Cauliflower risotto with pangrattato

 I was watching yet another food programme on the TV the other night.The contestants challenge was to take one particular vegetable and showcase it in a single dish.The judge selected as the chosen ingredient cauliflower,one of my favourite vegetables.Well I am sorry, but one lady opted for roasted cauliflower steak probably the blandest vegan non starter of the gastro pub history of the last decade.(Yes I know before you pick me up on the fact that I cooked it myself,not a vegan version I must add,and blog posted it on here,I had to test and try before I decried). The majority chose a curry in which to highlight the cauliflower´s potential.Another produced spicy cauliflower fritters.The potential in the originality of this dish appealed to my palate but sadly she failed on flavour,being brutally "stabbed through the heart" by one particular judge citing the dish as “a little clumsy.” I thought a programme about hearty, imaginative home cooking should be warm and nurturing not a cold kitchen of cruelty.
One contestant however wowed the judges with a classic cauliflower cheese.Good on you girl.If I had been put on the line here in a blind challenge of this type, I would have opted for this root to floret cauliflower risotto which uses every part of the crucifer right down to roasting some florets for the crumb topping.
Cauliflower´s Portuguese name, couve-flor,or cabbage flower, is prettier,and horticulturally more correct, than the rather pedestrian Anglo-saxon `flower on a stalk´translation.We are lucky enough here in Portugal to have these crucifers in season all year round.They are best however just after winter,when they have had a longer growing season and are packed full of vitamins, so ideal for soups curries and in this case a risotto with a difference.There is some disagreement over the origin of the cauliflower.My preferred source is that it was developed in the 12th century by Arab gardeners, giving a distinct link of how it came to the Algarve. More probably however it is attributed to the Romans a thousand years earlier.The wild cabbage grew throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and it was not long before its florets landed in the kitchens of Northern Europe.Whatever its humble patrimony this wonderfully versatile brassica deserves a rightful place on our tables today.Its reputation of being bland and soggy is the fault of the cook not the vegetable.If cooked correctly,  with a little imagination thrown in, it is a foil for many distinguished flavours. I used every bit of the cauliflower to make this dish,including the stock by boiling down the  protective leaves that most cooks would normally discard.The `pan´ in the pangrattato is not as one would have expected,bread, but crumbs made from the cauliflower, crisply roasted and mixed with garlic,parmesan, parsley and lemon zest.

Cauliflower risotto with its own pangrattato
serves 4 
500g cauliflower,broken into medium sized florets,leaves saved
500ml stock made from boiling down the leaves
1 bay leaf
75ml greek yoghurt
4 tbsp olive oil
20g salted butter
2 banana shallots,finely chopped
350g Arborio rice
100g parmesan
1 clove garlic finely grated
handful flat leaf parsley leaves chopped
zest of 1 lemon grated 
First remove and coarsely chop the outside leaves of the cauliflower and put them in a pan with750ml of boiling water.Boil for 20 minutes and allow to cool before discarding the leaves and straining and measuring of 500ml of stock.While the stock is cooling break off 200g of florets into very tiny crumbs,cutting them off the stalks( add these stalks to the rest of the florets to cook and purée.The pieces you break off should look like roughly chopped breadcrumbs.crumble a few with your fingers too to get a contrast in size. You need to end up with about 100g.Set aside.Heat the stock in a large pan.In another pan bring 800ml of water to the boil and add Flor de sal and the bay leaf.Simmer 200g of the florets(and the cut stalks from above)) for 6-8 minutes until just soft enough to purée.Strain through a sieve set over a bowl to catch the liquid and add it to the stock.Discard the bay leaf and put the cauliflower in a liquidiser with a few tablespoons of the liquid/stock mixture,season and whizz to a purée with the yoghurt and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil with the butter in a heavy pan over a medium heat and sweat the shallot for about 5 minutes or until just soft.stir in the rice to coat the grains and start adding the stock a ladle at a time letting it get absorbed before adding more.keep the heat very low,enough for the rice not to stick and so the stock does not evaporate by boiling too hard.It should take about 15 minutes.When the risotto is cooked to how you like it( a slight bite inside each grain is best so it is not too soft)fold in the purée and add a little more stock if not loose enough.
Add 50g of parmesan and fold in,season to taste with salt crystals and freshly ground white pepper,heat briefly then turn off the heat.Put a lid on and leave until the pangrattato is ready.To make the pangrattato,heat the rest of the oil and fry the cauliflower crumbs until golden,add the garlic,stir for 30 seconds and tip into a bowl,adding the other 50g of parmesan,parsley and grated lemon zest.Serve the risotto with the pangrattato on top and a little olive oil spooned over. 

Mrs Maynes Scotch Broth, “the Pot au Feu of Scotland!”

As it's Burns Night this weekend (Saturday 25 January), I’ve put together one of my favourite recipes for a simple celebration meal.Forget the haggis and whisky sauce, this traditional Scotch broth is straightforward and delicious.

The quintessential Scottish dish for several centuries! Rich, robust and flavoursome, Scotch Broth represents everything that is good about rustic home cooking.
Traditional Scottish housewives, ever thrifty and knowing how to make much of little, knew how to gather up whatever fresh vegetables were available, add them together with lamb, mutton or beef, some barley, split peas and lentils (all staple Scottish ingredients), and simmer the mixture low and slow for hours to achieve a meal that by dinnertime would nourish both body and soul.There are as many variations of Scotch Broth as there are cooks in Scotland and this is my interpretation from memory.Growing up in Scotland in the 1950s and early 60s, there were two types of soup served at every Scottish table: Lentil Soup and Scotch Broth, both are hearty, filling and inexpensive ways to feed your family.
The first time I had this dish was in a small homely restaurant in Dunbar,made for us by  a lady called Mrs Maynes. My father took me there for an impromptu lunch after accompanying him in true bracing seaside weather round the links*.I never enjoyed golf as a game but what I did enjoy was the walking and taking in of the landscaping of a particular course of which there are many fine examples in the UK.
It was the perfect meal for a cold afternoon and left me feeling happily nourished,warmed through and ready to continue my day. Scotch Broth is a hearty soup made with meat stock (traditionally mutton) and vegetables and thickened with barley.To cook it authentically the meat must cook in the soup,adding its flavour to the vegetables.It can then be eaten as a separate course after the soup,or separated from the bones and added in small pieces to the soup,as preferred,much in the style of how Italian meals are constructed.

It must be accompanied by a bap.Baps are soft, wodgy, flattish bread rolls made with white flour,lard,yeast,milk and water and then dusted with flour.Particularly associated with Scotland,they are traditionally eaten at breakfast.The closest I have come to them outside of Caledonia is the Spanish bread roll,pan cristal.

Scotch Broth Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds lamb shoulder or shanks (or beef with bones)
2 tablespoons quality lard or butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/3 cup dried green split peas
4 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups home made lamb bone broth 

1 large carrot, diced
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1 swede, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1/2 cup shredded green cabbage
1 medium leek, chopped, rinsed and drained
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Cook the onions and garlic in the lard or butter until softened, 4-6 minutes. Add the lamb, herbs, barley, split peas, salt and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any foam.
Add the carrot, turnip, swede and parsnip. Simmer for another hour.
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Remove the meat, shred it and discard the bones. Return the shredded meat to the pot along with the leek and cabbage. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. We like this soup on the thick side, almost a stew. If you prefer the soup a bit thinner, add some more broth.
Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley. 

  *"Links" and "links course" are terms that refer to a specific style of golf course whose hallmarks include being built on sandy soil along a coastline. Links courses are buffeted by strong winds that require deep bunkers to prevent the sand from blowing away. They are also completely or largely treeless. There are other criteria that specifically define a links course.
All the first golf courses in the sport's history were links courses in Scotland. Great Britain and Ireland are still home to nearly all the true links courses, although links-like courses can be found in other areas, too.

I saw, I drooled ,I hollered.... sesame prawn toasts

We all have our guilty pleasures. I love eating all sorts of different things. It’s true that some of those things are relatively high in fat, sugar or salt, but I never feel guilty for eating them because I get so much satisfaction out of it,so no new year resolutions there mother. And of course there’s another side to this equation, a golden rule that has subconsciously managed my relationship with food my entire life: no food is ‘bad’ food, it’s just the way you eat it.One of my culinary guilty pleasures stems from a childhood introduction into Chinese food.A day out from boarding school with ones parents in the 1950´s was never complete without lunch at the local Chinese restaurant.(I was always mystified by  crispy seaweed).Whether you’re celebrating the Lunar New Year this weekend (the year of the rat) or just looking for a winning winter appetiser,these little chaps are pretty easy to prepare.
Enter sesame prawn toasts: cheap white sliced bread,I know, topped with a savoury prawn mixture, deep fried until golden and crisp. It reads like a nutritional nightmare. But I adore them, because every single crunchy and juicy bite hits the proverbial spot and lights up the sensory centres in my brain. And more importantly,I dont make a habit of eating sesame prawn toasts every day.
And here’s another secret to really enjoying these so-called ‘naughty’ foods: make them yourself. That way you have executive control over what goes in, which in itself must surely be better by virtue of eliminating the artificial flavours, colours, preservatives and lower-quality ingredients that by necessity end up in mass-produced and processed food.
Sesame prawn toasts

Serves 8
(16 pieces)

4 slices of white bread, crusts off and cut into 16 triangles
190g raw king prawns, shells off
1 egg white
2 tsp ginger, finely diced
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 pinches salt
2 pinches ground white pepper
3 – 4 tbsp sesame seeds
vegetable oil, for frying

Blitz together the prawns, egg white, ginger, soy sauce, salt and white pepper in a food processor until you have a bitty paste. Spread the prawn paste mixture evenly over the 16 bread triangles, aiming for a layer of paste that is 3-4mm thick. Generously pat a layer of sesame seeds onto the prawn toasts. Heat 1 - 2 cm of vegetable oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Test that it is ready for frying by dipping in a piece of crust from the bread - it should sizzle and bubble but not turn brown immediately. In batches, fry the sesame toasts. Lower them into the oil prawn-side down for 1-2 minutes, then flip and fry for a further 1-2 minutes until the bread is golden and crispy. Remove onto kitchen paper or a cooling rack, then serve immediately while still hot and crunchy.

Ensopado de borrego Alentejano

I dont know what happened last year.I lost my way,it was like my giddy joie de vivre had been ripped right out of me and I was having a terrible time finding it again.However come October and It was truly amazing what magic, connubials can conjure.Come New year, and my goodness, my system is in equilibrium and has been restored with a vengeance and a Portuguese lamb stew, awakening the tastebuds and bringing me back to the land of the living.With a big trumpet fanfare my Portuguese periplus* continues, circumnavigating my way through the nations colder months and comforting array of regional foods.... Ensopados,feijoadas, chanfanas, guisados,whats not to like? While cold weather continues,scattered rain showers come and go this is the month that prepares us, like Glenn Miller´s famed theme, to get "in the mood" for the coming season.Temperatures have risen slightly and whenever I walk outside that cold north wind that was playing carousels with the fallen leaves and my new blowy hairdo has abated.

So before we pack away our casseroles and bowls of broth its one last chance to make Ensopado de borrego ( Lamb stew ).This classic dish plays an important part in the Alentejo´s traditional recipes although it varies slightly from farm to farm or family to family.

Bom apetite! Um abraço gastronómico.
Enjoy your meal! A gastronomic hug.

Ensopado de borrego( lamb stew )
2 kg of lamb quarters from shoulder, breast,neck and chops cut into pieces
125g of lard
3 onions sliced ​​half moon
1 stick celery,chopped
1 carrot chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves cut in half
1 sprig of chopped parsley
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
1 chili sliced
2 tbsp paprika
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon plain flour
125 ml of white wine vinegar
Slices of grilled artesan bread

Season the lamb with salt.
Add the paprika, garlic, flour, chilli and peppercorns.
Mix everything very well.
In a clay pot, heat the lard and bay leaves.
Let it warm very well.
When the lard is hot, add the lamb and fry until the meat is colored.
Stir from time to time so that the meat cooks evenly.
After the blond meat, add the cloves, onion and chopped parsley.
Mix it all up.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, stir again.
Drizzle with vinegar and add approximately 800 ml of boiling water, enough to cover the meat.
Cover and cook over medium heat approximately 40 minutes.
When the meat is cooked and begins to come loose from the bones, remove.
Serve on a platter or large plate over the bread slices.
If you want, accompany it with potatoes boiled in water or in a little broth of the stew.

*Periplus  - a voyage or a trip around something (as an island or a coast) : circuit, circumnavigation,usually accompanied by a log book of the journey.

Pro Brussels?

No matter your feelings on Brussels , 
it’s impossible not to love these Beer Battered Fried Brussels Sprouts.

  I know we’re coming to the end of brussels sprouts season,but in the  farmers market this month,for the very first time, I saw brussels sprouts.Thirteen years ago when we first came to Portugal could we find a brussels sprout,could we heck.Locals had never heard of them and now today they are rolling off supermarket shelves.It just confirmed my thoughts that Brussels are undergoing a renaissance. 

Naughty Naughty! So Naughty! What a naughty way to have your sprouts! These fried veggies, believe me, are sinfully tasty. Deffo  not a recipe for ones who are on veganuary or eating veggies to diet, but an awesome recipe for those who are not, sorry guys.I just couldn’t resist making these delightful little fried Brussels sprouts.It takes the healthy out of the veggies, but they didn't take long at all to deep fry, so they were not oily at all. In fact, I felt they would benefit even more from some sort of accompaniment like an anchovy butter or hollandaise type dipping sauce. But on their own they make really great unique little snacks.
Not only does frying Brussels sprouts mean you get to enjoy a delicious beer breaded coating, but it also gets rid of some of the bitterness that sprouts can be known for. Which is why I think you could even convince a lifelong Brussels sprout hater to eat a few of these bad boys.I am deffo going to put bacon in the batter next time that will convert any sproubting thomas.

 

 make sure your halved brussels are completely 

dry before frying to ensure maximum crispness

  "Brussels are undergoing a renaissance"

And for you genuine Brussels sprouts lovers, don’t worry; those beautiful green layers are still nestled within the coating.Hello, little bites of heaven, and goodbye memories of those grey overcooked, mums mushy brussels sprouts of childhood.

These totally hit the spot and were the perfect little appetizer. Even though I definitely should have been eating them as a side dish to a meal, I just couldn’t stop snacking. I loved them on their own, but dipping them in  a creamy tangy dressing would bring them to whole new levels.For different flavours add Cajun Seasoning or curry powder to the batter,or dare I say it,bacon.

Beer Batter Fried Brussels Sprouts

serves 8
500g brussels sprouts; cleaned, trimmed, and halved
sunflower oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup cold beer

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add halved brussels sprouts and let cook for 7 minutes. Drain sprouts and wrap them in a clean kitchen towel to dry as much as possible.
Pour canola oil in a deep pot so it's about 2" deep and heat to between 365-400 degrees.
While oil is heating, mix flour, cornmeal, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl. Stir in egg and beer.
When oil is hot, work in batches to dunk sprouts in batter and carefully drop in the oil. Let fry for about 4 minutes, until they're golden brown. You'll likely have to adjust burner level to keep oil temperature in the right range. When sprouts are golden, remove from oil and place in a paper towel-lined bowl. Continue until all sprouts are fried.

 Tips for getting the crispiest fried sprouts: Dry sprouts as much as possible after blanching. Water remaining on sprouts may keep them from getting crispy.
Make sure beer is chilled. Room temperature beer may result in a less crispy coating.
Keep oil between 365 degrees and 400 degrees. If oil temperature drops below this, sprouts will not crisp up as they should.

Oranges are not the only fruit

I wonder at the advancements and innovations the Moors brought with them to this region, from their scientific developments (like distillation processes, even though they didn't drink alcohol for religious reasons), to their planting habits (as they invaded, they planted citrus trees as they went, both for the fruit, and the scent - hence Seville's famous orange trees).Well before you utter the word marmalade the bitter orange season is here again.Pupils dilate with excitement when the word goes round that the Seville oranges are in the shops.Once again the house is filled with the citrus smell that I equate with perfect happiness.

Today many people have lost all feeling for what food is seasonal and what is not. Everything is available throughout the year. The bitter or Seville orange is one of the few exceptions. Its season is short, from mid-December to February, and even then unless you frequent the Iberian peninsula this fruit can be  hard to find. If you have found a supplier, buy a great quantity and freeze the oranges you do not use immediately.If you have a tree,even better,or just make lots of marmalade.
If you want to freeze Seville oranges, pour water that has just been boiled over them, dry them well, wrap them separately in foil and then store them in a freezing bag.
 I have made a bitter orange tart. Ideally this should be made with Seville oranges,but if you want to make this when they are not available the trick is to use sweet eating oranges and add the juice of a lime in order to replicate as closely as possible the fragrant bitterness of Sevilles.This recipe involves several steps which can be divided over a few days to split what could be quite an undertaking into a series of small tasks taking just a few minutes each.

Seville orange tart with a blueberry topping
The tangily sharp smooth pale cream is offset by the purple black headiness of glazed berries on top.

24cm x 6cm fluted tart tin

FOR THE FILLING
juice (200ml) and zest of 2-3 Seville oranges
or of 1 eating orange and 1 lime
250g caster sugar
300ml double cream
6 large eggs

FOR THE PASTRY

90g soft unsalted butter

75g caster sugar

3 large egg yolks

175g plain flour

FOR THE GLAZE

1 tbsp arrowroot

50g caster sugar

scant tsp orange juice

125ml water

250g blue berries

Start with the filling,a couple of days in advance.The taste is so much better when the juice and the cream and so forth are left to deepen in the fridge for a couple of days.In a wide-mouthed measuring jug,mix the juice with the sugar,add the zest,double cream and eggs,and stir to combine.Cover and chill for up to 3 days in the fridge or alternatively leave at room temperature for a few hours.

You can also make the pastry in advance.
Cream the butter and sugar together,then add the yolks one at a time.Stir in the flour to form a soft dough,then form into a fat disc,wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and put in a baking sheet.Roll out the pastry to fit the tart tin and line it with the pastry,pushing gently down so that it lies flat on the bottom,leaving a little overhang.Put back in the fridge for a further 20 minutes to rest again.
Roll a rolling pin over the top of the tart tin to cut off excess pastry neatly.
Line the tin with foil or baking parchment and fill with baking beans.Put the tin in the oven for 15 minutes,then remove beans and foil or parchment and give it another 5 -10 minutes,until the bottom has dried out,transfer to awire rack to cool a little and turn the oven down to 170C/gas mark 3.
Strain the liquid mixture into the pastry case to remove the zest,put back on the sheet in the oven for 45 minutes.( You may find this easier if you more long-winded,if youif you sieve this mixture into another jug and pour from this into the pastry case already on the sheet in the oven with the rack pulled out.
When the tart is cooked,it should be firm on the top with a hint of a wobble underneath.Remove to a wire rack and let cool.Unmould and transfer to a serving plate.
To make the glazed blueberry topping,combine the arrowroot and sugar in a small saucepan,then stir in the juice and water. Put the pan on the heat and bring to the boil,stirring all the time:it should turn clear very quickly.take it off the heat and add the blueberries,then spoon the now-glossy berries over the top of the tart.leave to set for about 10 minutes.Dont worry when slicing the tart its texture is very soft,on the cusp of a custard.  Serves 8

At your service,the perfect cocktail

Its amazing to think you can find some real gems or pearls of wisdom within the pages of an in-flight magazine.I am far from being a frequent flyer these days but on those rare occasions, I have always managed to pick up some top tips. Past gems have included a much used cake recipe found on a flight to Turkey, the discovery of a go to bar in Paris and most recently a step by step guide to marketing ones business disguised as a cocktail recipe.As a former graphic graphic designer and entrepreneur whose career has dabbled in strategic marketing, this whimsical advert for an award winning marketing agency on the Wirral appealed to my creative side.
Running a successful and much talked about business for the last ten years with a partner from a background in magazines,who excels at social media management alongside myself, a blogger and reasonably competent copywriter, seemed to draw strong parallels with this snippet I instantly made into a tear sheet.(well it was the 27th December and I assumed that the aforesaid magazine would only have a four day shelf life before the seat pocket would be graced with the new January 20/20 edition) and I speculated that another interested entrepreneur like yours truly might not pick up on the absence of this bottom half of the page, back of book entry.
I would pass on this dynamic company´s offer of a free 1 hour business consultation with their  master mixologist and instead would create my own recipe for  a Casa Rosada house cocktail.Last year I put a Bloody Ñora spin on the classic Bloody Mary, so this time I set about applying the revolutionfour principals to a cocktail based on ten years of running a bespoke bed and breakfast in the East Algarve.
It is not just the quality of the ingredients, but also the balance of qualities and attention to detail that makes a cocktail perfect.Time is of the essence and if you throw all your efforts together at once,with out any measure of thought,then you will  end up with something that takes hold of your tongue and just won’t let go, leaving a sour taste in the mouth.You want something that is a simple joy to sip and not something that will cleave your happy hour.Nothing wrong with a true pisco sour ,mind, but we are in the Algarve and not recommending  a jaunt down to Peru for a fresh limón when your next sour craving hits.Casa Rosada would be more likely to mix you up a pink port and tonic of an evening.At Casa Rosada we are always at your beck and call.Why not join us this spring or summer for a relaxing holiday that seems worlds away from Northern Europe but is actually only two or three hours by plane.Check out the current weather temperature on our website,set the alarm early and you could be here for breakfast and a Bloody Mary to boot.
Here is how in ten years we have we achieved that perfect mixology.....
The Casa Rosada perfect mix
100ml Strategic marketing
50 ml clear liquid graphic design
1  x strong branded website design
5ml social media management
Pure natural juice of copywriting
a sprinkle of creativity
1.Preparation is the key.Make sure you have everything in place.Mise en place is of the essence.Lay out all your ingredients in front of you,this will allow you to see exactly what you are working with.Ensure all the ingredients are correct and up to date and the right amounts are measured before starting.
2.Put you strategic marketing into the shaker before adding the graphic design mix, website design and social media management.
3.Mix and shake before adding the copywriting juice for that extra punch.
4.Serve in a chilled glass and garnish with a sprinkle of creativity to taste.Some might finish with an umbrella, but the Casa Rosada attention to detail says the end product really speaks for itself,plus we dont do naff. 
Should you require that much needed R and R and a lot of TLC contact us now If its a business consultation you require contact www.revolutionfour.co.uk

Chocolate and hazelnut pavlovas with cream and berries

I am a big fan of Nigella Lawson’s mini Pavlovas so when I saw this recipe for something similar in Marie Claire Zest,but  with the added bonus of nuts and chocolate, I just had to give it a try. Well they were even better and tasted deliciously like Ferrero rochers. As you can see, I topped mine with raspberries,and blueberries. They are ideal in that you can make them in advance and just assemble them with whatever fruit is available at the last minute, making them the perfect pud for friends.
Chocolate Nut pavlovas with Cream and Berries
3 egg whites
200g caster sugar
2 tablespoons dark cocoa
2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
50g flaked almonds
150ml cream, whipped
500g mixed berries
Preheat oven to 150c. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and then slowly add the sugar, continuing to beat until the mixture is white & glossy. Fold in the cocoa and ground hazelnuts, then spoon the meringue into 6 large dollops on the tray. Using the back of a spoon, create a dip in the top of each meringue. Sprinkle with almonds and bake for 45 minutes. Turn off heat, but leave the meringues to cool in the oven wi the door ajar. Serve topped with whipped cream and berries.

TOP TIP: Fat. Fat is the enemy of whipped egg whites. Get fat in your whites and no matter how long you beat them, they will never fluff up. Fat hides in wooden spoons. Wooden spoons also have a texture that food clings to, good if you're mixing a pudding batter but not if you're trying to form quenelles.

Yesteday´s brunch todays supper, a Sicilian snack

Arancini were once just a way to use up uneaten risotto. The lesson here is: we should all cook more risotto than we need, so it too can be formed into blissful croquetas and fried until crisp and golden. I’m a big fan of street food – all those robust flavours, frugal ingredients, and eating with your fingers is my idea of culinary heaven. But it’s a long time since I followed my nose through a smoky street food market,but this will suffice.
I have made and eaten arancini every which way but it had never occurred to me to turn one of the world´s classic breakfast dishes into breakfast arancini.

Traditionally these typically Sicilian snacks are are filled with different stuffings,such as minced meat or vegetables,but why not kedgeree?

Arancini di Kedgeree

1 quantity of left over risotto
plain flour for dusting
2 eggs beaten
breadcrumbs for coating
sunflower oil for deep frying

Take a little of the risotto and form it into a ball,about 15g is agood size but for amore substantial snack you can go up to the size of a golf ball..You will find it easier if you wet your hands with cold water. Dust with a little flour,then coat with beaten egg and finally coat in the breadcrumbs.Repeat the process for each ball.

Heat some oil in a large deep saucepan or in a deep fat fryer.Add the risotto balls a few at a time and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot or cold.

A good New Years resolution

With millions of people in Europe now unable to afford the food they have been used to eating and global food prices set to rise as climate and other pressures increase, tackling food waste in the kitchen is at least a very good place to start.We are all guilty at some time or another of over shopping or impulse buying,but then there is always a recipe for that lost soul that is in the vegetable box or sitting on the fridge shelf.Think about it.Ready meals are not as wholesome or as cheap as they are made out to be.

Hindsight is (always) 20/20 vision

Having been in poor old blighty for Christmas, New Years Day lunch was supplemented by the fruits of my last few weeks labours from the Casa Rosada store cupboard.After a spicy jug of the thespian´s Bloody Mary, we sat down with friends to a hearty lunch, which included my annual home made Melton Mowbray pork pie, Bloody Mary muffins,Chouriço and manchego scones,Iberican cold cuts,including mini fuet, a Catalan thin, dry cured,chippolata type sausage of pork meat in a pork gut. The most famous is made in the comarca of Osona and is also known as Vic fuet. It is flavored with black pepper and garlic, and sometimes aniseed, but unlike Chorizo contains no paprika.

We drank Munir,Catarratto, a fresh biologic wine grown on the sunny vineyards of Sicily.

 Asian style Kedgeree was  made with an expat favourite craving, smoked haddock, and we ended with chocolate and hazelnut pavlovas (more on that story later Kirsty) - patience is a virtue.Well its a new decade and its time to start as one means to go on,so I am going to leave you with a  New Year idiom. 
 It is easier to clearly re-evaluate past actions or decisions than when they are being made or done; things are much clearer to us now and more obvious to us than when the choice was put to the " the people".Well,"it was the will of the people", "the people spoke" didn´t they all "17.4 million of them".
 In hindsight things might have seemed obvious then are  not  so obvious now. 20/20 vision enables us to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time those choices were made. 

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!

Spicy prawn cakes with coriander drop scones chilli tomato butter and a poached quails egg

Bursting with vibrant flavours of coriander,green chilli garlic and spice

Tis the season… for cocktail parties, family get-togethers, potluck parties, and any other number of opportunities for you to hone your party-food skills. You want options that can be easily passed around, grabbed with one hand, and finished in a few bites; you also want a recipe that’s so memorably tasty people will demand you make it again and again.
Prawn cakes, made by chopping shrimp in the food processor, are great as a dinner option, but with a twist on their shape they’re one of my favourite dishes to make for parties, too. Not only are they easy to make, they’re incredibly tasty and, frankly, much less expensive than crab. (I love crab cakes! I do! But their price feels like you have to make them for "An Occasion", with capital letters, and if you’re not wearing a tuxedo, you’re just wasting everybody’s time.) The best part about prawn cakes is that you can flavour them any way you like.
My Thai-influenced version of prawn cakes is the one I go to most often. A generous amount of fresh coriander gives them a bright, fresh flavour and a beautiful green colour. If you’re one of those coriander haters: (a) dont accept my party invitation; (b) parsley, basil, or mint (or a combination of all three) would be a fine substitution. I also add garlic, spring onions, and sometimes lime zest to the mix.
To deliver spice, I include jalapeños because they’re available year-round, but you can use any hot pepper you like. Thai birds eye chilis or piri piri are a great addition if you prefer the elevated heat. Its always wise to keep things on the milder side when cooking for parties: One person’s “delightfully spicy” is another’s “are you trying to kill me?” (And you can always add more heat with the sauce.)
I like my prawn cakes to have texture, but I also want them to hold together well during cooking, and to have some spring when you bite into them. To get there, after processing the prawns I add a quantity of breadcrumbs piecemeal, until I achieve a texture that  binds the mixture. This gives moist cakes that won’t fall apart.The perils of disintegrating fritters aren’t restricted to those with less experience.So don’t treat it as a catastrophe;put it down to experience.Experienced cooks also cock them up every now and then, as as I myself know only too well.Add breadcrumbs or a little flour to a mix that’s too wet, or egg yolk if it’s too dry. And with starchy stuff like rice or spuds, a tight squeeze when shaping will help hold things together. In other words, if a fritter falls apart in your hands, it’s unlikely to stay in one piece in the pan, so it pays to get the base right first.There’s no one secret to avoiding collapse but, with time, you’ll get a feel for it.

500g 81lb) green ( raw ) prawns,shelled
1 green chilli,chopped
tbsp fish sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp white pepper
3 spring onions,finely sliced
grated zest of 1/2 a lime,optional
2 tbsp chopped coriander,roots and leaves
1 cup ( 250ml ) ground nut oil

Place prawns, chilli, fish sauce, garlic, turmeric, pepper and coriander in a food processor and process to a paste.Fold in the spring onions. Slowly add breadcrumbs until you achieve a texture that will hold together in the pan.Shape the prawn mixture with the help of a round pastry cutter, into  mini cakes 6cm (21/4 in) in diameter.Heat the oil in afrying pan until hot.Add the prawn cakes and shallow fry until golden.Remove and drain on paper towels.Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.
Coriander drop scones
makes 6 
2 eggs beaten, plus 1 egg yolk
1 level tsp Flor de sal
ground pepper
tsp chilli flakes or powder
Soup spoon finely chopped fresh coriander
2 heaped tbsp self-raising flour
Juice  1/2 lemon

Make a batter with the above ingredients by pouring the beaten egg gradually into the seasoned flour.Beat in the lemon juice.Brush a hot flat griddle pan or non-stick frying pan with a little butter.
Drop tablespoons of the batter onto this,2 or 3 at a time, turning the muffins as soon as they are set, and let them just brown  on the reverse sides they are still somewhat soft.Keep them warm, wrapped in clean tea towel, in a low oven 250F (130C) or on a hotplate.

Chilli Tomato butter
6 oz ( 175g ) butter, softened
3 tsp tomato purée
pinch of dry mustardtsp of sriracha sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
Combine all the ingredients to a smooth paste.It should be served soft.You can freeze what is left over for use with grilled fish,chicken or chops.

To serve
First make your scones and keep them warm covered in the oven until ready to use.
Fry your prawn cakes and likewise keep them warm in the oven while you boil your quails eggs.
Place a drop scone in the centre of each plate.Place a small dollop of tomato butter on top of the warm scone and sit a prawn cake on top of the butter so the butter melts.finally place a poached quails egg on top of the prawn cake.

and finally
A cheffy trick for poaching any kind of eggs!!!!
If you have a lot of quail eggs to poach, this is the way to do a batch at a time. This recipe is an example with 6 quail eggs, but it is easy to increase by two or 3 times the quantity 
6 quails eggs
60ml white wine vinegar
600ml water
In saucepan, bring 600ml of water to the boil.
Pour the vinegar into a small bowl.
With a small paring knife, cut open the quail eggs and pour their contents into the vinegar. Leave for 5 minutes. This ensures that the egg white stays together.
Pour the vinegar and the eggs into the boiling water in one go, and turn the heat to low.
Poach for 1 minute and 20 seconds, and then remove from the pan with a skimmer.
Use immediately, or chill in ice water for later use.
   

The Truth About Brining Turkey

Does brining a turkey really make a difference ?

I am a huge fan of brining poultry!  For those of you that have never tried brining, you simply must. There is just no better way to add moisture and get perfect seasoning all the way down to the bone. In addition to dramatically improving the flavour, the added moisture gives you an extra margin for error in avoiding the dreaded balsa-wood-like dry white meat.
For me the only turkey is a brined one. Not only does it tenderize and add subtle spiciness, but it makes carving the turkey so much easier. You only have  to try this method to be utterly convinced. And I mean to say: how hard is it to fill a pan or large plastic bin or bucket with water and spices and lower a turkey into it? At this time of year, it’s fine just to leave it in a cold place. I sit mine in the back room of the house with the window open. It means everyone freezes, but who am I going to put first – my turkey or my guests? Out in the garden if you’re lucky enough to have one would also be fine, though the pan must be securely covered: if you´ve got a bucket or bin out in the open, cover it twice with foil and then put something heavy on top to prevent animal scavenging.
And, though you might find it hard to believe sight unseen, a raw turkey covered in brine – with its oranges, cinnamon sticks, and scattering of spices – looks so beautiful as it steeps that I can never help lifting the lid for quick, blissfully reassuring peeks.

1 gallon water (should cover a medium to large bird)
1 cup salt (or 1 1/2 cups Kosher or coarse salt)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large lime
1 lemon
1 orange
1 onion (cut into thick slices)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon thyme (dried)
4 cinnamon sticks

Deep fried capers,user friendly bar food, addictive garnish or cocktail food with attitude......?

.....All of the above.
Put the word ‘fried’ in front of anything these days and it just sounds so passé,yet these little gems of deliciousness popped up on trendsetting Masterchef this year.
I’m not talking the little, peppercorn-sized nonpareil variety known as capers (sans ‘berries—because these aren’t berries, but the buds of the plant), no, these were big, mature caper berries, the size of grapes, with their stems still attached to provide a convenient handle. 
So what happens to them when subjected to the fryer and why should we be bothering?.....Because...The frying brings to life the natural oils in the caper berries, warming them and amping up the already delicious, tart flavour that is present in the berries. The crisp, breaded crust encases everything in a nice little package that can then be grasped by the stem and popped in the mouth. Mmmm, please sir can I have some more .

Deep Fried Caper Berries

20 or so Large Caper Berries, Stem-On
2 Eggs, Beaten
1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup home made breadcrumbs (combined with grated parmesan,optional)
2 Teaspoons flor de sal

Drain the caper berries, then set aside.  Next, beat the eggs together until they are nicely combined.  

 Put the flour in one bowl, then set the egg mixture next to it, then in the last bowl combine the bread crumbs and garlic salt.  

First dip in the flour,then the egg mixture.Repeat the first two steps,then dip in the breadcrumb mixture

When you are finished, you should have a nice, well-coated berry with no gaps in the breading.

Reserve on the breadcrumb plate and repeat with the rest of the berries. 

Heat your deep fryer with vegetable oil or peanut oil to 375F...

...then fry about half your berries for around three minutes or so, until they are golden brown.  Repeat with the other berries. 

Drain on paper towel,and allow them to dry and then serve immediately.  They are best when they are hot from the fryer, and their internal oils are still hot. 

Variation on the theme: You can get some pitted Greek or Kalamata olives and treat them the same way;  that is, batter and fry them using this recipe.  They won’t have a little stem-handle, but they will taste out of this world.  Do this and mix some in with the caper berries for an out-of-this-world experience.  

"Oven ready" Lets get breakfast done,.....a little bit of History repeating?

"It's the darkest hour that comes before the dawn. Be thinking of that, all you who voted against the Conservative Party. We will come back and we are capable of regenerating ourselves," he said. "Now let's go back home and prepare for breakfast."

 Alexander Boris de "Piffle" Johnson,

on winning the safe conservative seat of Henley- on -Thames, 2001

It's all just a little bit of history repeating. Eighteen years on and he´s still peddling the same old rather sad joke. I woke up on Friday morning and to dispel my disbelief needed distraction and serious comfort food.Quality time to enjoy "a full english" before the impending armageddon (No more "continental breakfasts so to speak after January 31st)
 Well,que sera sera,whatever will be will be.(The image of Damnatio ad bestias comes to mind). A vision of cowering English men and women injured by their own self infliction being thrown to the lions. A grisly scenario enshrined in popular culture by the 1951 film Quo Vadis.But before poor lambs get led to the slaughter here is what I turn to when I seek comfort (my own history repeating my updated twist on a classic) "Full English"."Oven ready" to go in just 15 minutes.
 Call it what you will, cappucino of baked eggs, total breakfast in a cup, the reality is a twist on oeufs en cocotte, Shirred pleasured you might like to call it. The basics here are a ramekin dish, knob of butter, slivers of bacon, cream, parmesan or cheddar cheese and two free range eggs baked in a hot oven for 15 minutes. The options are endless, with the possible addition of sausage, chouriço,tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach.

"The full English" in a coffee cup

serves 4

25g unsalted butter

75g cheddar or parmesan (optional)

8 eggs

80g button mushrooms ( or ceps, if you want extravagance)

roughly chopped and fried in butter or oil

150g bacon, slightly fried and broken into slivers

1 handful of parsley(optional)

salt and pepper

4 tablespoons double cream

Pre-heat the oven to 200C /400F/gas mark6

Butter the inside of four cappucino cups, mugs or large ramekins and sprinkle with the cheese, if using.

layer the other ingredients as follows: mushroom, bacon, parsley, if using, cream and finally crack two eggs per portion on top. place the cups in a bain marie, cover loosely with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes- they´re done when the egg whites are set.For a slight golden glaze, finish under a hot grill for a moment

Godsent sticky toffee upside-down pear cake

 Who said puddings should not be too sweet?

We dont need the maestro Eddie Izzard to tell us that pears are bastards!!!! " Pears can just fuck off too. 'Cause they're gorgeous little beasts, but they're ripe for half an hour, and you're never there. They're like a rock or they're mush". In the supermarket, people banging in nails. "I'll just put these shelves up, mate, then you can have the pear." … So you think, "I'll take them home and they'll ripen up." But you put them in the bowl at home, and they sit there, going, "No! No! Don't ripen yet, don't ripen yet. Wait til he goes out the room! Ripen! Now now now!"
Well I have had a bag of baby Rocha pears sitting at the back of my kitchen for over a week now.I have tried every trick in the book to ripen the bastards, but will they ripen? heck no."Add ripe bananas or apples to a brown paper bag to ripen pears in 1-3 days",the not so handy hint on google told me To produce ripe pears in just 1-3 days, place a banana or apple in the paper bag with your pears. The ripe fruits give off ethylene gas, which causes the pears to ripen very quickly.Ethylene gas,my giddy arse, its a myth.There they still are, hard as rocks.On Saturday I had to resort to poaching them before i included them in the cake I was making.Today this recipe popped up and who can honestly say they would not die for a killer sticky toffee pudding.For me it is up there with some of those ultimate Christmas recipes, like brandy soaked Christmas cup cakes.This sticky toffee cake recipe is like the classic pudding but in cake form.Whats more it includes pears.The recipe assured me........
"It works well with any pear no matter how hard or ripe and bruised it is: all will melt into the sticky cake dough, and will become a delicious companion to the rich and sticky, date-flavoured cake".What a godsend.

Sticky toffee upside-down pear cake
Serves 6 
200g dates, roughly chopped
350ml oat drink or milk
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100ml olive oil
150g unrefined sugar
220g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
1-3 pears, cut in half and cored

Heat the oven to 200C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Put the dates in a saucepan with the oat drink or milk, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. 
Off the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda and stir for 30 seconds, or until the dates begin to dissolve. Leave to cool, then mix in the olive oil, 50g of the sugar, the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon.
Grease and line a medium-sized cake tin. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar over the base of the tin. If you have only one pear, slice it and lay it out over the base of the tin; if you have two pears, cut them into large chunks; and if you have three or more pears, put the halves cut-side down in the tin.
Cover with the cake mixture and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until just cooked and springy to the touch. Turn out and serve warm.

When the going gets tough,the tough pick up a bacon and cheese bechamel turnover

 Bacon and cheese bechamel turnover,beyond comfort food

As party season approaches, so does the likelihood of waking up with a hangover –a word or two of advice( O cozinheiro´s cure). If you’ve done your binge drinking on a school night and you have no choice but to report to an office, you need Ibuprofen 600mg, the breakfast sandwich of your choosing, and my condolences.
If its the weekend then you need the sodium of tomato juice, the sinus-clearing action of horseradish, the shame-erasing magic of vodka (tequila if you want to make it a Bloody Maria).
 Back in the day when I commuted to an office, my strict no drinking on a school night rule did not always work, sometimes getting widdly was unavoidable.So often following a boozy one in London with colleagues and clients, I found myself feeling a little peaky as I stepped out of the tube station the next day. After a hard weeks graft, that project of the last 6 months had come to fruition,it was Friday night and we were all in the mood to celebrate our job well done. I didn’t drink that much in all honesty (2 pints of beer and always avoided the ‘bottle of wine in a glass’ variant ) but it’s a sad fact that I used to get terrible hangovers, hence the rule.

"when the going gets tough the tough go to Greggs"

On my way to the office the next morning at the station, salvation came in pastry form.My salvation came in the form of Greggs. Like a homing pigeon (though in reality perhaps more like a zombie) within 60 seconds of leaving the staion a huge selection of sweet and savoury pastrie was on offer before me. I like to think it was cosmic intervention — karma offering me a helping hand, but alas, it was probably the scent of those covered with bacon that drew me there.Recently,not having access to a Greggs and and being subjected to expat hangover cravings I have resorted to the Portuguese version, Folhada mista,and it is the perfect cure for going down nostalgia lane.

Folhado misto,tudo bem!!!!

I inhaled the blessed béchamel and ham sensation I’d chosen and in no time at all,soon began to feel more human again.
 So what is it about naughty foods that does that? Old-school wisdom preaches reaching for cold cheesy pizza or a greasy bacon and tomato sandwich to "soak up" the alcohol.The importance of getting some morning-after food in your stomach cannot be overstated. And while the bacon-egg-and-cheese is a nearly perfect food item, but getting one also requires leaving home, and that's just not going to happen when the struggle is real,or your hangover falls on a weekend.
 And while I can’t say this is the hangover cure the world has been waiting for (maybe I should have ordered two...), it is seriously delicious and worth every calorific bite. I decided to replicate the go to Greggs cure in the privacy of my own kitchen.
My version is very easy to make — especially on account of using ready rolled puff pastry (life’s too short to make your own, I feel). I made a very simple béchamel using butter, milk and flour, mixed with a little strong Dijon mustard and a carefree handful of strong vintage cheddar cheese, spooned it over puff pastry squares and topped it with a couple of slices of pancetta (though smoked streaky bacon would work perfectly too) folding it over on itself and baking until puffed up and golden. 
Now, lets get down to the clever stuff. While assembling these pastries is easy, they may still prove too traumatic to contemplate making while suffering after that tell tale good night out.Instead, make a batch ahead, once cooled they’ll keep in an airtight tin for a few days (or indeed the freezer) and will be the perfect go-to cure when you’re feeling delicate. Simply pop them into the oven to warm through for 10 minutes, which if your hangovers were anything like mine, may be  about the limit of your capabilities. Taste test proved the room temperature version was tastier than the fresh out of the oven one.
For four pastries
1 roll ready rolled puff pastry (I use Lidl´s, which is excellent)
1pt whole milk
120g vintage cheddar, grated
1 heaped tbsp unsalted butter
5 or 6 tbsp flour
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
Sea salt and black pepper
12 rashers pancetta / thin cut smoked streaky bacon
Method
Remove the pastry in its packet from the fridge 1hr before you need it, it needs to come to room temperature.
Preheat your oven to 190°C.
Put the milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat off.
In another (large) saucepan place the butter and melt on a high heat, then add the flour— enough until you have a firmish ball a little like the consistency of mashed potato — then turn the heat down to low.
A ladle at a time add the milk to the roux you’ve made and whisk in, continuing to whisk for a couple of minutes after all the milk is in, to make sure the mix is smooth.
Add a generous scrunch of sea salt and black pepper, mustard and and stir until melted, then turn the heat off.
Cut the pastry sheet (the lidl one makes 4 squares exactly) into large squares.
Spoon the béchamel out onto the centre of the pastries until you’ve used it all up, then lay 2 slices of pancetta over each diagonally.Divide the grated cheese between the four turnovers
Bring the opposite corners up and brush a little of the beaten egg over one corner, folding the other corner over the top attaching it to it. Repeat with all of the pastries and then brush all the exposed pastry with the beaten egg.
Place into the oven for 20 minutes, and if you feel inclined 10 minutes in remove from the oven and grate a little Parmesan over the fold of each pastry.