The recipes in October’s weekend supplements, digested.
(It’ll take a few minutes to read — brew yourself a tea / mix a negroni — plus there’s a prize thing mentioned at the bottom)
Book extracts
I recall Gizzi Erskine’s latest book being extracted and mentioned last month. But Slow is a good’n, so no surprise to see more recipes closer to release date (it’s out now). Linger, in particular, over the pork, veal and sage ragu; vegan spag bol; flageolet, anchovy, rosemary and confit garlic gratin (fnnnnar); and bangers with bacon and beans (these were in The Telegraph). And then spend more time pondering a quite serious looking miso ramen with tofu and kimchi, pearl barley golabki, plus a pork, apple and onion stew that, quite correctly, says properly browned onions will take at least 30 minutes (in The Guardian).
Some nice coverage this weekend, too, for The Borough Market Cookbook. I recommend all six recipes, obviously, but do particularly like the flat fish, soft leek and brown shrimp butter; the crispy Jerusalem artichoke skin crouton trick for the soup; and the Lincolnshire Poacher and apple pie. Also, there were four recipes from the same book earlier in the month. The same two sweet dishes (sage and honey baked figs and ginger butter biscuits the second of those). Plus a one pot chicken dish that’s made by the class jarred judion beans I prescribed for the recipe. Per Gizzi, a Saturday Telegraph and Guardian Feast combo, btw.
There were some French classics made simple from Michel Roux Jr in this Saturday’s Times Magazine, related to a new book, apparently. Lamb with olive crust, roast tomato soup, mussels with beer. Exacting, I imagine, but essential?
I had a look at the recipes extracted by The Times Weekend out of From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen by Snoop Dogg. I’ve dipped into his tv show with Martha Stewart, and it’s kind of fun in a slightly desperate way. But I don’t think you need this book.
On a more positive note, recipes in the same part of the paper a few weeks before from Joudie Kalla’s Baladi: Palestine — a Celebration of Food from Land and Sea were appealing. Eygptian lamb rice and cauliflower fritters with tomato sauce in particular.
Finally, you could and should sink quite happily into Laura Goodman’s Carbs, as evidenced by the extract in the Saturday Telegraph a few weeks back. Kimchi and bacon fried rice, rice pudding cream pie, and a tubey Greek lasagne called pastitcio. Lots of tempting recipes and spunky writing and ‘tude in the book.
So solid crew
As I was reading Stephen Harris’s latest offering to Saturday Telegraph readers, I was sure I’d write that he gets the prize for best column and recipe of the month for his Bedfordshire clanger — a long thin pie that has savoury meat at one end, pudding at the other (aka the world’s greatest convenience meal). But then at the bottom he mixes the two fillings (pork and potato, and Bramley apple). A neat and tasty roll no doubt. But not a clanger, Shirley? Also in October he offered: a good chicken stock so you can make a good minestrone; baked lemon sole with prawns and a creme fraiche sauce (what this man doesn’t know about cooking sole …); and rather classy sounding Robuchon inspired honey madeleines to go with verbena tea.
As mentioned last month, Autumn is Nigel Slater time. Through October we got: sprightly pea and prawn pucks to go with a home made sweet chilli sauce; parsley and bacon drop scones to go with a pumpkin hash; and various ways with polenta (check the polenta crumbed scallops on sweet potato mash and deep-fried polenta with taleggio). Yesterday he suggested two unusual ‘ketchups’: roast beetroot and horseradish to go with pork chops or lamb (the recipe calls for a coarse puree, but surely this’d be better smooth?); and a mildly bonkers banana, shallot and tomato chappy to match with white fish. Though I was particularly taken with the previous week’s chicken leek and prune broth, and poached pears with prune sauce. See also. No, see especially, his midweek dinner suggestion of thin pork steaks spread with ‘nduja, rolled up, baked and served on creamed spinach.
The Honey & Co duo are doing very well with the super simple but mouthwatering theme. Cumin lemon and oregano rubbed pork belly (with good timings) should provide very strong pickings. And, blimey, their Italian-inspired squid fritter (votapiatto) looks so good. Ditto the Balkanish courgette, spinach and buttermilk pie.
Black Axe Mangal’s mushroom mapo tofu with fried eggs and hash browns is hands-down my favourite weekend brunch dish in London. While we wait for Lee Tiernan to release his book, I’m delighted that The Guardian Feast’s incidentally vegan contributor Meera Sodha has provided us with an MMT option of her own. Loved this line btw: “Grind the Sichuan peppercorns in a mortar until very well ground. Take a sniff and revel in their strange and wonderful grapefruit smell. Try also her cauliflower korma and courgette, cashew and coconut subji (owners of the excellent Fresh India will know her wonderful way with curried vegetables).
Overall an extremely rare meh month for Sodha’s Feast colleague / overlord, Yotam Ottolenghi (like, collector’s edition rare). Though I know his warm aubergine, tomato and red pepper dip, and charred radicchio, kale and orange salad will be delicious. Also note the courgette, chickpea and herb pancake among his studenty recipes, and baked apple with pumpkin caramel and rye breadcrumbs in this weekend’s Halloween-themed column.
Anna Jones, on the other hand, keeps spoiling us. Intriguing potato, polenta cheese pancakes alongside chickpea and carrot crepes. Yes yes yes the grape and tarragon salad. Did we need another shakshuka recipe? Maybe a traybake one with cannellini bean base. And tell me you don’t want to have a slice of this weekend’s olive oil, hazelnut and fig cake with your next dark coffee?
I’m very familiar with Rachel Roddy’s trawl of the Marylebone Oxfam cookery shelves (though haven’t visited in the last 18 months for fear of finding one of my own — and probably one I signed for a friend). The zucchine a ‘Scapece’ that accompany her meanderings on that topic sound perfect. And I’ve literally just eaten a bean and bacon stew, yet reading her report of quinto quarto cooking in Testaccio makes me want the Roman version stat.
Spiced beef kofte and braised chickpeas. Yes Please Thomasina Miers. I will also take your pear and creme freiche custard tart (haven’t had a cf custard before — and like the idea very much).
Some smart toastie offerings by Diana Henry via the Sunday Telegraph Stella Magazine: ‘nduja, mozzarella and pepper; gorgonzola and fig; and a piquant pineapple pickle embellishment to ham hock, cheddar and gruyere. Comsider also her column on autumnal preserving, including pickled pumpkin and intriguing jarred fermented apples. Plus chops.
The occasionals
I didn’t think I’d get particularly excited about 10 easy chocolate recipes by Donna Hay in The Times Magazine last week. And indeed I wasn’t. But did quite like the super simple pear and chocolate crumbles, and the chocolate pretzel ‘bark’.
Also from a Saturday Times, some notes by Times food editor Tony Turnbull on beating your butter; which is kind of interesting reading if your sponges never turn out quite right. Accompanied by a few regulations sponges and cakes.
Angela Hartnett covered game at the start of the month, though it was a case of the usual subjects — wild boar pappardelle, mallard and autumn veg, pigeon and beetroot salad — and I liked the look of the game and sausage roll with homemade brown sauce the most. Yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph column set out her thoughts on risotto. Start with the classic porcini to get the views of someone who knows how to make a good one, but stay for the mixed grain, roasted garlic purée and many herbs risotto served with braised lamb neck, plus the ham hock and spelt number.
I’m very tempted by Skye McAlpine’s recipe for linguine alla filicudara in last week’s Sunday Times Magazine. I’ve not come across alla filicudara before, but it’s a kind of pesto made from chopped rosemary, green olives, anchovies and capers, plus judicious additions of pasta water. No mention of cheese — in the dressing or as a garnish — but I imagine a good Parmesan or gran Padano would go down well (or is that a no no Skye??)
A mish mash of Asian condiments go into Tom Kerridge’s sticky, Bonfire Night ‘Gunpowder chicken’. There’s lots to the chorizo and bean stew too (though I’m not convinced by its Yorkshire pudding eating vessel). Some things to think about for sure, but you can’t go wrong with a jacket potato and chilli can you? That said, his ginger parkin and rum caramel sauce to follow the fireworks is sure to be, err, banging. Earlier in the month his column included a turnip and kale salad — which, on examination, is more appealing that those two things sound. See also a pork meatball, pumpkin and mozzarella tray bake.
Over the channel
I really, really, really like Alison Roman’s latest recipe for The New York Times: chicken thighs braised with tomatillos, jalapeños and other good things, to be mopped up with tortillas. Can’t go wrong with fennel seed dusted lamb chops and a cucumber and fennel salad either tbh.
And as is typical of her style, at the beginning of October Samin Nosrat wrote thoughtfully and smartly on how to make a homemade flour tortilla that actually tastes good. And makes use of them with stewed brisket and cheese chimichangas.
On the internet
Helen Graves’ adana kebabs with onion salad and fresh flatbreads look so good. I know she’s trialled them quite a few times too.
Joey O’Hare’s autumnal recipes are a delight. Not least sweet and salty curried seeds, caponata hot pot, kohlrabi kimchi, and roasted crown prince squash stuffed with cavolo nero, tunworth and spelt.
Weekend Menu, October 2018
—
(bonus starter)
Grape and tarragon salad
Anna Jones, The Guardian Feast
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Votapiatto (squid fritter)
Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, The FT Weekend Magazine
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Chicken thigh, tomatillo and jalapeño stew
plus corn tortillas
Alison Roman, The New York Times
—
Baked apple with pumpkin caramel and rye crumbs
Yotam Ottolenghi, The Guardian Feast
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*No prize, sorry, just trying to slow the bounce rate
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