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1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 handful parsley, finely chopped
1 handful basil, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grill the peppers whole, turning at intervals, until the skin is blackened.
Place in a bowl while still hot and cover with plastic wrap. Leave them to
steam (this makes it easier to remove the skin from the peppers). Skin,
remove seeds and finely chop the peppers. Then add the remaining
ingredients and mix well. Taste for seasoning. Leave for 1 hour to let the
flavours develop. Check for seasoning before serving.
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
116
Apricot and Pistachio Tarte Tatin
7 ounces sugar
2 tablespoons water
10 to 12 apricots
1 3/4 ounces unsalted butter, diced
9 ounce slab puff pastry
Small handful thyme, leaves picked
Small handful shelled pistachio nuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C/gas 3). In a pan,
simmer half the sugar with a couple of tablespoons of water until a light
golden caramel has formed. Meanwhile, halve the apricots and remove
the stones. Do not throw the stones away, I will explain why later.
Sprinkle the apricots with the remaining sugar, mix, and leave to sit for
10 minutes. The sugar will draw out the lovely juicy sweetness from the
apricots.
Check the caramel sauce. If it is ready, remove from the heat. Stir in the
butter and pour the sauce into a non-stick tart tin.
Whack the apricots on top and spread them out to cover the base of the
tin. Now take about half of your apricot stones and bash them open.
Inside you will find a nutty kernel, which tastes just like Amaretto, great
for adding flavour.* Finely slice the kernels and sprinkle them over the
apricots with half the thyme.
Roll out the pastry until it is just slightly larger than your tart tin. Cover
the apricots with the pastry, pushing it right into the sides of the tin.
Place the tart in the oven for around 25 to 35 minutes until pastry is
puffed and golden brown.
When the tart is cooked, put a large plate on top of the tin and turn the
tart upside down onto it. Sprinkle with the rest of the thyme and the
pistachio nuts just before serving. Fantastic served with ice cream or
whipped cream.
*Apricot kernels should only be consumed cooked, as they have trace
amounts of nitrites in them, which are slightly toxic until roasted.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
117
Sea Bass with Fennel and Olives
7 (8-ounce) sea bass fillets
2 handfuls purple and green basil and flat-leaf parsley, finely sliced
Good extra-virgin olive oil
Maldon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 heads fennel, halved and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
4 large handfuls green and red chard, stalks finely sliced
Line a tray with greaseproof paper and rub it with olive oil. Score the skin
side of the fish fillets (about halfway through the fish) and stuff with the
herbs. Place the fish, skin side up, on the tray and cover with a few good
lugs of olive oil and salt and pepper. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes until skin is
crisp and fish is cooked through.
Gently fry the fennel and garlic with a pinch of salt in a good lug of olive
oil, until softened and lightly coloured. Add the chard, with another pinch
of salt, and cook until the stalks are soft.
For the sauce:
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
4 to 6 anchovy fillets
4 good tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large handfuls of small black olives, stones removed
3 ounces half-and-half
Handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
To make the sauce, gently fry the garlic and anchovies in the olive oil
until soft. Chop half the olives, keeping the other half whole and add
these to the garlic and anchovies. Fry for another minute. Remove from
the heat and add the cream and parsley. Season with a little pepper and
add some more olive oil. Serve the fish and vegetables with the warm
sauce poured over the top.
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
118
Sticky Chocolate Sponge Pudding
7 ounces sugar
7 ounces butter
7 ounces self-raising flour, sifted
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs, preferably free-range
3 rounded tablespoons cocoa powder
8 tablespoons warm water
Handful flaked almonds
3 3/4 ounces cooking chocolate, broken up
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C / gas 4). Beat the
sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Sieve the flour and baking powder
into the butter mixture. Add the eggs and mix it all together. Then mix
the cocoa powder with 8 tablespoons of warm water, until smooth.
Fold the chocolate paste, almonds, and chocolate pieces into the cake
mixture. Pour the mixture into a greased baking tin, spreading it out
evenly. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes.
For the chocolate sauce:
3 3/4 ounces cooking chocolate
3 3/4 ounces confectioners' sugar
3 3/4 ounces butter
4 tablespoons milk
Meanwhile, melt the chocolate sauce ingredients in a bowl over some
lightly simmering water. Stir until blended well. When the pudding is
cooked, remove from the oven and pour over the chocolate sauce while
still hot.
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
119
Steak with a Spicy Rub
Good handful thyme, leaves left on stalks
Pinch cumin seeds
Small handful fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic, skin left on
Pinch Maldon sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested and chopped
8 (8 ounce) sirloin steaks
In a pestle and mortar, smash up the thyme, cumin seeds, oregano,
garlic, and salt. Using your fist, bash the steaks to make them slightly
thinner and larger. Add the olive oil and lemon zest to the spicy rub and
smear this into each steak.
The steaks can marinate for 20 minutes to 8 hours. Fry the steaks in a
pan, the time will obviously depend on how you like your steak.
Make sure you let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before you serve them,
they will be much juicier.
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 25 minutes to 8 hours
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
120
Tomato and Runner Beans
1 1/2 pounds (750g) runner beans, sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
A few good lugs (ounces) extra virgin olive oil
1 (28 pound) can chopped tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steam the beans in a foil covered colander over your potatoes or blanch [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]