Scotch Eggs

I made scotch eggs for as a special request for a client this week. As part of a canape menu and celebrating classic British, winter christmassy food, I chose to use wild boar sausage meat. The result was a winner, everyone loved them. A great party food, serve with English mustard or mayonnaise.

For the cook I suggest you time this task with a play on the radio, and follow that with your favourite music, they are very labour intensive. Peeling the quails eggs alone will set you back at least an hour. The rest, well call it another couple of hours (at least), this is a labour of love!

1250gm wild boar sausage meat or sausage meat

50 quail eggs

3 eggs

4 Tbsp seasoned flour

250gms finely ground breadcrumbs

1 litre of sunflower oil

1. Boil the quail eggs and chill, peel when cold.
2. Take a ball of sausage meat and flatten, place the scotch egg in the middle and shape the meat around the egg, forming a point along the shape of the egg. (don't get too involved with the play or you will have to unfold the egg and see where the point is, as I did several times).
3. Line up a bowl of seasoned flour, beaten egg and fine breadcrumbs.
4. Roll the eggs first in flour, then egg and finally the breadcrumbs.
5. In a deep saucepan, heat the oil so a piece of bread will turn golden within 10 seconds.
6. Deep fry about 8 scotch eggs at a time until golden, about 5 minutes or so, drain on kitchen paper.
7. Cool and chill.
8. To serve cut in half.

Wild mushroom & ricotta filo parcels

I may be sounding like the Tony Booth fan club here, but the stall is so inspiring. I picked up some giroles and ceps. I was in a fit of Autumnal madness last week at Boro. It was white truffles, wild mushrooms and Joselito for me.

My guest at the market, asked me how best to use mushrooms. My answer is nearly always to stay with simplicity and allow the mushrooms to take central stage. To fry quickly in olive oil and a bit of butter, garlic, parsley and a splash of wine. In a baguette or in an omelette.

However, I went all complicated with mine when I got home and the trouble was well worth it. As a big fan of filo pasty I would implore you to try this and enjoy the journey. This recipe would work just as well with a crepe either rolled up or a money purse.

Mushroom and Ricotta Filo Parcels

• 120g wild mushrooms (giroles & ceps, or any mix for that matter)
• 120g chestnuts sliced
• 1 large shallot chopped finely
• 1 fat clove of garlic finely chopped
• 25g butter
• olive oil
• Splash of white wine if available, but not essential
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp tarragon
• 250g ricotta
• 250 g filo pastry

1. saute the shallot in 50g of the butter for 3 minutes
2. Add the garlic and chestnut mushrooms for 1 minute, followed by the wild mushooms
3. Saute on high heat for 3 minutes, add the wine and let bubble away to nothing, followed by the lemon juice
4. season and allow to cool down, then add the ricotta and mix well.
5. Melt the remaining butter and a slug of olive oil set aside
6. Cut the filo into strips 8cm x 50cm and cover with a damp jay cloth
7. Taking one strip at a time, baste one strip lightly with the butter oil and place another strip of filo on top, basting with oil and butter as before.
8. Place a heaped teaspoon at the left end, near to the bottom corner, fold the bottom left corner up to the top edge to meet a point 8cm along. Keep folding to create a triangle.
9. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment
10. When all the mixture is used up (will make 10 triangles) bake in 180C for 18 minutes until golden.
11. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving on a bed of bitter leaves.

Quince, crab & medlars

Quince, meddlars and crab apples

Crab apple jelly

Quince & rosewater syrup

In much the same way as I madly preserve the last of the summer fruits, I have done the same as the last of the Autumn fruits begin to make their exit for another year. I have particularly enjoyed the old fashioned English fruits, crab apples, meddlars and the blessed quince.

Quince is my favourite. A member of the rose family, an old fashioned English fruit which can be hard to get hold of, although good old Waitrose sells them (so I'm told), of course the utterly dependable Tony Booth of Borough will have them at this time of year. And English ones at that. The more commonly available Greek and Turkish are indeed beautiful, but there is something very romantic about English quince. A delicate pink hue with a heady perfume, you can almost smell the roses.

I made a quince syrup to which I added some rose water, for an extra fragrant tone. With a nod to its South East Asian origins I would imagine some star anise and cinnamon working really well. Note to self: must pick up some more blessed quince at Booths.

.....And talking of the wonderful Tony Booth, I spent way too long smelling Tony Booth's white truffle stock last week. I ended up buying the smallest white truffle as I couldn't separate myself from its esoteric aroma. I placed the truffle with some eggs and enjoyed a truffle scented omelette.

Quince & Rosewater Syrup

1 kilo quince

1 kilo sugar

1 litre water

Some rosewaterr

Wash quince, quarter and take out very woody core. Chop up and add to water and sugar.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and bottle.

I would like to tell you that I used the quince for something, but did not. I think the way to go would be to peel the quince and add this to the mix and then use the quince flesh afterwards for a puree, maybe the filling for a tart. Add some cream, egg and sugar mix. The colour would be amazing. I will try to make this, in my next practical with quinces.

Pumpkin Pancakes

These pumpkin pancakes are spiced up with the simple addition of the cumin, coriander and chili. They make a delicious snack especially served with a lavishly herby raita. The chestnut flour adds further autumnal tone. Make mini versions for a tasty canape.

• 250gms pureed pumpkin
• 100gms chestnut flour
• 200gms rice flour
• 4 finely chopped spring onions
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds lightly crushed (thank you Barbara Landell Mills - good advice)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• half tsp tumeric
• salt
• chopped green chilli
• handful of coriander
• 300ml of milk
• 3 eggs
• Sunflower oil

Method: Dry fry the spices and saute very briefly in some oil with the spring onions and reserve. In a separate bowl add the flours, eggs and milk. Blend the whole lot up and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Fry spoonfuls in hot veg oil.

Barley Goodness

I love barley!

Barley is comfort itself. From here on in till the spring barley goes into something every week. I particularly favour barley and root vegebables for fortification during the cold winter months.

This brothy soup was made with pheasant stock. Any stock will do, a light vegetable stock or brown beef stock.

Simply:

Saute a chopped onion, parsnip, carrot, celery, any root vegetable for that matter, for 3 minutes in olive oil. Add a clove or 3 of garlic, fry for a minute, add the barley, pour on the stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes or until the barley is soft. At this point add some finely shredded strong green leafy veg such as cavello nero or savoy cabbage, winter greens, brussel sprouts, curly kale and simmer for a minute.

This is particularly delicious with jacket or mashed potato. Very comforting. And your kidneys will be happy too!

Beef Stock

As soon as the weather starts to get colder my attention turns to the serious business of stock making.  Beef, veal, lamb and pheasant stocks are among my arsenal of winter cooking.  With a bowl of stock in the fridge or the freezer, as stock freezes very successfully, many dishes can be created out of virtually nothing.  A rummage in the store cupboard and an onion will produce a rissotto, a left over pie or a hearty soup.  

I made a pheasant and bacon pie the other day from leftover pheasant, some smoked Cumberland streaky bacon, an odd shallot, and left over mashed potato.  Served with roast parsnips. It was so comforting and autumnal, and transformed with the robust pheasant stock.  

Beef stock is a fairly big undertaking, only for the number of hours it needs to simmer.  What may seem daunting is actually very little work when you realise stock needs hardly any intervention from the cook at all.  The big pot sits bubbling away for a whole day creating a fabulously homely smell as it slowly gives up it the deep flavours that bone stocks create.

As the stock needs at least 6 hours of simmering  I tend to make as much as I can in any one go.  This will usually cause a storage problem.  Once the marathon simmer is done and  you have strained the stock, put back into a clean pan and boil like fury until the stock reduces down to a third of the original volume.  The dark gelatinous stock is a special ingredient.  I can't help but feel a sense of pride as I add the precious stock to any sauce or casserole, knowing that there is such a loving process behind it. 

This concentrate can be frozen in small quantities, allowing you to take a smaller and more concentrated stock and either dilute with wine or water to use as you wish.

• A good haul of beef/veal bones from your butcher
• A couple of onions left whole, take the outer skin off, but don't peel
• 1 or 2 carrrots whole
• A leek peeled but whole
• 2 or 3 celery sticks washed
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• Thyme, as many parsley stalks as you can get your hands on, 3 bayleaves

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Place the bones in a roasting tin with whole onions and carrot and roast for 20 minutes until just browning
3. Tip into a big stock pan and cover with cold water.
4. Bring to the boil and skim off any scum which may arise.
5. Turn down to a simmer and leave for six hours.
6. Allow to cool for an hour and drain.
7. If reducing to jus, boil until reduced by two thirds 

Grouse

Quite simply one of the most memorable meals of the autumn so far.

Covered with smoked streaky bacon and butter with seasoning, hot oven for a short blast, a rest and go!

A red wine reduction, whole roasted golden beetroot, pumpkin puree and mashed potato, on a bed of rainbow chard.

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

So Soothing: Chili Chicken and Sweetcorn soup

I had one of those fabulous sessions at Borough Market this week.  Sometimes being at the market is too exciting and I have to force myself not to buy everything that grabs my fancy.

I picked up some  mutton chops from Sillfield Farm, 'hung for 2 weeks' Peter proudly told me of his own Herdwicks.    Chatting to the traders and producers and hearing about their news.  The owner of my favourite tea, Ceylon 1 who blend an Earl Grey like no other;  was so proud to tell me the new crop is the best yet.  Last year the rain had been just the perfect amount for tea leaves.  So my favourite tea is about to get better, I can hardly believe it possible.  

This is the essence of markets and it's this that makes me love the market like I do; the interaction and connection to the product through real and actual stories of the right rainfall, or not enough, or too much, or the increase in cost of pig feed.  This is what brings another dimension to the ingredients.  Having an ongoing relationship with your butcher, baker and candlestick maker does indeed make the world go round in a more satisfying way than going to the one dimensional, 'one size fits all' supermarkets.

So this recipe here is a product of the fabulous chicken stock I made from chicken carcasses from The Ginger Pig at 25p each.  Because stocks are the real essence of flavour, I sometimes start with the question 'what will go with the stock?'  At today's farmers market (Alexander Palace) I saw some beautiful husks of sweetcorn from another of my favourite, Perry Court Farm in Kent. 

Chili,chicken and sweetcorn soup is coming  up.  This soup is SOOOOOOOOO comforting and the colour is bright and happy.  I  am sure that anything with chicken stock in is  automatically life affirming. I chose  to use shallots rather than  onions as they are  more  delicate than onions and I was compulsively obliged to buy them when I saw them this morning.  

This serves 2/3, so simply multiply up accordingly.

• 1 litre of chicken stock either home made or a good quality stock cube
• 3 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red chili
• 2 corn cobs
• 1 large potato peeled and cubed
• Seasoning
• 2 spring onions finely sliced
• Olive oil

1. Saute the chopped shallots in olive oil for 5 minutes
2. Add the garlic and chopped red chili and saute for 1 minute
3. Cut the corn kernals from the cob and add to the pot with chopped potato
4. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.  
5. Season
6. Simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Blitz
8. Garnish with sliced spring onions.

Hen in the Woods and Beef Mushrooms

The Livery Beef Mushroom

Hen in  the Woods

Another great session with the Rooney brothers on sunday;  I procured these two unusual forages.  Beef and Hen in the Woods.  

More about these when I make a risotto.

Cobnut and Chocolate Cake

Reading a post on a forum last night I discovered the prodigiously talented Kitchen Goddess to be found on  http://culinarytravelsofakitchengoddess.wordpress.com  who made cobnut macaroons with home made nutella.  Now that is plain showing off.  I  debated whether to go and make them right there and  then, but it was heading for midnight........ I cracked open 100gms of cobnuts (which isn't a quick job) and then decided it was too late.   First thing this morning I decided  on a cobnut cake to which I added some melted chocolate.

The  recipe was a french recipe, courtesty of a forum poster Shyvas, who I sincerely thank.

I added chocolate and chestnut flour.

• 100gms cobnuts (shelled)
• 4 egg whites
• 200gms sugar
• 80gms plain flour
• 30gms chestnut flour
• 90gms melted butter
• 75gms melted 75% cooking chocolate

1. Roast the nuts and grind.
2. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar.
3. Add the 2 flours.
4. Add the melted butter and then the nuts.
5. Pile into a loaf tin and  bake on  170 for 30/40 mins.