NEW
COOKBOOK Culinary creations from the Country Life kitchen
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition
Inside: Our favourite produce for every season
Delightful dishes with... . Succulent meats & game . Fresh fruit & verdant vegetables . Delicious & dainty desserts
Welcome to the
COOKBOOK Food is deeply intertwined with nature. The four seasons bring a cornucopia of fresh ingredients into their prime. Whether you’re foraging for wild garlic in the springtime, or going blackberrypicking with the family in the early Autumn, a whole host of produce begs to be taken home and cooked up in your kitchen. Gardeners and home cooks alike will delight in Country Life’s selection of the best seasonal recipes, which show you how to make the most of the month’s fruits and vegetables, as well as highlight some truly best of British dishes. From Princess Anne’s favourite pheasant recipe, to an imaginative wintery spin on childhood classic banana bread, Country Life presents the magazine’s finest recipes that you can feast on all year round.
COOKBOOK Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA
Editorial Editor Alice Barnes-Brown Designer Madelene King Senior Art Editor Andy Downes Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker Editorial Director Jon White Country Life Editorial Editor-in-Chief Mark Hedges Managing & Features Editor Paula Lester Group Art Director Dean Usher Contributors Rebecca Greig Photography All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove International Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw
[email protected] Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Matthew Eglinton Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Managers Keely Miller, Nola Cokely, Vivienne Calvert, Fran Twentyman Printed by Walstead UK Limited Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001 Country Life Cookbook First Edition (FSB3851) © 2021 Future Publishing Limited We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this bookazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. The paper holds full FSC or PEFC certification and accreditation. All contents © 2021 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
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Contents Appealing Appetisers
Lovely Lunches
46 Iberico ham, broad beans
10 Brussels sprout gratin with a gruyere and hazelnut top
30 Venison burgers with Asian red cabbage slaw and chilli mayo
48 Summer halloumi and chilli meatball spaghetti with broad beans and citrus flavours
12 Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy sauce
32 Scallops with pearl barley, clementines and clementine ponzu
50 Orzo with rocket and sweet-chilli prawns
14 Potato pancakes with spiced prawns and creamed spinach
34 Celeriac, mushroom and Parmesan tart with truffle salt
16 Cauliflower soup with three cheese tear-andshare sourdough
36 Minestrone soup with cavolo nero and harissa meatballs
18 Spring pizza with asparagus, prosciutto and burrata
38 Sticky pomegranate chicken with giant couscous
20 Asian duck salad with cucumbers and hoisin dressing
40 Dover sole with shrimps and tomato
22 Wild garlic pesto
42 Salmon, watercress and horseradish tart
24 Conserved tomatoes 26 Leek vinaigrette 6 Country Life Cookbook
44 Warm new potato salad with salmon, tzatziki, feta and pomegranate
52 Mackerel on potatoes and bay 54 Pheasant and wild mushroom macaroni with Parmesan breadcrumbs
Delectable Dinners 58 Sticky sloe gin venison steaks with parsnip and spinach rösti 60 Roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, blood oranges and avocado salsa 62 Coca-Cola ham
64 Herb-crusted haddock with pesto and lemon roasted new potatoes and leeks
86 Devilled pheasant
108 Italian panforte
88 Sliced runner bean, chicken and ciabatta tray bake
110 Super simple rhubarb and ginger pie
90 Gressingham duck breasts with a pear and red wine glaze
112 Pretty-in-pink blood orange Bundt cake
68 Hoi Mangpu Op (steamed mussels with lemongrass, lime leaves and basil)
92 Roasted butternut and free range pork sausage tray bake
114 Almond, rhubarb and raspberry cake with elderflower cream
70 Risotto Primavera
94 White truffle risotto
72 Thai prawn Khao Soi
96 Persian chicken, quince and saffron casserole, with bejewelled rice
66 Chicken and artichoke pithiviers, with roasted and caramelised chicory
74 Monkfish and prawn curry with homemade garlic naan bread 76 Green goddess risotto with wild garlic, wild garlic oil and crab 78 Chinese spring-onion and chilli sea bass with egg-fried rice and bok choi 80 Seafood and fennel pie 82 Normandy chicken with apples 84 Partridge pepper fry
116 Beetroot and chocolate torte with beetroot meringue 118 Carrot and saltedcaramel cheesecake
Delightful Desserts
120 Strawberry and hazelnut meringue roulade with hazelnut praline
100 Clementine and almond cake with clementine crème diplomate
122 Mango and raspberry tart
102 Chocolate and chestnut cake with meringue
124 Late-summer plum and ricotta crumble cake
104 Banana, walnut and salted maple syrup loaf with maple mascarpone 106 Pomegranate, pistachio and orange cake
126 Blackberry and violet mascarpone chocolate layer cake 128 Pumpkin cinnamon rolls www.countrylife.co.uk 7
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10 Brussels sprout gratin with a gruyere and hazelnut top 12 Purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy sauce 14 Potato pancakes with spiced prawns and creamed spinach 16 Cauliflower soup with three cheese tear-andshare sourdough 18 Spring pizza with asparagus, prosciutto and burrata 20 Asian duck salad with cucumbers and hoisin dressing 22 Wild garlic pesto 24 Conserved tomatoes 26 Leek vinaigrette
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Appealing Appetisers
Winter Brussels sprout gratin with a gruyere-andhazelnut top Serves 4 Ingredients For the gratin 300 g | 3 cups | 10.5 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved 175 g | 1 cup | 6 oz butternut squash, peeled and diced 175 g | 1 cup | 6 oz sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1 red onion, thinly sliced 180 g | 1½ cups | 6.3 oz whole chestnuts 1 tbsp chopped rosemary 1 tsp thyme Splash of olive oil 400 ml | 1½ cups | 14 fl oz vegetable stock 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz double cream
Strozzapreti pasta with Brussels sprouts and pancetta Drop 300g | 10.5 oz strozzapreti pasta into boiling, salted water and cook for four minutes, until al dente. In a large pan, fry a few strips of chopped pancetta in a good glug of olive oil, with a crushed clove of garlic, a scattering of chilli flakes, a splash of white wine and 100g | 3.5 oz of chopped, cooked Brussels sprouts. Drain the pasta and tip into the pan. Mix well, grate Parmesan over the top and serve.
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Put all the prepared vegetables and herbs—sprouts, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, onion, chestnuts, rosemary and thyme—in a large ovenproof dish. (we used a 10in fluted quiche dish.) Pour over a generous glug of olive oil and mix everything around until lightly coated. Sprinkle with sea salt and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until you see the edges of the vegetables begin to char. Meanwhile, pour the hot stock into a medium-sized jug, together with the wholegrain mustard, double cream and seasoning. Whisk well to combine everything. Pour this mixture into the dish to almost completely cover the vegetables. To make the topping, sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the whole surface of the dish, followed by the gruyere and, finally, the hazelnuts. Pop the dish back into the oven—this would be a good time to put a tray of sausages into the oven, if you are having them—and cook for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the edges bubbling. Serve with sausages, as a side dish or as a vegetarian option on Christmas Day.
For the topping 150 g | 1 cup | 5.3 oz fresh white breadcrumbs 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz gruyere, grated 60 g | ½ cup | 6 oz chopped hazelnuts To serve Sausages
Love them or hate them, Brussels sprouts may divide us, but at Christmas time they’re unmissable 10 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with Brussels sprouts
A side of Brussels sprouts Trim and halve 200g | 7 oz of Brussels sprouts. Add them to a large, hot frying pan foaming with butter and fry until almost soft. Stir every so often. Once cooked, scatter with a few tablespoons of pomegranate seeds and a teaspoon each of pomegranate molasses and syrupy balsamic vinegar. Season and top with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
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Purple-sprouting broccoli with anchovy sauce Serves 2 as a side Ingredients 500 g | 6 cups | 17 oz purple-sprouting broccoli, bigger stalks removed Salt and pepper 50g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz anchovies, preferably dry salted ones, soaked for half an hour in a couple of changes of water, then filleted and chopped 3 small dried red chillies, very finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 6 tbsp olive oil 1 lemon
Method Set a large pan of lightly salted water to boil. Put the anchovies, chillies, garlic and oil in a large frying pan and cook over a medium heat for three minutes. Stir well to crush the anchovies, then set aside. Boil the broccoli for two minutes and drain. Return the frying pan to a high flame and tip the broccoli in, stir and fry for a minute to coat it with its flavourings. Serve hot or at room temperature with a squeeze of lemon juice. For a pasta sauce Follow the above recipe, but cut the broccoli into small pieces. Boil some penne or, more authentically, orecchiette, until al dente and toss it in the frying pan with the broccoli. This dish is best finished with some more oil and a little grated feta cheese.
All images © Getty
Pasta sauce note At all times with this dish, watch the salt; anchovies are very salty, as is feta. The Italian version of feta is called ricotta salata, literally ‘salted ricotta’.
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Appealing Appetisers
Potato pancakes with spiced prawns and creamed spinach Serves 4 Ingredients For the pancakes 300 g | 1 cup | 10.5 oz cold mashed potato 3 eggs 100 g | ⅔ cup | 3.5 oz plain/all-purpose flour 150 ml | ½ cup | 5.3 fl oz milk 1 tsp baking powder For the spinach 3 spring onions, chopped 2 tbsp white wine 1 clove of garlic, crushed 200 g | 7 cups | 7 oz baby spinach 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 fl oz plain set yoghurt For the prawns 1 tbsp butter 230 g | 1¼ cups | 8 oz raw prawns A squeeze of lemon To serve 4 tbsp chopped chives Pea shoots
Method In a large bowl, break up the mashed potatoes with a whisk. Add the eggs, flour, milk and baking powder and keep whisking until the mixture is completely smooth. Season well and set aside until ready to cook. Heat a knob of butter with a small splash of oil in a large, non-stick pan. Once this is foaming, add spoonfuls of the potato pancake mixture, pressing down so they’re roughly the size of a crumpet. Once lightly browned, turn them over and cook on the other side. Place on a plate and keep warm in an oven set to a low temperature. Repeat with the remaining pancake mixture. Add a splash more oil to the pan and cook the chopped spring onions for a few minutes before adding the white wine and crushed garlic. Simmer for a minute or so until the wine has been absorbed by the onions and garlic. Add the baby spinach and stir the mixture around until all the spinach has wilted and gone a darker green. Now, stir in the yoghurt. Season well and keep warm in the oven, together with the potato pancakes. Add the tablespoon of butter and raw prawns to the same frying pan. Cook the prawns gently until pink and finish them with a little seasoning and a squeeze of lemon. To assemble the dish, arrange a couple of potato pancakes on each plate. Arrange the spinach on top, followed by the prawns. Garnish with a generous sprinkling of chives and a few pea shoots. Serve immediately.
Delicious and healthy spinach is as delightful in a salad as it is served with the greatest comfort foods 14 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with spinach Vegan spinach falafel wraps with beetroot hummus (below) Soak 125 g | 4.4 oz dried chickpeas in water overnight. Rinse them well and tip them into a food processor with a chopped red onion, a handful of fresh baby spinach, two cloves of garlic and one teaspoon each of cumin and coriander seeds. Process until coarse, but not a paste. Take spoonfuls of the mixture and shape into small balls. Put falafels on a plate and chill until ready to cook. To make the hummus, process four cooked beetroots with two tablespoons of tahini, two cloves of garlic, seasoning and a squeeze of lemon until smooth. Fry the falafels in half an inch of neutral oil (such as sunflower or groundnut) until golden all over. Warm the wraps and add hummus, falafels, spinach leaves, chopped radishes and avocado. Sprinkle with cress and serve immediately.
Chicken with almond-andspinach pesto Process 200 g | 7 oz of Parmesan, 150 g | 5.3 oz of baby spinach, a handful of fresh basil, two cloves of garlic, 200 g | 7 oz blanched almonds and 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz olive oil to a paste. Fry chopped chicken breasts until browned and set aside. Fry a chopped onion until soft. Return the chicken to the pan and add a splash of white wine. Add the pesto and 200 ml | 7 fl oz chicken stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce has blended. Serve with brown rice. Butternut-and-spinach gratin Layer slices of butternut squash with spinach and just cover with seasoned single cream. Grate cheese on top and bake in a moderately hot oven for 35 minutes.
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More ways with cauliflower Battered cauliflower wraps with quick-pickled cauliflower leaves (below) Make a simple batter with equal amounts of flour and milk. Season, add chilli flakes and then dip florets of cauliflower in the batter, coating them all over, before baking on a parchmentlined sheet in a moderately hot oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the cauliflower leaves into a jar. In a saucepan, heat 400 ml | 14 fl oz white-wine vinegar, 200 ml | 7 fl oz water, a tablespoon of honey and seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for three minutes. Pour the vinegar over the cauliflower leaves and leave to cool before chilling in a refrigerator. To serve, warm the wraps, then add hummus, the battered cauliflower, pickled leaves, yoghurt, chillies, pomegranate seeds and parsley and roll them up.
Cauliflower salad with smoked salmon, pine nuts and dill Thinly slice raw cauliflower and arrange it on a large serving plate. Place smoked salmon on top and scatter with toasted pine nuts and dill. Serve with a sweet honey-and-mustard vinaigrette. Side of Parmesan cauliflower Cut a cauliflower into florets and place them in a bowl. Pour enough melted butter over them to coat the florets. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan, then arrange the florets on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
Cauliflower soup with three-cheese tear-andshare sourdough Serves 4 Ingredients For the soup 50 g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz butter (plus more for frying) 1 small onion, chopped 1 cauliflower 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz milk 300 ml | 1 cup | 10.5 fl oz chicken stock 2 tbsp double cream 50 g | ⅓ cup | 1.7 oz chopped, roasted hazelnuts 4 spring onions, green part only, chopped For the sourdough 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz grated Cheddar 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz grated Gruyère 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz grated Parmesan 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped 1 sourdough loaf 3 tbsp olive oil
Method Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the chopped onion and sweat it until soft and translucent. Slice four, flat mini steaks from the cauliflower and set them aside. Roughly chop the remainder and gently fry with the softened onions before adding the milk. Bring to a near boil and then pour in the stock. Continue cooking until the soup mixture is heated throughout, by which time, the cauliflower should be tender. Remove from the heat and purée using either a blender or a stick blender before passing the soup through a finemesh sieve into a saucepan. Set aside until ready to serve. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses, crushed garlic and rosemary and mix well. Cut a grid into the top of the loaf of bread, taking care not to slice all the way through, so it remains in one piece. Spoon the cheese mixture into the openings, then drizzle the cheesy loaf with olive oil and wrap it loosely in foil. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted through. Finally, fry the little cauliflower steaks in butter until lightly browned, remove and sprinkle with seasoning. To serve, heat the soup until piping hot and spoon into bowls, stirring in the cream to create a marbled effect. Top each bowl with a cauliflower steak, scattering them with the roasted hazelnuts and chopped spring onions. Unwrap the warm, cheesy sourdough and serve it on a bread board alongside the soup.
Hugely versatile and delicious, cauliflower can be the star of the show or simply a side act www.countrylife.co.uk 17
Appealing Appetisers
Spring pizza with asparagus, prosciutto and burrata Serves 2 Ingredients For the pizza dough 200 ml | ⅔ cup | 7 fl oz warm water 1 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp dried yeast (one sachet) 125 g | 1 cup | 4 oz plain flour 125 g | 1 cup | 4 oz wholemeal flour 1 tsp salt Olive oil for greasing For the pesto base sauce 4 tbsp pesto 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz olive oil Juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard For the topping 12 asparagus spears 100 g | ⅔ cup | 3.5 oz garden peas 200 g | ⅔ cup | 7 oz burrata cheese 6 slices Parma ham 2 spring onions, sliced A handful of rocket 2 tsp chilli flakes Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Method
Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Blanch the asparagus spears in boiling water for two minutes, then refresh them in ice water (to retain their colour) and cut them in half. Similarly, blanch and refresh the garden peas. Put the warm water, sugar and yeast in a jug and leave for a few moments. Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour the contents of the jug into the well and mix with a wooden spoon to form a dough, then use floured hands to bring it together into a ball. Knead for about 10 minutes, by which time it should be smooth. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic film and leave for about an hour in a warm place to double in size. Meanwhile, prepare the base sauce by simply adding the pesto, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and seasoning to an old jam jar and shaking vigorously (lid firmly on). Set aside. Divide the risen pizza dough into two halves. Gently roll each out as thinly as you can and place them on an oiled baking sheet. Brush the pizza bases generously with the pesto sauce and then scatter with the prepared asparagus and peas. Bake for 10 minutes or until the base is lightly golden. Remove from the oven and arrange pieces of the burrata over the hot pizzas, together with the Parma ham, spring onions, rocket and chilli flakes. Finish with a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Spikes of asparagus in the kitchen garden are a sure sign that the British spring has truly arrived 18 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with asparagus Loaded baked sweet potatoes with asparagus (below) Prick the skin of two sweet potatoes and rub all over with olive oil before baking in a moderately hot oven for an hour. Meanwhile, fry a sliced red onion in olive oil until soft. Add a tin of tomatoes, a splash of red wine, a sprinkling of oregano, a tin of drained chickpeas and a sprinkling of chilli flakes, then simmer until the mixture reduces and thickens slightly. As it cooks, roll asparagus in a little olive oil and place next to the sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, after which it should be cooked, but still have a little bite. To serve, cut open the potatoes and spoon the chickpea sauce over them, then arrange the asparagus on top. Finish with a spoonful each of guacamole and soured cream, plus a sprinkling of grated cheese and a few slices of jalapeño. Serve immediately.
Asparagus and romanesco soup with mascarpone On a baking sheet, place one chopped onion, a splash of olive oil, half a chopped romanesco, eight chopped asparagus spears, a sprig of rosemary and two sprigs of thyme. Toss everything to coat it and roast in a moderately hot oven for 20 minutes. Once everything is tender, blend with enough hot vegetable stock to bring it to a soup consistency. Season and add a dollop of mascarpone before processing again, then serve in warmed bowls. Asparagus as a perfect side Snap off the woody stems of the asparagus spears and simply steam them. When cooked, toss the spears with olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper and grated Parmesan. Simple, but perfect.
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More ways with cucumber Hummus-and-cucumber bagels (below) Toast seeded bagel halves and spread one half with hummus and the other with beetroot hummus. Arrange slices of cucumber, fresh basil leaves, radish slices and healthy sprouting beans over the top and drizzle with olive oil and applecider vinegar.
Asian duck salad with cucumbers and hoisin dressing Serves 4 Ingredients
Chilled cucumber soup Gently fry a small onion in butter until softened and golden brown. Add two peeled, cored and chopped cucumbers and cook for a few minutes to combine the flavours. Pour in enough vegetable stock to cover and simmer gently for about five minutes. Tip into a blender with a couple of tablespoons of chopped chives, a squeeze of lemon, seasoning and 100ml | 3.4 fl oz natural yoghurt. Process and then stir in 30ml | 1 fl oz double cream. Serve chilled with slices of cucumber and scattered with parsley. You can also try it with flaked salmon. Serves 2. Cucumber, fennel and apple salad Peel and core one cucumber and two apples before cutting them into slim pieces. Now, chop one bulb of fennel into roughly the same-sized pieces. Tip everything into a serving bowl and toss with a few dollops of Greek yoghurt, a squeeze of lemon and seasoning. Stir chopped dill through it and serve immediately.
Half an aromatic crispy duck 1 cucumber 1 carrot 5 spring onions 100 g | 3 cups | 3.5 oz mixed salad leaves 2 tbsp black sesame seeds, toasted 75 g | ½ cup | 2.6 oz pomegranate seeds 100 g | ⅔ cup | 3.5 oz unsalted cashews, toasted A bunch of coriander (substitute parsley if coriander isn’t to your taste) For the hoisin dressing 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz hoisin 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 fl oz mirin 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 fl oz soy sauce 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp sesame oil 5 tbsp honey A squeeze of lime 1 tsp chilli flakes 1 tsp grated ginger 1 tsp cornflour mixed into a splash of cold water
Method
Preheat your oven to 220˚C/425˚F/gas mark 7. Remove all the packaging and place the duck on a baking sheet, then roast it for 40 minutes, when it should be cooked through and crispy. Remove from the oven and use two forks, pulling in opposite directions, to shred the meat. Place it in a large bowl. While the duck is cooking, prepare the dressing. Pour the hoisin, mirin and soy into a small pan and heat through. Add the vegetable oil, sesame oil, honey, lime, chilli flakes and grated ginger and bring to a gentle simmer. As the liquid warms, mix the cornflour with the water before pouring it into the saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Refrigerate until ready to use. Top and tail the cucumber and then cut it in half widthways. Use a vegetable peeler to create wide thin strips of cucumber and add them to the duck. Peel the carrot into long curls and add these to the duck and cucumber. Slice the spring onions diagonally, using both the white and green parts, and add them to the salad, together with the salad leaves, sesame seeds, pomegranate seeds and cashew nuts. Pour the dressing over the salad, a little at a time to get the right amount, and then toss it very well to combine the flavours. Serve immediately with fresh coriander (or parsley) scattered over the top.
The delicious, fresh flavours of spring can be tasted in this satisfying salad www.countrylife.co.uk 21
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Wild-garlic pesto Makes 250g (9oz) Ingredients
As soon as you pick the wild garlic, wash it gently, then blanch it in a pan of boiling water and plunge immediately into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain and squeeze off any excess water. Lightly toast the hazelnuts under the grill until browned. Put all of the ingredients, except for the lemon juice, salt and pepper, in a blender or food processor and pulse to a chunky paste. You’re not looking for a watery purée—it’s much nicer with larger pieces. Add seasoning and the lemon juice to taste.
© Getty
125 g | 4 cups | 4.5 oz wild garlic 125 g | 1 cup | 4.5 oz hazelnuts 4 tbsp walnut oil 1 tsp apple-cider vinegar (we use Willy’s) 2½ tsp rapeseed oil A squeeze of lemon juice (optional) Salt and pepper
Method
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Conserved tomatoes Serves 4 This is probably the most useful item in any store cupboard, invaluable for thickening and flavouring stews and soups and as the basis for sauces. It will keep for a good six months
Ingredients For the soup 1 litre | 1¾ pint sterilised kilner jar 2 kg | 10 cups | 4 lb tomatoes 2 bay leaves 4 peeled cloves garlic 1 tbsp salt 250 g | 2½ cups | 8 oz fresh shallots 2 tbsp sugar 1 sprig thyme 1 tsp crushed white peppercorns
Method Scald and slip the tomatoes out of their skins. Skin the shallots and halve them if they are large. Pack all the ingredients into the sterilised kilner jar (leave 1in/2½cm of empty space at the top). Seal and sterilise the jar, submerged into simmering water at 85˚C/185˚F, for 30 minutes.
Suggestions Use a ladleful as a topping for pizza (drain excess liquid first). Finish with grated cheese, anchovies and olives, then bake. Use as a sauce for pasta. Either process the tomatoes with a little olive oil or add a soffritto made from an onion, a carrot and a celery stick, all chopped, plus a few chopped herbs (parsley, rosemary, sage) and minced meat, gently fried in olive oil. Stir in the tomatoes last and bubble up.
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Appealing Appetisers
Leek Vinaigrette Serves 2 It is easier to make a large quantity of this dressing than a small one. It can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks
Ingredients
Put the leeks into fast-boiling, well-salted water and cook until tender. Drain and allow to cool naturally. Put the mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper in a blender. Add 4tbspn water and blend together. With the motor running, pour in the oil in a thin stream until homogenised. If you think the dressing is too thick, thin with a little more water. The ideal consistency is that of thin salad cream. Slice the leeks lengthways and arrange in a serving dish, cut-sides uppermost. Drizzle with the dressing and grate over the hard-boiled eggs. Sprinkle with the chives and serve with some crusty bread.
© Getty
16 leeks, about thumb thickness, trimmed and washed, leaving about 2.5cm (1in) green on each 2 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar Salt and pepper 300 ml | 1⅔ cups | 10.5 oz groundnut or other flavourless oil 2 hard-boiled eggs 1 tbsp snipped chives
Method
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Lovely Lunches
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30 Venison burgers with Asian red cabbage slaw and chilli mayo 32 Scallops with pearl barley, clementines and clementine ponzu 34 Celeriac, mushroom and Parmesan tart with truffle salt 36 Minestrone soup with cavolo nero and harissa meatballs 38 Sticky pomegranate chicken with giant couscous 40 Dover sole with shrimps and tomato
42 Salmon, watercress and horseradish tart 44 Warm new potato salad with salmon, tzatziki, feta and pomegranate 46 Iberico ham, broad beans 48 Summer halloumi and chilli meatball spaghetti with broad beans and citrus flavours 50 Orzo with rocket and sweet-chilli prawns 52 Mackerel on potatoes and bay 54 Pheasant and wild mushroom macaroni with Parmesan breadcrumbs
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More ways with red cabbage Red cabbage steaks for two Super simple—but a pretty little starter. Cut a red cabbage through the core to create two steaks and fry them in foaming butter for several minutes on either side, depending on thickness, with rosemary, thyme and a clove of garlic. In a cup, whisk together a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a couple more of maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon, then pour this over the steaks in the pan. Sprinkle with chilli flakes and seasoning and serve.
Venison burgers with Asian red-cabbage slaw and chilli mayo Serves 4 Ingredients
Braised red cabbage with apples for Christmas Finely slice a whole red cabbage and place it in a large saucepan, together with a couple of bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, three star anise, 250ml | 1 cup | 8.5 fl oz of chicken stock, three tablespoons of soft brown sugar, 75ml | cup | 2.5 fl oz of applecider vinegar and two cored and sliced apples. Mix everything together and simmer for an hour, stirring every so often so it doesn’t catch. Serve hot with festive dishes.
For the slaw 100 g | ⅓ cup | 3.5 oz mayonnaise 2 tbsp miso paste 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp grated ginger 1 tbsp honey 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp mirin 2 carrots, spiralised 1 courgette, spiralised 1 red cabbage, finely sliced 1 red onion, finely sliced A handful of parsley or coriander, chopped
Method To make the slaw, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Put the prepared vegetables and herbs in a large bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Mix well and set aside for the flavours to infuse as you prepare the burgers. Put the diced onion and the minced venison in a bowl. Season well, add the mustard and parsley, then mix very thoroughly. Using your hands, shape the mixture into four patties and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook. Brush the burgers with oil and pan fry for about four minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Warm the brioche buns, then place a burger on each, together with a dollop of the chilli mayonnaise and a small pile of red-cabbage slaw.
For the burgers 1 small red onion, finely diced 600 g | 3 cups | 21 oz minced venison 2 tsp Dijon mustard A handful chopped parsley Chilli mayo Simply stir chilli paste into mayonnaise Brioche buns for the burgers
The beautiful purple hues of red cabbage have arrived in the kitchen garden www.countrylife.co.uk 31
Lovely Lunches
Scallops with pearl barley, clementines and clementine ponzu Serves 4 Ingredients For the pearl barley 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz pearl barley 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 oz vegetable stock 2 tbsp olive oil For the ponzu 75ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz soy sauce 60 ml | ¼ cup | 2 oz mirin 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 fl oz yuzu Juice of 2 clementines 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 1 tbsp grated ginger
Method Put the pearl barley in a saucepan with the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Once tender, drain thoroughly before drizzling with olive oil and seasoning. Toss well and set aside. To make the ponzu sauce, put the soy sauce, mirin, yuzu, clementine juice, garlic and ginger into a small pan and simmer until reduced by a third. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside. Prepare the clementines, fennel, red onion, chilli and coriander, then gently stir them through the pearl barley. Place the scallops in a bowl and mix with a little olive oil to coat. Using a non-stick pan at a medium to high heat, pan-fry the scallops for about two minutes each side or until opaque and just cooked through. Spoon the hot scallops onto serving plates and arrange the pearl barley and clementines around them. Drizzle with the ponzu sauce, scatter with fresh coriander or parsley and serve immediately.
For the clementines 3 clementines, skin sliced off and cut across horizontally 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely diced A handful of fresh coriander (or use parsley) 20 scallops A splash of olive oil
Bright-orange clementines add clean flavours and colour to this diet-friendly dish 32 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with clementines Clementine-and-almond cake Place three clementines into a saucepan with enough water to cover them, bring to boil and simmer for an hour. Remove from the heat, allow to cool and cut open to remove the pips, then blend the whole clementines. Cream 200 g | 7 oz of butter with 175 g | 6 oz of caster sugar. Add 1 tsp of vanilla-bean paste and three eggs. Mix well and then add the clementine purée, followed by 200 g | 7 oz ground almonds. Stir to combine. Pour into a greased cake tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden. Cool in the tin and dust with icing sugar before serving. Serve with whipped cream. Clementine-and-mozzarella salad (below) Combine sliced clementines with roughly torn pieces of mozzarella, fresh rocket, sliced red onion and basil and toss with olive oil. Season well. Toast sourdough, rub with garlic and spoon the salad on top. Delicious as a light lunch.
Salmon with clementines and radish Thinly slice radishes and toss with clementine pieces and rocket. Add seasoning and olive oil. Pan-fry salmon fillets and serve with the clementine and radish. This goes perfectly with new potatoes roasted in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.
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More ways with celeriac Classic celeriac remoulade (below) Cut off the ends from a celeriac root and peel it. Either grate the flesh or use a processor to turn it into matchsticks. In a bowl, mix together three tablespoons of mayonnaise, three tablespoons of Greek yoghurt, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a squeeze of lemon. Stir enough of the mixture through the celeriac to just coat the batons and set aside for half an hour to allow the celeriac to soften before serving.
Celeriac, mushroom and Parmesan tart with truffle salt Serves 4 Ingredients For the pastry 150 g | ⅔ cup | 5.3 oz unsalted butter 250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz plain flour 4 egg yolks 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz grated Parmesan
Celeriac tagliatelle with spinach and toasted walnuts Prepare one large celeriac as above. Use a vegetable peeler to cut the whole thing into ribbons, dropping these, as you go, into water with a squeeze of lemon. When ready, tip all the ribbons into a pan of boiling salted water and simmer until tender. Strain and set aside. Meanwhile, add a splash of olive oil to a large frying pan along with a few cloves of crushed garlic, a couple of handfuls of baby spinach, a large spoonful of cream cheese and stir to combine. Loosen with a splash of the celeriac water and then scatter with a handful of chopped, toasted walnuts. Add the celeriac tagliatelle and toss well. Serve immediately, with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a generous grating of Parmesan.
For the celeriac filling 200 g | 1¼ cups | 7 oz celeriac 1 shallot 2 sprigs thyme 1 sprig rosemary 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz vegetable stock 50 g | 1 cup | 1.7 oz portobellino mushrooms (or similar) 3 egg yolks 100 ml | ⅓ cup | 3.5 fl oz single cream To serve 75 g | ⅔ cup | 2.6 oz Parmesan Truffle salt for sprinkling Salad leaves to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Line the bases of four 10cm/4in tart cases with a circle of greaseproof paper each. Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips. Now, stir in the Parmesan before adding the egg yolks, one at a time, and mixing them into the dough. If it feels a little dry, add up to a couple of tablespoons of iced water. Bring the dough into a flat disc, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for half an hour. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a coin and line the four tart cases. Blind bake for 12 minutes before removing the baking beans and baking for a further 5 minutes, or until very lightly coloured. Set these aside while you prepare the filling. Remove the ends of the celeriac before peeling and chopping it into even-sized pieces. Put these in a saucepan, along with the peeled and roughly chopped shallot and the thyme and rosemary sprigs. Cover with vegetable stock and simmer until tender. Remove the herbs, drain in a colander and set aside, reserving some of the cooking liquid for the purée. Chop the mushrooms and fry them in a little olive oil until soft and the water has been cooked off. Put the mushrooms, celeriac and shallot into a blender (we used a NutriBullet) and blend them to a smooth purée. Loosen with a little of the reserved celeriac cooking liquid. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cream, pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and then whisk into the celeriac, shallot and mushroom purée. Season well and pour into the prepared tart cases. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until just set. Grate Parmesan over the tops of the hot tarts, sprinkle with truffle salt and serve with lightly dressed salad leaves.
This knobbly root is a winter gem. It adds depth and deliciousness to all manner of one-pot stews and purées or when used simply in a classic remoulade salad www.countrylife.co.uk 35
Lovely Lunches
Minestrone soup with cavolo nero and harissa meatballs Serves 6 Ingredients Olive oil 1 red onion, diced 4 sticks celery, diced 2 courgettes, diced 800 g | 4 cups | 28 oz tinned tomatoes 400 ml | 2 cups | 14 fl oz vegetable stock 3 tbsp pesto A few sprigs fresh oregano A handful basil, chopped 200 g | 7 cups | 7 oz cavolo nero, cut into thin ribbons 100 g | 3 cups | 3.5 oz Swiss chard, cut into thin ribbons 1 tin cannellini beans, drained 100 g | ⅔ cup | 3.5 oz macaroni
Cavolo nero pesto with whole-wheat spaghetti For this version of classic pesto made with basil, simply add 200 g | 7 oz of cavolo nero (blanched and drained), three cloves of garlic, 50 g | 1.7 oz of cashews, 150 ml | 5.3 fl oz of extra-virgin oil, the juice of half a lemon and 50 g | 1.7 oz of grated Parmesan to a processor and season well. Pulse to a coarse paste and stir through cooked whole-wheat pasta. Serve with a grating of fresh Parmesan.
Method Heat a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced onion and fry gently until softened, but not browned, then add the diced celery and courgettes. Fry gently to slightly char the edges, then stir in the tomatoes, vegetable stock, pesto and herbs. Mix well and heat through. Next, add the cavolo nero and Swiss chard, together with the cannellini beans and macaroni. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the macaroni are cooked, and then reduce the heat. Meanwhile, make the meatballs. In a large bowl, mix together the minced beef, red onion, harissa and parsley, then season well, taking care to evenly distribute the spice. Take spoonfuls of the mixture and roll them into balls —this quantity will make about 24 meatballs. Fry them in a splash of neutral oil until browned all over and cooked through. To serve the minestrone, ladle the hot soup into bowls and add a few meatballs to each on top. Grate over Parmesan and serve.
For the meatballs 800 g | 4 cups | 28 oz minced beef 1 small red onion, finely diced 2 tbsp harissa chilli paste A handful parsley, chopped To serve Parmesan
Bursting with flavour and vitamins, cavolo nero makes it easy to eat your greens 36 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with cavolo nero
Cavolo nero wellingtons Add a splash of olive oil to a frying pan and fry one chopped onion, 200 g | 7 oz of chopped cavolo nero and 200 g | 7 oz of diced butternut with some rosemary and thyme. Once soft, allow to cool slightly. Cut a sheet of puff pastry in half, vertically. Place a sausage of the onion mixture down the centre of each half and fold up to enclose, with the crease underneath. Brush the tops with beaten egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot with chilli dipping sauce.
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More ways with pomegranate Sweet potatoes with crème fraîche and pomegranate Scrub sweet potatoes clean before rubbing with olive oil. Bake until soft in a moderately hot oven. Slice open and finish with a generous dollop of crème fraîche sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, feta, chopped chives and lots of seasoning. Pomegranate and cheese nachos (below) Arrange simple tortilla chips in a single layer on a roasting tray. Sprinkle a mixture of grated mozzarella and Cheddar over them and pop in a moderately hot oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove and scatter the whole tray with chilli flakes, pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Toss gently as you move everything to a serving plate and serve with guacamole and sour cream.
Sticky pomegranate chicken with giant couscous Serves 4 Ingredients 4 red onions 60 ml | ¼ cup | 2 fl oz pomegranate molasses 2 tbsp tomato ketchup 60 ml | ¼ cup | 2 fl oz balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil 4 chicken supremes (bone-in, skin-on breasts) 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz tenderstem broccoli 3 tbsp harissa 1 tbsp olive oil 125 g | 1 cup | 4.4 oz giant couscous 600 ml | 2 cups | 21 fl oz vegetable stock 1 tbsp olive oil 50 g | ⅓ cup | 1.7 oz walnuts, chopped 125 g | ⅔ cup | 4.4 oz pomegranate seeds A handful of fresh parsley
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Peel and cut the red onions into thin wedges. Combine the pomegranate molasses, ketchup, vinegar and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts and red onion and toss well, so that everything is lightly coated. Place in a foil-lined roasting dish and roast for 30 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear. Set aside. Steam the broccoli for about six minutes and then toss with the harissa and olive oil. Prepare the giant couscous by pouring it into a pan of boiling stock and simmer for about six minutes. Drain well and season, adding a splash of olive oil. Toss well. To serve, spoon the couscous onto plates followed by the harissa broccoli and then top with the chicken breasts and pan juices. Scatter the chopped walnuts, pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley over it. Serve immediately.
Super-simple filo Camembert cups with pomegranate Brush the holes of a mini cupcake tin with melted butter. Cut filo pastry into small squares and arrange these in the holes, leaving some pastry overhanging the edges. Drop in pieces of Camembert and bake for about 15 minutes in a moderately hot oven. When golden, remove from the oven, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and serve immediately as a delicious little pre-dinner amuse bouche.
These winter jewels can brighten any dish, adding both flavour and colour www.countrylife.co.uk 39
Lovely Lunches
Dover sole with shrimps and tomato Serves 4 Ingredients 2 Dover soles, weighing about 400 g | 14 oz each, skinned, beheaded and gutted. Ask the fishmonger to trim the tail, then chop off the flaps on both sides of the fish and keep them for you 1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced 4 tbsp butter Sprig of thyme 75 ml | ¼ cup | 2.6 fl oz dry white wine 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz double cream 1 tomato, peeled and finely diced 100 g | ⅓ cup | 3.5 oz brown shrimps 2 tsp of chopped parsley Salt and pepper
40 Country Life Cookbook
Method In a saucepan, soften the shallot gently in a teaspoon of butter. Chop the trimmed flaps and add to the pan with thyme, a good pinch of salt and a generous turn of the peppermill. When everything has collapsed and stewed down a little, add the wine and cook for about two minutes, until reduced by half. Add the cream, bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. Strain through a fine sieve. Butter a steamer tray, sprinkle with a little sea salt and place the fish, white-skin side up, on top. Add a small knob of butter and a good seasoning of salt and pepper, then cover and steam for no more than two minutes. The fish is cooked when you can feel it give under a finger applied to the backbone. (If you don’t own a steamer tray large enough, place the fish on a tray, add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover with foil and bake in a hot oven for four to five minutes.) Meanwhile, bring the sauce back to the boil, whisk in the remaining butter, taste for seasoning, then add the tomatoes, shrimps and parsley. Warm through, then coat the fish with this lovely sauce. Serve immediately with some boiled potatoes and greens.
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More ways with watercress Asparagus with watercress mayonnaise (below) In the small bowl of a blender, mix two egg yolks and one teaspoon each of white-wine vinegar and mustard powder. With the motor running, add a couple of drops of light olive oil followed by a steady stream of 200 ml | 7 fl oz olive oil. Once the mayonnaise has thickened, add a handful of watercress and a generous pinch of salt and process until smooth. Serve with grilled asparagus tossed with olive oil and lemon juice.
Haddock fishcakes with watercress, citrus and avocado salsa Gently poach two fillets of haddock in milk. Once cooked (and any skin removed), mix together with 200 g | 7 oz cold mashed potatoes. Add two chopped spring onions, 75 g | 2.6 oz garden peas, a tablespoon of wholegrain mustard, two tablespoons of chopped basil and parsley and seasoning. Mix well and shape into patties. Prepare three dishes of plain flour, beaten egg and seasoned breadcrumbs and roll the patties through each dish, in that order, so as to coat them. Fry in butter and oil until golden. To make the salsa, combine a handful of watercress with the chopped flesh of one avocado and one orange, season and drizzle with olive oil. Serves four as a starter.
Salmon, watercress and horseradish tart Serves 4 Ingredients For the pastry 250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz plain flour Pinch of salt 140 g | ⅔ cup | 5 oz cold butter 2 egg yolks 1 tbsp iced water, if needed For the filling 2 salmon fillets 2 tbsp butter 1 onion, chopped 3 eggs 350 ml | 1⅓ cups | 12.6 fl oz double cream 2 tbsp creamed horseradish 2 handfuls watercress, plus more to garnish
Method Put the flour, salt and butter into a processor and pulse until combined. Add the egg yolks and pulse until the dough just comes together. If it looks a little dry, add the iced water and pulse again. The aim is to work it as little as possible so that you have lovely short pastry. Shape the dough into a flat disc before wrapping it in clingfilm and chilling it for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the salmon by wrapping the fillets in foil and oven-baking them for 20 minutes. Cool before handling and then flake the flesh into a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a coin and line your tart tin. Cover the pastry with baking paper and fill with ceramic beans, then blind bake at 200˚C/350˚F/gas mark 6 for 15–20 minutes. Remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 5 minutes, then take it out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 150˚C/300˚F/gas mark 2. While the pastry is cooling, fry the onion in butter until soft, then set aside. Combine the eggs, cream and horseradish in a bowl and whisk together. Gently fold in the cooked onions, flaked salmon and watercress. Spoon the mixture into the cooled tart case so that it’s full and bake for about 40–50 minutes. Serve the tart warm, garnished with more watercress.
Delightfully fragrant watercress offers a simple way to add colour and peppery notes to spring dishes. It’s a cousin of horseradish, which is why they pair so well in this recipe www.countrylife.co.uk 43
Lovely Lunches
Warm new potato salad with salmon, tzatziki, feta and pomegranate
More ways with new potatoes New potatoes with pimento olives and salsa (below) Roast new potatoes—as in the main recipe—with a couple of sprigs of rosemary and use the back of a fork to squash them down. Sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped pimento-stuffed olives. Season well and bake in a hot oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with a tomato salsa.
Serves 4 Ingredients For the potato salad 1 kg | 10 cups | 2.2 lb baby new potatoes 3 tbsp hemp (or olive) oil 75 g | ½ cup | 2.6 oz garden peas 75 g | ½ cup | 2.6 oz soy beans Half a cucumber Fresh mint sprigs 1 avocado, sliced For the tzatziki Half a cucumber 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz Greek yoghurt 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tbsp chopped mint Juice of half a lemon For the salmon 500 g | 17 oz salmon fillet 2 spring onions, chopped 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz pomegranate seeds
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Put the potatoes onto a baking sheet and toss in the oil to coat them fully, then roast for about 40 minutes or until tender. Add the salmon fillets to the hot tray of potatoes 25 minutes before they’re due to come out of the oven. Boil the peas and soy beans according to the packet instructions, drain and set them aside until you’re ready to assemble the potato salad. Peel the half cucumber into ribbons with a vegetable peeler and set aside. To prepare the tzatziki, cut the second half cucumber in half again, lengthways. Scoop out the seeds and slice it very thinly. Put it into a colander, sprinkle with a little salt and set aside. In a bowl, mix together the yoghurt, garlic, mint, lemon juice and some seasoning. Pat any excess water from the cucumber slices and add them to the tzatziki mixture. Taste for balance, adjust, then cover and refrigerate. Once the potatoes are lightly browned and tender and the salmon is cooked with a golden crust, remove the tray from the oven. Season everything. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Scatter in the peas and soy beans, placing sprigs of mint among them, together with the ribbons of cucumber. Next, arrange the slices of avocado and, finally, spoon the tzatziki over everything. Put the salmon fillet on a serving plate and scatter with the spring onions, feta and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately, with extra tzatziki on the side.
Light and fresh flavours can be comforting, as in this recipe, which gives the humble potato salad a stylish makeover 44 Country Life Cookbook
Lobster and new-potato salad Cut a cooked lobster into chunks. Make a dressing using three tablespoons of mayonnaise, one tablespoon of ketchup, the juice of half a lemon, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Add 400 g | 14 oz of boiled new potatoes, halved to the same size as the lobster pieces, and toss with the dressing. Add a couple of tablespoons of chives and mix well before dividing between two plates. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves as a light lunch. Chicken, new potato, asparagus and lemon tray bake In an oven tray, mix eight chicken thighs with 750 g | 26 oz new potatoes and enough olive oil to coat them. Add three rosemary sprigs, the juice of a lemon and season generously. Roast in a moderately hot oven for 35 minutes. As the chicken is cooking, blanch a bunch of asparagus and refresh in cold water to retain the colour. Remove the tray from the oven and stir in the asparagus, tossing everything gently together. Grate Parmesan over it and divide between four plates. Pour the tray juices over the chicken when serving.
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Iberico ham, broad beans Serves 4 Ingredients 1 kg | 8 cups | 2.2 lb broad beans in their pods A small bunch of flat-leafed parsley 100 g | 3.5 oz of air-dried ham, such as Iberico
Pod the beans and cook them in lightly salted boiling water until tender—about six to 10 minutes, depending on your beans. Drain them and cool under running water. Pop the beans out of their skins by pressing them between thumb and finger. If the beans are very small and tender, or you particularly like the skins, you may not need to do this. Make the dressing by adding a small pinch of salt to the sherry vinegar, stirring to dissolve, then whisking the olive oil in with a fork. Tear the parsley leaves and add them to the dressing with the broad beans and a little ground black pepper. Shred or tear the ham into small pieces and toss gently with the broad beans.
All images © Getty
For the dressing 1 tbsp sherry vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil
Method
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Lovely Lunches
Summer halloumi and chilli meatball spaghetti with broad beans and citrus flavours
More ways with broad beans Broad bean hummus (below) Simmer 100 g | 3.5 oz baby broad beans for a few minutes before tipping the drained beans into a blender with a tin of drained chickpeas, one tablespoon of tahini, the juice from a lemon, seasoning and a good glug of olive oil. Process to a smooth paste. Spoon into a bowl and finish with a drizzle of olive oil, chilli flakes and a pinch of sesame seeds. Serve with raw florets of broccoli, plus radishes, cucumber or any other crudités.
Serves 4 Ingredients 400 g | 2 cups | 14 oz minced beef 1 egg 125 g | 1 cup | 4.4 oz halloumi, finely diced 1 tbsp za’atar 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 spring onion, finely chopped 1 red chilli, finely diced 400 g | 2 cups | 14 oz spaghetti 500 g | 2 cups | 17 oz broad beans in pods 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz garden peas 8 asparagus spears A splash of olive oil 2 tbsp chopped basil 2 tbsp chopped parsley 1 tbsp oregano 250 g | 1 cup | 8.8 oz Greek yoghurt 1 lemon, juice and zest 2 tsp chilli paste (optional) 1 avocado, sliced Watercress to scatter
Method
Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Using a fork, mix together in a large bowl the minced beef, egg, halloumi, za’atar, garlic, spring onion and chilli. Continue until everything is well combined. Using your hands, roll the mixture into golfball-sized rounds and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast these for about 25 minutes or until the meatballs are well browned on top. Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in lightly salted boiling water. When it’s only a few minutes from being cooked, drop in the broad beans, peas and asparagus. Simmer everything together for a few further minutes, then pour into a colander to drain. Return to the pan, add a splash of olive oil and the fresh herbs and gently toss. Tip the spaghetti onto a large serving plate and spoon the meatballs on top. In a small bowl, combine the yoghurt, lemon juice and seasoning. You could add chilli paste for an extra kick. Arrange the avocado slices around the serving plate and garnish with some watercress and the lemon zest, before drizzling with the lemon yoghurt. Serve immediately.
Baby broad beans are a kitchen-garden highlight, especially as there’s no need to remove their skins 48 Country Life Cookbook
Pesto broad beans with burrata Arrange three burrata cheeses on a serving plate. In a separate bowl, combine 200 g | 7 oz of cooked broad beans, 100 g | 3.5 oz of peas and a generous dollop of fresh pesto. Toss everything together and spoon it over the burrata. Slice three large heritage tomatoes and arrange these around the cheese. Scatter with fresh basil and serve. Perfect to take to a barbecue. Broad bean, basil and mozzarella fritters Combine 200 g | 7 oz of cooked baby broad beans, 150 g | 5.3 oz of grated mozzarella, one tablespoon of finely chopped basil, two finely chopped spring onions, lemon zest, one egg and a tablespoon of breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix everything together. Roll into balls in your hands and then flatten into patties. Fry in oil for a few minutes on each side and serve with salad to make a great little starter or light lunch.
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More ways with rocket Grilled cheese, rocket and apple sandwich Sometimes, simple things just work. Toast two slices of seedy brown bread. Spread with butter and add grated mature Cheddar, a thin layer of sliced apple and a layer of rocket, followed by a second layer of Cheddar. Melt under the grill, then sandwich the pieces together. Pickle on the side wouldn’t go amiss.
Orzo with rocket and sweet-chilli prawns Serves 4 Ingredients
Cacio e Pepe with rocket and lemon Toss cooked spaghetti with a splash of olive oil. Add a generous grating of Pecorino and cracked black pepper. Stir in a handful or two of rocket, lemon zest and a small squeeze of lemon. Italian perfection! Rocket-and-watermelon salad Mix cubes of watermelon, handfuls of rocket, slices of red onion and crumbled feta, then season. Drizzle with olive oil and a splash of good quality red wine vinegar and serve. Rocket-and-burrata salad Cook peach quarters on a hot griddle pan until just charred. Arrange around a burrata, slices of prosciutto and generous handfuls of rocket. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, followed by Parmesan shavings. Serve immediately as a delicious sharing platter.
For the rocket pesto A handful rocket A handful basil 1 clove garlic 50 g | ⅓ cup | 1.7 oz pine nuts 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz Parmesan, grated Juice of 1 lemon 150 ml | ½ cup | 5.3 fl oz extra-virgin olive oil 500 g | 3 cups | 17 oz orzo 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp chives, chopped 150 g | ¾ cup | 5.3 oz feta, crumbled Juice of 1 lemon 150 ml | ½ cup | 5.3 fl oz extra-virgin olive oil 2 handfuls rocket leaves 2 tbsp honey 2 cm | ¾ inch piece fresh ginger, grated 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 red chilli, finely diced 450 g | 4 cups | 16 oz king prawns
Method Make the rocket pesto by processing the ingredients until you have a coarse paste. Add a little more olive oil, if needed, to loosen the mixture. Season well. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo until it’s al dente. Remove from the heat and drain before tossing with the butter, chives, feta, lemon juice, half the olive oil and half the rocket. Season well. Meanwhile, add the remaining oil, honey, ginger, garlic and chilli to a bowl. Whisk with a fork to combine. Take a large non-stick frying pan and add the prawns. Pour in the oil and honey mixture and toss as it heats through. Divide the orzo between four plates and add the prawns. Spoon any pan juices over the top. Drizzle with the pesto, scatter the remaining rocket and serve immediately.
A rocket of a little leaf that gives a peppery punch to all it encounters www.countrylife.co.uk 51
Lovely Lunches
Mackerel on potatoes and bay Serves 4 This recipe comes from The River Cottage Fish Book, written by Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall and Nick Fisher. It’s a piscine classic. Ideally, it needs waxy new potatoes, so that second crop from the garden would work wonders.
Ingredients Olive oil 1 kg | 10 cups | 2.2 lb new potatoes, scrubbed, cut into thick chunks about ½ in thick and parboiled 2 onions, thickly sliced 4 garlic cloves, very roughly chopped 2 lemons, halved and sliced into thickish pieces 4/6 bay leaves 2 sprigs of thyme 4 mackerel, gutted Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Method Pour enough olive oil into a large, shallow roasting tin just to cover the base. Use your fingers to spread the oil all over the dish. Combine the potatoes, onions, garlic and lemon, season with plenty of salt and pepper and spread them out in the dish. Tuck the bay leaves and thyme in among the vegetables so they won’t burn in the oven. Put the roasting tin in an oven preheated to 180˚C/350˚F/ gas mark 4 and bake for 30–45 minutes, until the potatoes are lightly browned and just about tender, taking the tin from the oven every 10 minutes and turning the vegetables over in their oily juices. Meanwhile, season the mackerel well with salt and pepper. When the potatoes are ready, lay the mackerel on top, pour on another good splash of olive oil and return to the oven. Turn it up to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6 and bake for a further 15–20 minutes (10 minutes if you’re using fillets), until the mackerel is just cooked and the vegetables are beginning to catch and crisp up nicely. (If you like, take the fish out halfway through for a quick basting with the juices from the tin.) Serve straight away. This dish doesn’t really need any accompaniment, but a green salad wouldn’t go amiss.
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Lovely Lunches
More ways with wild mushroom Wild-mushroom Dutch baby This serves two. In a mediumsized bowl, whisk together 75 g | 2.6 oz of plain flour, two eggs and 75 ml | 2.6 fl oz of milk and seasoning. Keep whisking until there are no lumps. Heat 40 g | 1.4 oz of butter in a cast-iron frying pan in a hot oven, until melted and frothy. Remove from the oven, pour in the batter and return to the oven to cook for another 15–20 minutes or until lightly browned and puffy. Meanwhile, fry 200 g | 7 oz of mushrooms with chopped parsley and crushed garlic. To serve, mix three tablespoons of Greek yoghurt with one tablespoon of whole-grain mustard and dollop this onto the puffed pancake before spooning the mushrooms over the top. Serve immediately.
Autumn salad Add baby spinach and rocket leaves to a large salad bowl, together with torn pieces of mozzarella, avocado slices, sun-blushed tomatoes and wild mushrooms that have been sautéed with olive oil and garlic. Season well, toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve immediately. Warm garlic focaccia on the side would complete the autumn comfort.
Pheasant and wildmushroom macaroni with Parmesan breadcrumbs Serves 4 Ingredients 1 whole pheasant, gutted 300 ml | 1 cup | 10.5 fl oz chicken stock 100 ml | ⅓ cup | 3.5 fl oz white wine 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped 1 carrot, roughly chopped 350 g | 2⅓ cups | 12.3 oz macaroni 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz pancetta, cubed 1 clove garlic, crushed 250 g | 3 cups | 8.8 oz wild mushrooms, torn 125 ml | ½ cup | 4.4 fl oz double cream 1 small baguette, broken into breadcrumbs 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz grated Parmesan Freshly chopped parsley to serve
Method
Preheat your oven to 160˚C/320˚F/gas mark 3. Brown the pheasant in a splash of oil in a casserole dish (with a lid), turning the bird so that it colours all over. Pour the chicken stock and white wine into the dish and add the chopped onion, celery and carrot. Season well, cover with the lid and place in the oven for about an hour, after which the meat should be falling off the bone. Check halfway through and top up with stock if needed. Remove the pheasant from the oven and, once cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones and set aside until you’re ready to prepare the macaroni. Strain the pan juices into a jug and save, as these will be the base of the sauce. Boil the pasta according to the packet instructions, usually about 8–10 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the pancetta with the crushed garlic and mushrooms in an oven-proof pan. Once cooked and softened, add the pheasant meat and pour the casserole juices over the top. Heat through before adding the cream and continue heating until the sauce is bubbling. Add the cooked macaroni and mix everything together. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan over, then pop back in the oven to lightly brown the top. Scatter chopped parsley over everything and serve hot with a balsamic-dressed salad on the side.
Warming and earthy, wild mushrooms are a foraged favourite www.countrylife.co.uk 55
Delectable Dinners
56 Country Life Cookbook
58 Sticky sloe gin venison steaks with parsnip and spinach rösti 60 Roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, blood oranges and avocado salsa 62 Coca-Cola ham 64 Herb-crusted haddock with pesto and lemon roasted new potatoes and leeks 66 Chicken and artichoke pithiviers, with roasted and caramelised chicory 68 Hoi Mangpu Op (steamed mussels with lemongrass, lime leaves and basil) 70 Risotto Primavera 72 Thai prawn Khao Soi
78 Chinese spring-onion and chilli sea bass with egg-fried rice and bok choi 80 Seafood and fennel pie 82 Normandy chicken with apples 84 Partridge pepper fry 86 Devilled pheasant 88 Sliced runner bean, chicken and ciabatta tray bake 90 Gressingham duck breasts with a pear and red wine glaze 92 Roasted butternut and free range pork sausage tray bake
74 Monkfish and prawn curry with homemade garlic naan bread
94 White truffle risotto
76 Green goddess risotto with wild garlic, wild garlic oil and crab
96 Persian chicken, quince and saffron casserole, with bejewelled rice
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Delectable Dinners
Sticky sloe gin venison steaks with parsnip and spinach rösti Serves 4 Ingredients For the venison 75 ml | ¼ cup | 2.6 fl oz soy sauce 75 ml | ¼ cup | 2.6 fl oz honey 3 tbsp olive oil 75 ml | ¼ cup | 2.6 fl oz sloe gin 2 plums, halved and stoned 1 sprig rosemary 2 cloves garlic, crushed 4 venison haunch steaks For the rösti 3 medium parsnips, grated 1 courgette, grated 2 handfuls baby spinach, chopped 75 g | ½ cup | 2.6 oz chia seeds 75 g | ½ cup | 2.6 oz plain flour 2 eggs
Method Add the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, sloe gin, plums, rosemary and crushed garlic to a large freezer bag. Mix everything together by massaging from the outside of the freezer bag and then add the venison steaks, ensuring they are fully coated in the marinade. Put the bag in your refrigerator for at least three hours and up to 24 hours. Grate the parsnips into a large bowl, together with the courgette, spinach, chia seeds, plain flour and eggs, then season well. Use a fork to mix everything together evenly. Set aside for half an hour, so the chia seeds can thicken the mixture. Add a splash of oil to a large frying pan and place a pastry ring in the pan. Spoon the rösti mixture into the ring and flatten it slightly with the back of a spoon into a ½in-thick rösti. Fry for a couple of minutes until the mixture is set, then remove the ring and turn the rösti over. Repeat with the rest of the mixture in the same pan, until you have about six rösti. Place them on a plate in a low oven as you cook the venison. Using the same frying pan (wipe it out with kitchen paper if needed), cook the venison steaks and plum halves over a high heat, reserving the liquid in the bag. Cook for 6–8 minutes on each side, then add the reserved liquid from the bag and cook for another couple of minutes. Serve the parsnip rösti with the venison steaks and spoon over the pan juices. Perfect with green beans on the side.
The sweet and delicious roots brim with notes of caramel 58 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with parsnips Parsnip-and-garlic soup with crispy sage and maple Place 750 g | 26 oz of peeled parsnips in a saucepan with a chopped onion. Add a whole head of peeled garlic cloves, then pour over one litre of vegetable stock. Simmer until tender, drizzle in two tablespoons of maple syrup and then blend until smooth. Add a splash of olive oil to a small frying pan and fry a few sage leaves, for only a minute on each side. To serve, heat the soup through and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few crispy leaves.
Chicken and parsnip with honey and mustard Arrange four skin-on and bonein chicken breasts on a baking tray with four peeled and halved parsnips and season well, sprinkling over rosemary and thyme, then drizzle everything with olive oil. Roast at 180˚C/350˚F for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven and spoon a sachet of microwaved puy lentils around the meat. In a jar, combine four tablespoons each of honey, wholegrain mustard and lemon juice. Shake it up and pour it over. Serve immediately.
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Delectable Dinners
More ways with blood oranges Blood-orange curd Take the zest and juice of 2 medium blood oranges and heat gently in a saucepan with 100g | 3.5 oz caster sugar and 50g | 2 oz butter. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 eggs. When the butter has melted, add the beaten eggs to the saucepan while whisking continuously. Turn up the heat to a simmer and continue whisking until the curd begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean jar and refrigerate.
Roasted chicken with sweet potatoes, blood oranges and avocado salsa Serves 4 Ingredients
Blood-orange sorbet (above) Bring 100 g | 3.5 oz caster sugar and 200 ml | 7 fl oz water to a boil in a saucepan. Simmer for about 8 minutes. Juice 3 large blood oranges and a lemon and place the juice in a processor. Process the juice and orange fibres and then pour the sugar syrup over them. Continue to process until smooth and then freeze. Once frozen, process the sorbet again to break up any crystals, before freezing again, after which it’s ready to use. Blood-orange crème brûlée Heat 500 ml | 17 fl oz double cream with the zest of a blood orange and half a teaspoon of vanilla-bean paste until near boiling. Meanwhile, whisk together 4 egg yolks and 75 g | 2.6 oz caster sugar. While whisking, pour in the hot cream. Strain through a sieve into a jug. Place 4 ramekins in a baking tray and fill with the custard. Pour boiling water into the tray so it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins and bake for 25 minutes in a low oven. Chill. To finish, top each with a slice of blood orange, sprinkle with sugar and then use a blow torch to brûlée the top.
For the chicken 4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled 2 red onions, in wedges Zest and juice of 1 lime 3 sprigs rosemary 6 sprigs lemon thyme A splash rapeseed oil 8 chicken thighs, skin on 1 red pepper, sliced Juice and zest of 2 blood oranges 400 g | 2 cups | 14 oz chickpeas, drained 1 blood orange, skin cut off and then into discs For the salsa A handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped 1 avocado, diced 2 jalapeños, diced 2 blood oranges, diced Juice of 1 lime 2 tbsp olive oil
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Cut the sweet potatoes into even-sized pieces and put them in a bowl along with the red onion, lime zest and juice, rosemary, lemon thyme and seasoning. Add a splash of rapeseed oil and mix well so that everything’s coated. Tip onto a baking tray and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place the chicken pieces, red pepper and blood-orange juice and zest in a bowl and season. When the 20 minutes is up, take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and arrange the chicken pieces and pepper among them and pour the orange juice all over the tray. Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes. Once more, remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle with the chickpeas and arrange the blood-orange slices among everything else. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. To make the salsa, stir the chopped parsley in with the diced avocado, jalapeños, blood oranges, the lime juice and olive oil, then season to taste. Refrigerate the salsa until ready to use. When the chicken is cooked, remove the roasting tray from the oven and spoon the salsa around it. Dot with the extra slices of avocado and extra slices of jalapeño and serve immediately.
To serve 1 avocado 1 jalapeño
With their spectacular tartness, blood oranges are a favourite citrus fruit and they’re so versatile in cooking www.countrylife.co.uk 61
Delectable Dinners
Coca-Cola ham Serves 8 Ingredients For the ham 2 kg | 4.4 lb mild-cure gammon joint 1 onion (peeled and cut in half) 2 litres | 8 cups | 3.5 pints Coca-Cola For the glaze 1 handful of cloves 1 heaped tbsp black treacle 2 tsp English mustard powder 2 tbsp demerara sugar
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Method Mild-cure gammon doesn’t need soaking, but if you know that you’re dealing with a salty piece, put it in a pan in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the gammon in a pan, skin-side down if it fits like that, add the onion, then pour over the coke. Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, although not tightly, and cook for just under 2½ hours. If your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour per kilo, remembering that it’s going to get a quick blast in the oven later. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240˚C/gas mark 9/450˚F. When the ham’s had its time, take it out of the pan and let cool a little for ease of handling. (Indeed, you can let it cool completely, then finish off the cooking at some later stage if you want.) Then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove. Then carefully spread the treacle over the bark-budded skin, taking care not to dislodge the cloves. Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat. Cook in a foil-lined roasting tin for about 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly. Should you want to do the braising stage in advance and then let the ham cool, clove and glaze it and give it 30–40 minutes, from room temperature, at 180˚C/gas mark 4/350˚F, turning up the heat towards the end if you think it needs it.
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Delectable Dinners
More ways with leeks Leek tarte tatin with thyme and feta (below) Prepare eight medium-sized leeks by trimming and washing them thoroughly, before cutting them into 2.5cm (1in) coins. Place them in a round tart tin, dot the tops with butter, season generously, scatter with thyme and roast in the oven at 160˚C | 320˚F | gas mark 2-3 for 30 minutes, or until soft. Remove the tin and lay a piece of puff pastry over the top, tucking it in around the edges. Turn up the oven to 200˚C | 400˚F | gas mark 6 and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Once golden, invert onto a serving plate and sprinkle some crumbled feta over it. Slice and serve it with salad or as a side.
Crab, chilli and leek pasta Gently fry three washed, trimmed and sliced leeks in olive oil in a large frying pan until soft. Add 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz white wine and cook until it’s absorbed into the leeks. Add a splash of cream, lemon zest, 100 g | 3.5 oz white crabmeat, a handful of fresh parsley and a sprinkling of chilli flakes, then toss with 300 g | 10.5 oz of freshly cooked spaghetti. Serve immediately with a glass of crisp white wine. Serves 2. Green-goddess soup Start as above by frying three prepared, sliced leeks. Add two handfuls of fresh spinach, 100 g | 3.5 oz garden peas, one sliced courgette, two crushed cloves of garlic and a splash of olive oil. Add just enough vegetable stock to cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are cooked. Purée with a stick blender. Drizzle with olive oil, season well and serve with toasted sourdough.
Herb-crusted haddock with pesto-and-lemon roasted new potatoes and leeks Serves 4 Ingredients 750 g | 7 cups | 26 oz new potatoes 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz fresh white breadcrumbs 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tbsp butter 4 tsp mayonnaise 4 haddock fillets 500 g | 5 cups | 17 oz leeks 50 g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz caperberries For the pesto-andlemon sauce 3 tbsp basil pesto Juice of 1 lemon 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil For the yoghurt sauce 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz Greek yoghurt Juice of 1 lemon 1 clove garlic, crushed
Method
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Place the new potatoes onto a roasting tray large enough to take both these and the fish and toss with the oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the breadcrumbs into a bowl. Add the parsley, crushed garlic and the butter, rubbing this in with your fingertips. Spread the mayonnaise over the surface of each haddock fillet and then sprinkle the fish with the breadcrumb mixture. Take the potatoes out of the oven and arrange the fish among them. Return the tray to the oven for 15 minutes. As these are roasting, wash and prepare the leeks, cutting them into medium-sized slices. Put them into a frying pan with a splash of oil and cook over a low heat until soft. In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto, lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil and set aside. Now, make the yoghurt sauce by stirring together the Greek yoghurt, lemon juice and crushed garlic, then set the sauce aside. When the breadcrumbs are golden and the potatoes are cooked through, remove the tray from the oven. Place the haddock fillets on warmed plates and then stir the leeks into the potatoes. Add the caperberries and mix again, before pouring the pesto-and-lemon sauce over them all. Divide between the plates, scatter with fresh basil and serve with the yoghurt sauce on the side.
To serve Fresh basil and lemon slices
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Delectable Dinners
Chicken-and-artichoke pithiviers, with roasted and caramelised chicory Serves 4 Ingredients For the chicken-andartichoke pithivier 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 chicken breasts, chopped 2 sprigs thyme 3 grilled baby artichokes in oil, chopped Half a lemon 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz single cream 1 sheet puff pastry 1 egg, beaten For the caramelised chicory 6 chicory heads A splash of olive oil 2 tbsp soft brown sugar For the celeriac purée 1 celeriac, diced 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz vegetable stock 3 tbsp double cream To serve Fresh watercress
Chicory, blood-orange and hazelnut salad Take one head of red chicory, one gem lettuce, a blood orange and an avocado and cut them all into even-sized pieces. Sprinkle with 40 g | 1.4 oz chopped, roasted hazelnuts and season. Drizzle olive oil over it, followed by apple-cider vinegar, and toss well. This is super simple, with clean flavours, and makes enough for two great starters or sides for grilled fish and lemon.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Gently fry the chopped onion in a splash of oil until softened. Add the chopped chicken, thyme sprigs and a sprinkle of salt. Once the chicken is cooked, tip in the chopped artichokes, together with a squeeze from the half lemon and its zest. Stir through and then add the cream. Remove the thyme sprigs before stirring everything together and set aside to cool. This is important – if it’s too hot, it will be difficult to assemble the pithiviers. Cut eight circles from the sheet of puff pastry, making four of them slightly smaller, as these will form the pithivier bases. Carefully spoon a quarter of the cooled chicken mixture into the centre of the smaller circles, leaving a centimetre clear around the edges. Brush the edges with the beaten egg and then place the larger circle on top, ensuring no air is trapped inside, before pressing the edges together to seal. Decorate the pithiviers by scoring the surface. Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes (on an upper shelf) or until golden. Slice the chicory heads lengthways into quarters. Place them in a bowl and toss with olive oil and seasoning. Arrange them in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the sugar. Roast on the lower shelf of the oven for about 10 minutes, before turning and putting back in the oven for a further 5–10 minutes until soft and caramelised. Steam the celeriac until tender and then process with the stock and cream until smooth. Taste for seasoning. To serve, place a pithivier on each plate, together with a spoonful of the celeriac purée toppped with the caramelised chicory and finish with fresh watercress.
Chicory loses almost all of its bitterness once cooked, which makes it far more appealing to a wider audience, but it also tastes wonderful raw when balanced with sweet oranges in a salad 66 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with chicory
Chicory gratin Slice four chicory heads lengthways into quarters. Fry them in olive oil over a low heat until softened. Pour 50 ml | 1.7 fl oz white wine over them and simmer until reduced. Add 200 ml | 7 fl oz double cream, heat through, season well and then spread the chicory in a single layer with the sauce in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with white breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan and bake in a hot oven until bubbling golden on top, about 15–20 minutes. Glazed chicory and walnut tarts Line four 10cm/4in fluted tart cases with a sheet of shortcrust pastry and blind bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes. Fry quarters of chicory in a frying pan with olive oil and, once softening, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Remove the baking beans and return the tarts to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and arrange the chicory in the tarts, with 280 ml | 10 fl oz of single cream whisked with 2 eggs. Bake for 15 minutes and serve scattered with chopped walnuts.
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Delectable Dinners
Hoi Mangpu Op (steamed mussels with lemongrass, lime leaves and basil) Serves 1 or 4 as part of a larger Thai meal Ingredients 1 kg | 2.2 lb fresh mussels 1 tbsp oil 4 Thai shallots or 2 regular shallots, peeled and finely chopped 6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 large red chilli, sliced 2 sticks lemongrass, finely sliced 200 ml | 1 cup | 7 fl oz water 1 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce) 6 kaffir lime leaves A good handful of holy basil or Thai sweet basil to garnish
Method Clean the mussels thoroughly under running water, pulling off any beards they may have. If any mussels are open, give them a firm tap with the back of a knife. If they refuse to close, discard them immediately. Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan (one with a tightly fitting lid) and sauté the shallots, garlic, chilli and lemongrass for one minute. Add the water, nam pla and lime leaves, then bring to the boil. Add the mussels and bring the saucepan back to the boil. Put the lid on and give the pot a good shake. Leave on the heat for three or four minutes, or until all the mussels are open and cooked. Serve in a bowl, garnished with the basil leaves and julienned red peppers, surrounded by the delicious cooking liquor, and squeeze the lime over as desired.
To serve Wedges of lime Julienned red peppers
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Delectable Dinners
Risotto Primavera Serves 6 Ingredients 225 g | 2 cups | 8 oz each of asparagus, peas, green beans and zucchini (courgette) Sea salt Fresh ground black pepper 1 litre | 4 cups | 1¾ pint chicken stock 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 300 g | 1½ cups | 10.5 oz risotto rice 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 fl oz extra dry white vermouth 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz butter 175 g | 2 cups | 6 oz Parmesan, freshly grated
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Method Cut off the asparagus tips, then chop spears and beans into 1in pieces. Pod the peas. Cut the zucchini (courgette), lengthways into four, and slice to the same size as the green beans. Take half the vegetables, and blanch in plenty of boiling salted water. Heat the chicken stock and season. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the onion in the olive oil until soft, not brown, for about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir for two minutes to coat completely with oil. Add enough hot stock to cover the rice and cook gently, adding more stock as it is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper. After about 10 minutes, add the uncooked vegetables, stir and add more stock. Cook everything for a further five minutes. Pour in the vermouth and stir, then add the blanched vegetables, the butter and the cheese, taking care not to overstir. The risotto should be moist and creamy. Check the seasoning and serve with more grated Parmesan.
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Delectable Dinners
More ways with leeks Spring broth with pesto Add two chopped sticks of celery, two thinly sliced leeks, two grated cloves of garlic, a couple of handfuls of sliced spring greens or sweetheart cabbage to a saucepan and cover with vegetable stock. Simmer until tender, then add a tablespoon of fresh pesto. Using a stick blender, process roughly a third of the soup so that it still has a chunky consistency. Place over the heat, add 100g | 3.5 oz of macaroni pasta and simmer until cooked through. To serve, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a little zest, plus a generous grating of Parmesan and fresh basil. This deliciously fragrant soup serves two, easily.
Crab and leek toasties Gently fry two thinly sliced leeks in butter until soft. Remove from the heat and add 200 g | 7 oz of mixed brown and white crab meat, a tablespoon of crème fraîche and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the pan, then stir. Toast sourdough slices, spread with butter and pile the crab-and-leek mixture on top. Sprinkle over freshly grated cheddar and pop under the grill until just bubbling. Scatter with chopped parsley. Serve with lightly dressed salad leaves for a delightful Sunday supper.
Thai prawn Khao Soi Serves 4 Ingredients 300 g | 3 cups | 10.5 oz raw prawns 1 tsp chilli flakes 1 tbsp grated ginger 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 leek, finely sliced 2 tbsp red curry paste 1 kaffir lime leaf 1 tsp tamarind 400 ml | 1½ cups | 14 fl oz coconut milk 400 ml | 1½ cups | 14 fl oz chicken stock 1 tbsp fish sauce 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz vermicelli rice noodles 2 pak choi, halved lengthways A handful of fresh basil, torn 2 limes 1 red chilli (optional)
Method Toss the raw prawns with the chilli flakes, ginger and crushed garlic. Add a splash of oil to a wok and fry over a medium to high heat before adding the prawns. Cook them until just pink, then remove from the wok and set aside. Add the thinly sliced leek to the wok and cook for a couple of minutes to soften before adding the curry paste. Add the kaffir leaf and tamarind, heat for a further couple of minutes until fragrant, then pour in the coconut milk, chicken stock and fish sauce. Heat through thoroughly. Drop in the vermicelli rice noodles and simmer everything for about five minutes, by which time the noodles will be softened. Add the halved pak choi to the wok and cook through for a couple of minutes. You may need to add extra water if you see the noodles absorbing all the sauce, but the flavour will all be in there. Return the prawns to the wok. Sprinkle on the fresh basil, squeeze over the lime juice and serve hot in deep bowls. You may need a few more chilli slices for those who like extra spice.
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Delectable Dinners
Monkfish-and-prawn curry with homemade garlic naan bread Serves 4 Ingredients For the naan bread 450 g | 3¼ cups | 16 oz plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz warm water 200 ml | ¾ cup | 7 oz whole milk, warm 1 tbsp honey 1 tsp dry yeast 250 g | 1 cup | 8.8 oz Greek yoghurt 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz butter, melted 2 cloves garlic, crushed Fresh parsley, chopped For the curry A splash of vegetable oil 1 onion, sliced 3 tbsp tikka-masala curry paste 1 red chilli, finely diced 4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped 3 tsp tamarind 400ml | 13.5 fl oz tin coconut milk 4 courgettes 2 kaffir lime leaves 350 g | 13 oz monkfish 150 g | 1½ cups | 5.3 oz tiger prawns 2 limes, squeezed Fresh parsley, chopped Tomato slices
Grilled-courgette and mozzarella salad (below) Slice a courgette into coins and cook them in a griddle pan. Toss the courgette with half a red onion sliced, a handful of salad leaves and one ball of mozzarella torn into pieces. Sprinkle in two tablespoons of chopped, roasted hazelnuts and a few chilli flakes, then drizzle with olive oil and a little white-wine vinegar. Season well, toss together and serve. Delicious on toasted sourdough.
Method Combine the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a bowl and set aside. Add the warm water, milk and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer, with the dough hook attached. Give it a quick stir before sprinking with the yeast and leave for about 10–15 minutes until air bubbles begin to form. Add the Greek yoghurt and stir again, then add the combined flour, salt and baking powder. Turn on the stand mixer and mix until a dough forms. Scrape the dough out of the bowl and place it on a floured surface. It will be sticky, but stay with it, because the results are overwhelmingly worth it. Knead it as best you can with floured hands until it’s a version of smooth. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave this in a warm place. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it back and divide it into eight pieces. Roll them out with a floured pin as thinly as you can, brush them with melted butter and fry them in a scorching hot pan for about a minute on each side. Once cooked, brush immediately with more melted butter that’s been mixed with the garlic and parsley. Continue with the remaining pieces of dough, keeping the cooked naan warm in a low oven. To prepare the curry, heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the sliced onion until soft, but not browned. Spoon in the masala-curry paste and diced chilli and fry for a few minutes before adding the tomatoes and tamarind, followed by the coconut milk, two of the courgettes (cut into coins) and kaffir leaves. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes to allow all the flavours to infuse. Add the monkfish, with sinew removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces, to the curry, together with the prawns. Simmer for a few minutes until the fish is cooked. Finish with the lime juice and a scattering of parsley. Divide the curry between bowls, garnish with fresh tomato slices and the remaining two courgettes (sliced and griddled, brushed with a little oil), and serve with the warm naan bread to mop up the delicious flavours.
Delightful courgettes with their blowsy yellow flowers are delicious eaten now, before they grow into less flavoursome marrows 74 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with courgettes
Courgette, tomato and mascarpone fusilli Fry a chopped onion in olive oil until soft and translucent. Stir in a crushed clove of garlic and cook for a minute, before adding 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz of red wine. Stir and cook until the wine has reduced by half, then tip in a 400g | 14 oz tin of plum tomatoes. Reduce the heat, add a tablespoon of pesto and one courgette cut into super-thin rounds. Simmer gently until the courgette is cooked, stirring two tablespoons of mascarpone through it to finish. Toss oliveoil-drizzled fusilli into the sauce and serve with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese. Courgette flowers with goat’s curd and honey Prepare plates with a dollop of goat’s curd and a drizzle of runny honey. Drop the courgette flowers in hot oil for a few seconds and remove to a plate covered with kitchen roll. Serve them alongside the goat’s curd and honey for a simple, smart little starter.
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More ways with wild garlic Pan-fried haddock with wild garlic mayonnaise (below) Prepare the wild garlic oil as in the main recipe. Put 1tsp mustard powder, 1 tsp white wine vinegar and 3 egg yolks into a blender. With the blades running, slowly add 450 ml | 16 fl oz wild garlic oil, starting with single drops. Process until the mixture is a beautiful deep green and then add salt and a squeeze of lemon. Refrigerate until ready to use. Heat olive oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan until foamy. Place the haddock, skin side down, on the hot pan and cook on this side for a few minutes until opaque. Turn the fish over, take off the heat and let the residual warmth cook the fish just through. Sprinkle seasoning and add a squeeze of lemon. Place the fish on warmed plates. Decorate with green shoots and edible flowers and dot the plates with mayonnaise. Serve immediately.
Wild garlic, anchovy and chilli pesto Combine the following in a processor: 100 g | 3.5 oz wild garlic leaves, 75 g | 2.6 oz Parmesan, 50 g | 1.7 oz toasted pine nuts, 3 salty anchovies, a handful of basil leaves, 50 ml | 1.7 fl oz olive oil, 1 red chilli, the juice of half a lemon and seasoning. Serve with spaghetti tossed with olive oil, plus extra grated Parmesan. Wild garlic sourdough toast Soften a 250 g | 8.8 oz packet of salted butter and stir through 75 g | 2.6 oz finely chopped wild garlic. Wrap in greaseproof paper and refrigerate. Toast sourdough and spread with the butter. Delicious with soup.
Green goddess risotto with wild garlic, wild garlic oil and crab Serves 4 Ingredients For the wild garlic oil 100 g | 3 cups | 3.5 oz wild garlic 450 g | 2 cups | 16 fl oz light olive oil For the risotto Olive oil 1 onion 400 g | 2 cups | 14 oz Arborio rice 200 ml | ¾ cup | 7 fl oz white wine 1 litre | 4 cups | 1.7 pints chicken stock 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz broccoli 150 g | 1 cup | 5.3 oz frozen garden peas 1 courgette 15 wild garlic leaves 75 g | 1 cup | 2.6 oz grated Parmesan
Method To prepare the oil, wash the wild garlic and then place it in salted boiling water for a minute before plunging into iced water. This retains its wonderful bright colour. Drain it, pat it dry and put the garlic in a blender with the olive oil, then process for about 5 minutes. Pass the garlic oil through a fine-mesh sieve and then leave to drip slowly through muslin overnight. By morning, you will have a green and fragrant oil ready to use. To make the risotto, heat olive oil in a heavy-base pan and cook the chopped onion until soft and translucent. Add the risotto rice and toss to coat. Pour in the white wine and keep stirring until it has become fully absorbed by the rice. Then, pour in half the stock and simmer gently. Meanwhile, add the broccoli, peas, courgette, wild garlic and a splash of stock—to loosen it—to a processor and blitz until coarse. Pour the contents into the rice. Keep the rice at a simmer, adding more stock as needed. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and stir through the grated Parmesan. Place a lid over the pan and leave for a couple of minutes to become more creamy. To serve, divide the risotto between warm plates. Drizzle with the wild garlic oil, add grated Parmesan, scatter over the crab and add a few lemon-dressed green shoots. Serve immediately.
To serve 100g | ¼ cup | 3.5 oz white crab meat Leafy shoots to garnish 1 lemon, quartered
Dark, leafy and highly fragrant wild garlic is not to be missed. You’ll find it growing in abundance along rivers and streams and the smell will be unmistakable www.countrylife.co.uk 77
Delectable Dinners
Chinese spring-onion and chilli sea bass with egg-fried rice and bok choi Serves 4 Ingredients For the egg-fried rice Splash of vegetable oil 2 microwaveable sachets wholegrain rice (white if you prefer), heated before use 2 spring onions, cut on the diagonal 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz frozen garden peas 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tbsp soy sauce For the sea bass 4 fillets of sea bass 4 spring onions, thinly sliced lengthways 1 red chilli, thinly sliced lengthways 4 half-inch pieces ginger, thinly sliced 1 tsp black sesame seeds 3 tbsp mirin 2tbsp soy sauce
Spring-onion and cheese scones (below) In a bowl, mix together 350 g | 12.25 oz self-raising flour, a pinch of salt and 1tspn of baking powder. Use your fingertips to rub in 85 g | 3 oz of butter. Add 100g | 3.5 oz of grated Cheddar, plus two finely diced spring onions and combine. Pour in 175 ml | 6 fl oz of whole milk and bring it all together into a dough. Flour a clean surface and tip out the dough, folding it over a few times before cutting rounds with a cookie cutter. Put the scones on a baking sheet and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Serve warm with butter.
Method To make the egg-fried rice, add a splash of a neutralflavoured oil, such as vegetable, to a wok and add the contents from the heated sachets of rice, together with the spring onions and peas. Stir for a few minutes on a medium heat, using a spatula to prevent the rice from sticking and to ensure it cooks evenly. Push everything to one side of the wok and add the eggs. Use the spatula to roughly scramble them and then incorporate them into the rice. Add the soy sauce, mix well and set aside. To cook the fish, lightly brush a non-stick frying pan with a neutral oil. Once the pan is piping hot, place the seabass fillets skin side down. When they’re almost opaque on the top, flip them over for a few seconds before placing them on a warmed serving plate. Immediately add the spring onions, chilli, ginger and black sesame seeds to the frying pan and toss them around to gently cook. Pour in the mirin and soy sauce and cook for a couple of minutes more before spooning everything over the fish. Meanwhile, steam the bok choi for a few minutes. Serve the sea bass with the egg-fried rice and bok choi, finished with a generous scattering of fresh coriander or parsley if you prefer.
To serve Bok choi Fresh coriander or parsley
These fresh, crisp and sweet spring alliums are the making of so many dishes, from salads to soups, as these recipes show 78 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with spring onions
Potato, spring-onion and basil frittata (serves 2) Slice 250 g | 8.8 oz of cooked new potatoes and fry them gently in a large non-stick frying pan with four chopped spring onions, 50 g | 1.7 oz of peas and half a thinly sliced courgette until everything is almost cooked. Season generously. Whisk together six eggs in a jug with a spoonful of crème fraîche, then pour the mixture over the vegetables. Cook until the frittata starts to come away from the base of the pan and then sprinkle with cheese. Place under the grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese, then scatter with fresh basil before serving with salad. Serves 2. Grilled spring onions and asparagus Toss equal numbers of spring onions and asparagus spears in olive oil and griddle until slightly charred. Sprinkle with salt, add a squeeze of lemon and serve with mayonnaise processed with garlic.
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More ways with fennel Cauliflower, fennel and spring-onion soup, with edible petals Chop one cauliflower, two fennel bulbs and three spring onions, add to a large saucepan, cover with vegetable stock and simmer until tender. Season and process in a blender until smooth, then refrigerate. Serve the soup chilled and scattered with edible petals. Extremely pretty for summer entertaining. Fennel, apple and cabbage slaw Cut two fennel bulbs and two apples into even-sized matchsticks and add to a large bowl, together with half a thinly shredded white cabbage. Stir in 300 g | 10.5 oz of Greek yoghurt and 100 g | 3.5 oz of crème fraîche. Mix well, squeeze lemon juice over the top and finish with chopped parsley. A perfect addition to a summer barbecue.
Seafood-andfennel pie Serves 4 Ingredients 2 tbsp butter 2 leeks, finely sliced 4 fennel bulbs, hard outer layers removed, cut into matchsticks 1 lemon, juice and zest 3 tbsp plain flour 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz milk 150 g | 1 cup | 5.3 oz scallops 250 g | 8.8 oz haddock 200 g | 7 oz salmon 200 g | 2 cups | 7 oz king prawns 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz crème fraîche Handful freshly chopped parsley 2 sheets puff pastry 1 egg, beaten, passed through a sieve
Method
Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. In a large frying pan, gently fry the leeks and fennel in butter until softened. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix well, cooking until the juice has been absorbed. Sprinkle in the plain flour, mix well and, over a medium heat, add the milk a little at a time, stirring continuously. Once it’s all in, you should have a thickened white sauce. Stir in the crème fraîche and parsley. Season well and taste for balance. Set aside to cool. Butter a large pie dish (about 25cm (10in) in diameter or smaller, but deeper) and arrange the chopped pieces of fish and shellfish over the base. Pour the leek-and-fennel sauce into the dish and use a spatula to spread it all around evenly. Cut the two sheets of puff pastry into 1in strips. Start with the centre pieces, weaving over and under, making a lattice pattern. It’s slightly fiddly, but relatively easy once you get started and, I think, worth it for the end result. Once the pastry’s in place, brush the top with beaten egg and bake in the oven for about 30–40 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve the pie hot, with lightly dressed salad leaves on the side.
Fennel, orange and radish salad with orange-reduction dressing (above) Slice one fennel bulb into evensized matchsticks and combine with slices of an orange and about six radishes. Add half a thinly sliced red onion and a handful of fresh parsley. Make a dressing by squeezing the juice of an orange into a small saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Add the same amount of olive oil, a teaspoon of honey, a squeeze of lemon and whisk together. Pour over the salad and toss everything together. Serve on toasted sourdough. Simple and fresh.
Fennel divides us–we either love it or hate it! It does have a distinctive aniseedy flavour, but one that mellows when cooked www.countrylife.co.uk 81
Delectable Dinners
Normandy chicken with apples Serves 4 Ingredients 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp oil 4 part-jointed chicken breasts with skin 12 shallots, halved 1 sprig rosemary 2 cloves garlic, whole 2 apples, halved 200 ml | 1 cup | 7 fl oz chicken stock 200ml | 1 cup | 7 fl oz apple cider 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz goose fat 500 g | 5 cups | 17 oz new potatoes, halved Sea salt 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz double cream To serve Green beans, olive oil and crushed garlic
Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 6. Melt the butter and oil in a large casserole dish over a medium to high heat. Season the chicken breasts all over and then place them skin-side down to brown. Sear all over to keep in the succulent flavours. Remove to a plate once browned. Cook the shallots, rosemary and garlic cloves in the buttery juices until the shallots are caramelising on the edges. Season well. Add the halved apples, cut-side down, and, again, cook until the apples are just browning and caramelising on the edges. Return the chicken to the casserole dish and arrange everything in a single layer. In a separate jug, combine the hot stock and cider. Pour into the casserole dish so the liquid comes halfway up the chicken and the crispy skin is still visible. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked. A meat thermometer will register 74˚C | 165˚F when it’s perfectly done. Heat the goose fat in a roasting dish before tossing with the new potatoes and sea salt. Roast for 30 minutes, together with the chicken. Remove the casserole from the oven. Use a spider (or other implement) to take out the chicken and other ingredients, then cover the bird with foil. Discard the rosemary and garlic. Place the casserole dish back on the hob, add the cream and simmer to reduce, thicken and intensify the sauce, then pass it through a fine-mesh sieve. Return everything to the casserole dish, heat through and serve with the potatoes. It can also be served with steamed green beans tossed with olive oil and garlic.
The deliciously crisp and sweet flavour of a freshly picked apple is hard to beat 82 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with apples Apple sorbet Peel and core six tart apples. Cut them into evenly sized pieces and then freeze. Pour 400 g | 14 oz of caster sugar into a saucepan with 200 ml | 7 fl oz of water. Bring to a simmer to reduce and, once it’s reached the short-thread stage, remove from the heat. In a blender, process the frozen apple pieces and the slightly cooled sugar syrup until smooth. Pour the sorbet mixture into a container and freeze. When frozen, return to the blender to break up the crystals before freezing again, when it will be ready to use. You could add a little green food colouring and a little apple essence to get a stronger flavour, but it will be delicious without.
Apple fritters with sugar and cinnamon In a mixing bowl, whisk together four tablespoons of plain flour, two tablespoons of ground almonds, two tablespoons of caster sugar, two egg yolks and 200 ml | 7 fl oz of milk. As the batter rests, peel and core four apples and slice each into four rings. Place these in water with lemon to stop them browning. Whisk two egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the batter. Heat a generous spoonful of butter in a nonstick pan, then drop the apple rings into the batter and, next, into the pan. Fry for a few minutes on each side until golden. Toss with sugar and cinnamon. Serve hot with ice cream.
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Partridge pepper fry Serves 4 Ingredients For the partridge 4 whole partridges 4 tbsp groundnut or vegetable oil ½ cinnamon stick 2 cloves 2 green cardamom pods 8 black peppercorns 1 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp coriander seed 4 curry leaves 1 large onion, finely chopped 3 green finger chillies, split lengthways 5 cm | 2 in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced 1 tsp ground turmeric ½ tsp chilli powder 1 tbsp ground black pepper Big pinch of sea salt 1 tsp garam masala To finish and serve 1 green chilli, finely chopped Juice of half a lemon 5 curry leaves A few thin slices of ginger
Method Cut the legs and breasts off the partridges and set aside (keep the carcass for stock). Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the whole spices and cook until they become fragrant and start to pop. Add the onion, chillies, ginger and garlic and cook gently, until soft. Add the turmeric, chilli powder and most of the pepper. Cook for a minute, then whack up the heat and add the partridges. Season with salt, then cook over a high heat for three or so minutes, to brown the meat. Add a dash of water, cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and reduce over a high heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly, until quite dry. Add the rest of the pepper and the garam masala, cook for another minute and finish with the chilli, ginger, lemon juice and curry leaves. Serve with rice or fresh naan.
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Delectable Dinners
Devilled pheasant Serves 2
2 pheasants 1 large carrot 1 large onion 1 clove garlic 1 sprig parsley 1 sprig thyme 2 bay leaves 250ml | 1 cup | ½ pint double cream 1 large jar mango chutney 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Method Put the pheasants in a casserole with carrot, onion, garlic, parsley and herbs. Cover the birds with water and then cover the casserole. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until tender. Remove the meat from the bones and pour back the juices in which the birds were cooked. Heat the meat very slowly in the juices, so it does not become dry. Meanwhile, whip the double cream into a stiff consistency. Leave it in the refrigerator for about an hour until it becomes quite hard, then beat the mango chutney and Worcestershire sauce into it. Keep it cool in the fridge until ready to be used. Place the flaked meat, thoroughly drained of cooking juices, into the dish in which it is to be served, cover it with the cream mixture and put it in the oven for 10 minutes to heat through. Hint: the birds can be cooked in the morning and the rest of the preparation done about 1½ hours before dinner, but remember to keep the stock in which the birds were first cooked for reheating.
Pheasant is a dowdy dowager aunt to the more glamorous grouse, teal or woodcock. This is Princess Anne’s best-loved dish 86 Country Life Cookbook
© Getty
Ingredients
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More ways with runner beans Runner-bean, tomato and chickpea stew Fry a sliced red onion in olive oil, then add half a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Fry for a couple of minutes before adding 150 g | 5.3 oz of sliced runner beans and two cloves of crushed garlic. Pour over a tin of tomatoes, mix well and simmer until softened. Add seasoning and a tablespoon of pesto, then stir through a tin of drained chickpeas. Heat until warm. Serve alongside pan-fried fish with a dollop of guacamole or with poached eggs or avocado if you need a vegetarian alternative.
Sliced runner-bean, chicken and ciabatta tray bake Serves 4 Ingredients Half a loaf of ciabatta cut into bite-size cubes 150 g | 1 cup | 5.3 oz sliced runner beans 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled Half a teaspoon chilli flakes 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz olive oil 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz white wine Seasoning 6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 50 g | 2 cups | 1.7 oz mixed baby leaves 75 g | ½ cup | 2.6 oz peas, blanched
A simple side of runner beans Blanch sliced runner beans in boiling water until just tender and then refresh in iced water. Stir through rocket and chopped, roasted hazelnuts. Drizzle over olive oil and redwine vinegar, then add Parmesan shavings. Season well and serve.
For the dressing 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp olive oil
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. In a roasting tray, toss together the cubed ciabatta, sliced runner beans, garlic, chilli flakes, olive oil and white wine, ensuring everything is coated. Season well. Spread the runner beans and ciabatta out evenly and then arrange the chicken thighs, seasoned well and brushed with olive oil, on top. Roast for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the ciabatta golden. Remove the tray from the oven and place the chicken pieces onto a separate plate, then wrap the plate in foil to rest and keep warm. Meanwhile, stir the baby leaves and peas through the cooked runner beans and squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins. Pour the dressing ingredients over and mix everything really well to combine all the flavours. Place the runner-bean mixture onto a serving plate. Top with the chicken pieces and carefully scatter the capers, chopped chives and parsley over the top. Serve with extra lemon wedges.
To serve 2 tbsp capers Freshly chopped chives and parsley 1 lemon, chopped into wedges
Make the most of vibrant green runner beans before autumn conquers the kitchen garden www.countrylife.co.uk 89
Delectable Dinners
Gressingham duck breasts with a pear and red wine glaze Serves 4 Ingredients For the duck breasts 4 duck breasts, trimmed of fat (set it aside) 4 cloves garlic, smashed 4 sprigs rosemary 8 sprigs thyme For the glaze 3 tbsp honey 200 ml | 1 cup | 7 fl oz red wine 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz chicken stock 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 ripe and juicy pears, cored and diced 1 tbsp orange zest For the spinach 1 tbsp olive oil 100 g | 3 cups | 3.5 oz baby spinach to wilt 2 cloves garlic, crushed
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Score a criss-cross pattern into the duck skin, being careful not to cut through to the flesh. Scatter salt and pepper on a plate and rub the breasts in it. Leave them to sit for a few minutes before cooking. Heat a heavy-based pan and, when it is smoking hot, sear the breasts all over to lock in the flavour before placing them skin-side down to get the skin crispy and render the fat. Render down the trimmed cuts of fat, too. Pour off the fat to save and use for other dishes before adding the smashed garlic, rosemary and thyme. Put the whole pan in a hot oven for 10 minutes, before removing to a plate and resting for 10 minutes. While the duck is resting, set the same pan over a medium heat and pour in the honey. Heat well, then add the red wine and reduce to a syrup. Pour in a splash of chicken stock and reduce again. Next, add the soy sauce, followed by the diced pears and orange zest. Heat through, ensuring the glaze coats the pear pieces. Keep warm over a low heat. Pour a splash of olive oil into a large frying pan. Add the spinach, season well and stir, then add the garlic. Keep stirring until the spinach is wilted, but try to avoid burning the garlic. Slice the duck breasts on an angle—it’s technically correct to remove the ends (your dog will love you)—and arrange on plates with a pile of spinach, then spoon over the pear glaze. Delicious with crispy potatoes roasted in duck fat.
Sweet and juicy pears make this dinner-party dish a showstopper 90 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with pears Pear-and-chocolate cake In a large bowl, mix together 125 g | 4.4 oz of self-raising flour, 125 g | 4.4 oz of golden caster sugar, 50 g | 1.7 oz of cocoa powder, one teaspoon of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt, two eggs, one egg yolk, 150 ml | 5.3 fl oz of buttermilk, 110 ml | 4 fl oz of vegetable oil, two teaspoons of vanilla-bean paste and 125 ml | 4.4 fl oz of boiling water. Pour into a lined loaf tin and arrange three whole, peeled pears, standing upright, in the cake mixture. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Pear and mulled-wine tarte tatin Add 30 g | 1 oz of butter to an oven-proof frying pan and heat to melt. Add 200 ml | 7 fl oz of mulled wine and 100 g | 3.5 oz of caster sugar. Reduce until syrupy. Carefully peel, halve and core three pears. Add them to the pan and coat with the syrup. Position the pears evenly, cutside up, and place a circle of puff pastry over the top, tucking in the sides as you go. Bake in a hot oven for 25 minutes before inverting onto a plate and serving with ice cream.
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More ways with butternut Butternut squash with spinach gnocchi Fry a chopped red onion in olive oil until soft. Add a diced, peeled, medium-sized butternut squash, plus a crushed clove of garlic and two chopped sage leaves. Fry until the squash is just soft. Tip in 450 g | 16 oz ready-made of spinach gnocchi, stir well with the other ingredients and then pour over 250 ml | 8.8 fl oz of chicken stock. Bring back to a simmer and reduce the stock to about half, by which time the gnocchi should be done. (Be careful not to over-cook the gnocchi or they may break down.) Add a splash of double cream, stir well and grate Parmesan over the top.
Roasted butternut and free-range pork sausage tray bake Serves 4 Ingredients 6 free-range sausages 1 butternut squash, chopped, but not peeled 3 red onions, peeled and chopped into wedges 5 cloves garlic, peeled 3 sprigs rosemary 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz puy lentils 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz chicken stock 80 g | 3 cups | 3 oz spinach leaves 4 tbsp crème fraîche 2 tbsp honey 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Arrange the sausages on a large baking tray. In a separate bowl, put the chopped butternut, onion wedges, garlic and rosemary. Pour over a splash of olive oil and toss everything together, so all is evenly coated. Spoon the butternut mixture around the sausages so it sits almost in a single layer and season well. Roast for about 35 minutes, or until the sausages are browned and the vegetables are cooked. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook the lentils in the chicken stock until just softened. (Check the packet for instructions on precise times, but usually this will be about 25 minutes.) Once cooked, drain well and return to the saucepan. Add the spinach to the lentils and mix around until wilted. Stir through the crème fraîche. Put the honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and mix together to make a dressing. Remove the tray from the oven and pour the lentils and spinach over the sausages. Top with the dressing and then toss everything together. Serve immediately.
Butternut squash and chilli hummus Peel and dice a medium-sized butternut squash. Drizzle with olive oil and roast until tender. Place in a blender with a tin of drained chickpeas, three tablespoons of tahini, 75 g | 2.6 oz of Greek yoghurt, one red chilli and a squeeze of lemon. Season well and serve with crudités and toasted pitta bread.
Glorious butternut: how did it know to be orange like autumn leaves? www.countrylife.co.uk 93
Delectable Dinners
White-truffle risotto Serves 4 Ingredients 250 g | 1 cup | 8.8 oz unsalted butter (cut into even-sized pieces and kept very cold) 1 onion, very finely chopped 400 g | 2 cups | 14 oz Superfino Carnaroli rice 2 litres | 8 cups | 3.5 pints of good chicken or vegetable stock, kept at a low boil 250 g | 2½ cups | 8.8 oz grated Parmesan 300 ml | 1 cup | 10.5 oz dry white wine White Alba truffle
94 Country Life Cookbook
Method Melt 50 g | cup | 1.7 oz of the butter in a big pan, add the onion and cook gently until translucent. Add the rice, stir and cook until well coated, then add the wine. Reduce, then start to add the boiling stock a ladle at a time. Stir all the time until the rice absorbs the stock, then add another ladle of stock, and repeat. After about 15 minutes, the rice should have a soupy consistency, but the individual grains should still have a bite. Stop stirring and allow the risotto to rest for a minute. Quickly beat in the remaining cold butter, then beat in the cheese, getting your whole body behind it, moving your beating hand as fast as you can, and shaking the pan with the other. You should hear a satisfying thwock, thwock sound as you work the ingredients in. The result should be a risotto that is creamy, rich and emulsified. At this point, taste for seasoning and, if you like, add a grind of salt and pepper. Remember, however, that if your stock is strongly flavoured—and once you have added the salty cheese—the risotto may not need any seasoning at all. Then, with a truffle shaver, sprinkle wafer-thin slices of truffle over the rice. You’ll need a few slices per person. Serve the risotto as quickly as you can, as it will carry on cooking for a few minutes. If you’ve achieved the perfect consistency (all’onda), when you tilt the bowls, the risotto should ripple like the waves of the sea.
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More ways with quince Honey, almond and quince loaf with mascarpone Peel, core and slice two quince. Add to a saucepan with the juice of a lemon and 30 g | 1 oz of honey, plus just enough water to cover them. Simmer until tender and drain, reserving the syrup. In a large bowl, combine three eggs, 250 g | 8.8 oz of runny honey, 75 ml | 2.6 oz of light olive oil, 1 teaspoon of vanilla-bean paste or essence, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 350 g | 12 oz of ground almonds, adding a little syrup if needed. Pour into a prepared loaf tin and bake for about 35 minutes in a moderate oven. Once cool, stir 45 ml | 1.5 fl oz of the syrup into 200 g | 7 oz of mascarpone and spread over the loaf, before arranging the quince pieces with a few figs and blackberries. Drizzle with honey.
Mulled wine poached quince Poach pieces of peeled, cored and sliced quince in mulled wine until tender. Serve with whipped cream and crushed amaretti biscuits.
Persian chicken, quince and saffron casserole, with bejewelled rice Serves 4 Ingredients For the chicken 1 chicken, portioned 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed Juice of 1 lemon Handful of chopped parsley For the bejewelled rice 300 g | 1½ cups | 10.5 oz white basmati rice 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz butter 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz chopped pistachios Zest of 1 satsuma Seeds of half a pomegranate 1 red onion, sliced 1 pinch saffron strands 1 cinnamon stick 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz hot chicken stock Juice of 1 satsuma 1 quince, peeled, cored and sliced Chilli flakes Fresh parsley to garnish
Method
Preheat your oven to 170˚C/325˚F/gas mark 3. Put the chicken pieces into a large freezer bag and add the oil, garlic, lemon juice, parsley and seasoning. Massage the ingredients into the chicken from the outside of the bag and then refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Tip the rice into a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water. Place a piece of baking parchment into the bottom of a lidded, heavy-based pan and melt half the butter. Spoon the rice gently into the pan—do not pack down—then lay a few pieces of kitchen roll on the top of the saucepan before adding the lid. This will help seal the steam in. Reduce the heat to the lowest it will go and steam the rice for about an hour. Be careful removing the lid, as the steam can burn. If the base of the rice has browned, leave any dark pieces behind on the parchment. Set a lidded casserole dish on a high heat, then add the chicken pieces and the marinade. Brown the chicken all over, then add the onion, saffron strands, cinnamon stick, chicken stock, satsuma juice, quince pieces, seasoning and chilli flakes. Mix everything gently together, cover, and put the casserole dish in the oven for 40 minutes. Melt the remaining butter in a large frying pan and add the chopped pistachios. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the rice. Sprinkle on satsuma zest and stir through. Spoon into a serving bowl, add pomegranate seeds and a handful of chopped parsley. Remove the chicken from the oven, check it is cooked through, taste for seasoning and add fresh parsley. Serve immediately with the bejewelled rice.
An autumn jewel, quince adds a delightfully floral fragrance to comfort food www.countrylife.co.uk 97
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100 Clementine and almond cake with clementine crème diplomate 102 Chocolate and chestnut cake with meringue 104 Banana, walnut and salted maple syrup loaf with maple mascarpone 106 Pomegranate, pistachio and orange cake
108 Italian panforte 110 Super simple rhubarb and ginger pie 112 Pretty-in-pink blood orange Bundt cake
116 Beetroot and chocolate torte with beetroot meringue 118 Carrot and saltedcaramel cheesecake 120 Strawberry and hazelnut meringue roulade with hazelnut praline 122 Mango and raspberry tart 124 Late-summer plum and ricotta crumble cake 126 Blackberry and violet mascarpone chocolate layer cake 128 Pumpkin cinnamon rolls
114 Almond, rhubarb and raspberry cake with elderflower cream
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Clementine and almond cake with clementine crème diplomate Serves 8 Ingredients For the cake 400 g | 2 cups | 14 oz unsalted butter, room temperature 600 g | 3 cups | 21 oz caster sugar 8 eggs 1 tbsp vanilla-bean paste 300 g | 3 cups | 10.5 oz ground almonds 200 g | 2 cups | 7 oz selfraising flour 2 clementines, zest of For the clementine syrup 3 clementines, juice of 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz water 50 g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz caster sugar For the crème diplomate 3 tbsp custard powder 2 eggs 4 tbsp caster sugar 500 ml | 2 cups | 17 fl oz whole milk 3 clementines, zest of 1 clementine, juice of 3 tbsp lemon curd 400 ml | 1¾ cups | 14 fl oz double cream, whipped To serve 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz toasted flaked almonds 1 clementine
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Method In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla, continue to beat, then add the almonds, self-raising flour and clementine zest. If the mixture looks a little thick, add a splash of milk. Divide the mixture between two 8in loose-bottomed tins and bake for about 45–50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. To make the syrup, gently heat the clementine juice in a small pan with the water and sugar to dissolve the sugar before turning up the heat and simmering for a few minutes until the mixture has a syrupy consistency. Set aside. To prepare the crème diplomate, add the custard powder to a large bowl and whisk in the eggs and sugar. Heat the milk in a saucepan until near boiling and then pour a little into the bowl of custard. Whisk well, then pour everything back into the saucepan. Whisk again over the heat until the custard really thickens. If any lumps form, keep whisking until they disappear. Remove from the custard the heat and allow to cool. Add the clementine zest, juice and lemon curd and mix well. Finally, fold the whipped cream into the custard and chill until ready to use. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool completely on wire racks. When ready, slice them in half so you have four layers. Spread each layer with the chilled filling, build the four-layered cake and finish with more crème diplomate on top. Decorate with slices of fresh clementine and a scattering of fresh almonds. Feel free to add a few clementine leaves for extra colour. Serve immediately.
More ways with clementines Clementine salad with warm clementine dressing Add slices of clementine, avocado, red onion, rocket and feta to a bowl. Season well and toss to combine. To make the dressing, add 200 ml | 7 fl oz of clementine juice to a saucepan over a medium heat. Reduce to intensify the flavour until you have about 125 ml | 4.4 fl oz. Whisk in 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz of olive oil, two tablespoons of applecider vinegar, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a teaspoon of honey and seasoning. Whisk together and pour over the salad. Clementine breakfast salad Slice four clementines (or a mixture of clementines, oranges and grapefruits). Add 100 g | 3.5 oz of mixed seeds and nuts to a pan with two tablespoons of honey. Heat until caramelised, then pour onto greaseproof paper. Cool and break up. Divide the citrus fruits between two plates, scatter over the seeds and finish with a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Serve immediately.
A welcome taste of fresh citrus flavours in our winter months
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More ways with chestnuts Brown sugar and cinnamon-roasted chestnuts Roasted chestnuts are softer and easier to handle if they are parboiled before roasting, so drop 250 g | 8.8 oz of chestnuts into a bowl of boiling water and leave for five minutes, drain, then score the skin with a cross (as you would Brussels sprouts). Spread the chestnuts out on a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes in a hot oven. Meanwhile, place 100 g | 3.5 oz of brown sugar in a saucepan with a splash of water. Heat, not stirring, until bubbling and then whisk in 25 g | 1 oz of butter, followed by 30 ml | 1 fl oz of double cream and two teaspoons of cinnamon. Pour over the chestnuts while hot and serve with an extra sprinkling of brown sugar on top, when cool enough to handle.
Chestnut and sourdough stuffing Use this recipe beyond Christmas and New Year and stuff your regular Sunday chicken with this flavoursome combination. Fry eight cooked, chopped chestnuts in olive oil with half a diced onion, three cubed slices of sourdough, one diced apple and some seasoning. Stuff the chicken before roasting, reserving any leftovers to be added to the pan and cooked for 10 minutes before the chicken is done.
Chocolate and chestnut cake with meringue Serves 6 Ingredients For the chestnut purée 200 g | 2 cups | 7 oz cooked chestnuts 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz caster sugar 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz single cream For the chocolate cake 110 g | 1 cup | 4 oz selfraising flour 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz cocoa powder 2 eggs 150 g | ¾ cup | 5.3 oz caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 fl oz vegetable oil 125 ml | ½ cup | 4.4 fl oz buttermilk 125 ml | ½ cup | 4.4 fl oz hot instant coffee For the meringue 285 g | 1½ cups | 10 oz granulated sugar 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 fl oz water 5 egg whites ¼ tsp cream of tartar Edible gold glitter (optional)
Method For the chestnut purée Simply process the chestnuts, sugar and cream in a blender until smooth. Set aside until ready to use. For the chocolate cake Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Grease a 10in loose-bottomed cake tin with butter and add a circle of parchment in the base. Combine the flour, cocoa and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, use a whisk or electric beater to mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil, buttermilk and coffee. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Pour into the prepared tin and swirl through the chestnut purée, so it is evenly distributed. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean, but be careful not to over-bake. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. For the meringue Dissolve the granulated sugar in the water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve, brushing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush. Once it’s dissolved, do not stir it again, but set a sugar thermometer on the side of the pan and wait until it reaches 120˚C/250˚F. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites. Once side peaks are reached, add the cream of tartar and whisk to bring it up to stiff peaks. With the beaters running continuously, steadily pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites and continue to beat for five minutes after it is incorporated. Pile the meringue on top of the cooled cake, or pipe it on, then brown it with a blowtorch. (You can brown it under the grill, but do keep a careful eye on it.) Finish, if you like, with a sprinkling of gold, edible glitter.
Chestnuts roasting over an open fire –or, in this case, in your kitchen www.countrylife.co.uk 103
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Banana, walnut and salted maple-syrup loaf with maple mascarpone Serves 6 Ingredients For the cake 225 g | 1 cup | 8 oz ripe bananas (about 3), mashed 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 oz maple syrup 125 g | ½ cup | 4.4 oz unsalted butter, soft, but not greasy 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz oz muscovado sugar 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 2 eggs 250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz self-raising flour 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz milk 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz walnuts, chop length-ways 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz maple syrup for brushing A couple of pinches of sea salt
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 6. Grease and flour a one-litre loaf tin, tapping out the excess. In a medium-sized bowl, mash the ripe bananas with the back of a fork and set aside. Use an electric hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until even. Pour in the maple syrup, add the mashed bananas and beat again. Tip in the flour and mix briefly until just combined, adding the milk to loosen the mixture, before folding through the chopped walnuts. Immediately pour into the prepared tin. Carefully place the halves of the single banana on top of the mixture and bake for about 30–35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove the loaf from the oven and, when it’s still hot and in the tin, use a skewer to make holes in the top. Brush with the maple syrup and then sprinkle the loaf with sea salt. Leave in the tin until it’s cool enough to handle and then place on a serving plate. Use a fork to mix the maple syrup into the mascarpone and serve this alongside the warm banana bread. If there’s anything left the day after, you can slice the loaf and spread this on as a maple butter.
To serve 250 g | 1 cup | 8.8 oz mascarpone 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz maple syrup
Make good use of those post-Christmas leftover bowls of walnuts in the kitchen by baking this wintery take on banana bread 104 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with walnuts Walnut-pesto pasta Make a pesto by processing 100g | 3.5 oz of grated Parmesan, two cloves of garlic, 100 g | 3.5 oz of walnuts, two handfuls of fresh basil leaves, a squeeze of lemon, 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz of olive oil and seasoning. Boil the pasta and drain. Add a splash of cream to the pesto and stir it through the pasta. Serve with cherry tomatoes and Parmesan. Winter walnut granola In a large bowl, whisk together 100ml | 3.5 fl oz of runny honey, 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz of light olive oil and a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Add 200 g | 7 oz of rolled porridge oats (the jumbo ones are best), 50 g | 1.7 oz of chopped walnuts, a handful of sunflower seeds and mix everything together to coat. Pour in a vaguely single layer onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and cook in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes, stirring to break it up halfway through. Remove from the oven and, when cool, stir in 50g | 1.75 oz of chopped dried apricots. Store in an airtight container for up to a month. (Makes a delicious filling for baked apples.)
Harissa-marinated halloumi with walnut salad (above) Slice 200 g | 7 oz of halloumi and brush with harissa and set aside. Add a couple of handfuls of salad leaves to a bowl and toss through with 100g | 3.5 oz of chopped walnuts, a sliced red chilli (with seeds removed), a sliced avocado, a couple of heaped spoonfuls of pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds and a handful of chopped parsley, then sprinkle with a teaspoon of sumac. Fry the halloumi until softened and add to the salad. Finally, drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, season generously and serve.
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More ways with pomegranate Mozzarella, artichoke and pomegranate salad Add three handfuls each of rocket and baby spinach to a large salad bowl. Spoon over about six grilled, drained and halved artichoke hearts in oil, 150 g | 5.3 oz of mozzarella balls, lemon zest and the seeds from one pomegranate. For the dressing, put 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz of olive oil, 50 ml | 1.7 fl oz of applecider vinegar, 2 tbsp of lemon juice, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, one teaspoon of honey and seasoning into a lidded jam jar. Shake the jar vigorously and pour the contents over the salad. Toss well and serve.
Sea-bass ceviche with pomegranate Arrange two thinly sliced seabass fillets in a single layer on a cold plate and refrigerate for half an hour. Add a generous squeeze of lemon and a splash of yuzu juice to the fillets, cover them with clingfilm and refrigerate again until you are ready to serve. Meanwhile, grate two cloves of garlic and toss with one chopped spring onion and two teaspoons of soy sauce. Scatter around the fish and finish with a small pile of shiso leaves sprinkled with a couple of tablespoons of pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.
Pomegranate, pistachio and orange cake Serves 8 Ingredients For the cake mixture 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz butter, room temperature 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz caster sugar 3 eggs 1 orange, zest of, and 3 tbsp of juice 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz pistachios, ground to breadcrumb size in a processor 100 g | ¾ cup | 3.5 oz selfraising flour 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz pomegranate seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 160˚C/325˚F/gas mark 3. Generously butter a 25cm (10in) loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with a circular disc of baking parchment. Set aside. Beat the butter and the sugar in a large bowl, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, orange zest and juice and the vanilla-bean paste, then beat again. Add the ground pistachios and flour, then beat until combined. Finally, mix in the yoghurt and pomegranate seeds. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50–55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Once cooked, take the cake out of the oven and remove from the tin. Set it to cool completely on a wire rack. Fold the whipped cream through the Greek yoghurt. Pile the mixture on top of the cake and sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds, chopped pistachios and a few rose petals. Add some mint for a little colour on top, too. Serve immediately. After the initial feast—if there is anything left—this cake needs to be stored in the fridge.
For the topping 100 ml | ⅓ cup | 3.5 fl oz double cream, softly whipped 150 ml | ½ cup | 5.3 fl oz Greek yoghurt 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz pomegranate seeds 75g | ¾ cup | 2.6 oz chopped pistachios Handful of rose petals Mint leaves
Pomegranate adds a wonderfully exotic feeling to this afternoon-tea cake www.countrylife.co.uk 107
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Italian panforte Serves 8 Ingredients 350 g | 2½ cups | 12 oz mixed nuts 100 g | ⅔ cup | 3.5 oz plain flour (plus more for dusting) 40 g | ⅓ cup | 1.4 oz cocoa powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground ginger Half a teaspoon ground nutmeg 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz dried fruit, apricots, figs, prunes 200g | 1 cup | 7 oz caster sugar 200 g | ⅔ cup | 7 oz honey Icing sugar
Method
Preheat your oven to 160˚C/320˚F/gas mark 4 and lightly grease a 25cm (10in) loose-bottomed cake tin. Add a circle of parchment paper to the base and set aside. Process half of the nuts until coarsely ground and place them in a large bowl with the remaining whole nuts. To the same bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, spices and chopped dried fruit. Mix well so everything is evenly distributed. Set aside. Heat the caster sugar and honey in a saucepan until bubbling. Allow to caramelise for a few minutes and pour onto the nut mixture. Mix everything together and pour into the prepared tin, pressing down with the back of a spoon to form a smooth surface, then dust the top generously with flour to cover. Place in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to an hour. Remove the panforte from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool further. Use a pastry brush to brush off the flour, then generously sift over icing sugar in a thick, even layer. Slice into wedges and serve after dinner.
More ways with nuts Maple pannacotta with mixed-nut brittle Lightly grease six pudding moulds with vegetable oil and set aside. In a saucepan, combine 400 ml | 14 fl oz of single cream, 200 ml | 7 oz of whole milk, one teaspoon of vanilla paste and 150 ml | 5.3 fl oz of maple syrup. Heat until almost boiling, then drop in five sheets of gelatine that have been soaked in cold water until soft. Whisk together before pouring into the moulds. Chill until set. Meanwhile, make the brittle by heating 450 g | 16 oz of caster sugar, 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz of water, 100 g | 3.5 oz of butter and 125 g | 4.4 oz of golden syrup in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, but don’t stir, just wait for it to turn a dark caramel. As soon as it does, add 350 g | 12 oz of mixed nuts. Stir and pour onto greaseproof paper, then leave to cool. Invert the pannacottas and serve with broken shards of brittle.
Spiced nuts Toss 400 g | 14 oz of mixed nuts with a splash of neutral oil, a drizzle of honey, a chopped sprig of rosemary, chilli flakes and seasoning, then lightly roast in a moderate oven until just taking colour. Cool slightly and serve.
We could all do with ways to use up our leftover Christmas nuts 108 Country Life Cookbook
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More ways with rhubarb Rhubarb curd Put eight chopped stalks of rhubarb into a saucepan with 200 g | 7 oz granulated sugar and 120 ml | 4.4 fl oz water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the rhubarb has softened and entirely lost its form. Add a good squeeze of lemon and set aside to cool a little. In a separate bowl, whisk together two eggs and two egg yolks. Add a little of the warm (but not hot) rhubarb to the eggs, whisking continuously, and then pour the egg mixture into the remainder of the rhubarb in the saucepan, still whisking. Return to the heat and keep stirring until thickened. Pour into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
Super simple rhubarband-ginger pie Serves 8 Ingredients For the base and filling 250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz ginger biscuits 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz butter, melted 250 g | 1 cup | 8.8 fl oz double cream 250 g | 1 cup | 8.8 fl oz condensed milk 2 lemons, juiced For the top 4 rhubarb stalks, cut into 3 in lengths 2 tbsp caster sugar 3 tbsp syrup from a jar of preserved ginger 3 pieces of preserved ginger, sliced To finish Fresh mint and raspberries
Rhubarb-curd and rosemary tarts (above) Cut six circles from a sheet of puff pastry. Score an inner circle and then brush the edge with beaten egg. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. Cut six stalks of rhubarb into even-sized lengths. Wrap these in foil with a tablespoon of butter and a sprig of rosemary and cook alongside the pastry. Meanwhile, mix together equal amounts of rhubarb curd (see above) and mascarpone. Remove the pastry from the oven. Add a dollop of the rhubarb curd and mascarpone to the centre and top with pieces of cooked rhubarb. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Prepare a 23cm (9in) tart tin with a circle of baking parchment placed in the base. Place the biscuits in a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin until they’re broken up into crumbs. Tip them into a large bowl and pour the melted butter over them. Mix everything together well and then spoon into the prepared tin, using the back of the spoon to push the biscuits down and slightly up the sides to make a smooth and firmly packed base. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes before removing and setting aside to cool completely. In a large bowl, whisk together the double cream and condensed milk until uniform. Add the lemon juice and mix well again. Then, pour the mixture into the prepared gingernut base and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. Before serving, prepare the rhubarb stalks by cooking them gently in a saucepan with the sugar, ginger syrup and ginger until soft. To serve, take the set pie from the fridge and pile the rhubarb and ginger on the top (any left over can be served on the side). Finish the pie with some raspberries and a few sprigs of mint.
At last, the pretty pink blush of rhubarb has arrived! www.countrylife.co.uk 111
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Pretty-in-pink bloodorange Bundt cake Serves 8 Ingredients For the cake 2 blood oranges, zest of 250 g | 1¼ cups | 8.8 oz caster sugar 4 eggs 250 ml | 1 cup | 8.8 fl oz vegetable oil 200 g | ¾ cup | 7 oz soured cream 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 350 g | 2⅔ cups | 12 oz self-raising flour Pinch of salt For the vanilla and bloodorange sugar syrup 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz caster sugar 2 tsp vanilla-bean paste 150 ml | ½ cup | 5.3 fl oz strained bloodorange juice For the blood-orange glaze 3 tbsp strained bloodorange juice 125 g | 1 cup | 4.4 oz icing sugar, sifted
Method Rub the zest into the sugar in a medium-sized bowl to really release the flavours and set aside to infuse. Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 6 and generously butter a pretty Bundt tin with a diameter of about 25cm (10in). Put the flavoured sugar, eggs, oil, soured cream and vanillabean paste in a large bowl. Whisk to combine everything together. Add the flour and a pinch of salt, then mix again until just combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 45–50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Make the sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar, vanilla-bean paste and blood-orange juice in a small pan over a low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and simmer until it has reduced by half. Set aside. While the cake is cooling in its tin, pierce holes in the sponge with a toothpick and brush it with the sugar syrup. When it’s cool enough to handle, invert the cake onto a wire rack and brush the syrup all over the top. Make the glaze by simply mixing the strained juice into the sifted icing sugar in a medium-sized bowl. When the cake has completely cooled, pour over the pink blood-orange glaze and serve. You could decorate the top with extra zest. This delicious cake should keep for a few days in an airtight container—if you and your family can resist it for that long.
Fresh and tart, blood oranges add so much to both sweet and savoury dishes 112 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with blood oranges Blood-orange, beetroot and butternut salad with labneh and hazelnuts Spread a large platter with 300 ml | 10.5 fl oz of seasoned labneh (strained and thickened Greek yoghurt). Arrange three peeled and sliced blood oranges and six freshly roasted beetroots, cut into wedges, and an equal amount of cubed butternut squash on top. (To roast, simply wrap the beets and squash in foil with olive oil and a sprig of rosemary and cook until tender.) Scatter over 50 g | 1.7 oz of chopped and roasted hazelnuts, two teaspoons of za’atar, a coarsely chopped sprig of rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil, another of syrupy balsamic and seasoning. Serve immediately.
Fragrant blood-orange and ricotta toasts Super simple: toast sliced sourdough. Spread each slice with ricotta and top with peeled and sliced blood-orange pieces. Drizzle with honey. Scatter with a few lemon-thyme leaves and serve. This is also delicious made in small pieces as a delightful canapé.
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More ways with elderflower Elderflower cordial Pour 1.5 litres | 2.6 pints of boiling water into a bowl containing 1 kg | 2.2 lb of granulated sugar. Stir and leave to cool. Once cool, add the zest and flesh of four lemons and about 40 elderflower heads. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to infuse for 48 hours before straining twice through muslin. Keeps in an airtight container for up to a month. Elderflower Eton mess (below) Whip 400 ml | 14 fl oz double cream and add 1 tablespoon elderflower cordial. Crush three ready-made meringue nests and fold them through the cream, together with 300 g | 10.5 oz of fresh strawberries. Divide between four glasses and decorate each with a strawberry and some mint leaves.
Elderflower choux buns In a saucepan, gently melt 60 g | 2 oz of butter with 150 ml | 5.3 fl oz of water and bring to bubbling before removing the pan from the heat and tipping in 75 g | 2.6 oz of sifted plain flour. Immediately mix firmly with a wooden spoon until it comes together. Cool for five minutes. Return to a low heat and gradually beat in two beaten eggs. Drop balls of dough onto a damp baking sheet and bake at 220˚C/425˚F/gas mark 7 for 18–20 minutes. Remove from the oven and make a small hole in the side to release the air. Cool on a wire rack before piping in 250 ml | 8.8 fl oz of double cream whipped with a splash of elderflower cordial. Dust with icing sugar.
Almond, rhubarb and raspberry cake with elderflower cream Serves 8 Ingredients For the cake 175g | 1 cup | 6 oz butter, softened 175 g | 1 cup | 6 oz caster sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 125 g | 1 cup | 4.4 oz self-raising flour 50 g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz ground almonds 150 g | 1½ cups | 5.3 oz prepared rhubarb, cut into 2cm chunks 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz frozen raspberries For the cream 400 ml | 2 cups | 14 fl oz double cream 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Grease two 20cm (8in) round loose-bottomed cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment. In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition, together with the vanillabean paste. Tip in the self-raising flour and ground almonds and mix until just combined. Finally, fold in the rhubarb and frozen raspberries, before spooning the mixture into the prepared tins. Bake for about 45–50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Once baked, remove both halves of the cake from their tins and invert them onto a wire rack to cool. Meanwhile, softly whip the double cream and add the elderflower cordial. When the cake is cold, place one half onto a serving plate and spread with the elderflower cream. Place the other half of the cake on top and cover with the remaining cream. Decorate with elderflowers and a few raspberries.
To decorate A few fresh raspberries and elderflowers to decorate
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Beetroot-andchocolate torte with beetroot meringue Serves 4-6 Ingredients For the torte 175 g | 2 cups | 6 oz unsalted butter 200 g | 1¼ cups | 7 oz 70% cocoa solids chocolate 250 g | 2¼ cups | 8.8 oz caster sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz cooked and puréed beetroot (reserving 3 tbsp juice for the meringue) 130 g | 1 cup | 4.5 oz plain flour For the meringue 3 egg whites 180 g | 2 cups | 6.3 oz caster sugar 100 ml | ½ cup | 3.5 fl oz water
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4 and grease a 25cm (10in) tart tin. You can also add a circle of baking parchment to the base to be certain it wouldn’t stick. Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, being sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk the sugar and eggs in a large, separate bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla-bean paste and mix again before tipping in the puréed beetroot. Use the whisk to combine everything, then pour in the melted butter and chocolate. Finally, add the flour. Whisk again to combine and pour into the prepared tin. Bake for about 20 minutes, when the torte should still be a little wobbly. Remove the torte from the oven and cool it in the tin until it’s safe to handle. Carefully transfer it from the tin to a serving plate, then refrigerate until firm. Meanwhile, make the beetroot meringue. Drop the egg whites into a clean, grease-free bowl. Have your electric mixer ready, but prepare the sugar syrup first. Place a saucepan containing the sugar and water over a low heat to allow the sugar to dissolve and then turn the heat up high. Use a sugar thermometer (this is much easier than it sounds) and, once the sugar syrup reaches about 105˚C/225˚F, start whisking the egg whites. When these are stiff and the sugar syrup reaches 113˚C/ 235˚F, pour it into the egg whites, while still whisking. Continue to whisk until the heat has gone out of the mixture, at which point it will be glossy. Pour in the beetroot juice, mix again with the whisk, and then put the meringue into a piping bag and pipe small domes all over the torte. Serve immediately. The torte will keep for a couple of days— that is, if you can resist eating it all on the first!
Beetroot is deliciously earthy in savoury dishes and yet pairs so well with chocolate! 116 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with beetroot Beetroot burgers Fry an onion until soft and add it to a blender with 500 g | 17 oz raw beetroot, 400 g | 14 oz chickpeas, one chilli, seasoning, three tablespoons of oats, one egg and a handful of parsley. Blend then shape into patties. Place on a baking sheet and cook in a hot oven for 30 minutes. Have brioche buns at the ready, with lettuce leaves, slices of tomato and red onion, ketchup and mustard to go with the burgers for a real feast. Beetroot on the side (below) A simple, but reassuringly delicious dish that tastes great with roast beef. Arrange scrubbed wedges of beetroot on a large piece of foil with redonion wedges and sprigs of rosemary. Season and drizzle with olive oil before loosely sealing the foil to make a tent so that the contents are still in a single layer. Place in a moderately hot oven for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, open the foil and drizzle with a little syrupy balsamic vinegar. Mix everything together, remove the rosemary, sprinkle fresh sprigs on top and serve as a tasty side.
Beetroot tart Score a border around the edges of a sheet of puff pastry. Within this, arrange about six slices of medium-sized beetroots. Scatter with red-onion slices and thyme. Brush the border with beaten egg before baking in a hot oven for 25 minutes. When done, sprinkle with 150 g | 5.3 oz feta, season and serve hot with a baby-spinach salad.
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More ways with carrots Carrot, kale, sesame and chilli salad (below) In a large bowl, assemble two large handfuls of chopped kale and three large carrots sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds and two teaspoons of chilli flakes and mix together. Make a dressing using 50 ml | 1.7 oz of a neutral oil, a teaspoon of sesame oil, 2 tbsp of apple-cider vinegar, a squeeze of honey and one teaspoon of soy sauce. Whisk together and pour over the top. Cover and chill until serving.
Roasted cumin carrots Toss 500 g | 17 oz of baby carrots with olive oil, two teaspoons of cumin seeds, a sprig of rosemary and a couple of sprigs of thyme. Roast for 25 minutes or until almost tender. Mix 300 g | 10.5 oz of Greek yoghurt with two crushed cloves of garlic and parsley. Spread the yoghurt onto a plate. Heat a microwaveable sachet of puy lentils. Spoon them over the yoghurt with the cooked carrots and scatter with mint, parsley and roasted hazelnuts.
Carrot and saltedcaramel cheesecake Serves 4-6 Ingredients For the sponge-cake base 50 g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz sultanas 3 eggs 100 g | ½ cup | 3.5 oz golden caster sugar 75 ml | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz vegetable oil 1 tbsp runny honey 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 125 g | 1 cup | 4.4 oz self-raising flour 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz carrots, grated 85 g | 1 cup | 3 oz chopped pecans For the caramelcheesecake top layer 600 g | 5 cups | 21 oz cream cheese 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz icing sugar 285 ml | 1 cups | 10 oz double cream 200 ml | ¾ cup | 7 fl oz salted caramel Pecans and toffee popcorn
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4 and grease and line a 20cm (8in) spring-form tin. Place the sultanas in a bowl and just cover with boiling water. Leave them to stand for about 10 minutes to hydrate. Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a medium-sized bowl, then add the oil and mix thoroughly. Add the honey and spices and mix again, before pouring in the plumpedup sultanas and any remaining juice from the bowl. Sift the self-raising flour into the wet ingredients and fold through until just combined. Stir in the grated carrot and chopped pecans, then pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the top of the sponge is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Pour in the double cream and beat again to ensure there are no lumps and continue until thickened. When the cake is cool, spoon the cheescake icing over it, using the back of a spoon to smooth out the mixture. Spread the salted caramel over the top, mixing it with the cheescake icing a little to make it pretty. Refrigerate overnight to set. Remove from the fridge when set and allow to warm slightly before cutting serving in slices. Decorate with a few extra pecans and the popcorn.
Carrot pesto Roast 400 g | 14 oz of carrots with cumin and olive oil until tender, then blend with a red chilli, a tablespoon of honey, half a teaspoon of turmeric, two cloves of garlic, a handful of carrot tops, parsley, two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds and olive oil to cover. Process until you have a pesto.
Best friends, carrot cake and cream cheese are fully celebrated in this recipe www.countrylife.co.uk 119
Delightful Desserts
Strawberry and hazelnut-meringue roulade with hazelnut praline
More ways with strawberries Strawberry chia jam (below) Heat 300 g | 10.5 oz of chopped strawberries with a good squeeze of honey in a saucepan until they start to squish down and release their juices. Sprinkle in two tablespoons of chia seeds, mix well and pour into a jam jar. Chill and then use as ordinary jam. It doesn’t taste quite as sweet, but it is just as delicious.
Serves 4 Ingredients For the meringue 5 egg whites 250 g | 1¼ cups | 8.8 oz caster sugar 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz chopped and toasted hazelnuts For the hazelnut praline 50 g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz caster sugar 25 g | ¼ cups | 1 oz whole hazelnuts For the filling 600 ml | 2½ cups | 21 fl oz double cream 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 500 g | 3 cups | 17 oz strawberries, chopped, plus a few extra to garnish
Method
Preheat your oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6 and line a sheet with baking parchment. Beat the egg whites until stiff in a stand mixer. Add the sugar a spoonful at a time while continuing to beat the whites until glossy, then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides. Gently fold the chopped and toasted hazelnuts through the meringue, reserving some for the next step. Spoon the meringue onto the baking sheet and spread it out to a level rectangle, roughly 1cm (half an inch) thick and 30cm by 20cm (12in by 8in). Scatter the reserved hazelnut pieces over it and then place the sheet in the oven, keeping an eye on it. As soon as it starts to brown (after about 10 minutes), reduce the oven temperature to 160˚C (320˚F/gas mark 3) and bake for a further 10–12 minutes. Remove the meringue from the oven and turn it out onto a board. Peel back the baking parchment and leave to cool. Heat the caster sugar and hazelnuts with a tablespoon of water in a non-stick frying pan. Heat vigorously until the sugar turns a light amber. Immediately, pour it onto baking parchment and leave to cool. Roll up the paper and bash the praline into crumbs with a rolling pin. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble the roulade. Whip the double cream until it’s still a little soft, then gently stir in the vanilla-bean paste. Put a third of it into a separate bowl. Fold the chopped strawberries through the larger portion of whipped cream and spoon this evenly over the meringue. Roll up the meringue to form the roulade, leaving the seam at the base. Use a piping bag to pipe cream over the top and decorate with a few halved strawberries. Sprinkle with the hazelnut praline and serve. This is best eaten immediately, but will hold together longer if refrigerated.
Sweet British strawberries are shown off at their best in this recipe – a summer showstopper! 120 Country Life Cookbook
Strawberry and lemon ‘frosé’ Blend together 500 g | 17 oz of hulled strawberries, a bottle of rosé and a few scoops of lemon sorbet. Serve in pretty glasses decorated with sprigs of lemon thyme. Strawberry-andpistachio cheesecake Process 300 g | 10.5 oz of pistachios, 200 g | 7 oz of medjool dates and 45 g | 1.6 oz of melted butter until they have the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Press into the base of a 20cm (8in) loosebottomed cake tin and freeze as you prepare the filling. Combine 600 g | 21 oz of cream cheese, 100 g | 3.5 oz of icing sugar and 250 g | 8.8 fl oz of double cream in a large bowl, using a whisk to mix together. Pour onto the chilled base and refrigerate overnight. To serve, remove from the fridge and bring nearer to room temperature before piling the cake high with strawberries and decorating around the edge with chopped pistachios.
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More ways with raspberries Raspberry-soufflé pancakes Mix together two egg yolks, 1 tbsp of sugar and one teaspoon each of vanilla paste and baking powder. Add 85 g | 3 oz of plain flour and 125 ml | 4.4 fl oz of milk and mix again. In a stand mixer, bring four egg whites, plus a few drops of vinegar, to soft peaks. Gradually add 75 g | 2.6 oz sugar and, once glossy, take a spoonful and fold into the yolk mixture. Fold in the rest, then a handful of raspberries. Brush the inside of two pastry rings with melted butter and put them in a non-stick frying pan. Spoon in the pancake mixture and cook gently. Cover, until you see bubbles on the surface, then turn them over and cook for another couple of minutes. Serve with maple syrup.
Raspberry-and-almond crumble cake Cream together 120 g | 4.2 oz of butter and 150 g | 5.3 oz of caster sugar. Add two eggs, two teaspoons of vanilla paste, mix well, and add 120 ml | 4.2 fl oz of buttermilk. Mix again, then add 50 g | 1.7 oz of ground almonds and 100 g | 3.5 oz of self-raising flour. Pour into a lined, 20cm/8in, loose-bottomed cake tin. In another bowl, rub together 30 g | 1 oz of flour, 30 g | 1 oz of butter and 50 g | 1.7 oz of brown sugar. Stir in 150 g | 5.3 oz of raspberries and some flaked almonds. Scatter over the cake batter. Bake in a moderately hot oven for 35–40 minutes. Remove from the tin and cool. Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar.
Mango-andraspberry tart Serves 6 Ingredients For the Mango and raspberry filling 6 eggs 150 g | ¾ cup | 5.3 oz caster sugar 220 ml | 1 cup | 7.7 fl oz double cream 500 g | 2 cups | 17 oz puréed mango (plus optional mangoessence drops) 250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz raspberries (half for the tart and the rest to decorate) For the sweet enriched pastry (pâte sucrée) 125 g | ½ cup | 4.4 oz unsalted butter, soft 100 g | ½ cups | 3.5 oz caster sugar 4 egg yolks Half a tsp vanillabean paste 250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz plain flour To decorate Crushed meringues, edible flowers, raspberries and fresh mango slices
Method Whisk together the eggs and caster sugar in a bowl. Add the cream and puréed mango. Mix well and refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble the tarts. To make the pastry, mix the butter and sugar in a processor until pale. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and process again to combine. Add the flour and continue to process until uniform in colour. Bring it all together in your hands, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour. Line the base of a 24cm/9.5 in fluted tart tin with a circle of baking parchment. Roll out the chilled dough to the thickness of a coin and line the tart case. Refrigerate for another hour. Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Once the tart case is chilled, line it with baking parchment and fill it with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes before removing the beans. Lower the temperature to 150˚C/300˚F/gas mark 2, cover the edges of the tart case with foil to prevent overbrowning and return it to the oven for a further five minutes. Remove the foil, then arrange the raspberries in the tart case and pour in the filling. Return to the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the filling has set, but still has a slight jiggle. Cool completely. Decorate the top with slices of fresh mango, crushed pieces of meringue, raspberries and edible flowers — you can also add sugar decorations if you have any to hand. Serve at room temperature, with whipped double cream and fresh raspberries. This recipe also converts easily to mini tarts if you’re entertaining guests.
Freshly picked raspberries from the kitchen garden will always taste like summer www.countrylife.co.uk 123
Delightful Desserts
Late-summer plum-and-ricotta crumble cake Serves 6 Ingredients For the crumble 75 g | ¾ cup | 2.6 oz mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts) 85 g | ⅓ cup | 3 oz Demerara sugar 50 g | ½ cup | 1.7 oz plain flour 50 g | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz unsalted butter 1 tsp cinnamon For the cake 250 g | 1 cup | 8.8 oz ricotta 160 g | ¾ cup | 5.6 oz golden caster sugar 160 g | ¾ cup | 5.6 oz unsalted butter 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla-bean paste 200g | 1¾ cup | 7 oz self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 fl oz milk 4 juicy plums, cut into eighths Icing sugar for dusting
Honey-roasted-plum Eton mess Drizzle ripe, stoned plum halves with honey and cook in a moderately hot oven until they’re releasing their juices (about 15 minutes). Remove and cool. Take pretty glasses and add a plum to each. Spoon whipped cream over them, followed by crushed meringues and repeat with more plums, cream and meringues, then top each with a plum. Serve immediately.
Method
Preheat your oven to 170˚C/340˚F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a round, 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed cake tin. In a medium-sized bowl, rub together with your fingertips the nuts, sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until you have a wellblended crumble mixture. Set aside as you prepare the cake. Tip the ricotta into a sieve and leave to drain. Cream together in a large bowl the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla-bean paste and mix again. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined. Next, stir in the milk, followed by the drained ricotta. Mix very gently before pouring into the prepared tin. Arrange the plum wedges in a single layer over the top of the cake and use your fingers to scatter the crumble mixture over them. Allow the mixture to sit loosely on the top; don’t be tempted to squash it down. Bake the cake for about an hour or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle. Remove the outer ring from the tin and allow the cake to cool on the base until it’s easy to handle. Dust with icing sugar and serve with ice cream.
To serve Cinnamon or vanilla ice cream
Late summer brings sweet and juicy plums to the garden 124 Country Life Cookbook
More ways with plums
Plum-and-ginger turnovers with whipped cream Drizzle ginger syrup from a jar of preserved ginger over pieces of chopped plum in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and leave for 15 minutes. Cut out rounds from a sheet of shortcrust pastry. Pile plums into the centre, brush the edges with beaten egg and fold over to seal. Use a fork to mark the edges and prick the tops to let out the air. Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake in a moderately hot oven for 20 minutes until lightly golden. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar while hot and serve with whipped cream. Plum sorbet Rapidly boil 160 g | 5.6 oz of caster sugar with 450 ml | 15.25 fl oz of water until the shortthread stage. Meanwhile, heat 350 g | 13 oz of stoned plums in a saucepan until juicy. Blitz them in a processor and pour the sugar syrup over. Process again and freeze for six hours. Blitz the sorbet again before refreezing, after which it’s ready to serve. It pairs well with all these recipes.
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More ways with blackberries Pickled blackberries with chickenliver parfait and Hobnobs Fill two jam jars nearly to the brim with blackberries. Bring to the boil 200 ml | 7 fl oz of water, 200 ml | 7 fl oz of apple-cider vinegar, 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz of red wine, a sprig of rosemary, one tablespoon of sugar, a star anise, orange rind and a few peppercorns. Simmer for a few minutes and cool, then pour over the fruit; leave for an hour. Serve with chicken-liver parfait and Hobnob biscuits.
Blackberry-and-violetmascarpone chocolate layer cake Serves 4-6 Ingredients
Blackberry-and-burrata spinach salad Toss together spinach and rocket leaves. Toast walnuts with honey in a frying pan until sticky and place on a plate with a burrata. For a blackberry dressing, fill a jam jar with blackberries, add one tablespoon of honey, four tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, six tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Shake and pour over the salad. Blackberry-and-apple cobbler In an ovenproof dish, toss 500 g | 17 oz of peeled, sliced apples and 250 g | 8.8 oz of blackberries with 100 g | 3.5 oz of caster sugar. Combine 150 g | 5.3 oz of selfraising flour, 50 g | 1.7 oz of ground almonds, one teaspoon of baking powder and 75 g | 2.6 oz of butter. Rub together to create coarse crumbs and add 250 ml | 8.8 fl oz buttermilk. Mix the dough and drop lumps onto the fruit. Bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.
250 g | 2 cups | 8.8 oz self-raising flour 250 g | 2¼ cups | 8.8 oz golden caster sugar 100 g | 1 cup | 3.5 oz cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 3 eggs 2 egg yolks 280ml | 1 cup | 10 fl oz buttermilk 225 ml | 1 cup | 8 fl oz vegetable oil 2 tsp vanilla-bean paste 250 ml | 1 cup | 8.8 fl oz boiling instant coffee 750 g | 1½ cups | 26 oz mascarpone 600 ml | 2½ cups | 21 fl oz double cream 500 g | 5 cups | 17 oz blackberries 75g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz caster sugar 1 tbsp violet syrup (but test for strength as different brands vary and the goal is ‘a hint of’ rather than anything more over-powering)
Method
Preheat your oven to 170˚C/320˚F/gas mark 3 and grease and line two 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed cake tins. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and mix all together using an electric beater on a slow speed. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the eggs, yolks, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla-bean paste and a cup of instant coffee. Beat until smooth. Divide the batter between the prepared tins and bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Once cooked, remove the cakes from the oven and cool them completely on wire racks before slicing them in half horizontally, giving you four equal layers. Add half the mascarpone, half the double cream, 150g | 1 cup | 5.3 oz of the blackberries, half the sugar and half the violet syrup to a large bowl. Beat to combine and squash the blackberries, which will turn the mascarpone lilac. Spread this between the layers. Place the remaining halves of the mascarpone, double cream, sugar and violet syrup into a clean bowl. Use the back of a fork to squash the juice from 75g | ½ cup | 2.6 oz of blackberries through a sieve and onto the mascarpone, so that it’s also coloured, but doesn’t have seeds in it. Use this to coat the outside of the cake and to pipe pretty stars on the top. Decorate the top with blackberries and any sugar decorations you like. Serve with extra blackberries.
The humble hedgerow blackberry is turned into something rather more grown-up when combined with violet syrup www.countrylife.co.uk 127
Delightful Desserts
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls Serves 6 Ingredients 200 g | 1 cup | 7 oz pumpkin, chopped 250 ml | 1 cup | 8.8 fl oz scalded milk 65 g | ¼ cup | 2.2 oz unsalted butter 2 eggs 85 g | ⅓ cup | 3 oz caster sugar Pinch of salt 600 g | 5 cups | 21 oz plain flour 1 sachet easy-bake yeast 75 g | ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz unsalted butter 150 g | ¾ cup | 5.3 oz brown sugar 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tbsp mixed spice 400 g | 4 cups | 14 oz icing sugar 60 g | ¼ cup | 2 oz unsalted butter, softened 50 ml | ¼ cup | 1.7 oz milk 1 tbsp vanilla essence
Method
Preheat your oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4 and butter a round, 25cm (10in) tart tin. Steam the pumpkin until soft. Purée to smooth and then set aside to cool. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until shivery and the butter is melted, but not boiled. Set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Add the salt, then pour in the warm milk and butter. Add half the flour, mix well, sprinkle over the yeast, then add the remaining flour. Bring everything together and either knead by hand until smooth or place in a stand-mixer and knead with the dough hook for 10 minutes. Place the dough in a large, oiled freezer bag or in an oiled bowl covered with clingfilm, and leave somewhere warm for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size. Roll out the dough to a rectangle. Spread with the butter and then the pumpkin puree. Sprinkle over the brown sugar, cinnamon and mixed spice, then roll up the rectangle of dough from the long side to make a roll. Cut this into six even-sized pieces and arrange them in the prepared tin. Bake for about 35 minutes. If they start to brown too much on top, simply cover them with foil. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the tin. Mix the icing sugar, butter, milk and vanilla essence to make a smooth paste. When the pumpkin cinnamon rolls have cooled completely, drizzle with the icing and serve.
More ways with pumpkin Red-curry pumpkin and sweet-potato soup In a saucepan, soften a chopped onion in a splash of neutral oil. Add 75 g | 2.6 oz of red curry paste and continue cooking on a gentle heat for a few minutes to release the flavours, before adding 500 g | 17 oz of peeled and chopped pumpkin, together with one sweet potato (similarly prepared). Pour in a tin of coconut cream and top up with vegetable stock to just cover the vegetables. Simmer until tender and then blend until smooth. Serve with a swirl of coconut yoghurt, coriander and mixed seeds, including pumpkin.
Easy pumpkin gratin Layer thin slices of pumpkin, squash and butternut in a buttered oven dish. In a saucepan, heat a mixture of half milk and half cream, together with a bay leaf, a crushed clove of garlic and seasoning. Pour over the layered vegetables and top with grated cheese. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 30 minutes or until tender. Serve hot as a side dish.
Surprisingly easy, pumpkin cinnamon rolls are possibly the best Halloween treat 128 Country Life Cookbook
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