Bobotie

This has been a favourite of mine at Tupelo Honey for a long time. Last time I went, I decided to reconstruct it. The recipe is of South African origin and the internet is riddled with recipes. This recipe is a mixture of those I found online. It works well.



Ingredients

Serves: 6

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 1/2 pounds good quality lean ground lamb
1 thick slice of white bread
3/4 pint milk
1 tablespoon curry powder*
1 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1/2 cup seedless raisins
50g flaked almonds
2 tablespoons Slap and Pickle (or similar) chutney
2 bay leaves
3 large or 4 small/medium eggs

* I use 1 part ground cumin, 1 part garam masala, 2 parts ground coriander, 1/2 part chilli powder. You probably have your own recipe.

Method

For the meat:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Heat oil in large sauté or very large frying pan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat until transparent. Add the meat and fry until lightly browned and crumbly. Break it up with a wooden spatula as you go - I hate large lumps in my mince! Soak the bread in the milk, squeeze out excess milk and mash with a fork. Reserve the milk for the batter and set aside.

Add the bread, curry powder, sugar, salt, pepper, turmeric, vinegar, raisins, almonds, chutney to the meat mixture and continue to fry for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish, press it down well so that it has a flat surface and there are minimal gaps. Nestle in the bay leaves and bake for 50-60 minutes.

For the batter:

Beat the eggs with the remaining milk, season well and pour over the meat mixture about 20 minutes before end of the baking time. Turn the oven up to 220 for the last stretch and keep a close eye on the batter crust. When it goes golden brown it's done. If it goes too dark, it probably means you've dried out the dish.

This is real comfort food. Its like a shepherd's pie with a twist. I serve it with a salad of flat leaf parsley, cubed tomatoes and cucumber dressed with a mustardy vinegarette.

Notes for gluttons

Try substituting 1/2 pound of lamb with the same weight of minced fatty pork. I tried this and the extra moistness was noticable.

If you like more of a curry flavour, try substituting the Slap and Pickle chutney for Patak's Brinjal Pickle.

Date, Fig & Fennel Chutney

Ingredients

2.5 kg fennel, roughly sliced
750g figs, roughly chopped
400g dates, roughly chopped
2 pints cider vinegar
180g ginger, finely chopped
750g soft brown sugar
4 tsp salt
4 onions, finely chopped

Method

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. The bigger the pan, the better as it will help to reduce the liquid. You will need a pan that is at least 7.5 litres to fit the above in. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Bear in mind that the chutney will thicken as it cools, so make sure there is some liquid left. Spoon into jars straight from the hot pan. This will ensure a vacuum seal.



Notes for gluttons

If you're planning on keeping the chutney for a while (say, more than 6 months) then I recommend leaving a bit more liquid. This somehow helps the flavour to develop and prevents the chutney from drying out. If the chutney doeas get too dry, or if you want to cook it a little longer to make the flavours richer, you can add a bit of water. Just make sure the chutney has a good boil after you've added it so that any nasties are done away with. Now don't touch the chuntey for 3 months so that it has a chance to mature. Ideally, aim to cellar it for a year or more. As long as its moist enough, this chutney will keep for about 3 years. I bet it wont last that long!

Slow cooked pig trotter and hock terrine

Serves about 10 as a starter.



Ingredients
2 pig's trotters, each chopped into 3 or 4 pieces
A 1kg unsmoked ham hock
300g fatty pork belly strips
2 small onions, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bayleaves
1 large glass white wine
1 tsp redcurrant or crab apple jelly
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

I didn't ask the butcher to cut the trotters into pieces as I wanted to try out my new cleaver. Big mistake, I was hacking away for a while, so get your friendly butcher to see to this for you.

I made this in a slow cooker. I am a big fan of the slow cooker, especially where bones are concerned. The product is always that bit richer and I have been known to leave it running on the lowest setting for 24 hours. You could just as easily use a heavy saucepan or a cast iron casserole.

Wash the trotter pieces well being sure to clean between the toes (a strange sensation to say the least), then place in the slow cooker, along with the whole hock, belly, vegetables and herbs. Pack everything in as well as possible, then pour in the wine and enough cold water to cover. Turn on the slow cooker and run it for 8-10 hours. By now, the trotters will be tender and the skin should fall away from the bone. Remove the meat and set aside.



Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve lined with muslin or a clean tea towel into a clean pan. Bring to the boil, reduce by three-quarters, then stir in the fruit jelly. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. You will need to add a generous pinch of good salt. Remember you're going to serve this chilled, so the flavour will be surpressed.

Pick all the skin and meat from the trotters, and the meat from the hock and belly. Here you can make a decision about how rustic you want your terrine to be. I chose to discard a lot of the skin and some of the fatty bits. On reflection, I think I was a bit heavy-handed as the terrine came out a little lean. Roughly chop the meat, skin and fat into pieces about 1cm square and put in a bowl. Stir in the prosciuto fat. Pour over the reduced cooking liquid, stir and check the seasoning again. Pack into a terrine (or several ramekins or a medium pudding basin), place a weight on top if necessary, then leave until completely cool. Chill for at least a few hours to set before serving (ideally a day or two).

Serve with crusty bread and your preference of cornichons, chutney and/or mustard.

Ligurian Rabbit Casserole

I am having a rabbit crisis. A recent wild rabbit experience was so powerful, that I almost swore myself off them for good. Since then I have eaten a couple of delicious tame rabbits but I can't quite come to terms with the fact that I might prefer the farmed version to the natural gamey animal.

This works with farmed (I still find it funny that they call them "tame") rabbit but would probably not work quite so well with a wild beast. I'll hunt for a good wild rabbit recipe and post it shortly.

Ingredients:

1 tame rabbit, jointed
plain flour
1/2 cup olive oil (preferably ligurian)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves peeled but whole
a sprig of rosemary
a few sprigs of thyme
a small handfull of sage leaves
some finely chopped parsley stalks
24 black olives, stoned and halved
2 glases dry white wine
1 tablespoon concentrated tomato puree
seasoning
a small amount of chicken stock

Method:

Wash and pat dry the rabbit portions. Coat them in seasoned flour and brown in a cast iron casserole over a high heat to get a bit of colour on the meat and also the pan. Brown the garlic cloves at the same time. Set the rabbit aside and add the onions, olives and herbs. Sweat them down until the onion is softened. Pour in the wine, deglaze the burnt patches on the pan and simmer off the alcohol. Return the browned rabbit to the pan along with the tomato paste and a generous seasoning.

Cook slowly either on the hob or in a medium oven for 1 and a half to 2 hours. Serve with grilled polenta

Adapted from Carluccio's Complete Italian Food

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.