A few words about Christmas eating

It has been a long time since my last blog. Too long according to the how to start a food blog article I read before first embarking on the adventures that are the 'tales of the Spicy Englishman'. And not long enough according to my wife! The truth is that there has just been too much going on recently to fully focus my mind, it is Christmas after all! What then does a food blogger write about in the week before Christmas? No this isn't a Christmas cracker joke, but maybe the answer isn't so obvious. Surely there is enough written about Christmas already and let's face it, it only happens once a year so is anyone more practiced and therefore more qualified than anyone else to give advice? That said, I will indulge in a few words about Christmas eating, but I remain convinced that family traditions are the most important thing here. However there is no such thing as too much advice (surely the maxim for anyone writing about food, given how much food writing there is out there) and here is mine in case anyone who needs a helping hand just happens to stumble across my blog.

First up then is the turkey, or, as Jamie Oliver might refer to it, 'the big old bird'. It goes without saying that choosing the right turkey is of paramount importance. If you have got a local butcher that you trust then great, if not go online and source the best ones - Copas worked well for me last year and this year I'm buying from Frank Godfrey's in Highbury. The size is also important and is mainly dictated by the number of guests, but for me a 7 to 8 kg bird is ideal.  It is big enough to feed around 12 people, and also looks impressive as a centre piece. If you have a smaller crowd then you will have lots of delicious left over meat. Anyway it is too late for sourcing now. If you haven't already ordered your 'big old bird', then it is probably the scraps from the local supermarket for you!

Let's be honest here, cooking a large bird is daunting and plagued by potential pitfalls, not least the moistness of the breast. Here then is what I do and I'm usually very happy with the result. I have never brined my turkey. Not because I disagree with it as a process but because I haven't had the time and space. I am aware that Nigella, domestic goddess that she is, swears by it and who am I to contradict such an institution of British home cooking? I simply have never tried it so can not comment on its virtues. As a rule, I love lemon, thyme and garlic with poultry and see no reason to deviate from this combination when prepping the turkey. I make a lemon, garlic and thyme butter and push large quantities of this under the skin of the bird. I also season very liberally with Maldon sea salt (including inside the cavity) and leave for a good hour to allow the salt to penetrate the flesh. I then pat dry the skin with a kitchen towel and smother it with more of the lemon garlic and thyme butter. A further seasoning with sea salt and black pepper, along with 'shoving' a couple of heads of garlic, more thyme, quartered lemons and onions into the cavity, and the 'big old bird', in all its glory, is ready to go! Well almost. I am a fan of the Jamie Oliver veg trivet (as well as his mockney wit) so I also place quartered onions and carrots, celery sticks and two heads of garlic cut in half in the bottom of a roasting tray, and sit the turkey on top. Then the turkey goes in the oven at a high heat (220 degrees C) for about 30 minutes to start the cooking process. The oven is then turned down to 160 degrees (fan oven) and after 45 minutes I thoroughly baste the turkey before turning the bird over to breast side down (not an easy job), covering loosely with tin foil and placing back in the oven. What is important here is that the veg trivet keeps the breast from touching the bottom of the roasting tray. Then about 50 minutes from when it is ready, I turn the turkey back over and take off the foil. I turn up the oven to 180 degrees C, baste the turkey very thoroughly and pop it back in. When ready (it is best to use a meat thermometer for this purpose - the turkey is cooked at 74 degrees C), I remove it from the oven and leave it to rest for at least half an hour before carving. If everything has gone according to plan then you should have a beautifully cooked bird with lovely moist breasts (innuendo not intended but enjoyed!).

The gravy
The gravy brings everything together and can lift a meal into the sublime. This version gets nothing but rave reviews (well my family and guests like it!). You will need a large frying pan or wok to start the process. In fact this method can be used to create great gravies all year round for all different types of meat.

• Slowly cook two to three thinly sliced onions in a large frying pan to release their natural sugars. Add the turkey giblets to the pan and continue to cook. When ready the onions will be soft and golden and the giblets browned all over. At this point I add my holy trinity of sauce making condiments; balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard and tomato ketchup - enough to make a sticky, oniony brown base (about 50 ml of balsamic vinegar and 2-3 dessert spoons each of mustard and ketchup). (These are very important in giving balance to the sauce)
• Add two litres of turkey or chicken stock, a good few sprigs of thyme and reduce on a high heat until the stock reaches a coating consistency. Pass through a sieve and set aside. 
• Put the vegetables used as the roasting trivet into a sieve held over a sauce pan. Push with the back of a spoon to release the juices from the vegetables into the pan. Skim off any excess fat from the roasting tray but make sure you leave some as this gives extra flavour. Pour the remaining juices into the pan containing the juices from the vegetables. Add a tablespoon of flour to the roasting tray and place it on the stove. Cook for a couple of minutes, scraping all the caramelised juices from the bottom of the roasting tray. Add the pan juices and some hot water if necessary until the pan gravy reaches a good coating consistency. Pass through a sieve. If the pan gravy needs a bit more meatiness and umami depth (it shouldn't), then a good quality stock cube can be added. 
• Combine with the reduced stock and add a few knobs of butter to give the gravy gloss and added richness. You shouldn't need any salt, but taste for seasoning. The gravy should be intensely meaty with a balanced natural sweetness, good umami depth and defined turkey flavour. Add to the gravy any juices that have exuded from the resting turkey - delicious!!!

The garnishes

• Good roast potatoes are essential. Use a fluffy variety such as King Edwards and cut to an even size - but not too small! Par boil in salted water and rattle around the pan to fluff up the edges. Heat some goose or duck fat in a pan and pour over the potatoes in a roasting tray. Season with Maldon sea salt and place in a hot oven (about 200 degrees C) whilst the turkey is resting. Check and turn regularly. About 40 minutes will give you crispy perfection.
• Brussel sprouts are delicious and anyone who says otherwise have only eaten badly cooked ones! Simply cut off the bottom and remove the loose outer leaves. Blanche for about 5 minutes (or less, depending on size) in salted water and then pan fry in nutty brown butter until they just begin to caramelise. This will enhance their natural nuttiness and make them absolutely delicious. Lardons and chestnuts are natural companions which can be added at the pan-frying stage. Pan frying the lardons, if using, first and then add to the brown butter along with the sprouts. 
• Parsnips are also a must and roasted with honey are fabulous. Simply cut the parsnips into quarters length wise and remove the woody core. Place in a flat oven dish, and coat with olive oil and honey. Season. Add some thyme and garlic to the roasting dish. Roast until nicely caramelised and the parsnips have a slightly crispy texture. You will need to turn at least once during roasting.
• Bread sauce is my personal Christmas favourite. Simply infuse some whole milk with onion, bay, clove, nutmeg and thyme. Add bread crumbs created from a loaf of white bread (crusts removed) to a bowl and pour over the infused milk (straining the aromatics). Whisk to a porridge consistency and serve warm (not hot). 

A classic roast pheasant dish showing three key elements of Christmas dinner;
sprouts, bread sauce and honey roast parsnips. There were more veggies on the side! 

• Stuffing and pigs in blankets can not be omitted either - there would be an outcry in most households!  I buy my pigs in blankets ready prepared from a good butcher and make my stuffing to a different recipe each year (usually two types) which I get from the net, so I am not going to give a recipe here. My advice would be to be as creative as you want in this area. Also, I do not stuff the bird, preferring to make mine in a dish. 
• My Christmas dinner usually consists of two other vegetable dishes; braised red cabbage and glazed carrots always go down well. For the red cabbage, I usually shred it and sweat in a bit of butter. Add about 100g of demerara sugar to taste, 1/2 teaspoon of clove powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, grated apple, raisins and season with salt and pepper. Then add 300ml of cider vinegar and top with water until the cabbage is just covered. Cook on a low heat for about 1 1/2 hours, when the cabbage should be tender and delicious. The carrots are cooked as I always cook carrots and are glazed, sweet and delicious. My blog on how to cook duck has a glazed carrot recipe, so no need to repeat here. But I do have some nice pictures to show the glazing process.

On a rapid boil in a large frying pan with buttery water and sugar

All the water has reduced leaving just the butter and the sugar

Perfect glazed carrots 

• Cranberry sauce is the final element of my perfect Christmas dinner. Add 250g cranberries to the pan along with about about 150ml of port, the grated zest of one orange and the juice of two. Add two tablespoons of red current jelly and a couple of star anise. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the cranberries have spilt and the sauce looks like cranberry sauce should do (a runny jam). Add more sugar to taste. Cool and serve at room temperature

The rest of dinner

Whilst Christmas dinner remains (and rightly so) the focal point of the day, the drink kind of matters too. Dinner isn't usually served until 5 or 6 in our house which allows plenty of time for cracking into the fizz in the afternoon. This means though that nibbles are essential. Otherwise we'd all be too hungry to wait and also half way to being sozzled before we even sit down. And that wouldn't be right on this most holy of days! Nibbles at Christmas need to be special and here are the two the I love the most:

Beetroot gravadlax of salmon

This is a an absolute favourite of mine. If its too late to make for Christmas day, why not try it for your New Year's drinks party? Anyway here is the recipe and it is so simple. An 800g side of salmon will make about 60 canapés

• Cover your salmon with sugar and sea salt in equal quantities. Add a good sprinkling of ground cumin. Cover in cling film, place in a bowl and leave to cure in the fridge for 18-24 hours depending on the thickness of the fillet.

The cure for the salmon

• When ready, take the salmon out and wash off the remaining curing mix under cold water. With a very sharp knife trim the hard outer edges of the salmon until you are left with a smooth, cured salmon. 
• Puree some cooked beetroot (vacuum packed from the supermarket is okay as long as it is in its own juices). Cover the cured salmon with the beetroot, firmly wrapping in cling film as before. Return to the fridge for at least 24 hours (two or three days is okay). 
• Wash off the beetroot under cold running water and dry the salmon. It is now ready to serve. I like to serve it on good quality German rye bread with a horseradish cream with a bit of a kick. It is absolutely delicious!

Making up the beetroot gravadlax salmon canapés at on of my Dinner at the Pavilion evenings

Chicken Liver Parfait

I could write a recipe here and claim this as my own but with such a classic dish I have no qualms in leading you directly to the source - none other than the great Raymond Blanc!  I simply use this youtube link to remind me of what I need to do, then away I go. Last year, which was the first year I made this, it worked to perfection, despite not having a thermometer. This year, I have bought one. I must say that it is as delicious as Raymond describes it as being. I serve it on thinly sliced sourdough toasts. A homemade apple and date chutney which I made a big jar of three years ago and is still going strong is the perfect accompaniment in that it is quite sweet. The parfait is that good though that it is just stunning on its own.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxowJ7SQtdU

Above is the link to the video I use.


And the rest.....

If you've read this far, well done and thank you. You are probably feeling my need to wrap this up even though I haven't even mentioned the starter, the dessert or the cheese course! Well I'm not going to go into too much detail here as elements of each will be the subject of later blogs. But I will tell you what usually happens. Firstly the starter always consists of a pea and ham soup. Historically this was because it could be made in advance and transported to my wife's parents. Now it's because it is delicious and has become a tradition.  I will share my recipe for this when a do a future blog on soups, which are very close to my heart.  Secondly the Christmas pudding. I am ashamed to admit to buying one of these each year. I usually search out the pudding with the best review and take it from there.  I will make one one day, but I haven't yet. I do however make a delicious brandy and orange custard each year. It is a classic creme anglaise made with a good helping of cognac and cream infused with orange flavour from adding orange peel to the cream base. I also make a brandy butter with a suitable kick.  And finally, the cheese. Do I need to give advice on this....?

Have a great Christmas and cook even more in 2016!

See you next year.....

The story of John Dory

And so back to fish.... well I've only covered mackerel so far and there are plenty more fish in the sea, as the saying goes. So what's the story with John Dory? It isn't the most readily available fish, but it is one of the finest of them all. It will impress your guests and, most importantly, has a wonderful flavour and firm texture.  John Dory is also perfect for gaining the confidence to expand your repertoire and develop as a cook. Only true cooks would cook John Dory after all! Master this and you are on your way to becoming a 'proper' chef (although maybe being an improper one would be more fun). Again, as with all fish, a good fish monger is essential.

Why the name John Dory? This wonderfully idiosyncratic name rather disappointingly comes from an English mispronunciation of the French description of its shimmering skin,  'jaune doree' meaning golden yellow. I'd always rather hoped there was a bit more of a story behind 'little John Dory'. Many people are put off buying John Dory as it is an ugly beast with a big head and sharp spines. As a result the yield is low (about 35%) and the bigger fish are quite expensive and difficult to find. That said, they are worth every penny. If you see a 1 kg plus fish in your fishmongers you should snap it up. The flesh from a thick fillet is sublime, with that just perfect delicate fishiness of a sea bass combined with the sweet firmness of a dover sole - fish heaven! Smaller fish (400-700g) are more readily available and when filleted make perfect starter sized portions. They are also better value.

John Dory's are actually quite easy to fillet despite their appearance, but if I was you I would set your fishmonger to work to ensure the maximum yield. There are no pin bones and unlike some flat fish, the skin crisps up nicely when pan-fried. Also, the fillets divide prettily into little diamonds and the remaining head and bones make great fish stock.  Sold? Well you should be...

Gentle spicing works fantastically with John Dory.  Warm aromatic spice blends, used in moderation enhance it's sweet delicate flavour and take the fish to another dimension. But it is equally at home alongside mediterranean flavours, such as with a ratatouille and pesto and with more earthy flavours such as a wild mushroom cream sauce. It is that cross between the sea bass and the dover sole (my description not actual) that makes it so versatile. The recipe I am going to share with you is one that featured as a starter at a Dinner at the Pavilion and I think perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the Spicy Englishman.

John Dory, cauliflower and chickpea chutney, spiced aubergine caviar

1. Cut up a head of cauliflower into small florets. Cover with sea salt to soften slightly and leave overnight. Rinse the cauliflower thoroughly in cold water in a colander. Add the cauliflower and a drained can of chickpeas along with a teaspoon each of yellow mustard seeds and coriander seeds to a saucepan. Set aside.
2. Make the chutney. Put 500 ml of cider vinegar in a saucepan and add 200g of caster sugar; 10g each of turmeric and mustard powder; 1 teaspoon each of cumin, coriander, and ginger; chilli flakes to taste (you want warmth not heat) a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring the liquid to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of slaked cornflour to thicken the liquid to a coating consistency.  Taste the liquid, it should have a good sweet sour balance. Too vinegary it will mask the fish and fight the wine you are drinking with the dish. If need be add more sugar to the sauce to temper the vinegar. Pour the hot liquid over the cauliflower, chickpea and seed mix. Simmer for about two minutes and set aside.  The chutney will be served warm.
3. Make the spiced aubergine caviar. Cut a large aubergine in half lengthways and score the flesh in a diamond pattern. Stud the cuts with garlic and sprinkle with about a teaspoon of cumin and drizzle with olive oil. Reform the aubergine and wrap it in tin foil. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes at 180 degrees C. Once cooked, leave to cool a little before scraping out the flesh with a spoon into a bowl. Blend the aubergine to a smooth puree, adding some more oil if necessary. Fold through about a teaspoon of nigella seeds, add a squeeze of lemon and season with sea salt. Set aside.
4. Season the John Dory fillet with sea salt and mild curry powder. Vadouvan, if you can get your hands on it, is an ideal blend - it's a bit of a chef's secret. 
5. Pan fry the John Dory skin side down for 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of the flesh. It will curl, but this leads to a nicely caramelised edge although you do need to push it flat with a fish slice. Flip it over and remove the pan from the heat, leaving the fillet to cook in the residual heat for a further minute. 
6. Serve the dish. Place a dessert spoon of aubergine in the centre of the plate and spread it with the back of the spoon. place some warm chutney either side and lay the fillet across. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve to your guests with a classy white wine with a bit of depth to it. At the dinner it was partnered by a Macon Vergisson from producer Joseph Burrier.  

Variations

A Moroccan version also works well. This was a dish served at one of my first Dinner at the Pavilions. Season the John Dory with Ras-el-hanout and serve with chermoula carrots.  For the chermoula carrots (I love the sweetness of carrots with white fish), thinly slice the carrots. Add them to a large frying pan or wok with some butter, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Toss to coat the carrots. Deglaze with water and cook on a rapid boil until the carrots are sweet and glazed. Add a good tablespoon of chermoula and fold through to coat the carrots. My version of chermoula is made from blending about 30g each of parsley and coriander leaves with one clove of garlic, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of coriander powder, a green chilli, the juice of one lemon, the peel of half a lemon, salt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. The picture below is the same dish served with monkfish, I don't have one of the John Dory dish for some reason. 

Happy cooking!

How to cook duck

Reflecting on my progress so far as a blogger leads me to the conclusion that whilst I'm happy with my words, pictures and recipes, I feel there is a need for a re-focus on what I am intending to achieve here. Yes the idea is to share my recipes and ideas about food, but what else?  Well as always the answer is very simple and comes from within and it is to share with you my self-taught journey from being a young guy wanting to impress to becoming an obsessive food geek. I'm not sure that becoming an obsessive food geek should be anyone's life goal (actually I am and it shouldn't), but the fact that my journey has been entirely self-taught probably makes me well qualified to teach others who want to become great home cooks.

My first advice is to read cookbooks by very good chefs. Listen to their advice and have the courage to dive in and try seemingly complex recipes. From these you will learn the importance of process and building flavour. I bought books by the likes of Marco Pierre White, Nico Ladenis, Richard Corrigan, Gordon Ramsey and Raymond Blanc and read them thoroughly, hanging on their every word. In particular I wanted to know about flavour combinations. More accessible books will not take you to the next level. Nico, being self taught was a particular hero of mine.

My second piece of advice is to eat out a lot at top restaurants. You might need to remortgage but you will have great fun! When I started out, nineties and naughties London was an exciting time for food. The food revolution was in full swing and London had become a real food destination. I can still remember each course of unbelievable meals courtesy of Philip Howard at the The Square, Michel Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche, Shane Osbourne at Pied a Terre, Pierre Koffmann at La Tante Claire, Nico Ladenis at Chez Nico, Richard Corrigan at Lindsey House.......need I go on? The inspiration you will gain from these establishments is amazing. Without doubt it remains my favourite part of the continual learning process of cooking.

My final piece of advice is to focus on flavour. Technical wizardry might impress but as a home self-taught cook you can not compete with the kitchen brigades, so why go there? Technical in the sense of cooking something well? Absolutely. And pretty presentation? Without doubt. But jellies, airs and clouds..? It is this focus on flavour that has led me to develop my own food style and in particular my love of a bit of spice!

And so on to Duck, the next ingredient under the microscope and, in particular, duck breast. Duck will always hold a special place in my heart as its easy to cook and impresses diners. It is what in my day job we would rather irritatingly refer to as a 'quick win'. Duck isn't particularly an English favourite. We do love a bit of crispy aromatic duck from the Chinese takeaway, but for most this is where our love begins and ends. That said we produce some magnificent birds to challenge the French. Gressingham can now be bought in major supermarkets and is of a decent quality. However my own personal favourite is Goosnargh from producers Johnson and Swarbrick in Lancashire. They supply to lots of Michelin starred establishments but will deliver to bods like myself as long as you order in bulk. It has appeared twice on my menu at Dinner at the Pavilion and the corn fed bird has a flavour and tenderness like no other.

How to cook a duck breast

This technique of cooking a duck breast never fails and is absolutely delicious.

1. Score the skin and season the breast with salt, pepper and Chinese five spice powder (for some reason this makes duck taste more ducky). Heat a dry oven proof frying pan on the stove to a medium heat. Place the breast skin side down in the pan and cook until the fat is rendered and the skin is beginning to crisp and turn brown (about 2-3 minutes). Flip the breast over to sear the flesh side for about 30 seconds and return to the skin side. 
2. Place the pan in the oven for about 7-8 minutes (180 degrees C). If your frying pan isn't oven proof (i.e. a metal handle) then transfer the duck to a roasting tin. Remove from the oven and leave to rest in a warm place for about 5-10 minutes on a piece of kitchen towel or a clean jay cloth to soak up the slightly bloody juices. Duck is best served medium to medium rare and blood can ruin the presentation of a duck dish! Slice the breast into four thick slices and serve. Below are some of my favourite duck dishes.

Duck with blackberry sauce

Duck a l'orange 

Duck with orange and anise (a photo taken by one of the diners at the summer 2014 Dinner at the Pavilion)

Duck with honey and rosemary

and finally.....Duck with pomegranate mole and fig

As you can see from the photos, duck goes well with fruit. It is a rich meat and the acidity in the fruit cuts through the richness. I think the best vegetable accompaniments are kale, tarragon glazed carrots, celeriac puree, and braised celery or fennel depending on the sauce and season.

As for the sauce, they are all variations on a theme.  

Orange and anise sauce for duck (serves 4)

1. Roast some duck bones
2. Thinly slice an onion and sweat until sweet and soft in a large frying pan.  Add some good quality balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of ketchup, a  dessert spoon of Dijon mustard and cook for a minute until the onions are dark and sticky looking. The vinegar, ketchup and mustard are to give the sauce that all important balance 
3. Add 200ml of freshly squeezed orange juice, one tablespoon of thick cut orange marmalade and the peel (no pith as this is bitter) of one small orange. Continue cooking until the orange juice is reduced to a thickish syrup.
4. Add  a good glug of Pernod  or other aniseed based drink and light to burn off the alcohol. Add 1 litre of chicken stock, three star anise pieces and the roasted duck bones and cook rapidly until the sauce has reduced to a coating consistency (it will coat the back of a spoon and separate when you run your finger along it)
5. Strain through a sieve to a small saucepan and stir in a good knob of butter (this gives the sauce gloss and softens the flavours). Season to taste. 

Variations

This same basic technique can for the basis of other sauces for duck. For the honey and rosemary sauce omit the orange juice, marmalade, Pernod, orange peel and star anise and replace with honey and rosemary. For the blackberry sauce puree some blackberries with a bit of sugar and pass through a sieve. Again omit the orange juice, marmalade, Pernod, orange peel and star anise and replace with the slightly sweetened blackberry puree, a tablespoon of blackberry jam and some thyme. Add whole blackberries to the sauce just before serving which have macerated in a bit of sugar, a pinch of salt and some balsamic vinegar.   

Vegetable accompaniments

All these are great with duck. 

1. Celeriac puree; Cook the celeriac until soft. Blend to a puree with butter and some double cream. Push through a sieve to ensure ultra smoothness. Season and serve
2. Glazed tarragon carrots; Peel and cut the carrots into attractive even sized shapes. Melt a good knob of butter, a teaspoon of sugar and salt to taste in a frying pan. Add the carrots and coat to a glaze. Add water to cover the carrots. Boil on a rapid heat until the water has evaporated and the carrots are coated in a sweet buttery glaze. Add chopped tarragon just before serving.
3. Glazed celery/fennel; Use the same technique as for the carrots but before you add the water add some Pernod and set light to it. This is spectacular and will impress guests! 
4. Roasted apples; This is great with the honey and rosemary sauce. Simply peel and slice the apple into eights. Pan-fry in butter until soft and caramelised on both sides.  
5. Potato fondants; Peel large potatoes and cut into large cubes. Place in an oven proof dish with a lot of butter (100g or more depending on how many you are cooking) and chicken stock to come about half way up the potatoes. Season and add some garlic and thyme to the stock. Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes until the potato is soft and has absorbed a good amount of the buttery stock. Baste the top of the potato to stop it drying out. The potato should be firm enough to hold together, have browned on the top and be unctuous and buttery to eat. Perfect with duck!
6. Kale; Remove the thick centre stalks/veins. Place the leaves together and cut into 1 inch pieces. Add a good knob of butter to a large frying pan and bit of water. Heat the pan and add the kale, turning to make sure it is coated in the butter. Cook for about 2 minutes or until soft but with a little bit of bite. Thinly sliced onions and chilli also go well with the kale as a variation. Season with sea salt and black pepper and serve immediately.  

As they'd say 'up north',

Happy cooking duck!   

Shepherds delight.....

For the sake of offering something different, and building on the interest I might have already generated (whether a few page views means that people have actually taken the trouble to read my words I'm still not sure), I have decided to temporarily leave fish and move on to meat. Next up, therefore, for the musings of the Spicy Englishman is probably my favourite meat, lamb.

Lamb is a bit of a culinary contradiction. It can be delicate and refined but also big and brash. It doesn't overpower elegant spring flavours, yet isn't bullied by imposing spices. It can warm your soul in winter and lighten it in the summer. Somehow, lamb has the capacity to get on with the marriage that the chef has arranged for it.  If the chef gives this arrangement some thought and respects the diverse cultural heritage of lamb, then truly great things can happen. All of this makes lamb my favourite meat both to eat and to cook with. I am always tempted by lamb when I eat out and it has regularly appeared on my supper club menus. If I can be pretentious enough to assign myself a signature dish (probably describing lamb in terms of a marriage proves that I can be), then it would be lamb rump served with a roasted tomato and garlic sauce.   Lamb is a wonderful outlet for your culinary invention. You can take lamb on a voyage from the Outer Hebrides via the deserts of Persia to the foothills of the Himalayas and it is happy. In fact it is joyous!

The nature of the this blog is to share my passion for food with you, as well as a few recipes, but given the context of this weekend's events then some political comment is inevitable. Perhaps the world could learn a lesson from lamb. Food is a great unifying factor, capable of bringing untold joy. It is invariably the focal point of life's celebrations. Contrast this with the divisiveness of culture when used as a political tool, which has been so brutally highlighted by recent events. Food and lamb in this instance, transcend cultural division. The fact that lamb dishes play such a strong role in the traditions of so many countries of the world surely shows us that our differences are not as big as some think they are.

With politics done it is now time to focus on cooking great food. The first thing to consider when buying lamb, as with everything, is the quality. We are blessed in the UK with fantastic lamb. For this reason, lamb is great for those of us who find the notion of buying top quality local produce irresistibly romantic. As you might have guessed, I'm one of those. Each region claims it has the best lamb, and who am I to judge? But if I had to be pushed I would say salt marsh lamb takes some beating and for something a bit different I would go with Herdwick mutton from the Lake District. On a recent trip to Camber Sands I was determined to source some Romney Marsh lamb. I did and it was delicious!

Romney Marsh lamb rump, pumpkin and aubergine tagine

Having sourced the lamb, it's now time to consider the cut. For me two stand out for different reasons. Firstly there is lamb rump. Now this isn't always easy to get but a good butcher should be able to provide you with these succulent delights. Sometimes what is sold as rump, isn't really and is more the top of the leg. Rump, also known as chump (it is basically the lamb's backside), is the thickest, juiciest cut, with a pleasing layer of fat on the top which will serve 1-2 people. It is best served medium to medium rare. My second favourite cut is shoulder, which is perfect for slow cooking. Once the fatty tissues breakdown you are left with an unrivalled tasty piece of meat which falls apart in delicious unctuousness!! Other cuts are also good though, loin or fillet is so tender and leg makes the perfect roast, but these two are my favourites.

With so many lamb dishes that I love, choosing one or two to share is difficult. This first dish though, seeing as I have already touted it as my signature dish is a must.  The accompaniments vary by season and whim but the foundation of Lamb served with a sauce made from roasting lamb bones, tomatoes and lots of garlic, remains constant. 

Essex salt marsh lamb rump and neck, roasted tomato and garlic sauce, summer bean ragout, spinach

The photo is taken from Dinner at the Pavilion, July 2015. Combining slow cooked meat with a tender cut is something I like to do for these dinners and the sauce is so yummy that not serving it in bowls with lots of it would be a crime!! There is nothing difficult about this dish but it is time consuming. Give it the time and I guarantee you will be rewarded. The inspiration is Italian, I think....

Photo of the process using a masala instead of rosemary

1. First you need to make the sauce. Roast a tray full of lamb bones (about 1 kg) from your butcher. Add the unpeeled cloves from one whole head of garlic, quartered well flavoured tomatoes (about 5) and large shallots. Add a good few sprigs of rosemary. Roast at 180 degrees C until the bones are brown and the tomatoes, garlic and onions are soft and sweet (about 40-45 minutes). Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 150 degrees (see photo)
2. Season the neck fillets with sea salt and black pepper. Sear them in a hot pan. Place on a square of tin foil (two neck fillets per foil wrap). Add a clove of garlic, a couple of sprigs of rosemary, a quarter of a lemon and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the fillets to make a neat parcel and cook at 140 degrees C for two hours. Whilst the neck fillets are cooking, finish the sauce. 
3. Tip the contents of the roasting pan into a large saucepan. Add a 1 litre jar of tomato passata and one bottle of white wine. A generous squeeze of ketchup will help to give the sauce balance. Bring to the boil and simmer for two hours. Remove the bones and blend the ingredients of the sauce pan. Pass through a sieve. The sauce should have the consistency of a veloute. Season with sea salt and black pepper and a teaspoon or two of white wine vinegar to lift the sauce. The sauce should should have a good sweet sour balance from the tomatoes, onions, white wine and vinegar. There should be a real depth to the sauce from the roasted bones and garlic. Lamb, garlic and rosemary should all be detected in the flavour of the sauce through layers and as a whole.  Whilst the sauce is simmering, make the summer bean ragout
4. Use a mixture of cannellini, butter and green beans.  Create a soffrito by sweating finely diced onion, carrot and celery until soft and sweet. Very finely chop the rosemary and add to the mixture along with 3 cloves of salt crushed garlic. Continue to cook on a low heat for further 5 minutes. Blanche the green beans in boiling salted water until al dente. Refresh in cold water. Add the pre-soaked and cooked cannellini and butter beans (according to packet instructions if using dried, tinned are okay) and the diced sun-dried tomatoes. Add some water to barely cover the beans. Simmer until the liquid in the ragout has reached the consistency of baked beans. Set aside. Add the green beans and some chopped parsley and fold through and warm up just before serving
5. Season the lamb rumps with sea salt and black pepper about an hour before cooking. To cook the rumps, heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Sear the rumps on the top on a high heat and transfer to a roasting tin (or if your frying pan is oven proof place this directly into the oven). Roast the lamb rumps in the oven for about 8-10 minutes, depending on size. You want them medium to medium rare (one rump will yield 3 thick slices (80-100g) after you have trimmed off the ends - you will want one or two of these per serving depending on the number of courses). Leave to rest in a warm place for about 5 minutes on a clean jay cloth to soak up any blood).
6. While the meat is resting, cook and drain the spinach, warm through the bean ragout, the neck fillets (these will need to be put back into the oven, still in their foil wraps when you begin to cook the lamb rumps) and the lamb sauce. 
7. Serve the dish in large warm bowls. Place a ladle of sauce in the bottom of the bowl with a serving spoon full of bean ragout, and a similar amount of drained spinach in the centre of the bowl. Place the lamb rump on the beans and the piece of neck fillet on the spinach. Decorate with small basil leaves and serve with crushed new potatoes (olive oil and chives) or rosemary and parmesan fried polenta.

Variations

This version is made only with the neck fillet and is much simpler. Instead of roasting the bones, add all of the ingredients for the sauce into a roasting tray and lay the seared neck fillets on top. Cover with foil and cook slowly for 2 hours. Remove the lamb and blend the contents of the roasting tray. Again push through a sieve.  Serve with roasted pepper, cannellini beans in cream and garlic, and purple spouting broccoli 

The sauce for this variation is made in a similar way, substituting garam masala (homemade is best) for rosemary. There is less sauce served because it is also served with a silky fenugreek and roasted shallot puree. This was served at the autumn 2013 Dinner at the Pavilion. The lamb, or rather mutton, used here is Herdwick loin from the Lake District. Serve this with spicy kale and saffron and cumin fondants - which are delicious by the way!

Happy cooking!

More from the sea....

Having made a start with my blog, I have found myself short of that valuable commodity, time. Not for cooking, there has been lots of that, but for writing.  I hope to make amends now.  After a promising start with my mackerel recipe, I thought a move from fish to something else wouldn't make any sense. Whilst the purpose of this blog isn't merely to create a mini cookbook, years of studying these have taught me that categorising food is actually an essential process in giving one the necessary understanding to be creative.  Surely the aspiration of anyone who really wants to learn how to cook is to gain a knowledge and understanding of food so that cookbooks are no longer viewed as set of instructions but more as a source of inspiration? This is what my blog ultimately sets out to achieve.

Let us continue with mackerel and have a quick look at an alternative cooking method that works well with oily fish, pickling. Now this might appear in several different names such as soused, an escabeche of or marinated mackerel, and there are subtle differences, but the principle of pre-salting the fish and preserving it in an acidulated liquid remains constant.  My own personal favourite is mackerel escabeche, a timeless classic. St John's pickled mackerel was the best version that I've eaten in a restaurant with a faultless balance of sweetness and piquancy.

This is my take on mackerel escabeche, a perfect starter for a long lazy lunch, and that includes Christmas day, as it can be prepared the day before. It also lends itself well to a 'family service'. Whilst not exactly 'London food' (if at all), the principle of the best british produce partnered with global cultural influences remains true!

Mackerel escabeche

1. Find the freshest possible mackerel. Fillet (your fish monger will do this for you), pin-bone and trim the fish into neat even sized portions.  Allow about 100g per person for a starter. Cover the mackerel with a generous amount of sea salt and set aside in the fridge for one hour. This pre-salting firms up the flesh which is essential in achieving the desired texture.
2. Thinly slice onions, carrots, fennel and orange using a mandolin.  Lay these out to cover the base of a large, flat ceramic dish.
3. Prepare the pickling liquid. Here is where you can be a little bit creative, but the end result must have that 'just right' piquancy and appropriate aromatics - it is going to be the sauce after all! My suggestion is: Good quality red wine vinegar, freshly squeezed orange juice (from a carton is okay) in a ratio of about 3 (vinegar): 2 (orange). This should be balanced with sugar to achieve that 'just right' piquancy. This can only be done through tasting.  The aromatics I use are coriander and fennel seed, white pepper, garlic, thyme and bay.  Bring the pickling liquid to the boil and set aside
4. Remove the excess salt from the mackerel by running under cold water.  Pat the mackerel dry. Heat a non stick frying pan and gently cook the mackerel for about 30 seconds on each side. Remove the mackerel fillets and lie skin side up on top of the sliced vegetables and orange.   
5. Pour the still hot pickling liquid over the fish and vegetables. Cover and leave to cool to room temperature. If using later place in the fridge, removing it about an hour before serving. 

Variations

A dish that was on the menu at one of my supperclubs; 

Escabeche of mackerel, spiced tomato and preserved lemon compote, black olive tapenade

With this dish the mackerel wasn't pan-cooked first so strictly speaking this isn't an escabeche and is more of a souse. The spices used in the tomato and preserved lemon compote are a Moroccan blend called ras-el-hanout and cayenne pepper.

Last words on mackerel..

• It must be really really fresh to enjoy it at its best
• It stands up well to strong flavours so be bold!
• It can cope with different cooking methods such as pan-frying, pickling and flame grilling. The latter method being one of London's best signature dishes at the two michelin starred Ledbury, which I vow to try one day!

One more dish...

Pan-fried mackerel, roasted romano peppers, romesco sauce, dry-roasted hazelnuts

Romesco is a classic spanish sauce which goes well with lots of things. There are lots of recipes on line so I won't bore you with the details. Instead I'll leave you with a picture. Happy cooking...

From the sea

If there is one thing that I love to cook it is fish. It offers such variety and is marvellous for bringing out one's creative instinct. For me fish also makes the perfect way to start a meal. You can excite your diners with something they probably won't cook much of at home (I'm baffled as to why so many people are scared of cooking fish) and uncork a classy white wine to complement it.  Is there a greater pleasure?

The price of fish can be off putting but there are plenty of cheaper options which, if treated with respect, can make dishes fit to grace any table. I'm going to start by looking at the humble mackerel.

The first thing about mackerel is that it really does have to be super fresh, otherwise its texture becomes too soft and its natural oils too fishy. A good fishmonger is therefore essential. Another point worth noting is that mackerel can stand up to strong flavours so it provides the perfect foil to let your creative instincts take over. Be bold!

Mackerel 'masala', roasted sweet potato and cauliflower curry

I want to encourage you to be creative and to use recipes as ideas rather than to slavishly stick to them. To achieve this you need to understand the thought processes behind the dish:

• Curry spices and mackerel go well together
• Cauliflower is an under used vegetable which also goes well with curry flavours
• The sweetness in the sweet potato pulls it all together

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 super fresh mackerel fillets, trimmed into a neat shape and pin boned. About 100g trimmed weight

Garam masala, home made preferably but shop bought okay

1 head of cauliflower

1 large sweet potato  

1 onion

4 or 5 cloves of garlic pounded to a paste using Maldon sea salt

1 large thumb of fresh root ginger, pounded to a paste

4 pieces of fresh turmeric root, pounded to a paste (it really stains your hands for a day or so)

Cumin, coriander, fennel and mustard seeds (about a heaped tsp of each)

Fenugreek, 4 green cardamon pods, black pepper, garam masala

Good quality tin of tomatoes

Nigella seeds (optional)

Method

1. Trim and pin bone the mackerel fillet season with Maldon sea salt. Rub about 1 tsp of garam masala into both sides of the fish. Set aside 
2. Toast the seeds and pods, mix with the ground spices and grind them all together
3. Slowly cook the thinly sliced onions in a mixture of unsalted butter and oil (or ghee if you can get it). Cook until soft, light brown and sweet.
4. Add the ground spice mix to the onions and cook slowly for a few minutes, stirring and taking care that it doesn't burn. Add the ginger, garlic and turmeric pastes. Add the tin of tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes, add some water and simmer to form a curry sauce. Season and balance the flavours of the sauce with just a splash of white wine vinegar. Keep the sauce on a slow simmer, adding water if it becomes too dry
5. Meanwhile roast the cauliflower and the sweet potato. For the cauliflower cut it up into florets and blanch briefly for a couple of minutes. Dry the florets and then coat them with oil, the garam masala mix and salt. Repeat the same procedure for the sweet potatoes also adding some nigella and cumin seeds (optional). On a medium high heat (about 180 degrees C), roast the potatoes for about 35-40 minutes, turning once during cooking and the cauliflower for approximately 15 minutes.
6. When cooked add the roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes to the curry sauce, fold until combined and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Take off the heat
7. Cook the mackerel skin side down in a very hot non-stick frying pan for about two minutes. Flip the mackerel fillet over and remove the pan from the heat. 
8. Place a spoonful of the curry in the centre of a large deep bowl and lay the mackerel across. Garnish with a few fresh coriander leaves.

To blog or not to blog?

Blogging has always been in the back of my mind as a potential additional outlet for my food obsession. But until now I have always resisted. Why?  Was it the anticipated pain of coming up with a cheesy (sorry I meant to say catchy) name? Was it the feeling that blogging was definitely secondary to actually cooking  - what kind of people blog anyway? Was it the the overriding thought that who cares about what I have to say? Or is it simply that I'm just too damn lazy? Anyway, no need to answer these questions as here I am, cheesy name in hand, starting on my first blog.

Why on earth will anyone want to read another blog about food when there are so many out there? The answer is they probably won't, but having read that it takes up to three years to get anyone to actually take any notice of you, then at least I can be blissfully unaware for the time being! What are my credentials I hear you ask? Well I have run my very own pop up restaurant or supperclub or whatever you want to call it to some local acclaim. Since 2010 I have 'amazed' the diners of the Muswell Hill/ Bounds Green borders with my seasonal banquet, Dinner at the Pavilion. Catering for around 50 diners a session in the tiniest kitchen imaginable I have put on twelve of such feasts.  The main purpose of this blog is to provide a platform on which to record my recipes and give you an insight into the inspiration that has led me to approaching two decades of turning my home kitchen into a starred establishment - I'm still waiting for the booking from the Michelin inspector!

And finally, why the name The Spicy Englishman? Firstly I quite liked the way it sounded, which I think is important. Secondly whilst I don't like to categorise what I cook, it does reflect my food philosophy; top quality British produce with recipes that draw on the cultural diversity of London (where I have lived for 22 years) for their creative inspiration. That said, I also cook traditional and classically inspired food. The cultural diversity does not simply refer to ethnicity. London's cultural diversity is all encompassing.

I'll leave you with a photo of the lamb dish from my last Dinner at the Pavilion;

Essex salt marsh lamb rump and neck, summer bean ragout and spinach, roasted tomato and garlic sauce