Recipes

[Steve Maskery]

Now I know that there are umpteen websites devoted to cooking, but I thought it might be a nice idea to have a thread on favourite recipes here for the benefit of those of us who have girth to accommodate...

If you think it's inappropriate, by all means say so, or altenatively you could tell us all what you like to cook.


Steve

 

[Steve Maskery]

Tavas - Cypriot Lancashire Hot-Pot
This was cooked for us by a Cypriot One-Armed Chef. I jest not. It's fantastic.

Chop up some meat into fairly big chunks. Lamb, goat, pork or beef.
Brown it in a pan, and chuck it into a big casserole. I use a stock-pot.

Add quartered onions, tomatoes, potatoes, a couple of bay leaves and lots of ground cumim. Lots. More than you'd think. And a bit more. Garlic if you like. Salt and pepper.

Cover it with red wine and cook it over a candle for a week. All right then, do it in the morning and get the oven as low as you can until the evening.
Aragorn - you can use stock or water instead of wine if you prefer.

Eat it.

I guarantee that it will be short-listed for Best Casserole of the Year.

 

[Gill]

Good idea, Steve. I'm game .

I came across this technique ten years ago in a Daily Telegraph article by Thane Prince. It makes the most delicious bread with hardly any effort at all. And I've never had a batch fail on me yet!

“Food and Drink” – The Daily Telegraph 2 May 1996 by Thane Prince

One of the most encouraging trends I've noticed in food fashions recently is the revival of real bread. Even restaurateurs who once paid little regard to the humble loaf have started to take pride in their bread and worry about it making a good impression.

It is too soon to believe that there has been a complete about-turn from the days of mass-produced sliced loaves and soft baps, but bread is becoming a centre-stage attraction on fashionable menus.

Designer food halls such as those at Harvey Nicholls and Selfridges have large areas devoted to loaves fresh from the ovens of master craftsmen, and at Bluebird, possibly the most design-conscious foodshop of this century, the bread is fast becoming as famous as the record-breaking car after which the whole complex is named.

Stuart Powell is the man behind this diet-wrecking bread and today I have some of his recipes and top baking tips.


Stuart Powell's Bread

The bread is made in two stages. Make the ferment – a slightly sour dough base that adds to the texture and flavour of the loaf – the day before.

Ferment

200g / 7oz strong white bread flour
125ml / 5fl oz water
A pinch of fresh yeast

Mix to a smooth ball and put in a lightly oiled covered container in the fridge overnight. This mixture makes enough for 4 - 5 loaves. It will keep for 2 - 3 days in the fridge.

Whole Tomato Bread

This fabulous bread uses the liquid from the tomatoes to form the dough. Note that the chopped tomatoes must be marinated in the oil, sugar and salt over night.

120g / 4½oz strong white flour
120g / 4½oz plain flour
7g / ¼oz Maldon sea salt
½ tsp caster sugar
10 ml olive oil
170g / 6oz ripe plum tomatoes
15g / ½oz yeast
¼ tsp powdered gluten (optional)
85g / 3oz ferment

In a large bowl mix the flour, yeast and powdered gluten if used. (I use a free-standing mixer with a dough hook.)

Pour in the tomato mixture plus all the juice and mix until a ball starts to form. Add the ferment and continue to work the dough until the ball is formed. Turn onto a floured board and knead until the dough is smooth. Leave to rest in a covered, lightly oiled container until the mixture has doubled in size.Now shape it by turning on a floured board and kneading gently into a round loaf. Leave for five minutes, then shape again. Place on a baking sheet and dust well with sifted flour. Cut a cross through the top of the loaf using a razor-sharp blade. Bake in a well-heated oven (220C/400F/gas mark 6) for 30 - 35 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Spinach and nutmeg bread

55g / 2oz fresh leaf spinach, trimmed weight
1 medium shallot, chopped
½ – 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tbsp olive oil
200g / 7oz strong bread flour
120g / 4½oz plain flour (plus a little extra if needed)
1 tsp fine salt
½ tsp caster sugar
10 ml olive oil
15g / ½oz yeast
125ml / 5fl oz water
70g / 2½oz ferment
Salt and pepper

Fry the shollot until soft, add the spinach and cook for three minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Dissolve the yeast in water, adding the oil. In a separate bowl mix together the flours, salt sugar and spinach mixture. Make a well in the centre and pour the liquid mixture in. Mix to a dough then add the ferment and mix until this is incorporated. Knead until smooth, then tip into an oiled container. Cover and leave until doubled in size. Continue as above.

Italian walnut bread

140g / 5oz strong white flour
140g / 5oz plain flour
150ml / 6fl oz warm water
55g / 2oz broken walnut kernals
30g / 1oz clear honey
15ml walnut oil
1 tsp table salt
scant ½oz fresh yeast

Dissolve the yeast in water with the honey. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the liquid mixture into the well and mix to form a ball. Turn out and knead the dough until smooth.

Place in an oiled container, cover and leave at room temperature for 20 minutes. Knock back and form a ball. Leave to rest again at warm room temperature, this time for 30 minutes. Shape the bread into an oblong and leave to prove until double in size, about 30 minutes. Dust with flour, make a few slashes along the top and bake in a pre-heated hot oven (200C/400F/gas mark 6) for 30 - 35 minutes.

Bake Better

Good bread needs good flour. Buy the best you can find – unbleached, strong white flour is available from health-food shops and supermarkets.

Store flour in a dark dry place and it will keep for six months.

Use fresh yeast if possible. Again, this is available from health-food shops and most supermarkets with in-store bakeries.

Take your time, don't rush the dough. Many things affect the activity of the yeast, most importantly temperature, so if the day is chilly, leave the dough longer. Always wait until the mixture has doubled in size before proceeding to the next step. Stuart actually keeps his dough cool to delay the yeast, thereby giving the dough longer to develop more complex flavours.

Tap water is fine but remember it must only be warm; high temperatures kill the yeast. The best temperature is 10 – 15C (50 -60F); about the temperature of a baby's bottle. Colder water will slow the process but gives tastier bread.

Heat the oven well, switching it on about 30 minutes before you begin baking.

Dust the top of the loaf with a thick covering of flour. This not only looks good but protects the top crust from scorching. Scatter the baking sheet with coarse cornmeal to have the same effect on the base of the loaf.

To ensure a crisp crust, place a baking dish at the bottom of the oven when you first switch it on. Just after you put the bread in the oven, tip a small cup of cold water into the dish and close the door quickly. This has the same effect as steam in a professional oven.

Cool the bread thoroughly on a rack.

Never put bread in plastic bags or clingfilm. If you need to wrap it, use greaseproof paper.

Finally, make bread as often as you can. Once you have the recipe and rhythm, it's easy and delicious.

 

[Aragorn]

Hi Steve

No stock in that recipe?
Just want to check before I give it a go... now where did I put that goat?


With girth in mind, my recipe is for a dessert, if that's allowed:

1 unit tia maria
1 unit tuaca
½ unit frangelico
3 units milk
1 unit cream
1 unit chocolate syrup
2 tsp Green & Blacks drinking chocolate

Shake it all up with ice, strain into a tall glass. Consume slowly. Repeat.

At a push, some might call this a cocktail :roll:

 

[Knot Competent]

Gill,

"I'm game" is not a safe statement to make in conjunction with cooking recipes!

John

 

[Anonymous]

Bread (made by me and Hannah) - very easy and only 10 minutes actual work. Best bread I have ever tasted!

1lb course ground semolina flour
1lb plian flour
1 pint tepid water
pinch salt
2 21g sachets of yeast
30g honey
(possibly add dried fruit - loads )

Mix flour and salt together and form pit in the middle. Pour yeast into half the water and stir throough until fully disolved.
Add honey to the yeast mix and leave it until a froth appears.
Mix the liquid (all 1 pint) into the flour slowly and keep it moving.
Kneed into a dough, place on a greased plate and loosely cover with cling film. After 1/2 hour or so it should have risen loads - possibly 3 times as large.
Uncover and 'knock it back' (Hannah's favourite bit) which involves hitting the dough to knock all the air out. Kneed again and then split into buns or place in a bread tin.
If you want fruit buns, then add the fruit after knocking back and before splitting into buns.

Leave in a warm place for an hour or more and it will rise very nicely.
Bake at 190C for about 15 minutes.

Make LOADS as everyone will want some!!!!

 

[Steve Maskery]

Jordanian Lemon Chicken

My mate Akram had never cooked in his life until he came to England, but had spent his childhood watching his mum and 5 sisters do all the work...
I usually serve this with tagliatelle and broccoli, and it cooks while the tag is cooking.

For 2 people:
2 chicken breasts, diced
White wine
Red chilli, finely chopped, or dried chilli flakes
Egg white or beaten whole egg
Cornflour
Zest and jiuce of 1/2 lemon
Dollop of honey

Marinate the chicken in the white wine and chilli for a couple of hours, or all day.

Heat oil in a large pan (I use a wok). Take the chicken from the wine, dip it in the egg, coat in cornflour and stir-fry. Best if you do just a few at a time to stop them sticking together.

When they are all cooked and back in the pan, chuck in the wine, lemon and any remaining egg, and let it bubble for a minute. Stir in the honey, but don't let it burn.
Serve.

Go easy on the lemon, I've spoilt it more than once by being heavy handed.

Quick and delicious

 

[Anonymous]

Aromatic fish curry

This one came about forma time when I worked with quite a few asian blokes
Their wives often dropped by with gorgeous meals for lunch and they taught me how to cook a few of them

You'll need the following which are available in most supermarkets
1 large onion
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
salt to taste
1 or 2 fresh chillis
handful of fresh coriander finely chopped
tin of chopped tomatoes
large tub of natural yogurt
fresh ginger root
500g fish

Use about 500 grams of fish cut into 2cm cubes. I use Coley as it is cheap and a good carrier of flavours.

Fry a large onion in oil and when soft add a cinnamon stick and some finely chopped ginger (about 1" of the root). Fry for a minute or so. Add a teaspoon of cumin seeds and black mustard seeds and fry for 1 minute.
Boy it smells nice by now :wink:

Add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Fry for one minute. Add tin of tomatoes and yogurt. Add fish, fresh corriander (very important!!) and fresh chillies. Cook for about 15-20 minutes on a gentle simmer with gentle stirring so as not to break up fish.

Lovely.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Mental Tip for Bread and Pastry-makers

It seems we have a few bread fans here! Excellent! I, too have made my own bread for the last 20-odd years, but I admit I now employ Mr Breville to do it for me. He does a better job than I do.

Have you noticed how you have to think differently when making bread as opposed to pastry? Pastry needs to be light and airy and delicate, but bread needs to be robust and well-worked to release the gluten. The secret is to think about women.

For pastry:
Think about all the beautiful women you have ever loved. Beautiful Bella, Luscious Linda and Sexy Sue. Caress that pastry, it will be light and airy.

For bread:
Think about all those who wrecked your life. Moody Mary, Charlatan Charlotte, Lying Lucy and Cheating Cherry. You give that dough the what-for.

Hope this helps.

PS Ladies, you'll have to transpose!

 

[srs]

And what about for donuts steve or do i dare not ask? :lol: :lol:

 

[Steve Maskery]

I used to do this a lot and haven't for ages. It comes from an ancient M&S cookery book, the first I ever bought as a student c. 1977.

Cooked it last night, before I managed to collapse in front of my guests :shock:

Pork in spicy orange sauce.

6 Pork chops
large onion
flour
12 floz OJ
12 floz chicken stock
mixed spice
tabasco
1 apple
1 orange

Brown the chops in butter and remove from the pan. Sauté the chopped onion than add a couple of tablespoons of flour and cook for a minute. Add the orange juice and stock and bring to the boil. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of mixed spice, depending on your taste, and a few drops of tabasco; again, to your liking. Cook uncovered in a moderate oven for an hour or so. Check it doesn't dry out; it shouldn't there is loads of sauce here.

15 mins before you serve it, peel and slice the apple and orange and add to the casserole, and spoon the sauce over.

I served it with plain boiled rice and asparagus, and I had very favourable comments.

Enjoy!

 

[Steve Maskery]

Panna cotta (literally "cooked cream" - but you knew that already) is something that has always come out of packets bought on holiday - at least in our house. But I found a few recipes for making it from scratch, and it's not difficult. You can make it in advance and keep it in the fridge.

Coffee Panna Cotta

1/2 pint double cream (or single cream or milk, depending on how fat-conscious you are)
6 floz of very strong black coffee - espresso if you have a machine
4 oz brown sugar
1 vanilla pod, split and scraped, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon gelatine
Coffee bean to decorate

Mix the cream, sugar and espresso and vanilla in a pan and sprinkle the gelatine on the top. Leave for a few minutes until the gelatine has dissolved. Stir the mixture and bring to the boil. Remove and allow to cool.

Strain (to remove and grounds or gelatine lumps that shouldn't be there) the mixture into small moulds, dishes or coffee cups and refrigerate for a few hours until set.

Either serve in the cups, or dip the moulds into hot water for a mo and turn out onto a plate. Decorate with a coffee bean.

I served mine with a few strawberries dressed in black pepper and balsamic vinegar. Yes I know it sounds disgusting and I was sceptical (having tried the chocolate-with-chilli suggestion and found that it ruined both the chocolate and the chilli), but this really worked, and not just as a novelty.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Jaco]

1½ cups fresh white breadcrumbs
1 pumpkin, about 3 kg
7 tablespoons soft butter
salt & freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ cup grated Gruyere cheese
chicken stock (about 3 cups)
1 bay leaf
½ cup hot cream
chopped parsley

Dry out the breadcrumbs at 150oC for about 15 minutes.
Slice off the top of the pumpkin and set aside.
Scrap out all the seeds and stringy bits.
Rub the inside with 1 tablespoon of the butter and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Gently cook the onion in the remaining butter for about 10 minutes or until transparent but not brown. Stir in the dried out breadcrumbs and cook gently for a few minutes just until the butter has been absorbed. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper and grated nutmeg. Add the sage. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.

Spoon into the pumpkin. Pour in enough chicken stock to come just below the rim. Add the bay leaf and cover with the reserved pumpkin top.
Place on a buttered ovenproof dish. Bake at 200o for about 1½ hours or until the pumpkin starts to soften on the outside and to bubble on the inside.
Reduce the heat to 180o and bake for a further 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender but still holds its shape. If necessary, cover with foil to prevent too much browning.
Stir in the cream and parsley.
Serve immediately. To serve, scrape off the bottom and sides of the pumpkin with a large spoon and add to each serving of the filling.