23Jul
Chicken

Steamed broccoli with vinegar

July 23, 2015

Put your wine, shallot, herbs and peppercorns into a small pot and bring to the boil, then simmer slowly for 3 or 4 minutes or until reduced by half and remove from the heat. The first way to make your beurre blanc is to pour the flavoured wine through a sieve into a metal bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of water on a very low heat, whisk, and add the cubes of butter one at a time, whisking them in until all the butter has been used. The sauce will emulsify and look like a very loose custard. Use the beurre blanc immediately or keep whisking it over your pan of water. If you leave it too long, the sauce may split.

The second way, and this is my favourite, is to pour some boiling water into a Thermos flask to preheat and clean it. Pour the water away and then sieve the flavoured wine into the thermos, adding all of the butter. Put the lid on tightly, place a tea towel over the lid and shake the thermos around for a few minutes. Open it very carefully (in case of any hot steam escaping) and you should have a nice beurre blanc sauce. The best thing about this method is that you can keep it in the flask and it will keep warm until you’re ready to serve the food.

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22Jul
Fish

Classic tomato salsa with basil

July 22, 2015

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add cold water to cover by 1″. Bring to a boil, season with salt, and cook until fork-tender, 15–20 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Return water to a boil and cook haricots verts in same saucepan until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of ice water. Chill until cold, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and pat dry.

Return water in pot to a boil and cook eggs 8 minutes. Transfer eggs to bowl of ice water and chill until cold, about 5 minutes. Peel; set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium-high. Add capers and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until capers burst and are crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer capers with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Let oil cool; set aside.

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17Jul
Soups

Roasted chicken breast with cherry

July 17, 2015

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Put 1 chicken breast, with its skin left on, in a bowl. Add 8 trimmed sticks of asparagus, 6 halved cherry tomatoes and the leaves from 1 sprig of fresh rosemary plus a whole sprig of rosemary as well. Toss everything together with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Put the veg into a tinfoil tray and place the chicken and rosemary sprig on top. Season well. Add some white wine and cook in the middle of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes. Serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

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17Jul
Fast Food

Cheesy pasta with crispy pangritata

July 17, 2015

To make the pangritata, lightly toast the sourdough. Peel the garlic, then blitz in a food processor with the toasted bread, herbs and walnuts until fine. Preheat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, then add the pangritata and fry for around 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and place a large heatproof bowl on top. Add the mascarpone or crème fraîche to the bowl along with the leftover cheeses, crumbling or grating any harder varieties first, then stir until melted. Carefully remove the bowl from the heat and set aside, then turn the heat up to high. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of cooking water, then add to the bowl of melted cheese and toss to coat, adding a splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed.

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01Jul
Soups

GIF Smoked salmon rolls with basil sause

July 1, 2015

These are a kind of sushi-style take on a classic combination of smoked salmon and crème frache inside a pancake. You can make them up the day before, keep them in the fridge wrapped in cling film, then slice them up at the last minute. They look great if you serve them up-ended, like sushi-rolls, on a rectangular or square plate with the dip in a little bowl. You could use mustard mayo or even horseradish sauce instead of the vinaigrette dip if you like.

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