Paul's cooking .......

Roast duck, and a little extra.....

 

I love duck in all forms and could eat far more of it than is healthy for me! Here I'm doing a simple roast duck, very traditional and then showing a variation with spiced honey. The roasting technique is following the instructions of Joel Rubuchon.

Incidentally the female duck is nearly always tastier and plumper than the male drake, so if possible acquire a female! One other consideration is always ensure that the grease glands have been removed - check with your butcher. The glands taste very bitter and can effect the flavour of the whole duck.

Hope you enjoy them both:

Ingredients:

1 young female duck weighing around 1.8 kg with giblets if possible

4 peeled carrots

2 peeled medium onions

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 sprig of thyme

vegetable oil and a little butter

To begin, remove the duck from the fridge at least half an hour before cooking, preferably 1 hour.

Prepare the vegetables, peeled but leave whole, season them and sprinkle thyme leaves over them. Take the duck, remove the giblets and set aside, you'll need them in a minute!. Season the duck both inside and out with sea salt and black pepper. Finally lightly oil the skin of the duck with a brush.

Pre-heat the oven to 240 C

Whilst the oven is warming, take a roasting dish big enough to hold the duck and the vegetables. Lightly butter the base of the dish. Place the duck on it's side in the centre of the dish (ie resting on one wing and leg). Prop it up with the giblets, then add the vegetables to the roasting dish.

Carefully place the dish in the oven, ensuring that the neck end of the duck is facing the back wall of the oven. Close the door and roast for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes remove the dish from the oven, and spoon off as much fat as is possible but leave the dark duck juices in the dish. Turn the duck over onto the other wing and leg and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

Now repeat the exercise after 20 minutes, remove the dish and spoon off the fat. Turn the duck onto it's back and give the duck a quarter turn. Put back into the oven, 10 minutes for rare, 20 minutes for medium rare to medium.

When the duck is done to your liking remove from the oven, but leave the oven on! If using the vegetables remove from the tray, drain and keep warm. Leave the giblets in the roasting dish but spoon off any excess fat once more. Place the duck on a carving board and carefully remove each of the legs. Put the legs back into the roasting dish and back into the oven for a further 10 minutes, as the legs take longer to cook!

Allow the rest of the duck to rest for 15 minutes by propping it up until near vertical but with the breasts down. Season with fleur de sel and a little pepper. Keep warm with a loose tent of foil.

After 10 minutes cooking remove the legs and season also.

Drain off the remaining fat from the roasting dish, stir in a little water if necessary to make the sauce and serve immediately.

Delicious!

Now if you wish for a slightly different take on the roast duck, see the recipe below. This recipe was produced by Joel Rubuchon and is as you might expect absolutely delicious!

This is roast duck with spiced honey:

Ingredients

As above plus:

100 g golden raisins (soaked in warm water for 1 hour)

150 g honey

1 teaspoon juniper berries

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon  coffee beans

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds (from inside the cardamom pod)

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

a large pinch of caster sugar

3 teaspoons butter

2 golden delicious apples, cored, peeled and sliced - each into 6 slices

a pinch of ground cinnamon powder

sea salt and black pepper

20 shelled walnut halves

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

100 ml clear chicken stock

Soak the raisins in warm water for a minimum of 1 hour before cooking.

Cook the duck as per the basic recipe above, stopping at the 50 minute point when the duck is removed from the oven for the second time.

Whilst the duck is cooking prepare the wonderful spiced honey. Pour the honey into a saucepan and warm over a medium heat. As it begins to bubble add the juniper berries, coriander seeds, coffee beans, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, star anise and cinnamon stick. Mix well with a wooden spoon, then remove from the heat.

Now, in a frying pan, heat a teaspoon of butter and add the apples in a single layer to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, turning  them regularly. After 10 minutes, add the remaining butter, sugar cinnamon, a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and the drained raisins and walnuts. Add 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat immediately.

As with the recipe above, remove the duck after 50 minutes, leave the oven on, and remove the duck legs. Coat the duck breasts and legs with the spiced honey. Place everything back in the oven as above and cook for a further 8 to 10 minutes, but re-coat the duck at least twice during this cooking period. 

Remove the duck and rest as above, place the legs into a smaller dish and back in the oven for 10 minutes.

Whilst the duck is resting, spoon the fat from the roasting dish. Add 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar and the clear chicken stock. Stir and scrape with the spatula before pouring all the contents into a saucepan and placing over a medium heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer Check for seasoning, add the remaining teaspoon of cider vinegar and cook for a maximum of 30 seconds. Strain through a fine sieve and serve the sauce separately.

Place the duck on a serving plate with the legs and carefully arrange the prepared apples, raisin and walnuts around the wonderfully spicy, honeyed duck. Serve immediately, no doubt to wild applause!

A traditional kedgeree

 

The origins of kedgeree are hotly contested amongst those that care! Christopher Trotter, author of The Scottish Kitchen has traced the origins for the kedgeree recipe to books by the Malcoms dating back to the year 1790. However the general opinion is that it was originally an Indian dish, and indeed remains so, as evidenced by the popularity of the dish throughout the subcontinent.

What is without doubt however amongst afficionados is how tasty and delicious this dish is! Traditionally considered to be a grand breakfast, today it is considered a lunch or light supper dish. Regardless of the time of the day, it is a delightful dish to cook, serve and eat!

Ingredients: (serves 4-6 people)

500g smoked haddock

80g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

175g basmati rice

½ - ¾ tablespoon mild curry powder

150 g peas (frozen or fresh)

3 chopped hard boiled eggs

chopped parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Firstly take the smoked haddock, place in a large dish and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 5 minutes. Now drain, but reserve 900 ml of the liquid (add water if not sufficient). Take the haddock, and skin and flake into a separate bowl, removing any bones. Set aside.

 Take 30g of the butter; melt in a large pan with a little vegetable oil. Add the diced onion and cook gently until tender but not browned. Make a paste with the curry powder and a little of the reserved liquid and add to the cooked onions. Now add the rice and stir, mixing thoroughly for 2 minutes. Pour in the reserved liquid and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a minimum, and cover with a tight fitting lid.

 Allow the rice to cook undisturbed for 8 minutes, and then stir in the flaked haddock and the peas. Cover again and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes until the rice is completely tender. If necessary add a little more water, but sparingly!

Whilst the rice is cooking hard-boil 3 eggs.

Remove from the heat, dot with the remaining butter, cover and allow to stand for 4 minutes. Now add the eggs and the parsley and fluff up the rice with a fork.

 Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Serve immediately – perhaps with some mango chutney!

A persian style lamb stew (khoresht)

This is a delicious persian styled lamb stew or khoresht which tastes fantastic. There are many combinations of fruit, meat and fowl which make these dishes irresistible. They usually contain lots of dried or fresh fruits, herbs and spices but critically are soured with the addition of lemon juice, dry limes, verjuice or pomegranate.

Running on a common theme of mine, they offer maximum taste and enjoyment for the diner, and minimum effort from the cook - the perfect combination!

If possible prepare the stew the day before eating - the flavours will develop wonderfully be greatly enhanced the following day!

Ingredients

750 g lamb shoulder (off the bone)

80 ml good quality olive oil

2 brown onions, diced

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried cumin

4 cardamom pods, split, seeds removed and crushed

2 tea spoons sea salt

400 ml chicken stock

120 g pitted prunes

120 g dried apricots

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 dried lime

juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads, dissolved in 1 tablespoon boiling water

1 very large handful chopped mint leaves

30 g roasted almonds

a little coriander

400 g butternut squash - peeled and diced (2cm dice)

sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

As with all stews of this nature we begin by browning the lamb. Cut the lamb into 4 cm chunks. We're using shoulder as it's not lean, and we'll end up with lovely melting streaks of fat running through the meat in the final dish!. Heat some good quality olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the lamb in batches, ensuring a good, even colouring - although clearly not burnt, over a medium to high heat. When browned remove each batch and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil if necessary into the pan used for browning, and add the onions, browning gently over a medium heat. When soft and lightly browned, add the spices and sea salt and stir until the delicious fragrance is released. 

Now return the lamb and any juices to the pan, add the chicken stock, and simmer over a low heat, covered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Now add the prunes, apricots, sugar, dried lime, lime juice and saffron water. Cover and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the lamb is very tender.

Whilst the stew is in its' final 30 minutes or so of simmering, let's cook the butternut squash. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Cut the squash into 2 cm diced cubes, mix with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and a little freshly ground black pepper. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until soft and lightly browned.

Add the squash to the stew and mix carefully. If possible, place lid on and set aside for the following day.

30 minutes before serving, heat the stew over a medium/low heat. Add in the mint leaves and stir carefully. Just prior to serving garnish the dish with the roasted almonds and a little coriander.

This dish is fabulous served with saffron flavoured steamed rice. Additional accompaniments could include pan fried  and lightly spiced egg plant, or steamed green vegetables. Tabbouleh would be great on the side also!

The perfect dish for supper amongst friends, minimum cooking effort required, and little time away from the table!

Enjoy!

Alternative persian lamb recipe

Beef mussaman curry (gaeng mussaman neua)

 
 

Mussaman curries originate in the predominantly Muslim regions of Southern Thailand. As such they make liberal use of dried spices. Beef is the most popular choice of meat in their curry, but duck and chicken can be substituted if desired. However for me the combination of beef, coconut and the various spices works best.Tofu can be used for a vegetarian option.

This curry will be wonderfully rich, aromatic and full of warm spices!

The recipe is sufficient for 2 people and cooking time is approximately 2 hours (not including making the curry paste)

 

Ingredients:

250 ml coconut cream

300 g beef sirloin, cubed

500 ml coconut milk

3 tablespoons of mussaman paste (see below)

2 cardamom seeds, roasted

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts (not salted)

3 smallish potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 sweet white onion, peeled and quartered

2 bay leaves, torn

a little salt

1 tablespoon grated palm sugar

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

2 shallots, thinly sliced and deep fried until crisp

 

for the mussaman paste:

            ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, roasted and ground

            2 teaspoon cloves, roasted and ground

            2 teaspoon cinnamon, roasted and ground

2 teaspoon fennel seeds, roasted and ground

½ teaspoon peppercorns, roasted and ground

2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, roasted and ground

36 dried red chillies, de-seeded, soaked and drained

5 coriander roots

4 tablespoons, finely chopped lemon grass

2 tablespoons finely chopped galangal

5 tablespoons chopped garlic

7 tablespoons of chopped shallots

4 bay leaves

125 ml vegetable oil

 

Place all the dry spices in a wok and roast gently until toasted and fragrant. Allow to cool and then grind into a fine powder. Take your wok and heat up a little oil and roast the chillies, coriander roots, lemon grass, galangal, garlic and shallots until soft and aromatic. Using a blender, puree the roasted herbs and work in the vegetable oil, the powdered spices and the bay leaves until a beautifully smooth paste is achieved. The smell will be amazing!

This will make approximately 450 g of curry paste. However it freezes really well, so freeze in ice cube containers for future use.

 Now to the curry itself!

Bring the coconut cream to the boil in a wok. Immediately add the sirloin beef, reduce to a low simmer and allow to cook for an hour or until the beef is very tender.

Now in another pan, stir fry the curry paste (3 tablespoons) and the coconut milk over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add this mixture to the coconut cream and beef and simmer gently for a further 30 minutes.

Whilst the curry is simmering, dry roast the cardamom seeds and the peanuts and set aside. Add the potatoes, onion, and bay leaves to the curry, with the cardamom seeds and peanuts. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Finely slice the shallots and quickly deep fry them in hot vegetable oil until golden brown and crispy. Drain well and set aside.

Finally add the fish sauce and sugar, stir, taste and season further with a little salt if required.

Serve the curry in a serving dish, garnished with the deep fried shallots and a sprig of coriander alongside some fragrant thai steamed rice.

This is a marvelously rich curry, not as spicy as red or green, yet wonderfully aromatic with deep warm spice flavours. Delicious!

Siew yoke (siu yoke) - crispy roast pork belly

 

I have wanted to write about, and cook siew yoke for quite some time, and finally I've managed it! Now belly pork is one of nature's great treats, and what interests me most is the many ways around the world local people prepare it. Here in Britain, long slow cooking is considered to achieve the greatest results, however with this recipe it's a relatively short blast of extreme heat that produces the desired taste and textures.

I have to say that this is not necessarily the most authentic of siew yoke recipes as it omits the fermented red bean curd, but I don't think anyone will be disappointed with the end product.

It is perfect served hot as part of a Chinese meal, or indeed makes the most brilliant canapes when served cold with a spicy little dipping sauce!

Ingredients

1 fairly large piece of belly pork, skin on (say 1kg)

2 tablespoons of coarse sea salt

2 tablespoons of ground five spice (shop bought or home made- see below)

Let's start with the five spices which are surprisingly easy to prepare and delicious when made fresh!

Ingredients for five spices

1.5 table spoon ground  star anise

2.5 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon

0.5 teaspoon ground Szechwan pepper

0.5 teaspoon ground cloves

This will make more 5 spices than called for in the recipe, but will obviously keep, stored in an air-tight jar. Simply blend all of the above ground spices. If not available ground, grind in a spice grinder or even the coffee grinder!

The key to this dish is the crunchy, crispy delicious crackling. Now there are numerous theories and practices about getting good crackling, using boiling water, vinegar etc, but to me the most important factor is having the pork skin as dry as possible before cooking.  

Firstly bring your piece of pork belly up to room temperature by allowing it to stand out of the fridge for at least an hour, uncovered. This also helps the drying process. If not already scored, do so with a stanley knife, but be careful. We want to expose the fat under the skin, but not cut down into the meat itself. When at room temperature dry off the skin with kitchen towels ( it should be pretty dry by now anyway). 

Take the sea salt and the ground five spice and mix well together and then work the mixture into the scored surface of the belly pork. Work it in really well, effort here will reward you with amazing crackling! Ensure a very good coating across all the skin and leave aside for a further two hours minimum, longer if possible.

An hour and a half before serving (if serving hot) heat up the oven to  200 C. Place the pork on a rack in the middle of the oven, and a large  deep tray on the shelf below to catch all the juices and fat (which can be used another time - delicious!). Close the door and leave to cook at 200 C for 40 minutes

After 40 minutes change the oven settings to grill (or remove pork if using a separate grill) and grill at about 60% of maximum heat setting (you may have to modify settings depending on grill and oven size). Grill for a minimum of 20 minutes, but monitor the pork as although we want wonderful charred crackling, we don't want to cremate the pork. Don't be too concerned though if the salt/five spices mix turns black - it should do so, it will be scraped off as you will see.

After a minimum of 20 minutes carefully remove the pork and place on a chopping board to rest a little. ( I hope your kitchen will nor be too smokey, but that's a possibility - get those windows open!)

Allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes, then using a reasonably heavy chef's knife, scrape away the charred and burnt salt/five spices mixture. What you should have left is a beautifully golden, rough crackling. Now chop or slice (using a sharp serrated knife if not chopping) into those all too familiar chunks of golden crispy crackling, with delicious soft unctious pork and fat underneath. 

If serving immediately, pile into a large bowl and bring to the table with steamed rice and stir fried vegetables - I assure you it will taste fantastic, and be infinitely better than takeaway or shop bought!

This dish can also be served as a delightful cold canape, just ensure the chunks are bite sized, and a dipping sauce of soy, fresh ginger and fresh red chillies is offered alongside! Salty, spicy, crunchy and soft - all at the same time!

Besugo al horno - oven baked sea bream

 
Picture of gilt head bream by Mat of The Chelsea Fishmonger

I was given a wonderfully fresh gilt head bream by our local and excellent fishmonger Mat of The Chelsea Fishmonger and was asked to come up with a recipe to offer his customers.

Well a little bit of research led to me to this interesting dish, which I discovered is served on Christmas Eve in Spain, as the main dish of the Christmas celebrations, so in effect it is the "Spanish turkey". Lo and behold, it turned out an excellent dish, and what is more wouldn't require getting up at 6am on a Christmas morning should you consider swapping the turkey for this!

Ingredients

1 sea bream weighing 1.8 kg, or more likely 2 weighing in at a kg each (gutted and scaled)

juice of 1 lemon

800 g potatoes (I used King Edwards) peeled and thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped, not too finely

pinch of saffron strands

5 tablespoons chopped parsley

extra virgin olive oil

a little water

lemon zest

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by pre-heating your oven to 190 C. Take your bream, or breams and with a sharp knife slash each side a couple of times across the thickest part of the flank. Season the fish well with the sea salt and black pepper inside and out. Now squeeze over the lemon juice and rub well into the fish, again inside and out. Set aside.

Take a pestle and mortar and create a paste with the garlic, saffron, parsley and a teaspoon of sea salt. Slowly work in 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 4 tablespoons of water. Now take a greased oven-proof baking dish (not too deep) and carefully layer the sliced potatoes and onions. Spoon over the mixture from the mortar, ensuring an even covering. Place in the oven and bake at 190 C for 40 minutes, by which time the potatoes and onions will be nearly cooked.

Remove the dish from the oven and place the fish on top of the potatoes and onions. Spoon over a little more olive oil and bake in the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes until the bream is just cooked through.

Sprinkle with a little parsley and the lemon zest and serve at the table immediately.

I always get a great deal of pleasure when simple dishes, look and taste so much greater than the effort involved in making them, and this is one of those dishes. Of course, the freshest fish are required to maximise the taste experience - but it's a dish that's worthy of the centre piece of any celebratory meal!

Roast beef and yorkshire pudding

 

A small confession to begin with! For many years, although I love roast beef. it was my least favourite meat to cook. I always felt it was the meat I cooked least well - pork, lamb, poultry I have cooked with confidence, and always been pleased with the results - beef less so.

Then I read an excellent book called Sunday Roast by Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott and finally it all fell into place. 

Firstly choose your meat carefully - it is better to buy a cheaper cut of meat from a good butcher, than a good cut of meat from a cheap butcher if cost is a consideration. Always ask for a piece that has properly hung, the meat should not be bright red, it should be much darker - Johnny Scott suggests somewhere "between garnet-coloured and near black. We are also looking for meat with  a good layer of fat on top and plenty of marbling throughout. 

I'm cooking a rib of beef here, a 2.25 kg joint will comfortably serve 8.

Ingredients

1 rib of beef - 2.0 -2.25kg

sea salt, black pepper and good quality mustard powder

an onion, or perhaps a couple of carrots

for the yorkshire pudding:

165g plain flour

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 eggs

450 ml milk

beef dripping or goose fat

As with all meat it is important to bring the joint up to room temperature before cooking, so remove from the fridge at least two hours before cooking. If cooking for lunch, I generally remove the night before and leave uncovered in the kitchen (no central heating on). The effect is quite startling, the meat loosens, the fat turns a creamy yellow and yes, the kitchen will smell of meat!

Take a large roasting tin and place the rib of beef  with the bone side down. Now take the onion or carrots, slice the onion in two, and tuck in the space under the ribs , they will roast and caramelise wonderfully whilst the meat roasts and add great flavour to the gravy.

If not already done so by the butcher, cross-hatch the fat carefully with a sharp knife (try not to cut through to the meat). Mix the sea salt, black pepper and mustard powder and rub into the fat on the top of the joint.

Pre-heat the oven to 230 C.

Just a note on cooking times here. Meat on the bone cooks quicker than meat off the bone. obviously cooking times differ depending upon the oven, and particularly the accuracy of the oven thermostat but generally the following is true. Cooking time for very rare is 12-13 minutes per 500g, 15-16 minutes for rare, 20 minutes for medium to well done. I usually go for 18 minutes per 500 g, but 20 is probably the safe option for guests who don't like too much rare meat in the middle. (Off the bone, timings are 15, 20 and 25 minutes respectively).

Incidentally if using a meat thermometer, insert away from the bone and fat for accuracy - rare will be at 51 C, medium-rare 54 C and medium 60 C. Please allow for the fact that the internal temperature of the meat will rise by approximately 2 C during 15 minutes of resting.

Place the meat in the middle of the oven and roast for 15 minutes at 230 C (if the joint is 2.5kg 18 minutes, over 2.75 kg 20 minutes). After the allotted time, turn the oven temperature down to 160 C and cook for the remaining time, using the timings above.

When done remove the rib of beef from the oven and allow to rest on a warm serving plate for 15 minutes. Don't worry the beef will continue to cook whilst standing, and be lovely and juicy, and most importantly easier to carve for having rested.

Now for the Yorkshire Puddings!

 

Sift the flour with some salt and pepper into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and mix well. Now add the milk using 2/3 rds initially and then adding more until happy with the consistency of the batter. We're looking for a good thick batter, not too runny. Try and beat in as much air as possible, but don't over beat. Allow the batter mix to stand for 30 minutes.

I'll assume that we have two ovens here, but if not I'll cover that in a second!. Preheat the oven to 220 C and get the pudding tin in the oven with a tablespoon of dripping or fat in each individual mould. When the oven has reached temperature remove the pudding tin, and to ensure that the fat is smoking hot I place the pudding tin on the hob - just be careful, no accidents!

Quickly pour in the batter mix into each mould and get it back into the oven. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, but resist the temptation to open the door to monitor progress!

Now if there's only 1 oven available, turn the temperature up from 160 to 220 C, and reduce the beef cooking time by 10 minutes to allow for the higher temperature. The beef will only have 10 minutes at the higher temperature as it will be resting for 15 minutes. This will also allow the potatoes to crisp up if using the same oven.

Use the delicious juices and fats, plus roasting vegetables to make the most delicious gravy, which I'll cover in another recipe.

Bring the rib joint to the table in one piece. Carve at the table and serve with roast potatoes, gravy and some horseradish sauce or mustard.

The most British of all dishes ! Enjoy!

Classic pot-au-feu

 

I take an almost obscene pride in trying to achieve the clearest possible consomme, and although it is time consuming, and somewhat outdated, I believe it to be worthwhile in terms of appearance and taste.

So before we begin our classic pot-au-feu, a few words about the various techniques required to create a clear, grease-free consomme:

• Use the freshest meat possible
• Always cook gently and slowly. Apart from below, never boil, just a shivery simmer
• Always blanch the meat before the long cooking. Put the meat in a large pot of cold water, and boil as quickly as possible for 5 minutes. Use a skimmer to lift the meat out and rinse under the tap. Dispose of the water and wash out the pan with very hot water.
• Do not salt the cooking water until the water begins to bubble.
• Regularly skim impurities off the top by gently moving pan to the side of the burner so that it bubbles on one side only. Lift impurities from the "quiet" side
• Degrease by gently pouring a ladle-ful of cold water all over the surface of the simmering liquid. The fat will come to the surface and can be removed by a spoon. When cooking has finished remove the surface fat, even if you lose a little of the broth - it is worth it. Keep the fatty broth to cook the bone marrow.
• Ideally de-grease when cold the following day, however it is possible to de-grease whilst cool although not perfectly. Pour the broth through the finest strainer into a tall straight sided container. The fat will rise to the surface. Use a ladle to remove the fat, washing the ladle each time. When the fat appears to have gone completely, lay paper towels on the surface to absorb remaining fat. Discard the towels.

Ingredients:

2 kg of fresh beef - ideally shank, rump, brisket, oxtail or chuck

4 medium leeks, white part only

2 medium white onions

3 whole cloves

8 carrots

2 stalks of celery, not too green

1 bouquet garni (2 sprigs thyme, 10 stalks parsley, tied with leek leaves)

2 cloves garlic

coarse salt and black peppercorns

small thumb of fresh peeled ginger

Fleur de sel

4 - 6 marrow bones

1 kg sirloin tip, (tied like a roast - ask your butcher to do this for you)

Begin by removing the fat from the meat if the butcher has not already done so. Place the meat in a large pan and cover with unsalted water. Bring the liquid to the boil as quickly as possible. Meanwhile prepare a skimmer, a large spoon and a bowl half full of hot water.

Once the pot begins to boil, turn off the heat immediately.  Skim the greasy foam off the surface of the liquid, rinsing the skimmer in the bowl after each pass. Clean the skimmer and lift the meat out of the liquid, straight into a colander. Rinse under running water and allow to drain. Now drain the cooking water and thoroughly clean the cooking pot.

Wash and peel the vegetables. I don't use turnips in this recipe as in my opinion, they can sour the broth quite quickly. Parsnips are an alternative. The vegetables can be left whole or cut in chunks.Now place a skillet over a high heat. Cut the onions in half, and place cut side down in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 to 5 minutes without allowing the onions to burn. They should however have a lovely brown, caramelised colour.  Stick three of the onion halves with a clove.

Now place the carrots, leeks, celery, bouquet garni, garlic and meat into the pan. Add 4 litres of cold, un-salted water. Bring gently to the boil, and immediately lower to the barest simmer is maintained. Skim the surface for impurities, rinsing the skimmer before each pass. Once skimmed add 2 tablespoons of coarse salt and 8 black peppercorns. The pot-au-feu will now cook for 3 hours, uncovered, as gently as possible.

Now if you wish to eat the broth vegetables with your pot-au-feu, please remove after 30 to 40 minutes depending upon how tender you prefer the vegetables. Plunge into iced water, drain and if serving the following day place in an air-tight container and refrigerate. Additional vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips etc can be cooked the next day, prior to serving.

Whilst the pot-au-feu is cooking it is essential to de-grease. Every 30 minutes add a small ladle of cold water over the surface of the cooking liquid. This will bring the fat to the surface, where it can be skimmed off with a ladle - ensure the ladle is rinsed each time though!

If you are using the optional ginger, cut into thin strips and add to the broth 30 minutes before the end of cooking.

After 3 hours, remove the pot from the heat carefully, and place on a sturdy wire rack to aid the cooling process. Taste and add a little salt if necessary. Remove the meat and set aside.

When the broth is at room temperature, follow the directions at the top, strain through the finest strainer available. Place the meat and the broth  into an air-tight container and refrigerate if serving the following day. It will be very easy to remove the  solid yellow fat the following day.

When ready to serve, place the broth and the meat back into a pot and bring up to the boil carefully. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully add the cooked vegetables and very gently simmer for another 5 minutes.

The pot-au-feu can be served with the meat already sliced on a platter, and the broth and vegetables in a tureen, or with the meat whole and brought to the table to be carved there.

Serve with fleur de sel and condiments such as mustard, horseradish, cornichons or pickled onions.

In addition, I like to serve the pot-au-feu with bone marrow and a beef roast for contrast.

The night before serving place the marrow bone and cover with a litre of cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and refrigerate overnight.  

Just before the pot-au-feu re-heats the following day, put the bone marrow into a small saucepan and pour over the fatty broth from de-greasing (see hints at the top of this recipe) until the bones are covered. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve the marrow bones very hot, sprinkled with fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper. Toast some bread, and serve alongside.

The sirloin tips, tied to resemble a roast, make an excellent contrast to the meal by adding some rare meat. Whilst the pot-au-feu is warming through, just before it reaches a bubble, add the roast to the liquid and cook for the rest of the cooking time as above. Remove, slice and serve with the pot-au-feu.

This is a truly excellent dish, perfect for cold winter evenings, and demonstrates to guests a degree of care in preparation not usually experienced outside of good restaurants. Amongst friends it is a delightful experience.

 Enjoy!

Cassoulet - for a special occasion!

 

Prosper Montagne called Cassoulet the "God of southwestern french food" - a god in 3 persons, represented by ingredients sourced from 3 french cities, Castelnaudry, Carcassonne and Toulouse. Hence this recipe has a long list of ingredients, for which no apology is necessary.

This is a special recipe for a special occasion, This recipe will serve 10, enjoy making it, and above all else savour its' wonderful taste, texture and smell!

Ingredients

1 kg dry white beans, preferably tarbais or lingot

1 carrot, peeled

2 white onions, peeled, and studded with a clove 

2 white onions, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

10 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

200 g fresh pork rind (ask your butcher for some for free)

1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay and parsley)

250 g uncooked garlic sausage

350 g uncooked toulouse sausage 

300 g pork belly

750 g lamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm chunks

450 g lamb neck fillets, cut into 5 cm chunks

800 g duck confit with fat (recipe available here)

3 large, very ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

750 g dried breadcrumbs

good bunch of parsley

sea salt and black pepper for seasoning

Preparation and time is key for this dish, I would allow a minimum of 7 hours to prepare and cook this amazing cassoulet. Don't be put off however, as the results are truly spectacular!

Let's start with the beans. Place them in a large pot with the carrot, the 2 onions and their cloves, 6 cloves of garlic, the pork rind and the bouquet garni. Cover well with cold water, and bring up just below the boil, quite quickly. Lower the heat to a bare simmer and cook for 1 hour. Top up with a little water if necessary. After 1 hour add the uncooked garlic and toulouse sausages and allow another 15 minutes of light simmering. Now remove from the heat completely. Taste and season with sea salt and black pepper as required.

Now is time to prepare the meat. In another large pot add the pork belly and again cover with cold water. Place over a relatively high heat and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Now remove the belly pork and rinse immediately in cold water, before setting aside to drain. When cold, using a sharp knife cut into 2 cm cubes.

Now melt 4 tablespoons of confit fat, and when hot, brown the shoulder and neck of lamb pieces over a high heat until golden brown. I suggest doing this in batches, so as not to crowd the pot. Each batch should brown in 3 minutes. Set the deliciously brown and golden lamb aside. In the same pot cook the sliced onions over a low heat, stirring with a wooden spatula, gathering all the browned bits. After 3 minutes, add the prepared tomatoes, the remaining garlic and 10 tablespoons of the bean cooking liquid. Allow the the pot to bubble gently for a further 10 minutes.

Now remove and discard the bouquet garni from the bean pot. Remove the sausages, onions, and pork rind and place on a plate. Drain the beans over a bowl and retain the cooking liquid. Now add the drained beans to the pot of onions and tomatoes flavoured by the browned meat.

Preheat the oven to a very low temperature of 120 C.

Take a large terrine dish if you have one, otherwise a good casserole dish will do, and lay the pork rind on the bottom. Now slice the sausages into rounds approximately 1 cm thick. Here's the fun part! Fill the terrine with alternating layers of the meats, sausages, and the bean and tomato mixture. Ensure that the top layer is a layer of beans. Top the final layer with 2 tablespoons of the confit fat spread evenly over the surface. The liquid should reach to the top layer and just barely cover them. If not, add a little more of the bean cooking liquid.

Place in the oven and cook for 3 hours, uncovered. Check the liquid level occasionally, and if necessary top up with the bean cooking liquid.

Prepare the breadcrumbs by mixing with the finely chopped parsley leaves. After the cassoulet has cooked for 3 hours add the duck from the confit, and then sprinkle a good layer of the parslied bread crumbs and place back in the oven for a further 1 hour, until deliciously golden brown!

Serve in bowls, sprinkled with a little parsley and alongside a crisp green salad and warm baguette. A pinot noir or two would not go amiss either!

I'd seriously recommend trying this recipe, as it really is a quite spectacular example of slow cooking at its' very best.

Enjoy!