Mug of Risotto rice
Finely chopped one onion
Cut betroot into thin slivers about an inch long
Finely slice 8 oz mushrooms
Litre of stock
2 sticks of celery finely chopped
Butter
2 oz Parmesan
Lemon
Risotto, it turns out can follow a far simpler method that has hitherto been believed. The main principle is that the rice should cook in rich stock for about 25 minutes with the minimum of stirring, cheese and butter is added at the end. Avoid salting anything as there is salt in the stock and cheese, plus salt can be added 'to taste'.
Onions, celery and betroot are fried in some oil and butter until soft, add the rice and stir until it is coated and shiney you can add white wine and boil off the alcohol now. Here is where we depart from Risotto wisdom and chuck in three quarters of the hot stock and simmer, with minimum of stirring using a chopstick, simply to prevent any rice from sticking. 15 minutes later add the mushrooms and add more stock if too thick, 10 minutes later switch off the heat, stir in butte and finely gaated parmesan and lemon juice, then sprinkle with parsley and serve with spring greens.
Thursday, 25 December 2008
Saturday, 8 November 2008
Borscht
Grate 2 beetroots and one carrot. Finely chop 1 leek 1 onion 1 sweet potato.
Soften leek and onion in table spoon of oil in a large saucepan.
Add everything else, stew for 5 minutes.
Add 1 ltr stock simmer for 3o mins add glass of wine, teaspeoon of brown sugar and juice of quarter emon. Simmer on for 10 minutes. Season.
Serve with bread and cheese.
Soften leek and onion in table spoon of oil in a large saucepan.
Add everything else, stew for 5 minutes.
Add 1 ltr stock simmer for 3o mins add glass of wine, teaspeoon of brown sugar and juice of quarter emon. Simmer on for 10 minutes. Season.
Serve with bread and cheese.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
Steak with stilton and Mushrooms
5 finely sliced cup mushrooms per person
1 Tbs of sliced onion
Good stilton
Steaks
Noodles
Green beans
Hard to go wrong with this combo, there is enough salt in the stilton, so you don't need to season the meat. Choose a good, dark dry steaks an even inch thick.
Heat a primed frying pan with a little oil - hot. Add the steaks, surround with onions and mushrooms. Don't touch steaks for 3 minutes, but but turn the onions and mushrooms.
Switch off the heat and turn steaks when sizzling stops.
Bring up the heat again for 3 minutes, turning onions and mushrooms then switch off. Cover each surface of each steak with thick slices of stilton, then cover with the mushroom onions and add black pepper.
Cover the pan and leave for 10 minutes. Serve at once with noodles and green beans
1 Tbs of sliced onion
Good stilton
Steaks
Noodles
Green beans
Hard to go wrong with this combo, there is enough salt in the stilton, so you don't need to season the meat. Choose a good, dark dry steaks an even inch thick.
Heat a primed frying pan with a little oil - hot. Add the steaks, surround with onions and mushrooms. Don't touch steaks for 3 minutes, but but turn the onions and mushrooms.
Switch off the heat and turn steaks when sizzling stops.
Bring up the heat again for 3 minutes, turning onions and mushrooms then switch off. Cover each surface of each steak with thick slices of stilton, then cover with the mushroom onions and add black pepper.
Cover the pan and leave for 10 minutes. Serve at once with noodles and green beans
Parsley Pesto Anchovy Pasta
Serves 2 athletes
8oz flat parsley leaves
1tbs oil
1 tin anchovies
2 cloves of garlic
20 small capers
4oz water
2tbss creme fraiche
Lemon
Butter
This uses a lot of parsley, once you have taken off the thicker stems, flat leaf is less tasty but easier to manage. Don't make this in advance, the idea is to cook and serve, preserving the intense green colour. It's fast, tasty, healthy.
Put the garlic, parsley and oil into a food processor and wizz up for 45 seconds, you may need to stop and re-distribute the mixture every 15s.
Cook some tagliattelle just shy of aldente and mix in a knob of butter.
Add the water to the parsley mixture shake and tip into a large saucepan. Add the anchovies and creme fraiche and capers heat and simmer for 4 minutes, take off the heat, add lemon juice to taste, then add and mix the hot pasta and it should cling perfectly.
Serve straight away with grated cheese
8oz flat parsley leaves
1tbs oil
1 tin anchovies
2 cloves of garlic
20 small capers
4oz water
2tbss creme fraiche
Lemon
Butter
This uses a lot of parsley, once you have taken off the thicker stems, flat leaf is less tasty but easier to manage. Don't make this in advance, the idea is to cook and serve, preserving the intense green colour. It's fast, tasty, healthy.
Put the garlic, parsley and oil into a food processor and wizz up for 45 seconds, you may need to stop and re-distribute the mixture every 15s.
Cook some tagliattelle just shy of aldente and mix in a knob of butter.
Add the water to the parsley mixture shake and tip into a large saucepan. Add the anchovies and creme fraiche and capers heat and simmer for 4 minutes, take off the heat, add lemon juice to taste, then add and mix the hot pasta and it should cling perfectly.
Serve straight away with grated cheese
Friday, 15 February 2008
Roast Potatoes
Use Maris Piper or King Edward.
You should have stored away oil that has fried any bacon, meat and herbs in a screw to jar, just for this. The objective when frying potatoes is to have a crisp deeply colored crust with a dense fluffy interior with a concentrated nutty/earthy potato flavour. To do this requites that water in the outer layers is gradually replaced by oil and the potatoe 'filling' dehydrates and condenses. This takes time - to avoid burning the potato starch and proteins while evaporating the water. So to accelerate the process cut the potatoes into pingpong ball sized pieces and boil vigorously for no more than 5 minutes in quite salty water - this heightens the flavour. Drain the potatoes and shake them until cool - to drive off as much steam (water) as possible, without damaging them too much.
Put new clean oil on the base of a large steep sided baking tin, add the potatoes and slowly put the flavoured oil over them so they are saturated. Cook them in the centre of an oven at 190 for 20 minutes, turn and shake, baste with more oil, repeat after another 20 minutes and put a lot of fresh rosmary on the pan. This is to fill the kitchen with a sillage of rosemary which should just taint the oil.
Keep checking for the potoe surface to darken to a mottled red/gold, then remove from the oven and tilt the pan to drain as much oil as possible, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a glass bowl so you can see the colours glisten. If you have meat fat add this to the pan towards the end of cooking, but it is not strictly necessary. You can decorate with more fresh rosemary and the heat will send a cloud of rosemary fumes into the dining table air.
If you are roasting with meat bear in mind that your are tryng to evaporate the water so while the potatoes are cooking make sure the meat is covered otherwise it will increase the humidity in the oven too much for effective 'crisping'.
You should have stored away oil that has fried any bacon, meat and herbs in a screw to jar, just for this. The objective when frying potatoes is to have a crisp deeply colored crust with a dense fluffy interior with a concentrated nutty/earthy potato flavour. To do this requites that water in the outer layers is gradually replaced by oil and the potatoe 'filling' dehydrates and condenses. This takes time - to avoid burning the potato starch and proteins while evaporating the water. So to accelerate the process cut the potatoes into pingpong ball sized pieces and boil vigorously for no more than 5 minutes in quite salty water - this heightens the flavour. Drain the potatoes and shake them until cool - to drive off as much steam (water) as possible, without damaging them too much.
Put new clean oil on the base of a large steep sided baking tin, add the potatoes and slowly put the flavoured oil over them so they are saturated. Cook them in the centre of an oven at 190 for 20 minutes, turn and shake, baste with more oil, repeat after another 20 minutes and put a lot of fresh rosmary on the pan. This is to fill the kitchen with a sillage of rosemary which should just taint the oil.
Keep checking for the potoe surface to darken to a mottled red/gold, then remove from the oven and tilt the pan to drain as much oil as possible, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a glass bowl so you can see the colours glisten. If you have meat fat add this to the pan towards the end of cooking, but it is not strictly necessary. You can decorate with more fresh rosemary and the heat will send a cloud of rosemary fumes into the dining table air.
If you are roasting with meat bear in mind that your are tryng to evaporate the water so while the potatoes are cooking make sure the meat is covered otherwise it will increase the humidity in the oven too much for effective 'crisping'.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
Frying Meat
Frying meat and flesh in general for most is about using a frying pan on a stove with hot oil. In the early 21st century this has come to mean that the most ordinary foods are 'pan fried'.
Head down to your local high street caff at about 8am. When you reach the front of the queue of scaffolders, plasterers and floor sanders, ask for your full English and two slices 'pan fried'. You won't be disappointed - that's how you generally cook sausages, egg and fried bread. It's pretty hard to fry without a pan - next year we will all be demanding 'pan-boiled' cabbage, and er, 'grill-grilled' bacon.
So use gas - it's fast, powerful and easy and quick to control. You can use a small ring - the one at the front of the hob if you use a good pan. Stainless steel is fine if you can't afford solid copper. A thick copper bottomed pan with SS lining works or a thick alumnium laminate but make sure the laminate extends across the base or you get a 'hot ring' between the base and the sides - no good, the bottom should distribute and contain the heat. OK this is and investment but a good pan lasts a lifetime so buy two or more in different sizes while you are about it. Wait for the sales if necessary.
The oil - olive oil is lovely it comes in wonderful bottles from all over the world, it has a gorgeous hue and smells fantastic as it is warming, but it MAKES NO DIFFERENCE to the flavour of what you cook as all the delicious tasty solids in olive oil are BURNT when you cook with it!
Keep OO for dressing, invest in testing dressing olive oil with bland white bread and red wine, you will be surprised how disgusting it tastes without salt and lemon juice. Alleged differences are slight - own brand extra virgin seems to be universally acceptable. And cheap.
Instead use Groundnut oil, (peanut oil) for cooking it is bland and has a very high boiling point, so it can get hot without smoking. If you need to fry with butter (while fish, mushrooms, pancakes) try heating half butter, half oil until the water from the butter has boiled off, then add the food to be fried before the milk solids burn.
So before you start frying clean your heavy bottomed pan in soap an then place it dry on a small ring at full blast and add a tablespoon of groundnut oil and let it reach smoke point, then turn down to simmer and swirl the oil around and round until it darkens. Have some paper napkins handy and while still hot wipe the pan 'dry' and leave to cool then repeat a few time until you get an even tan colour. This will give you a durable non stick pan. Teflon works by having a layer of plastic that successively 'sheds' itself layer after layer into the food until it wears off and you have a high stick pan which will be cursed over and chucked. Oh and a long, decoupled metal handle works best as it will survive any cooking, using and washing trauma.
This priming operation can be repeated indefinitely but take care washing your oiled pan - resist using detergent or dishwasher as it will strip the non-stick layer, instead re-use the pan to fry other things once it has reached the end of the line, scrape any burnings with a plastic fish slice and turn on the side in the sink to drain for a couple of hours then clean with very hot water and a clean dishcloth, leaving the magic golden oil layer intact.
Steak
2cm thick is probably easiest to control. It may be a matter of taste, but I like a crisp browned surface and a juicy pink interior and some blood. The beef is best fairly old and dry. Heat the pan to smoke point, salt the steak just before it hits the pan and give it 3-4 minutes without touching it then switch off the heat and let it settle until stops hissing, turn it then turn on the heat for two minutes or until brown (oozing some blood, OK 'juices') and then turn off and cover - this will also it to both rest and magically release itself from he pan five minuets later.
Serve right away with pepper and lemon.
Head down to your local high street caff at about 8am. When you reach the front of the queue of scaffolders, plasterers and floor sanders, ask for your full English and two slices 'pan fried'. You won't be disappointed - that's how you generally cook sausages, egg and fried bread. It's pretty hard to fry without a pan - next year we will all be demanding 'pan-boiled' cabbage, and er, 'grill-grilled' bacon.
So use gas - it's fast, powerful and easy and quick to control. You can use a small ring - the one at the front of the hob if you use a good pan. Stainless steel is fine if you can't afford solid copper. A thick copper bottomed pan with SS lining works or a thick alumnium laminate but make sure the laminate extends across the base or you get a 'hot ring' between the base and the sides - no good, the bottom should distribute and contain the heat. OK this is and investment but a good pan lasts a lifetime so buy two or more in different sizes while you are about it. Wait for the sales if necessary.
The oil - olive oil is lovely it comes in wonderful bottles from all over the world, it has a gorgeous hue and smells fantastic as it is warming, but it MAKES NO DIFFERENCE to the flavour of what you cook as all the delicious tasty solids in olive oil are BURNT when you cook with it!
Keep OO for dressing, invest in testing dressing olive oil with bland white bread and red wine, you will be surprised how disgusting it tastes without salt and lemon juice. Alleged differences are slight - own brand extra virgin seems to be universally acceptable. And cheap.
Instead use Groundnut oil, (peanut oil) for cooking it is bland and has a very high boiling point, so it can get hot without smoking. If you need to fry with butter (while fish, mushrooms, pancakes) try heating half butter, half oil until the water from the butter has boiled off, then add the food to be fried before the milk solids burn.
So before you start frying clean your heavy bottomed pan in soap an then place it dry on a small ring at full blast and add a tablespoon of groundnut oil and let it reach smoke point, then turn down to simmer and swirl the oil around and round until it darkens. Have some paper napkins handy and while still hot wipe the pan 'dry' and leave to cool then repeat a few time until you get an even tan colour. This will give you a durable non stick pan. Teflon works by having a layer of plastic that successively 'sheds' itself layer after layer into the food until it wears off and you have a high stick pan which will be cursed over and chucked. Oh and a long, decoupled metal handle works best as it will survive any cooking, using and washing trauma.
This priming operation can be repeated indefinitely but take care washing your oiled pan - resist using detergent or dishwasher as it will strip the non-stick layer, instead re-use the pan to fry other things once it has reached the end of the line, scrape any burnings with a plastic fish slice and turn on the side in the sink to drain for a couple of hours then clean with very hot water and a clean dishcloth, leaving the magic golden oil layer intact.
Steak
2cm thick is probably easiest to control. It may be a matter of taste, but I like a crisp browned surface and a juicy pink interior and some blood. The beef is best fairly old and dry. Heat the pan to smoke point, salt the steak just before it hits the pan and give it 3-4 minutes without touching it then switch off the heat and let it settle until stops hissing, turn it then turn on the heat for two minutes or until brown (oozing some blood, OK 'juices') and then turn off and cover - this will also it to both rest and magically release itself from he pan five minuets later.
Serve right away with pepper and lemon.
Sunday, 3 February 2008
Frying Salmon
Dark and fresh (glossy, smelling like clean seawater) is best. Salmon cooks fast.
Here, the salmon is filleted, skinned and cut into neat single person portions describes as 'steaks' in the supermarket. You can marinate it in lemon, soy source etc, but just use simple elements and let the salmon flavour dominate.
Heat a primed frying pan with some bland oil until it smokes. Place the fish in skinned side up and cook on high for exactly 2 minutes, then cover and leave for 4 minutes. Carefully turn the fish easing it from the pan using a teflon fish slice and cook for one minute on high, turn off the heat and serve once pan has cooled.
Here, the salmon is filleted, skinned and cut into neat single person portions describes as 'steaks' in the supermarket. You can marinate it in lemon, soy source etc, but just use simple elements and let the salmon flavour dominate.
Heat a primed frying pan with some bland oil until it smokes. Place the fish in skinned side up and cook on high for exactly 2 minutes, then cover and leave for 4 minutes. Carefully turn the fish easing it from the pan using a teflon fish slice and cook for one minute on high, turn off the heat and serve once pan has cooled.
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Fried Sole with Savoury Rice and Olive and Caper Sauce
Time
15 minutes if you are organized and sober
Ingredients
Fresh flat white fish - thicker is better
Basmati Rice
Fish stock or stock cube
Unsalted butter
Coconut cream
Saffron or trumeric - enough to vividly colour the rice
Lemon
Capers
Black pitted olives
Parsley
Stir fried finely slices green veg.
Why?
This makes any white fish exciting without having to fry it in beer batter...
Do this:
Buy any old flat fish - it's there to provide the protein, central form and a medium for the dish, assume it adds texture rather than flavour.
Cook the rice in a half strength fish stock with a teaspoon of butter and two teaspoons of coconut per portion.
The best way to do this is to add 110 percent of the volume of stock to rice in a small pan, bring to the boil, add the butter and coconut and a good squeeze of lemon, stir once, cover tightly and reduce heat to the minimum your hob is capable of for 10 minutes, then turn the heat and leave indefinitely to finish cooking. If you want to use brown or wild rice double the cooking time and ignore what it says on the packet. This method economical on water and heat and is fool proof and it preserves all the rice nutrients and flavour.
Caper and Olive sauce
Fry some finely slice mushrooms with half butter, half bland oil mixture, then add well chopped capers and olives, when the mixture returns to the boil, add rough chopped parsley, turn off the heat and cover after brisk stir.
While this is going on fry the flat fish on a highish heat in a well-primed fryng pan for 2 minutes then cover and leave to steam. You can easlily then lift this from the pan with a plastic fish slice placing it either side up on the plate
Now you can just assemble it to show off the colours and composition. Green, yellow and white. Squeeze the rice into a buttered, small pate bowl for each person and knock it out like sandcastle bucket.
15 minutes if you are organized and sober
Ingredients
Fresh flat white fish - thicker is better
Basmati Rice
Fish stock or stock cube
Unsalted butter
Coconut cream
Saffron or trumeric - enough to vividly colour the rice
Lemon
Capers
Black pitted olives
Parsley
Stir fried finely slices green veg.
Why?
This makes any white fish exciting without having to fry it in beer batter...
Do this:
Buy any old flat fish - it's there to provide the protein, central form and a medium for the dish, assume it adds texture rather than flavour.
Cook the rice in a half strength fish stock with a teaspoon of butter and two teaspoons of coconut per portion.
The best way to do this is to add 110 percent of the volume of stock to rice in a small pan, bring to the boil, add the butter and coconut and a good squeeze of lemon, stir once, cover tightly and reduce heat to the minimum your hob is capable of for 10 minutes, then turn the heat and leave indefinitely to finish cooking. If you want to use brown or wild rice double the cooking time and ignore what it says on the packet. This method economical on water and heat and is fool proof and it preserves all the rice nutrients and flavour.
Caper and Olive sauce
Fry some finely slice mushrooms with half butter, half bland oil mixture, then add well chopped capers and olives, when the mixture returns to the boil, add rough chopped parsley, turn off the heat and cover after brisk stir.
While this is going on fry the flat fish on a highish heat in a well-primed fryng pan for 2 minutes then cover and leave to steam. You can easlily then lift this from the pan with a plastic fish slice placing it either side up on the plate
Now you can just assemble it to show off the colours and composition. Green, yellow and white. Squeeze the rice into a buttered, small pate bowl for each person and knock it out like sandcastle bucket.
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