Seasoned Lamb steaks with Potato Dauphinoise

Lamb although expensive is one of my favourite meats, its certainly a meat to be respected and enjoyed. As with most red meats, keep refrigerated until roughly 30 Min's before expected cooking time, then allow to breath and come "to life" at room temperature.
















Wash and peel 8-10 medium potatoes, most consistent potato and my personal preference is always Maris Piper, Slice the potatoes, to cook evenly ensure they are sliced uniformly, if your knife skills are not the most competent then use a mandolin, boil a large pan of water add a pinch of salt, add the potatoes and allow to gently boil for exactly 6 minutes, take off heat and drain put in to a pan of cold water. meanwhile finely slice 2 large brown onions, and crush or slice 1 garlic clove add both to a pan on a medium heat, add a good glug of olive oil, add some sliced streaky bacon or pancetta as soon as they start to brown take off the heat.
Add a 2 oz knob of butter to a small sauce pan, heat through gently as if clarifying butter, once the butter is melted add equal parts milk (semi skimmed) and thick double cream, blend together making sure not to over cook, add a hand full no more, of mature cheddar, season, and add the onions, garlic and pancetta. drain the potatoes and add to the cream mix. pour into a oven dish sprinkle another hand full of cheese and bake for 30-35 Min's until golden. sprinkle on fresh cut parsley.

Lamb, remove from the fridge and set aside to breath, finely slice a garlic clove, add to the lamb, add a good drizzle of olive oil, season heavily, and add in some fresh parsley and some dried thyme. Usually rosemary goes hand in hand with garlic and lamb but thyme is very underrated.

Heat a pan to a medium high heat, add a drizzle, not much, of olive oil and add the seasoned steak, cook on both sides until cooked to YOUR preference, for me medium rare is perfect 2 Min's each side until the marbling has started to dissolve. take off the heat and rest on a chopping board.

Remove the Dauphinois from the oven and carefully remove a good slice on to your plate, add your lamb and enjoy.





Roast Chicken Fajita's

Fajitas,

Commonly a Mexican dish a  Tex-Mex "little strips" ordinarily beef skirt cut up, fried and served with spices in a tortillas wrap with an array of finger foods. In restaurants it tends to be served on a red hot skillet leaving a trail of choking dense spicy smoke in its wake. The dish has been jazzed up for profitability, in the food economy beef has been replaced with cheaper meats like chicken and even pork.

The beauty of Fajitas just like all Mexican food is how versatile it is, it can be manipulated into literally thousands of combinations depending on your tastes, spice, meats, veggies, its open ended.

Roast Chicken, why roast chicken and not just chicken, well to be economical and price sensitive its actually cheaper to buy a fresh roast chicken then it is to buy a pack of chicken fillets, once sliced up and fried the results is all too commonly dry, rubbery and a complete waste of money, down side to a roast is the time to cook, but put this aside and the meat is always moist, tender and delicious.

Roast Chicken Fajitas Brought from Tesco's Serves 4 £16.81 = £4.20 per person.

• 1 x re fried spicy beans 215g tin £0.78
• 1 x discovery fajita seasoning £0.89
• 1 x 8 large tortillas wraps £1.40
• 1 x Tex Mex multi pack dips £2.20
• 1 x 250g mature cheddar grated £2.00
• 1 x iceberg lettuce £1.00
• 3 x large loose brown onions £0.57
• 1 x Whole chicken 2-4 pers £4.96
• 1 x Tesco pancetta cubed £3.00

Pre heat the oven to 220 Celsius, remove packaging and wash the chicken with cold water. put the chicken in a roasting tin brush with oil and cook for generally 30 Min's per 500g plus 30 Min's extra, medium chickens normally cook in 90 Min's, check the packaging for full instructions and remember to ensure the juices from the thickest part of the breast meat are running clear.

Once the chicken is cooked take out and remove from the roasting tin on to a clean chopping board, cover with foil, fry off the Pancetta, set aside, and then peel and chop the onions, fry off and again set aside in a separate bowl. slice the lettuce in to a bowl. Open and drain the re fried beans put into a microwavable container and microwave for 90 seconds or until hot, alternatively fry gently.

uncover the chicken and slice the chicken in my version I had plain breast meat and the remaining meat I sprinkled over the fajita seasoning.

Lastly place your wraps in a microwave for 30 seconds or wrapped in tinfoil in the oven for 2 minutes, to allow a bit of heat in them gives them a warm elasticated feel, easier to actually wrap.

Assemble the wraps as you please and enjoy.

Recipe - Sticky Pork Belly Slices

Pork is one of my favourite meats, its so versatile it can be used for anything, pork also is one of the cheapest meats to buy, where as every other meat has sky rocketed, pork thankfully remains cheap. the cheaper cuts too can make a great meal. Pork belly slices are a fatty product cooked well can be very tasty. Not one for the calorie counting the belly of pork pretty much does what it says, a whole belly although fatty is boneless so easily cut and used at home, no wastage complete value. If you dislike the fat or rind of chops/bacon chances are this isn't a cut of meat for you.

Used in various ways, pork belly can be slow roasted and pulled making a great centrepiece for a buffet or party, Rolled and simply roasted, pulled pork rolls, barbequed, diced and braised making great one-pot meals, used for oriental dishes, or simply cut into slices where you can create and explore with what takes your fancy.

One option is to dice and sauté with onions chilli and various spices and used as part of fajitas or taco's.

my favourite option is to marinade and oven cook. they become sticky, tasty, juicy and they go with everything.

This recipe is a taster of what you could do with a simple cheap product. this time around I haven't put any costing's. I served them up with a cheats Dauphinois Potato.

1 Pack of  pork belly strips.
1 Garlic clove
I Sachets of Discovery Fajita mix and crumb
Dried Parsley
Dried Thyme
Coriander seeds.
Seasoning
Olive oil
Smoked paprika

Preparation Time -
Take 2 bowls, on one bowl, finely slice a peeled garlic clove, add 2 table spoons of Olive oil, heavily season then add a 1/2 teaspoon of the Parsley, Thyme and a couple of turns of the Coriander seeds (or crush in a Pestle & Mortar) add 1/2 the pork strips and toss and completely cover refrigerate allow to marinate for 3 hours, In the 2nd bowl, add the Fajita mix and the Paprika, pat dry the remaining belly strips and season. Coat the belly strips in the mix so nothing is wasted and then brush with olive oil and cover and refrigerate  to marinate in the dry mix for 3 hours.

Cooking time -
Place a roasting tin on to the top shelf of your oven on full to start with add a drizzle of Olive Oil to coat the bottom. 4-5 mins later when the Oil is Smoking hot take out and carefully away from you placing the strips from both bowls on the bottom, cook on full heat for 10 mins then take out and cool oven to gas mark 5 or 190 degrees. Baste the strips and then put back in and cook for 35 mins basting every 10 mins.

The result should be perfect every time, should you use a sweet ingredient such as BBQ, Hoi Sin etc reduce starting temperature to 190 but for 45 mins keeping a close eye the sugar based sauce doesn't burn, keep in the lowest part of the oven.

Nando's @ Home

When it comes to Casual Dining in the UK your initial thoughts will hit the high street, for food chains that spark a positive note within your minds, favourites etc. what does the general consumer say for the top 5 chains for casual dining.
The 2012 Peach Brand Tracker Survey, which surveyed 10,000 people reported the top 5 Casual Dining Brands were, 1)Wetherspoons
2) Pizza hut 3) Harvester 4) Nando's 5) Pizza Express.
Its no surprise that Wetherspoons topped the unspecific chart from casual dining, the price sensitive world we live in, however what may be a surprise to some is how high Nando's UK came, one of the smallest brands but one fastest growing in the UK is ever popular.

Personally whilst the food is good I have never been a big fan, its expensive posh KFC in a nutshell. You queue, you order at the till, you pay upfront. you even do your own drinks, get your own crockery and cutlery, the menu is predominantly chicken, when you break it down the facts don't sound convincing to be a leader for "casual dining" however it is. For me spending £20 for a sharing chicken and 2 sides seems expensive, considering it is in fact 1 roast chicken quartered and smothered in a choice of spice.

Now knowing how popular Nando's is and how much money us consumers spend I wondered how easy it would be for average Joe to re-create a Nando's at home.

To re-create Nando's Meal Platter For 2 people to share. Whole Chicken + 1 Large or 2 Reg Sides + 2 Bottomless Soft Drinks £19.95

Shopping at Asda the ingredients from scratch are;

Medium size whole Chicken £3.50                            Medium size whole chicken £3.50
1 x pack of Cous Cous £0.78                                      1/2 pack of Cous Cous £0.39
Nando's Hot Marinade £1.98                                      1/2 bottle Nando's marinade £0.99
Maris Piper Potatoes £2.25                                         4 Potatoes £0.75
Frylight £2.20                                                              2 sprays of Frylight £0.22
Coca Cola 1.5ltr x2 £2.00                                           3 litres/5.2 pints coca cola £2.00

TOTAL COST FOR CORE INGREDIENTS £11.70               TOTAL COST OF RECIPE £7.85 (including all drink)

• Take Chicken remove packaging and wash with cold water. put in a mixing bowl.
• Pour 1/4 marinade over the chicken, rub in to chicken skin all over (add more for a stronger taste) cover and refrigerate for a rough 6 hours.
• Season Chicken as optional, Cook in a roasting tin for recommended guidelines normally 20 mins per 400g plus an extra 20 mins. Cook at 210 or gas mark 6.
• Cut 3 medium potatoes in to 1cm width chips add to a pot of salted boiling water and boil for 6 mins take off the heat and drain in a colander, allow to drain and dry then sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of flour and toss together they should be nice and fluffy.
• Spray a baking tray with a spray of frylight and put in oven for 5 mins to preheat.
• Add chips to heated baking tray and return to oven with another spray of frylight turn after 20 mins.
• When you are sure the chicken has achieved 75 degrees for 30 seconds or the juices are running clear take the chicken out and rest on a chopping board. boil the kettle.
• put half the Cous Cous in a bowl and add 1/2 the specified amount of boiling water plus a small knob of butter (optional) cover with Clingfilm and leave for 5 minutes.
• Carefully snip the string from the chickens legs, take a sharp knife and cut the chicken in half along the breast bone a firm bit of pressure will chop through, turn each half on its side and cut again in half just above the leg/wing joint making 4 quarters.
• Arrange on a plate, pour another 1/4 of the Nando's sauce in a dipping pot, carefully get the chips out of the oven and season. put into a bowl. remove the cling film from the Cous Cous and stir it should have absorbed the water and have fluffed up double in size.
• Pour your soft drinks and enjoy a "Nando's" sharing meal for 2.

Pilgrim RIP

October 31st 2013, a day to remember for everyone concerned with Barracuda/Bramwell Pub Group, sadly the company has gone into liquidation, 30 of the 160 pubs were closed and assets ceased today. One of those pubs was The Pilgrim, My old pub, I left there in Aug 2012, after 2 very successful years with a selection of the best teams I have ever had the pleasure of working, training and managing with. From when I joined Barracuda in 2005 the April that year I was approached to become a Kitchen Manager working for General Manager Damene Hepworth. A fruitful few years passed until Dom left allowing a space for a GM, I Arranged an interview for Peter Dooley who to my delight got the job and again I was able to work with him for the second time.

Whilst working here I met my partner of very nearly 8 years, I worked with several relief managers, Ben, Dan Holton, and Gary Hazelwood.

I worked my way from Kitchen manager to Company Trainer via Alison Pardoe, Terry Titley, & Martin Smith.

Working after that with Mark Rush, Kate and Fiona I learnt a lot and enjoyed every second of every minute over the country from Acklam Middlesborough to Elsecar to Harbourne.

I owe a lot to Steve Welsh who nurtured me through and gave a lot of faith in my ability. I also owe a lot to the Rileys, Rupert and Kay who were always there for me.

My appointment to the Pilgrim was challenging, a relocation to London, a small under performing pub completely out of my comfort zone, my team and I turned the place around and we had the place taking more than it ever did. We only ever had a small team but being a small suburban community pub we relied heavily on good standards and the fantastic local support. Having a baby and leaving was the hardest decision I ever made and a decision I have long regretted, I never wanted to leave but the circumstances were to hard, it ended up being one of the best choices I made, but still looking back we had unfinished business, the Pilgrim and all those associated with it will always be precious to me.

Always remember the good times and there were a lot. my final team I had when I said goodbye were probably the closest bunch of friends and colleagues I have had the pleasure of working with.

jeff

A Decade of Change

A Decade of Change....

... Whilst reading a high street food publications November Issue, Celebrating their 10th Birthday I read an article about how the UK's food scene has changed over the last 10 years, to me this is something I find fascinating from the mundane like which spirit was most popular in 2003 compared to now(whiskey - now vodka), to the more complex human perception of high street culture.

Can you remember 10 years ago? Petrol prices averaged 76.9 pence per litre, a loaf of bread averaged 60 pence, families shopped regularly on a weekly spend of £40. The many changes in the past 10 years doesn't seem to have halted our spend for luxuries, in fact rather than spending little and often which used to be the case we now spend more but more sparsely, it comes as no shock to see how restaurant chains have maintained prices over these 10 years but now really compete over offers and deals. How much compromise will there be in the retail sector, supermarkets price increases make it now difficult to spend realistically in this idealistic world that is expected of us, "healthy eating, weight reducing" society driven by the government, a "healthy shop" is nearly 4 times as much as 10 years ago. Branded restaurant prices on average are only £1.30 dearer than 10 years ago. so how is it possible to eat in your Harvesters, Frankie's and Benny's, Nando's so regularly but struggle to fill your cupboards and fridges at home for the same money. Surely one has to give with the price of food rising how can wholesalers keep up with demand but keep prices low, the big dogs in supermarkets must have a close eye on wholesale prices so if restaurants do suddenly increase the prices and lose their bread and butter trade will supermarket prices stop their price hikes? Supermarkets thrive on the abundance of newer fresher ingredients available to us, the real foodies amongst us being able to re-create our favourite chefs recipes or re-creating our favourite dishes from our favourite restaurants, in the last 10 years surveys suggest the "home cook" has increased significantly 55% in fact, now cook from scratch as apposed to microwave or oven cooked dinners. This again brings into place the price war when the average Joe amongst us realises what can be achieved at home and how cheap with fresher ingredients; when will the tipping point of restaurants hit, I mean if you can openly create a stunning dish fresh at home for £10 less than you pay in restaurants there will be a time and point where you are only paying for the luxury of being out of your house. When will food become secondary to the "service".

10 years ago the average person eat out as a luxury to have good cooked food, the service included wasn't really a big deal. Branded Restaurants were always a family favourite or a sought out choice where now its about who provides a decent service, and a family meal with value. The social spenders happily go to branded outfits such as Nando's where to eat a set meal for 2 costs £20.00 and you only receive 1 medium chicken cut into 4 with 2 sides of chips, you have to queue and order your self, you have to get your own drink and get your own cutlery and condiments, this style of restaurant is beyond me as if you wanted you could buy a bottle of Pepsi max a bag of oven fries and a medium chicken for no more than £6.00 cook it your self which means the service was the same but your not paying in excess of £20.

With all the competition out there gastro pubs still do well, its no surprise really that the prices are always inflated where the quality never really matches up to the expectation however the atmosphere and social circle your in frees your mind to spend less cautiously.

With 55% more people cooking from scratch at home its a small surprise that supermarkets invest heavily in meal deals and more premium products, if your going to cook at home why cheat where is the reward? Your Marks and Spencer's and Waitroses are now closely followed in their original eat in for £10 by the big 3.

Whilst we have as a culture started to eat out less for luxury we are spending more in supermarkets, we are also spending much more in alternative food luxuries such as coffee shops, the branding, marketing and demand for coffee shops  such as Costa and Starbucks is trending through the roof, whilst supermarkets branch out to locals, expresses, service stations, branded restaurants hit retail parks and tourist areas, coffee shops where our average spend per head is nearly £4.00 are everywhere to be seen, high streets, supermarkets, aeroplanes, trains, service stations, pubs, retail centres, tourist hot spots, literally everywhere.

from feeding a family for £40.00 a week 10 years ago we now spend £40.00 a week on coffee, on eating out and on luxury items in supermarkets.

Will be interesting to see where we are as a culture in the next ten years.

Calzone - revisited.

A tasty Calzone which doesnt cost 11.95.

I wanted to create a dish which was simple filling and cheap to produce with a minimal skill set so everyone can enjoy a delicous feast.

I decided the first product i should do is the dish i was disappointed with just yesterday.

First thing to remember when copying, following or creating a recipe is simply change to your taste not everyone will like every product so make adjustments where needed BUT dont comprimise taste, try new items new flavours. Just the once chances are its something you will have again or have had frequently.

For the pastry I use a pre rolled chilled puff pastry. Its important to not overcomplicate food and if your an everyday person chances are you wont have the time or ability to make a banging pastry so the ready made ones are brilliant. I used one sheet cut directly in half and place on a pre greased baking tray (avoid parchment paper) 

Now for the filling take a non stick frying pan and a tea spoon /25ml drizzle of olive oil/frylight or what ever oil you use rapeseed etc medium heat add 3/4 of on clove of garlic chopped ss finely as possible. Add 1 medium onion chopped as fine as possible. Sautè off until tender with out changing colour add pancetta and 3 sliced mushrooms for this I used chestnut. Cook on a medium heat still until all cooked and starting to brown. Remove from the heat. Whilst the mix cools evenly spread your tomato & basil sauce over half of the pastry, top the sauce with the sautèed mix 

Sprinkle a little grated cheese. Season and gently fold the pasty (crimping) starting in one corner pinch with finger and thumb and fold into top half of pastry and repeat around until all crimped. Egg wash to seal and give a golden glaze i mixed some dry oregano in my egg wash just gives a nicer flavour to the pastry. Bake in a pre heated oven for 25mins at 200°c. (Fan assisted electric oven)

Whilst the Calzone is cooking the remaining garlic with a small drizzle of oil on a low heat add remaining sauce season well and add a sprinkle of dried basil stir together and pour into a dipping pot. 

• 1 pack pre rolled chilled puff pastry

• small jar of tomato & basil sauce

•1 garlic clove

• 1 medium onion (white) 

• 1 half pack pancetta cubes. 

• 3 slices pepperoni

• 3 slices chorizo

• 3 chustnut mushrooms

• sprinkling of mature cheese

• 1egg 

• 1 tables spoon of cooking oil.

• sprinkle of dried herbs

All of these products to buy first time fresh in tesco costs £16.57 total price for 1 portion costs just £4.67 (this size could easily be split in 2 with a side!)also means you have a mix of 

Freezable, refridgerated and dried goods for further consumption.