MAGAZINE #9
BON APPETIT
For all the food lovers out there this section records events and recipes for you to enjoy.
CARBONARA DI SALSICCIA
by our celebrity chef Gordon Hamsey
This is a classic combination of sausages, eggs and bacon - but in a pasta dish!
It's a quick and easy to make, tastes delicious and looks brilliant considering the small amount of effort required. Making a smooth egg sauce requires some care so that you don't scramble them - but as long as you follow the instructions it will be fine, and it will taste great anyway.
SERVES 4 (of course, adjust accordingly to suit if req.)
4 good-quality Italian sausages/meaty sausages of your choice; adjust for size Olive oil.
4 - 8 slices of pancetta/bacon depending how thick it is, chopped (or buy chopped) Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
454g/1lb fresh or dried linguine.
4 egg yolks100ml/3½fl oz double cream.
100g/3½oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Zest of ½ -1 lemon (depending how much lemon you like ʹoptional)Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped.
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With a sharp knife, slit the sausages lengthways and remove the skin. Using wet hands so it doesn't stick, roll little balls of sausage meat about the size of large marbles.
Heat a large frying pan with a good drizzle of olive oil, and gently fry the sausage meatballs until golden brown all over, then add the chopped pancetta/bacon and continue cooking for a couple of minutes, until it's golden. While this is cooking, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the linguine and cook according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile in a large bowl, whisk up the egg yolks, cream, half the Parmesan, the lemon zest and chopped parsley. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander, reserving a little of the cooking water, and immediately toss & mix it quickly with the egg mixture back in the pasta pan - the heat of the pasta will cook the egg, and make it into a lovely creamy sauce.
If the sauce seems too thick add a little of the reserved pasta water so that it's smooth and silky, then add the meatballs mixture and toss everything together. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
SERVE - a few turns of black pepper, sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and eat immediately!
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A Little Sidenote:
Classic spaghetti carbonara is made in a very simple way with chopped pancetta, a waft of garlic, pecorino cheese, eggs and no cream! (the cheese and egg mixture makes it creamy). This recipe is adapted adding a few other ingredients and including cream to suit them.
All the best - GH.
ICED RHUBARB PARFAIT
from our guest celebrity chef
MICHEL RHUBARB
Rhubarb is coming into season now that Spring has sprung! Most UK varieties will become available now through April & May.. you might even have your own!
This is a ‘fancy’ way of serving the humble vegetable – which must be encouraged.
SERVES 8 (of course, adjust accordingly if req.)
6 egg yolks
7 oz (200 g) sugar
8 fl oz (250 ml) milk
12 fl oz (350 ml) double cream
3⁄4 pint (450 ml) cooked rhubarb purée, sweetened to taste
(you'll need about 11⁄2 lb/675g raw rhubarb for this).
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Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Put the milk in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour on to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.
Transfer the mixture to a clean pan and return to the heat, cooking the custard over a low heat and stirring continuously until it thickens a little - just enough to coat the back of a spoon - do not allow it to boil. Pour the mixture into a bowl and allow it to cool, beating with a whisk/electric whisk to help, and then chill it well.
Whip the cream until it holds stiff peaks, and then fold the rhubarb purée and cream into the chilled custard mixture. It now needs to be frozen for 4 – 6 hours until firm; you can do this in a cling film lined loaf tin/terrine/dish/freezer container, straight into little pots, up to you. If you are building this into a layered dessert, spooning out the frozen parfait from a bigger dish into your sundae/glass is great.
SERVING
So many options - other fruit purees, and preserved ginger for example, work really well with this. Why not whizz up some apricots & ginger?
Build in some texture and layer – how about some crumbled ginger nut biscuits, shortbread, baked crumble mix, meringue... granola.
A lovely way to round off a home cooked meal, and be a little indulgent.
CLASSIC PIPÉRADE
from our guest celebrity chef
EGON RUNNY
This is a Basque Country dish, which reflects the colours of the Basque flag – it can be served as a breakfast dish, light supper or a side dish. Posh scrambled eggs with ham it may be, but the northern Basque region is fiercely proud of it!
Serves 4 (of course, adjust accordingly if req.)
INGREDIENTS:
Oil and butter
2 red and 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped (if you don’t want to skin, don’t)
1 clove of garlic, finely crushed/chopped
1 med. red chilli pepper, or a pinch of your favourite chilli/paprika/pimento etc.
Chopped thyme
Chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon caster sugar - the ‘secret’ ingredient
6 eggs
4 slices of Bayonne ham/cured ham (e.g., Prosciutto/Parma) /good bacon/or just good ham
*Optional* – toasted buttered ‘robust’ bread of your choice
Heat together some oil and butter in a frying pan and moderately cook the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, spices and herbs/seasonings, until they are soft. Sprinkle in the sugar towards the end of that process, so that it doesn’t burn. Keep aside ready for the eggs.
Gently fry/grill/heat the slices of ham or bacon – think about your toast if you would like this all ‘on toast’ – how about some nice sour dough? Keep all of this warm..
Meanwhile beat the eggs with a touch (dsp. or so) of cold water and carefully stir them into the cooked pepper/tomato etc. mixture (fish out the bay leaf) and gently cook, as you would for scrambled eggs.
Serve – toast, ham/bacon, egg mixture, maybe sprinkle some parsley.. enjoy!
P.S. This is an adaptable recipe – you can adjust the ingredients to suit what you may or may not have, be that the ham – tomatoes type – spice – you may even want to add something else (onion for example) and keep it as a ‘store cupboard’ favourite.
Espellete is a small town in the northern territory of the Basque region where this recipe comes from and is the centre of France's red pepper powder industry. The powdered red pepper that this recipe is based upon comes from here.
BURNS NIGHT
It was a dreich evening when we wandered into the pub, finding the welcoming scene of the normal locals in their usual places, and the log burner blazing.
Although I had a G&T to start with, I did have a whisky ‘scenting’ session to decide which dram I would like. The only whisky I know I like had all been nabbed for the sauce and pudding! I went with the recommendation of Paul Cooper, the bar manager (questionable whether this was sensible on my part!).
Once we’d taken our places and the neeps and tatties brought, the haggis was ceremonially taken to the table. The address to the Haggis was given by James Macpherson, then it was served with a lovely, creamy, whisky sauce. Although completely stuffed to the gills, we somehow found room for a gorgeous homemade Cranachan. All the food tonight was delightfully cooked and served by Nikki and Chloë.
We then enjoyed an impromptu playing of various Scottish traditional songs on the melodeon by Jo Nunn, vocally accompanied by the dulcet tones of Trevor Kay.
All in all it was a great evening. Thank you, Jonty Newbery, for hosting, and thank you Paul, Nikki and Chloë for all their work.
Here’s hoping to more themed evenings - it’s St David’s day next (just saying).
Maggie Burns