Simple Dashi

You never know when you need some good dashi.

one 3-6 inch piece of konbu

8 cups water

2 handfuls katsuo-bushi

1. rinse konbu, combine with water
2. bring water to simmer, turn off heat and let seep ten minutes
3. add katsuo-bushi and let seep another 7 minutes
4. strain dashi, use immediately or keep for a couple days

Apple Salad, Bacon & Maple Labneh

I couldn't help give this a go after reading it in Momofuku's new cookbook. Kind of busy but everyone seemed to enjoy it!

fuji, or some other tart & crisp apple

kimchi

labneh

quality maple syrup

best quality back bacon (pork jowl used)

rucola

EVOO

lemon

S&P

1. zip up kimchi in a blender til smooth
2. cut the apples in cubes or wedges, dress with the kimchi (don't overpower apples, just a hint of kimchi sufficient)
3. mix labneh & maple syrup (should be sweet)
4. grill bacon until caramelizing
5. dress rucola with EVOO, small squeeze of lemon, S&P
6. to plate, put a spoonful of labneh-maple mixture onto small plate, top with a few pieces of apple, then about 1" x 4" strip of bacon, a bit more labneh
7. sprinkle a few leaves of rucola over the whole lot, maybe a turn of the pepper mill

Fromage Pepe Gino

My grandfather always ate his emmental like this. It's probably one of the dullest cheeses in existence so no wonder. No freshly-ground pepper or Maldon sea salt here; just plain ground salt and pepper.

emmental

salt

ground pepper

1. cut emmental into cubes or thick batons
2. sprinkle some salt and pepper on top

Braised Whole Oxtail

One of my favorite dishes from one of my favorite eating establishments in London-The Hereford. There isn't much point in doing it unless you serve the tail whole!

1 whole oxtail

S&P

EVOO

15 shallots, peeled & left whole

splash of balsamic vinegar

half bottle good red wine

a bunch of organic carrots

bouquet garni of rosemary, thyme, fresh bay leaf

half head of garlic cut crossways

1.5 liters stock made previous day from oxtail & beef bones

1. pre-heat oven 220 degrees c
2. trim excess fat from base of oxtail, but leave some on for flavor and moistness in the finished dish!
3. in order to cook the oxtail whole you need a large fish poacher or long roasting pan to accommodate its length; season oxtail with S&P, brown oxtail then place in oven to brown further for five minutes
4. remove from oven and turn temperature down to 180 degrees c
5. brown shallots in a skillet to give good color; toward end, add vinegar and wine and simmer to reduce until nearly gone; add to oxtail
6. trim carrots, also add to oxtail with bouquet garni, stock
7. cover pot with aluminum foil and lid; braise 3.5 hours, then take lid off and brown in oven for a further 20 minutes
8. check for seasoning before serving, preferably with some silky smooth buttery mash potatoes

Michelle's Roast Potatoes

I could eat these every night. With Wednesday night's herb salad, and a slice of prosciutto cotto, or jambon de Paris, with a nice tub of mustard nearby. Maris Piper are great, but if you can get a Scottish variety all the better. Blue-skinned Arran Victory is the king of roasties, a claim backed up by Heston himself (natural dryness guarantees crispiness). Other good British varieties include the sweeter Dunbar Rover, British Queen, King Edwards and the red Duke of York. On the issue of fat, I think below is the best way to go; although I'd like to try the Michael Caine (apparently a very good cook!) method of soaking the boiled potatoes in a 1 cm of cold EVOO, adding some rosemary and sage leaves for extra taste (marinating them in cold EVOO allows the fat to be absorbed into the fuzzy surface and makes a thicker crust). Below can also be tried with duck or goose fat, pork lard or beef drippings for a more old-fashioned flavor. Also in step 7 below, consider heating oil before putting spuds into the baking tray.

Maris Piper Potatoes, about one large potato per person, peeled & cut into quarters (4cm)

1 tblsp EVOO

S&P

1 tsp saffron, if desired

baking tray to accommodate all potatoes comfortably in one layer

1. pre-heat oven to 220*C and place baking tray with 2 tblsp of oil in it
2. put potatoes in a pot with boiling water to almost cover them
3. add 1 tblsp of salt (and half of crushed saffron powder if using); salt speeds the crumbling of the cells, making the potato a fraction crunchier
4. bring potatoes back to a boil then cover and simmer gently until outer edge of potatoes are fluffy (approximately 6 minutes, depending on size)
5. drain water with potatoes in the pan. Holding lid firmly on pan, shake vigorously to create a fluffy surface on the potatoes
6. remove baking tray from oven and place on direct medium heat
7. place potatoes into baking tray and turn potatoes so they are evenly coated with oil (if using saffron, baste potatoes with remaining oil/saffron mixture)
8. return tray to highest shelf in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until potatoes are golden and crunchy
9. 15 minutes before end of cooking time, add rosemary sprig and a few cloves of garlic
10. season with salt and serve straightaway

Wednesday Night Herb Salad

We made this salad last night, which was a Wednesday night. It was good, too. What really makes the Wednesday Night Herb Salad special, though, is that it's my 100th post in this blog!

1/3 radicchio

1/3 lambs lettuce/mache

1/3 rucola/rocket

handful each of chopped mint, tarragon and dill

vinaigrette

moutarde (Maille)

cider vinegar

red wine vinegar

EVOO

S&P

1. make your vinaigrette including both vinegars, on the thickish side
2. toss with salad leaves & herbs

Chicken Tonnato & Celeri Remoulade

Very happy with this. First it was the veal, then the squid, and now chicken or pork. It doesn't really matter, it's all about the tonnato sauce!

roast chicken slices (quality pre-sliced off the store shelf ok)

tonnato sauce (use squid tonnato recipe or sauce below)

celeri remoulade with capers

pain poilane

alternative tonnato sauce

tuna

capers

squeeze of lemon

cornichons

anchovies to taste

white pepper

1. put chicken (or pork) slices on plate, smear with tonnato sauce
2. plop some celeri remoulade alongside, and some pain poilane