Sat n Pepper Squid Salad

Nabbed this off the F Word, it looks like a taste overload. Gordon makes it with cucumber in the salad, but as I would rather stick cocktail sticks into my retinas than go anywhere near such an acursed monstrosity then I shall be ommiting any reference to that ingredient.

Ingredients

• 400g baby squid, cleaned
• ½ tsp Szechuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp five-spice powder
• 5 heaped tbsp cornflour
• Vegetable or groundnut oil, for deep-frying

For the salad:

• 1 medium carrot
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• Handful of coriander leaves
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

To serve:

• 1 red chilli, trimmed and finely sliced, to garnish
• Small handful of coriander leaves, to garnish
• Lime wedges

1. First, prepare the salad. Peel the carrot, then slice into long strips, using a vegetable peeler or a mandolin. Cut the strips in half if they are too long. Toss them in a bowl with the red chilli and coriander leaves. In a small bowl, mix together the rice vinegar, salt, sugar and sesame oil; set aside.

2. Open up the cleaned squid and score the flesh making sure not to cut through the flesh completely, once the squid is cored slice the squid (against the score) into thick slices and cut the tentacles in half. Rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the Szechuan peppercorns with the salt to a fine powder. Tip into a small bowl and mix in the five-spice powder and cornflour.

3. Heat a 5cm depth of oil in a wok over a high heat until a piece of bread dropped into the hot oil sizzles vigorously. Deep-fry the squid rings and tentacles in batches: coat with the seasoned cornflour, shake off excess, then immerse in the hot oil, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry for about a minute until lightly golden and crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

4. Keep warm in a low oven while you deep-fry the rest of the squid.

5. Toss the salad with the dressing and divide between serving plates. Pile the crispy squid on top and serve with lime wedges.

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Banana Flitters

Nabbed this off the F Word. These fritters looked incredible and I think the seasame seeds make the difference. Gordon served them with vanilla ice cream, but if possible I'd suggest coconut ice cream as that's what they do at the Number 1 Thai Cafe and I think it's better.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for deep frying
• 5-6 large ripe but firm bananas
• Icing sugar to dust

For the batter

• 100g rice flour
• 100g cornflour
• 4 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 250ml water
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve

1. First, prepare the batter. Put the rice flour, cornflour, sesame seeds, five-spice, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir well. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients then pour in the water. Stir until the mixture is evenly blended and there are no lumps in the batter. It should be fairly thick.

2. About 10 minutes before you will be ready to serve, peel the bananas and cut each one into 3 or 4 short lengths. Heat a 5-6cm depth of oil in a wok or deep heavy-based saucepan until hot. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a little batter into the pan – it should sizzle immediately.

3. Cook the fritters in batches. Dip the bananas pieces in the batter to coat all over, and then carefully lower into the hot oil. Fry for a few minutes until until golden brown all over, turning once. Remove and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Keep warm, while you cook the rest of the fritters.

4. Dust the crisp hot fritters with icing sugar and serve straight away with a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream

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BBQ Beer Can Chicken

Here's one I spotted in the Metro a while back, looks a great way to BBQ a whole chicken, but you need one of those proper dome lidded barbie's so it will fit.

Ingredients:

• A whole chicken
• A can of booze
• Butter
• Garlic
• Paprika
• Rosemary (so they say, but I suspect tarragon would be better)
  
• Olive oil
• 1/2 a lemon

Method

• Remove the giblets and cut of the parsons nose
• Mix up the butter with the herbs, paprika, garlic and lemon
• Stuff the mixture under the skin (can you do this with chickens, I'm making it up now)
• Stuff the mixture somewhere else if the above isn't feasible
• Rub some of the mix into the skin
• Empty half the booze down your neck, then stick the can up the chicken's harris
• Put the can/chicken cyborg onto the barbeque so the can is sitting on the grill and the chicken is upright
• Close the lid and cook for an hour

The general idea here seems to be that you barbeque the chicken on the outside and yet it also gets beer steamed from the inside.

Curried Lentils

This is the tastied and easiest Lentil recipe I've ever had. Delicious!

25g Butter
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomato
175g Split Red Lentils
1/2 lemon Juiced
1 pint vegetable stock (made with 2 oxo cubes, if using).
1 400g tin of coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped Coriander and remaining lemon to garnish
Naan to serve

Melt butter in large saucepan and saute the garlic and onion for 2-3 mins. Add spices and cook for a further 30 secs.

Stir in Tomatoes, red lentils, lemon juice, vegetable stock and coconut milk, then bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 mins, stirring occasionally, until lentils are cooked.

Season to taste and serve in a soup bowl, garnish and serve with warm naan bread.

Bread Sauce Flavoured Potato Gratin

I love potato gratin - this is classic, but flavoured with the same ingredients as are in bread sauce. Eat with meat or fish, but also delicious on their own with lots of black pepper. Can be eaten up to two days after. Serves 6.

500ml full fat milk
500ml double cream
1 onion
2 cloves
1/2 tsp ground mace
3-4 bay leaves
1 tbsp Maldon Salt (or 1/2 tbsp of table salt)
2kg King Edward Potatoes
Butter for greasing

Preheat oven to 220

Put milk and cream into a large saucepan. Peel the onion, cut in half, then stick each half with a clove , adding them to the pan. Add the mace, bay leaves and salt to the pan, then bring to nearly boiling point. Turn off the heat and put the lid on to infuse the milk.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm slices. Put them into the milk/cream mixture and bring to the boil with the lid on. It doesn't look like enough liquid for all those potatoes, but there is.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until tender, but not mush. About 10 mins will suffice.

Fish out the onion and bay leaves and grease a large dish with butter. Chuck in the potato mixture and cook in the oven for about 15 mins until the potato is bubbling and brown on top. Let it stand for 10 mins before serving.

Chilli Cheese Crostini

These are a delicious snack with beer or wine - they go very well with the crab crostini. Makes about 100 bite size chilli cheese chips.

350g Cream Cheese at room temp (Philladelphia is fine)
125ml Sour Cream
2 tsp Mild or Sweet Paprika
30g Red sliced jalapenos (from a jar) or slightly less fresh.
1/2 tsp Worcester Sauce
200g packet of Chilli Tortilla Chips

Mix together the cream cheese and sour cream.
Add the Paprika, chopped Jalepenos and Worcester Sauce, combine well, and see the pale cheese turn Coral.
Just before serving, put a teaspoon of mixture onto the tortillas and arrange on a plate.

Crab Crostini

If you're having people over for drinks then these are yummy and very easy to make. Also good as a light starter. Makes about 50 bite size crostini :

Ingredients:

1 Spring Onion
1 Fresh Red Chilli, deseeded.
300g White Crab Meat (fresh or tinned if you can't get it)
60ml Sour Cream
Small bunch of Coriander
1/4 tsp dried Oregano
1 x 15ml tbsp lime juice
1 packet of plain Tortilla Chips

Chop the spring onions, coriander, and chilli, then mix with the crab and the other ingredients, then pop a teaspoonful onto each tortilla chip. Ta Da! Nice served with my Chilli Cheese Crostini.

Corned Beef Hash

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35-45 minutes


Ingredients:

• Tin of best corned beef (don't buy cheap or it will be fatty)
• large onion
• tin of chopped tomatoes
• beef oxo (no water, or very little depending on quantities)
• mixed herbs (to taste)
• seasoning (to taste)
• mashed potato (frozen Auntie Bessies works well)
• grated cheese

Method:

• Fry onions until soft
• Place onions in an oven proof dish (lasagne type)
• Add tin of corn beef chopped into bite sized bits.
• Add herbs and seasoning
• Add chopped tomatoes and and stir in crumbled beef stock cube.
• Cover with foil and cook in a hot oven for about 15 minutes or until the corned beef has softened.
• Meanwhile cook potatoes and mash
• Place potatoes on top of corned beef mix as for Cottage Pie, and sprinkle with grated chees.
• Cook in oven until brown and crispy.

Additional, optional extras:

• add chopped carrots, or peas, or any other vegetable. If you like your veg crispy (and you know who you are) then don't cook it first. If not, then add to pan with onions.
• Add Worcester Sauce.
• Add garlic

O'Sullivan's Baked Lamb Chops

"Baking lamb chops?!?!?" I hear you cry. Well yes, I had my reservations too, but these are spectacular. Credit goes to Brendan O'Sullivan who is responsible for my enlightenment.

Cooking time: 1.30 - 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 3 lamb chops per person
• Some King Edward spuds
• A few carrots
• A broccoli
• A decent full bodied red wine (mulled wine is also recommended)
• Rosemary
• Garlic

Chops Phase 1

• Find a roasting dish that accommodates your chops fairly snugly
• If using fresh rosemary put this under the chops, if not then rub some dried stuff into the meat (a bit of "Lamb Seasoning" spice mix is also nice)
• Position half a dozen bits of garlic in the spaces between chops
• Pour in half an inch of the wine - you want to almost submerge the chops (hence why you should use a snug tin)
• Cover with tin foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 45mins to an hour.

Roast Potatoes

• Peel and halve the spuds
• Boil the blighters for 10 minutes - no longer or they will break up
• When ready tip them into a colander and flip them them up a bit to fluff up the outsides
• Cover a flat baking tray with foil and liberally coat with goose fat (yes, I suppose butter will do)
• Spread the fluffy tatties across the tray and drizzle a little olive oil over them.
• Season them and whack them in the oven. I find they take about an hour, maybe a bit more. If you find they are done before the chops just close up the tin foil.

Chops Phase 2

• After being in the oven for 45 mins to 1 hour take out the chops and pout the liquid and garlics into a suitable container and put it into the fridge to cool. We will later be using this for the gravy.
• Now, peel and chop the carrots into 1 inch thick segments and arrange them in the roasting tin. You then need to balance each chop on 2-3 bits of carrot and return to the oven for 30-45 minutes. This will crisp them up an absolute treat. NOTE: This may result in crunchy carrots, so if you like them soft (you know who you are) then you might want to microwave them for 2 minutes first.
• Check your chops half way through this phase and turn them.

The Gravy

• When there is about 5 minutes to go take the liquid out of the fridge and spoon off a bit of the fat that will have risen to the top.
• pour the rest into a small pan and add a bit of arrowroot to thicken it up (or cornflour mixed with water, but arrowroot is flavourless).
• Mash the roasted garlics up and then strain the liquid through a sieve.

To Serve

• Microwave the broccoli for 2 minutes 30 secs
• Arrange it on a plate with the spuds and carrots and chops
• Spoon over a bit of the gravy
• Decide never to grill chops again