Crusted Pork Loin – at Petit Feuga 30^th July 2012

Buy a piece of pork loin as large as you need.  It is best not to go below 6”/1+ kilos as anything smaller will be prone to dry out.  Better to buy a bigger bit and have some left for cold.  Amounts below are for a piece about 8” long/2 kilos.  (Would work for pork fillets too – cook ½ an hour?)

• A coffee mug or so of medium to fine breadcrumbs     
• A level teaspoon of dried thyme and ½ of dried oregano (either or both)
• ½ a billiard ball sized white onion, chopped very fine
• 2 good heaped teaspoons of Dijon mustard, or (probably better) 1 Dijon and 1 of a grain mustard such as Meaux
• Enough olive oil to bind.  The mixture needs to be able to cohere.  I would expect about a 1 sec pour/4 tablespoons, but it depends on your crumbs.  Fresh will need no more than that, frozen at least that and dried rather more.

Preheat oven to 170C fan/190C conventional.

Mix together well.  There should just be a little oil seeping out and the mixture will be quite sticky.

Slice the rest of the onion and another very roughly, put then into a roasting tray into which the pork will easily fit.  Toss in a little olive oil so that the onions are well covered and so are the bottom and sides of the pan.  Push them to the middle of the pan so that they will be completely covered by the pork.  Sprinkle on a little salt and if you like some dried thyme.  You could also lay a sprig or two of fresh rosemary or thyme on top of the onions if you like.

Put the pork on top of the onion bed.  Now, take about ¼ of the crumb mix, lay it along the top and pat it down so that it is an even layer about 1cm thick.  Thickness is important, it must be thick enough to stick together and to protect and baste the pork, but thin enough to cook to a crisp top and not fall apart.  Now, a spoonful at a time, build the coating downwards so that it comes almost half way down the joint.  You need to make sure that each addition has thoroughly stuck to the edges of the top.  Any bits dropped in the pan should be removed or tucked under the joint so that they do not burn and sour the gravy.

Cook for about an hour and a quarter.  Check it regularly; the tray may need turning round if your oven heats unevenly.  If it appears to be browning too fast, turn it down to 150C fan/170C conventional.  After 45 minutes, add a wineglass of water.  If you have it, use a cheap Dry Vermouth instead – better than white wine – or ½ and ½ .

When cooked, put the pork onto a warmed dish or a board (it will probably seep some juice), cover very loosely with a piece of foil and at least 2 tea towels to keep it warm.  Allow it to rest at least ½ an hour.

For the gravy, pour off as much of the oil as you can (then gently floating a double thickness of kitchen roll on top to absorb most of it is an easy way to remove a bit more).  Add a wineglass of madeira and a small splash of a good thick balsamic vinegar.  Be careful with this, a cheap sharp one will need very little indeed.  You are just trying to cut a little of the sweetness of the madeira.  Add a splash of water and boil fast for a few minutes to remove the alcohol, and reduce it by about a ¼.

Done.

Alex McKay’s Braised Chicken Thighs in Red Wine  - 11^th August 2012

As usual, I couldn’t help fiddling  with it.  Also I didn’t have enough time to do the marinade, but with a long slow cook it seems superfluous anyway.  Here is my  version.

Oven on to 150°C Fan

1 bottle red wine	4 chicken thighs
10ish black peppercorns	6 small shallots, whole, peeled
1 coffeespoon fennel seeds	8 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
1 coffeespoon coriander seeds	1/8” thick slice of parma ham, cut into thin strips
1 coffeespoon pink peppercorns	Olive oil
Strip dried orange peel	1oz butter
¼ coffeespoon cinnamon powder	1 dessertspoon flour
A few dried mushrooms	2 good pinches of sugar
A couple of chopped sundried tomatoes
2 bay leaves and/or some dried thyme

Boil all the ingredients in column 1 till reduced by 1/3^rd

In a frying pan, gently brown the chicken in oil with the skin side getting twice as much as the bottom for about 5 minutes.  Add the shallots, garlic, ham, butter and sugar and cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove chicken, shallots and garlic to a casserole in which they will comfortably fit.

Add the flour to the pan and cook slowly for 3 minutes, stirring and making sure that there are no lumps, then add the wine and spices etc.  Bring to the boil, pour over the chicken, then add enough water to bring the level to just over the top of the chicken.  If there is enough wine, still add ½ a wineglassful of water.  Put it into the oven, uncovered for 2 hours at least.  If you have more time, cook for longer at a lower temperature; 3 hours at 130°C Fan, 4 at 120°C Fan.

Remove the chicken, onions and garlic and strain the sauce (a solid cone strainer is best).  Serve.

The fennel, coriander, pink peppercorns, bay/thyme, parma ham are all mine and are optional, as is straining the sauce, which I wouldn’t do if using the ham.

If you do want to strain the sauce, alternatives would be

1.        to mash the cooked garlic into the strained liquid, and/or

2.       roughly chop the shallots or an onion at the wine boiling stage and separately slowly cook some small whole shallots and maybe button mushrooms in butter with the ham slices (as though making a coq au vin) and add them to the chicken and strained sauce at the end.

This is good.

Moroccan spiced cauliflower & almond soup.

BBC Good Food website

This is really very good indeed but I made a few twists which I think improved it. This is a very filing soup.

For 4 smallish servings

 

A medium cauliflower

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and one of cumin seeds

1 scant teaspoon rose harissa

100cl good stock

50g split almonds

25g pine nuts

Coriander leaves

Greek yoghurt

Home made spiced sherry (optional, and if you don’t already make it, do so immediately!)

 

Cut the cauli into florets; put two aside for garnish. Toss the nuts with the cumin seeds and a big pinch of sea salt in a frying pan till browned.  If you burn them, they go into the bin and you do it again as they will make everything bitter.  Unless you use a big pan, it will be easier to do it in two batches.  Put aside about a sixth for garnish.  Preheat a deep frying pan and dry roast the spices for a couple of minutes, adding plenty of ground pepper.  Add the oil and the harissa and fry for a minute or so, then add the cauliflower and toss so that the florets are coloured with the spice. Add the stock, a little salt and half a small glass of the sherry.  Simmer till the cauliflower is soft.  Pour into a food processor and blitz till very smooth.  You may need to add a glass or two of water to get it to the consistency that you prefer though it should be quite thick.  Put it back into the pan.  Taste for salt and season. 

Cut the remaining cauliflower into the tiniest of florets.  They should be no bigger than a pea, and preferably smaller, but don’t chop the poor little things.  Reheat the soup very gently; it will behave like a boiling mud pool and throw blobs all over your kitchen if it is too hot, unwatched and unstirred.

Pour into bowls.  Put a ring of bits of cauliflower round the edge.  A big neatish pinch of coriander leaves goes into the middle next, and then scatter the salted nuts as evenly as you can.  Finally, with two teaspoons, place a tidy blob of yoghurt on top.  If you can be bothered, and the harissa has plenty of oil on the top, sprinkle a few drops around the middle.

The recipe only uses the nuts and looks frankly, very beige.  We had it as a supper but the flavour is good enough to serve at a dinner party, but a tiny potion as it is surprisingly rich.  I have no idea how you would garnish it in a coffee cup; please do let me know!

Mashed Potato - Marcella's way

You might think it odd that something as prosaic as mashed potato should require comment. I certainly used to, until I discovered something; something I thought all my own until, most annoyingly, I found it in Marcella Hazan.
This is what I do. Remove eyes and any blemishes from your potatoes, cut them into pieces (unpeeled) about 1 inch square or a bit more - smaller will cook a little faster. Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil, put in your potatoes and cook till a small skewer will ease through them easily. Do you have a Potato Ricer? If not, why not? Saves a lot of bother. I shall assume that you do. Put the potatoes throught the ricer: you will leave the skins behind but keep their flavour and get entirely soft, lump-free mash. Now, add pepper and a good splash of double cream, or single and some butter. Grate into the potato as much parmesan as will salt it but leave it hardly tasting cheesy at all - a whiff only. I'm afraid it depends on how good is your parmesan, and your judgement. Mix well, or beat with a whisk, pile it into an ovenproof dish and put it into an hot oven, or under a grill/fan to just brown. Utterly scrummy and once tried you will never return to old ways! By the way, do not, ever, use that pregrated stuff that smells of sick.

Jane Grigson's Chicken Cutlets

These are a bit of work (and you need to own a mincer) but they are SO delicious that it is well worth it. There are two versions; I think that I marginally prefer the one with tarragon but no mushrooms.

For two:

A big raw chicken breast

3 ounces white breadcrumbs (I keep a store of them in the freezer)

4 ounces butter, preferably out of the fridge and soft

Cream - I use whatever I have, single or whipping or double and a little milk

Herbs - the recipe says parsley but chives are good too, and tarragon if you omit the mushrooms

2 ounces mushrooms - Chestnut, brown or any of the ceps, girolles tribe

1 egg - beaten

Salt & Pepper

Chop the mushrooms as finely as you can, cook in 1/2 ounce of butter and leave to get cool. Or just chop fresh tarragon and parsley and/or chives. Soak half the breadcrumbs in the cream. Mince the chicken, mix with the breadcrumbs and the mushrooms or the herbs and mince again. Add 1 1/2 ounces of butter - I mince it for a third time but provided it is well mixed with hte butter that's not essential. Put it into the fridge for an hour or the freezer for about 5 - 10 minutes. Beat the egg in a shallow bowl - a soup plate is good. Put the remainder of the crumbs into another plate. Now the next bit is a bit messy. Take the chicken out - it should have firmed up quite a bit. Divide into four and roll each piece in your hands then flatten it. With two forks (less messy than fingers) roll each one in the beaten egg then in the crumbs, pressing them a little so that there is a good coating. Put them back into the fridge. Clarify the rest of the butter, and fry the cutlets gently on both sides till golden and crisp, JG says 15 to 20 minutes. Turn them several times. Pour the butter over them and serve.

Until you have eaten these you will not believe just how good they are. They can be made well ahead of time.

Round Courgettes - what to do?

I've often wondered about round courgettes - you know - the ones that look like a Napoleonic war grenade. The skins are a bit tough, and they are full of seeds; if you google for a recipe they all seem to be of the stuffed vegetable variety - not really my thing.

This is easy, but, be warned, it is distinctly rich. Good, though, and, I think, all my own!

For two:-

2 round courgettes

1 large chicken breast

1 medium (i.e. the size of a billiard ball) onion

white wine or dry vermouth

butter

plain flour

cream - whipping or double - about 1/2 a 300ml pot

2 teaspoonsful of pesto

1 oz or so of good strong cheese - parmesan or a powerful cheddar

Right, as Pomaigne would say, before you start get a big pan of water on the gas. Turn the oven onto aboout 160c grill/fan if you have a fan oven, or just to 160c if not. Tops off the courgettes, cut them in half downwards and scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Peel, halve and slice the onion as finely as you can. Melt about 2 teaspoons of butter, with a little olive oil if you like, throw in the onions and add a couple of good turns of the salt mill. Fry gently until soft and clear but not browned. Trim off as much of the fat and sinew from the breast as you can be bothered to do. Cut it into quite small cubes - about the size of a backgammon doubling dice, say 2cms or a bit less. Put the chicken ito the onion pan, turn up the heat and stir well with a wooden spoon. After a minute or so, once all the chicken pieces are well seared, add a teaspoon of flour, and keep stirring so that it cooks for about another minute. Stir in the cream, mix well and put aside off the heat.

The water will be boiling well by now; drop in the courgette halves and parbiol for about 2 minutes - hot through but far from mushy. Drain them well and put them into an oven proof dish in which they will comfortably fit, round side down. Stir two teaspoons (more if you want but this is as much as I like) of pesto into the creamy chicken and pour it over the courgettes. Grate cheese over the whole thing and put it into the oven for about 20 minutes. If you do not have a fan/grill option, put the grill on for the last 5 minutes so that the top browns nicely.

This is really delicious but, as I said, rich. It needs plain company, and maybe something a bit crisp. The crushed, roasted new potatoes from Oliver Perrin's Table in the Tarn would be good and something green.

Lamb meatball goulasch

Purists amongst you will shiver at such a travesty of traditional fare, but, once in a while, when you are standing in the supermarket wondering what to have for supper - cheap, tasty, easy, try this. For two:-

A pack of Lamb meatballs

A largeish onion

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

3/4 tin of beef consomme (or your own stock - much better)

A level teaspoon of black peppercorns and ditto pink if you have them

A heaped teaspoon of hot smoked paprika ("Dahlia" is good)

3 Heaped teaspoons of sweet smoked paprika (ditto)

2 heaped teaspoons plain flour

A good splash of red or white wine, or, better, dry vermouth

A couple of bay leaves

Salt

NO TOMATO!

Brown the meatballs and remove them from the pan. Slice the onion, not too fine, or roughly chop, and add to the pan with a few twists of the salt mill (salt on the onions makes them sweat and cook better). Add the peppercorns whole - don't worry, they will soften and provide just a spicy tingle later on. Slice the garlic as finely as you can (on no account crush it) and add to the hot onion. If you add it too soon it may overcook and go bitter. Once the onions are cooked (but not browned) add the flour and the paprika and cook for a couple of minutes. There should be plenty of fat from the lamb but if it looks a bit dry, add some more - olive oil, duck fat, even a bit of butter will do, or some fat froma aprevious roast. Cook for a couple of minutes, and add the wine or dry vermouth, which you boil to about half. Put the meatballs into a small ovenproof casserole with the bay leaves underneath them. Add the stock/consomme to the onion pan stir well and pour over the meatballs. It should look a bit liquid - there will be some evaporation. Put it into the oven for 7 hours at 110 degrees C. You can lower the time and up the temperature proportionately, but not less tahn 3 hours and more than 160C. Long and slow is better, and if tou cook it, let it get cold and reheat it the next day it will be even better.

A lot of words but it is quick and simple. Before you serve it, you may need to remove some fat - a double layer of kitchen paper towel pressed gently onto the surface should remove it, if not, repeat.

Serve with plain rice, or baked or new potatoes and a simple green veg.