'Tis the season for fresh new broad beans and peas.
Unfortunately there's an awkward truth about these vegetables. They are so easy to over-cook they're almost always a disappointment vs their frozen versions. What comes out of the freezer bag sweet and tender seems to turn into bitter bullets when cooking their fresh relatives.
This recipe is an (almost) fool-proof way of avoiding that. And if you can get it right, shows off these two ingredients perfectly.
Spring vegetable risotto
You will need:
500g fresh peas in their pods, podded
500g fresh broad beans in the pods, podded
Two shallots, peeled and finely diced
Two sticks of celery and one medium carrot, scrubbed and finely diced
One large clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Half a cup (I think about 150g) of Arborio rice
A large glass (250ml) of white wine
500ml of vegetable stock, heated to simmering point
A bunch of flat leaf parsley, rinsed and coarsely chopped
50g of Pecorino cheese, grated
Olive oil for frying
Optionally, to finish, you will need:
A large knob (phnarr) of butter
One shallot, peeled and finely diced
One clove of garlic, grated
The zest and juice of one lemon
250ml of white wine
To make the risotto:
First pod the peas and broad beans, leave in a bowl, covered with water, at room temperature (this is v. important).
Gently fry the shallots, celery and carrot in the oil until sticky and translucent in a pan with a lid. (That bit in bold, that's important that is). Add the garlic and continue to gently fry until it softens and then add the rice. Stir through until evenly coated with oil, turn up the heat to Fierce (girlfriend) and add the white wine. Stir while the wine reduces and make sure everything off the bottom of the pan is incorporated. Once the wine has nearly all gone, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and start adding the stock a ladle full at a time. Keep stirring and once the stock is absorbed add another ladle full. Keep going until the rice is al dente (not the name of a mafia orthodontist but meaning a little chewy but definitely not gritty or chalky). Ideally you will have a slightly creamy consistency to the risotto at this point.
Now add the parsley and Pecorino cheese, stir through and then check the seasoning. Don't check it before adding the Pecorino as it can be very salty and you might end up over-salting. Once you're happy with the seasoning and the parsley has wilted nicely turn the heat up a little to a spirited simmer.
Yes, I know that's one of those infuriatingly vague terms. If it helps it's mid-way between gentle simmer and Fierce (girlfriend). That probably didn't help did it?
Drain the peas and beans thoroughly, stir through the risotto, cover with the lid and remove from the heat. The residual heat in the dish should cook the peas and beans just right in a few minutes while you're making the finishing sauce. If you're making it....
If you're making the finishing sauce:
Gently fry the shallot in the butter for 3-4-minutes. Definitely no brown and crunchy bits please. Grate the garlic into to the butter and stir through.
If you thought you'd buy ready-grated garlic for this bit and save yourself a bit of effort congratulations. You've saved yourself a bit of effort but you're barred from reading this blog. I mean it. Go now before it gets ugly.
Add the lemon zest, juice and the white wine and simmer until the volume has reduced to one third of its original.
When you're ready to serve, check the warmth of the risotto and gently warm through if necessary. Please don't let it start bubbling or you'll over-cook the peas and beans and you've just gone to a lot of effort to avoid that. If you made it, drizzle a tablespoon of the sauce over the rice once served.
This goes beautifully with simply cooked white fish.
Sunday, 30 April 2017
Sunday, 9 April 2017
Not the chicken.
While my buttermilk fried chicken recipe remains a closely guarded secret, I am happy to share this salad that goes brilliantly with it. Somewhere between a salsa and a potato salad it's almost good enough to be a main dish in itself.
Corn and potato salad
For a family-sized bowl you will need:
500g of new potatoes, scrubbed but with their skins left on
One large red pepper - the ripest you can find
Two ears of sweetcorn, scrubbed and any stringy bits removed
Half a red onion, peeled.
Olive oil - the good stuff with flavour
Lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses
Steam the potatoes until they're tender, allow to cool and then refrigerate until cold.
Strip the kernels from the sweetcorn. I hold them on end in a shallow bowl and then run a sharp knife down. The bowl should stop you having to chase the little buggers all over the place.
Finely dice the red onion and red pepper (after removing the seeds and stalk).
Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces and then dress liberally with the olive oil. This will help stop them sticking together. Add the corn, pepper and onion and some more oil if you fancy it.
My favourite way to finish this is with some pomegranate molasses. Just the right combination of sweet and sour. Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice will also do.
Corn and potato salad
For a family-sized bowl you will need:
500g of new potatoes, scrubbed but with their skins left on
One large red pepper - the ripest you can find
Two ears of sweetcorn, scrubbed and any stringy bits removed
Half a red onion, peeled.
Olive oil - the good stuff with flavour
Lemon juice, balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses
Steam the potatoes until they're tender, allow to cool and then refrigerate until cold.
Strip the kernels from the sweetcorn. I hold them on end in a shallow bowl and then run a sharp knife down. The bowl should stop you having to chase the little buggers all over the place.
Finely dice the red onion and red pepper (after removing the seeds and stalk).
Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces and then dress liberally with the olive oil. This will help stop them sticking together. Add the corn, pepper and onion and some more oil if you fancy it.
My favourite way to finish this is with some pomegranate molasses. Just the right combination of sweet and sour. Balsamic vinegar or lemon juice will also do.
Sunday, 2 April 2017
Not just a pan full of rice and green bits
The English asparagus season is just around the corner. If you like it as much as I do then you're probably in danger of running out of things to do with it before the season comes to an end. Luckily where I live it's really easy to get hold of fresh Cromer crabs. And there's almost no better pairing than crab and asparagus. Like in this:
Crab and asparagus risotto
One small sermon before I begin: Food-bores like me are always twatting on about how it's the quality of the ingredients that matters the most. This is always true, to a certain degree, but in this dish it's absolutely paramount. It's designed to show off two flavours and not mask them with anything else. So if you can't get fresh, flavoursome asparagus and crab this isn't one to try. You'll just end up with a pan full of rice and green bits.
And if you're even thinking of attempting this with tinned crab meat please un-follow this blog now.
For four people you will need:
One bunch of asparagus (about 200g I think but if you're buying it fresh then it'll be in bunches), scrubbed
One fresh, dressed crab.
Two shallots, peeled and diced
One medium carrot and two sticks of celery, scrubbed and diced
One glass of dry white wine
Two cloves of garlic, peeled, flattened with a blade and chopped
150g of Arborio or Carnaroli rice
500ml of light stock (vegetable, fish or chicken in that order)
Zest and juice of one lemon
One small bunch of flat leaf parsley, rinsed and chopped
One tablespoon of creme fraiche
Olive oil for frying
Chilli oil and lemon wedges to serve
Remove the crab meat from the shell and set aside. Put the shell in a saucepan with the stock, cover and bring to a gentle simmer.
Put olive oil, the shallots, carrot and celery into a pan large enough to take all the ingredients and fry gently.
While the veg are frying, dry off the asparagus and dress with some olive oil - just enough to lightly coat the spears. Bring a frying pan or (ideally) griddle to smoking heat and then toss the asparagus in small batches in the pan. You're aiming to get small spots of colour on the asparagus - not cook it. They should come out slightly coloured but still springy and crunchy. If they go limp they either weren't fresh or you've over cooked them: abandon the whole thing, storm out of the kitchen and think carefully about what you've done.
Once all the asparagus spears have had their treatment, set aside to cool.
Once the shallots and celery are translucent and sticky add the garlic. Fry gently for a couple of minutes and then add the rice. Stir it through, making sure each grain is liberally coated, then whack the heat up to full and pour in the glass of wine. Keep stirring until the wine has evapourated, the hiss of steam has turned back into the snap and sizzle of frying, and then reduce the heat back to gentle simmer and add a ladle full of the hot stock.
Once everything's bubbling gently and there are no sticky bits left on the bottom of the pan stir in the crab meat, the lemon zest and juice. If you have any nice big lumps of white meat try not to break them up too much - they add some texture to the finished article. Keep adding stock and stirring gently until the rice is cooked through. You're looking for a firm texture with a soft outside. Chewy's OK, gritty isn't cooked properly. Stir through the parsley, and cook for another minute. Finally, when you're happy with the texture chop the asparagus into bite sized pieces and stir in together with the creme fraiche. Cover and let the whole thing warm through before serving.
I like to dress with a little chilli oil and squeeze of lemon juice.
Crab and asparagus risotto
One small sermon before I begin: Food-bores like me are always twatting on about how it's the quality of the ingredients that matters the most. This is always true, to a certain degree, but in this dish it's absolutely paramount. It's designed to show off two flavours and not mask them with anything else. So if you can't get fresh, flavoursome asparagus and crab this isn't one to try. You'll just end up with a pan full of rice and green bits.
And if you're even thinking of attempting this with tinned crab meat please un-follow this blog now.
For four people you will need:
One bunch of asparagus (about 200g I think but if you're buying it fresh then it'll be in bunches), scrubbed
One fresh, dressed crab.
Two shallots, peeled and diced
One medium carrot and two sticks of celery, scrubbed and diced
One glass of dry white wine
Two cloves of garlic, peeled, flattened with a blade and chopped
150g of Arborio or Carnaroli rice
500ml of light stock (vegetable, fish or chicken in that order)
Zest and juice of one lemon
One small bunch of flat leaf parsley, rinsed and chopped
One tablespoon of creme fraiche
Olive oil for frying
Chilli oil and lemon wedges to serve
Remove the crab meat from the shell and set aside. Put the shell in a saucepan with the stock, cover and bring to a gentle simmer.
Put olive oil, the shallots, carrot and celery into a pan large enough to take all the ingredients and fry gently.
While the veg are frying, dry off the asparagus and dress with some olive oil - just enough to lightly coat the spears. Bring a frying pan or (ideally) griddle to smoking heat and then toss the asparagus in small batches in the pan. You're aiming to get small spots of colour on the asparagus - not cook it. They should come out slightly coloured but still springy and crunchy. If they go limp they either weren't fresh or you've over cooked them: abandon the whole thing, storm out of the kitchen and think carefully about what you've done.
Once all the asparagus spears have had their treatment, set aside to cool.
Once the shallots and celery are translucent and sticky add the garlic. Fry gently for a couple of minutes and then add the rice. Stir it through, making sure each grain is liberally coated, then whack the heat up to full and pour in the glass of wine. Keep stirring until the wine has evapourated, the hiss of steam has turned back into the snap and sizzle of frying, and then reduce the heat back to gentle simmer and add a ladle full of the hot stock.
Once everything's bubbling gently and there are no sticky bits left on the bottom of the pan stir in the crab meat, the lemon zest and juice. If you have any nice big lumps of white meat try not to break them up too much - they add some texture to the finished article. Keep adding stock and stirring gently until the rice is cooked through. You're looking for a firm texture with a soft outside. Chewy's OK, gritty isn't cooked properly. Stir through the parsley, and cook for another minute. Finally, when you're happy with the texture chop the asparagus into bite sized pieces and stir in together with the creme fraiche. Cover and let the whole thing warm through before serving.
I like to dress with a little chilli oil and squeeze of lemon juice.
Monday, 13 March 2017
Definitely not paella
Monkfish is sometimes called poor man's lobster. I'm guessing that means it used to be a lot cheaper than it is now.
But it's bloody lovely, and if you do splash out on some then it's worth doing something a bit special with it.
OK.
This is all, really, just an extended excuse to do a recipe that's more than a little bit OTT. But it's a great showing-off dish and once it's all in the pan is just a question of adding stuff in the right order.
And no matter what it looks like it's definitely not a paella in any way shape or form. Really.
Turmeric and cumin monkfish with smoked cod and chorizo.
For enough to feed four hungry people you will need:
2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stick of celery and 1 large carrot, thoroughly scrubbed and coarsely chopped
150g of diced smoked pancetta
2 large cloves of garlic peeled, flattened and coarsely chopped
Optionally some chopped fresh chilli (your choice of how much and what kind, I used two fresh bird-eye chillis)
200g of spicy chorizo, peeled and cut into small chunks
A small glass of white wine (try and find a use for the rest of the bottle, please)
500ml of fish or vegetable stock
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
150g of Bomba rice
400g of undyed smoked cod loin
The zest and juice of 1 lemon
150g of frozen peas
Optionally 400g of mixed seafood (I use a frozen mix of scallops, prawns, squid and mussels)
350g of fresh monkfish fillet
50g of plain flour
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground turmeric
50g butter
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Start by gently frying the shallots, celery and carrot in olive oil in a large lidded pan that's big enough to take all the ingredients. Just barely sizzling is best as you're not looking for anything to get brown and crispy, just translucent and sticky.
After about 20 mins (longer if you have the patience) add the pancetta and garlic and continue gently frying until the meat is releasing its fat and flavours (add the chilli at this stage as well if you're using it). After about another ten minutes add the chorizo and continue stirring. After a further ten minutes the meat should be softening and there should be lots of fat released from the pancetta and chorizo. Stir through the uncooked rice and make sure the grains are evenly coated and distributed.
Whack the heat up to high and pour in the white wine. Keep stirring until the wine has almost completely evaporated and any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan have been worked loose and incorporated. Add the tomatoes and stock, allow to come to a very gentle simmer, reduce the heat to keep it there. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, cover and allow to cook for about 10-20 minutes. Once the rice is starting to soften and absorb the stock gently place the cod loin in the pan, cover with the rice and then leave for 5-10 minutes. Try and resist stirring it around as you'll break the fish into mush. After it's cooked through on one side turn over and leave again until thoroughly cooked through. At this point you should be able to gently tease apart into big meaty flakes. Check the seasoning.
Once the rice has absorbed all the stock and is tender stir through the frozen peas. If you're adding the mixed seafood also stir it through at this stage and leave the covered pan on a very low heat. Lightness of touch is essential here, you don't want to go mixing it like cement and end up with fish-mush. You also don't need to over-cook the peas, or seafood if you're using it. Just warmed through is good enough. Leave covered to keep warm while you finish the monkfish.
See, I didn't forget the monkfish.
Mix the flour, cumin and turmeric in a bowl with a generous seasoning of salt. Cut the monkfish into bite-sized pieces and toss in the flour until thoroughly coated.
Heat the butter with an equal amount of olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat until foaming vigorously. This is one of the few occasions I turn the heat up to max. Quickly fry the coated monkfish pieces until just cooked through and starting to colour on the outside.
Serve the monkfish on top of the not-paella. (I even stir the butter/oil mixture into the rice once I've finished with it provided the butter hasn't burned too badly).
But it's bloody lovely, and if you do splash out on some then it's worth doing something a bit special with it.
OK.
This is all, really, just an extended excuse to do a recipe that's more than a little bit OTT. But it's a great showing-off dish and once it's all in the pan is just a question of adding stuff in the right order.
And no matter what it looks like it's definitely not a paella in any way shape or form. Really.
Turmeric and cumin monkfish with smoked cod and chorizo.
For enough to feed four hungry people you will need:
2 shallots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stick of celery and 1 large carrot, thoroughly scrubbed and coarsely chopped
150g of diced smoked pancetta
2 large cloves of garlic peeled, flattened and coarsely chopped
Optionally some chopped fresh chilli (your choice of how much and what kind, I used two fresh bird-eye chillis)
200g of spicy chorizo, peeled and cut into small chunks
A small glass of white wine (try and find a use for the rest of the bottle, please)
500ml of fish or vegetable stock
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
150g of Bomba rice
400g of undyed smoked cod loin
The zest and juice of 1 lemon
150g of frozen peas
Optionally 400g of mixed seafood (I use a frozen mix of scallops, prawns, squid and mussels)
350g of fresh monkfish fillet
50g of plain flour
1 tsp of ground cumin
1 tsp of ground turmeric
50g butter
Olive oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Start by gently frying the shallots, celery and carrot in olive oil in a large lidded pan that's big enough to take all the ingredients. Just barely sizzling is best as you're not looking for anything to get brown and crispy, just translucent and sticky.
After about 20 mins (longer if you have the patience) add the pancetta and garlic and continue gently frying until the meat is releasing its fat and flavours (add the chilli at this stage as well if you're using it). After about another ten minutes add the chorizo and continue stirring. After a further ten minutes the meat should be softening and there should be lots of fat released from the pancetta and chorizo. Stir through the uncooked rice and make sure the grains are evenly coated and distributed.
Whack the heat up to high and pour in the white wine. Keep stirring until the wine has almost completely evaporated and any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan have been worked loose and incorporated. Add the tomatoes and stock, allow to come to a very gentle simmer, reduce the heat to keep it there. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, cover and allow to cook for about 10-20 minutes. Once the rice is starting to soften and absorb the stock gently place the cod loin in the pan, cover with the rice and then leave for 5-10 minutes. Try and resist stirring it around as you'll break the fish into mush. After it's cooked through on one side turn over and leave again until thoroughly cooked through. At this point you should be able to gently tease apart into big meaty flakes. Check the seasoning.
Once the rice has absorbed all the stock and is tender stir through the frozen peas. If you're adding the mixed seafood also stir it through at this stage and leave the covered pan on a very low heat. Lightness of touch is essential here, you don't want to go mixing it like cement and end up with fish-mush. You also don't need to over-cook the peas, or seafood if you're using it. Just warmed through is good enough. Leave covered to keep warm while you finish the monkfish.
See, I didn't forget the monkfish.
Mix the flour, cumin and turmeric in a bowl with a generous seasoning of salt. Cut the monkfish into bite-sized pieces and toss in the flour until thoroughly coated.
Heat the butter with an equal amount of olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat until foaming vigorously. This is one of the few occasions I turn the heat up to max. Quickly fry the coated monkfish pieces until just cooked through and starting to colour on the outside.
Serve the monkfish on top of the not-paella. (I even stir the butter/oil mixture into the rice once I've finished with it provided the butter hasn't burned too badly).
Sunday, 5 March 2017
No-one wants flabby pasta
I've had a cold, and the weather is complementing it perfectly. So that makes me crave comfort food and pasta normally features on most people's comfort food list.
When we serve pasta in this country it's almost always what the Italians call pastasciutta - boiled, drained and served with a sauce. But if you want to dial the comfort factor up to 11 you can't go better than pasta in brodo - pasta that's served in a broth or soup. This recipe stretches the definition a little but I don't have any Italian relatives to anger so I'm going to risk it.
Chicken, chorizo and pasta in brodo.
You will need:
6 chicken thighs
1 large shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and coarsely diced
3 large sticks of celery, scrubbed and coarsely diced
150g of diced smoked pancetta (not the thinly sliced stuff, but small lardons)
150g of chorizo, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled, flattened with the blade of knife and coarsely chopped
100g of cavolo nero (or kale), stripped from the stalks, rinsed and chopped into ribbons
1 400g tin of cannelini beans, drained
1 litre of chicken stock
150g of small dried pasta (macaroni or similar)
Olive oil for frying
The stock's important in this recipe so it's worth using the best you can. If you have home-made then this recipe is definitely worthy of it. If not, then this is one of the few times it's worth splashing out on the expensive stuff in the shops.
Heat a large pot or casserole with a splash of oil and then fry the chicken thighs on a high heat until they've got some colour. Light brown and gold are good, black isn't.
Once they're the colour of chicken that you actually want to eat, remove the thighs and set aside. Pour off the fat from the chicken, reduce the heat, add some more olive oil and then add the shallot, carrot and celery. Gently fry for about 20-30 minutes. The veg will become transclucent and the steam released should loosen any bits of chicken stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the pancetta and fry for another ten minutes until the fat starts to render down. Then add the chorizo and garlic and, yes, fry for another ten minutes. You're not trying to brown anything here - just heat up to the point that the flavours are released and start to mingle.
Once it's all looking glossy and smelling of pancetta, garlic and chorizo add the cavolo nero, stir through to combine and then add the stock and beans. Put the chicken back in, season generously with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
After 20 minutes cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water and drain. This is, strictly speaking, a crime when cooking pasta in brodo. The pasta should really be cooked in the broth but I have a reason for this which I'll come back to later.
Once the pasta is cooked and the chicken can be easily pulled from the bone it's done. If you're serving it all at once then add the pasta to the main pot, stir through and then ladle into bowls. The chicken should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork and spoon and you're aiming for a bowl of soup/stew with plenty of broth around the meat and veg.
If you're not serving it all at once keep the pasta separate and only combine in the serving bowls. This is why I don't cook the pasta in the broth as, when left overnight, the pasta drinks all the broth and you're left with a pot of flabby pasta the consistency of baby food.
And no-one wants that.
Except possibly babies.
When we serve pasta in this country it's almost always what the Italians call pastasciutta - boiled, drained and served with a sauce. But if you want to dial the comfort factor up to 11 you can't go better than pasta in brodo - pasta that's served in a broth or soup. This recipe stretches the definition a little but I don't have any Italian relatives to anger so I'm going to risk it.
Chicken, chorizo and pasta in brodo.
You will need:
6 chicken thighs
1 large shallot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and coarsely diced
3 large sticks of celery, scrubbed and coarsely diced
150g of diced smoked pancetta (not the thinly sliced stuff, but small lardons)
150g of chorizo, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled, flattened with the blade of knife and coarsely chopped
100g of cavolo nero (or kale), stripped from the stalks, rinsed and chopped into ribbons
1 400g tin of cannelini beans, drained
1 litre of chicken stock
150g of small dried pasta (macaroni or similar)
Olive oil for frying
The stock's important in this recipe so it's worth using the best you can. If you have home-made then this recipe is definitely worthy of it. If not, then this is one of the few times it's worth splashing out on the expensive stuff in the shops.
Heat a large pot or casserole with a splash of oil and then fry the chicken thighs on a high heat until they've got some colour. Light brown and gold are good, black isn't.
Once they're the colour of chicken that you actually want to eat, remove the thighs and set aside. Pour off the fat from the chicken, reduce the heat, add some more olive oil and then add the shallot, carrot and celery. Gently fry for about 20-30 minutes. The veg will become transclucent and the steam released should loosen any bits of chicken stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the pancetta and fry for another ten minutes until the fat starts to render down. Then add the chorizo and garlic and, yes, fry for another ten minutes. You're not trying to brown anything here - just heat up to the point that the flavours are released and start to mingle.
Once it's all looking glossy and smelling of pancetta, garlic and chorizo add the cavolo nero, stir through to combine and then add the stock and beans. Put the chicken back in, season generously with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
After 20 minutes cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water and drain. This is, strictly speaking, a crime when cooking pasta in brodo. The pasta should really be cooked in the broth but I have a reason for this which I'll come back to later.
Once the pasta is cooked and the chicken can be easily pulled from the bone it's done. If you're serving it all at once then add the pasta to the main pot, stir through and then ladle into bowls. The chicken should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork and spoon and you're aiming for a bowl of soup/stew with plenty of broth around the meat and veg.
If you're not serving it all at once keep the pasta separate and only combine in the serving bowls. This is why I don't cook the pasta in the broth as, when left overnight, the pasta drinks all the broth and you're left with a pot of flabby pasta the consistency of baby food.
And no-one wants that.
Except possibly babies.
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
I really mean it about the blender
I tend to focus almost exclusively on flavour in my cooking. The picture below will show you why - my presentation leaves a lot to be desired. As far as I'm concerned if it's mostly on the plate then that's good enough. I don't expect it to be there long.
This isn't so much a recipe as a collection of three, really nice things on a plate. But the combination of flavours works brilliantly. And in someone else's hands would probably look stunning as well.
Scallops with peas and slow-roasted tomatoes.
For two people for a decent sized starter you will need:
4-6 fresh scallops, depending on their size. I really wouldn't bother with frozen, their flavour is seriously compromised and this dish needs full-flavoured shellfish to stand up to the other flavours on the plate.
For the peas:
200g frozen peas
100-150ml vegetable stock
1 shallot, finely diced
olive oil for frying
A handful of slow roasted tomatoes from here. If they're in the fridge take them out as soon as you start cooking and allow them to get to room temperature.
Chilli-infused oil for dressing.
In a small saucepan, gently fry the shallot in the oil until translucent and sticky. No crunchy bits please. Then add the peas and enough stock to almost cover them. Simmer until the peas have just warmed through and then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool enough to be safe to handle (you decide - you're a grown up) place in a blender and blend until it's as smooth as it's going to get. A food processor probably won't do this - you'll just end up with finely chopped peas and you don't want that because you're about to....Pass the pea puree through a sieve back into the saucepan. Give it a good press to get as much through as possible.
If you used a food processor you now probably have a sieve full of chopped peas and a saucepan with some pea juice in it. No, I don't know what you're going to do with them. I suggested you use a blender.
Assuming you used a blender you should have creamy pureed peas in the saucepan. Depending on the thoroughness of your blender you can either add more stock or gently simmer to reduce until you have a consistency like loosely whipped cream. Season to taste and keep warm.
When ready to serve sear the scallops on a hot frying pan or griddle. In my experience scallops are one of those things that if you're worrying are possibly a little under-done then they're probably perfectly cooked. You're looking for some colour on the outside and just warmed-through on the inside.
Arrange artfully on a plate and creatively drizzle the chilli oil. Try and do something a lot better than this:
In someone else's hands this combination of colours would look sensational.
(And, yes, I know I said 2-3 scallops per person but I didn't get this size by sticking to portion sizes)
Saturday, 11 February 2017
Better than snot and pips
These are going to be used in the next recipe but they're such a revelation that they deserve a post of their own. Unless you grow your own or buy direct from a farm it's likely that the fresh tomatoes you get are a disappointment in the flavour department.
Or, as a friend of mine once described them, "all snot and pips".
So if you fancy making tomato a central powerful, flavour in a dish you can't really go much better than these little lovelies:
Slow roasted tomatoes.
You will need:
Tomatoes (duh). I prefer to use baby plum tomatoes but any small to medium-sized variety will do. Smaller is better and I wouldn't bother with full sized plum tomatoes or bigger. They'll just take too long and be disappointing. As to how many? Depends on the size of your roasting tin and your patience. I always do enough to fill my largest roasting tin one layer deep because once done, I can always find a use for them.
Olive oil (garlic-infused if you fancy it and depending on what you're going to use them for)
Salt and pepper
Patience.
Wash, dry and slice the tomatoes in half. Choose the direction of slicing so that you achieve the flattest result. (At this point I was going to try and spell this out in geometric terms but then I woke up again at the keyboard and deleted all that nonsense. Work it out for yourself).
Lay out in a non-stick roasting dish, cut-side up in a single layer. If you're a bit unsure of the non-stickiness of your dish lightly oil it first. It doesn't matter if the tomatoes start off touching each other as they'll shrink quite quickly. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Place in a fan oven at 75°C. No, that's not a typo.
Depending on the size of the tomato it will take about three hours for them to halve in size, start to look a bit wrinkly and intensify in flavour. If you've gone for bigger tomatoes then this could well take a lot longer. The key is to experiment and find a flavour and consistency that works for you and what you're going to use them for.
Once you're happy that they're now intense little flavour-explosions, turn the oven off and leave them inside to cool down. Once cool they can be stored in an airtight container in a fridge for about a week.
Try not to keep "sampling" them.
A simple recipe that really shows them off:
Per person:
75-100g of spaghetti, cooked until al dente
A small handful of slow roasted tomatoes
A tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs (basil, flat leaf parsley, chives, oregano are all good)
A tablespoon of freshly grated parmesan
Olive oil (a generous drizzle)
If they're in the fridge, allow the tomatoes to come to room temperature while the pasta is cooking. When it's ready, drain, return to the hot pan, mix the whole lot together and let the heat wilt the herbs and warm the tomatoes. Be amazed at how these simple flavours combine with almost no effort at all.
Or, as a friend of mine once described them, "all snot and pips".
So if you fancy making tomato a central powerful, flavour in a dish you can't really go much better than these little lovelies:
Slow roasted tomatoes.
You will need:
Tomatoes (duh). I prefer to use baby plum tomatoes but any small to medium-sized variety will do. Smaller is better and I wouldn't bother with full sized plum tomatoes or bigger. They'll just take too long and be disappointing. As to how many? Depends on the size of your roasting tin and your patience. I always do enough to fill my largest roasting tin one layer deep because once done, I can always find a use for them.
Olive oil (garlic-infused if you fancy it and depending on what you're going to use them for)
Salt and pepper
Patience.
Wash, dry and slice the tomatoes in half. Choose the direction of slicing so that you achieve the flattest result. (At this point I was going to try and spell this out in geometric terms but then I woke up again at the keyboard and deleted all that nonsense. Work it out for yourself).
Lay out in a non-stick roasting dish, cut-side up in a single layer. If you're a bit unsure of the non-stickiness of your dish lightly oil it first. It doesn't matter if the tomatoes start off touching each other as they'll shrink quite quickly. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Place in a fan oven at 75°C. No, that's not a typo.
Depending on the size of the tomato it will take about three hours for them to halve in size, start to look a bit wrinkly and intensify in flavour. If you've gone for bigger tomatoes then this could well take a lot longer. The key is to experiment and find a flavour and consistency that works for you and what you're going to use them for.
Once you're happy that they're now intense little flavour-explosions, turn the oven off and leave them inside to cool down. Once cool they can be stored in an airtight container in a fridge for about a week.
Try not to keep "sampling" them.
A simple recipe that really shows them off:
Per person:
75-100g of spaghetti, cooked until al dente
A small handful of slow roasted tomatoes
A tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs (basil, flat leaf parsley, chives, oregano are all good)
A tablespoon of freshly grated parmesan
Olive oil (a generous drizzle)
If they're in the fridge, allow the tomatoes to come to room temperature while the pasta is cooking. When it's ready, drain, return to the hot pan, mix the whole lot together and let the heat wilt the herbs and warm the tomatoes. Be amazed at how these simple flavours combine with almost no effort at all.
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