RECIPES: staying in is the new going out

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

SHARE SOME USEFUL SEASONAL RECIPES AND TIPS TO MAKE COOKING AT HOME EASY

Hi!
Last Saturday at The Chef’s Room we celebrated “Carnevale” - Carnival Venetian style with a menu of Lasagne di carnevale, gamberi con pasta croccante, Venetian rice tart scented with rose water, Carneval knots, and Spritz con bitter, made with Prosecco, Carmpari and sparkling mineral water and the famous Sgroppino with Prosecco, vodka and lemon sorbet.
Here is the recipe for the Lasagne but feel free to email me if you would like any of the other recipes.

LASAGNE DI CARNEVALE serves 6-8
This is a delicious alternative to the classic lasagna with meat sauce and béchamel; it has layers, of tiny meat balls in tomato sauce, ricotta and mozzarella. The meat balls are made from pork tenderloin, cooked whole, in a rich tomato sauce and then chopped finely.

Making homemade lasagna, involves a lot of preparation especially when made with homemade pasta but it can all be done the day before and then simply cooked in the oven before serving. Franco says to be sure to rest Lasagna before serving. The home-made pasta is really worth making as it is so much lighter than anything you can buy in this country. The meatballs in sauce would make a great dish served on their own or stirred into pasta.

For the pasta
500g farina ‘00’ flour
5 eggs
Pinch salt

For the sauce
100g butter
200ml extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
73g pancetta, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
315g loin of pork
3-4 tablespoons tomato puree
75ml red wine
200g Italian sausage
315g ricotta cheese
2 eggs
100g freshly grated parmesan
25g fresh breadcrumbs
315g mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the pasta
Put the flour in a mound on a work surface and make a hollow. Add a little salt to the eggs, beat lightly with a fork and pour into the hollow. Draw the flour into the eggs until it is well amalgamated. If the mixture is too moist add a little more flour.
On a clean area of the work surface knead the dough with the heel of the palm of your hand. Keeping your fingers bent, keep folding the pasta in half and giving it a half turn, continue doing this for 10 minutes. This process can be done in a food processor or, after the initial amalgamating together.
Wrap the pasta in cling film and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature before rolling.

The pasta can be rolled through the rollers of a pasta machine set at maximum width. When smooth reduce the setting progressively until the desired thickness is reached, according to the type of pasta you are making. The final setting on the pasta machine should be number 1. Cut into wide sheets.
Keep pasta not being rolled covered with clingfilm. As the sheets are made, lay on clean tea cloths in readiness for boiling.
Leave the pasta to dry for 1 hour before boiling (optional).
Make the sauce and prepare filling
Melt 50g of butter with 125ml of the olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion, pancetta, carrot and celery. Add the loin of pork in one piece and fry on both sides to seal.
When the vegetables are soft and golden, add the tomato puree and red wine. Season with salt and pepper. Then cover the pot and cook the sauce very slowly for about 1 hour. Stir frequently and add a little water when needed.
Meanwhile heat 2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and fry the sausage until cooked through. Remove from the pan, peel off the casing and slice thinly. Set aside.
Sieve the ricotta into a bowl; add 1 egg, 4 tablespoons of the parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together.
When the pork is cooked, remove it from the sauce and chop finely. Return half the meat to the sauce and put the rest in a bowl. Add the remaining egg, 1 tablespoon of the remaining parmesan and the breadcrumbs to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients together and shape into little balls the size of a large marble. Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and fry the little meatballs until browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the pasta 3-4 pieces at a time until al dente (about 2 minutes). Drain, drop into cold water, and drain again on clean tea cloths.
Butter a 30x20x7.5cm lasagna dish with the remaining butter. Place a layer of pasta in the base, followed by a layer of the ricotta mixture, a little of the sauce, a few meatballs, some slice of sausage and some mozzarella. Continue making layers in this way until all the ingredients

have been used up, sprinkling each layer with a generous amount of parmesan, then finally covering with mozzarella and the meat sauce.
Bake for about 40 – 60 minutes, and leave to rest before serving.

Rhubarb, rhubarb! MARCH 2012

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 patisserie 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
Cook the rhubarb in advance

500 g young tender rhubarb,
100 g caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Chases rhubarb liqueur (optional)
For the pastry
100 g plain flour
10 g cornflour
30 g icing sugar
60 g unsalted butter
1 small egg yolk
1 tablespoon iced water or chases rhubarb liqueur

For the filling

100 g unsalted butter
100 g caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoon cornflour
2 teaspoons baking powder
100 g ground almonds

150 g marzipan roughly grated
Sieved icing sugar to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 C/Gas 4.

Equipment: 22 cm diameter tart tin

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 and 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 - roll the pastry out thinly on a floured surface with a rolling pin and 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 FEBRUARY 2012
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: website link.
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 lemon, lime 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 JANUARY 2012
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 IN GINGER, TURMERIC AND 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

BAH HUMBUG CHRISTMAS PIE DECEMBER 2012
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. 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 in 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 any time of day or night.

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 and 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.
Happy Christmas!


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 or dumplings

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.

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 event 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.

NEVER BOARED 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.

NO APOLOGY FOR ASPARAGUS

I offer no apology for waxing lyrical yet again about the new season’s asparagus. But then I would never dream of buying the stuff when it is imported and therefore now is the time it should be welcomed into season by a fanfare of trumpets.

Once of course we had to wait until much later for the magic to begin but with today’s poly tunnel farming that is old hat. A bit of me, the traditional bit, would be quite happy to wait for the true season because forced crops are often disappointing but two weeks ago I walked into Truffles and there before me on the floor was a basket of paper wrapped bunches of asparagus proclaiming “grown by the Chin family in the Wye Valley.” Short stubby straight spears with pert tips and freshly cut stems – expensive yes – but unmistakeably delicious, unmistakably tender. I only had to look at it to know – and this kind of asparagus needs very little cooking and no frills. Simply snap off the ends plunge into simmering water (a frying pan is useful if the spears are long) and cook for a few minutes. Use the prongs of a fork to test for tenderness. Drain carefully and add melted butter, olive oil and Parmesan or grated bottarga or serve with a lightly boiled or poached egg and use the spears as soldiers, alternatively refresh in cold water and wrap in slices of cured ham, dress with vinaigrette or serve in a simple starter salad.

Here in the heart of the Wye Valley we grow the most wonderful asparagus and in Ross, shops such as Truffles and Spar stock it regularly through the season. I know one chef-patron working in Wales who drives here to the farm everyday to pick up his quota for the restaurant because if he buys it from his wholesaler in Wales it goes first to London and then back again before he can get his hands on it. The quality of asparagus depends so much on freshness.

As the season progresses try serving it in a risotto or with pasta. This is a favourite of mine.

500 g ridged pasta quills
250 g asparagus spears
4 eggs
125 ml single cream
3 tablespoons grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
Black pepper
50 g butter
Small bunch of flat leafed parsley finely chopped

Plunge the pasta quills into plenty of boiling salted water and cook until tender (see timing on packet)
Cook the asparagus as above and cut into 2-3 cm lengths.
Put the eggs in a large bowl (big enough to serve the pasta in) and beat lightly, add the cream, the cheese, plenty of black pepper and the butter.
Strain the pasta when cooked al dente and add to the dish containing the egg mixture, add the asparagus pieces and the chopped parsley, stir well and serve at once.LAMB IS NOT ONLY FOR EASTER

You can pretty much guarantee that the new season’s lamb will be in pride of place on Easter Sunday in the form of a magnificent roast leg or shoulder but then as the year progresses into summer it tends to take a back seat. Lamb is tender; lamb is succulent, easy to cook and if you marinade it first , it won’t take long to cook, even if you like it well done.
Choose cutlets, chops or steaks for the char-grill, barbeque, grill or frying-pan. If time is not an issue slow roast lamb can be a summertime feast in your garden. Chop shoulder into portion-size chunks add some tropical fruit and marinade with Indian spices and roast quickly in the oven. Cut shoulder into smaller pieces and marinade in lemon and fennel seeds, thread onto skewers and grill or simply seal and cook in light tomato sauce with peas.
However you cook your lamb, serve it with lightly cooked new vegetables such as broad beans, peas, artichokes, runner beans, courgettes cabbage and potatoes as they come into season. Serve the vegetables hot, tossed in melted butter with mint or thyme, warm in a French dressing with dill or tarragon or cold in mayonnaise with chives or basil.

Sicilian Style lamb cutlets with lemon and garlic

Some years ago I spent Easter in Palermo with my family and curious to know how the locals spent Easter Sunday I was told they escape to the woods outside the town for a cook out. We had lunch in a beautiful seafood restaurant and then took to the woods. It was amazing – we think we love the countryside but there were families everywhere, people were as thick on the ground as the trees. Smoke wafted everywhere and the woods wer heavy with the fragrant scent of roasting lamb.

1 kg thin cut lamb cutlets
6 cloves garlic
Juice of two 2 lemons
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf – torn
Freshly ground black pepper
To Serve
100 g wild rocker
Coarse sea salt
Lemon wedges
Serves 4 – 6

Put the lamb cutlets in a large plastic freezer bag, and then add the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, bay leaf and plenty of black pepper. Seal tightly and leave to stand for 1 – 24 hours – as time allows, turning from time to time to allow even distribution of the marinade. Marinate at room temperature for short periods of around an hour – otherwise put the bag in the fridge.
When ready to cook, drain the cutlets and reserve the marinade. Put the cutlets on a pre-heated griddle, grill pan or barbeque and cook for 5 – 30. This will depend on three things - how you like your lamb cooked - the thickness or thinness of the cut - how hot your cooking pan is. Turn the lamb as necessary, basting with the reserved marinade.
Spread the rocket onto a large serving platter and arrange the lamb cutlets on top, sprinkle with salt and serve with lemon wedges.

CAMBODIA

Cambodia is a wonderful country with enchanting people and an unbearably sad past when the Khmer Rouge rampaged and wiped out academics and with them, much of the Khmeri culture, right down to the food. Only now is the country beginning to find itself again.
I arrived in Cambodia from Bangkok where I had enjoyed wonderful food on every street corner and market stall; familiar food, fragrant with lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, nahm pla - fish sauce, palm sugar, ginger, chilies, Thai basil which has a sweet anise flavour, coconut milk, garlic, green papaya and limes. I was not sure what waited; would the food be more the same or would it different?
Sandwiched as Cambodia is between Vietnam and Thailand, one thing I was sure of was that I would not be disappointed. There are many cross-over dishes and many of the ingredients are the same but the richly sweet coconut cream is tempered by tamarind and bitter leaves, tiny round pea-like sweetly sour aubergines bob on the surface of curries, galangal replaces ginger, bunches of soft green peppercorns replace chilies and morning glory replaces broccoli.
Market stalls crowded with decorative piles of colourful perfumed fruit, from the idiosyncratic magenta skinned dragon fruit with its dalmatian black spotted flesh and ruby red hairy lycees and the stinky custard durian to the more familiar but never sweeter, never juicier pineapples and mangos and creamy bananas.
There are stalls with heaps of salads and vegetables on the floor which ooze that just picked sensation. Stalls where you can find every kind of seafood and where a fish still flips around on the slab as the clever comes down on it head. Stalls where women work endlessly, pounding chicken or shrimp or fish for housewives and vendors to buy and take home. Stalls where there are umpteen sacks and varieties of rice. People teem everywhere, jostling, pushing, diving and darting about their business. Tiny traditional fast food stands are crowded with people eating. Wherever you go wherever you look in every corner people are eating.

Cambodia is a wonderful country with enchanting people and an unbearably sad past when the Khmer Rouge rampaged and wiped out academics and with them, much of the Khmeri culture, right down to the food. Only now is the country beginning to find itself again.
I arrived in Cambodia from Bangkok where I had enjoyed wonderful food on every street corner and market stall; familiar food, fragrant with lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, nahm pla - fish sauce, palm sugar, ginger, chilies, Thai basil which has a sweet anise flavour, coconut milk, garlic, green papaya and limes. I was not sure what waited; would the food be more the same or would it different?
Sandwiched as Cambodia is between Vietnam and Thailand, one thing I was sure of was that I would not be disappointed. There are many cross-over dishes and many of the ingredients are the same but the richly sweet coconut cream is tempered by tamarind and bitter leaves, tiny round pea-like sweetly sour aubergines bob on the surface of curries, galangal replaces ginger, bunches of soft green peppercorns replace chilies and morning glory replaces broccoli.
Market stalls crowded with decorative piles of colourful perfumed fruit, from the idiosyncratic magenta skinned dragon fruit with its dalmatian black spotted flesh and ruby red hairy lycees and the stinky custard durian to the more familiar but never sweeter, never juicier pineapples and mangos and creamy bananas.
There are stalls with heaps of salads and vegetables on the floor which ooze that just picked sensation. Stalls where you can find every kind of seafood and where a fish still flips around on the slab as the clever comes down on it head. Stalls where women work endlessly, pounding chicken or shrimp or fish for housewives and vendors to buy and take home. Stalls where there are umpteen sacks and varieties of rice. People teem everywhere, jostling, pushing, diving and darting about their business. Tiny traditional fast food stands are crowded with people eating. Wherever you go wherever you look in every corner people are eating.

Sliced aubergine with minced pork, coriander and green peppercorns

4 smallish aubergines

4 tablespoon sunflower oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon green pepper corns
500 g minced pork
2 tablespoons palm sugar or muscovado sugar
1 tablespoon prik nam plas
8 tablespoons oyster sauce
100 ml chicken stock or water
4 spring onions finely chopped
Fresh coriander leaves
Salt
Peppe

Put the aubergines on a roasting tray in a hot oven, 200 C and cook until tender say 30 minutes. Leave until cool enough to slice.
Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and add the garlic and chilli and stir fry until fragrant. Increase the heat; add the minced pork and stir fry for 5 minutes or until browned. Add the sugar, the fish and oyster sauces and cook for a minute. Pull off the heat, stir in the spring onions and stir well. Taste and add salt and pepper.
Arrange the prepared aubergine on the base of a serving dish, spoon the minced pork over the top and scatter the coriander over the top. Serve with steamed rice.

Heart warming grub and the thought of spring......
FRAGRANT SLOW COOKED PORK CHOPS IN PERRY
February may be the shortest month of the year but for me it drags more than any other. January is over and admittedly the days are showing signs of lengthening. The bravest of the spring flowers are making an appearance but the weather is cold and damp and it has settled into our bones. Spring feels a long way off and if I had my way I would drop off the earth until Easter.

There is of course the odd frisson of excitement in the kitchen this month. Valentine’s day is a good excuse for the romantically inclined to conjure up a trick or two with chocolate, tropical fruits, smoked fare, oysters, Champagne and other treats. Perhaps I will stay around after all and keep the cold out with more heart warming grub and the thought of spring......

Fragrant slow cooked pork chops in perry
Serves 8

8 thick pork chops
4 shallots
4 large cloves garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 chilli finely chopped
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
40g soft brown sugar
Salt and pepper
2 apples thinly slice
500ml dry perry or cider
To serve
50g watercress


Trim any excess fat from the chops and cut them in two between the eye of the chop and the “streaky” end. Put the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli, thyme, sugar and salt and pepper in a blender and reduce to a paste. Rub the paste into the chops and layer them with the sliced apple in a large casserole dish. Cover and leave for at least an hour. After this time top the dish up with perry and set in the preheated oven for an hour. After this time lower the heat to 100 and continue to cook for 45 minutes. Transfer the chops to a heated grill and brown on both sides. Cook the rice (see below) Put the casserole containing the juices and apple over high heat and boil until reduced to about 250ml. The juices may have reduced sufficiently in the cooking, in which case there is no need to reduce them further. Add the boiled rice to the juices and stir well for three minutes over low heat. Spread the rice out on a large serving platter. Spread the watercress leaves over the rice. Arrange the browned pork chop pieces on the top.

BEST BOILED RICE
Serves 8

3 litres
Heaped teaspoon salt
500g basmati rice


Bring the water to the boil and add the salt. Pour the rice into the boiling salted water, stir and cook over high heat for five minutes. Drain, (retaining enough of the cooking water to just cover the base of the pan) and return the rice to the pan. Insert a wooden spoon handle into the centre of the rice, making a shaft down to the base of the pan. Cover the pan with a folded clean cloth, cover with the pan lid and set over very low heat for ten minutes or until required.
The rice will keep hot and the grains firm and separated for up two hours like this. When ready to serve, stir well.

SUPR FOODS TO START THE YEAR
Much as I love Christmas it is always a bit of relief to get back to normal in January. December is a fun month and with all the delicious food, parties and get-to-gethers it is very easy to over eat and get into bad habits.

Now is the time to make an extra New Year’s resolution and start 2010 with some healthy satisfying food. Stick with seasonal fruit and vegetables, eat plenty of oily fish such as mackerel and salmon and if you must snack eat nuts such as Brazils, almonds and walnuts. Enrich salads with baby spinach leaves and watercress, grated carrots and celeriac to make them more satgisfying.

Mackerel contains omega three and fatty acids for a healthy heart; it is also rich in vitamins and minerals. Eggs are a rich source of everything from protein to vitamins to healthy monounsaturated fat. Beetroot is rich in iron and magnesium, known as the vitality plant. Specific anti-carcinogens are bound to the red colouring.

Watercress is rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron and folic acid. It contains anti-cancer phytochemicals such as beta-carotene and flavonoid

Brazil nuts have about 2,500 times as much selenium as any other nut. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant which has been proven to protect against heart disease and cancers like prostate cancer.
Brazil nuts’ high selenium content also discourages the ageing process and stimulates the immune system. Like all nuts, Brazil nuts are an excellent source of protein and fibre. Brazil nuts are high in minerals including zinc and magnesium, and contain useful amounts of phosphorous, copper and iron.

This month I am featuring three simple recipes that contain these ingredients that are often referred to as super foods to help see you on your way to a healthy 2010.
Happy New Year!





SMOKED MACKEREL HORSERADISH AND CELERIAC TIANS
makes 4

2 smoked mackerel fillets,
2 teaspoons horseradish,
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Mash together thoroughly with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and kept in the fridge until required.

100g cleaned celeriac coarsely grated
1 tablespoon snipped spring onion greens,
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard,
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste.
Mixed together

2-3 small cooked beetroot
Sliced and toss in olive oil, salt pepper and finely chopped parsley

4 eggs

Extra chopped parsley for serving

4 Tian rings

Set the tian rings in a pan of shallow simmering water; the water should come just below the top of the tian rings. Crack the eggs one at a time into a cup and then carefully transfer into the tian rings. Poach for two to three minutes or until set. Have ready on a plate a double sheet of kitchen paper. Using a slotted spoon transfer the tian rings containing the eggs to drain on the paper. Slide off the rings and leave the eggs to drain.
Set the rings on 4 serving plates. Divide the smoked mackerel mixture between the four rings and press down creating a layer 1-2 cm thick. Put a poached egg on top and cover with a layer of the celeriac mixture. Press down lightly and level. Arrange 4 slices of beetroot on top; press down gently and sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Slide off the rings and serve.




WATERCRESS AND POTATO SOUP
Serves 4-6


1 bunch chopped spring onions
half a grated nutmeg
3 bunches or 2 bags (120g each) of watercress – roughly chopped
300 g potato, peeled and diced
1 L stock
70 ml single cream - optional
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
For serving
extra sprigs of watercress
30 ml of single cream

Heat a large pan over medium heat, add enough olive oil to cover the base and add the chopped spring onion and the grated nutmeg; reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the chopped watercress and diced potato, cover and simmer for ten minutes. Add half the stock and bring to simmering point and simmer lid on for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Liquidise until smooth, return the soup to the pan and add enough stock to create a good pouring consistency and reheat and simmer for 5 minutes, add cream if using. Serve with an extra swirl of cream and a sprig of fresh watercress in the middle of each serving.



BOLIVIAN BRAZIL NUT PESTO
Serve with grilled chicken or fish or stirred into pasta or risotto or mixed with cream cheese and spread onto crostini.

Brazil nuts have about 2,500 times as much selenium as any other nut. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant which has been proven to protect against heart disease and cancers like prostate cancer.
Brazil nuts’ high selenium content also discourages the ageing process and stimulates the immune system. In a study of patients with early Alzheimer’s disease, antioxidants - including selenium - boosted mood and mental performance. Like all nuts, Brazil nuts are an excellent source of protein and fibre. Brazil nuts are high in minerals including zinc and magnesium, and contain useful amounts of phosphorous, copper and iron.

100 g Bolivian Brazil nuts
20g parsley
25g parmesan cheese
2 cm fresh red chilli – seeds discarded (add more for a fiery pesto)
Pinch of salt
1 small clove garlic
120 ml extra virgin olive oil

Put the Brazil nuts in a blender and chop coarsely. Add the parsley, chilli, garlic and salt and grind until smooth, add the cheese and the oil and grind until smooth again. Stir into pasta or risotto or serve with grilled chicken.

NECK FILLET OF LAMB WITH WATERCRESS AND WALNUT PESTO
Getting it in the neck
Last month I extolled the benefits of watercress as a super food and this month I shall be using it again in a pesto to enhance a neck fillet of lamb to make a simple and delicious supper dish
I love all the fillets, pork, beef and lamb because they make simple cooking, good eating, and they lend themselves to innovation. You can cut them into thick slices or beat them flat or roll them and fry them, cut them into slivers for stir fries, into chunks for kebabs, cut them through the middle and stuff them and more besides.
Neck fillet of lamb is full of flavour and there is no waste and therefore makes good family eating. That said, this particular recipe would also make a good supper party dish. If you want any quantity you may have to order them from your butcher. Allow 100-150 g per person and for this recipe make sure the pieces are more or less the same thickness.
Neck fillet of lamb with watercress and walnut pesto
serves 4
500-600g neck fillets of lamb cut into 4 equal pieces
50 g watercress
100 g walnut pieces
2 cm fresh red chilli, finely chopped (the chilli tends not to break down as quickly as the other ingredients)
Good pinch salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100 ml dry white wine
Extra virgin olive oil for frying.
75 g extra watercress for serving
8 cocktail sticks
Cut the 4 neck fillet pieces through and fold open, without cutting right through the meat. Lightly salt the cut surface.
Put the watercress, walnut pieces, the finely chopped chilli and the salt in a blender with the olive oil and reduce to a thick paste.
Spread a good spoonful of pesto down the middle of each piece of meat fold over and secure with two cocktail sticks. Do not worry if some of the pesto oozes out. Put it back in the blender. Then add 4 tablespoons of cold water to the remaining pesto and whiz again until smooth. Transfer to a jug and reserve.
When ready to eat, heat a frying pan over medium-to-high heat then add enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan, add the 4 pieces of neck fillet and fry until brown then turn and continue to fry until golden brown all over then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Transfer the meat to a dish to keep warm. Remove the cocktail sticks. Increase the heat again and add the white wine to the pan and simmer until reduced by half then add the reserved diluted pesto and heat through until it starts to simmer.
When ready to serve, divide the sauce between the serving plates. Then divide the reserved watercress into neat piles and top with a piece of neck fillet. Serve with mashed potatoes or mashed celeriac with whole grain mustard.

NECK FILLET OF LAMB WITH WATERCRESS AND WALNUT PESTO
Getting it in the neck
Last month I extolled the benefits of watercress as a super food and this month I shall be using it again in a pesto to enhance a neck fillet of lamb to make a simple and delicious supper dish
I love all the fillets, pork, beef and lamb because they make simple cooking, good eating, and they lend themselves to innovation. You can cut them into thick slices or beat them flat or roll them and fry them, cut them into slivers for stir fries, into chunks for kebabs, cut them through the middle and stuff them and more besides.
Neck fillet of lamb is full of flavour and there is no waste and therefore makes good family eating. That said, this particular recipe would also make a good supper party dish. If you want any quantity you may have to order them from your butcher. Allow 100-150 g per person and for this recipe make sure the pieces are more or less the same thickness.
Neck fillet of lamb with watercress and walnut pesto
serves 4
500-600g neck fillets of lamb cut into 4 equal pieces
50 g watercress
100 g walnut pieces
2 cm fresh red chilli, finely chopped (the chilli tends not to break down as quickly as the other ingredients)
Good pinch salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100 ml dry white wine
Extra virgin olive oil for frying.
75 g extra watercress for serving
8 cocktail sticks
Cut the 4 neck fillet pieces through and fold open, without cutting right through the meat. Lightly salt the cut surface.
Put the watercress, walnut pieces, the finely chopped chilli and the salt in a blender with the olive oil and reduce to a thick paste.
Spread a good spoonful of pesto down the middle of each piece of meat fold over and secure with two cocktail sticks. Do not worry if some of the pesto oozes out. Put it back in the blender. Then add 4 tablespoons of cold water to the remaining pesto and whiz again until smooth. Transfer to a jug and reserve.
When ready to eat, heat a frying pan over medium-to-high heat then add enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan, add the 4 pieces of neck fillet and fry until brown then turn and continue to fry until golden brown all over then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Transfer the meat to a dish to keep warm. Remove the cocktail sticks. Increase the heat again and add the white wine to the pan and simmer until reduced by half then add the reserved diluted pesto and heat through until it starts to simmer.
When ready to serve, divide the sauce between the serving plates. Then divide the reserved watercress into neat piles and top with a piece of neck fillet. Serve with mashed potatoes or mashed celeriac with whole grain mustard.

GLORIOUS GAME
As game comes into season it brings a whole new dimension to our winter fare. Game is rich but it is lean and therefore healthy and suited to the addition of lush sauces. Take care not to overcook the meat as it can dry out quickly. Quintessentially British country food, game benefits from marinating in wine, cider or perry, garlic and herbs and slow cooking or larding and roasting. Serve with roast potatoes, game chips, croutons or baked in pies. For a change why not try spicing with Moroccan, Middle Eastern or Asian spices and serve on a bed of lentils and other pulses or exotic breads?
Small birds such as partridge or quail, need little cooking time if you like them pink - marinade if time allows before roasting or pan frying. Allow 20 but more like 45 minutes cooking if you like them well done. When roasting, stuff the cavity of the birds with herbs and garlic according to taste – thyme rosemary and sage are classics – and wrap in thinly sliced pancetta or streaky bacon to keep the breast meat moist. For an Asian angle cook quail in your favourite curry sauce and serve on rice. You won’t be disappointed!
Larger birds such as pheasants can be casseroled or roasted whole or jointed before cooking – this simplifies the serving process. Depending on the cut, game meats such as wild boar or venison make great casseroles – I like to use shoulder cut into largish chunks and cook it gently overnight in a slow cooker with spices, herbs, garlic and orange, dried cranberries, blueberries or figs adding some sweetness in the form of sugar or honey. Fortified wines such as port or Marsala add richness to a sauce or a dash of cognac can add extra flare.Marinade venison and wild boar for several days before roasting. Rare wild boar is stunning.
Top Tip: Source from a local butcher

Spiced Pheasant - Serves 4 – 6
This recipe for spiced pheasant comes from my new book Cured. Rather than using a wet marinade to tenderize and flavour the meat I use a mixture of salt and spices to cure the pheasant overnight before cooking. It is simple to prepare and delicious.

2 pheasants
2 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
Good pinch of ground cumin
Good pinch of mixed spice
Pinch of ground cloves
Good pinch of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon crushed juniper berries
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 medium to large sized cooking apples
20 slices of pancetta
100 g hard pork back fat cut into 1 cm dice (optional)
500 ml Perry


Pull the pheasants apart in two pieces, separating the hind and fore-quarters. Put the four pieces in a deep bowl. Mix the sugar, salt and spices and rub into the pheasant. Cover loosely with greaseproof paper and put a weight on top and leave in a cool place overnight.
After this time, pour off any water that may have collected and discard. Joint each pheasant into 10 small pieces. Cut off the breast meat and cut each breast into two equal pieces, cut off the wings and leave whole. Cut off the legs and divide into 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs.
Core the apples, leaving the skin on and cut into rounds, 1-1.5 cm thick and arrange in a single layer in a greased shallow oven proof dish. Wrap each piece of pheasant in a thin slice of pancetta or streaky bacon and put one on each apple round. Top with a square of back fat if using.
Cover the base of the dish with perry or cider and transfer to a pre-heated oven at 210 C and roast for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. If you like your pheasant breast pink, remove the breast pieces after 10 or 15 minutes
Arrange the apple and pheasant piles on a serving dish and keep warm. Add the remaining perry or cider to the roasting pan, scrape up the pan juice and mix well. Set over high heat on the hob and boil until reduced by half. Taste for seasoning. Pour over the pheasant and serve with mini roast potatoes or artisan crafted crisps and a seasonal vegetable.

We run game, curing and a wide variety of cookery courses at the chef’s website link or phone 01989 562353


BRINED ROAST BELLY PRTK
My new book Cured is due out on September 13th. (Cured by Lindy Wildsmith (Jacqui Small 2010 £30) Curing was originally a necessity – the only way food could be preserved before the advent of refrigeration - but today it’s a luxurious way of enjoying unique intense flavours.

There are seven sections in the book – each dedicated to a different method of curing – salting, drying, spicing, smoking, pickling, potting and raw which de-mystify these ancient techniques and show how every cook can create delicious cured food in their own kitchen.

It is a global celebration of deliciously preserved dishes, recipes range from New York Deli pastrami and Native American venison jerky to the Japanese pickled and marinated fish, Sashimi and Shimi Saba. From Europe come smoked salmon and salt beef, German Liverwurst Sausage, salt cod dishes of both the Mediterranean and Scandinavia, and Italian classic antipasti in the form of Venetian Carpaccio and ruby red Carne Salada.

Nurturing flavour over days, weeks or even months is a unique and addictive way to prepare food, producing mouth-watering results every time. Home-produced delicacies taste even better for having been patiently prepared and eagerly anticipated.

Here is just a taster!

Brined Roast Belly Pork
Serves 4
This recipe can take anything from 36 hours to a week to make so plan ahead.
Once you have got your brining pot going in the fridge there is nothing you won’t want to put in it to try. Slow roast belly pork is always good but brining the pork first for anything from 24 hours to a week gives it a whole new melt in the mouth texture and depth of flavour.

1 kg belly pork off the bone
8 sage leaves
1 sprig rosemary
400 g apples peeled, cored and sliced.
3 cloves garlic

Brine bath
5 L water
500 g coarse sea salt

Boil the ingredients up together to dissolve the salt and then leave to cool before immersing the meat and keep in the fridge or larder if you are lucky enough to have one.
Use for hams, belly pork, pig’s head, ears, hocks, trotters and lumps of pork skin.
In days gone by pickled pork as it was called was kept for up to two years without refrigeration but by simply changing the brine regularly.

Cut the belly pork from the rib bones (these can be brined and roasted too) and put the meat in a simple brine solution (see above) weight and refrigerate for anything from 24 hours to a week - the longer the better!

When the pork comes out of its brine, soak it overnight in clean cold water and dry it thoroughly. Score the rind in squares or diamonds, leave uncovered to dry for at least an hour. Finely chop the sage and rosemary leaves and the garlic and rub all over the meat. Stick a few cloves in the rind if liked. Set on a rack over a roasting pan – cover the base of the pan with water.

Put in a hot oven, say 180 C and roast for 2 hours.

Rest for thirty minutes. Transfer the meat to a serving dish. Drain off the fat from the pan and reserve for use at a later date.

Cut the meat into squares or triangles and serve with apple sauce and mashed sweet potatoes or roasted pumpkin and salad.

I RUN REGULAR COOKERY COURSES AT THE CHEF'S ROOM FISH AND COOKERY SCHOOL

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