The Food Diaries

Veal scaloppine with lemon and fennel

My twist on an Italian classic balances soft veal escalopes, with the kick of a super-lemony sauce and the added crunch of finely sliced fennel.

Take 250g veal escalopes and pound with a meat tenderiser hammer, or with the side of a rolling pin to flatten a bit. Dredge in 2 tsp flour and shake lightly to remove the excess. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the veal quickly, around a minute or two on each side, till lightly golden. Season with sea salt and pepper and add 1/3 cup white wine, the juice of 1 lemon, and 1 small head of fennel, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced thinly cross-wise. 

Add a knob of butter and reduce the liquid down for a couple more minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and the zest of 1 lemon. Serve immediately.

Serve 2.

Lamb tagine

A typically Moroccan dish which blends stewed meat, spices, and fruit.You don’t need to be a fan of prunes in order to enjoy this dish as the fruit disintegrates nicely into the sauce and gives it a rich and glossy finish.

In a large pot place 1kg lamb (boned shoulder, leg or neck fillet) cut into smallish pieces, along with 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp ground pepper, 1/2 tsp saffron-coloured powder, 1 tsp ground ginger, 2 garlic cloves, chopped, 1 large onion, grated, 2 tbs rapeseed oil, and a small bunch of parsley. finely chopped. Add enough water to cover and simmer, covered for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Add 350g prunes, chopped, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1- 4 tbs honey (to taste). Cook for another 20 minutes or so till the sauce is quite thick and reduced.

Serve with couscous and a handful of blanched almonds (coarsely chopped or left whole). 

Rib-eye tagliata

Tagliata (Italian for “sliced”) is a simple Italian dish of grilled steak, seasoned with a variety of toppings (rocket & parmesan, rosemary, etc.) and then sliced up before serving. This version sees one of my favourites Italian combos; garlic, parsley and lemon. 

Heat a pan with a dribble of oil, till quite hot. Season your rib-eye steak with some smoked, flaked salt and place in the pan. Grill for around 4 minutes on each side for a rare, but not too bloody piece of meat. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, add a little olive oil, a handful of chopped parsley, a chopped garlic clove and the juice of 1/2 lemon to the pan and deglaze. Turn off the heat. Return the meat to the pan, turning the meat over to coat with the sauce. Place on a cutting board and slice the meat before serving.

Roasted chicken with lemon, thyme and garlic

Take one spatchcocked 1.5kg chicken (or a 500g poussin if serving just a couple of people) and place on a roasting dish (breast side up). Rub all over with either 2-4tbs melted goose fat or olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh, chopped thyme.

Now lift up the bird by its legs and place 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges, 4 garlic unpeeled cloves, and a few sprigs of thyme underneath.

Place in an oven at 200c for 25 minutes for the poussin or 55 minutes for the chicken, till the juices run clear. Let rest a few minutes before serving with the juices in the pan.

Ham hock hash with jersey royals

Well, this may not be the prettiest of dishes (it is a hash after all), but with the addition of new season Jersey royals and good-quality ham hock it elevates this humble dish to a new level.

Bring to a boil 500g Jersey royal potatoes (don’t peel them!) and cook till just tender (around 20 minutes). In the meantime, bash 1 garlic clove with a little coarse salt in a mortar and pestle till it is reduced to a paste. Stir in 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp creamed horseradish, and 1 tsp white vinegar.

When the potatoes are done, drain and transfer to a shallow bowl. While still hot, mash each potato lightly once with a fork and then stir in the yogurt mixture, 200g shredded ham hock(about 1 cup), 1/2 cup mixed chopped herbs (parsley, chives, mint) and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper and serve while still warm.

Serves 2.

Pork medallions with port & English mustard

Season 4-6 pork medallions (300g in total) with sea salt and pepper and cook in a frying pan with a knob of butter and 1tsp of rapeseed oil (so the butter doesn’t burn) on medium-high heat; no more than 3 minutes on each side (till golden). Remove to a plate and cover with aluminium foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile add another knob of butter to the pan and add one large, finely chopped shallot (or 1 small onion) and fry on medium heat till the shallot has softened. Deglaze with 50ml red port and once the liquid has reduced add 100ml stock (any meat or vegetable one will do) and reduce down again till it has thickened. 

Turn down the heat to very low and add 3 tbs creme fraiche (the light variety will do just as fine) and 2 tsp English mustard. Return the medallions to the pan to heat through and ensure they are well coated in the sauce (make sure not to overcook!).

Serve with small new potatoes (the exquisa, tear-drop variety works great for its yellow, buttery texture and flavour).

Serves 2.

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PORK CHEEKS WITH CARAMELISED APPLES >

A winning combination: Rib-eye steak sandwich with roasted garlic and wild mushrooms

This recipe has three of my favourite things trapped between two pieces of crusty bread!

Take 1 head of garlic, drizzle with a little rapeseed oil, wrap in aluminium foil and bake in the oven at 200 for about 30 minutes.

Take two handfuls of wild mushrooms (or 1 portabello), slice and stir fry till lightly golden in a little olive oil. Add 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, a good glug of white wine or vermouth and reduce down. Season with sea salt and pepper, and some chopped parsley.

In the meantime, split a ciabatta role lengthwise and grill in the oven till lightly golden.

Take a rib eye steak and place in a hot pan, seasoning with sea salt. Turn over after about 3 minutes. Cook for another 3 minutes (for rare). Place on a board and slice across the grain.

To assemble: Spread a little horseradish cream or dijon mustard on the cut sides of the grilled bread. Squeeze out the garlic cloves from their skins directly onto the bread, and spread evenly. Transfer the mushrooms to the bottom slice of the bread and then layer steak on top. Close with the other slice of bread and cut in two.

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MINI BURGERS >

Posh mini burgers

This is a variation on a previous posting on how to assemble a mini burger.

In this case, I have replaced the standard toppings (ketchup, cheddar, sliced tomato, etc.) with something altogether more decadent. I’ve been inspired by L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon’s legendary “le burger”. 

Posh mini-burger toppings:

First off, you will need a portion of Robuchon’s own “ketchup” which is made by boiling together till caramelised the following ingredients: 125ml each of sugar, red wine vinegar, and soy sauce with 250ml ketchup and 2 heaping tbs chopped fresh ginger. Strain.

Sear small slices of foie gras, then set aside, covered.

Slice up some grilled red peppers (I get mine out of a jar).

Boil some sliced onion to remove the bitterness.

A small handful of pea shoots

Now you are ready to assemble your burgers.

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PAN-FRIED FOIE GRAS WITH PEARS AND HONEY >

Pork Cheeks with Caramelised Apples

This recipe is by Mark Sargeant of Claridge’s fame and is a total sensation: meltingly good pork cheeks (think slow-cooked brisket), sweet and buttery apples, clean and fresh cabbage. I love that top-end chefs are starting to look at the cheaper cuts of meat and coming up with elegant forms of presentation, and that the supermarkets in the UK have finally started to offer these as well (oxtail, beef cheeks, etc.). This dish cost £1 a head to make!

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Brown 750g pork cheeks all over and finish by adding a knob of butter. Transfer to a plate. Add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot and 2 stalks celery, chopped. to the frying pan and cook until caramelised to a rich golden brown. Stir in 2 tbsp tomato puree and fry for a further minute. Add 150g honey (yes, trust Mark!), 2 cloves, 1 star anise, 1 sprig thyme and 3 bay leaves and increase the heat until the honey is bubbling. Pour the honey and vegetable mixture into an ovenproof casserole then add the browned pork cheeks and any of their juices. Season. Pour over enough of the boiling chicken stock (750ml) to cover and put on the heat to return to the boil. Cover the casserole and braise in the oven at 150c with a lid for 2-3 hours until the meat is starting to fall apart. Remove the meat from the casserole and keep warm. Strain the sauce and reduce by about 2/3 until it is the consistency you would like for a sauce. Check the seasoning.

Peel and core 2 Braeburn apples and cut them into quarters (or a bit more fiddly but elegant is to cut them in rounds). Sprinkle a small handful of sugar in a heavy-based pan. Add 25g butter and melt over a high heat until it begins to foam. Add some crushed black pepper and the apples, and tip the pan from side to side to coat the apples in the peppery butter. Cook for 5-7 minutes until evenly caramelised, turning them several times. Season with a little salt then remove from the heat to cool slightly.

I like to serve the pork cheeks with pointed Savoy cabbage, which has been lightly steamed in a covered pan with a drizzle of olive oil, and with the caramelised apples  on the side.

The white wine served: Domaine Michel Juillot 1997 Mercurey Premier Cru “Les Champs Martins”

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ROASTED DUCK BREAST WITH REDCURRANT SAUCE >

LEMON AND THYME ROAST CHICKEN >

Lemon and Thyme Roast Chicken with Red Camargue Rice Mushroom Pilaf

How I made it:

Brush a 1.5kg chicken (serves 4-5) with melted butter (or I like to use goose fat which has a lovely flavour). Here’s a tip: I pour the contents of a can of goose fat into ice cube trays and freeze into conveniently-sized portions which I can pop individually into the microwave as and when I need them. Sprinkle with some dried (or fresh) thyme, salt and pepper, and stuff the cavity with chopped lemon and garlic. Bake in an oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes per 500g (you may need an extra 10 minutes or so depending on your oven), first with the breast side down and then turn back up for the last 20 minutes. Let rest before serving (during which time you can make a gravy if you like with the pan juices - though Marks & Spencers makes a truly wonderful one if you can’t be bothered)

I served this with some red Camargue and long grain brown rice (see the first part of the following recipe on cooking instructions) mixed with some briefly sauted mushrooms (fried with a little olive oil, parsley and some salt and pepper).