Sunday 27 January 2008

Brown Lentil, Smoked Bacon and Swede Soup

Brown Lentil, Smoked Bacon and Swede Soup
Feeds 4

1 onion, chopped
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
4 rashers of lean smoked bacon, rind removed
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
A pinch of chilli flakes
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed, or 1 tbsp dried thyme
1 small swede, peeled and cut into small cubes
250g brown lentils
A good splash of Worcester Sauce
500ml hot vegetable stock, fresh or from cube (if cubed, ensure it is the low salt variety)

1 - In a large pan, heat up the oil. Add the onion, celery, garlic and bacon and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened and beginning to colour.
2 - Add the thyme and chilli flakes and stir for 1 minute. Then add the turnip, Worcester Sauce, lentil and stock. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer with the lid on for 25-30 minutes. Check to ensure that it isn't boiling dry.
3 - Serve with good a swirl of yoghurt, heart shaped if you like.

Monday 7 January 2008

Crab, Swede and Leek Pasties

The crab meat has been slightly devilled with marvellous English mustard and Worcester Sauce, and it pairs quite magnificently with small cubes of sweet swede and luscious leeks. They fill the house with mouth watering aromas and it is difficult not eating the whole tray when they have been removed from the oven.

Crab, Swede and Leek Pasties

1 leek, halved and sliced
1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
25g butter
1 small swede, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 tbsp Cider vinegar
Half tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
1 tsp English Mustard
300g crabmeat, brown and white
Salt and pepper
1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry
A little milk

1 – Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/GM4.
2 – In a non-stick pan, heat up the oil and butter then add the leeks. Cook gently for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured.
3 – Add the cubed swede and heat through for a further minute.
4 – Stir in the crab meat, vinegar, cayenne pepper, Worcester sauce and English mustard along with a good grinding of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning.
5 – On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry. Cut out discs approximately 5 inches in diameter. Place tablespoons of the crab mixture into the centre of the pastry.
6 – Dampen the edges of the pastry with milk then fold over and press the edges together. Crimp with a fork.
7 – Brush with milk then bake on a high shelf for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Delicious hot or cold.

Friday 4 January 2008

Pan Haggerty

As a child, staple food in our Geordie household consisted of anything potato based. So it could have been mashed potato with cabbage and bacon, chips, bubble and squeak or just boiled potatoes with gravy. I think I grew up thinking that potato had to be eaten with each meal or I would come down with some horrible illness. There could be no other reason for it featuring on my tea time plate each day.

One potato based dish that was always my favourite, and served to me at least once a week, was a pan haggerty, or panackelty depending on which side of the Tyne you were born. A traditional Northumbrian dish, pan haggerty is basically thinly sliced potato and onion, layered in a frying pan and cooked on a low heat. I've no idea if it derives from the French and their various 'thinly sliced potato' dishes or not. The word 'haggerty' is said to derive from the French word for slice, 'hachis', so possibly it does. But I prefer to think romantically that it is a Geordie born dish derived from cheap and plentiful filling ingredients. Either way, it is absolutely delicious.

Techniques for cooking a pan haggerty vary all over the North East, making it one of those classic dishes which can create a heated debate amongst housewives, often leading to violence. For example, when I made this dish on MasterChef Goes Large last year, my mam rang me immediately after watching it not to congratulate me on reaching the semi-finals, but to berate me for making it incorrectly. 'It should have corned beef in it and cooked in a little water for hours on end!', she explained. I couldn't argue as this was the very food I ate every week when I lived at home. And I didn't want a clip around the ear.

My version is, well, my version. No frills, very easy to make and absolutely moreish. Crunchy and golden on the bottom, soft and gooey in the middle, cheesy and bubbling on the top. It can be made as little individual pan haggertys like in the recipe below, or it can be made in a large ovenproof frying pan. Just increase the quantities. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge and is amazing cold or reheated and a brilliant accompaniment to roasts or as a variation on roast potatoes for your Sunday lunch. Pan haggerty or panackelty. Who cares, as long as it is delicious. Just don't argue with your mam about it...

Pan Haggerty
Makes one individual, quadruple the ingredients for 1 full frying pan

Half an onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 floury potato such as King Edward, sliced thinly
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp goose fat, lard or vegetable oil
A little Cheddar cheese, grated

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C, GM6.
2 - In an ovenproof frying pan, heat up the vegetable oil and cook the onion for 5 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelise. Remove and set aside on kitchen towel.
3 - Wipe the pan clean, place back onto the heat then add your fat of choice. Place a chef's ring into the pan and add a layer of potatoes, making a neat ring. Add some of the cooked onions then salt and pepper. Continue in this fashion until you have filled the chef's ring.
4 - Spoon over some of the melted fat. Cover with foil then place on a high shelf in the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil. Test the potato with a sharp knife, it should glide in easily.
5 - Put the grill on high. Sprinkle a little grated cheese onto the potato then place under the grill until golden and bubbly. Run a knife around the edge then plate. These will keep in the fridge for 2 days.

Wednesday 2 January 2008

Spiced Mussel and Potato Broth

Spiced Mussel and Potato Broth
Feeds 2

1 onion, chopped
1 thumb size of ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
Half tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 large potato, peeled and diced
500g fresh mussels, washed and beards removed, discarding any that do not close after a sharp tap
500ml water
Fresh coriander
Salt and pepper

1 - In a large pan, heat up the oil then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until softened and slightly coloured then add the ginger, garlic and spices. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
2 - Stir in the potatoes and stir for 1 minute until covered in the spice mixture. Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are softened.
3 - Tip in the mussels, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4 - Taste for seasoning. It may not need salt due to the mussels. Remove any mussels that have not fully opened.
5 - Serve in bowls with lots of fresh coriander and a spoonful of fresh yoghurt. A squeeze of lime juice benefits.

Mexican Bean Soup

Ingredients - Feeds 4 2 tbsp olive oil 4 spring onions, sliced 2 sticks of celery, diced 1 red pepper, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, sliced 2 ...