60. Warm roast chicken salad with a creamy tarragon dressing

Ingredients

50g Butter, softened
1 tbsp roughly chopped tarragon
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 x 1 750kg chicken
1 tbsp sunflower oil
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain boiled new potatoes, tossed with butter, to serve

For the dressing:
150ml mayonnaise, made with tarragon vinegar and no mustard
1 tsp chopped tarragon
3 tbsp single cream
1/2 tsp English mustard
1 tsp tarragon vinegar

For the salad:
2 soft ‘hothouse’ Lettuce, leaves separated
4 vine-ripened Tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
12 Radishes, trimmed and halved
12 Spring onions, trimmed and halved
4 Eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Mix together the butter, tarragon, garlic and some salt and pepper. Put the flavoured butter into the cavity of the chicken, then brush the outside of the bird with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Put into a small roasting tin and roast for 11/4 hours, basting the chicken with the buttery juices for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the salad. For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together until smooth and then season to taste. Arrange the lettuce leaves over a large serving platter with the tomatoes, cucumber, radishes and spring onions. Cover and leave somewhere cool.

3. Remove the chicken from the oven and leave to rest for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add the eggs to a pan of simmering water and boil for 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.

4. To joint the chicken, cut the breast meat away from the bones in 2 whole pieces and then slice each piece in half on the diagonal. Cut off the legs and cut them in half at the joint. Shell the warm eggs and cut them into quarters.

5. Arrange the warm chicken pieces and eggs over the salad and drizzle with a little of the dressing. Take to the table with a bowl of the remaining dressing and serve with buttered new potatoes.

61. Iberico ham with salad

Ingredients

250g mixed salad leaves, including rocket, red chard and baby spinach
1 tbsp fresh chervil sprigs
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic or sherry vinegar
300g thinly sliced Iberico ham
freshly ground salt and black pepper

Method

1. Carefully pick over the salad leaves, discarding any that are damaged or discoloured. Place in a large bowl and toss with the chervil, parsley and chives.

2. Whisk the olive oil with the vinegar. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour over the salad leaves and herbs and toss well.

3. Pile the salad into a mound in the centre of a large serving platter. Arrange the slices of ham around it, scrunching it loosely into rosettes if liked. Grind over black pepper to taste before serving.

62 .Warm shredded lamb salad with mint and pomegranate

Ingredients

1 shoulder of lamb, (approx 2.5 kilograms)
4 shallot, halved but not peeled
6 garlic clove, left whole
1 carrot, peeled and halved
2 pinches Maldon sea salt
500ml boiling water
1 handful Mint, freshly chopped
1 pomegranate

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140C/gas 1.

2. On the hob, brown the lamb, fat side down, in a large roasting tin. Remove when nicely browned in the middle (you won't get much more than this) and set aside while you fry the vegetables briefly. Just tip them into the pan - you won't need to add any more fat - and cook them, sprinkled with salt, gently for a couple of minutes.

3. Pour the water over and then replace the lamb, this time fat side up. Let the liquid in the pan come to a bubble, then tent with foil and put in the preheated oven.

4. Now just leave it there while you sleep. I find that if I put the lamb in before I go to bed, it's perfect by lunchtime the next day. But the point is, at this temperature, nothing's going to go wrong with the lamb if you cook it for a little less or a little more.

5. If you want to cook the lamb the day you're going to eat it, heat the oven to 170°C/gas 3 and give it 5 hours or so. The point is to find a way of cooking that suits you: you know what sort of pottering relaxes you and what makes you feel constrained; how much time you've got, and how you want to use it. Don't let the food, the kitchen or the imagined expectations of other people bully you.

6. With that homily over, about an hour before you want to eat, remove the lamb from the tin to a large plate or carving board; not that it needs carving: the deal here is that it's unfashionably overcooked, falling to tender shreds at the touch of a fork. This is the best way to deal with shoulder of lamb: it's cheaper than leg, and the flavour is deeper, better, truer, but even good carvers, which I most definitely am not, can get unstuck trying to slice it.

7. To finish the lamb salad, simply pull it to pieces with a couple forks on a large plate. Sprinkle with more Malden salt and some freshly chopped mint.

8. Cut the pomegranate in half and dot with the seeds from one of the halves. This is easily done; there's a simple trick, which means you never have to think of winkling out the jewelled pips with a safety pin ever again. Simply hold the pomegranate half above the plate, take a wooden spoon and start bashing the curved skin side with it. Nothing will happen for a few seconds, but have faith. In a short while the red glassy, juicy beads will start raining down.

9. Take the other half and squeeze the preposterously pink juices over the warm shredded meat. Take to the table and serve.

63. Steamed salmon on a bed of ratatouille

Ingredients

6 tbsp Olive oil
2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 aubergine, cut into chunks
4 courgettes, sliced into rounds
2 red peppers, chopped
6 Tomatoes
2 thyme sprigs
4 tablespoons of shredded basil
pinch of dried oregano
4 tbsp chopped chives
500g Potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
180g jar creamed horseradish
24 asparagus spears
6 salmon fillets, 150g each


Method

1. First make the ratatouille. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a casserole dish. Add the onion and garlic. Fry until fragrant. Add the aubergine, courgette, red pepper, tomatoes, thyme, basil, oregano and chives. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes over a medium heat.

2. Cover and cook the ratatouille for 20 minutes, stirring now and then.

3. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Wrap each fillet in a piece of buttered foil, ready for steaming.

4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the chopped potatoes and cook until tender, around 10-15 minutes. Drain, return to the saucepan and mash with the horseradish. Cover and keep warm.

5. Steam the salmon in a steamer over a pan of simmering water until tender, around 10 minutes.

6. Heat a ridged griddle pan until very hot. Toss the asparagus with the remaining olive oil. Sear the asparagus on the hot griddle.

7. Transfer the ratatouille to a serving plate. Unwrap the steamed salmon and place on top of the ratatouille. Serve with the seared asparagus and horseradish mash.

64. Marinated salmon with fennel and dill salad

Ingredients

finely grated zest of 1 lemon
finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 leek, green part trimmed, cut into chunks
2 large bunches of Dill, leaves picked
1kg side of fresh salmon, skin left on
50g caster sugar
3 tbsp plus 1 tsp white wine vinegar
125ml water
1 large fennel bulb
squeeze of lemon juice
generous pinch of Salt
3 tbsp Dijon mustard


Method

1. Put the lemon and lime zest, onion, leek and a small handful of the dill in a food processor and whiz to a smooth paste.

2. Spread the paste evenly over the salmon - this marinade will partially cook the salmon and help draw out any moisture. Cover with cling film Place a couple of food cans or heavy weights in a large dish and use to weigh down the salmon and encourage the flavours to penetrate. Chill for 24 hours.

3. Heat the caster sugar, white wine vinegar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.

4. Meanwhile, thinly slice the fennel. Put in a bowl and toss with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Toss with a small handful of the dill, then pour over the hot vinegar syrup. Set aside until completely cool.

5. Rinse the salmon and pat dry with kitchen paper. Spread the cut side evenly with the mustard. Sprinkle over the remaining dill, pressing it into the mustard to coat.

6. Working from the tail end and using a sharp knife with a narrow flexible blade, slice the salmon very thinly - you should be able to see the blade of the knife through the flesh. Arrange the slices on a serving plate.

7. Strain the juices from the fennel, and pile into the centre of the plate.

65. Salmon fishcakes

Ingredients

85g stale wholemeal bread
about 600g cooked wild salmon
about 300g cooked potato, mashed without milk and butter
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 Eggs, beaten
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil, for frying
freshly ground salt and black pepper
Crème Fraîche Tartare, to serve


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas 2.

2. Cut the bread into small squares and place on a baking tray. Put in the oven for 15 minutes until dried out. Tip into a food processor and whiz to make crumbs.

3. Roughly mash the salmon with the potato, so it still has coarse textured flakes and is not a homogenous purée. Mix in the parsley and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Shape the mixture into twelve flat cakes, about 2cm thick. Place them on a large plate and cover with cling film. Leave in the fridge for an hour or two to firm up, or longer if convenient.

5. Tip the beaten eggs onto a large flat plate, and spread the dried breadcrumbs on another. Dip the fishcakes first in the egg, turning to coat both sides, then in the breadcrumbs making sure the sides are well crumbed too. Place the coated cakes on a third large plate.

6. Heat a shallow film of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the fishcakes, in batches if necessary, and fry for 4 minutes or so on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

7. Serve with a dollop of Crème Fraîche Tartare.

66. Salmon cream tagliatelle

Ingredients

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
150g Smoked salmon, shredded
100ml dry white wine
300ml double cream
pinch of cayenne
1 tsp Paprika
6 tbsp finely chopped dill
450g fresh egg tagliatelle
Salt


Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Fry the onion gently until softened, around 5 minutes.

2. Add the smoked salmon and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.

3. Pour in the white wine, bring to the boil and cook briskly for 1 minute.

4. Mix in the double cream. Mix in the cayenne, paprika and 5 tablespoons of dill. Cook stirring for a further 3 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the tagliatelle and cook until 'al dente', around 3 minutes; drain.

6. In a large serving bowl toss together the tagliatelle and the salmon cream sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining dill and serve at once.

67. Wild salmon with parsley and sorrel sauce

Ingredients

2 wild salmon steaks
6 Shallots, finely chopped
400ml White wine
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 litre whipping cream
bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
handful sorrel leaves, shredded

For the spinach:
Olive oil, for frying
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Spinach, picked and washed

Method

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

2. Heat a little olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan and add the salmon fillets skin-side down. Season with salt. Transfer to the oven and bake for 6-7 minutes until cooked through yet retaining a lovely blush.

3. Put the shallots, white wine and vinegar in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until the liquid has almost evaporated, then tip in the cream. Bring slowly to the boil then remove from the heat.

4. Pour the sauce into a blender with the parsley, blend until smooth then pass through a very fine sieve back into the pan. Bring back to boil and stir in the sorrel.

5. For the spinach: heat a little olive oil in a large pan and add the garlic, spinach, salt and pepper. Cook until wilted.

6. Serve the salmon with the spinach and the herb sauce.

68. Smoked salmon and goat's cheese ravioli

Ingredients

For the ravioli:
1kg fresh pasta sheets
150g Smoked salmon, cut into pieces
150g soft Goats cheese
1 egg, beaten
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the watercress pesto:
110g fresh Watercress
150ml extra virgin olive oil
50g Pine kernels
2 garlic cloves, peeled
50g Parmesan, freshly grated

To serve:
handful Watercress


Method

1. Cut the pasta into strips about 10cm wide.

2. Mix together the salmon and goats cheese and season with salt and pepper. Place a small dollop of the mixture at 7.5 cm intervals down one side of the strip of pasta. Brush the beaten egg around the edges then fold the pasta over the filling and press down around it to seal the filling in.

3. Cut out the pasta parcels with a small round cutter and crimp the edges with a fork to ensure that the filling doesn't ooze out during cooking.

4. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the ravioli and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. For the watercress pesto: put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend for a couple of minutes. Season to taste.

6. To serve: serve the Ravioli drizzled with watercress pesto with a small handful of watercress on the side.

69. Salmon en croute with lemon thyme crème fraîche

Ingredients

60g chestnut mushrooms
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 sprigs Thyme
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper
3 tbsp Olive oil
30g Butter
1 leek, (white part only), chopped
100ml whipping cream
180g salmon fillet, in one piece, skin removed
200g Puff pastry
1 egg yolk, beaten

For the crème fraîche:
1 tsp thyme leaves
1 lemon, zest
1 tsp lemon juice
160g crème fraîche

Method

1. Set the oven to 200C/gas 6. Spread the mushrooms out on a baking tray and scatter with the crushed garlic and thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover with kitchen foil and roast for 10 minutes.

2. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Transfer to a food processor and blitz to a textured paste.

3. Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan on a medium heat, and add the leek. Stir in the cream and cook for about 2 minutes - the leek should still be slightly crunchy.

4. Roll out the pastry into rectangle measuring 10 x 16cm, and spoon the mushroom puree on the lower half. Season the salmon fillet and lay it on top of the mushrooms. Spoon the creamy leeks on top of the fish.

5. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and then fold the top half of the rectangle over to seal. Crimp the edges with the point of a knife. Brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

6. Meanwhile, stir the thyme and the lemon zest and juice into the crème fraîche.

7. Remove the salmon from the oven and serve immediately, with the crème fraîche.