Roast bone marrow with parsley salad

This is always on the menu at St John in Smithfield. I have it whenever I go there and it never disappoints.

Experience suggests that it helps to give your butcher a bit of notice here. This morning I was charged a staggering £15 pounds for my marrowbone as when I requested it, the butcher ordered in the shins specially, and boned them for my pleasure. Alternatively avoid rip-off butchers. See previous post.



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:

Preheat the oven as hot as it goes. Place the bone marrow in an roasting tin or oven-proof frying pan and once the oven starts to burn the remains of your last week's dinners, put it in the oven. Getting the oven hot is important here. Roast the marrow for 20 minutes until the marrow is loose and giving, but not melting away.

Mix together the parsley, shallots and capers. Make the dressing by mixing together the lemon juice and olive oil.

Just before serving toss the parsley mixture with the dressing and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Scrape the marrow from the bone onto the toast and season with coarse sea salt. Serve with a pinch of parsley salad on top.

Notes for gluttons:

Really good toast is important here. I recommend pain de campagne or better still sourdough. I use Poilene sourdough and slice it quite thinly. You can butter it if required, but so much fat comes out of the bone that this is one of the few times my toast goes unbuttered.

You can buy marrow scoops but they cost a fortune. Lobster picks are easier to get hold of and cheaper. An essential tool in the offalman's quiver.

Steak Tartare

I had never eaten this famous dish until I cooked it last night. My interest was created by my recent ice swimming trip to Finland where I was served Reindeer Tartare.

For 2 as a starter.

Ingredients:

About 150g fresh beef fillet
1 raw egg yolk
1 good teaspoon shallots, finely sliced
Half a teaspoon of salted capers
A couple of finely chopped cornichons
A good pinch of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
A small dollop of dijon mustard or quarter of a teaspoon of English mustard
3 good shakes of Worcester sauce
2-3 drops of Tabasco sauce
A pinch of salt
Ground black pepper

Method:

Trim the meat of all fat and sinew, then process it finely. Combine the ingredients trying to fluff-up the mixture as you do. Shape the meat mixture into neat patties, one per person, and place on serving plates.

Serve with toasted sourdough.

The Love Of Butchers - to be continued...

Over the last year or two, being constantly on my bike around London, I have encountered many butchers of varying quality, price and cooperation. I currently have the number of 6 butchers in my mobile so can usualy guarantee to track what I want. If none of those have it, I go to Selfridges food hall where I've never been let down. Here's a lowdown:

Randalls, Wandsworth Bridge Road
113 Wandsworth Bridge Road
Fulham
London
SW6 2TE
020 7736 3426

I have a love/hate relationship with this place. It costs a fortune - without doubt the most expensive meat in London. They always look down their noses at me when I walk in, sensing that my pockets aren't as deep as fucking Gordon's. They have warmed to me slightly slightly but I think they're just a bit up themselves. The main reason for their snobbery is Gordon Ramsay who buys his meat there. Jamie Oliver and a host of other famed foodies also shop there, so you're paying partly for the celebrity association.

That aside, their meat is amazing. Not just the quality, which is faultless, but the way in which it is prepared. Their game comes beautifully dressed in a protective layer of pork fat (to ensure moistness) and impeccably tied. Many of the prepared joints are stuffed with fresh herbs and there is always a pungent pile of herbs in the shop ready to be stuffed in a glistening hungry orifice (calm it Stu, wrong blog).

If you're looking for a real treat, and have just been paid, then this is the place for you. Otherwise, please so pop in as a spectator. Everyone should see this place, even vegetarians.

AA King, Parsons Green
30-34 New King's Road
Fulham
London
SW6 4ST
020 7736 4004

King's is a great balance of quality and price. Their meat is great quality but despite it's location, you don't pay through the nose for it. Good for game, always friendly and keen to order you the less common cuts, this is one of my favourites in London. Until recently, the butcher most frequently behind the counter was a lady. It was a pleasure to be served by Sally and a rare sight to see a female butcher.

The funny thing about Sally is that she can't cope with the thought of eating rabbit. So whenever I bought rabbit I'd get a stern look, an anecdote about her pet rabbits and a gereral air of disapproval. Funnily enough, she has occasionally asked a furtive question such as "so is it really nice then?" which showed that deep down, she is still a butcher.

Best value butcher I know of in London and a really great place to go if you have no idea what you want for tea.

Chadwick's Organic Butchers, Balham
208 Balham High Road
Balham
London
SW12 9BS
020 8772 1895

I went to university with Gary Chadwick and had no idea that 3 years later, he'd pop up as my local butcher.

Pure Meat Co, Kentish Town
258 Kentish Town Road
Kentish Town
London
NW5 2AA
020 7485 0346

Coming soon.

Squid with pangrattato

This recipe is amazing. I can't really imagine getting more out of a squid. This gives all the savoury, oily comfort that deep fried calimari gives, but in a more interesting and slightly lighter dish. Its from Jamie's Italy. I've always had problems with this man but hot damn, I'm starting to come round.

The garlic, not being peeled, doesn't burn but can still be heated to a high temperature. The result is that the breadcrumbs pick up a great garlic flavour and a good piquancy from the chilli. The chilli's wholeness prevents it from frying as normal so you get a touch of roasted pepper coming through. Need I say more?

Ingredients:

350g per person of baby squid
half a lemon

The pangrattato will serve about 4. Do the maths if you need more. For the pangrattato:

2 slices of bread crumbed in a food processor
6 cloves of garlic in the skin, squished a bit under a knife
2 large red chillis whole but pricked all over with a fork
a big handful of chopped parsley
olive oil, salt, pepper

Method:

Leave your squid whole but put them on some kitchen roll to drain the water. If possible, leave like this for an hour or so as you want to remove as much water as possible. If not, the squid will not colour and you'll miss out on the browned bit of squid. We wouldn't want that to happen would we?

Get a thick-based frying pan and warm a good (and I mean good) glug of oil (good I said) and add the chilli, garlic and breadcrumbs. Fry on a hot hob until the breadcrumbs start to toast. Season well and set aside. This will probably take 10-15 minutes so in the meantime, chop the parsley while you're salivating over the smell of bread and garlic cooking simultaneously.

You must be hungry by now. Once the pangrattato is done, remove it from the heat and stir in the parsley so that it gets a chance to wilt. Reheat the pan (medium-hot) with a small splash of oil and fry the squid and lemon together. The squid may release water. If so, keep draining it so that the pan is almost dry. This should allow some colour on the squid and lemon. If the pan is small, do this in batches - a full pan will inevitably stop the contents from colouring. You don't need to fry these for long. Get the pan hot and keep it dryish and it should be 6-8 minutes per batch to get a bit of colour. If the pan gets too dry, add more oil. Oil is fine but water is the enemy at this point.

Once the squid is done, put on plates and sprinkle pangrattato generously over it. Serve on hot plates with a light salad in side bowls. I like to combine them, but there are salad devotees who get upset by this so best to leave a choice.

Penne Con Sugo di Salsiccie

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 italian spiced fresh pork sausages meat removed from skins and crumbled
2 small red onions peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
2 smaii dried chillies crumbled
2 bay leaves
1/3 bottle red wine (preferably Chianti or Sangiovese)
1 x800g tin peeled plum tomatoes drained
1/2 nutmeg freshly grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
120g parmesan freshly grated
150ml double cream
250g penne rigate

Method:

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the sausage meat stirring and breaking up the pieces. After the juice from the meat has evaporated and the fat begins to run add the onion, garlic, chill and bay leaves. Cook gently for almost 30 minutes until the onions are brown. Add the wine increase the heat and cook until the wine evaporates.

Now add the tomatoes lower the heat and simmer gently until you have a thick sauce about 45-60 minutes will do but 2 hours, with the occasional dribble of water will make for a richer creation. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper (add plenty of pepper if the sausages were not spicy) and add the parmesan and cream.

Cook the penne in a generous amount of boiling salted water then drain well. Add the penne to the sauce combine and serve.

Taken from the River Cafe Cookbook - Rose Grey and Ruth Rogers.

Stuffed Lambs Hearts

I had never eaten heart until last night. Well, lets face it, I probably put away a good few in my student days in the guise of Iceland sausages, but I have never set out to eat heart. At a cooking demonstration I once heard Ray Smith wax lyrical about lamb's heart for a good 20 minutes. He spoke of it as if it were white truffle or beluga roe and ended the discussion by wrapping up said heart in a bag and presenting it to his favourite member of the audience. Enough.

Ingredients:
6 lambs hearts (as un-butchered as possible)
18 rashers streaky bacon
1 litre good chicken stock

For the stuffing:
Duck fat or butter
4 red onions peeled and finely chopped
4 bulbs of garlic (I used only 2)
2 glasses of red wine
225g stale white bread
salt/pepper
a couple of good sprigs of sage (leaves only, chopped)

Method:

First make the stuffing. In a pan with duck fat or butter cook your onions and garlic gently so that they do not colour but become soft and giving. Add the wine, let this reduce by half, then add the bread, season, and cook together gently for 15 minutes: if it appears too dry add a splash more wine. Cool then add the sage.

Meanwhile trim the hearts of any excess fat nodules at their openings and any obvious sinews, and the flap at the top. Finally, with your finger, scoop out any blood clots at the base of the ventricles. You are ready to stuff.

With your hand, press the stuffing into the heart, and level off the opening at the top. Then drape 3 rashers of bacon over the exposed stuffing in a star fashion forming a lid and secure with string.

Find an oven dish or deep roasting tray in which the hearts will fit snugly; stand them upright. Pour stock over - they do not need to be completely covered. Cover with tinfoil and place in a medium oven for 2.5 hours. When cooked remove and keep warm. Strain the juice and then reduce by half for a delicious sauce. Untie and serve with mashed swede.

Taken from Nose To Tail Eating - Fergus Henderson

Piedmontese Peppers

I nearly had an accident when Jean was describing this one to me. I think Delia did it originally but it may have been altered since then as I received it in a frantic email. You can't really believe the amount of juice that will come out of these puppies. You end up with half a delicately balanced pepper almost full with sweet, sugary juice. I served it as a starter, thinking we'd have half each, but we couldn't stop there and had 2 halves each.

Ingredients:
4 large red peppers (green are not suitable) - 1 per person
4 plum tomatoes
8 tinned anchovy fillets, drained
2 cloves garlic
8 dessertspoons Italian extra virgin olive oil
freshly milled black pepper

To serve:
small bunch fresh basil leaves

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350?F (180?C).

For this it is essential to use a good, solid, shallow roasting tray, 16 x 12 inches (40 x 30 cm). If the sides are too deep, the roasted vegetables won't get those lovely, nutty, toasted edges.

Begin by cutting the peppers in half and removing the seeds but leaving the stalks intact (they're not edible but they do look attractive and they help the pepper halves to keep their shape). Lay the pepper halves in the lightly oiled roasting tray. Now put the tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Leave them for 1 minute, then drain them and slip the skins off, using a cloth to protect your hands. Then cut the tomatoes into quarters and place two quarters in each pepper half.

After that, snip one anchovy fillet per pepper half into rough pieces and add to the tomatoes. Peel the garlic cloves, slice them thinly and divide the slices equally among the tomatoes and anchovies. Now spoon 1 dessertspoon of olive oil into each pepper, season with freshly milled pepper (but no salt because of the anchovies) and place the tray on a high shelf in the oven for the peppers to roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Then transfer the cooked peppers to a serving dish, with all the precious juices poured over, and garnish with a few scattered basil leaves. These do need good bread to go with them as the juices are sublime - focaccia would be perfect.

Taken from Delia Smith's Summer Collection