Although it’s looking a little bit brighter outside, we’re definitely still feeling the cold. What better way to warm up than with simple homemade frik soup!
Here we have a “Rupert Recipe”, a Philleigh Way version of Algerian frik soup, usually made with lamb or beef and cracked green wheat, we have made this ‘everyone friendly’ with no meat, just veg, and bulghar wheat.
Ingredients
1 Medium Red Onion 2 garlic cloves Thumb sized piece of ginger 400g tinned toms 1 cup Chickpeas from water Fresh Coriander handful chopped Fresh Mint handful chopped 1 tsp Smoked Paprika 1 tsp Coriander ground 1 tbsp Tomato Puree 2 tsp red wine vinegar 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 4 tbsp Fine Brown Bulgur wheat Dukkah to finish
Method
Chop onion, garlic and ginger. Place it in the large pot over medium heat with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Season. Then sweat for 7-9 minutes.
Add paprika, coriander, tomato paste, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sweat for a further 5 minutes. Add the vinegar.
Add chickpeas and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Follow with the tomatoes and add hot water just to cover all of the veggies, then add the bulgar wheat. Season.
Make sure all the ingredients are covered with water (add more if necessary). Let it cook for a further 15 minutes on a medium heat.
Roughly chop fresh coriander & mint, add and stir through. Serve, sprinkle with dukkah and enjoy with flatbreads (find our flatbreads recipe here).
The simple addition of truffle has the power to transform dishes across the culinary spectrum. I recently teamed up with the team at Truffle Hunter to develop a series of beautiful truffle recipes for you and your guests to enjoy.
This latest recipe is a truffle twist on cacio e pepe, a simple and highly celebrated dish in Italy and beyond. Buon appetito!
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, for 2 minutes less than the pack instructions state. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium frying pan over a low heat, then add the ground black pepper and toast for a few minutes. Drain the pasta, keeping 200ml of the pasta water. Tip the pasta and 100ml of the pasta water into the pan with the butter and pepper. Toss briefly, then scatter over the parmesan evenly, but don’t stir – wait for the cheese to melt for 30 seconds. Once melted, toss everything well, and stir together and keep cooking. Add a splash more pasta water if you need to, to loosen the sauce and coat the pasta. Serve immediately with a good grating of black pepper, drizzle of truffle oil, and more parmesan. (Optional) For an extra special touch, shave some fresh truffles over the cacio e pepe just before serving.
If you’re after hearty and warming food for the winter months, then look no further than Scandinavia. When you think of Scandinavian food, you probably think of three things – “fika” or “sweet treats” like cinnamon rolls and semlor buns, rollmop herrings, and…. the meatballs made famous by a certain Swedish furniture store. On a stormy night in the depths of winter, or on the rare occasion that it snows here, there is nothing better than a bowl of fluffy mash topped with juicy, lightly spiced Swedish meatballs and covered in creamy gravy.
Here’s how to make your own, and if you fancy getting even more familiar with the amazing and celebrated regional cuisine of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, then join us on our next Scandinavian Cookery Course.
Ingredients
300g pork mince
300g beef mince
15g butter
1 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp allspice
200ml chicken stock
175ml cream
A squeeze of lemon juice
A splash of Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of salt and ground black pepper
Small handful fresh dill, chopped
Potatoes for mashing (russets are a good choice)
FOR THE PICKLED RED ONION
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
125ml cider or white wine vinegar
Method
To Make Pickled Red Onion
Combine 1 tablespoon of white sugar with 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl with 125ml cider vinegar and 250ml water. Mix until dissolved. Place the thinly sliced red onion in a mason or kilner jar, pour the liquid over, then seal and leave to stand for 1 hour.
To Make Swedish Meatballs
Peel your potatoes and put in a pan of boiling water to cook for 12-15 minutes until easily pierced with a knife.
Meanwhile, combine the pork and beef mince in a bowl, season, and work together well with your hands to break down and combine the mince. Roll into small balls about the size of a golf or squash ball.
Heat a glug of olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan (one with a lid, for later) over a medium-high heat, and brown the meatballs all over. Colour equals flavour! Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Turn down the heat to low-medium, add 15g butter to the pan and whisk until melted. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of plain flour and the allspice, then cook until it starts to smell toasty.
Gradually add the chicken stock and cream (although you can add the cream later if you like), whisking all the time, until smooth.
Return the meatballs to the pan, cover and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper.
Mash your potatoes with a splash of cream until smooth.
To plate up, spoon mashed potato onto your plate then place meatballs and a drizzle of the creamy sauce on top. Add some pickled red onion and sprinkle with a small handful of chopped fresh dill.
Winter is soup season, particularly the first few months of the new year when we get back into routines (and perhaps with a renewed focus on healthy eating) after the Christmas and New Year’s festivities. Whether for lunch or a lighter evening meal, soups are varied and versatile. Rather than buying or relying on tinned or carton soups, making your own is more rewarding, tastier, and a great way to save money or use up leftovers. Here are four Philleigh Way favourite soup recipes to try out over the coming weeks:
1 onion 2 sticks celery 1 carrot 1 fennel bulb 2 cloves garlic ¼ Leek 1 red chilli , deseeded 1 tbsp fennel seeds 1 Star anise 2 tbsp brandy/cognac (or red wine vinegar or small glass white wine) Thyme/rosemary Sprinkle of saffron (optional) 2 tablespoons olive oil , plus extra for drizzling 800 g chopped plum tomatoes ½ butternut squash or potatoes, peeled and finely cubed 500 ml organic fish stock 300g fish (skinned) from sustainable sources, ask your fishmonger
Finely chop the onion, fennel, celery, carrot , garlic, star anise, saffron and chilli. Peel the potato/squash and dice. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the veg and sweat gently until soft. Season. Add the wine/brandy/vinegar, tomatoes, squash and stock and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Season and gently break up the tomatoes. Roughly chop the fish and add to the pan simmer for 5 minutes or until just cooked. Blitz. Taste the soup and season it again with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon if necessary. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with the chopped parsley
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , plus extra to serve 1 onion , finely chopped 1 celery stick , cut into chunks 750g pumpkin or squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into small chunks 1 carrot , peeled and cut into chunks 3 garlic cloves , chopped 3 tbsp tomato purée 1.2l chicken stock or vegetable stock 75g farro or peal barley 50-80g parmesan rinds or vegetarian alternative (optional), plus a few shavings to serve 400g can cannellini beans , drained 2 handfuls baby spinach 2 tbsp chopped parsley or 8 whole sage leaves
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, celery, pumpkin or squash and carrot and cook until the vegetables have some colour. Add a splash of water and some seasoning, then cover the pan and let the vegetables cook over a very low heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of mins, then add the tomato purée, stock, mixed grains, parmesan rinds, if using, and some seasoning. Simmer for about 15 mins (or until the grains are cooked), adding the beans for the final 5 mins. In the last few mins, add the spinach, then taste for seasoning. If you want to use sage, fry the leaves whole in a little olive oil before adding to the soup. If you prefer to use parsley, you can just add it directly to the soup. Serve with shavings of parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top of each bowlful. Remove the parmesan rinds and serve.
Two Cinnamon sticks 3 whole cloves 2 star anise 1 large white onion, peeled and quartered 3 garlic cloves 1 red chilli 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and halved lengthwise 2 vegetable stock or broth 4 cups water 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 large handful rice noodles 1 tablespoon sesame oil 5 mushrooms Rice wine vinegar Asian Paste (optional) Garnishes Mung bean sprouts Sprigs of fresh basil (use Thai basil if you can find it) or coriander Sprigs of fresh mint Thinly sliced spring onions 1 Carrot (julienne) 1 Courgette (julienne)
Warm a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion, chill, garlic ginger, vegetable stock, water and soy. Raise the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes to give the flavours time to meld. In the meantime, prepare your rice noodles by cooking them according to package directions. Set them aside. To prepare the mushrooms, warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and a few dashes of salt. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes, then set them aside. Julienne your veg. Once the broth is done cooking, strain out the onions, ginger and spices (this is easiest with a small metal sieve, but you can also strain the mixture through a colander into another large bowl). Season it to taste with extra tamari and/or salt until the flavours of the spices really shine. Ladle the broth into bowls, add cooked noodles and mushrooms, and fresh garnishes to your heart’s content. Serve immediately, with chopsticks and soup spoon
1 large celeriac 2 onions 4 garlic cloves Veg or chicken stock cube 70ml double cream (or creme fraiche)
Peel the celeriac, then par boil until it can take a knife. Then light your BBQ and have coals and one log fired up. Smoke the celeriac indirectly at 180-200C for 45 minutes to an hour. While that is smoking…. Dice the onions and garlic, then sweat off in a deep pan and season. Once the celeriac has been smoked to your liking, dice and add to the pan along with the stock and then top up with boiling water just above the line of the veg. Simmer until everything is soft. Then blitz and add the cream. Season to taste and serve with crusty bread and butter.
Good food should always be accompanied by good drink. And sometimes, good drink is a thing on its own. These next few weeks in the run-up to Christmas and New Years are peak party season, and whether you’re hosting a big group of friends and neighbours, or you’ve just got a few friends and family stopping in, the first thing you’ll do is probably offer them a drink. Nobody wants to have to dash out to the shops or garage to stock up at the last minute, so get yourself well set for this year and many more to come. A thoughtfully stocked cocktail cabinet or drinks trolley needn’t cost a great deal (it can be cheaper than a night out), and you can replenish or upgrade elements of it over time. It is an investment, and a work-in-progress, that with a few basic cocktail recipes will delight your guests and pay you back time and time again.
A very well stocked bar – you can start small and work up to this!
Home Bar – What and Why
You don’t need to be a bow-tied barman to mix a good cocktail. Most classic cocktails are remarkably simple, requiring very few ingredients and very little skill to mix. Commit a couple to memory or have the recipes written out in a kitchen drawer, and you’re good to go. I’d suggest offering your guests the following as a starter for 10:
Wine
Fizz
G&T (alc or non-alc)
Martini
Negroni
Old Fashioned
French 75
To make a Negroni, mix 25ml each of gin, Campari and vermouth rosso, pour over ice and garnish with orange.
Home Bar Basics – Alcohol
Just as with food, the quality of your ingredients is really important. That’s why less is more in terms of the spirits that you stock and what you offer. A decent bottle of juniper-forward gin (more versatile for cocktails) is essential; there are hundreds to choose from these days but I’d suggest a Cornish classic like Tarquin’s. It’s nice to cater for drivers and non-drinkers properly too, so a botanical non-alcoholic spirit such as Pentire (another Cornish brand) means you can offer a 0% G&T rather than a regular soft drink.
Pentire and tonics for the drivers and non–drinkers.
A bottle of decent bourbon whiskey and a small bottle of bitters will allow you to offer Old Fashioneds, whilst a bottle of Campari and a nice vermouth rosso (check out Cornish vineyard Knightor’s fantastic vermouth) will put the ever-popular Negroni on your Christmas party cocktail menu.
Angostura Bitters: A cocktail cabinet essential, just as salt is in the kitchen.
Home Bar Basics – Mixers, Garnishes and Ice
Ice is essential. I always say to make best use of your freezer by using it to store high value items, not filling it up with cheap bulky items like bread and ice and then spending all that money on electricity. But when it comes to Christmas parties, you don’t want to run out of ice. A bag of ice is a good idea if your party is planned, but for some cocktails it’s a great idea to make oversized ice-cubes by freezing water in old yoghurt pots (or similar).
When it comes to mixers, buying small cans or bottles of tonic water is a more expensive way of doing it than getting in big bottles, but big bottles go flat quickly and if you don’t need all of it then some wil go to waste compared to individual serves.
A couple of limes and lemons for garnisihing G&Ts and gin-based cocktails is a sensible addition to your fridge, as is an orange or two – sliced to serve in a Negroni, or a slither of peel as a garnish for an Old Fashioned.
The French 75 is a Champagne cocktail that kicks like a canon: mix 15ml lemon juice and 30ml gin with a dash of sugar syrup over ice, strain into a chilled glass and top with 60ml Champagne.
Home Bar Basics – Equipment and Glassware
You don’t need a massive collection of fancy glassware, but you also don’t want to be serving drinks in a random assortment of tumblers and mugs. Basic glassware like wine glasses, champagne flutes, high balls and short rocks tumblers are all available in supermakrets andhomewares stores for reasonable prices. If it’s a big party, then consider hiring!
You’ll need a sharp paring knife and choping board for preparing garnishes. You can buy a cocktail kit if you want to, but a long-handled teaspoon will make a perfeectly good substitute for a bar spoon, you can use a mason jar or jug instead of a Boston glass or tin (or cocktail shaker) and a small seive or tea strainer instead of a hawthorn strainer. Lots of cocktails can be mixed in the glass, such as a Negroni or Old Fashioned. What matters is the end-result, but you’re not a hotel bar and nobody will criticise a person who hands them a drink!
The great thing about having a properly stocked and ready-to-go home bar set-up is that it doesn’t expire. Once you’ve got yourself started, after that initial outlay, you can maintain and add to it for very little as your cocktail repertoire grows, and it will be there to delight next December, and the December after that, and on any occasion in between. Enjoy!
*If you don’t want to serve a solely liquid diet, then our recipe for Festive Bar Nuts will come in handy. They’ll keep in a sealed jar, although it’s unlikely they’ll last that long.
If you’re looking for ideas for Christmas gifts for foodie friends or family, or if you’ve got a large group of people who you want to give Christmas gifts to, such as colleagues or team members, then biscotti is the perfect answer. Biscotti are twice baked almond biscuits that are dry and crunchy, often served with sweet wine or coffee to dunk in. They’re popular as a Christmas gift because of their festive flavours and the fact that they keep well for up to a month after baking. Biscotti originate from the Tuscan city of Prato (back in the 14th century), and the name means “twice baked”, but in Italy these biscuits are also often known as “cantuccini”. The dough is first baked as a log and then sliced up to make the oval biscuits, that are baked again to make them crunchy. Whether included as part of a festive hamper or given as small gifts to colleagues, nothing shows that you care like baking, and nothing’s easier to bake and gift at this time of year than biscotti. Give it a go, and get ahead for Christmas!
INGREDIENTS
350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp mixed spice 250g golden caster sugar 3 eggs, beaten 1 orange, coarsely zested 85g sultanas 50g blanched almonds 50g your choice of other nuts
METHOD
Heat your oven to 180C, 160C fan or gas mark 4, and line two baking sheets with baking paper. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, mixed spice and sugar. Stir in the eggs and zest until the mixture starts forming clumps, then bring the dough together with your hands – it will seem dry at first but keep kneading until no floury patches remain. Add the fruit and nuts, then work them into the dough until evenly distributed throughout. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into four pieces.Roll each piece into a thick sausage about 30cm long. Place two on each tray, spaced well apart as they will increase in size as they bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the dough has risen and spread, and feels firm. It should still look pale. Remove from the oven and turn it down to 140C, and place the baked dough on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Use a bread knife to cut the dough on the diagonal into 1cm thick slices, then lay the slices flat on the baking sheets. Bake for another 30 minutes, turning them over half way through, until dry and golden. Remove from the oven and tip out on to a wire rack to cool completely, then bundle up and gift wrap, or enjoy a few yourself with a coffee or glass of desert wine to dunk in.
If you’re a meat-eater or flexitarian, then a good case can be made for switching out farmed meat for wild game. Eating wild game can be better for our health than eating regular farmed meat (it is very low in fat and cholesterol) and can be better for the environment. It can also offer great value for money and is often more flavourful. The punchier flavours of many game meats matches perfectly with winter and the heartier dishes that many of us gravitate towards at this time of year – which also coincides with open season on the majority of game species and therefore its availability to us consumers.
What Counts as Wild Game?
Gamebirds such as pheasant, partridge and grouse (to name a few), waterfowl like ducks and geese, and rabbits, hare and the various species of deer (‘ground’ or ‘fur’ game’ – the mammals) all count as game. It is legal to shoot these species in the UK, but many of them have closed seasons when it is illegal to shoot them to allow them to breed, raise young, and migrate between their breeding and over-wintering grounds. The open season is the period of time within which they can be shot, and this is when wild game is most readily available. Some game species are farmed either directly for consumption (venison) or for organised shoots (gamebirds) – this is game meat, but not wild game and so whilst it may well carry the same flavour, eating it does not have the lower environmental impact that wild game does.
When Is Wild Game Available?
In England and Wales, the majority of gamebirds and waterfowl (certainly the most popular and readily available) have an open season from between the 1st of September or the 1st of October, and the end of January. There are some exceptions, and you can see the full table here. There is technically no closed season on rabbits and brown hare on private land in England and Wales, however there are date restrictions on moorland and in any instance it is only legal to shoot them between December 11th and March 31st which effectively creates a season for these ground game species.
The open season for wild venison depends upon the species and differs for male deer (stags or bucks) and female (hinds or does). In Scotland, stags or bucks can be taken year-round. Through winter and into early spring from November 1st through to March 31st, is open season for hinds and does. Roe deer bucks can then be taken between April 1st and October 31st creating a year-round season for roe deer. For red, sika and fallow deer, the stags or bucks have an open season from August 1st through April 30th, so for these species there is a closed season through late spring and into summer.
You can ask your local butcher about wild game meat, although be sure to specify wild rather than farmed if that is important to you. In Cornwall we are fortunate to have suppliers such as Duchy Game (at Pelean Cross, just outside Ponsanooth) or you can look online for a supplier local to you or who sells online.
Game Recipes
If you are interested in learning how to prepare and cook game animals, then our Game Workshop (the next one takes place on Thursday November 23rd) is a great course to give yo the confidence, skills and recipes to add wild meat to your winter repertoire. Over the years, several game recipes have been shared on our Foodie Blog, from game terrine to “posh” venison kebabs. Take your pick from the links below, and give wild game a go this winter!
The weather may be suggesting otherwise, but we are firmly in autumn now, and autumn is mushroom season. I’ve been working with our friends at Truffle Hunter recently, the UK’s leading supplier of fresh truffle and truffle products, developing some recipes with their range of oils and condiments. This recipe for truffled mushrooms and lentils is a suitably hearty seasonal recipe (and it’s vegan, too).
Ingredients
1 tsp TruffleHunter Black or White Truffle Oil 1 tsp TruffleHunter Minced Black Truffle 1 large onion 2 cloves garlic 1 celery stick 1 carrot Handful of mixed fresh mushrooms 500g raw puy or green lentils (or pre cooked) 1 bay leaf 1 large glass red wine 1 vegetable stock cube Handful of fresh parsley
Method:
Add the TruffleHunter Truffle Oil to a pan and then finely dice the vegetables. Add these to the saucepan along with the bay leaf on a medium heat. Finely chop half the mushrooms and add to the pan. Season the pan well. After gently sweating the vegetables for 8 minutes, add the lentils, TruffleHunter Minced Black Truffle and stock cube. Next, add the red wine. Cook off the wine and then pour 1.5 litres of hot water into the pan. Gently simmer with the lid on until the lentils are soft. If using pre-cooked lentils, add a little liquid and cook until your desired consistency. Just before the lentils are cooked, roughly chop the rest of the mushrooms, heat another frying pan and toast the mushrooms in a little truffle oil and then serve on top of the lentils. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy with a glass of red wine!
Autumn is apple season. That’s come around quickly, huh! Some apple varieties are ready to harvest in August, but September and October are when the action really ramps up in the UK. But whilst we’re still also clinging on to the remains of summer, I’ve got a recipe for you that combines your barbecue with the first of the new season’s apples. And, if it’s raining, you can use your oven instead of your barbecue. You can make most of the elements of this dessert a day or two in advance too, so all you need to do when the time comes is cook your apples and assemble. Give it a go, and let me know what you think!
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180ºC fan). Lightly butter a deep baking dish. Add the Biscoff spread to a small pan and gently heat until runny. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt to a medium sized mixing bowl and rub together with your fingers until resembling breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar and broken biscuits and nuts. Then add the melted biscoff. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crumble is golden brown. If preparing in advance, transfer to an airtight containter and refrigerate.
Whip together the two creams until combined and forming soft peaks then add vanilla and sugar. Put to the side or store in the fridge if preparing in advance.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add sugar and salt and cover with coffee, topping up with water as required. Bring to a simmer, stirring every so often until sugar is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Increase heat to medium-high and cook until deeply golden, without stirring, (4 to 5 minutes more). Once the caramel is a deep copper colour, turn off the heat and immediately stir in the cream and butter. The mixture will bubble up so be careful! Let it cool slightly in pan, then transfer to a container to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 180°C Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium for a few minutes until they turn golden brown, giving the pan a shake every now and then so they don’t catch. Set aside to cool. Put the sugar, butter, golden syrup, and vanilla extract in a pan and heat over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved. Don’t let it boil! Then take the saucepan off the heat and tip in the toasted sesame seeds and mix well. Pour the mixture out onto the lined baking tray and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon or spatula, pressing it down as you go. Pop that in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges are starting to brown and crisp up. Remove from the oven and place the tray on a cooling rack. If you want uniform pieces then once it’s cooled a bit score the brittle so that you can break it along those lines later, or just leave it to cool thoroughly and then snap into random shapes. You can sotre your sesame brittle in an airtight container in a cupboard for a week or two if you need to .
All of above can be done few days before you want to serve.
TO BRING THE DISH TOGETHER
Either fire up the BBQ or pre heat your oven to 190°C. Cut your apples in half, removing the seeds, and roast or bbq until golden brown and softened. You’ll probably want one eating apple per person. Put two halves of cooked apple and a dollop of the cream on each plate, sprinkle some crumble mixture over, stick a couple of bits of sesame brittle in the cream and then drizzle syrup over it all. Serve, and enjoy!
If there’s one thing that unites us in the UK, it’s a love for drizzling or dolloping sauces over and alongside our meals. In fact, a poll commissioned by Waitrose last summer found that over a third of us have 5-6 jars or bottles of different condiments in their fridge.
As we hit peak summer, lots of us are also trying to find ways to utilise the crops from our veg patches and greenhouses. Last year a friend and I developed a recipe for an absolutely banging smoked chilli sauce that you can buy bottles of from the cookery school or Cove Café. We’re talking Cornish chillis that have been fermented for a fortnight, local apple cider vinegar, confit garlic, and smoking peppers, onions and tomatoes over cherry and oak wood. We went deep on this one!
If you can’t get your hands on a bottle before it all sells out, and if you’ve been growing chillies at home this year like our friend Matt (pictured), then I’ve got a simpler recipe for you to try so that you can put the fruits of your greenhouse or windowsill to good use and cook up a batch of this smokey chilli sauce. It’s incredible poured over…. absolutely everything.
PREP
Sterilising your jars or bottles Wash your jars and lids in warm soapy water and leave to dry on a draining rack – don’t touch the insides! You can dry the lids with a clean, dry, tea towel. Place the jars and lids in a preheated oven at 180c/160c fan/gas 4 for fifteen minutes. Remove, allow to cool, and use!
500g Chillis (a couple of handfuls, or about 20 chillis, but go steady if you grew Scotch Bonnets like Matt) 1 red onion 1 red pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 vine of cherry tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger (grated) 300g castor sugar 250ml apple cider vinegar 1 – 1.5l water (you can use half and half cloudy apple juice if you like) 1 bay leaf Rosemary – sprig Thyme – small bunch
METHOD
Whether you have a biscuit tin smoker that you can pop on your barbecue (see here for how to make one yourself) an offset smoker, or are keeping it as simple as a barbecue with a lid, smoke the chillis and garlic for an hour or two. If you have any fruit wood or shavings (apple or cherry) that’d be ideal. Whilst your barbecue is lit, char the peppers, onions and tomatoes. Remove the skin from the charred veg, and roughly chop with the smoked chillis. Put it all into a large pot or casserole, add the rest of the ingredients going easy on the water or diluted apple juice (start with a litre and add more later if required) and bring up to the boil. Simmer for an hour over a low heat. Season and taste to check – you can adjust the water, vinegar and sugar to get the balance you’re after. Blend it with a stick-blender or in batches in a food processor – you can keep it fairly rough or blitz it for a while and then push it through a sieve with the back of a spoon if you want a super smooth sauce. It’s up to you! Check the seasoning and balance one last time, allow to cool, then decant into your sterilised jars or bottles.Store in a cool cupboard for up to a couple of months, and once opened keep it in the fridge and use it with a week or two. Which won’t be hard.
St Ives Food Festival is always such a great weekend. Taking place in mid-May, this food festival on Porthminster Beach has the most incredible backdrop for the chefs lucky enough to be invited to demonstrate a recipe on the Asado Fire Pit stage.
On Sunday 14th Rupert shared with the crowd how to make mechouia salad, a fantastic traditional Tunisian dish of grilled Mediterranean vegetables that goes incredibly with barbecued meats or works as a stand-alone dish. It’s a frequent favourite at our Wooodfired Cooking courses!
Mechouia (also known as slata mechouia in Tunisian Arabic) has a base of char-grilled tomatoes, onions, peppers, chillis and garlic, which are coarsely chopped and seasoned before being dressed with olive oil. Rupert cooked a tomahawk steak over the coals, serving it medium-rare, sliced over the mechouia.
Cook your steak to your preference, remembering to oil your steak (whether or not you use a pan) and, once placed on the grill, not to move it until you come to turn it. And, of course, rest it before slicing and serving!
Here’s how to make the mechouia to serve it on:
Ingredients
4 Medium Tomatoes
2 Red Peppers
2 Large Jalapeno Peppers
2 Small Onions, the outer paper leaves removed
1 Teaspoon Caraway Seeds
½ Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
2 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon red wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Method
Using either a grill or BBQ fire, char the outsides of the tomato, peppers, and onions until they’re completely blackened and blistered, turning frequently to char all sides. You can put the onions directly into the coals of the fire. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to allow them to steam in their own heat for 15 minutes.
Peel the char off of the vegetables, coarsely chop them and place them in a bowl.
Toast the caraway and coriander seeds in a dry pan for a few minutes until they become fragrant. Grind them into a powder in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle.
Add the spices with the olive oil and vinegar to the chopped vegetables and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste.
Header image by Nik Read, article images by Sam Buckle. Thanks to both for sharing their work with us.
We recently welcomed the team from our Roseland near-neighbours Wild Cornwall to Philleigh Way, to work on some summer recipes utilising their range of seasonal foraged and homegrown condiments, oils, vinegars, relishes and rubs. First up, spatchcock sweet chilli chicken!
This dish of whole barbecued sweet chilli chicken, wedges and coleslaw is perfect for cooking and eating outside now that the sun’s come out, but you can just as easily make it in your kitchen (then carry it outside to eat). It uses Wild Cornwall’s punchy Rambler’s Sweet Chilli Sauce that features Calendula flowers for an earthy flavour to add balance and depth, and foraged water pepper (Arsesmart) for a hot and peppery punch.
INGREDIENTS
Wild Cornwall Rambler’s sweet chilli sauce Whole medium chicken White potatoes Half red onion Half a white cabbage Half a red cabbage Vinegar (red or white wine vinegar) Plain natural yoghurt Mayonnaise Coriander leaves (optional) Spring onions (optional)
METHOD
For The Coleslaw Finely slice half a red onion Season with salt and pepper Add some vinegar to reduce the acidity of the onions Slice the red and white cabbage Add Wild Cornwall Rambler’s Sweet Chilli sauce Add the yogurt and mayo Give it a mix and that’s your coleslaw done Here you could add coriander or spring onions as extras.
To spatchcock the chicken with a pair of scissors or secateurs for reduced cooking time, cut alongside the back bone from one end to the other and the same on the other side. Turn it over Give it a push down Season with salt Brush on wild Cornwall sweet chilli sauce Put the chicken in a barbecue with a lid, or the oven Leave to cook for an hour and a half to two hours Keep basting with the sweet chilli sauce
To check the chicken is done either use a thermometer or check the juices run clear when pierced with a sharp knife in the thigh.
Cut the potatoes in wedges and par boil for 10-15 minutes. Drain and give them a little shake to rough up the outsides. Preheat a roasting tray with a slug of oil, then spreads out the wedges and put in the barbecue or oven to cook and crisp up.
Cooking with children is a great way to help them to develop a healthy relationship with food. When they’re young they don’t have to be involved from start to finish – just the fun messy bits that they’ll enjoy! This recipe for lentil and beef meatballs with pasta is a healthy one pan meal that the kids can help make, and that the whole family can enjoy. Give it a go!
INGREDIENTS
400g can green lentils, drained 400g good quality beef mince 1 onion, finely chopped 1 celery, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 tsp dried mixed herbs 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tbsp olive oil 400g chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato paste 400g small pasta shapes, like orzo or macaroni 30g Parmesan or other hard cheese (Optional) fresh parsley to serve
METHOD
Start by chopping all of the vegetables before making your meatballs.
In a bowl add the mince, lentils, mixed herbs and season. Then squash and combine the mixture (get the kids involved! They can’t break it!) until it become smoother. You want to really work the mixture to mash it all together so that the meatballs don’t break apart when cooking.
Form meatballs the size of a ping pong ball and add to a large high sided cold casserole pan. Once they have all been shaped, put the pan onto a medium high heat, and brown the meatballs on 2/3 sides. You may need to cook them in batches. Don’t move them too quickly!
When they have coloured nicely remove from the pan to a plate, turn the heat down to medium and add the veggies. Gently sweat off for 4-6 mins, then add the tomato puree. Add the chopped toms, rinse out the can and fill with hot water and add to the mixture. Stir in the pasta and then add the meatballs back in.
Simmer with the lid on gently for 12-15 mins or until the orzo is cooked ( you can top up with water if needed).
Serve with a generous grating of cheese and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
One billion people around the world rely on fish and seafood as their primary source of protein, with 3.3 billion getting at least 20% of their animal protein from fish. Fish and seafood are incredibly important not only for people’s diets but also for many people’s livelihoods, however the scales of sustainability aren’t always balanced and so sources and stocks need to be carefully managed and we need to consume consciously if we are to avoid catastrophic collapses. This recipe is all about helping you to do that – it’s a quick and delicious meal using tinned sardines that ticks the boxes for great value, sustainable and local fish.
Cornish Sardines and Pilchards
Cornwall has a long history of fishing for pilchards – small silver fish that we now call sardines that are caught as shoals in inshore waters. Historically, fishing boats would row out and lay a large wall of netting around a shoal of fish and then draw it in. The catch was then pressed for oil and the fish salted and laid in barrels for transport in the fish cellars that can be found in so many of Cornwall’s old fishing villages. These days fishing boats encircle the shoals with a ring net (a modern take on a purse seine net). How sustainable sardines are depends on where they are caught, but one of the most sustainable fisheries where fish stocks are actually increasing, is the Cornish fishery that catches fish in the Celtic Sea and English Channel. According to Cornwall Good Seafood Guide there are 14 vessels (all under 15m) fishing for sardines in Cornish waters. All of these boats belong to an organisation called the Cornwall Sardine Management Group and through this the Marine Stewardship Council has accredited the fishery. CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) carries out a survey every year and stock levels of sardines in our area appear to be healthy and improving.
The Benefits of Tinned Fish
Fish, particularly oily fish such as sardines, are a great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein. Tinned or canned fish provide just the same amount of these and have the same nutritional values as fresh fish. The benefit of canning fish is that they have a really long shelf life. The fish are processed then sealed in an airtight can, sometimes in a sauce, and the can is heated to make it sterile which also cooks the fish. Tinned fish can have a shelf life of anywhere between 1-5 years and can be eaten straight of of the tin or used in a recipe like this.
Tinned Sardine & Tomato Pici Pasta
Ingredients
200g semolina flour 100ml warm water
OR
Pici pasta (or any string pasta)
1 tin of Cornish Sardines (or any MSC certified tinned oily fish) Handful of cherry tomatoes 1 pinch of chilli flakes 3 cloves of garlic ½ tsp dried oregano 1 tbsp red wine vinegar Fresh basil
You can use shop-bought dried linguini or spaghetti. But if you want to make the pici, in a bowl weigh 200g semolina flour, add a pinch of salt and drizzle of olive oil then pour in 100ml of warm water. Combine and then begin to knead until pliable and soft like playdough. Wrap and put into the fridge for at least 30mins. Without adding any extra flour, roll the dough out into a 1cm thick round. Next, cut the dough into ¼ inch thick strips. Make the Pici – One at a time, roll each strip out on a clean work surface to resemble thick spaghetti. The pasta needs enough grip to roll so don’t add any flour or you won’t be able to roll it out. Place each piece of rolled out pici on a tray or separate area dusted with flour or semolina to stop them sticking
Heat a saucepan or high sided frying pan. Then with a little veg/rapeseed oil put the cherry tomatoes in. You’re looking to blister and burn them! Don’t be shy. While they are frying, finely chop the garlic When the tomatoes are nicely charred and beginning to break, turn the heat down, drizle a little olive and add the garlic. Season. Add the tinned sardines, oregano and vinegar. Gently simmer for 7-10mins. Season with black pepper and the chilli flakes. The sardines will provide enough saltiness. Boil your pasta until al-dente then add that to the “sauce” with a little pasta water. Cook and incorporate. Serve with torn basil leafs and pangrattato. Enjoy!
Menu planning has never been more important, or necessary. Sure, in winter we all spend more evenings at home and each January many of us make commitments to eat better or scrutinise and experiment with our lifestyles, but as we start 2023 with a cost of living crisis, it’s a great way to eat well, for less.
As with the one week meal plans that I prepared and shared at the start of each of the three COVID19 lockdowns, this menu carries ingredients and leftovers from meal to meal to minimise food waste and maximise value for money. Ingredients with short shelf lives such as meat and fish are used in the first half of the menu so that those of you who do a single weekly shop don’t have to worry about expensive ingredients ticking over their use-by dates.
For our vegetarian, vegan, dairy and gluten-free followers or those with other dietary needs, I apologise that not all of these dishes will work for you however I hope that you can still perhaps adapt some of these meals to your requirements or take inspiration from the core concept of carrying over key ingredients or leftovers into other meals. Feel free to replace or omit ingredients and to play around with the recipes and the menu to suit your dietary requirements.
Please click each link to be taken through to the web page with ingredients and instructions.
Use leftover chicken (you can really strip the carcass and use all the bits for the soup) for this classic comfort food meal. Vegetarians and vegans, omit the meat and replace with additional oriental greens, and swap chicken stock for veg stock. Take leftovers to work for lunch.
Leftover winter veg and a few eggs is amazing served with cavalo nero salsa. Vegans can make bubble and squeak with leftover roast veg. Take leftovers to work for lunch.
It is said that cheese and fish don’t go together, but I’d say there are a couple of exceptions: fish pie, and this recipe. This dish is a cross between a kedgeree and a classic rarebit. It’s simple, full of flavour, and amazing for a light midweek dinner.
Another great light and easy midweek dinner, and if this menu is a bit light on meat for your liking then you can always pair it with sausages or similar. Use veg stock instead of chicken stock and cream to make this vegan.
Lentils are a great and versatile source of cheap protein, and if you want to reduce your impact on the planet then they are absolutely the way to go. Dhal is a lentil dish that is then tempered with a spiced oil (the tarka). Dhal is almost infinitely adaptable, easy to make and a great source of leftovers for lunches.
A warming dish for a winter weekend that I prepared for our friends at Rodda’s this autumn. Make it vegan by leaving out the cream.
We teach elements of menu planning and how to make the most of all of your ingredients through all of our cookery courses. Our upcoming Eat Well For Less cookery course is now fully booked, but keep an eye out as we’ll be running it again in 2023.
Stone fruit season is finally here in the UK – as sure a sign of summer as any. This recipe makes the most of in-season peaches, and is a delicious desert but you should definitely save some leftovers for breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, for this crumble topping I added some leftover granola to give it a bit of extra crunch. Serve it hot or cold, but always with clotted cream.
INGREDIENTS
At least 6 peaches, halved and stone removed
Demerara sugar
Cinnaomon or mixed spice
Sherry
Plain flour
Caster sugar
Unsalted butter (cold, from the fridge)
Granola
METHOD
Preheat your oven to 220C.
Place the peach halves skin-side down on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with demerara sugar, cinnamon or mixed spice, and a splash of booze (I used sherry, last time I made this).
Roast for 20 minutes.
After removing the peaches, turn the oven down to 180C.
Meanwhile, make your crumble topping in a large bowl. Using a 2:1:1 ratio of flour:sugar:butter, combine the flour and sugar in the bowl, then cut your cold butter into cubes, add to the bowl and rub-in using your fingertips and thumbs. You should end up with a breadcrumb consistency. Add any left-over granola you may have for some added texture and crunch.
Lay out your peach halves in shallow baking dishes, skin-side down still, and sprinkle your crumble mix over the top.
Bake your crumble in the oven at 180 for 35-40 minutes, or until you can see the fruit mix bubbling and the topping has turned golden.
Lobster is considered something of a luxury these days, but that shouldn’t stop you from treating yourself every now and then. A few weeks ago we paid a visit to the National Lobster Hatchery at Padstow, to learn about how they’re working to conserve and restore populations of wild lobsters in our coastal waters – the benefit for the rest of us being that there should then continue to be enough lobster to allow some to be caught, cooked, and consumed.
These rolls can be served hot or cold, but must always be served outside in the sunshine, preferably with a sea view.
PREPARING YOUR LOBSTER
If you’ve picked up a pre-cooked lobster from your fishmonger then follow Cornwall Good Seafood Guide’s instructions on how to humanely kill your lobster. Boil your lobster for six minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool. When you’re ready to make your lobster rolls you can then split the body and tail down the centre line with a sharp knife and grill shell-side-down on the barbecue, and crack the claws to remove the meat which you can then pan-fry in a good amount of butter. I also added some nduja to the tail meat (completely optional) as it warmed, for some of that unbeatable spiced pork and seafood flavour.
TARTAR SAUCE INGREDIENTS
Good mayonnaise
Gherkins
Dill
Tarragon
Chives
Dijon mustard
Lemon – juice and zest
METHOD
Finely chop the gherkins and herbs. Then combine all ingredients together, season and serve.
CUCUMBER SALSA INGREDIENTS
1 tomato
1/2 cucumber
1 garlic clove
1 red onion
2 tsps red wine vinegar
METHOD
Finely dice all the ingredients, mix in a bowl with vinegar. Season and serve.
ASSEMBLY
Take your roll – I used potato rolls, but a popular choice is a good hot-dog style bun – butter it and toast it on the grill. Then simply load it up with your lobster and either a decent helping of tartar sauce or cucumber salsa, and get stuck in!
At the start of last year, during that third lockdown that we’d all rather forget, Lori of restaurant and recipe blog mybossbuysmelunch and her Mum joined one of our online enriched dough courses for a day of stay-at-home baking.
“I ate three in ten minutes and I’m totally on board with that. So damn good I am going to have to ration how many times I make these!”
Lori shared the recipe for our cinnamon twists with her followers shortly after, and it’ll come as no surprise to anyone that they proved mighty popular. We thought it only fair then that we share her write-up with everybody else too!
INGREDIENTS
200g Full Fat Milk 2 Medium Eggs 600g Strong White Bread Flour 12g fast action yeast 50g caster sugar 10g Salt 200g unsalted butter at room temperature For the filling: 150g soft brown sugar 75g unsalted butter at room temperature 2 tbsp ground cinnamon For the glaze: 50g caster sugar dissolved in 2 tbsp water to form syrup
METHOD
In a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix together the butter & flour until well combined then add the sugar, salt & yeast. Whisk together the milk and eggs then add to the stand mixer & bring together for circa 5mins until the dough has formed a ball. Once happy place the dough in a bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 2-3 hours until it has doubled in size.
Then, lightly flour a surface & roll the dough into a rectangle (30 x 25cm). For the filling, beat the butter & sugar together until a smooth paste forms & add cinnamon. Spread the filling over the top of the dough.
With the long side of the dough facing you, fold a third across towards the middle and repeat on the other side to enclose the filling. Then slice width-ways into 12 even strips. Next, use a sharp knife to cut down the middle of each strip leaving an inch in tact at the top. Twist the two strands together and then roll up to stand on the flat end. Grease a 12-cup muffin tray and pop the knots into the tray, leaving them to prove for 15mins.
Preheat your oven to 200°/ 180° fan. Brush the knots with egg glaze and cook for about 15 mins (our oven is super hot and only took 11, so check!). Once cooked and still hot, brush the knots with sugar glaze and leave to cool slightly before tucking in.
It’s turned out to be another “dynamic” Christmas party season, but regardless of whether and how your plans have changed, you should still be able to enjoy some canapés and drinks over the festive period – even if it is just at home with your nearest and dearest. Whenever we serve canapés at an event, this one is always so popular, and the one that the most people ask me for the recipe for. And, it’s so simple and quick to make, which means less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying those Christmas drinks.
INGREDIENTS
4 x smoked mackerel fillets
1 tbsp dijon
4 tbsp creme fraiche (sour cream or cream cheese instead)
Handful of dill, finely chopped
1 tbsp horseradish cream
Lemon zested and juiced
3 tbsp capers
Crusty bread to serve/pickled shallots
METHOD
1. Remove skin from fillets and place them into a bowl.
2. Zest the lemon and then squeeze half the juice in. Save the other half to adjust seasoning later.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix together thoroughly with a fork try not to use a blender or food-processor as you’ll get a much better consistency by hand.
4. Taste, then add black pepper and more lemon juice if required.
5. Serve with pickled shallots and crusty bread. Perfect as a starter, light meal, or canapé!
Food waste is an enormous problem – The World Food Programme estimate that globally, a third of the food that we produce is wasted. Here in the UK, that’s been estimated to work out to about £19 billion worth of food annually (by waste charity WRAP) and that unintentionally costs UK households hundreds of pounds every year. If you knew you were putting money in the bin every week, you’d start to do something about it, right? Food waste also has a huge impact on the environment, all the way along the supply chain and after its been disposed of: if food waste were a country it would have the third largest carbon footprint, behind the USA and China, and be a worse offender than commercial aviation.
This week is Food Waste Action Week (March 1st – 7th), a campaign led by WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste project whose slogan is “wasting food feeds climate change”. Their aim is to raise awareness and help people to tackle the issue in their own homes. In our opinion, every week should be food waste action week, and whilst we can’t do much as individuals about the wastage that occurs between the field and our fridges, there are a few small adjustments that we can all make that will not only save us money but also do some good for the environment.
Three Ways To Reduce Food Waste At Home
Planning your meals and buying only what you need is a really easy way to reduce the amount of food that ends up in your bin, and also allows you to check use-by dates as you shop so that you don’t waste any food because it’s gone off. We’ve shared three one-week menu/meal plans over the last year – see our latest here).
Use up your leftovers – we throw away a lot of perfectly good food, such as stalks, leaves, the end slices of bread, and so on, that can be used in some amazing recipes (see below). The same goes for leftovers from meals, such as roast potatoes, that can be used in other dishes.
Check the temperature of your fridge. It should be below 5 degrees Celsius, but a surprising number of fridges aren’t kept that cold. You can add around three days onto the life of perishables such as milk and soft fruits if you keep your fridge at the right temperature (and don’t keep the door open for a long time when putting things in and out of it).
The Usual Suspects, And Waste-Not Recipes
The three things that UK households throw away the most of are potatoes, bread and apples. Just under half of all potatoes thrown away in the UK are untouched and edible – it’s criminal! Over the last couple of years we’ve shared a fair few recipes that make the most of leftovers and offcuts, so next time you’re about to drop something into the bin check back to here and click through to find out how to give it a second, delicious, lease of life:
This zero waste remoulade is a take on the classic French winter salad (also really popular as a side in the southern states of the USA) that makes the most of the broccoli stalk from last night’s dinner that you were about to throw in the compost bin… until now. There’s no waste allowed, here!
This version works amazingly with shellfish, cured meats or pate so I’ve paired it here with pan fried scallops. It’s quick, seasonal and tasty: You know the drill:
INGREDIENTS
3 scallops (per person)
2 apples (any variety)
1 broccoli stalk
Dill
1 lemon
Crème fraîche
Dijon mustard
White wine vinegar
METHOD
Begin by finely slicing and julienne cutting the apple/broccoli. Place into a bowl, then add the mustard, crème fraîche, chopped dill and lemon zest. Combine well.
Add a touch of vinegar and lemon juice to taste.
Heat a frying pan with a touch of oil, when super hot add the scallops. Cook for 2 minutes, before adding butter and turning over. Cook for a further 1 minute.
Season and taste the remoulade before serving with some crusty bread.
Being ordered to stay at home for a third time our own safety certainly doesn’t make it any easier, especially with this one being right in the depths of winter. With many people doing their grocery shopping online or wanting to spend as little time in the supermarket as possible, planning a menu for the week has never been more important. As with the one week meal plans that I shared in the spring and late autumn of 2020 (you can find them here and here), this one carries over leftovers or key ingredients to minimise wastage and make sure that you’re getting the best value for money from your weekly shop.
This menu features both meat and fish, but I’ll add a couple of notes with suggestions for how you could adapt or edit some of them to make them vegetarian or even vegan.
Please click each link to be taken through to the web page to find ingredients and instructions.
(You could make this vegetarian dish vegan by using a vegan feta cheese, a vegan puff pastry, and replacing the egg-wash with oil or a non-dairy milk).
The Festive season is also shellfish season, when oysters in particular are at their finest. The French know this, which is why it’s traditional to enjoy fruits de mer on Christmas Eve, and why if you ever visit a French supermarket in the days before Christmas you’ll see pallets full of shellfish on ice for sale. Here in Cornwall we’re spoilt for choice with some of the finest seafood and shellfish, so just before Christmas we paid a visit to Porthilly Shellfish at Rock on the Camel Estuary in North Cornwall. We’ll be featuring their story and amazing produce in our next “Meet The…” article, but with last postage dates fast approaching we thought it best to share some amazing mignonette recipes to inspire you to order in some oysters to celebrate Christmas in style.
First Up: How To Shuck An Oyster
Take your oyster knife (and taking care – it’s a good idea to hold the oyster in a folded tea towel or a thick glove) and insert it into the small hole at the back of the oyster hinge, where the lid meets the cup. Pacific oysters like the ones raised by Porthilly Shellfish tend to be teardrop shaped and this makes it easier as it’s the obviously pointy end.
Carefully push the blade of the knife in until you can twist it and use the leverage to “pop” the oyster open.
Run the sharp blade around the inside, holding it flush against the inside of the lid to sever the oyster from the shell, until you can remove the lid.
Then run the blade around the inside of the cup to sever the abductor muscle that holds the meat to the shell, taking care not to spill any of the liquor.
You’re good to go!
Oyster Mignonette Sauces
Clockwise from top left:
Classic Shallot And Red Wine Vinegar
½ Shallot
Red wine vinegar to taste
Contemporary
½ Orange – squeezed
Small amount of rocket
½ Shallot
French
1 Spring onion
Small handful chives
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ Lemon
Asian
Chilli
Coriander
Wasbi
Rice vinegar
Adjust quantities to your preference
Hot
2 jalapenos
handful dill
1 tbsp capers
1/2 shallot
Red wine vinegar to taste
If you’d like to order in some of Cornwall’s finest shellfish for a seasonal Christmas treat, delivered fresh to your door, you can order online from Simply Oysters or Fish For Thought.
As we all start another period of “stay at home” safety measures across the UK and with winter weather and dark evenings firmly set in, evening meals are going to become a focal point for many families. We’ve had plans in place for the possibility of a second lockdown that we’ll be sharing over the next week, but the first thing that I know I can do to help, in some small way, is to lean on my skills as a chef and share some more menu planning tips and another one week meal plan.
What follows is a suggested meal plan for a week of dinners (similar to the one that we shared in the spring). For our vegetarian, vegan, dairy and gluten-free followers or those with other dietary needs, I apologise that not all of these dishes will work for you however I hope that you can still perhaps adapt some of these meals to your requirements or take inspiration from the core concept of carrying over key ingredients or leftovers into other meals.
Please click each link to be taken through to the web page with ingredients and instructions.
We’re very excited to count ourselves amongst the incredible chefs, food and drink producers, and industry insiders from Devon and Cornwall who have come together in a show of solidarity in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis to create the Comfort Cookbook.
‘Comfort’ is a collaborative digital cookbook that it is hoped will “inspire comfort in adversity,” during the Covid-19 crisis, which has forced the mass closure of businesses and left the hospitality sector and its employees facing an uncertain future. Everyone involved is giving their time and expertise free of charge, with all funds going directly to Hospitality Action, a national charity which supports hospitality workers and has launched a Covid19 Emergency Appeal.
The production team describe the cookbook as: “A snapshot of the unique and diverse food and drink culture we have nurtured here in the West Country, and the rich network of chefs, producers and entrepreneurs who together make the region a world-class gourmet destination.”
The cookbook will feature recipes from chefs including Mitch Tonks, Nathan Outlaw, Jude Kereama, River Cottage, Michael Caines, Paul Ainsworth, Ben Tunnicliffe, Mark Dodson, Mick Smith, Ben Prior, Simon Stallard, Emily Scott, Elly Wentworth, Madeleine Olivia, Tia Tamblyn, Daaku, Chris Eden, and Philleigh Way’s own Rupert; each will be easy for families to prepare at home using local, seasonal produce – with links through to websites where the ingredients can be purchased.
Rupert has contributed two recipes to the cookbook, one for a quick and easy pan pizza, and another for a Cornish-style cassoulet.
The Comfort Cookbook project is a collaboration between Lucy Studley, a Cornish food and drink writer, marketer and PR specialist; Gabriella Dyson, who is Editor at publisher The Maverick Guide; and experienced food stylist, photographer and designer, Ali Green. Lucy came up with the idea after speaking to clients devastated at having to close their businesses and tell staff to stay at home.
A JustGiving page has been set up and everyone who donates any amount, large or small, will be sent a link to download the cookbook when it is ready.
If you have limited access to the shops at the moment then good meal planning and having a menu that makes the most of all of your ingredients is going to help enormously. As a chef, planning menus to create a variety of dishes using minimal ingredients is an ingrained skill, and it’s one that I can share easily. What follows is a suggested meal plan for a week of dinners. For our vegetarian, vegan, dairy and gluten-free followers or those with other dietary needs, I apologise that I haven’t had time to prepare a meal plan with options for specific diets. If that is you, then I hope that you can still perhaps adapt some of these meals to your requirements or take inspiration from the core concept of carrying over key ingredients or leftovers into subsequent meals.
Please click each link to be taken through to the web page to find ingredients and instructions.
Festive entertaining doesn’t finish on Christmas Day; most of us have family and friends visiting through the Crimbo-limbo of “Betwixtmas” and through to New Years. If you’ve got leftovers from Christmas Day, you can easily use them to make light meal and “nibbles” options that your guests will love, without having to resort to cold meats and bubble and squeak. Here’s how, with our Christmas leftovers recipes for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans:
Boxing Day Bhan Mi (Meat)
Ingredients:
2 small baguettes
50g pâté
¼ cucumber, thinly sliced on the diagonal
140g cooked turkey sliced/shredded
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 red chilli, ½ finely chopped, ½ finely sliced
Sriracha
For the pickled slaw
2 small carrots coarsely grated or julienne
¼ tsp grated ginger
½ tbsp rice vinegar
½ tsp golden caster sugar
Method:
To make the pickled slaw, tip the carrots and cabbage into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, rice vinegar, sugar and a few pinches of salt. Pour over the vegetables and toss together. Set aside for at least 15 mins.
Halve the baguettes lengthways and spread the pâté over the bottom half. Top with the pickled slaw, cucumber and turkey. Mix the mayonnaise with the chopped chilli and dollop over the top.
Scatter over the mint leaves and sliced chilli. Sandwich together and dig in.
Festive Bar Nuts (Vegan Nibbles)
Ingredients:
500g nuts (cashews, pecans, peanuts, macadamia almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and Brazil nuts)
2 tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary
1 tsps of sweet smoked paprika
2 tsp dark muscavado sugar or 2 tbsp runny honey
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.
Place a medium pan on a medium heat, add the butter and sugar/honey and heat for 3-4 minutes until the butter has melted and stir to combine.
If using Brazil nuts, roughly chop some of
them up into halves and quarters to make them more bite size.
Place all the nuts onto two large roasting trays, then carefully divide the melted butter and honey mix between the two, then scatter over the paprika and rosemary. Toss to coat all the nuts, then cook for 20-30 minutes, or until golden all over, carefully shaking the tray every 10-15 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.
Season with a little salt and leave to cool.
Leftover Root Veg Gnocchi (Vegetarian)
Ingredients:
400g parsnip peeled and cut into chunks or leftovers
600g potatoes peeled and cut into chunks or leftovers
60ml olive oil plus a drizzle to serve
1 tsp ground nutmeg (around 1 clove)
100g ‘00’ strong white flour
1 egg
½ small pack thyme leaves picked, to serve
30g walnuts toasted and chopped, to serve
Method:
If you’ve not got leftover roast root veg, then heat your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Toss the parsnips and potatoes in 2 tbsp of the olive oil and tip into a roasting tin along with the garlic cloves. Roast for 40 mins or until the veg is completely soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. Or in a microwave heat up gently the leftovers and then mash, then add to a bowl along with the flour, egg & nutmeg. Begin to knead the dough mix until it becomes pliable.
Tip the dough onto a floured surface, cut into four chunks and roll each into a sausage about 35cm long and 2.5cm wide. Use the back of a table knife to cut each sausage into small pillow-shaped gnocchi, each around 2cm long.
Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of rapeseed oil.
Add half the gnocchi and fry until lightly golden on each side, around 3-4 mins. Transfer them to a tray using a slotted spoon while you cook the second batch. When all the gnocchi are golden, return them all to the pan to warm through before dividing between four plates. Sprinkle over some black pepper, then top with the thyme leaves, toasted walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil, if you like.
