NIGEL'S RECIPES
Catch up on the dishes featured in Nigel Barden's food slot, every Thursday on Drivetime.
** Read Nigel's biography
THURSDAY 20 DECEMBER 2007
Brandy sauce
BBC Food by Holly Jones
Serves 6
Preparation time less than 30 mins , Cooking time 10 to 30 mins
Ingredients
55g/2oz butter
55g/2oz plain flour
570ml/1 pint milk
55g/2oz caster sugar
4 tbsp brandy
Method 1. Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes and stir in the milk. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the brandy and the sugar and serve with Christmas pudding.
Marguerite Patten's recipe for microwave Christmas pudding
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
50g Butter
50g plain flour
Half a teaspoon of mixed spice
75g white breadcrumbs
100g soft dark brown sugar
150g sultanas
75g Raisins
50g Dates
50g Cherries
125g currants
25g coarsely chopped peel
grated rind and juice of half lemon
2 eggs
2 tablespoon treacle
1 tablespoon golden syrup
50ml Orange Juice
50ml Apple Juice
Method:
Sieve all the dry ingredients together and mix well.
Stir in all remaining ingredients until completely mixed.
Lightly grease a half litre (1 pint) pudding basin and fill with the mixture.
Cover with cling film and make a slit in the top to allow steam to escape.
Cook on microwave high for 10 minutes.
Allow to stand for 10 minutes after cooking.
Sprinkle with brandy and serve.
WEDNESDAY 19 DECEMBER 2007
Nige’s Easy Peasy Cumberland Sauce (with glorious assistance from Culinary Cupid Nicole Rolland).
I don’t like my Cumberland sauce too sweet, as the tartness works well with the richness of the ham. However, if you do, simply add more redcurrant jelly. This sauce would traditionally be served cold, but don’t be bound by this & if you fancy something hot, simply warm it through briefly.
Preparation Time: 5 mins Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
4 large tablespoons cranberry sauce (see Tues 18th Dec recipe)
1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly
1 teaspoon English mustard powder (or regular Dijon mustard)
1 tablespoon Port (or Madeira, or a sweeter Sherry)
¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
Sprinkle of white pepper
Zest of medium orange (if a zesting implement isn’t to hand, use a grater)
1. If using mustard powder, mix with a little water into a paste.
2. Put cranberry sauce into a small pan on a low heat.
3. Add the redcurrant jelly & stir to melt.
4. Add Port, mustard paste, ginger, orange zest & pepper.
5. Taste & if extra sweetness is required add more redcurrant jelly.
6. Warm the mixture through on a low heat for a minute.
If you haven’t got any cranberry sauce left over then Stephanie Alexander’s recipe is a good one to do from scratch.
Cumberland Sauce by Stephanie Alexander from the Cook’s Companion (Viking publishing)
Prep time: 5 mins Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Zest of 1 orange
4 tablespoons redcurrant, crabapple or quince jelly
1 tsp. Dijon mustard (you can use English)
White pepper
¼ tsp. ground ginger
½ cup Port or dark Muscat
1. Put zest into small saucepan, cover with cold water & slowly bring to boil.
2. Strain, discard water & dry zest on kitchen paper.
3. Put zest into a bowl with mustard, jelly & spices then stand bowl over simmering water & stir until quite smooth.
4. Add wine & simmer for 5 mins.
5. Serve cold, but not refrigerated.
Boiled and baked ham by Gary Rhodes from Nation's Favourite Food
Serves 8-10
Preparation time overnight
Cooking time over 2 hours
Ingredients 5½ -7¼kg/12-16lb ham, soaked in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water occasionally
2 onions, quartered
few cloves few black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
4 tbsp English mustard
225g/8oz demerara sugar, depending on size of ham
300ml/½pint chicken stock (to make a gravy)
Method 1. Place the soaked ham in a large pan, with the onions, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf.
2. Cover with water, bring to the boil and skim away any impurities.
3. Leave the ham to simmer, allowing 20 minutes per 450g(1lb).
4. Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
5. Once cooked, remove the ham from the pan and stand for 10-15 minutes before peeling away the skin.
6. The fat can be left as it is or scored, creating a diamond pattern.
7. Brush the ham with mustard and sprinkle well with the demerara sugar.
8. Bake the ham for 30-40 minutes taking care to baste the ham with juices and the caramelised sugar.
9. Once golden, remove from the oven and rest for 15-30 minutes before carving, or leave until cold.
10. To make gravy, pour the chicken stock into the roasting pan to lift any residue in the pan and simmer until reduced by one-third to one-half and strain.
TUESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2007
Cranberry Sauce
Adapted from the recipe on www.goodtoknow.co.uk
Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 25 min
Serves 6
450g (1lb) fresh or defrosted cranberries
300ml/1/2pint water 150ml (1/4pint) port
100g (4oz) caster sugar (add more, once you’ve mixed the ingredients in the pan, if you prefer it sweeter)
1 cinnamon stick, or ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Zest & Juice of 1/2 orange
1. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan along with the water.
2. Bring to the boil & then simmer for 20 mins until the cranberries have popped open & are soft.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick after the simmer, so it doesn’t infuse any further.
MONDAY 17 DECEMBER 2007
Bread sauce
Makes 3/4 pint
Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour. Cooking time 10 to 30 mins
This sauce goes very well with turkey or pheasant.
Ingredients
1 medium onion, peeled
4 cloves
¼ tsp ground mace
4 peppercorns
425 ml / ¾ pint milk
8 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tsp of butter
2 tbsp single cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Stud the onion with the cloves and put it in the pan with the mace, peppercorns and milk. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat immediately and leave it, covered, to infuse for about 30 minutes.
2. Strain the milk into another pan and stir in the breadcrumbs. Return to the heat, stirring continuously until the mixture boils and becomes quite thick.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then stir in the butter and cream.
Serve warm but do not re-boil.
THURSDAY 13 DECEMBER 2007
Spiced Chocolate Orange Egg Nog
by Henry Howes of The Crazy Bear, 26 Whitfield Street, London W1.
Big Henry says “the smell of my Mum’s kitchen at Christmas inspired this recipe”
Serves 1
Ingredients
Knob of butter
20g milk chocolate
1 whole egg
½ pint/300ml whole milk
50ml gold rum (Mount Gay is my fave, alternatively use an orange flavoured rum & lose the juice)
25ml freshly squeezed orange juice
For the Sugar Syrup (750ml):
6 Bourbon vanilla pods (don’t worry if not Bourbon, plain will do)
35g cinnamon bark (if not available, use cinnamon powder sprinkled on at the end as a garnish, instead of the nutmeg)
15 cloves
375ml sugar
375ml water
For the Garnish:
70% cocoa solids (or more) chocolate (grated)
nutmeg (freshly grated)
Method
1 Mix the sugar syrup ingredients together in a pan & heat gently (just below a simmer).
2 Bring a pan with a knob of butter to heat.
3 Break up & add chocolate to melt.
4 Mix in slowly, with a large wooden spoon, the egg & milk (don’t whisk).
5 Stir in rum & 30ml of the sugar syrup mix*, & the orange juice.
6 Keep stirring & bring to a simmer, but don’t allow to boil (as it’ll separate if too hot).
Serve in a cup & garnish with grated cocoa & nutmeg.
*the remainder of the sugar syrup can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks & apart from making more egg nog, can be added to ice cream, stewed apples & other puds.
Egg Nog by Andy Pearson
from Something for the Weekend
Makes 1
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time; no cooking required
Ingredients
20ml/¾fl oz bourbon
30ml/1fl oz spiced rum
65ml/2½fl oz whole milk
35ml/1¼fl oz double cream
1 free-range egg, cracked into a bowl
3 tsp white sugar
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
ice, to serve
Method
1. Place all of the ingredients, except the nutmeg and ice, into a cocktail shaker and shake to combine.
2. Strain the mixture into an ice-filled rocks glass (short, fat).
3. To serve, sprinkle a little freshly grated nutmeg over the top.
THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2007
Roast celeriac with Marsala by Sophie Grigson
Preparation time less than 30 minsCooking time 30 mins to 1 hour Serves 4
As the celeriac roasts, it absorbs some of the raisiny flavour of the marsala (but not the alcohol, which just burns off), while caramelising to a golden, sticky brownness. Excellent with game, in particular.
Ingredients
1 medium-large celeriac, peeled and cut into eight wedges
sunflower oil, to coat
knob of butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 tbsp sweet marsala
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Place the celeriac wedges into a large bowl, drizzle with a little oil and stir to coat them.
3. Smear the butter thickly around an ovenproof dish, just large enough to take the celeriac wedges lying down flat. Lay the celeriac in the dish, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pour over the marsala.
4. Transfer to the oven and roast for about an hour, turning the wedges and basting every now and then, until richly browned all over and very tender. You may need to add a little water towards the end of the cooking time to prevent burning. Serve warm.
Celeriac Remoulade with homemade mayonnaise by James Martin
Preparation time less than 30 mins No cooking required Serves 2
Ingredients
For the mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt
freshly ground black pepper
300ml/10fl oz vegetable oil
For the remoulade
½ celeriac, peeled and grated
1 lemon, juice only
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
handful fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. To make the mayonnaise, place all the ingredients, except the oil, into a food processor and blend until pale and creamy.
2. With the motor running, pour in enough oil, in a steady stream, until the mayonnaise is thick.
3. For the Remoulade, place the celeriac, lemon juice, mustard, seasoning and parsley into a large bowl.
4. Mix together well and stir in the home-made mayonnaise. Season to taste.
5. Mix to combine and serve.
THURSDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2007
Turkey (or Chicken) Mole By Gino D’Acampo from An Italian in Mexico
Ingredients
For the sauce
1 guajillo chilli
1 ancho chilli
300ml hot water
115g Sesame seeds
50g whole almonds, blanched
50g shelled peanuts, unsalted
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
25g lard, or 2 tbsp vegetable oil
50g canned Tomatoes
1 ripe plantain
50g raisins
75g ready to eat prunes
1 tsp dried oregano
0.25 tsp ground cloves
0.25 crushed allspice berries
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50g dark Mexican chocolate, approximate quantity
200ml chicken stock
For the turkey or chicken
4 x 200g turkey or chicken breasts, boneless
25g lard, or 2 tbsp vegetable oil
oregano leaves, to garnish
warm flour tortillas, or steamed rice, to serve
Method
1. Put the whole chillies into a heatproof bowl and pour over 300ml hot water. Leave on one side to soak for 20 minutes. Reserve the soaking water and roughly chop the softened chillies.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a hot pan until golden - stirring all the time, taking care not to let them catch on the bottom of the pan. Set aside 3 tablespoons of toasted seeds for garnish and tip the rest into a mixing bowl. Toast the almonds and peanuts in the same way and add them to the same bowl. Leave on one side.
3. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the lard or vegetable oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped chillies and tomatoes, and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Peel the plantain, slice into thin diagonal slices, and add to the onion mixture in the pan. Tip in the raisins, prunes, dried oregano, spices and chocolate. Stir in the soaking water from the chillies.
5. Add the sesame seeds, almonds and peanuts and continue cooking for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
6. Blend the sauce in a food processor or liquidiser until smooth. The sauce should be thickish - but if it's too thick, add a splash of chicken stock.
7. Heat the lard or oil in a casserole pan. Add the chicken or turkey breasts and brown over a moderate heat - this should take 3-4 minutes. Pour the sauce over the breasts and cover tightly with a lid.
8. Simmer for 20-25 minutes - until the chicken or turkey is tender and the sauce thickened. Add more chicken stock to let the consistency down if it looks a tad thick.
9. Sprinkle with the reserved sesame seeds and scatter over fresh oregano leaves. Serve with steamed rice and warm tortillas.
THURSDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2007
Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad
by Fergus Henderson from Good Food Live ·
Servings: 4 · Level of difficulty: Easy ·
Preparation Time: 10 minutes ·
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients ·
12 x 7-8cm pieces of middle veal marrowbone ·
1 bunch of flat-leafed parsley, picked from the stems and chopped ·
2 Shallots, very thinly sliced ·
1 modest handful of capers, (extra-fine if possible) ·
Juice of 1 lemon · 6
tbsp extra virgin olive oil ·
freshly ground salt and black pepper ·
toast, to serve ·
coarse sea salt
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas 5. Place the bone marrow in an oven-proof frying pan. Roast the marrow for 20 minutes until the marrow is loose and giving, but not melting away.
2. Mix together the parsley, shallots and capers. Make the dressing by mixing together the lemon juice and olive oil.
3. Just before serving toss the parsley mixture with the dressing and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Scrape the marrow from the bone onto the toast and season with coarse sea salt. Serve with a pinch of parsley salad on top
Kippers - Click here for the recipe
What type of fish are they?
Kippers are herrings that have been split, gutted, salted and smoked in a kiln at a temperature low enough to avoid cooking the flesh (below 33°C). They’re a dense, oily fish similar in texture to mackerel, but with a milder, sweeter flavour. They’ve been around for centuries as salting & smoking was originally used as a method to preserve food, however, now we use it mainly for taste & flavour. To ‘kipper’ means to preserve by rubbing with salt or other spices before drying in the open air or in smoke. The best kippers start with the best herring, freshly caught in the cold waters of the Atlantic or North Sea. We’re lucky enough to have a few types, the Scottish Loch Fyne, Craster from Northumberland & Manx from the Isle of Man, all full of flavour & worth checking out.
Q: How do we cook them?
A: Grill or poach them for about 5 mins, or place in a jug of boiling water & leave in a warm place for 5-10 mins, or wrap in foil with a knob of butter & bake in the oven at 190C (375F). They’re delicious on their own on toast, with salad or as part of a dish that uses any smoked fish, like Kedgeree. A traditional British breakfast is to serve a grilled kipper with scrambled eggs and toast. Alternatively, you could make a tasty sandwich by layering chunks of kipper with sliced hard-boiled egg on good crusty bread, then topping it with a mixture of mayonnaise, cream cheese & paprika.
Some kippers look darker than others due to the artificial colouring added – & they should be eaten quickly after buying. Plenty of kippers aren’t dyed & they keep a lot better. All kippers should have a sheen & the flesh should be soft to touch. They’re sold whole, often in pairs or as fillets which are available vacuum packed or frozen. You can also buy tins of kipper fillets (John West) in sunflower oil in some supermarkets.
Q: Are they good for us?
A: Well yes in that they are rich in Omega 3 fish oils which are good for the brain & have been linked to lower rates of both heart disease and inflammatory ailments like arthritis, and are also low in saturated fat, but because they’re salted they’re not great for high blood pressure.
Leek & Pear Tart
When you can’t choose between a dessert and a cheese course, this is a tasty compromise. The tart offers a fine combination of sweet and savoury ingredients and is a top way to start and end a meal. Heck, you can even have it as a mid afternoon palate tickler. The pears should be ripe and an individual round of welsh Goats Cheese is a good compliment
Makes : 1x20cm/8'' tart to serve 4
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Oven temperature 220.C/200.C Fan 425 .F/ Gas mark 7
Ingredients
250g/9oz Chilled puff pastry
2 medium sized leeks, trimmed, washed and finely shredded
50g/2oz Butter
½ x 5ml tsp ground cinnamon
2 pears
75g/3oz Goats cheese
Sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon
Method
1. Roll out pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin and cut into 20cm/8” round using a plate as template. Rest on a baking sheet.
2. Gently sweat the shredded leeks in the butter for 2-3 minutes to soften not to brown. Season with cinnamon and top pastry round leaving a 1cm clear rim.
3. Peel the pears, quarter, core and slice and place on the top of the leeks. Dot with cubes of goats cheese and sprinkle with nutmeg and pepper.
4. Oven bake until the pastry has risen and the cheese is bubbling. Serve whilst warm.
Leeks with Egg and Lemon Sauce By Claudia Roden from Arabesque
Serves 4-6
Preparation time less than 30 mins Cooking time less than 10 mins
An egg and lemon sauce is one of Turkey’s culinary signature tunes. A touch of sugar gives it a slight sweet - and – sour taste. I like making the dish, which can be served hot or cold, with baby leeks, but larger ones can be used instead
Ingredients
600g/1lb 5 oz baby leeks, washed and trimmed
2 free-range egg yolks
11/2 lemons, juice only
1 tsp sugar
Salt
Method
1. Boil the leeks in salted water until tender, then drain reserving 250ml/9fl oz of the cooking water. Pour this cooking water back in the pan and bring to the boil.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and lemon juice with the sugar. Pour in a little of the hot cooking water and beat well, then pour the egg and lemon mixture into the pan, beating vigorously, for seconds only until the sauce thickens slightly. Be careful not to let it boil or it will curdle. Add a salt, if necessary, to taste.
3. Serve the leeks hot or cold with sauce poured over.
In the last instalment of Wine Week Nigel talked about cooking with wine. Get recipes for Tiramisu using Marsala Wine and Beef Bourguignon with Bubble and Squeak
Agnello al Forno con Vino Rosso, cipolline e rosmarino
Rack of lamb cooked in Chianti with shallots, mushrooms and rosemary
byGiancarlo Caldesiof Caldesi Restaurant, Caffe & La Cucina Cookery School
118 Marylebone Lane, London W1. 020 7487 0750
This dish is one that Giancarlo’s teaches on his meat course. He says it reminds him of a recipe of his Aunt Pasquina cooked at her house every Easter when the spring lambs were born. Lamb is not such a popular meat in Tuscany as it is in Britain, yet there are so many sheep reared to produce Pecorino in the hills around Pienza. This is one of the only lamb recipes Giancarlo remembers with great enthusiasm from his youth.
1 rack of lamb serves 2 people.
1 rack of lamb
5 shallots for two people
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
200g mixed wild mushrooms
200ml red wine, ideally Chianti
salt and pepper
olive oil
Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375º/Gas mark 5.
Cut away most of the fat from the top of the rack, trim away the fascia (the sheath that holds in the muscle) and trim between the bones.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the shallots. Fry until they start to soften, about ten minutes, and then add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and mixed wild mushrooms. Continue frying for a few minute then add 150ml of the red wine.
Meanwhile season the lamb on all sides with salt and pepper and in a separate pan fry it until it is seared on all sides – including the ends. Add the remaining 50ml of the red wine to the pan to de-glaze it.
Let it reduce for a couple of minutes and then transfer the lamb to an ovenproof dish and add the mushroom mixture.
Bake for 25 - 35 minutes in the preheated oven.
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