Paul's cooking .......

Roast chicken with anchovies and rosemary

 

Roast chicken is I guess, the ultimate comfort food, and what is more, there are many variations - it need never be boring!

Here's a favourite supper style recipe, simple yet tantalisingly tasty, particularly when using a fine free-range chicken, not one of those awful supermarket birds. 

For me the greatest taste/value combination comes from Label Anglais, however a white rock or cornish red would do just as well!

A word of warning - preparation starts the day before eating!

Ingredients

1 free range chicken - approx 1.8kg

12 anchovies in olive oil

12 garlic cloves

2 branches of rosemary

small bunch of tarragon

3 french shallots

3 tablespoons creme fraiche

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

The chicken is prepared the day before eating, giving the wonderful flavours of anchovy, garlic and rosemary time to penetrate into the meat of the bird. Remove the chicken from the fridge. Using a sharp knife, pierce the chicken at least a dozen times, including the legs. 

Half lengthwise each of the anchovies and garlic cloves, and break the rosemary into little sprigs. Insert the anchovy half, garlic clove half and rosemary sprig into each opening. Cover the chicken with cling film and place back in the fridge overnight.

The following day remove the chicken and it's wrapping and allow the chicken to come back up to room temperature - allow at least 1 hour for this.

Meanwhile, chop the tarragon leaves and the shallots, place in a bowl and mix with the creme fraiche. Stir and mix well. Now stuff the chicken with the mixture. Rub a little olive oil over the chicken, season predominantly with the black pepper, but perhaps just a little salt (remember the anchovies will bring a saltiness to the chicken)

Pre-heat the oven to 230 C. Place the chicken in the oven and cook at the high temperature for 15 minutes, before reducing the temperature to 170 C and cooking for a further hour. After the hour, check the chicken to see if the juices are clear on the thigh, if not put back in for another few minutes.

When cooked thoroughly, remove from the oven and place on a serving plate to rest. The chicken will smell amazing, I promise you!

Whip up a quick sauce with the chicken juices in the bottom of the roasting dish by adding a good splash of wine and/or chicken stock and scraping up all the good bits. Reduce over a high heat, strain and serve separately.

This is the perfect supper dish served with chunky crusty bread or perhaps some steamed vegetables. The tarragon stuffing compliments the rosemary, garlic and anchovy flavours wonderfully.

Enjoy!

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!

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!

A partridge and a pear treat

 

From a food lover's perspective it is not by chance that the Christmas hymn finds a partridge in a pear tree, for it is a truly excellent combination and recipes can be found in many older cookbooks.

Here's my take on this very traditional dish.

Ingredients:

4 partridges, prepared for cooking and giblets

streaky bacon for barding

60g unsalted butter

A good tablespoon of brandy

100 ml chicken stock

sea salt and black pepper, freshly ground

2 firm william pears

10 cloves

a little grated nutmeg

3 cm cinnamon stick

90g caster sugar

40 ml white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons water

To begin, take the pears, peel them carefully, slice in half and remove cores. Now take the cloves, grated nutmeg, cinnamon stick, sugar, white wine vinegar and water and put into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Place the cut pear halves into this liquid and simmer gently for at least 15 minutes, but do not allow them to go soft, they should remain firm but cooked. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200 C. Take the partridges, remove the giblets including the livers, setting aside, and season the birds well inside and out.Place the streaky bacon over the breasts of the birds.

Take a flameproof casserole dish and heat over a medium flame. Add half of the butter, then the partridges, livers and their giblets and fry both sides over a higher heat for 5 minutes each side. Take the partridges and giblets out of the casserole dish, set the giblets aside and remove the bacon from the partridges.

Add the remaining butter, the brandy and the chicken stock to the casserole dish, and then place the partially cooked partridges back in also. Place in the oven, uncovered, and roast for 15 - 20 minutes.

When cooked, remove the partridges and keep warm. Take the giblets and liver, puree well and add to the partridge juices in the casserole dish. Taste and season further if required. reduce a little until the sauce starts to thicken and become glossy.

Serve the partridges, one per person with the beautifully but gently spiced pear and a little of the excellent sauce. Ideal accompaniments would be braised celery or perhaps baby potatoes boiled in their skins.

This is an excellent dish, simple to prepare but delicious. It's also an amusing take on the Christmas song well appreciated I'm sure by your dinner party guests!

Enjoy!

Confit of duck

 

I’m thinking of a winter’s evening, with the wind howling outside, yet inside warm and toasty in front of a log fire perhaps. What better food could there be than a delicious confit of duck, the perfect winter accompaniment to an evening in!

Plan ahead, as although the confit can be eaten immediately after cooking, it’s best a week or two later, stored in the fridge. That being the case increase the salt to 4 tablespoons – don’t worry the salt acts as a preservative and will mellow with time.

Ingredients:

 4 leg joints of duck (drumstick and thigh)

4 wings of duck

Neck and giblets of 2 ducks

2 tablespoons of good cognac

3 tablespoons of sea salt

1 bay leaf, finely chopped

5 sprigs of fresh lemon thyme, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

6 garlic cloves, unpeeled

minimum of 900 g duck or goose fat

Potatoes to roast

Firstly a little housekeeping! When preparing any meat for preserving, please maintain the highest levels of hygiene, in particular ensure that the storage jars are well sterilised in a hot oven for at least 20 minutes before use.

Take your duck legs and trim off any excess skin. Now place in a bowl with the wings, neck and giblets, and pour over and rub in the cognac. Add the salt (extra if storing), chopped bay leaves and lemon thyme and chopped and un-peeled garlic. Cover well and leave in the fridge for up to 24 hours. (This dish requires high levels of patience and self-discipline !)

Remove from the fridge, un-cover and toss the duck joints in the brine that is now at the bottom of the bowl. Pour off any excess brine and pat the joints dry. Take the un-peeled garlic and thread onto a cocktail stick.

Now take a large flameproof casserole dish and heat the duck (or goose) fat gently until melted. Carefully add the leg joints, neck, giblets and skewered garlic. It is imperative that all the duck is covered, so add extra if required.

Over the lowest possible heat, bring the fat back slowly to a simmer - this normally takes 30 - 35 minutes. Meanwhile set the oven to a temperature of 140 C. When the fat is just at boiling (180 C if using a thermometer) place the dish in the oven, covered, and cook for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, take out of the oven and remove the wing, neck, and giblets. Set aside. Now leave the legs in the oven for a further 30 minutes. When cooked the meat will have shrunk to the bone and the skin a delicious nut brown colour.

Once the legs are cooked, remove form the oven and discard the garlic. If serving immediately, allow the legs to cool for 10 minutes.

If preserving, allow the duck joints to cool completely and then pack into sterilised jars. Pour the fat on top, ensuring all is submerged. Seal the jars and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

To re-heat, remove from the jars, and place on a baking tray in the oven, skin-side up at 190 C for 20 minutes, followed by an 8 minute blast at 200 C for a really crispy skin.

Un-believably delicious served with roast potatoes, or served with sliced, sauteed potatoes and a crisp green salad. A real taste of Gascony !!

Enjoy!

Osso Bucco "in bianco"

 

I'm going to follow the advice of Marcella Hazan, perhaps the greatest authority on Italian cuisine, with this osso bucco recipe. This recipe is unlike the classic Milanese recipe as the veal shins are cooked without vegetables or indeed tomatoes, in other words in bianco. Furthermore it is not cooked in the oven, but cooked entirely on top of the stove on a low heat.

Ideally it is served with a wet polenta or perhaps mashed potatoes. It is simple to prepare but produces a wonderful rich, intense dish which has the veal and in particular the marrow as it's main flavour. 

Unlike most braised dishes, this does not improve with age and is best consumed within hours of cooking.

Ingredients

1.25 -1.5 kg veal shins, preferably cut into smaller pieces, a minimum of 8

75 g unsalted butter

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

a little flour

1 bottle decent dry white wine - good enough to drink, not just cooking wine!

juice of 1 lemon

2 sprigs of majoram

To cook this dish we need a wide and deep pan, sufficiently large to hold the pieces of veal shin in a single layer.

Start with seasoning the flour with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dip the veal pieces in the flour lightly and shake off any excess.

In the pan, heat the oil and butter until the butter starts frothing. Place the veal shin pieces (in batches if necessary) in the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown and slightly crusted. If browning in batches remove in turn. When the pieces are all browned nicely place all in the pan in a single layer and pour in about 200ml of wine. Allow the wine to reach boiling temperature and lower the heat right down. Importantly the liquid should simmer as gently as possible, barely trembling. Cover and allow to cook very gently for 30 minutes.

Now remove lid, and turn the meat over gently. Add another 200 ml of wine, the lemon juice and the 2 sprigs of marjoram. Cover and continue to braise very gently for another 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check to see the liquid has not evaporated too much, if it has add a little more, but not too much as we are after a fairly thick, syrupy sauce at the end of cooking. Cook for a further 30 minutes, by which time the dish should be complete, the sauce syrupy and the meat tender enough to be cut with a fork.

Classically this dish is served with gremolada. Simply mix together 2 tablespoons of lemon zest with 1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped and 4 tbsp flat-leaf parsley,again very finely chopped, season with a touch of salt and black pepper and sprinkle over the osso bucco.

Enjoy this classic meal, rightfully considered one of the finest dishes in the world. As with most of the food I enjoy cooking and eating, the reward/effort ratio is very high, and non-cooks will remain in awe of your culinary skills !