Bagna Cauda Light

Always welcoming in the cold weather when there are multiple guests around the table. The very friendly sous-chef at The River Cafe kindly provided this recipe, although not the same as that in the most recent cookbook. If I heard correctly, this recipe incorporates a combination of butter and EVOO (rather than just butter), which is why I enjoyed it so much. Key is to serve with some in-season, poached veggies.

2 whole heads of garlic

200 ml EVOO

150 gr unsalted butter

10 salted anchovies

red wine

Vegetable suggestions

artichokes

fennel, quartered

baby carrots

baby turnip

baby fennel

pumpkin

sturdy spinach

swiss chard

1. put garlic, red wine and anchovies in a pan and reduce for 45 minutes
2. slowly add EVOO and butter until you get an emulsified sauce
3. pour over vegetables and serve

Beet-Cured Gravadlax

Join the fun! Beet your salmon. Serve this with toasted pumpernickel, a cucumber salad and a sour cream & dill sauce.

800 gr side of salmon, skin-0n

3 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp white peppercorns

2 tsp black peppercorns

3 tblsp sea salt

2 tblsp sugar

large bunch of dill

a grated beet

gin

1. dry-toast coriander and peppercorns in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant; grind in a mortar and pestle until a powder
2. put the salmon skin side-up in a wide, shallow dish; scatter with a third of the spice mix and half the grated beets; press a third of the dill on the skin; turn the fish over and scatter with the rest of the spice, grated beets and the remaining dill
3. cover the fish tightly with clingfilm and weigh down with a baking tray & heavy tins
4. keep in fridge 2-3 days, turning every 12 hours
5. unwrap fish, brush the dill & other condiments off fish; place salmon skin-side down on a chopping board and carefully remove skin
6. slice diagnally, serve with pumpernickel bread and dill sour cream

Creamy Spinach

One of my favorite side dishes from St John, paraphrased from the second cook book.

a big bag of spinach

a healthy spoonful of Dijon mustard

a handful of grated parmesan

a dollop of creme fraiche

sea salt and black pepper

1. remove stalks from spinach, cook down in butter
2. whizz all ingredients down in a mixer

Maple-Glazed Gammon

What a generous chunk of meat. Perfect for slicing away over the holidays. Thank you Gordon.

whole leg of gammon/ham, smoked or unsmoked (around 5 kg)

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 bay leaves

about 25 cloves

glaze

200 ml maple syrup

2 tblsp coarse-grain mustard

2 tblsp worcestershire sauce

2 tblsp soy sauce

1. put the gammon in a very large pot and cover with cold water; add the spices and bay
2. bring to a boil, turn down and let simmer for 1 hr 50 mins, topping up with boiling water when necessary; scoop off any scum
3. pour the liquid away (can keep for making soup), then let the ham cool a little while you heat the over to 190 c/170 c with fan
4. lift the ham into a roasting tin, score the fat in a criss-cross pattern and stud each diamond with a clove (at this point can be chilled up to two days)
5. mix the glaze in a jug; pour half over the fat, roast for 15 mins, basting with pan juices 3-4 times as it bakes
6. turn the pan around a few times during the cooking so that the fat colors evenly; remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving
7. can be roasted on the day or up to two days ahead and served cold

Tonight's Dinner

A lovely evening with the Letondots and Hartigs. The first time I make a ham.

• marmite cashews
• black radish & olive oil
• beet-cured gravadlax, St John cucumbers, dill & lemon sour cream
• bagna cauda with braised squash, baby fennel, baby carrots, baby cauliflower, baby turnip, swiss chard
• hot vacherin, maple-soy glazed gammon, herb salad
• affogato

Gravadlax Sauce

A nice diversion from the usual nordic honey-based sauce.

1.5 cups sour cream

zest and juice of a lemon

1 tblsp whole grain mustard

lots of chopped dill

S&P

1. put ingredients in a bowl and mix
2. let set a while so the flavors develop

Creamy Mushrooms

This could come in useful if I need mushrooms with a creamy, braised consistency perhaps over some cooled polenta. I would be tempted to use just the garlic.

mixed mushrooms

chopped onions and/or minced garlic

butter

EVOO

S&P

parsley

single cream

lemon juice

1. put butter in pan, when it begins to melt add the EVOO
2. when bubbling, add the mushrooms, onion/garlic and S&P
3. coat mushrooms in the butter/EVOO and let saute for 6-8 minutes
4. don't stir around too much, let mushrooms take on golden brown color
5. when mushrooms look good, add cream and parsley, cook another minute
6. add some lemon juice to taste, mix and serve