Weekend food with Darina Allen
James Ramsden, from Yorkshire, who spent 12 weeks with us in 2004, has had a fun time using his cooking skills.
In 2009, he launched the Secret Larder Supper Club in London with his sister. He has written about food and cookery for The Times, The Guardian, Sainsbury’s Magazine and was chosen as one of the ‘40 Bloggers who Really Count’ by The Times in May, 2010.
He’s totally passionate about food and has been chosen as an exciting, irrepressible New Voice in Food, published by Quadrille; James is also one of a generation of sophisticated 20 and 30 somethings, many of whom, despite being bang in step with current trends, are hesitant to cook anything more demanding than pasta.
In his first book — Small Adventures in Cooking — the influential food blogger and pop-up supper club host aims to get his peers out of their culinary rut and to start experimenting with recipes that are delicious, unexpected and simple.
I’ve just chosen a menu from the book that is perfect for this weekend.
The human race, you’ve probably noticed, is quite fond of stuffing bits of meat between pieces of bread. At their best, kebabs sit proudly at the top of the sandwich hierarchy — soft, ever-so-slightly pink hunks of lamb prodded generously into soft, warm pitta and licked with garlicky mayonnaise and chilli. The flatbread here is very easy to make, but by all means buy a few pittas to save time if you like.
Serves 8
250g (9oz) thick natural yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
2 sprigs of rosemary, needles picked and finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1kg (2¼lb) lamb leg off the bone, cubed and trimmed of any excess fat
A clove of garlic, crushed
5 tbsp mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
300g (10 ½ oz) strong white bread flour
140g (5 ¼ oz) plain flour
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
1 tsp salt
200ml (7fl oz) warm water
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp thick natural yoghurt
Chilli sauce
½ a small white cabbage, finely shredded
1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
2 carrots, grated
1 iceberg lettuce, finely sliced
Mix the yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice, cumin seeds and chopped rosemary in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and loosen with a glug of oil. Coat the lamb in the yoghurt mixture and leave to marinate for 1–2 hours. While the lamb marinates, make the flatbreads following the instructions below.
Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7. Tip the marinated lamb into a roasting tray in an even layer and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, get a griddle or frying pan hot over a medium-high-heat and, one at a time, cook the breads for 2 minutes a side, keeping warm in a clean tea towel. Turn the heat down a notch if the breads are burning.
Remove the lamb from the oven and rest while you finish off any breads that remain. Stir the crushed garlic through the mayonnaise and serve with your chosen accompaniments. Let your guests fashion their own kebabs, stuffing the breads with the lamb, garlic mayo, chilli sauce and vegetables.
Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl before adding the water, oil and yoghurt and mixing together. Knead on a clean, floured surface until smooth and elastic. Divide into 8 pieces and roll out the flatbreads thinly. Leave to rest for at least half an hour, separated by sheets of baking paper.
Serves 10
Chinese five-spice is a handy condiment for the cupboard. Its aromatic qualities transform the simplest cuts of meat into something spectacular, and make your kitchen smell better than the streets of Chinatown. Chicken wings are cheap, too. You can usually find them in supermarkets; otherwise give your nearest butcher a call a day in advance and I imagine he’ll practically give them to you (though don’t quote me on that).
4 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
3–4 tsp hot chilli powder
4 tsp runny honey
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
A few drops of sesame oil
Salt and pepper
2–3kg chicken wings
Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
In a large bowl, mix together the five-spice, chilli powder, honey, soy sauce and olive and sesame oils. Season with salt and pepper and toss in the chicken wings, coating thoroughly. Tip into a roasting tray or two and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. They’ll be cooked in less time if you’re desperate to eat, but ideally you’d give them time to get good and sticky. Serve with paper napkins.
Serves 4
2 heads of green chicory
½ a red onion, peeled and very finely sliced
100g (3½oz) pickled radishes (see below)
A bunch of coriander
A handful of mint leaves
Juice of ½ a lime
1 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp groundnut oil
A pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper
1 apple
Wash the chicory and remove the outer leaves. What you do next is up to you — you can either pull the lettuce apart and serve the leaves whole, tear the leaves by hand, or slice the as thick or thinly as you like. Whatever you choose, keep the leaves in iced water until ready to serve.
Put the red onion and pickled radishes in a bowl and stir to combine. Chop the coriander and mint and add to the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, oil and sugar and season with salt and pepper.
When ready to serve, thoroughly dry the chicory leaves and add to the radishes and onion before grating in the apple. Toss through the dressing and serve immediately.
Drop any preconceptions that I have completely lost the plot here and please have a go at this tart. It will knock your socks off, and your guests will think you’re a total wizard.
Serves 8
1 x basic homemade shortcrust pastry or 300g ready-made shortcrust pastry
3 eggs, 1 beaten
250ml (9fl oz) double cream
125ml (4fl oz) whole milk
2 tbsp caster sugar
200g (7oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
100g (3½ oz) milk chocolate
10 cardamom pods
½ tsp hot chilli powder
Salt
200ml single cream
Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out the pastry. Line a 25cm tart tin with the pastry and prick all over with a fork. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (or the freezer for 10). Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
Line the pastry shell with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Discard the baking paper and beans and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Put back in the oven for five minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and turn down to 160C/Gas 2.
Meanwhile, put the cream, milk and sugar in a medium saucepan and whisk over a medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to just below boiling point and remove from the heat. Break the chocolate into pieces and stir it into the hot cream, leaving to melt completely. Lightly crush the cardamom pods and remove the little black seeds. Crush these in a pestle and mortar and add to the mix, along with the chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Finally, beat the remaining eggs and stir into the mix until glossy. Tip this into the tart shell and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until set.
Remove and leave to cool completely, before serving with the single cream.
- The 63rd Dunmanway Agricultural Show will take place on Sunday, July 3, 2011, at Dromleena Lawn (racecourse) Dunmanway. The show will incorporate a farmers’ market and craft fair, with a local west Cork flavour. Contact Kitty Cotter on 086-2782413 or go to www.dunmawayshow.com.
- Look out for fresh gooseberries at the farmers’ markets — for making jam, compotes, crumbles, puddings. Enjoy them while they are at their best.
- Scrumptious salads and sandwiches — half-day course with Darina Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Thursday, July 28, 2011 from 2pm to 5pm. Tel: 021-4646785.
- Glenilen Farm have recently taken a stall at Mahon Point farmers’ market. They bring in fresh milk from their farm in Drimoleague every Thursday, which they sell in refillable one-litre glass bottles. Try their strawberry and yoghurt smoothies and also pick up some country butter. Check out www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com or www.glenilen.com.
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