70. Escalope of salmon with broccoli and sesame salad

Ingredients

For the salmon:
1 large salmon fillet
2 tbsp groundnut oil
3 tbsp sweet Soy sauce
3 tbsp sake or dry sherry
1 tbsp water
knob fresh Ginger, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, grated
bunch Coriander

For the broccoli salad:
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 tsp grated Garlic
1 tbsp Soy sauce
1 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted
4 Spring onions, finely sliced


Method

1. Remove the skin from the fish, and slice the fillet into thin escalopes, about 2cm thick.

2. Heat the groundnut oil in a frying pan and fry the salmon escallops for about a minute turning half way through, until nicely coloured. Remove from the pan and put to one side.

3. Mix the ketjap manis, sake, water, ginger and garlic. Pour into the same pan that the salmon was fried in and bring to the boil to reduce a little, making a sauce to serve with the fish.

4. Pour the sauce over the salmon and garnish with fresh coriander.

5. For the broccoli: blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water then refresh in iced water.

6. In a large bowl mix together the groundnut oil, sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce. Add the broccoli, toasted sesame seeds and spring onions and toss to combine.

7. Serve the salmon escalopes with the broccoli salad.

71. Salmon and herb gnocchi

Ingredients

For the gnocchi:
100ml water
4 tbsp unsalted Butter
1 tsp Salt
100g plain flour, sifted
55g Emmental, or comté cheese, grated
1 tsp snipped Chives
1 tsp Parsley, chopped
1 tsp Sage, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Garlic
2 large Eggs

For the sauce:
250ml chicken stock
3 runner beans, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp chopped Chives, and mixed parsley
15g Butter
1 whole side Smoked salmon, unsliced
Olive oil


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.

2. To make the gnocchi: heat the water, butter and salt in a pan until the butter has melted. Quickly stir in the flour and continue to cook and stir until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and starts to sizzle. Remove from the heat.

3. Place the mixture in a food processor with the cheese and blend until combined. Allow to cool then add the herbs, eggs mustard and garlic and process until a soft dough forms. Place the dough in a large piping bag.

4. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and squeeze the dough into the water, cutting with scissors every 2.5cm. Poach for 2-3 minutes.

5. To make the sauce: heat the chicken stock in a medium pan and bring to the boil. Cook steadily for about five minutes, then add the runner beans, tomatoes and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the butter.

6. Coat the salmon in olive oil. Place on a baking tray and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Cut into chunks.

7. Drain the gnocchi and stir into the sauce.

8. To serve: spoon the sauce and gnocchi onto a plate and top with the cooked salmon.

72. Monkfish with saffron and capers

Ingredients

For the saffron sauce:
50g Butter
300g Shallots, sliced
500ml White wine
1 litre fish stock
2 large pinches Saffron
500ml double cream
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
50ml lemon juice

For the dish:
250g monkfish tail, cut into pieces
100g baby capers
1 tbsp chopped Basil
spaghetti, to serve
4 plum tomatoes


Method

1. For the saffron sauce: melt half the butter in a pan and gently fry the shallots for 3-4 minutes, until semi-soft. Pour in the wine, turn up the heat and reduce by two-thirds.

2. Add the fish stock and reduce by another two-thirds, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Keep the sides of the pan clean or the sauce will go brown. Add the cream and saffron and reduce to half the volume. Remove from the heat.

3. Pour the sauce into a blender and season with the salt, sugar and lemon juice. Add the remaining butter and blend for a minute. Pass through a fine sieve.

4. For the dish: bring the sauce to a simmer over a low heat. Season the monkfish pieces and poach in the sauce until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.

5. Stir in the capers and basil. Serve with spaghetti, sprinkled with the chopped tomatoes.

73. Linguine with clams

Ingredients

60 clams
200g Linguine
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tsp finely sliced fresh red chilli
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
150ml White wine
6 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and fresh ground black pepper


Method

1. Put the clams in a bowl of cold salted water. Leave for at least 2 hours.

2. Carefully remove the clams from the water with your hands, taking care not to disturb the sand. Wash them thoroughly under cold running water, removing any sandy deposit from the shells.

3. Cook the linguine in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring well at the beginning so that the pasta doesn't stick together.

4. Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chilli and garlic, and gently fry for a minute until slightly coloured.

5. Raise the heat to high, then add the clams. Cover the pan tightly and cook for 20 seconds, shaking the pan, until the clams are open. Discard any that remain closed.

6. Pour in the white wine and simmer briskly to reduce. Remove from the heat.

7. Using a perforated spoon, remove the clams from the pan. Remove the shells from half of them and return the flesh to the pan. Save those with shells as a garnish.

8. Check the pasta. When it is 'al dente', drain and add to the clam sauce.

9. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Toss to mix, and drizzle with a few drops of oil.

10. Arrange the pasta on plates with some unshelled clams on top. Serve immediately.

74. Duck breasts with broccoli and peperoncino

Ingredients

1 head of broccoli
4 duck breasts
Olive oil
1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/2 small fresh red chilli, deseeded and thickly sliced
200ml White wine
dash Worcestershire sauce
salt and fresh ground black pepper


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 240°C/gas 9.

2. Prepare the broccoli by peeling the central stalk and dividing the whole into florets -make sure you keep the stalks attached and keep them long.

3. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the broccoli and blanch for a couple of minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

4. Cut the duck breasts into three, and score the skin with a sharp knife, Season with salt and pepper.

5. Pre-heat a large frying pan, add 1/2 tablespoon of oil, and sear the duck breast, skin side down, over medium-high heat. When the skin is brown, turn and sear the other side. Reserve the pan juices.

6. Place the duck in a small roasting pan and roast in the pre-heated oven for 7 minutes if you like your duck rare, or 10 minutes for well done. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest in a warm place.

7. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another frying over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a minute until the garlic is just coloured. Toss the broccoli florets in the pan and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

8. To make a sauce for the duck, warm the reserved duck juices over medium heat. Add the white wine and simmer until reduced.

9. Add a little olive oil - this will make the sauce separate slightly. Then add a dash of Worcester sauce and let it warm through gently.

10. Serve the duck with the broccoli and drizzle with the sauce.

75. Coq au vin

Ingredients

50g Butter
6 tbsp Olive oil
18 Shallots, peeled and left whole
176g button mushrooms, halved
50g Flour
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1.8kg-2.25kg chicken pieces
6 rashers smoked back bacon, cut into strips
4 garlic cloves, crushed
300ml Red wine
300ml chicken stock
1 bunch of Parsley, finely chopped


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Melt the butter and 3 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish. Add the shallots and fry for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

2. Add the halved mushrooms. Fry for 5 more minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the onions and mushroom halves to drain on kitchen paper.

3. Sprinkle the flour on a plate. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Coat the chicken pieces thoroughly in the seasoned flour.

4. Add the remaining olive oil to the casserole dish. Heat through, add the chicken and fry until the chicken is browned on all sides, around 10-15 minutes. Add the bacon and garlic and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.

5. Pour in the wine and stock. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and add the parsley (reserving 2 tbsp for garnish). Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour, until the chicken is tender. Half-way through the cooking time add the onions and mushroom halves.

6. Serve warm from the oven, garnishing with reserved parsley just before serving.

76. Chicken in marsala wine sauce

Ingredients

6 chicken breast fillets
2 tbsp Flour
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp Olive oil
5 Shallots, sliced
300ml chicken stock
200ml Marsala
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch of dried oregano
2 Bay leaves
6 Carrots, peeled and chopped
150g mangetout peas
200g broccoli spears


Method

1. Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthways. Mix together flour, salt and freshly ground pepper. Coat the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour.

2. In a casserole dish heat the olive oil. Fry the chicken until browned on all sides, around 10 minutes.

3. Add the shallots and fry for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, Marsala wine, vinegar, oregano and bay leaves. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat so that the sauce is simmering. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Meanwhile, steam the carrot, mangetout and broccoli until tender.

5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a warm serving plate. Increase the heat under the casserole dish and cook the sauce briskly until reduced and thickened.

6. Serve the chicken with the steamed vegetables and the Marsala sauce.

77. Chateaubriand with mustard Béarnaise and shoe string chips

Ingredients

oil, for frying
1 x 500-600g Chateaubriand steaks
Watercress, to serve

For the béarnaise sauce:
1 small shallot, finely chopped
8 Black peppercorns, lightly crushed
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
150ml White wine
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
3 large egg yolks, beaten
200g melted Butter, preferably clarified, cooled
1 tsp wholegrain Mustard

For the chips:
500g Maris Piper Potatoes, cut into matchsticks
oil, for deep frying


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4 and a deep-fat fryer.

2. Pour a little oil in a griddle pan and bring it up to smoking temperature. Put the steak whole in the pan and allow it to sizzle. Turn and sear on the other side. Holding the steak with tongs, brown the edges all the way around. Put it in the oven to finish cooking - this will take about 20 minutes for medium-rare.

3. For the béarnaise sauce: put the shallot, black peppercorns, white wine vinegar, white wine and a little of the tarragon in a small pan and reduce until about a quarter of the volume remains. Pick out the peppercorns.

4. Put the egg yolks in a bowl with the vinegar reduction. Whisk until the sauce begins to emulsify. Add the hot melted butter a drop at a time, whisking between each addition. The sauce will start to thicken. If it splits, add a drop of hot water. Once all the butter is added, stir in the mustards, the rest of the chopped tarragon and season.

5. For the chips: fry the potato chips in a deep-fat fryer until golden. Drain well and keep in a warm oven to maintain the crispness until ready to use.

6. Cut in the steak in half and arrange on 2 plates with a dollop of béarnaise and a handful of watercress.

78. Spaghetti with broccoli, walnuts and lemon

Ingredients

100g spaghetti
1 head of Broccoli, chopped into florets
handful Walnuts
2 slices bread, ripped into pieces
Olive oil, for frying
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 lemon, zest and juice
pinch chopped Parsley


Method

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the spaghetti and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. Two minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the broccoli.

2. Heat a large frying pan with a splash of olive oil, and lightly cook the garlic.

3. In a food processor, pulse the bread and walnuts together until roughly chopped.

4. Transfer the walnut and breadcrumb mixture to the frying pan and stir in the lemon zest. Cook until browned.

5. Drain the spaghetti and broccoli and stir in the contents of the frying pan. Squeeze in the lemon juice and season to taste. Divide between two pasta bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

79. Chorizo and black pudding stew

Ingredients

1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
oil, for frying
250g whole chorizo sausage, cut into chunks
250g morcilla, (Spanish black pudding), cut into chunks
good glug of Sherry
400g cooked Puy lentils
2 tbsp smoked paprika
100ml beef stock
250g cherry Tomatoes
1 red pepper, finely sliced
1 generous handful Parsley, chopped
crusty bread, to serve:

Method

1. Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a little oil until softened. Push to the side of the pan and tip in the chorizo and morcilla and fry for a few minutes to cook through.

2. Stir all the contents of the pan together and add a good glug of sherry. Cook to bubble away the liquid.

3. Add the lentils, paprika and stock and bring to the boil. Drop in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, or until the skins pop.

4. Stir in the pepper and parsley and season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve in a deep bowl with crusty bread.