Place a saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil. Cook the bacon until crispy. Set aside. Add the onion to the same saucepan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add about three quarters of the peas and all of the stock. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a low simmer for 15 minutes. Blitz the soup with a plunge blender until smooth. Now add the peas that you kept aside, break the bacon into pieces and add those and the butter. Gently simmer the soup for 5 minutes. Serve with bacon and cheese toasties.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line the bottom and sides of a 22cm diameter loose-bottom cake tin, with baking paper. NB: the paper should stick 10cm above the rim of the cake tin as the cake will rise up. Sprinkle 30ml of the sugar and 2,5ml of the ground cinnamon on the bottom of the baking tin and then set it aside. Place a saucepan on medium-high heat and pour in the 1 litre milk, butter, 250ml sugar and another 2,5ml cinnamon. Remove the saucepan from the heat as soon as small bubbles start appearing on the sides of the pan. Add the cornflour, flour, salt, egg yolks and 250ml milk to a bowl and whisk together. Drizzle the milk into this mixture while whisking. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat. Stir the mixture until it thickens and has a custard consistency. Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold it into the custard. Gently pour the custard into the prepared cake tin. Sprinkle the leftover 30ml sugar and 2,5ml cinnamon over the batter. Bake the military in the oven for 50 minutes. Remove and cool completely before serving.
1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 500g prawns, shelled and cleaned 375g mashed potato 125ml grated cheddar cheese 2 eggs about 500ml panko breadcrumbs vegetable oil to fry
Place a saucepan over medium-high heat, add a splash of oil and the onion to it and cook until soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add the prawns and cook until pink – about 3 minutes. Spoon the mixture into a food processor, add 5ml salt and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the mashed potato and cheddar cheese and pulse until the mixture is incorporated. Taste and season according to your liking. Beat the eggs together in a shallow bowl. Add the breadcrumbs to another shallow bowl. Scoop 30ml of the prawn mixture into your hands and shape into a log. Dip the log into the egg and then roll it in the breadcrumbs to cover. Refrigerate the shaped croquettes for 30 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil and fry the croquettes in batches for 3-4 minutes at a time. Serve warm with a tartar sauce on the side.
This recipe is my adaptation to make it easier/quicker/simpler to make Ottolenghi’s Roasted hake with fenugreek onions. The original recipe can be found in his book OTK on page 191.
5ml fennel seeds 5ml mustard seeds 10ml ground cumin 5ml ground turmeric 60ml + 45ml olive oil 40g + 40g + 20g butter, cubed 6 large onions, peeled and sliced 5ml salt 1 green chilli, finely chopped 5ml + 2,5ml sugar 12 hake medallions, unfrozen and dried on kitchen paper 10ml lemon juice 3 lemons cut into wedges
Mix the fennel, mustard, cumin and turmeric together in a small bowl. Spoon 5ml of this spice mixture out into another small bowl and set both bowls aside. Place a large pan over medium-high heat and add 60ml olive oil and 40g butter to it. Wait for the butter to melt before adding the onions and salt. Turn the heat down and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every now and then. Add the chopped green chilli and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the 5ml sugar and the spice mix, stir for 30 seconds and remove it from the heat. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 200℃. Add the 45ml olive oil, 40g butter, 2,5ml sugar, 5ml spice mix and a pinch of salt to a 24cm x 24cm ceramic dish and mix together in the dish so that it covers the bottom. Pack the fish tightly into the dish and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the onion mixture over the fish medallions in an even layer and dot the surface with small pieces of the 20g butter. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes. Drizzle 10ml lemon juice over the fish and serve with the lemon wedges on the side.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Place a 24cm cast iron pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour in the milk and cream and add the cinnamon. Whisk to incorporate. Remove the pan from the oven, add the butter to it and swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Pack the croissant halves, cut-side down into the pan and pour the egg mixture over it. Cover the pan with aluminium foil, place it back into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to stand for 10 minutes. Sieve some icing sugar over the croissant bake and scatter over fresh berries. Serve while warm.
30ml vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves of garlic, minced 15ml sugar 5ml ground cinnamon 10ml salt 1kg beef chuck, cut into 3cm pieces 1 x 385g tin of chopped tomatoes 250ml beef stock 1 small pumpkin, 500g cubed and the rest cut into wedges 15ml cornflour 1 x tin coconut milk
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a roasting tin with baking paper. Place large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil and onion and cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and stir-fry for one minute. Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt and stir through. Now add the beef cubes, chopped tomatoes and beef stock and bring to a simmer. Gently cook the meat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pumpkin wedges to the roasting tin and brush vegetable oil all over. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the wedges for 15 minutes, flip them over and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep warm. Add the cubed pumpkin to the saucepan and simmer for another 20-30 minutes until beautifully soft. Mix the cornflour with 45ml of the coconut milk and drizzle the mixture into the saucepan. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve the pumpkin stew on steamed rice with a wedge of roasted pumpkin on top.
1 kg pork belly, skin removed and cut into 5cm cubes 2 cloves of garlic, minced 5ml red chilli flakes 60ml soy sauce 60ml apple cider vinegar 30ml brown sugar 15ml sesame oil 1,2ml salt 15ml sesame seeds 15ml chives, finely chopped
Add the garlic, chilli flakes, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the pork belly cubes, mix to coat and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour. Preheat your oven to 190℃ and line an oven tray with baking paper. Arrange the cubed meat on the prepared tray, spacing the meat evenly. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn each of the cubes over and place it back in the oven for another 30 minutes – do take cake not to burn the meat – place a sheet of aluminium foil over the baking tray if it is brown enough. Remove the pork from the oven and sprinkle over the sesame seeds and chives.
9 chicken drumsticks 700g potato, about 5 potatoes 45ml chives, chopped 10ml salt 15ml chicken spice 80g mozzarella cheese, grated 3 eggs 250ml breadcrumbs sunflower oil for frying
Place the chicken in a large saucepan, cover with stock and cook until the meat falls off the bones. Separate the meat and bones but keep the bones. Set aside. Cook the potato in salted water until soft and mash until smooth. Add the chicken meat and potato to a mixing bowl and then add the chives, salt, chicken spice and mozzarella and mix until well blended. Divide the mixture into 9 equal portions. Scoop most of one portion (it is quite a big handful!) into your hand, place the end of the chicken bone into the centre with about two thirds of it sticking out, scoop up the rest of the portion of meat and potato and squeeze it together and around the bone with both hands until it sticks. Place this shaped lollipop on a baking tray and proceed to shape the rest. Now whisk the eggs together in a shallow bowl and place the breadcrumbs in another. Dip each of the lollipops in the eggs and then cover with breadcrumbs. Set aside. Warm the oil in a saucepan and fry the chicken lollipops until golden and crispy on the outside.
Cinnamon paste: 113g butter, melted 310ml brown sugar 30ml ground cinnamon a pinch of salt
Icing: 30ml cream cheese, room temperature 1,2ml almond extract 1,2ml vanilla a pinch of salt 250ml icing sugar, sifted 30ml milk
Warm the milk until tepid and pour it into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over, stir to dissolve and set aside until bubbly. Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix together. Add the yoghurt and egg to a small bowl and whisk together. Add the milk mixture and yoghurt mixture to the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until a ball of dough forms. Place the dough in an oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for about 2 hours. Lightly oil a clean work surface. Roll the dough on the oiled surface until it is a large rectangle. Mix the butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and spread it evenly over the dough rectangle – spread it right to the edges. Roll the long side of the dough up and cut rolls from it: divide the roll in half; divide the two half in half; etc. Grease a 22cm round cake tin and place the rolls cut side up in it. Cover and set aside to rise for an hour or refrigerate overnight. Preheat your oven to 190℃. Bake the rolls for 25 minutes before removing and placing it on a cooling rack. Add the cream cheese, almond essence, vanilla and salt to a small bowl and whisk together. Now add the icing sugar and stir through. Add the milk a little at a time so that the mixture is thick. Drizzle the icing over the rolls while warm.
Preheat your oven to 170℃ and spray the sides of a fixed-bottom cake tin with cooking spray. Peel the pears and slice them into 8 wedges each. Arrange the wedges on the bottom of the cake tin and set aside. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Do not stir but swirl the mixture from time-to-time until you have a caramel. Remove from the heat and pour the syrup over the pear wedges in the cake tin. Set aside. Add the butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat and gently simmer it for 5 minutes or so. Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and add the honey, buttermilk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Whisk the mixture together. Now sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt. Mix until you have a smooth batter. Pour the cake batter onto the pears wedges and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the cake from the oven and invert it onto a plate – leave the upturned cake tin for a few minutes before removing it. Serve the cake with a dollop of cream, ice cream or yoghurt.
My Whisk and I 