I like to serve this with Ratatouille and boiled new potatoes.


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Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Grilled Chicory with Serrano Ham

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This is adapted from Sam and Sam Clark’s Moro book. Serrano is probably my favourite ham and it goes particularly well with the grilled chicory here.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 10 mins
cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 fl oz Sherry vinegar
  • ½ clove garlic
  • ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • large pinch fine sea salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 2 large chicory heads
  • 12 slices serrano ham

Method

First, make the dressing. Simmer the Sherry vinegar in a small pan over moderate heat and reduce it to about a tablespoon. (This should take 1 – 2 mins.) Allow to cool. Mash the garlic and thyme with a large knife then work it to a paste with the sea salt. Stir in vinegar reduction and pepper and whisk until blended.

Cut each chicory head lengthwise into six wedges. Heat a ridged grill pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Grill the chicory wedges on all sides until charred and slightly softened.

Arrange three slices of ham folded rakishly on one side of each of four serving plates. Add three pieces of chicory to the other side of each plate and drizzle the dressing over the chicory. (You can serve the chicory warm or cold – it will keep for about two hours if you want to get ahead.)


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Posted in Starters Tagged with:

Green Papaya Salad

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In Thailand, we had this green papaya salad almost as much as we had chicken green curry. Before finding a source of green papaya, I made it using under-ripe conference pears as a substitute. Now, having done both, I prefer the substitute. Either way, it makes a great starter to a Thai meal.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 40 mins
cooking time: n/a

Ingredients

  • 3 red birds eye chillis
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 under-ripe conference pears
  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • 50g fine green beans
  • 3 tbs roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 2 tbs lime juice
  • 1 tbs Thai fish sauce
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 round lettuce

Method

Deseed and finely chop the chillis, then add them to a glass bowl (large enough to take all the pear as well). Skin and crush the garlic cloves into the bowl with the chillis. Now peel and core the pears and cut them into long, very fine julienne strips, adding them to the bowl as you go. After you’ve added half the pear, pound it together with the chilli and garlic in the bowl. Then add the rest of the pear and pound again. Now dress the pear with half the lime juice and stir well. (This helps the pear stop discolouring and you can now safely leave the salad like this until you serve it.)

Wash and chop the green beans into short lengths. Quarter the cherry tomatoes. Mix together the remaining lime juice and fish sauce and stir in the caster sugar to dissolve.

When you are ready to serve, wash and drain the round lettuce and dress 4 plates with leaves. Add the lime juice and fish sauce mixture to the pear and stir again before piling the pear strips into the centre of the lined plates. Sprinkle over the green beans and peanuts then add the cherry tomato quarters and serve.


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Posted in Starters Tagged with: ,

Greek Salad

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Another of the world’s great salads. Greek salad does not traditionally have any leaves but, I confess, I do like to add some. This is entirely a matter of personal choice, depending upon whether you want more bulk or more traditional.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: n/a

Ingredients

  • 6 large tomatoes
  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 green peppers
  • 1 red onion
  • salad leaves (optional)
  • fetta cheese
  • 24 black olives
  • a handful fresh oregano leaves
  • 4 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs red wine vinegar
  • salt & pepper

Method

Quarter each tomato, then halve each quarter. I like to peel the cucumber but that’s up to you. Then quarter the cucumber lengthwise and cut it into 1½cm chunks (ish). Core, deseed and halve the pepper, then slice it finely. Peel, halve and finely slice the red onion. Cut the fetta cheese into chunks of about 1cm. If you’re using them, tear the salad leaves into manageable pieces. In a salad bowl, combine all the above and add the black olives and oregano leaves.

In a salad shaker, mix the oil and vinegar with a pinch of salt and few grindings of black pepper. Dress the salad and mix all together immediately prior to serving.


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Posted in Salads Tagged with:

Fish Tagine

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Any excuse at all to use some home-made preserved lemon or lime is welcome. In my view, they are the reason for eating so many tagines. This fish version benefits from quite strongly flavoured fish, such as gurnard or mackerel.

Planning

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

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbs groundnut oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 preserved lemon (or lime)
  • 12 green olives, stoned and chopped
  • 1 tbs harrisa paste
  • 4 fl oz dry white wine
  • 8 fl oz fish stock
  • 1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
  • 4 fish fillets (eg gurnard, mackerel)
  • 4 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
  • salt and pepper

Method

In a heavy based pan large enough to hold the fish fillets, gently cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the cumin, ginger, cinnamon, preserved lemon and green olives, and cook for a further two minutes. Add the harrisa paste and cook for another minute. Add the wine, fish stock and saffron (if using) and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the fish fillets and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes. Now cover the pan, lower the heat and cook gently for about 7 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of cous cous soaked in fish stock. (Soaking cous cous is one of the very few acceptable uses of a stock cube/powder, if absolutely necessary.)


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Fennel Risotto

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Untried as yet – from Waitrose Food Illustrated . It may be difficult – I’ve never seen baby fennel!

Planning

serves: 6
preparation time: 45 mins
cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 8 baby fennel bulbs, tops and fronds chopped and reserved
  • 10g tarragon, chopped
  • 3 star anise
  • 25g butter
  • 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 175g Arborio rice
  • 200 ml white wine
  • 2 tbs crème fraîche
  • 40g Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

First, amke the stock for teh risotto. Simmer the baby fennel in 500ml salted water for 5-6 minutes. Remove the fennel bulbs with a slotted spoon and refresh them in cold water, then set aside. Add the fennel tops, star anise and half the tarragon to the cooking water and bring to the boil. Remove the star anise, whizz the stock in a blender, then strain into a saucepan. Keep the stock hot over gentle heat to make the risotto.

Melt the butter in a clean pan and sweat the shallots for 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for a further 1- 2 minutes until transparent. Add the white wine and let it evaporate almost completely. Now start adding the hot fennel stock, ladel by ladel, stirring frequently and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. It should take about 15 minutes to use all the stock. Stir in the crème fraîche and Parmesan, tehn season the risotto and let it rest for 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining half of the tarragon.

(Roast the blanched baby fennel and serve along with the risotto to accompany some roast spring lamb.)


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Posted in Starters, Untested Tagged with:

Faisan au Vin Rouge

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This is a minor adaptation of a recipe from Supercook and was my favourite “saucey” recipe for pheasant. First class pheasant are very good plain roasted but older or less well shot birds benefit from different preparation and presentation. Here they are braised in red wine which then goes to make a wonderfully flavoured sauce, though somewhat strangely coloured when the cream is added. The sauce is so good, I like to serve mashed potato to soak it up.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 pheasants
  • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
  • 2 oz unsalted butter
  • 1 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1 bottle full red wine (eg Fitou)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 4 slices streaky bacon
  • 5 fl oz double cream
  • 2 ozs beurre manié
  • salt and pepper

Method

Clean and dry the pheasants, season them inside with salt and pepper and place half of the chopped onions in their cavities. Brown the birds evenly in a large frying pan over moderately high heat (6 – 8 minutes) with the butter and oil mixed. Transfer them to a flameproof casserole (an oval one is ideal).

Fry the remaining onion, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned. Add the wine, increase the heat to high and, stirring constantly, bring to the boil. Add some salt and pepper (sparingly at this stage), the bay leaf and the mushrooms. Cook this over moderate heat for 5 minutes.

Cover the breasts of the pheasants with the bacon slices and add the wine mixture. Bring the casserole to simmering point and then reduce the heat to low, cover it and braise the pheasants for 45 minutes or so until they are tender. Remove and discard the bacon. Transfer the pheasants to a serving dish and keep them warm while finishing the sauce.

Strain the braising liquid back into the frying pan, increase the heat to high and reduce the liquid by half. (While this is happening is a good time to cut the pheasants into serving pieces.) Reduce the heat to moderate and add the beurre manié a piece at a time, stirring constantly, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Add the double cream (be prepared for a slightly odd colour at this point!) and cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes. Do not let the sauce boil. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Pour some sauce over the pheasant pieces and serve the rest in a sauce boat.


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Posted in Game Tagged with: