Perfect Beef Stew

Fom Felicity Cloakes article on The Guardian website.

800g shin of beef

2 tbsp flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

Beef dripping, butter or oil

2 onions, sliced

300ml beef stock

300ml stout 

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs of thyme

2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky slices

2 small turnips, peeled and cut into chunks

For the dumplings:

100g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

50g suet

Small bunch of chives and parsley, finely chopped

1. Trim the beef of its outer sinew and cut into large chunks. Toss with the seasoned flour to coat. Heat a heavy-bottomed casserole or pan on a medium flame and add a knob of dripping or butter, or a couple of tablespoons of oil. Brown the meat in batches, adding more fat if necessary – be careful not to overcrowd the pan, or it will boil in its own juices – then transfer to a bowl. Scrape the bottom of the pan regularly to prevent any residue from burning.

2. Once all the meat is browned, add some more fat to the pan and cook the onions until soft and slightly browned. Add them to the beef and then pour in a little stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add the beef and onions, the rest of the stock and the stout, season, and add the herbs. Bring to the boil, then partially cover, turn down the heat, and simmer gently for two hours.

3. Add the carrots and turnips, and simmer for about another hour, until the meat is tender enough to cut with a spoon. Leave to cool, overnight if possible, and then lift the solidified fat off the top and bring to a simmer.

4. Meanwhile, make the dumplings by sifting the flour into a bowl and adding the rest of the ingredients and just enough cold water to bring it together into a dough. Roll it into 6 dumplings and add these to the stew. Partially cover and simmer for 25 minutes, then check the seasoning of the gravy, and serve with steamed greens.

Chicken & Pea Risotto

Another left-over Chicken dish…

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 190g Risotto rice

• 1 small glass white wine
• 500ml Chicken Stock (warm before adding)
• Cooked Chicken breasts, chopped
• 1 tbsp thyme leaf
• 100g frozen peas
• Crispy Bacon to scatter on top
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve

1] Heat oil in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic for 5 mins. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 min more, until it starts to look transparent. Pour in the wine and keep stirring until all the liquid is absorbed.


2] Add the stock and simmer until the rice is just tender. Stir through the chicken, thyme and peas, then cook for 2 mins or until the chicken is warmed through. Add the crème fraîche and Parmesan with some seasoning, then remove from the heat. Cover with a lid and leave to stand for 2 mins before serving with extra Parmesan.

Pasta with Yellow Pepper Sauce

Extra virgin olive oil
3 cups diced sweet onion
2 leeks, white part only, diced
4 Yellow bell peppers, cleaned of all seeds and pulp sliced very thin
Salt
Black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to sprinkle over the finished dish


1] In a large sauté pan heat oil over medium to medium high heat and add onions and leeks. Cook stirring occasionally for eight minutes adjusting heat so that leeks don’t brown. Add peppers, salt, pepper and thyme and stir. Lower heat and cook covered for five minutes. Add a cup of water and cook covered for five more minutes. Add another cup of water and cook covered for another five minutes.

2] Using a blender puree the mixture until very smooth. If too thick, add a little water. Pour back into pan.

3] Cook pasta according to package directions until slightly less than done. (Reserve pasta water, do not drain).

4] Place pasta in with sauce and cook over medium heat adding small ladles of pasta water until pasta is fully cooked and sauce is the proper constancy. Remove from heat and mix in as much Parmesan cheese to your tastes - Careful not to overpower the sweet yellow pepper flavour.

Serve with additional grated Parmesan cheese over each portion.

Slow cooked Ox Cheeks in Wine

 3 Ox Cheeks
 2 Carrots, chopped
 2 Celery, chopped
 1 Onion, chopped
 2 Garlic Cloves 
 500ml of Red Wine
 1 Clove
 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
 750ml of Beef Stock
 2 Bay Leaves
 1 Star Anise
 1 tsp Thyme
 2 tbsp of Tomato Purée
 2 Anchovies
 100g of Plain Flour, seasoned with a generous grinding of salt
 Salt
 Black Pepper
 Flat-leaf Parsley, to serve

1] Trim any excess fat off the ox cheeks and place this fat into a large pan. Place over a moderate heat and allow the fat to melt and render down.
2] While this is happening, cut each cheek into six even pieces and dust lightly and evenly with the seasoned flour.
3] Once the fat has completely rendered down, increase the heat and add the ox cheeks to the hot fat, browning all over until dark and golden. You may need to add a little extra oil if the pan is too dry. Remove the cheeks from the pan and set aside to cool.
4] Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2.
5] Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic to the same pan over a moderate-low heat and sweat down in the residual fat until soft and lightly caramelised.
6] Increase the heat and add the meat back to the pan along with the tomato purée. Mix together so that the ox cheeks and vegetables are coated in the purée and cook out for 2–3 minutes.
7] Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping the base of the pan to mix in all the caramelised meat and vegetables. Add the wine, clove, cinnamon, stock, thyme, star anise, bay and anchovies then bring everything to the boil.
8] Cover the pan with a lid and transfer to the oven to cook for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
9] After this time check the meat to ensure the cheeks are very tender, but not falling apart. Return to the oven, turn off the heat and leave to sit for 30 minutes for the flavours to improve.
10] To serve, reheat either in the oven or on the stove and season to taste, serve hot with mashed potato or soft polenta.

Lion’s Mane Pork Balls with sweet chilli dipping sauce

Pork Balls
100g/3½oz glutinous rice (I used Basmati and it came out a bit more spikey, but in a fun way visually ;)
350g/12oz pork mince
2 garlic
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese rice wine
1½ tbsp fresh chopped coriander
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


You can season the pork with anything you fancy, you don't need to stick to the ingredients above...

Dipping Sauce
3 tsp caster sugar
1½ tbsp sherry vinegar
1½ tbsp light soy sauce
2 small shallots
1-2 small red chillies
3 tsp sesame oil

Garnish
small bunch spring onions
1 cucumber
1 lemon

1. Whisk up all the ingredients for the Pork Balls, then add the pork and gently massage it all together with your fingers. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Best to have the sink filled with some warm water to deal with the pork fat on your hands after doing this ;)

2. Meanwhile make the dipping sauce. Mix together the sugar, sherry vinegar and soy sauce until the sugar dissolves. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together until combined. Cover with cling film and leave to infuse, stirring occasionally.

3. With wet hands, roll the pork mixture into walnut-sized balls and then roll in the rice to coat
evenly.

4. Line the base of the top section of a steamer with greaseproof paper, (I used lengths of leeks as I didn’t have any greaseproof paper… worked just fine…) then steam the balls in batches for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Once cooked, skewer the pork balls, three at a time, onto wooden skewers and arrange on a serving platter.

Serve with the dipping sauce and garnish with shredded spring onion, cucumber and lemon wedges.

Butternut Squash 'Healthyish' Cake

A lovely moist and naturally sweet cake. Play around with the amount of Muscovado vs Sultanas - the first version I tried was a bit to overly sweet... But I don't have a sweet tooth...

75g Wholegrain Spelt flour, (unrefined with all the goodness)
1½ tsp Baking Powder,
160g Butternut squash, roasted and blitzed (just put the whole Squash in the oven on a backing tray, medium temp for about 40 mins until a skewer/knife slides in and out of the flesh easily and clean. Your choice whether to leave the caramelized skin on before you blitz it, but do top/tail it and de-seed it!)
75g Light Brown Muscovado Sugar (unrefined with all the goodness)
75g Softened butter
2 Eggs, medium
30g Sultanas
Grated zest of an Orange
Half of the Orange, juice squeezed into the mix

Pre-heat oven to 190°C

1] Line a 20cm round shallow tin with baking paper and grease.
2] Sieve the Flour & Baking Powder into a bowl and hand mix in the Muscovado Sugar and Sultanas.
3] Add the Butter, Eggs, Orange Juice and Zest then spatula/spoon hand work it together until blended.
4] Add the Butternut Squash. You will have to judge how much, to get a not too wet texture.
5] Pour into the tin and level.
6] Bake in the centre of oven for 20 - 25 mins until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7] Allow to cool for 10 mins in the tin before transferring to a cooling rack.

Substitute roasted Parsnip for the Butternut Squash for an earthier flavour. Just put them on a baking tray, unpeeled/untrimmed, drizzled with some Oil/Salt/Pepper. Trim the tops and blitz.

Try adding in spices such as All-Spice, ground Roasted Cumin, Ginger etc when you mix up the Flour & Baking Powder.

Extra experiments to be done replacing the Butter with Coconut Oil/Solids...

Spicy Tofu Stir-Fry

Tofu Marinade
• 1 pack of firm tofu, cubed
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic, crushed 
• 1 teaspoon crushed Chilli flakes
• Generous dollop of runny Honey
• Splash of Light Soy Sauce


Veg

• 1 Onion, sliced, caramelised

• 1 Red Pepper, roasted, peeled, sliced
• Carrot
• Mushrooms
• Fennel

• Sesame Oil
• Soy Sauce

Drain the marinade liquid into your wok and fry off to get a rich spicy base.

Thinly slice the Fennel and place on a dry griddle pan.

Fry off the veg and add the Tofu.

Stir in the Red Peppers and Onions.

Serve and finish off with some Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce.

We had some cooked Rice, so we added that - In hindsight this would have been better off fried separately.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

Serves 6 - 8

8 Yukon Gold or Rooster Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" slices (about 3 lbs.) (Don't wash/rinse the slices).
500ml Double Cream
5 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
1 sprig of Thyme
1 sprig of Rosemary
Salt and Peppe
Freshly ground Nutmeg (go easy)
Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1] Place the Potatoes in a large pot and add the Cream, 4 of the Garlic cloves, and the herbs. Season with Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg.

2] Bring to a boil, then quickly reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, remove from the heat and discard the Garlic and Herbs.

3] Use the remaining Garlic clove to rub around the inside of a large oven proof gratin dish. Butter the inside of the gratin dish so that it is evenly coated.

4] Put the Potatoes and Cream into the gratin dish. Cook for 40 minutes until the mixture is brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Basic Bread recipe

Basic Bread recipe

400g Strong White Bread Flour
100g Wholemeal Flour
15g Dried Active Yeast
Sugar or Honey
10g Salt
350ml Tepid Water
Olive Oil

1] Put the Yeast in a small bowl, add some Sugar or Honey and a dash of tepid water. Let it sit in a warm place until it froths up nicely.
2] Measure out your Flour and add the Salt, mixing it in.
3] Add the Yeast and mix through, and quickly add the Water. The Salt will kill the Yeast, so move fast.
4] Stir with a fork. You can use your hands, but it gets a bit messy.
5] When it starts coming together, turn it out onto the work surface. Add a glug of Olive Oil into the mixing bowl.
6] Using your hands, start working it into a ball, adding more Flour or Water as needed.
7] When the dough has lost it stickiness start kneading and stretching the dough for about 5 minutes.
8] Form the dough into a ball.
9] Roll the dough ball around in the Olive Oil and cover it with Cling Film.
10] Let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
11] Pull the dough out and gently knead it again for a minute or so.
12] Oil or Flour whatever loaf tin/tray/saucepan you are going to cook it in, dust the top with Flour and cover it with a tea towel. Place the pan/pot/loaf tin in the oven. This is important, as when you take the tea towel off the colder air hitting the yeast warmed dough will make it collapse, so it's best to not move the raised dough around from place to place.
13] When the dough has risen under the tea towel, put the oven on a low heat for a few minutes, then gently remove the tea towel. Shut the oven door gently and turn the heat up to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and set the timer to 15 minutes.
14] After 15, revolve the pan/pot/loaf tin 180 degrees.
15] Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it with your fingers. Let the loaf rest on a wire rack for about half an hour.

If you have the time, do a second prove in the bowl before you do the final proving in the pan/pot/loaf tin.

Play around with the ratio of White and Wholemeal Flour.

Add in some finely chopped herbs to the dry flour mix.

Clementine & Almond Torte - (with versions)

Gluten Free (no flour)

1lb Clementine (about 6 fruit)
1x 250g pack of Ground Almonds
50g Sugar
6 Eggs (Chicken or Duck, see versions below)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1] In a pot big enough to fit all the Clementine in a single layer. Cover with water and bring to the boil.

2] Reduce the heat so it simmers gently for 2 hours. Give the fruit a gentle stir every now and then, try not to break the fruit, and check the water level. Top it up with a little boiling water if you want to. You really don't want this pot to burn… It's horrible to clean (from personal experience…)

3] After 2 hours strain the fruit, keeping the liquid, and let them cool.

4] Once the fruit have cooled, slice them in half over the bowl you have strained the cooking juice into as they will drip lots of goodness. Remove and discard any pips. Some have none, some have one, some have two. Drop the cut fruit into a food processor as you de-pip them.

5] Get the oven on, set it to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5.

6] Whiz up the fruit in the food processor until smooth. Keep whizzing and add in an Egg one at a time, I suggest 5 as we have to judge the consistency. Add in half of the juicy cooking water.

7] Add in the Almonds, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt and the splash of Vanilla Extract.

8] Judgement time. You will probably want to add more of the cooking water, and possibly another Egg.

9] Grease a 6 inch spring-side-loaded baking pan with a generous amount of butter, or line it with baking paper, greased.

10] Pour the lovely gloop into your baking pan and put in the oven.

11] Check on after 20 mins and turn the pan through 180 degrees. Overall you are looking at a cook time of 45-50 minutes until it gets a nice soft brown colour on the top. You can check this by poking a skewer/toothpick in the middle - when it comes out clean, it's done. If the top crust is burning too soon, slip some foil over the top.

12] When cooked, or even 5 minutes before, turn the oven off and leave the door open for a good ten minutes. I have found that the Torte can collapse with the sudden change in air temperature if you rush it out of the oven.

13] When you are happy with the Torte, remove it from the pan and let it rest on a wire rack.

14] It seems to set/taste better a couple of days after you cook this, so plan ahead.

Version 2 - No Nuts
For an Almond free recipe, add another Duck Egg or two and double the amount of Baking Powder.
The Duck Eggs definitely make for a richer 'custard'.

Version 3 - Added Lime Zing
Throw in a whole Lime to the starting boil off situation - This will obviously need careful handling with de-pipping before you throw it in to be whizzed up with the Clementines.

Version 4 - I bought too many Clementines - Added Zing
The veg guys at the market were doing big bowls of Clementines for £2 - So I boiled off the first lot as above, then mashed/sieved this batch and used it as the cooking water for the second batch - Nicely intense.

Untested - Add into the first boil off:
Cinnamon Stick
Star Enisse
Fresh Ginger
Whole Red Chilli

Leftover Chicken - Thai Broth

A really simple and tasty use for that leftover chicken and home made stock after you have had a roast.

Leftover Chicken
Homemade Chicken Stock
Shallots
Vegetable Oil
*Garlic Cloves
*Green Chillies
*Lemon Grass stick
*Galangal
Fresh Ginger
Red Chilli, if you want a bit more zing

*(you can sometimes get these four all together in little packs in supermarkets)

1] Gently fry off the finely chopped Shallots in a little Oil.
2] When the Shallots start browning, add the crushed Garlic and stir for 30 seconds so as to avoid burning the Garlic.
3] Add a generous amount of Chicken Stock and set the heat to a simmer.
4] Add in the bruised Lemon Grass, sliced Chilli, a chunk of the Galangal and some finely sliced Ginger.
5] Simmer until the liquid reduces, add the shredded Chicken and turn the heat off.
6] Let it sit for as long as you like so the flavours infuse the Chicken.
7] Gently reheat and, if needed, reduce the liquid as desired.
8] Serve over rice of your choice, and for a bit more zing grate some Red Chilli over the top.

Lamb and Yogurt Curry

Serves 4

1 Large Onion - Grated

4 Garlic Cloves - Roughly chopped

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

4 Cardamom Pods, split

1 Cinnamon Stick

2 Fresh Bay Leafs

600g  Lamb Shoulder or Leg, cubed

Water and/or Stock

Ground Fresh Ginger

1 Lime

Plain Yogurt

Spice Mix

2 teaspoons of Fennel Seeds

1 teaspoon Ground Coriander

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

2 teaspoons Paprika

Pinch of Ground Turmeric

Dry roast the whole spices, then add all the spices to a mortar and pestle and finely grind them.

1) Heat the Oil in a wok, or big pan with a lid, over a moderate flame.

2) Add the Cardamom, Cinnamon and Bay. Swirl them around in the Oil for 30 seconds or so.

3) Add the grated Onion, lower the heat and cook until nearly browned.

4) Add the Garlic and fry for 30 seconds.

5) Add the Lamb and stir until the meat is browned all over and any water from the Lamb has reduced. Add the Spice Mix stirring to coat everything.

6) Add enough hot Water or Stock to just cover the Lamb. Bring the heat up so it just reaches boiling then immediately reduce the heat.

7) Stir in some of the Yogurt. It will might separate/curdle - don't worry, it will cook down fine.

8) Grate in the Lime rind and Fresh Ginger to taste.

9) Get the heat so it just bubbles away. Cover and stir occasionally.

10) Cook until the Lamb is tender, about 20-30 mins, and the liquid has reduced.

Serve over Fragrant/Plain Rice topped with some more Yogurt.

Perfect Sautéed Potatoes

Serves 4

4 Medium Potatoes (Maris Piper/King Edwards)
2 Tablespoons of neutral Vegetable Oil
Fresh Sea Salt/Black Pepper to taste
20g Unsalted Butter
Chicken Stock (optional)

A quick tip from Raymond Blanc - from his book Kitchen Secrets.

1) Peel the Potatoes and cut into regimented dices.
2) Rinse under cold water and leave to drain.
3) Blanch the Potatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain them in a colander to drain and cool off.
4) Heat the Oil in a large flat pan on a high heat and add the Potatoes, Salt and Pepper.
5) Sautée for about 5 minutes until they are golden brown.
6) Lower the heat and add the Butter and Stock. Stir to emusify and serve.

If you over blanch the Potatoes.
It happens. Boil the Potatoes for more than 30 seconds and they will be way too wet to sautée. Here is a tasty fix that I threw together.

1) Sweat off some finely chopped Onions in Butter and Oil. Let them cool.
2) Finely dice some cooked Beetroot.
3) Mash up your over blanched Potatoes.
4) Mix it all up and season with whatever you fancy.
5) Form into cakes and gently fry in Vegetable Oil/Butter until they get a nice crust.

Flaky Pie Dough

315 grams all purpose flour
15 grams sugar
5 grams table salt
225 grams unsalted butter, very cold
Ice cold water

To Make in a Food Processor:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
• With the machine running, quickly add some of the water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream; stop when the dough holds together without turning wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time (preferably mixing by hand so as not to destroy the lumps of butter).
• Divide the dough ball into two, and flatten each half into a rough disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill for at minimum 1 hour (this time increment allows for the water to fully hydrate the dough, making for a more cohesive product that's easier to roll out).

Makes 2 pie dough rounds, or enough for one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies.

- You can make this dough either by hand using a pastry cutter, or in a food processor, but it's harder to overwork the pie dough when using a pastry cutter.
- It's very important to keep all of the ingredients cold throughout the assembly process. If the butter starts to soften, stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes to allow it to firm up.
- If not using the dough within 2-3 days, wrap the plastic-wrapped discs in tinfoil, or place in a heavy-duty resealable bag and freeze until needed. Thaw in the fridge overnight before use.

Adapted from here:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/pie-crust-102-all-butter-really-flaky-pie-dough/

Roast Pork Shoulder and Pears

Time - 6 hours approx

    •    2 teaspoons Fennel seeds
    •    1/2 teaspoon whole Black Peppercorns
    •    Sea Salt
    •    One 4 1/2-pound boneless Pork shoulder
    •    4 to 5 large Potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
    •    5 cloves Garlic, unpeeled
    •    6 to 8 medium whole Shallots or 1 large Onion cut into 6 wedges or a Leek chopped chunky
    •    3 Carrots, cut into large pieces
    •    2 large Pears, cut into quarters
    •    Cornflour or all-purpose flour
    •    White Wine,
    •    Chicken Stock
    •    Freshly ground Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

1) Grind the fennel seeds, peppercorns and salt.

2) Place the pork shoulder into a roasting pan and cut the rind into cross hatches. Rub the spice mixture into the meat and put it in the oven for 4 hours.

3) Arrange the potatoes around and under the meat and put it back into the oven for 1 hour.

4) dd the garlic, shallots and carrots around the pork. Cook for 30 minutes.

5) Add the pears. Cook for another 30 minutes

When the meat is tender and flakes with a fork, remove it and the vegetables and keep warm. This will give the pork time to rest and become more tender. If the pork rind is not crispy, put it under the broiler for a few minutes until it is really crunchy and crispy.

To make the gravy, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the roasting pan. Stir the flour into the roasting pan, add the wine, put the roasting pan onto a burner over medium-high heat and cook until the wine is reduced by half. If not using the wine, do this with the stock. Now add the stock and scrape off any bits of meat and vegetable on the bottom of the pan. Taste and add any seasoning if you think it needs it.

If the gravy is too thin, make a paste in a bowl with 1 tablespoon and 1 tablespoon flour. Add some of the hot gravy to the small bowl and stir. Add this to the hot stock, stirring constantly and bring to a boil. The gravy will thicken slightly.

Baked Corned Beef Hash

Serves 4

A tasty dish when I am feeling like a lazy cook...

4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
Vegetable oil
1 Onion, peeled and diced
1 Red Pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 Tin of Corned Beef, chopped
Horseradish sauce/cream
A splash of Worcester Sauce or Mustard, depends what you fancy
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
chopped fresh flat leaf Parsley to garnish

1] Boil the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water for about 5 minutes. Drain well and allow to dry slightly.
2] Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the Onion and Peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften.
3] Tip in the dried Potatoes. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes until they start to turn golden brown.
4] Stir through the corned beef. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fold the Horseradish into the hash.
5] Preheat  the oven to 200*C/ 400*F/ gas mark 6.
6] Tip the hash into a lightly buttered casserole dish. Place into the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until bubbling and beginning to brown.

To serve you can top it with grated cheese or a poached/fried egg.

No Yeast Bread

30 minutes to make
Serves 4

200g plain flour
0.5 tbsp sugar
0.5 tbsp baking powder/soda
120 ml water
1 tsp vinegar
Pinch salt

1] Put all the ingredients in a bowl.
2] Slowly mix for 15 minutes until malleable.
3] Form into rolls and cover in butter for a crust.
4] Put in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees.

Apple and Pear jelly

1kg Bramley apples, peeled and cored
1kg Conference pears
500ml water
1 clove
Granulated sugar

1] Roughly slice the Apples and Pears into a pot with the water and the Clove. Bring to the boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes.
2] Using a ladle push the softened fruit through a sieve into a measuring jug. Measure how much puree you have collected then add ¾ sugar to the amount of puree you have, for example 1 litre of puree will require 750g of sugar.
3] Return to the heat, bring to the boil and then gently simmer for approx 1 hour, stirring frequently to prevent the mixture burning. After 1 hour the mixture should be thick and glossy.
4] Line small dish or mould with a little oil, so that when the mixture has set, it can be turned out easily onto a plate. The jelly must be left for 2-3 days to set.

Potted Pheasent

   •    2 Pheasant
    •    2 Onion, roughly chopped
    •    2 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
    •    Goose fat
    •    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    •    Red Wine
    •    Pheasant stock
    •    ½ tsp blade Mace
    •    ½ tsp Black Peppercorns
    •    Seed and husk of 1 Star Anise
    •    Bay leaves (1 per pot)

1] Roast off the Pheasant, keep it on the pink side of cooked. Let it rest and strip the meat off.
2] Get a stock pot on  with the bones for a rich stock.
3] Soften the Onion and Garlic in a frying pan using some of the goose fat and season with salt and pepper. Add the Red Wine and reduce.
4] Add your stock to the reduction and continue reducing.
5] Take the Mace, Peppercorns and Star Anise and grind using a pestle and mortar.
6] Put the Pheasant meat in a food processor with the spice mix and a 'little' of the liquid reduction.
7] Give the food processor a few short pulses to break up the meat, you want to keep some texture.
8] If it's too dry 'manually' mix in some more reduction. Don't use the processor, you will end up with pate.
9] Taste for season and adjust as appropriate.
10] Let the mixture cool thoroughly before spooning into your sterilised jars. Pop a Bay leaf on top.
11] Will keep for a good month unopened.

Serve with Apple and Pear jelly and some good strong cheese with melba toast or water biscuits.

This worked as a really tasty filling in puff pastry with some butter fried leeks added.

Empire Roast Chicken

From Jamie's Great Britain book and TV program.


For the chicken and marinade
• 1.4kg free-range chicken
• 1 heaped tablespoon each finely grated garlic, fresh ginger and fresh red chilli
• 1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 heaped teaspoon each of ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala and ground cumin
• 2 heaped teaspoons natural yoghurt
• 2 lemons
• 2 level teaspoons sea salt

For the gravy
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 3 small red onions, peeled
• 10 cloves
• 3 tablespoons each of white wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce
• 3 level tablespoons plain flour
• 500ml organic chicken stock
• optional: natural yoghurt, to serve

For the Bombay-style potatoes
• 800g new potatoes
• sea salt and ground pepper
• 1 lemon
• 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
• a knob of butter
• 1 heaped teaspoon each of black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garam masala and turmeric
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch of fresh coriander

Method
1] Slash the chicken’s legs a few times right down to the bone. Get a roasting tray slightly bigger than the chicken, then add all of the marinade ingredients and mix together well. Put on a pair of clean rubber gloves, then really massage those flavours over and inside the chicken so it’s smeared everywhere. Ideally marinate overnight in the fridge.

2] Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and organize your shelves so the roasting tray can sit right at the bottom, the chicken can sit directly above it, right on the bars of the shelf, and the potatoes can go at the top.

3] Halve any larger potatoes, then parboil them in a large pan of salted boiling water with a whole lemon for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Drain the potatoes then let them steam dry. Stab the lemon a few times with a sharp knife and put it right into the chicken’s cavity. Move the chicken to a plate.

4] Roughly chop the onions and add to the roasting tray along with the cinnamon stick, cloves, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, then whisk in the flour. Pour in the stock or water, then place this right at the bottom of the oven. Place the chicken straight on to the bars of the middle shelf, above the roasting tray. Cook for 1 hour 20 minutes.

5] Put another sturdy roasting tray over a medium heat and add the olive oil, a knob of butter, the mustard and cumin seeds, garam masala and turmeric – work quickly because if the fat gets too hot the mustard seeds will pop everywhere. Halve a bulb of garlic and add it straight to the pan, with the sliced chilli and chopped tomatoes.

6] Add your drained potatoes to the tray, mix everything together, then season well.

7] Finely slice and scatter in the coriander stalks, and keep the leaves in a bowl of water for later. After the chicken has been in for 40 minutes, put the potatoes in.

8] Once the chicken is cooked, move it to a board and carefully peel off the dark charred bits to reveal perfect chicken underneath. Pass the gravy through a coarse sieve into a pan, whisking any sticky goodness from the pan as you go. Bring to the boil and either cook and thicken or thin down with water to your preference. Put it into a serving bowl and drizzle over a little yoghurt. Get your potatoes out of the oven and put them into a serving bowl, then serve the chicken on a board next to the sizzling roasties and hot gravy. Sprinkle the reserved coriander leaves over everything and serve with any condiments you like.