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Nettle Soup

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It may sound bizarre but, once a year when the stinging nettles are young and fresh (usually early April), they make a great soup. The colour can be a stunning green.

Take care and, using some good rubber gloves or the like, harvest the youngest and tenderest top leaves of the new nettles. The quantity is approximately one standard washing-up bowl full. I strip the leaves from the stems, again using those trusty rubber gloves and, clearly, they need a darn good washing before drying in a salad spinner.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 2 hrs
cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients

  • 30g butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 medium new potatoes, quartered
  • 400g nettles, prepared as above
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 250ml semi-skimmed milk
  • salt & pepper

Method

In a pan large enough to take all the nettles, first melt the butter. Sweat the onion and potatoes together until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the nettles and sweat these, stirring constantly until they wilt. Then put in the chicken stock and milk and bring to simmering point. Add a little salt (I think cooking it with salt helps develop the flavour) but take care not to over do it at this stage. Simmer all together gently (take care it doesn’t boil over) for about 35 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

Blitz the soup in a liquidizer to a very smooth consistency. (You’ll probably have to do this in two batches depending upon the capacity of your liquidizer.) Return it to the pan and reheat it before adjusting the seasoning to taste with salt & pepper.


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Posted in Soups Tagged with:

Moussaka

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This is a rewrite of my original Moussaka recipe, which originally came from the Marshall Cavendish Handbook of Good Cooking (now sadly lost to me). I’ve made a few changes.

Firstly, I’ve scaled it up (and gone to metric measurements) to fit my old ceramic Jamie Oliver “Big Boy” Roaster (the smaller of the two). Being ceramic, it’s useless as a roaster ‘cos you can’t make gravy in it on the hob. It is, however, a decent deep dish for recipes such as this. This would now feed 6 generously.

Secondly, I’ve learned a much better way of pre-cooking aubergines from Ottolenghi. This makes for a much less oily finished dish.

Now to my original intro, in which I still believe. The first and most important rule of Moussaka is to ignore recipes that use potato instead of aubergine. The second rule of Moussaka is to serve lots of retsina (increasingly difficult to find – try Sainsbury’s). I think the atmosphere is enhanced if you play Greek music while you eat it but I understand your disagreeing. With or without the music, please don’t break the plates afterwards.

Planning

serves: 6-8
preparation time: 45 mins
cooking time: 1½ hrs

Ingredients

  • 1kg minced lamb
  • 3 LARGE aubergines
  • 250g onions, roughly chopped
  • 350g tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • olive oil
  • 1 tbs ground allspice
  • 3 tbs chopped fresh parsley
  • 600ml béchamel sauce (coating consistency)
  • yolks of 2 eggs
  • ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
  • 90g Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Wipe, top and tail the aubergines, then cut them into 1cm slices. Sprinkle these with a little salt before brushing each slice with a little olive oil on both sides and placing them on lined baking trays (you’ll need two). bake the aubergines in the oven for 30 minutes (no need to turn) when they should turn a light golden brown.

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Fry the onions gently until soft and lightly coloured – about 10 minutes. Add the lamb and fry, stirring frequently until lightly browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, allspice, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well, cover and cook gently for about 20 mins. The tomatoes should break down.

Heat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Arrange a layer of aubergine slices on the bottom of a large, deep, ovenproof dish. You should use about half the aubergines. Cover the base aubergines with your meat sauce, then add a further layer of aubergine slices on the top.

Warm the béchamel sauce very gently over low heat, then stir in the egg yolks and nutmeg together with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce evenly over the top layer of aubergines and sprinkle the top with the grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 mins until the top is lightly golden and bubbling.

Serve this with a green salad and lashings of cold retsina. You could, of course, try Greek salad but I think that’s a bit overkill.


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Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Shanks

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One of Mr. Slater’s, thus far unadulterated by myself. A warm, cozy, comforting meal for dismal winter evenings.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

  • 2 lamb shanks
  • 1 tbs flour
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil
  • 1 large aubergine, halved lengthwise & thickly sliced
  • 3 medium onions, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 tbs tomato purée
  • 2 tsp harissa paste
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 tin (400g) plum tomatoes, chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.

Season the flour with a few grindings of pepper and salt in a large polythene bag. Put in the lamb shanks, close the bag and agitate well to dust them all over with the seasoned flour. In a casserole that will just take the lamb comfortably, brown the shanks in a little olive oil over moderate heat. Remove the lamb to a plate.

In the same pan, brown the aubergine adding a little more oil as it gets absorbed. Remove the aubergine and reserve it along with the lamb.

Now put the onions and garlic into the pan and cook these together for about 5 minutes to get them soft and pale golden. Add a little more oil if necessary. Toss in the cinnamon stick, harissa paste and tomato purée, stir and cook for a minute, then add the chopped plum tomatoes (and all the can juices). Stir in about ½ tsp salt and return the lamb and aubergine to the pan. Top up with enough water almost to cover the lamb shanks. Agitate again to mix and bring the pan to simmering point. Cover with a tight fitting lid and braise in the oven for 2 – 2½ hours until the lamb is very tender and almost falling from the bones.

Lift the meat from the pan and simmer the juices on the hob to concentrate the flavour. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt, pepper and harissa if necessary.


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Posted in Meat Tagged with:

Monkfish and Spring Vegetables

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From good ol’ Keith Floyd’s Floyd on France . This is a great one-pot fish dish that usually suits even those who may be a little nervous of eating fish. The earthy flavours from the vegetables used in the dish are terrific. Chard is a tad difficult to find but asparagus spears make a very good alternative since they also have an earthy flavour.

Planning

serves: 6
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 kg monkfish tail, skinned & cut in large pieces
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 750g celeriac, peeled and diced
  • 12 new potatoes, peeled and grated
  • 150g small turnips, peeled and diced
  • 150g carrots, peeled and diced
  • 200g peas
  • 150g swiss chard (white only), chopped
  • 100g pancetta cubes
  • 150g butter
  • salt and pepper
  • 25ml double cream
  • 300ml fish stock

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Gently fry the monkfish, vegetables and pancetta until the onion is transparent. Season with salt and pepper and arrange them evenly in an ovenproof dish. Moisten the fish and vegetables with some of the stock. (Don’t make it too wet.)

Bake the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes. It should be bubbling nicely and just beginning to brown. While the fish is baking, reduce the fish stock by half, whisk in the double cream and keep warm.

Once the fish is cooked, divide it between your plates and pour over the stock and cream mixture to serve.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Monkfish and Pink Peppercorn Sauce

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One year, on holiday in France we ate monkfish with a green peppercorn sauce at a restaurant in La Rochelle. I loved it and tried to duplicate it after returning home. I have since discovered pink peppercorns (which aren’t really peppercorns at all) and prefer their more delicate, slightly fruity taste. So, here is the current incarnation of the recipe.

Planning

serves: 2
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 monkfish tail, skinned
  • ½ carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • ½ rib celery, thinly sliced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp pink peppercorns (in brine, not dried)
  • 1 oz butter
  • 5 fl oz single cream
  • salt and pepper

Method

First, fillet the monk tail. Make a small amount of stock (about 5 fl oz) by simmering the bone together with the carrot, shallot, celery and 1 tsp peppercorns for 20 mins.

Select a saute pan with a lid and in it melt the butter over medium heat. Put in the monk fillets cut side down and cook them unril lightly tinged. Flip them over and cook them for about 1 minute on the other side. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 5 mins or until just done. Remove them from the pan, reserving the liquid which should have accumulated, and keep them warm while you make the sauce.

Add 5 fl oz stock to the liquid in the saute pan, increase the heat and bring it to the boil. Add the remaining 1 tsp peppercorns and boil to reduce the liquid by about half. Stir in the cream and bring to the boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper (which you may not need).


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Mackerel en Escabeche

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This is a very slight modification to Sophie Grigson’s version of the Spanish pickled fish recipe, here done with mackerel. The original actually uses whole trout but I like fillets as a starter for a summer garden party in years when the weather is conducive. One great advantage is that it must be made ahead of time so the final day is less of a rush. I like to dilute the white wine vinegar with water to make the result a little gentler. Depending on your wine vinegar and taste, you may want to use straight vinegar, as in the original.

Planning

serves: 8
preparation time: 30 mins
cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 8 mackerel fillets
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil, for frying
  • ½ cucumber, peeled & sliced thinly
  • 1 red onion, sliced paper thin
  • 1 yellow pepper, deseeded & sliced thinly
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded & sliced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp allspice berries, crushed
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 100ml white wine vinegar
  • 50ml water (or more wine vinegar, depending on taste)
  • 85ml olive oil

Method

Rub the lemon juice on both sides of the mackerel fillets, season and leave for 30 minutes. Dry them on kitchen towel and fry them in hot olive oil until lightly browned on both sides. Place them in a shallow dish.

Place the remaining ingredients (from the cucumber down) in a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for three minutes, stirring a little to blend. Pour this marinade over the fish, allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate over night.


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Posted in Starters Tagged with:

Lemon Sole Meunière

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I?ve heard it claimed by my favourite fishy chef that the best way to cook Lemon Sole is to grill it on the bone. Whilst I agree with that treatment being the most appropriate for Dover Sole, my taster and I both prefer Lemon Sole done like this.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 45 mins
cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 Lemon Sole
  • 5 tbs plain flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground paprika
  • 1-2 ozs unsalted butter

Method

Fillet each sole and skin each fillet. Trim each fillet of the fan-like flesh from the outside edge; it falls off anyway during cooking and looks ugly! (Use the heads, tails, frames and trimmings of the fish to make stock – it?s great for the bouillabaisse.)

Before you start cooking the fish, make sure your vegetable accompaniments are cooked and keeping warm.

Mix the seasonings (adjust to taste) with the plain flour on a dinner plate. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over moderate heat. Lightly dust each sole fillet with seasoned flour; patting off any excess. Do only as many fillets as can be cooked in one batch. Being careful not to overcook the fish, quickly fry each fillet on both sides. Between 1 and 2 minutes a side should do nicely. Repeat until all the fillets are done.

Try this with the Vegetables for Fish.


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Posted in Fish Tagged with:

Lemon Grass Prawns with Papaya Salsa

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Based on an idea by Sybil Kapoor writing in Waitrose Food Illustrated ; the quantities here have been adjusted to make it suitable for a starter and the cooking time has been reduced to something more appropriate.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 1¾ hrs
cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 stems lemon grass, finely sliced
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red Thai chilli, finely sliced
  • 3 limes
  • 16 raw tiger prawns, prepared
  • handful coriander leaves, chopped
  • ¼ cucumber
  • 2 oz mixed salad leaves
  • pepper

Method

In a bowl, combine 2 tbsp olive oil, 2/3 chilli, the juice of 1 lime and the prawns. Chill for an hour. In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining 1/3 chilli with juice of ½ lime.

Peel the papaya, halve it, scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut the flesh into dice of about 1 cm, then add them to the lime and chilli mixture. Add the coriander, season lightly with salt and pepper, mix well, cover and set aside.

Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, slice it and mix with the salad leaves. Whisk 2 tbsp olive oil together with the juice of ½ lime and a little salt and pepper.

Immediately before you serve, dress the salad with th eoil and lime mixture and divide it between 4 plates. Heat a lightly oiled cast iron griddle pan over medium heat. Season the prawns lightly with pepper and grill them about 2 minutes each side. Add 4 to each plate of salad together with a spoonful of the papaya salsa and a wedge of the remaining lime.


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Posted in Starters Tagged with: ,

Lebanese Lemon Chicken

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This one is based on a recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Kitchen . Since I don’t yet know where to buy farika, I’ve only ever used bulghur wheat. Why one would use tequila or vodka instead of the white wine, I just don’t know either.

Planning

serves: 4
preparation time: 15 mins
cooking time: 60 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken cut into serving pieces
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tbs (heaped) flour
  • 5 tbs olive oil
  • 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
  • 1 red onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 preserved lemon or 1½ preserved limes
  • 1 sprig rosemary, roughly chopped
  • 150g farika or bulghur wheat
  • 1 wineglass white wine, tequila or vodka
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 565ml (1 pt) chicken stock
  • 1 small tub sour cream or crème fraîche

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Prepare the preserved lemon/limes by removing any core and seeds before roughly chopping them. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks of about 1½ cms. Select a flame and oven proof pan (like a roasting tray) that will take the chicken pieces snugly in a single layer. Make a cartouche to fit the pan loosely. (I use a teflon non-stick sheet but greaseproof paper is more traditional!)

Grind up all the spices either in a pestle and mortar or, preferably, using a powered spice grinder to save your arms. Once you have a fine powder, add these to the flour and toss the lot into a large polythene bag. Close the bag firmly and shake well to mix. Now add the chicken to the bag and toss well again to coat all the chicken with the seasoned flour mixture. Tip everything out onto a plate. (You’re going to use any excess flour mixture later.)

Heat your chosen pan on the hob and add the olive oil. Gently shake any excess flour from the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides in the hot oil. Once browned, remove them to a plate, lower the heat and add the fennel, onion, lemon/limes and rosemary. Sweat these gently for about five mins until softened. Stir in the excess seasoned flour, then add the farika/bulghur wheat and stir well again. Add the alcohol stirring well until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the sweet potato chunks and stir once again.

Add the chicken stock up to the same level as the grains and vegetables. (Use extra water if necessary.) Cover the vegetable mixture with the loose-fitting cartouche, oiled lightly (if necessary) to prevent sticking. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer on top and cook in the oven for about 45 mins until the skin crisps.

Serve with dollops of soured cream or crème fraîche. (If your fennel had some nice feathery tops, chop these and sprinkle them over too.)


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Posted in Poultry Tagged with:

Lasagne Bolognese

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These are the assembly instructions from the Marshall Cavendish Handbook of Good Cooking . Most of the work goes into the preparation of the Bolognese Sauce (qv) before you get to this assembly stage and final baking.

Planning

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

Ingredients

  • 1 qty Bolognese Sauce
  • ¾ pt Béchamel Sauce
  • 8 oz lasagne sheets
  • 8 oz mozarella cheese, sliced
  • 3 oz fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6).

Choose a suitable dish for the lasagne: you will want four layers of pasta sheets sandwiching two layers of Bolognese sauce and two layers of béchamel sauce. Grease the dish with butter and set aside.

Cook the pasta sheets in boiling salted water until tender, then drain them on clean damp cloths (e.g. tea towels).

Line the base of your chosen dish with pasta so that it comes slightly up the sides. Trim the sheets with kitchen scissors to fit if necessary. Cover the pasta with half the Bolognese sauce. Put half the mozzarella slices over the sauce and cover that with another layer of pasta. Now add half the béchamel sauce and sprinkle one third of the grated parmesan on top of that. Now build up another pasta, Bolognese sauce and mozzarella layer, then cover the cheese with the last remaining pasta. Pour the remaining béchamel sauce over the top layer of pasta and sprinkle the remaining two thirds parmesan on top of that.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Serve with a salad of the most interesting leaves you can find.


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Posted in Meat Tagged with: