Spanish Roast Chicken

This recipe was published in The Times and is also in the Ginger Pig cookbook. I used a smaller chicken and 2/3rds of the vegetables suggested.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3kg good-quality chicken
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

      For the bed of vegetables

• 3 onions, peeled and cut into quarters
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
• 3 large tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 2 red chillies, cut into quarters
• 2 garlic heads, cut in half horizontally
• 3 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 400ml white wine
• 300g black olives, stoned (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/GM4.
2. Put all the ingredients for the bed of vegetables into a large lidded casserole dish. Mix well. 
3. Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil. Spring with the paprika and seasoning and rub these into the chicken, too. 
4. Place the chicken in the dish on top of the vegetables and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Place in the oven for 90 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 20 mins to crisp up the skin. Serve with rice or pasta. 

Serves 6.

Aachener Printen

Ingredients

• 500 grams dark corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons water
• 10 grams potash
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 150 grams rock candy
• 100 grams sugar
• 60 grams candied orange peel, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons aniseed, ground
• 2 teaspoons coriander, ground
• 1 pinch cloves, ground
• 600 grams flour
• Some dark syrup and water

Method
In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together syrup and water until hot. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Dissolve the potash in the rum. Break the rock candy into very small pieces. Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and knead until dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and let dough rest for 5 days in a cool place. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease baking sheets. On a lightly floured board, roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick and cut out 1-inch by 2-inch rectangles. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake 15 minutes. Allow to cool for one minute on baking sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Glaze the cookies with a mixture of one part syrup to one part water. When dry, store in tins at room temperature.

Smoked Haddock, Creamed Leeks on Toast with Pickled Walnut

Another attempt at a re-creation. The Oxford & Cambridge Club had a club canapé on their dessert menu that I adored. Creamed smoked haddock on toast and topped with a pickled walnut. I've been trying to find something similar. This seems to come closest:

Ingredients

• 600g smoked haddock fillets
• 2 medium leeks
• 50g butter
• 200ml double cream
• 500ml whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 thyme stalk
• 6 peppercorns
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives
• 1/2 juice of lemon
• 4 slices of wholemeal bread for toast
• 2 pickled walnuts

Method

1. ​First poach the haddock
2. Heat the milk with the bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns in a large saucepan until almost boiling. Place the haddock fillets in to the milk and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to one side.
3. For the leeks, remove the dark green end of the leeks and discard. Slice the remainder of the leeks length ways in half and then slice across so you have half moon shaped slices about 1 cm thick. Melt the butter in a pan and when foaming add the leeks and cook gently on a low to medium heat for around 10 minutes until very soft without the leeks browning at all. Season with salt and add the double cream. Reduce the cream by half on a medium to high heat then remove from the heat.
4. Remove the haddock from the milk and flake into the leeks. Add a couple of tablespoons of the poaching milk, the chopped chives, and some of the lemon juice, and gently fold the haddock in to the leeks. Adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice if required.
5. Serve on some toast with a slice or two of pickled walnut. Enjoy!

Here's another version: 

Ingredients:

• 450g smoked haddock fillets
• 4 banana shallots – 2 finely chopped & 2 in quarters
• 1 large leek – finely chopped
• 100ml white wine
• 300ml Rodda’s double cream
• Salt
• Black peppercorns
• Bunch of fresh chives
• 4 thick slices of Baker Tom’s sourdough bread
• 3-4 pickled walnuts

Method:

1. In a saucepan, pour in half a pint of Trewithen milk and bring to a simmer. Then place the smoked haddock fillets in the pan and poach, infusing with one bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, black peppercorns and two shallots in quarters.
2. When the fillets start to flake the fillets are cooked. Take the fillets out of the pan and off the heat, remove the skin and any bones and flake into pieces onto a separate plate.
3. In another pan, sauté two shallots and the leeks (finely chopped) in a little olive oil until soft.
4. Add the white wine and cook until the wine has evaporated.
5. Add the double cream and cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add the flaked haddock and fold the leeks and shallots into the flakes.
6. Add finely chopped chives and check the seasoning, you may not need any salt as the smoked haddock can be salty enough.
7. Toast the sourdough bread and then heap the leeks and haddock mixture on top.
8. Garnish with 2-3 slices of the drained pickled walnuts and serve.

I found smoked haddock (and haggis) at The Scottish Gourmet. 

Potato dauphinoise

The success from the last potato recipe from Great British Chefs led me to try their potato dauphinoise--a welcomed side at high table events.

Ingredients

• 400g of Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and finely sliced
• 200ml of double cream
• 2 pinches of ground nutmeg
• 300ml of whole milk
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt
• pepper

Method

1. To prepare the potato dauphinoise, finely slice the potatoes using a mandoline and set aside in water until required
2. Combine the cream, milk, nutmeg, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and set aside
3. Strain the water off the potatoes and layer inside a small oven dish lined with baking paper, being sure to overlap each layer as you go
4. Preheat the oven to 160˚C/gas mark 3. Pour enough of the cream mixture over the potatoes to cover and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until slightly golden on top and tender through the middle
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Weigh down with butter, cheese or any other heavy square object and set aside in the fridge to press for up to 12 hours
6. Reheat the potato dauphinoise in the oven set to 180°C/gas mark 4 for 15 minutes. Divide into 4 portions and serve immediately as a side dish.

Edit: English double cream is very difficult to find in the United States, and only after I made the recipe did I find some locally. When I used heavy cream instead (which has a lower fat content at 36% as opposed to 48%), the dish came out a little watery. If I had thought about it long enough, I would have left out the milk. (48% milkfat at 200mL and 3% at 300mL, gives a solution of ~21% milkfat in 500mL). The classic potato gratin from Fine Cooking is simpler and better suited to the American supermarket. (I plan to use a combination of the preparation method suggested in the two recipes.)

Ingredients

• 2 lb. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled
• 3 cups whipping or heavy cream
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 3/4 cup finely shredded Gruyère, Emmental, or Comté

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Using a very sharp knife or a mandoline, carefully cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (no thicker).
2. Put the potatoes in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until the cream is boiling, stirring occasionally (very gently with a rubber spatula so you don’t break up the slices).
3. When the cream boils, pour the mixture into a 2-1/2- or 3-qt. baking dish. If you don’t want a tender but garlicky surprise mouthful, remove and discard the garlic cloves. Shake the dish a bit to let the slices settle and then sprinkle the surface with the cheese.
4. Bake in the hot oven until the top is deep golden brown, the cream has thickened, and the potatoes are extremely tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Don’t worry if the dish looks too liquidy at this point; it will set up as it cools a bit. Before serving, let the potatoes cool until they’re very warm but not hot (at least 15 minutes) or serve them at room temperature.

Doro Wat

Ingredients

• 2 ½ to 3 lbs chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces, or 3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons niter kibbeh
• OR Homemade Niter Kibbeh
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups yellow onions finely minced to a chunky puree in food processor
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
• 1/4 cup Ethiopian berbere
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup Tej Ethiopian honey wine, if you have it, or white wine mixed with 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 hard-boiled eggs pierced all over with fork about 1/4 inch deep

Instructions

• Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and pour lemon juice over. Let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat the niter kibbeh or butter along with the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Add the onions and saute, covered, over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic, ginger, and 1 tablespoon butter and continue to saute, covered, for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the berbere and the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter and saute, covered, over low heat for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chicken, broth, salt and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Adjust the seasonings, adding more berbere according to heat preference. Add the boiled eggs and simmer on low heat, covered, for another 15 minutes.
• Half or quarter the eggs and arrange on the plates with the stew. Serve hot with injera, bread or rice.

Roasted Potatoes v.2

Version 2 comes from Great British Chefs. The lady who used to cook Sunday roasts for us during our trip to the Cotswolds always swore by Maris Piper potatoes. Since they aren't available here, I used Yukon Gold potatoes as the best approximation. This recipe turned out great. The takeaway from this version: briefly boil the potatoes and then toss them in a colander to loosen the flesh on the outside of the potatoes, then add them to a pan with already heated oil. 

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 8
2. Place the potatoes in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until the potatoes are not cooked in the middle, but are starting to soften on the outside
3. Drain and leave the potatoes in the colander for 5 minutes so the steam can escape. Sprinkle over a little salt and lightly toss the potatoes so the edges break up slightly - this will result in nice crispy roasties
4. Pour 150ml of vegetable oil,or duck fat into a deep roasting tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes, until smoking hot
5. Remove the tray from the oven and spread the potatoes out in the tray, taking care not to splash yourself with hot oil
6. Roast for 45 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway to ensure they are nicely cooked all over. Remove from the oven and serve immediately

I didn't take a picture of my results because we ate them too quickly. 

Roasted Potatoes v. 1

For roasted potatoes, I prefer a crunchy outside and a soft inside. They were a staple for a Sunday roast. I'm trying a few different recipes to find the best method. This first version comes from the website 'Ricetta della Nonna'. The takeaway from this version is to soak the potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes before roasting.

1. Il consiglio è di scegliere patate a pasta gialla o a buccia rossa, oppure cuocere le patate novelle al forno, che danno sempre degli ottimi risultati.
2. Sbucciate le patate e lavatele, tagliatele a spicchi, quindi lasciatele in ammollo in acqua fredda per circa mezz’ora per eliminare l’eccesso di amido, che rende le patate troppo morbide e poco inclini a diventare croccanti.
3. Scolatele, asciugatele con un panno e disponetele in una teglia ben oliata. A questo punto unite l’aglio, il rosmarino lavato e asciugato, l’olio e il sale. Mescolatele bene con le mani e disponetele nella teglia in modo che non si sovrappongano.
4. Cuocete le patate al forno ventilato a 180 °C per circa 35 minuti, alzando la temperatura a 200 °C per gli ultimi 10 minuti, e girandole di tanto in tanto per dare a tutte le patate una cottura uniforme.

My first version was not as crunchy as I wanted it to be. Perhaps I should have used more oil. They were a good approximation of the kind of potatoes that I have had at Tavola Calda restaurants.