rolled lamb breast

Posted by Gary in food, garlic, lamb, thyme and tagged with tristan welch July 31, 2010

I’ve tried this before. I lovingly poached the lamb breast for a few hours, bubbling away in my treasured Le Creuset. I took the lid off, and FOOM. I was hit by a blast of pure mould. It was so utterly disgusting I left it in the conservatory overnight and scrubbed it a dozen times to get the smell out.

I consigned the recipe to the dustbin until I read this post by FoodUrchin. It spurred me on to try again. It was a Tristan Welch recipe after all, so how could it not be a winner?

And a winner it is. Lovely succulent lamb meat packed with bold flavours and a crisp outside. Also costs next to nothing, so try it now!

Rolled lamb breast:

500g lamb breast

1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves picked

1 large sprig of thyme, leaves picked

1 bulb of garlic, bashed up

1 litre chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Bash the daylights out of the herbs and garlic and add salt and pepper. Add enough oil to make a spreadable slush.

Lay out the lamb breast and spread the mush all over it. Roll up the lamb breast like a swiss roll and tie firmly with string.

Bring the chicken stock to the boil and drop in the lamb. Leave to poach for around 3 hours, until a knife goes in easily. Allow the lamb to cool down in the stock.

Bring the lamb out of the stock and wrap tightly in cling film. Refrigerate overnight to firm up.

When you’re ready to serve, heat a little butter in a pan. Carve the lamb into thick slices and fry on either side for a couple of minutes until golden. Serve with minted new potatoes and wilted spinach.

jap chae

Posted by Gary in beef, egg, food, noodles, onion, peppers, spinach, steak and tagged with judy joo July 29, 2010

Following my first brush with Korean BBQ, subsequent egging on from gourmet traveller, and inspiration from Judy Joo, I knew my second dish had to be Jap Chae.

I took a good look at Judy Joo’s recipe, and dived into the challenge. Being a forthright so-and-so, I made a few adjustments. I understand they are at the heart of the dish but I had no chance of finding dangmyeon, or sweet potato vermicelli, in my corner of Essex. It’s hard enough finding an Asian store of any description, so I hope the panel will forgive me substituting fine egg noodles (if I ever see some on my travels, I will grab them and give ‘em a try). On a more personal level, I love it when beef has that black-brown seared crust on, and worried that this recipe might lose it. So I chose to sear the beef very quickly over very high heat, then leave it to rest alongside the omelette before adding back at the end. By resting it here, those lovely steak juices would wander off and get leeched by the egg, so double win there.

All told, it was a lovely plate of noodles. Dark and rich, with plenty of fresh vegetable crunch. The omelette and beef were nice little nuggets of treasure hidden away amongst it all. Thanks guys! So what’s next?

Jap chae (serves 2):

200g rump steak, thinly sliced

For the marinade:

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons mirin

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

For the noodles:

2 nests fine egg noodles, broken up

2 tbsp soy sauce

Everything else:

2 eggs, beaten

1 large onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 small red onion, sliced

1 small carrot, julienned

12 oyster mushrooms, sliced

½ red pepper, julienned

Handful baby spinach leaves

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, crushed

3 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Mix the marinade ingredients together, pour over the steak and leave for at least half an hour.

Boil the noodles as per packet instructions, drain and rinse through with plenty of cold water. When cool to the touch pour over the soy and let it soak in.

Get a pan on medium low and spread the egg thinly over the base of the pan. When it sets flip it over, cook briefly, roll it up and put to one side.

Get the pan up to ferocious heat and add a splash of oil. Sear the beef quickly for about 45 seconds on either side and remove to the same plate as the omelette to rest while you get on with everything else. (I couldn’t bear to lose that leftover marinade so poured it over the resting noodles).

Keep the heat high and add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Keep it moving the whole time and it shouldn’t catch. Add the red onion, carrot, mushrooms and pepper and continue stir-frying at pace. Fry for 3 – 4 minutes more until they vegetables start to go tender, then add the spinach and beef. Slice the omelette into strips and add those too along with the noodles and the rest of the ingredients.

Cook for another minute or two until everything has been warmed through and the noodles take on a glossy appearance.

chicken and bacon salad

Posted by Gary in bacon, bread, chicken, food, lettuce, onion July 24, 2010

It’s a real mothership this one, a monster among salads. I’ve piled it here on to a huge plate so everyone can help themselves. The name undersells it somewhat. The brining of the chicken is not vital, but will give lots of moisture to the final dish.

Chicken and bacon salad (serves 4 – 6 with no other accompaniments):

4 chicken breasts, sliced into fingery pieces

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 star anise

3 cloves

1 red onion, diced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

4 rashers of bacon, sliced into strips

Half a french stick

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

2 little gems lettuces, broken up

Handful of other interesting leaves, something bitter is good

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

Splash of milk

Heavy-handed dash of Worcestershire sauce

Couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Prepare a brine of 8% salt solution, adding the syrup, star anise and cloves. Plop the chicken in and soak for at least 4 hours. Drain well and rinse under cold water.

Cover the onion in vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and leave to marinate while you get on with the rest. Get the oven on 180°C.

Begin to fry the bacon in batches so the pan isn’t crowding until browned and crisp, draining on kitchen roll as you go. Once this lot’s done make a start on frying the chicken until cooked through.

Tear up the bread, and toss in a baking tray with salt, pepper, oil and the pumpkin seeds. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

Mix the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and oil together, adding milk if necessary to make a gloopy dressing. Check for seasoning too.

Scrunch up the onions to drain the liquid off, then combine the chicken, bacon, bread and seeds with the lettuce. Drizzle over the sauce and toss well to combine.

heston blumenthal’s triple cooked chips

Posted by Gary in chips, food, potatoes and tagged with heston blumenthal July 23, 2010

I’m sure like many Brits chips have certain evocative memories; for me they split two ways. The first is good ol’ fish and chips, eaten from paper along Southend seafront, stained with vinegar and gritty with salt, chilly breeze from the sea in the air. The other memory is of my Nan’s chips. She would peel the potatoes, chop them into chunky pieces (we’d call them wedges these days) and deep-fry them from raw until nearly dark brown. It doesn’t sound great but they had a thick crust and packed a potato punch, and I miss them terribly.

chips after par-boiling (stage 1)

Fast-forward a little and I’m gazing down at Heston’s triple-cooked chips. They’ve taken a while to do (as do most of his recipes) but the proof is in the eating: a brittle brown crust, golden skin and that cheeky deep-fried smell. The flesh inside is giving and fluffy – exactly what you want. They are, as you expect from the man, perfect.

There’s a little faff involved, but the ingredient list is very short. First the sliced potatoes are par-boiled on a gentle heat, then deep-fried, then deep-fried again. Between each stage the potatoes are chilled and dried out thoroughly. Removing as much water as possible is crucial to drying out the chip; this ensures maximum crispiness. It may be a lot of stages but one big advantage to this method is that you can stop and refrigerate the chips at any step until needed, so all the legwork can be done well in advance if needed. When it comes to frying I use a deep saucepan filled a third with oil; I’ve owned two deep fat fryers in the past. One just plain stank, the other melted. Yes, melted. A bit of a drawback for a deep fat fryer.

chips after first frying (stage 2)

You can read his recipe in either In Search of Total Perfection (as part of fish and chips) or Family Food: A New Approach to Cooking (Penguin Cookery Library). The only discrepancy is between the boiling stage; one says to salt the water, one not to. I decided to go with instinct and as if they were roast potatoes, salted them.

You can also find variations of this recipe at Waitrose, The Times, and an interesting accompanying interview (plus sciency bits) at RSC.

Heston Blumenthal’s triple cooked chips (serves 2):

2 large Maris Piper potatoes

Sliced the potatoes into 2cm thick chips. Don’t be too fussy about this; uneven things are charming. Rinse the potatoes well under running water to remove excess starch from the surface (this will stop them clinging together in the fat).

Plunge the chips into salted boiling water and reduce the heat to a simmer. This will ensure the middle is cooked thoroughly before they turn into mush. Remove from the water when a knife point slides in easily – this will take about 10 minutes.

Drain the chips well and put in a single layer on a tray. Put into the freezer for 30 minutes to completely dry them out.

Bring a plain oil (e.g. rapeseed) to 130°C – use a probe or sugar thermometer to achieve this. Drop the chips in and fry until they turn a very pale yellow and as Heston says, “have a dry appearance”. It’s an odd description but you’ll know it when you see it. Don’t let them turn brown. This will take another 10 minutes.

Drain again, bake on the tray and back in the freezer to dry out.

Bring the oil up to 180°C. Chips back in, now let’s get them coloured. Keep them in there until you get a nice dark brown on the edges. Yep, another 10 minutes. When done drain thoroughly and chuck on the Maldon sea salt – they can take quite a bit.

mince patties with a polenta crust

Posted by Gary in beef, food, polenta July 21, 2010

This wasn’t something I saw on TV. This wasn’t a recipe I copied from a fellow blogger. No, Google made me cook this.

I was thumbing through my Webmaster Tools (if you’re a blogger or website owner and you don’t use this you’re mad – it’s so fascinating and can tell you a lot of things about what visitors you get and why) and one of the search terms was “mince patties with polenta”. A lightbulb went off in my head, what a brilliant idea given how in love I am with polenta at the moment.

It turned out jolly nice, especially partnered with a fruity tomato sauce. And best of all can be changed dead easily depending on what’s in the cupboard.

Mince patties with a polenta crust:

For the patties:

300g beef mince

1 tablespoon lemon, olive and herb rub

1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

4 tablespoons fine polenta

For the tomato sauce:

1 onion, finely diced

1 clove of garlic, sliced

1 tin tomatoes

200ml vegetable stock

200g broad beans

Few basil leaves, torn up

Combine the mince with the herbs and rub and season well. Form into burger shapes and refrigerate for half an hour (this helps them stay together when cooking).

To make the tomato sauce, fry the onion in garlic gently for 10 minutes in a little oil until softened. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Five minutes before the end cook the broad beans in water until tender and then add to the sauce, stirring through. Check for seasoning – it may need sugar and vinegar to get the balance right. Add the basil at the last minute.

To finish the patties, spread the polenta out over a plate. Dip the patties in beaten egg and then coat thoroughly in polenta. Fry gently for 5 minutes on each side until browned. Drain on kitchen paper before serving.

lemon, olive and herb rub

Posted by Gary in food, lime, olives July 21, 2010

Do you like recipes that you can knock out in 20 minutes after work? Me too. This is not one of those recipes. The flavours here are complimentary to many things but particularly food with a Mediterranean angle. Great on chicken, great on fish… and of course you can vary it according to what’s knocking about threatening to go off.

Lemon, olive and herb rub:

A couple of handfuls of olives

Peel of 1 lemon

Peel of 1 orange

Large handful of rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 100°C. Lay everything out on a baking tray in one layer and pop it in.

You’re waiting for everything to turn paper dry – between 1½ - 2 hours. Put everything aside to cool.

Blitz to a fine powder and store in an airtight tub.

balsamic chicken with roasted new potatoes

Posted by Gary in balsamic vinegar, chicken, food, paprika, potatoes July 19, 2010

I was keen to try out some Merchant Gourmet balsamic syrup I’d got hold of and chicken skewers seemed like just the thing. I marinated them for an hour and grilled them on each side. Unfortunately they were a little overdone and tough. It didn’t lend a lot of taste to the meat either – perhaps I should’ve basted again while cooking. A bit disappointing.

One the potatoes however it was smash – sweet and sharp, just the job.

(Served here with sweet and sour peppers)

Balsamic chicken with roasted new potatoes:

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts, sliced

2 tablespoons Merchant Gourmet balsamic syrup

For the potatoes:

500g new potatoes

1 garlic clove, bashed

Couple of tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Merchant Gourmet balsamic syrup

Marinate the chicken breasts in the syrup for at least an hour.

Parboil the potatoes for ten minutes until knife tender. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Squish the potatoes slightly with the end of a rolling pin to open them up. Drizzle the potatoes in oil, season well with sea salt and coat with balsamic syrup. Place into the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until crisp.

Season the chicken and place under a hot grill. Cook on both sides until done. Serve with potatoes and sweet and sour peppers.

braised puy lentils with leeks

Posted by Gary in food, leeks, lentils, pancetta July 18, 2010

I happened upon this recipe on the Merchant Gourmet site. I’m a big fan of leeks generally, but what attracted me to this was the chance to try out some ready-to-eat puy lentils. I love lentils, particularly puy, but who has time for all that soaking and boiling? As you may be aware I’ve no problem with pre-cooked grains, pulses and noodles, as they cut into the time required for a given dish substantially.

It’s a lovely mix of flavours, but it really shows off the lentils – tender but with a meaty bite, and that lovely pepperyness you associate with puy lentils. Very tasty!

Braised puy lentils with leeks:

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely diced

200g diced pancetta

2 leeks, sliced

3 sprigs of thyme

200ml vegetable stock

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tin tomatoes

1 pack ready-to-eat lentils

Dried onions, to serve

Fry the onions and garlic over a gently heat until softened. Add the pancetta, raise the temperature and fry until coloured on all sides.

Add the leeks, thyme and a pinch of cayenne pepper and cook for a couple of minutes until starting to soften. Add the stock and tomatoes and simmer for a further ten minutes.

When the leeks are tender, add the lentils and cook for a further couple of minutes until the lentils are warmed through. Check for seasoning at this point, you may need some salt and perhaps a pinch of sugar if your tomatoes are a little sharp. Serve garnished with dried onions.

broad bean and artichoke salad

Posted by Gary in artichoke, bread, broad beans, food, lettuce, parmesan July 14, 2010

Felt like something quick, easy and wholesome for dinner tonight. I found this recipe on Merchant Gourmet’s site and had a bash. It was very filling and had lots of earthy flavours going on, but I didn’t feel the mint added anything and yet there was still something missing. A really sticky-sweet balsamic dressing might do the trick, or perhaps a little grated apple.

Not a bad start, but needs some work.

Broad bean and artichoke salad:

6 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil

100g parmesan shavings

1 ciabatta loaf

400g grilled artichokes

finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

300g frozen broad beans

1 little gem lettuce, finely shredded

handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

Boil the broad beans for 4-5 mins until tender. While draining add a little pumpkin oil and lemon juice, tossing around to coat.

Lightly brush the cut sides of the ciabatta with 4 tbsp of the Pumpkin Seed Oil and place cut side up on the grill pan and scatter with salt flakes. Lightly grill for 1-2 minutes until pale golden and crisp.

Meanwhile place the artichoke hearts into a bowl with the lemon rind and juice, remaining Pumpkin Seed Oil, broad beans, little gem, mint and parmesan and toss together. Season generously with a little salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and toss again.

Serve the salad on the warm toasted ciabatta.

kalbi

Posted by Gary in beef, food, garlic, ginger, steak, sugar and tagged with judy joo July 13, 2010

After revealing to me that her favourite meal in Atlanta was Korean BBQ, I sheepishly admitted to @SlowFoodKitchen that I’d never tried the cuisine. So I asked around for ideas to knock up tonight. I settled on this recipe from renowned chef Judy Joo. Thanks also go to @gourmetraveller for the tips.

I didn’t quite have everything to hand for the Ssam Jang sauce – I approximated flavours and texture from the ingredient list. What I ended up with was an angry peanut butter, and dead more-ish to boot. The beef itself was great, all sticky and sweet with that savoury tang of those best buddies garlic and ginger.

Consider me a Korean BBQ convert!

Kalbi:

500g beef rib steak, sliced into thin pieces

100g sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

15g fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon fresh black pepper

For my not- Ssam Jang sauce:

2 tablespoons chilli sauce

1 teaspoon tomato puree

1 tablespoon tahini

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Cover the beef in the sugar and leave to cure for 30 minutes. Shake off the excess sugar and discard what’s left in the bowl.

Combine the garlic, ginger, soy, oils, pepper and sesame seeds and leave the sugared beef to marinate in this for 2 hours.

To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Get a pan or griddle really darn hot and fry the beef quickly for a minute on each side until nicely caramelized. Serve with rice and crisp lettuce leaves.

Big Spud

a blog devoted to roast potatoes and other recipes

Monthly Archives: July 2010