Kiwisizzler

I met a fantastic, passionate Thai chef at the weekend and he could be yours! Check it: Your Thai Chef.

Brett has a great business providing memorable home-dining experiences and private Thai cooking lessons in and around London. He has gained vast experience in his travels from his home city of Bangkok through to Europe. If you are looking for an exciting way to impress your guests at home, get in touch.

Morroccan-Style Braised Lamb Leg

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 Tbsp paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp fine sea salt

3 cloves finely crushed garlic

1 lamb leg on the bone – approximately 2kg

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 carrot – roughly chopped

1 onion – roughly chopped

2 sticks celery – roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

1 cup red wine

1 cup beef stock

1. Mix the first ten ingredients together.
2. Stab the lamb leg repeatedly on both sides with a sharp knife.
3. Rub the lamb liberally all over with the marinade.
4. Cover and leave to marinate overnight.
5. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
6. Pop the marinated lamb into the oven and cook for fifteen minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 140 degrees Celsius.
7. In a frypan, sauté the vegetables in the vegetable oil until nice and golden.
8. Add the red wine and stock to deglaze.
9. Pour the vegetables, wine, stock and bayleaves into the oven tray with the lamb, cover with foil and braise in the oven at 140 degrees Celsius for 3 hours or until meltingly tender.
10. Rest the lamb in a warm spot in the kitchen for 30 minutes to allow the meat to relax before serving.
11. Strain the cooking liquor and bring to the boil. Reduce until it is nice and sticky and super tasty!
    

    Braised Lamb, Aubergine Tagine, Steamed Corn, Tomberries

    Tagine of Aubergine & Sweet Potato with Orange

    2 Tbsp olive oil

    1 tsp coriander seeds – whole

    2 onions – roughly chopped

    1 tsp paprika

    ½ tsp finely ground black pepper

    ½ tsp tumeric

    ½ tsp ground ginger

    ¼ tsp chilli powder

    ½ tsp salt

    2 aubergines – large diced

    2 sweet potatoes – peeled and large diced

    400g chopped tomatoes

    ½ cup water

    2 strips of orange peel – 2cm wide x 4cm long

    1. Heat the olive oil over a low heat in your tagine or large saucepan.
    2. Add the coriander seeds and gently fry until they start to ‘pop’.
    3. Add the onions and sweat until soft.
    4. Add the spices and salt and fry for 30 seconds to release their flavours.
    5. Add the aubergines, sweet potato, tomatoes, water and orange peel.
    6. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook gently for 1 ½ hours.
    7. Taste and adjust seasoning with a little salt.
    8. Garnish with freshly chopped mint.

Welcome Back to Spain

What can I say about Spain? So the pace is a little slower and life a bit simpler…but what’s wrong with that? A week in this beautiful and passionate country has left me relaxed and with an appetite  for more. Spain is a country that has kept up with the rest of the developing world but has not forgotten where it came from. As a tourist, getting around could only be simpler if there weren’t so many one-way and pedestrian-only streets but that is what keeps the Spanish history preserved and alive. If exploring was too easy we wouldn’t appreciate the effort taken to ‘discover’ the real gems.

12 Varieties of Oysters

Starting in Madrid for a stag weekend I was introduced to the modern Spain. This involved buying ice-cold beers from dodgy west-asians on the street and nibbling on pizza at 4am, all in the company of half a dozen chefs. The next night, after a day of stagly antics and lounging about in beautiful squares, we evolved to sampling tapas in one of the best markets in the city, followed by more tapas in bar after bar, hunting down the specialities of each kitchen. At the ‘Meson del Champinon’, for example, we ate mushrooms grilled with the offcuts of Iberican ham, garlic, herbs and oil. Simple and delicious. It may be a cliche to eat in such a tourist-flooded place but the food was genuine, generous and simple. The staff had been there for years (one of them twenty-four years and counting!) and they took genuine pride in their menu which consisted of only four or five specialities. We also sampled Boquerones en Escabeche (pickled anchovies), the unrelenting ‘patatas bravas’ and one of my favourites, sauteed baby green peppers – they always slip a hot

At the House of Mushrooms

green chilli in there somewhere!  After far too much eating and an over-consumption of beer and sangria we stumbled into a fantastic flamenco bar, ‘Arco de Cuchilleros’. Again, it was in all the tourist guides but we left feeling more than satisfied, especially with yet more of the fantastic Iberican arorn-fed cured ham, served at a rather humid room temperature leaving our fingers succulently greasy.

After a short sleep and a fun day of stag-related events and embarrassment, I joined my better half and her mother to continue our week of exploring and digesting.

I introduced them to the culinary haunts of the previous night for our dinner we had a good kip and headed off to Toledo, a world heritage protected town perched on a hill surrounded by a river on three sides. The highlight dish was a typical Toledan stew called ‘carcamusas’, made from pork and traditionally served in an earthenware pot. We were served this with a selection of ‘snacks’ based around sliced of baguette topped with flavours such as brie, roasted peppers, Iberican cured ham and the like.

Tapas Heaven!

After getting our fill in Toledo we made our way to Cordoba. With late notice we were lucky to get a room at one of the comfy hotels in the historic part of town known as The Juderia. The hotel came complete with its own patio, the traditional garden in the center of so many restored buildings in Spain. It was the perfect spot to enjoy breakfast the next morning.

That night we headed to a recommended restaurant, ‘Bodegas Mezquita’, directly opposite the ancient Mezquita (which is a mosque with a christian church inside). We enjoyed a variety of tapas including oxtail croquettes and crispy-fried calamari. This was followed by another hit of flamenco dancing and music at ‘Tablao Cardenal’. Impressive stuff!

After a bit more sightseeing the next day, we continued on our journey to Seville. Our accommodation was again in the historic centre, close to the sights and only a minute’s walk to any of a dozen restaurants. We did the usual sightseeing and ended up eating dinner at one of our guidebook’s recommended restaurants, ‘Restaurante Corral del Agua’ which had the most beautiful courtyard full of trees and ceramics dotted around the walls. Our maitre’d gave us the most wonderful service and stayed to chat about our food and wine. We started with some traditional gazpacho, the refreshing chilled tomato soup garnished with diced onion and peppers and a sumptuously light fritatta and followed it with braised bull’s tail, chicken with almonds and ‘flamenquin’ pieces of pork tenderloin wrapped in Iberican ham and breadcrumbs.

Bar Las Terasas

The following day we took a late lunch at Las Terasas, a very popular tapas bar with a ceiling covered with hanging cured hams. The locals must get sick of tourists taking up all the tables but one of the waiters spoke Japanese so I’m guessing they are happy for the extra business. We shared some superb marinated olives, slow-roasted peppers on crostini and thin slices of divine Iberican pork sausage.

Your Typical Spanish Deli

After our last night in Seville we departed on the last leg of our journey, to Granada. On the way we had a familiar, farmy smell pierce its way into our car. When we stopped for gas we worked it out. Olives as far as the eye could see! Apparently Spain is an even bigger producer of olives than Italy. Quite a feat!

Granada offered the fantastic Alhambra, the most visited tourist site in all of Spain. It was formerly a fortress, citadel and palace over the ages and contains reputedly the most beautiful Islamic architecture in Europe. We concurred and followed our visit with a meal at a local taverna. We’d been hanging out for paella but since it is a Valencian dish, being seafood-based, we had held off until our final night. The Granadans did themselves proud and we enjoyed a thoroughly simple dish done very well. It was packed with fresh seafood and had a crispy base, a sign of quality in a paella.

España bien hecha…well done Spain. We can’t wait to return for more!

Potato Roesti with Hot-Smoked Salmon & Wild Mushroom Relish

Rare Beef, Salsa Verde, Ciabatta Toast

The Dining Room

Thai Asparagus & Feta Risotto

Beautiful Ceiling!

Smoked Mackerel & Sour Cream Mousse and Basil Crisp

Baby Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto Crudo with Saffron Mayonnaise

Pickled Wild Mushrooms, Quail Egg, Watercress Caviar

My team and I recently catered a VIP canape function for our CEO at the Queen Mother’s former residence. What an amazing opportunity! The building is as pristine as if she had departed us only yesterday. It is full of amazing artwork, wall and ceiling decorations and paintings and is kept beautifully.

Our spec was that the canapes were for VIPS including the grandson of Winston Churchill and that they had to be perfect. Needless to say, they went down to a fantastic response and we loved every minute of it.

This recipe is delicious! It is packed with the flavours of fresh dates, bananas and spice and is superb blanketed in a bit of orange custard.

350g Medjool dates – stone removed and roughly chopped

2tsp baking soda

300ml water

300ml bananas

250g sugar

250g butter

4 eggs

350g self raising flour

Vanilla essence

1. Put dates, water & baking soda in a pan, boil.

2. Puree bananas, add to dates, cool.

3. Cream sugar & butter.

4. Beat in eggs slowly & add vanilla.

5. Fold in flour.

6. Add date & bananas. Mix well.

7. Drop into ring or muffin tin (rub with butter & dust with sugar first).

8. Cook for 15-20 mins @ 180c.

For the custard, make your usual packet mix or creme anglaise and add some orange zest to the milk to infuse.

Here’s a delicious combination that is well worth the extra preparation time and effort. Perfect for a chilly autumn evening.

Make a batch of braised oxtail. I would suggest discarding the vegetables at the end of cooking, keeping only the meat stripped from the bones. Prepare some fresh salsify. Once peeled, thinly slice on an angle, blanch (to pre-cook) in boiling water and refresh immediately in very cold water. Put aside until ready to use.

Finely chop some shallots. Heat a little oil and add the shallots. Gently sweat without colour over a low heat. Add your rice and saute gently for a minute or so until it becomes slightly translucent. Add some white wine to just cover the rice and stir gently until just dissolved.

Add some chicken stock to cover, stir over a low heat until absorbed.

Add your salsify and some more chicken stock and cook until absorbed. Keep adding stock until the rice is al dente (firm to the bite) but cooked.

Add some chopped chives, salt, pepper, a knob of butter and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Heat your oxtail in a little of the oxtail cooking liquor.

Serve the risotto topped with the oxtail and garnished with some fresh morels mushrooms (or replace with porcinis or chestnut mushrooms) sauteed in a little butter and moistened with a little of the oxtail braising liquor. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For more information and recipes for risotto click here.

Salsify is also known as scorzonera, black root, vegetable oyster or goats’ beard and is a member of the dandelion family. Both the leaves and root are edible with the root having a black skin and creamy white flesh, similar to parsnip but much longer in length.

It is thought that salsify originated from Spain and it is common throughout southern Europe. It is delicious served steamed, roasted or boiled and has a mild oystery flavour.

To prepare salsify, wash and then peel. To prevent oxidisation the peeled root should be immersed in acidulated water – that is water with a little lemon juice or vinegar added.

Scored yourself a bit of beef? Here’s what to do with one of my favourite cuts – the tail.

Get your butcher to cut the tail into segments, if it’s not already.

Cut up some carrots, onion, leek and celery nice and chunky. This is called mirepoix.

Get together some thyme, bayleaves and parsley stalks. Tie them in a bunch with some string. This is your bouquet garni.

Heat a pan nice and hot. Add a touch of oil and then the oxtail.  Seal the oxtail in small batches until nicely coloured. Put the oxtail into a deep roasting dish.
Once the oxtail is sealed, toss the mirepoix in the pan, ensuring a nice golden colour. Add the vegetables to the oxtail.
Deglaze the pan with a bit of red wine and add that wine to the roasting dish along with the bouquet garni and  a little beef stock. Cover the tray with tin foil.
Place the roasting tray in the oven at 160°C for around 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat falls off the bone.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool. As the meat cools it will absorb the cooking liquor, keeping it nice and moist. Once cool, strain the liquor and reduce to a nice sticky consistency. The juices will contain a massive amount of natural gelatine. Strip the meat from the bones and add to the liquor along with the vegetables. Season to taste and serve with creamy mashed potatoes or even as a risotto. LUSH!

This recipe is fantastic as a starter or even as the main event for a relaxed lunch with friends. Perfect with a fresh rocket and parmigiano reggiano salad, drizzled with aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil.

For the Red Onion Marmalade:

2 Tbsp olive oil

600g red onion – sliced 3mm thick

2 bay leaves

125g demerara sugar (or better still – dark muscavado)

100ml balsamic vinegar

100ml port

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a low heat.
2. Add the onions and bay leaves. Sweat over a low heat, stirring regularly until soft and starting to sweeten. This should take at least 20 minutes.
3. Add the sugar and cook until any liquid is evaporated, around 40 minutes. Stir regularly. You should have only 25% of the original volume of onions at this point.
4. Add the balsamic vinegar, increase the heat and reduce until nice and sticky. Stir regularly.
5. Add the port and reduce until nice and sticky. Stir regularly.
6. Allow to cool until you are ready to use the marmalade.

For the Tart:

350g short pastry

Flour for dusting

Blind-baking beans (I use rice)

Red onion marmalade

100g blue cheese (I used a delicious British cheese called ‘Blacksticks Blue’)

2 large eggs

150ml single cream

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 165C.
2. Roll out the pastry on a well-floured bench.
3. Roll the floured pastry around the rolling pin and unroll onto a lightly greased flan tin.
4. Give the pastry lots of slack as it will have stretched during rolling. Make sure the pastry is pressed into the corners of the flan tin.
5. Trim the edges of the pastry but leave around 1cm of excess around the edges. This can be trimmed after cooking.
6. Cover the pastry base with cling film and rice or baking beans. Blind bake the pastry for around 10 minutes, remove the beans or rice and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until base is set and lightly golden.
7. Cover the base of the pastry with onion marmalade – you may not need all of it. Keep the rest to serve with your favourite pate.
8. Dot the cheese randomly over the onions.
9. Mix the eggs and cream and season with salt and pepper.
10. Pour the egg mix over the onion and cheese.
11. Bake for around 20 minutes or until egg is set and golden.
12. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

The origins of this simple Sicilian staple take us back to around 1000A.D, when the Kalbids ruled Sicily as a Shia Muslim dynasty. At this time Sicily was an important island economically, being the gateway to Europe for Northern Africa, and it was during this period that the muslims introduced lemons, Seville oranges and sugar cane.

Resembling an orange, both in colour and shape, arancine or arancini are distinctly Sicilian. Arancia is Italian for orange with arancici being Italian for little orange. There are other versions such as the supli from Rome which is also made from rice with a filling of mozzarella and tomato sauce and then crumbed and fried. In some parts of Sicily arancine are often cone-shaped.

To keep it simple, we make a slightly undercooked risotto and put a tasty filling in the centre. After that we crumb it and deep-fry. The filling can be practically anything you want. The classics include flavours such as ragu (bolognaise sauce to us plebs), mozzarella and basil or even sauteed wild mushrooms.

1 medium onion or 2 shallots – finely diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

250g Arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano rice

250ml white wine

350ml chicken or vegetable stock

40g freshly grated parmesan cheeseSalt and pepper to taste

75g ham – shredded

100g buffalo mozzarella – chopped

10g fresh basil – shredded

2 Cups flour

2 eggs

200ml milk

250g breadcrumbs

1. Heat the oil in a wide-bottom pan over a low heat.
2. Add the diced onion and sweat gently without colour, stirring regularly, for around 5 minutes or until onions are soft and starting to sweeten.
3. Add the rice and sauté gently for 1 minute.
4. Add the wine and stir until absorbed.
5. Add the stock and continue stirring over a low until absorbed.
6. Remove from the heat and add the parmesan cheese.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Leave to cool.
9. Mix the ham, mozzarella and basil.
10. Flatten the cooled rice in the palm of one hand.
11. Put 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centre of the rice and form the rice around the filling. Mould the rice into nice ball.
12. Mix the egg and milk.
13. Roll the rice in the flour, then dip into the egg mix, then roll in the breadcrumbs.
14. Deep-fry in hot oil (around 180°C) until nice and golden. Test the core temperature by inserting a sharp knife. If the arancine is not hot to the core, finish in a hot oven.