Paul's cooking .......

Ox-tail alla vaccinara - a perfect match for Podere Le Ripi 2006 Brunello di Montacino

 

Taste and Match is an event organised by Winexplorer to match great food with the excellent

wines they sell to the public and restaurants alike. Hope to see you there as I am serving my

ox-tail alla vaccinara alongside their Podere Le Ripi, 2006 Lupi e sirene Brunello di Montalcino

Tasting notes are below my recipe - I hope you enjoy both!

Ingredients:

1 pigs trotter, small onion, celery stick, black peppercorn, bay leaf
Olive oil
Lard or ham fat
Large amount of chopped parsley (6 tablespoons)
3 cloves garlic
Large chopped red onion
2 chopped carrots
1.5 kg ox-tail, cut into pieces
Seasoned flour
Bottle good quality red wine
Large tin chopped italian tomatoes
Bayleaf
2 celery sticks coarsely chopped
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Grated lemon rind

Let's start with the pig trotter! Place the trotter in a pan with cold water and add the small onion,

celery stick, black peppercorns and bay leaf. Heat to just below boiling, reduce the heat and

allow to simmer for an hour and a half. Skim the pot as necessary. Remove the trotter after

1.5 hours, allow to cool until you can remove the bones and then slice into 1.5cm strips.

Season some flour with salt and black pepper, now coat the ox-tails and the cooked pig trotter

strips in the seasoned flour.

Take a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat the lard or ham fat and brown the ox-tails and pig

trotterstrips over a fairly high heat. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot fry the parsley,onion, garlic and carrot over a medium heat for 10 minutes,

stirring regularly. Add back the browned ox-tails and pig trotter strips. Pour in the wine, a little

of the  water used to cook the pig trotter (enough to cover the meat), add the tinned tomatoes

and a bay leaf. Place the lid on the pot and cook for a minimum of 2 hours over a medium/low

heat. Turn the ox-tails every 30 minutes to ensure even cooking.

After 2 hours add the roughly chopped celery and cook for a further 45 minutes. Check the meat

- at this stage it should be falling off the bone. If necessary cook a little longer, but the meat should

be very tender.

Allow the dish to cool completely. Pour off all the sauce and remove as much of the fat from the 

sauce as possible. Remove and set aside the deliciously soft carrots and celery. Reduce the sauce 

to thicken a little. Take the ox-tail and remove the bone and the cartelage from the top, placing the

meat back into the sauce along with the carrots and celery.

Check for seasoning, and season accordingly. Store in an air-tight container or pot for at least a day

-or even 2, before serving. This dish improves immeasurably with age!

Heat gently on the day of eating, and garnish with gremolata (lemon zest, parsely and salt).

Serve either with a wet polenta or as I did with broad, slippery pappardelle - Enjoy.

The richness, depth and strong flavours of the dish was certain matched the 2006 Podere Le Ripi,

 Lupi e sirene, Brunello di Montalcino which has a powerful bouquet, a lot of oak and a spicy

peppery tannic finish. Not a wine for the faint-hearted and should be drunk with rich, strong

flavoured food - in this case it was the perfect match!

Vintage: 2006

Denomination: Brunello di Montalcino Docg

Grape varieties: Sangiovese

First year of production: 2003

Soil: Clay, tuff and siliceous sand, limestone boulders, beige sandstone

Density of vineyards: From 5000 to 11000 plants for hectar

Max yeld per plant: 400 gr

Harvest: Manual during first 10 days of october

Fermentation: 100% oak Vosges casks 15 days, with malolactic

Temperature of fermentation: 28°C to 30°C

Yest: Indigenous

Must contact: 25-30 days

Vinification and maturing: 100% oak Vosges casks and 34 months in oval Vosgi barrels plus 8 months in the bottle

Bottling: August of 2010

Alcohol: 14,5%

Lobster Noodles - Lobster Yee Mein

I cooked this on New Years Eve and received many requests for the recipe. It's a simple dish, the only difficulty that may be presented is if you are reluctant to kill and chop the lobster yourself. That being the case I'm sure your fishmonger will do it for you!

This is a traditional Cantonese dish for Chinese New Year  - the lobster as it symbolises wealth, both in terms of its cost but also the beautiful red colour after cooking, and the noodles which represent longevity.

Ingredients (for 4)

2 live, uncooked lobsters weighing 800g- 1kg each
400g Yee Mein Noodles (shop bought)
3 spring onions (cut into 2cm length)
Finely diced fresh peeled ginger
3 tablespoons cooking oil

Sauce:
2 tablespoon light soy sauce

4 tablespoons oyster sauce

good grind of fresh black pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine

 

Having received your lobsters from your fishmonger, leave them wrapped in damp paper in the bottom of your fridge until ready for cooking. Some may prefer to place the lobsters in the freezer for an hour to reduce their conscious state, however the method described kills the lobster instantly so it’s probably not necessary.

Place the lobster on a sturdy chopping board. Take a good sharp heavy chopping knife and place the point on the central line about 2cm behind the eyes. Hold the lobster steady and quickly bring the knife down through the head of the lobster, completely dissecting the head in two lengthways. Immediately turn the lobster round and draw the knife through the shell along the length of the tail, resulting in two halves of lobster. Clean out the green stomach/intestinal tract thoroughly, remove the claws and chop the tail into pieces. Now lightly crack the lobster claws. Save any of the juices to add to the sauce when cooking. Blot the lobster dry with paper towels and place in bowl.

Heat up a large pot of boiling water and prepare the noodles as per instructions. I always drain in cold water and very quickly re-heat as the sauce is completed.

Finely chop the fresh ginger – I’m never sure how to advise on how much, it’s down to personal taste but for this dish a good 3 or 4cm long piece of ginger is required. Now mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Take a large wok and heat over the highest flame/heat you have available. A really hot wok is essential as we are looking for the characteristic high heat flavour to come through. Lower heat will create a steamed lobster which is not what is required here.

When the wok is hot add the cooking oil (not olive oil as the smoke point is too low). Immediately add the finely chopped ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the lobster pieces and with a continuous motion stir fry until the characteristic red colour appears. Immediately add the combined sauce ingredients and continue to stir and coat the sauce nicely.Cook in this manner for no more than 2 minutes.

Whilst the lobster and the sauce are in their final cooking stage, quickly re-heat the noodles in a large pan with a little boiling water, stirring continuously – the idea is to re-heat not continue the cooking process!

Add the spring onions to the lobster and sauce in the wok.

Drain the noodles and mix the noodles and lobster with sauce immediately before serving on a large single platter.

This is a really sensational dish, rich yet fresh and completely morish!

Enjoy!

 

Beef Roast braised with British Onions

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by British Onions to create my own recipe for British onion  gravy. I decided to be a little creative and do a dish which relies entirely upon onions to produce a sauce.

It is spectacularly tasty, simple to make (needs a little attention, but not much) and re-assuringly light on the wallet using brisket as the cut of meat.

 

Ingredients

140 gr pancetta

1 kg boneless beef roast, preferably brisket

4 cloves

1 bay leaf

5 medium British onions, sliced wafer thin

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Let's start by pre-heating the oven to a gentle 160 C.

Take the pancetta and cut into thin strips perhaps 5 or 6 mm wide. Now we have to lard the meat. Take a larding needle or a narrow chopstick and pierce the meat in a random manner, but always following the grain. We then use the needle to push the narrow strips of pancetta into the meat. Use half the pancetta. The pancetta both flavours the meat but also helps in the tenderising process. 

Once larded, further flavour the beef by studding with the 4 cloves.

Now take the onions, peel and slice as thinly as possible. The onions are going to melt, turn deliciously brown and produce the most amazing sweet, flavoursome sauce to accompany the brisket.

Take a heavy bottomed pot with a very close fitting lid. Place the sliced onions into the bottom and before placing in the brisket, lay out the remaining strips of pancetta and add the bay leaf. Place the prepared brisket on top and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place the pot on the highest shelf in the pre-heated oven.

The meat should be turned 3 times approx every hour) throughout the cooking time of 4 hours. Don't be put off by the appearance after the first hour or two - the meat and onions and sauce will gradually turn to the most amazing dark brown bronze appearance - and the smell will be mouthwatering I can assure you.

After 4 hours, remove the meat which will be so very tender, slice and present on a serving plate with the incredible braised onions and sauce from the pot.

Serve with vegetables of choice, I braised some jerusalem artichokes - their nuttiness complimented the sweetness and earthiness of the dish fantastically. Enjoy!

 

Pork loin braised in milk, bolognese style

There are literally thousands of recipes for pork loin braised in milk, scattered all over the internet. I've tried cooking this several ways, yet to me the very best recipe and method comes from one of the greatest Italian cooks and food writers, Marcella Hazan.

It is a classic dish, and quite rightly! It sounds bizarre, and if you have never tried it don't be put of by the seemingly strange combination of ingredients. It's worked for hundreds of years and once tried will be a great favourite!

Ingredients

20 g butter

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1.25 kg pork loin with ribs

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

575 ml (1 pint) fresh full cream milk

When buying your pork loin it is probably easier to ask your butcher to remove the ribs. We want to leave the pork loin in one whole piece, but the butcher can split the ribs into 2 or 3 parts. Removing the loin form the ribs will allow the loin to be browned more evenly. The bones will, of course, add huge flavour to the completed dish. One last thing - do not remove the fat from the loin, it will melt during the cooking but also baste the meat.

Take a large, heavy bottomed casserole dish and heat the oil and butter over a medium high heat. When the butter ceases foaming place the pork loin into the dish, fat side down. Brown all sides of the loin thoroughly taking care not to burn the butter. If the butter starts turning dark brown lower the heat slightly.

Now add the salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Now pour in 250 ml of the milk, but do so slowly so that it does not boil over. Allow the milk to come to a good simmer for upto 30 seconds and then turn the heat down to just below medium. Place the lid on the pan, but slightly askew, not tightly fitting.

Allow the pork to cook on a very lazy simmer (Marecella's words!) for approximately 1 hour. The milk will have thickened into a light nut brown sauce. Exact timings will depend upon the heat and thickness of your pot). Now add another 250 ml of milk and allow it to simmer once more with the lid askew for a further 10 minutes.

Now place the lid on tightly and continue cooking on this light simmer for 30 minutes. Please turn the loin a couple of times during this process.

After 30 minutes place the lid askew and cook on a minimum heat until there is no remaining liquid. now add the remaining milk. Continue cooking on the minimum heat until the meat is very tender and the milk has coagulated into small nut brown clusters. If the liquid evaporates before the meat is sufficiently tender add more milk (up to another 100ml).

When the meat is very tender and the sauce has thickened into dark clusters, remove from the heat and transfer the meat onto a cutting board. Allow the meat to rest for  perhaps 5 minutes. Now cut into slices approximately 1cm thick, and place on a warmed serving plate.

Whilst the meat is resting, tip the pot and spoon off most of the fat (there will be a good deal of it, don't worry)but leave all the coagulated milk clusters.

Place the pot over a high heat and add just a couple of tablespoons of water, and using a wooden spoon scrape all the cooking residues. What results is the most amazing nutty brown very light but wonderfully flavoured sauce.

Pour over the pork and serve at once.

Fantastic with a simple green salad or some steamed spinach (with a hint of nutmeg) perhaps!

Enjoy!!! 

 

 

Chocolate cake

I am not really a dessert type person - main course is as the name suggests the highlight of any meal for me. However just occasionally I will indulge in this fantastically dense, rich cake which tastes great warm or cold. In fact, assuming you have the self-discipline, this cake tastes even better the day after baking.

Ingredients

70 g un-salted softened butter

100 g good quality dark chocolate

3 medium eggs, seperated

60 g icing sugar

30g finely chopped almond nuts

1 level tablespoon plain flour

a sprinkle of caster sugar

Before cooking first separate the three egg yolks and whites.

Now, begin by breaking up the chocolate and placing it in a bowl and putting the bowl over a pan of boiling water. Reduce the heat on the pan to take the water off the boil and allow the chocolate to melt almost completely.

Just before the chocolate has completely melted, add 50 g of the softened butter and stir into the chocolate using a spatula. Immediately add the 3 egg yolks, stirring continuously, followed by the icing sugar, finely chopped almonds, and the flour. Stir until everything is blended beautifully.

Remove the bowl from the pan, and set aside allowing the mix to cool a little.

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C.

Take a very clean mixing bowl and add the 3 egg whites with the caster sugar. Start by whisking slowly and gradually increase whisking speed. Whisk until the whisk leaves traces in the whites and they no longer stick to the sides of the bowl.

Take a quarter of the whisked whites and fold into the chocolate mixture. When incorporated, gently fold in the rest of the whites, and continue slowly until all traces of white have disappeared.

Take an 8 inch round cake tin (or rectangular), grease with the remaining butter and sprinkle in a little flour. Shake the flour around the greased cake tin and tap out any excess. Take the batter and carefully fill the cake tin, making it smooth on top.

Place the cake tin in the bottom half of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Now slip the blade of the knife into the cake to see if it is done or not. It should emerge with the edges dry, but the centre still reasonably moist.

Remove the cake from the baking tin, and turn upside down onto a cooling rack.

The cake can be ate warm or cool. As I said earlier, it tastes best the day after, but can you wait that long?

Serve with creme fraiche, yoghurt, vanilla ice cream, or a favourite of mine raspberry sorbet!

Enjoy!!!

Beef casserole from the Rhone valley - "Brouffade"

 

Several years ago I came across a very interesting beef casserole originating from the Rhone valley. I've modified it slightly, but believe  me it is wonderful rich, lightly spiced, aromatic stew which is still light enough for spring and summer eating!

Ingredients:

1.5 kg chuck steak (neck and shoulder) reasonably thinly sliced

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 bay leaves

6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

2 cloves

freshly grated nutmeg - a good pinch

3 large onions

90 g drained capers

12 chopped cornichons

6 anchovy fillets

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon plain flour

500ml  beef stock

The day before serving we must start with marinating the meat. Take your chuck beef and unusually slice the meat into slices about 1 cm, perhaps a little more, thick. Lay the slices in a large shallow tray and pour over the olive oil and add the bay leaves, garlic, cloves and a good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Cover and leave in a cool place to marinate overnight.

The casserole has to cook for a minimum of 3 hours, so bear in mind your timings. Prior to cooking, remove the meat from the marinade. Strain the marinade and reserve the oil and the garlic cloves.

Take your three large onions, slice finely and mix with the reserved garlic. Now add the drained capers and 12 chopped cornichons. Set aside.

Place the anchovy fillets into a mortar and mash with the tablespoon of plain flour before thinning with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Pour the anchovy paste into a large bowl and add the oil from the marinade. Stir well and season with a little salt and rather more freshly ground black pepper. Take the meat slices and add to the bowl ensuring an even coating throughout.

Now take a large casserole pot and carefully layer alternative layers of meat and the sliced onion mix. Carefully pour in 500 ml of beef stock, topping up with a little water if required. 

Now to create an authentic "brouffade", and more importantly to create a perfect seal on the casserole dish, seal the lid of the pot with a ribbon of firm dough made from flour and water (this is only for the purposes of creating the perfect seal, not for eating!).

Heat the oven to 180 C and cook the casserole for 20 minutes before reducing the temperature to 160 C and cook for a minimum of 3 hours.

When time to serve, bring to the table, removing the seal at the table in front of your family or guests. There's always great excitement as the lid is removed revealing the most wonderful stew, which smells so fabulous!

Serve with vegetables of choice or even a green salad in the summer - fantastic outdoor food for a summers evening!

Enjoy!

Goan spiced pork with liver - Sorpotel

Sorpotel (also spelled sarapatel) is originally a portuguese dish. Today however, it is most usually associated with the Goan region of India, and north-east Brazil. The recipe below is definitely Goan!

 
 

Sorpotel involves the use of vinegar and spices as preservatives, and traditionally used every part of the pig - I'm cooking a more civilised version! The dish needs to be prepared at least two days in advance of eating!

Ingredients

500 g pork - shoulder or belly ideally with skin and fat intact

250 g pig's liver - in one piece!

2 teaspoons chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

12 black peppercorns

12 cloves

6 green cardamon pods

250 ml vinegar (coconut vinegar ideally* see below)

4 cloves garlic

2 chopped white onions

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons of feni or brandy

Let's begin by taking two pans of water and bring the pork and the liver to the boil (in separate pans of course!). There should just be sufficient water to cover the meats. Cook just below the boil for 15 minutes, remove the meats but keep the liquids for later. 

When sufficiently cool to touch cut the meat and the liver into 1.5-2cm cubes. Now in a dry pan, fry the meats, stirring continuously until browned. There should be sufficient lard coming out of the pork to cook the meats. When nicely browned remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Place the tumeric powder, cinnamon, pepper, cloves and cardamoms in a grinder, grind and blend before adding just enough vinegar to form a thickish paste. Coconut vinegar is ideal (usually found in Filipino shops) but if not available, dilute cider vinegar with 1 part water to 4 cider instead.

Now return to the pan in which the meats were fried. Using the lard that remains in the pan fry the garlic and onions until well browned. Now add the tomatoes and continue frying until very soft and pulpy. Add the spice paste and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes - believe me the fragrances will be amazing!

After 5 minutes of cooking add the waters from earlier (no more than 800 ml of the combined liquids) and add the browned cubes of pork and liver. Simmer very slowly, on the lowest heat for 15 minutes before adding the sugar and the feni or brandy. Feni, if you can obtain it is a liquor made from cashews and adds a delicious nutty depth of flavour to the dish, but brandy will do a good job also. Add the remaining vinegar (up to 250 ml). 

Now on the lowest possible heat allow  the dish to simmer away gently until tender - a minimum of two hours. The gravy in the dish will slowly thicken to a curry-like consistency.

Now the Goans really believe that this is a dish that once cooked should really be covered and left alone for at least a couple of days, possibly three or four to allow the flavours to blend and penetrate the meat. I have to agree ! Remember the spices and vinegar act as a preservative so as long as the dish is covered, and well heated before eating, it's perfectly safe.

This is fabulous served with plain basmati rice, or goan style pita bread (called Poee) . The Goan cooking is heavily influenced by the Portuguese so baking is a big part of their food culture.

This is a fantastic rich, beautifully flavoured dish - one to be savoured not rushed!

Enjoy!

Nandu kari - Crab curry from mangalore

 

Mangalore is a relatively small city on the south-west coast of India. It has however, great renown for it's cuisine which relies upon the abundance of sea-food available and the use of locally grown coconut.

Here's a lovely dish making use of crab and produces a beautifully succulent curry with an amazingly rich gravy combining the fresh coconut, spices and coconut milk. It's simple, easy to prepare and delicious - what could be a better combination!

Ingredients:

4 live crabs - weighing 250 - 300 g each

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

3 sprigs of curry leaves

2 bay leaves

3 green chillies - halved lengthwise

pinch of asafoetida powder

1 teaspoon chili powder (mild or hot depending on personal taste)

2 large tomatoes chopped

3 medium sized onions sliced

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

250 ml of coconut milk

30 g freshly grated coconut (or moistened desiccated) 

Firstly take the live crabs and plunge them into a large pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. When cool take a large knife and chop into large pieces. Clean and remove the spongy grey matter. Set aside.

Now for the fun and fragrant bit! Take your trusty wok and fry the mustard seeds in a little oil over a medium high heat until they start popping. Add the curry and bay leaves plus the green chillies and stir fry over a slightly lower heat for 60 seconds, before adding the asafoetida. Asafoetida is an interesting spice known amongst other things as devils dung, stinking gum and "food of the gods". Uncooked it is pungent and must be stored in airtight jars, however when cooked smells deliciously of fried onions and garlic. Medicinally it also reduces flatulence.....

Add the onions and cook until transparent, then sprinkle the turmeric and chilli powders. Stir fry for 1 minute before adding the crab pieces and the chopped tomatoes. Place the cover on the wok and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 10 minutes, remove cover and add the coconut milk and a sprinkle of salt. Bring gently to the boil, remove from the heat and add the grated coconut.

Place in a large serving bowl, garnish with a little coriander if desired and serve with plain boiled rice. Steamed okra would be an ideal accompaniment 

Enjoy this wonderful Indian dish - you'll not be disappointed I promise!

Penang Char Kway Teow - stir fried flat rice noodles

 

Nothing stirs an image of the delicious "hawker" food of Penang than a plate of char kway teow, and in Penang itself, that food-obsessed island of the west coast of Malaysia, nothing causes so much discussion as to the best place to buy your char kway teow.

For us less-fortunate souls that don't have the luxury of char kway teow on our doorstep, it's a dish that is with a little care, relatively easy to replicate at home, particularly as the once common charcoal burners are replaced by gas rings on the streets of Penang.

Before the health police turn up, yes I'm using real lard in this recipe! Nothing else will do!

Here's my take on this justifiably famous dish...

Ingredients

Chilli Paste

    10 small dried chillies, soaked in water until soft

    2 fresh red chillies

    5 shallots, peeled

    1/2 teaspoon sea salt

    4 tablespoons cooking oil

5 tablespoons of lard

2 tablespoons of chilli paste (above)

2 cloves garlic

200 g medium sized prawns, shelled

1 chinese sausage, thinly sliced

400 g fresh flat rice noodles 

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt (to taste)

4 eggs - duck eggs for a luxurious version!

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 tablespoon water

200 g bean sprouts

50 g chives (chinese preferably)

150 g cockles (optional)

100g crab meat (optional)

Let's start by making the fresh chilli paste which once made will sit comfortably in the fridge for use in other dishes. Begin by roughly cutting up the chillies and the peeled shallots. Pound together with a large mortar and pestle. It may be necessary to add a splash of water. For an easier method blend using an electric blender. Season to taste with a little sea salt.

Now in a shallow pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat and fry the paste, stirring continuously until fragrant. The oil should separate from the paste. Set aside.

Now to make the kway teow!

Take a large seasoned wok (a seasoned wok is one that has been gradually seasoned through successive coatings of oil over heat, never washed in soap, producing a non-stick surface that actually enhances the flavour of the food) add 2 tablespoons of lard and heat over a medium flame. When hot add the chopped garlic and fry for 20 to 30 seconds until aromatic but not coloured. 

Now turn up the heat and immediately add 2 tablespoons of the chilli paste (amount can vary subject to personal preference, but I recommend 2 as a minimum) and continue to stir fry until the chilli becomes aromatic. Once aromatic, add the prawns and the sliced chinese sausage, fry for a further 20 seconds before adding the kway teow. (The kway teow can be sourced from good asian/chinese supermarkets, I'm assuming they are fresh in this recipe. If bought dried, follow packet instructions to soak noodles before frying). Stir fry very briefly, 10 to 15 seconds before adding the light and dark soy sauces plus a little salt.

Quickly make a well in the centre of the kway teow and add a further tablespoon of lard into the middle. Crack the eggs,whisk briefly and pour into the well,seasoning with the ground white pepper. Now allow the egg mixture to set slightly before continuing the stir frying for up to 1 minute. For a richer dish, use duck eggs rather than hen eggs.

Add a tablespoon of water, the bean sprouts, chives and cockles (if using). Cockles have always been used in char kway teow but in recent times have more frequently than not disappeared from the dish as concerns, particularly in Asia, grow over the health risks associated with contaminated cockles. However if you have a good supplier such as your local fishmonger you may still wish to include in the dish.

Stir fry for a further 20 - 30 seconds before serving. You may wish to top off the dish with fresh crab meat

This is a recipe for a minimum of 4 servings. You may if you wish cook and serve separate portions, in a similar manner to the very best hawker practitioners of Penang!

The dish has a number of distinctive characteristics if cooked correctly and authentically. Firstly the colour - the use of the light and dark soy sauces plus the chilli paste give a wonderful light brown colour to the dish. Secondly the dish should have a characteristic charred aroma which can only be created through the use of a well seasoned wok and cooking quickly over a high heat.

The use of lard is critical to the dish which gives an amazing depth of flavour - please don't be tempted to use anything else! Finally the best char kway teow has an even covering of sauce over all of the noodles, best and easiest obtained by cooking individual portions.

This is a fantastic dish, hot and spicy from the chilli but with a wonderful depth from the sauce, noodles and chinese sausage with that great slight smoky, charred flavour!

Enjoy!

Moroccan style lamb tagine

I'm not entirely sure about the authenticity of this recipe, I think it's a mixture of several North African and middle-eastern recipes - however it is my interpretation of a lamb tagine. I can however vouch for its taste, which was absolutely outstanding. I cooked this dish for a friend's birthday party - clean plates all around!

Ideally the cooking process should start the day before eating - this is definitely a dish that improves with age!

 

Ingredients

 for 12 people

3 kg shoulder of lamb - cut into 3cm chunks

8 large shallots - sliced

8 cloves garlic - finely diced

6 tbs ginger - grated

3 tbs harissa

6 tsp paprika

3 tsp cayenne pepper

6 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp turmeric powder

3 tsp cinnamon powder

3 pinch saffron

1 litre pomegranate juice

1 litre lamb stock

4 dried limes

250g dates

250g prunes

500g dried apricots

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 handfuls fresh mint - coarsely chopped

3 handfuls fresh parsley - coarsely chopped

Coriander leaves (for garnish)

Pomegranate seeds  (for garnish)

dry roasted pine nuts (for garnish)

A confession to begin with, I did not cook this in a tagine as the name suggests but a very large Le Creuset  casserole dish.

Let's start by heating a little olive oil in a casserole/ heavy bottomed pan, and then add sufficient lamb to cover the base, but don't let it get too crowded. Brown the lamb on all sides, and continue to brown in batches until  completed. Set aside the browned lamb - reserve those juices too for adding later.

In the same pan or dish, add a little more olive oil and immediately start to soften the sliced shallots. Whilst the shallots are cooking, mix the 

paprika, c

ayenne pepper, g

round cumin, 

turmeric powder, and 

cinnamon powder with the garlic and ginger.

When the shallots have softened and just starting to colour, add the mixed spices above and cook for a couple of minutes before further adding the browned lamb, harissa paste and the saffron strands. Stir and mix well and enjoy the heady aroma of the spices, shallots and lamb with the heat of the harissa.

Now add the pomegranate juice, lamb stock, preserved limes and half of the dried fruits. Top up with a little water if required and set on a low light to simmer away quietly with a covered lid. Now I subscribe to the school of good, long, slow cooking so in my book there is no definitive time to cook at this very gentlest of simmers, but 2 hours would be an absolute minimum, and when I cooked this I left it for 5 hours with hardly a ripple on it's surface.

Turn off the heat, ensure it is tightly covered and preferably leave well alone for the next 24 hours.

3 hours before serving I returned the dish to a gentle heat and as it warmed through once more added the remaining dried fruits. Taste the sauce for seasoning at this stage and if necessary add a little salt and black pepper, but my experience is that very little additional seasoning is required.

Now for the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce a little. Whilst the final stages of cooking are happening, chop up the fresh mint and the parsley, adding to the dish a couple of minutes before serving.

Finally, before serving on a huge serving dish garnish with coriander, roasted pine nuts and the pomegranate seeds.

I served this with a room-temperature couscous mixed with lemon juice, mint, coriander, a little finely chopped chili and a glug of the finest extra virgin olive oil you can lay your hands on.

Please try - I know you will not be disappointed, it's not a difficult dish and the flavour experience, richness and fragrance will transport you all to Northern Africa !

Enjoy!