Blog

Category: Miscellaneous

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 4 meaty shanks Veal
• ½ cup Flour
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 1 medium chopped into ½-inch pieces Onion
• 1 chopped into ½-inch pieces Carrots
• 1 chopped into ½-inch pieces Celery
• 1 bulb chopped into ½-inch pieces Fennel
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 strips Orange Zest
• 1 ½ teaspoons Marjoram
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• ½ cup Chicken Stock
• 1 cup chopped with juice Tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped Parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced Garlic
• 1 teaspoon grated Lemon Zest

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Dredging the shanks: pour the flour into a shallow dish (a pie plate works nicely). Season the veal shanks on all sides with salt and pepper. One at a time, roll the shanks around in the flour coat, and shake and pat the shank to remove any excuses flour. Discard the remaining flour.
Browning the shanks: put the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a wide Dutch oven or heavy braising pot (6 to 7 quart) and heat over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted and the oil is shimmering, lower the shanks into the pot, flat side down; if the shanks won’t fit without touching one another, do this in batches. Brown the shanks, turning once with tongs, until both flat sides are well caramelized, about 5 minutes per side. If the butter-oil mixture starts to burn, lower the heat just a bit. Transfer the shanks to a large platter or tray and set aside.
The aromatics: pour off and discard the fat from the pot. Wipe out any burnt bits with a damp paper towel, being careful not to remove any delicious little caramelized bits. Ad the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pot and melt it over medium heat. When the butter has stopped foaming, add the onion, carrot, celery, and fennel. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and cook the vegetables until they begin to soften but do not brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, orange zest, marjoram, and bay leaf, and stew for another minute or two.
The braising liquid: add the wine, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, to reduce the wine by about half, 5 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes, with their juice, and boil again to reduce the liquid to about 1 cup total, about 10 minutes.
The braise: Place the shanks in the pot so that they are sitting with the exposed bone facing up, and pour over any juices that accumulated as they sat. Cover with parchment paper, pressing down so the parchment nearly touches the veal and the edges hang over the sides of the pot by about an inch. Cover tightly with the lid, and slide into the lower part of the oven to braise at a gentle simmer. Check the pot after the first 15 minutes, and if the liquid is simmering too aggressively, lower the oven heat by 10 or 15 degrees. Continue braising, turning the shanks and spooning some pan juices over the top after the first 40 minutes, until the meat is completely tender and pulling away from the bone, about 2 hours.
The gremolata: While the shanks are braising, stir together the garlic, parsley, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a cool place (or the refrigerator, if your kitchen is very warm.)
The finish: When the veal is fork-tender and falling away from the bone, remove the lid and sprinkle over half of the gremolata. Return the veal to the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes to caramelize it some.
Using a slotted spatula or spoon, carefully lift the shanks from the braising liquid, doing your best to keep them intact. The shanks will be very tender and threatening to fall into pieces, and the marrow will be wobbly inside the bones, so this can be a bit tricky. But if they do break apart, don’t worry, the flavor won’t suffer at all. Arrange the shanks on a serving platter or other large plate, without stacking, and cover with foil to keep warm.
Finishing the sauce: Set the braising pot on top of the stove and evaluate the sauce: if there is a visible layer of fat floating on the surface, use a large spoon to skim it off and discard it. Taste the sauce for concentration of flavor. If it tastes a bit weak or flat, bring it to a boil over high heat, and boil to reduce the volume and intensify the flavor for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste again for salt and pepper. If the sauce wants more zip, stir in a teaspoon or two of the remaining gremolata.
Portioning the veal shanks: if the shanks are reasonably sized, serve one per person. If the shanks are gargantuan or you’re dealing with modest appetites, pull apart the larger shanks, separating them at their natural seams, and serve smaller amounts. Be sure to give the marrow bones to whomever prizes them most.
Serving: Arrange the veal shanks on warm dinner plates accompanied by the risotto, if serving. Just before carrying the plates to the table, sprinkle on the remaining gremolata and then spoon over a generous amount of sauce – the contact with the hot liquid will aromatize the gremolata and perk up everyone’s appetite with the whiff of garlic and lemon.

Category: Dessert

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 100g Flour
• 2 large Eggs
• 300ml Milk
• 1 tbls Sunflower Oil
• to serve Sugar
• to serve Raspberries
• to serve Blueberries

Instructions:

Put the flour, eggs, milk, 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter. Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time, or start cooking straight away.
Set a medium frying pan or crêpe pan over a medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper. When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
Serve with lemon wedges and sugar, or your favourite filling. Once cold, you can layer the pancakes between baking parchment, then wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.

Category: Chicken

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 4 tbsp Hotsauce
• ½ Lemon Juice
• 2 Buns
• 250g Cheese
• ¼ Cabbage
• 2 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp Sour Cream
• 4 leaves Lettuce
• 2 Red Pepper

Instructions:

STEP 1

Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of baking parchment and use a rolling pin to gently bash them until they are approximately 1cm thick. Cut each chicken breast into two even pieces.

STEP 2

If you're using a frying pan, heat two frying pans over medium-high heat, with one of them containing oil. Fry the chicken in the oiled pan for 3-4 mins on each side until they are cooked through. Season the chicken, reduce the heat, drizzle in the chilli sauce and half of the lemon juice, and cook for an additional 1-2 mins until the sauce is reduced. Remove the chicken from the heat.

STEP 3

If you're using an air-fryer, preheat it to 180C for 4 mins. Add the chicken to the air-fryer and cook for 12 mins. Drizzle over the chilli sauce and half the lemon juice and cook for an additional 1-2 mins until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced. Remove the chicken and keep it warm.
STEP 4

While the chicken is cooking, toast the buns in the dry frying pan for 30 seconds. Transfer them to a plate. If you're using an air fryer, put the buns in the air fryer for 1-2 mins until they are warm. Increase the air fryer temperature to 200C. Add the halloumi to the air fryer basket and cook for 10 mins, turning halfway through, until it's golden. Toss the cabbage with the mayo and the remaining lemon juice.

STEP 5

Spoon the hummus (or dip of your choice) into the toasted buns, then top with the rocket, chilli chicken, halloumi, and peppers. Drizzle with a little more chilli sauce, spoon over the cabbage, season with black pepper, and top with the bun lids. Serve with any extra cabbage on the side or a green salad.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 8 cloves chopped Garlic
• 3 tbsp Caster Sugar
• 2 tblsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 400g Cans Chopped Tomatoes
• Bunch Basil Leaves
• 2 tubs Mascarpone
• 3 tbsp Milk
• 85g Parmesan
• 2 sliced Mozzarella
• 1kg Spinach
• 100g Parmesan
• 3 tubs Ricotta
• pinch Nutmeg
• 400g Cannellini Beans

Instructions:

First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes (see Tips for freezing, below). Set aside. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.

Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in batches). When cool enough to handle squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Parmesan and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. You can now freeze the cannelloni, uncooked, or you can cook it first and then freeze. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 50g Butter
• 250g Self-raising Flour
• 1 small Vanilla
• 50g Suet
• 150ml Milk
• 100g Raspberry Jam
• to serve Custard

Instructions:

Put a deep roasting tin onto the bottom shelf of the oven, and make sure that there’s another shelf directly above it. Pull the roasting tin out on its shelf, fill two-thirds with boiling water from the kettle, then carefully slide it back in. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tear off a large sheet of foil and greaseproof paper (about 30 x 40cm). Sit the greaseproof on top of the foil and butter it.
Tip butter, flour and vanilla seeds into a food processor; pulse until the butter has disappeared. Tip into a mixing bowl. Stir through the suet, pour in the milk and work together with a cutlery knife until you get a sticky dough. You may need a drop more milk, depending on your flour.
Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, quickly pat together to smooth, then roll out to a square roughly 25 x 25cm. Spread the jam all over, leaving a gap along one edge, then roll up from the opposite edge. Pinch the jam-free edge into the dough where it meets, and pinch the ends roughly, too. Carefully lift onto the greased paper, join-side down (you might find a flat baking sheet helpful for this), loosely bring up the paper and foil around it, then scrunch together along the edges and ends to seal. The roly-poly will puff quite a bit during cooking so don’t wrap it tightly. Lift the parcel directly onto the rack above the tin and cook for 1 hr.
Let the pudding sit for 5 mins before unwrapping, then carefully open the foil and paper, and thickly slice to serve.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 400g Roasted Vegetables
• 1 can Kidney Beans
• 1 can Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Packet Mixed Grain

Instructions:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Cook the vegetables in a casserole dish for 15 mins. Tip in the beans and tomatoes, season, and cook for another 10-15 mins until piping hot. Heat the pouch in the microwave on High for 1 min and serve with the chilli.

Category: Beef

Area: Irish

Ingredients:

• 3 Lbs Potatoes
• 3 Lbs Small Potatoes
• 1/2 cup Salted Butter
• 1 oz Mushrooms
• 3/4 cup Brown Lentils
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 3 cups Onion
• 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
• Bay Leaves
• Olive Oil
• 2 cups Dry White Wine
• 8 cups Vegetable Stock
• 2 tbsp Cornstarch
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• Parsley
• Sage
• Chives

Instructions:

Add Ingredients:

12 cups chopped mixed vegetables
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 cup pearl onions

TOPPING:

Preheat oven to 450°. Bake potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly, then peel. Press potatoes through a ricer, food mill, or colander into a large bowl. Add butter; stir until well blended. Stir in milk. Season to taste with salt.

FILLING:

Soak dried porcini in 3 cups hot water; set aside. Combine lentils, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp. salt, and 4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender but not mushy, 15–20 minutes. Drain lentils and discard garlic.

Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is caramelized, 2–3 minutes.

Add bay leaves and wine; stir, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in porcini, slowly pouring porcini soaking liquid into pan but leaving any sediment behind. Bring to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 45 minutes.

Strain mixture into a large saucepan and bring to a boil; discard solids in strainer. Stir cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to dissolve. Add cornstarch mixture; simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in miso. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 450°. Toss vegetables and pearl onions with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, 5 garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast, stirring once, until tender, 20–25 minutes. Transfer garlic cloves to a small bowl; mash well with a fork and stir into sauce. Discard rosemary. DO AHEAD: Lentils, sauce, and vegetables can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.
Arrange lentils in an even layer in a 3-qt. baking dish; set dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Toss roasted vegetables with fresh mushrooms and chopped herbs; layer on top of lentils. Pour sauce over vegetables. Spoon potato mixture evenly over.

Bake until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Category: Seafood

Area: Portuguese

Ingredients:

• 600g Haddock
• 300g Potatoes
• 1 chopped Green Chilli
• 3 tbs Coriander
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 pieces Ginger
• 2 tbs Flour
• 3 Eggs
• 75g Breadcrumbs
• For frying Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

STEP 1

Put the fish into a lidded pan and pour over enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and gently poach for 10 minutes over a low heat with the lid on. Drain and flake the fish.

STEP 2

Put the fish, potato, green chilli, coriander, cumin, black pepper, garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Season, add the rice flour, mix well and break in 1 egg. Stir the mixture and divide into 15, then form into small logs. Break the remaining eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Put the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Dip each fofo in the beaten egg followed by the breadcrumb mixture. Chill for 20 minutes.

STEP 3

Heat 1cm of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the fofos in batches for 2 minutes on each side, turning gently to get an even golden brown colour all over. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining fofos.

STEP 4

For the onion salad, mix together the onion, coriander and lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Serve with the fofos and mango chutney.

Category: Seafood

Area: Russian

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs Olive Oil
• 1 sliced Onion
• 2 medium Carrots
• 3 cups Fish Stock
• 3 cups Water
• 4 large Potatoes
• 3 Bay Leaf
• 1 Cod
• 1 Salmon

Instructions:

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions start to caramelize. Add the carrots and cook until the carrots start to soften, about 4 more minutes.
Add the stock, water, potatoes, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the millet and cook for 15 more minutes until millet and potatoes are cooked.
Gently add the fish cubes. Stir and bring the soup to a simmer. The fish will cook through very fast, so make sure to not overcook them. They are done when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily.
Garnish the soup with chopped fresh dill or parsley before serving.

Category: Pork

Area: Japanese

Ingredients:

• 4 Pork Chops
• 100g Flour
• 2 Beaten Eggs
• 100g Breadcrumbs
• Fry Vegetable Oil
• 2 tbs Tomato Ketchup
• 2 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbs Oyster Sauce
• 2 tblsp Caster Sugar

Instructions:

STEP 1
Remove the large piece of fat on the edge of each pork loin, then bash each of the loins between two pieces of baking parchment until around 1cm in thickness – you can do this using a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin. Once bashed, use your hands to reshape the meat to its original shape and thickness – this step will ensure the meat is as succulent as possible.

STEP 2
Put the flour, eggs and panko breadcrumbs into three separate wide-rimmed bowls. Season the meat, then dip first in the flour, followed by the eggs, then the breadcrumbs.

STEP 3
In a large frying or sauté pan, add enough oil to come 2cm up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 180C – if you don’t have a thermometer, drop a bit of panko into the oil and if it sinks a little then starts to fry, the oil is ready. Add two pork chops and cook for 1 min 30 secs on each side, then remove and leave to rest on a wire rack for 5 mins. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.

STEP 4
While the pork is resting, make the sauce by whisking the ingredients together, adding a splash of water if it’s particularly thick. Slice the tonkatsu and serve drizzled with the sauce.