One of the only positives to come from this is the sense of community. Aside from those panic buying pricks, we are starting to look out for another: there are street WhatsApp groups and people prepared to put themselves at risk outdoors for the protection of others. This is a battle, and a big one at that, and I’m personally taking comfort in knowing we are capable of being less selfish as a race when the chips are down. So here, without any more babble from me, is the second instalment of recipes from chefs and bloggers who are way more talented in the kitchen than I will ever be. Apart from Rob, who I beat in a recent cookery competition. Hopefully you’ll find them useful over the long days ahead, there are five absolute crackers here.
1) Luke Tipping of Simpson’s Restaurant – Chicken Noodle Broth
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 Chicken Crown or 2 Legs
2 Carrots pealed and diced
2 Celery sticks diced
1 Leek diced
2 Bay leaves
1 Packet of egg noodles (broken into small pieces)
2 Chicken stock cubes
250g Shitake or Oyster mushrooms sliced
1 Bunch of Wild Garlic
Soya Sauce
Olive Oil
Method:
• Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, add a splash of Olive Oil
• Fry the leek, celery and carrots without colour for 2 mins
• Add the bay leaves, stock cubes and chicken crown
• Cover with cold water
• Bring to the boil and cover with a tight fitted lid, turn to a simmer and cook for 20 mins or until the chicken is cooked through
• When cooked remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once completely cool carefully remove the chicken from the stock with a slotted spoon. Remove all the chicken from the carcass and dice. Discard the carcass and skin.
• Bring the rest of the stock back to boil
• Add the egg noodles to the boiling stock and cook for 6 mins.
• Return the chopped chicken to the stock along with the mushrooms and heat through for 2 mins
• Add soya sauce to taste with chopped wild garlic leaves
• Serve
2) Si Toft of The Dining Room – Store Cupboard Sausage and Egg McMuffin
To be clear, I’m definitely in the “wait in the car until 11 for the proper stuff“ squad, but I appreciate that some weirdos are struggling without McDonalds breakfasts so as a man of the people….
Sausage & Egg McMuffin
100g Pork Mince
Dried Sage
Dried Thyme
Ground White Pepper
Salt
1 Egg
1 English Muffin
1 Cheapest Cheese Slice Available
For the sausage(burger), combine the pork mince with a pinch of dried sage, thyme, salt and ground pepper and form into a round patty(burger) about the size of the muffin, rest in the fridge until service (it’s definitely still called service). Should add for anyone that struggles with these complicated recipes, Pale Hall’s Gareth Stevenson heartily recommends Aldi’s frozen breakfast sausage patty(burger).
At around 10.57, heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add your sausage(burger) and fry gently until golden, carefully turn the sausage(burger), add a knob of butter and leave to cook through. In the same pan gently drop an egg into one of those egg ring things that your aunt definitely gave you one Christmas.
Slice the muffin in half and brush with clarified butter, toast to golden then set aside to go cold before topping with the cheese slice(no idea why it doesn’t go on earlier so it melts but I’m trying to be authentic here)(Also no idea why they’re allowed to call it cheese), add the sausage(burger) and egg, but inexplicably no sauce.
Wrap in grease proof paper to serve.
Wine: I never really bought into breakfast wines having to be white but with a Sausage & Egg McMuffin I always go with a chilled sauvignon blanc that can cut through the stodginess of a cold muffin without overpowering the egg. Nothing fizzy though, this isn’t Riviera.
3) Rob Newsome of Foodie Boys. Pasta Amatriciana
I used to spend quite a bit of time in Italy on business, yes that is correct, business. In between ‘going forward’ and ‘blue sky thinking‘ I ate some of their food – making something of an expert on the subject.
When someone says “Italian food” to you, you probably conjure up images of pizza and pasta because that’s all you know. Well, let me set the record straight, there is so much more than just pizza and pasta – but there’s no time for that.
Here’s a recipe for pasta Amatriciana.
First off, let’s talk pig. Being a successful businessman and award winning food critic means I’m able to acquire chunks of guanciale (cured pork cheek). I appreciate many of you won’t have access to this, so simply use pancetta – but do remember it’s not what you’re supposed to be using and try harder in future.
Next you’ll want some cheese – you’re supposed to use pecorino but you’ll probably use Parmesan because you’re a peasant.
Other ingredients, not necessarily how ‘mama used to make’ but screw your mama.
Shallots, garlic, bit of chilli, red wine, tomatoes, pasta – use bucatini if you have any respect for yourself.
How to cook amatriciana
1 Cook guanciale until the fat renders.
2 Chuck in some shallots and cook them in the pork fat.
3 Add some garlic and a few chilli flakes.
4 Chuck in some red wine and burn off the alcohol.
5 Add a tin of chopped tomatoes.
6 Boil the pasta. Keep it al dente – you’re not a toddler.
7 Remove pasta (keep some of the water to bathe in later, and some for the sauce).
8 Toss pasta in the tomato sauce.
9 Add a bit of the pasta water.
10 Shave some pecorino on top.
11 Eat.
4) Mark Walsh of The Forest Hotel – Onion Bhaji Scotch Egg with Mango Raita
2 red onions
3 cloves of garlic
20g ginger
½ tspn turmeric
¼ tspn chilli powder
¼ tspn ground coriander
¼ tspn ground cumin
3 tbspn gram flour
500g sausage meat
6 eggs
Raita
200g Yoghurt
1 lemon
¼ bunch mint
sugar
salt
2 mangoes
Boil the eggs in water and vinegar for 6.5 mins chill, peel and store in the water.
Slice the onions and sprinkle with salt and allow to stand and bleed out excess liquid
Toast the spices lightly then allow to chill.
Mix the spices in to the crushed garlic and ginger.
Add to the sliced onions and mix in with the spices and the gram flour then add to the sausage meat leave to rest for about 5-10 mins and check the mix it shouldn’t be too tacky and you should be able to roll into 90g balls with moist hands then wrap round the floured egg
Making sure there is no gaps
Then roll in some breadcrumbs and deep fry for 8 mins at 160oc allow to sit and rest for 1mins then cut
Mix the yoghurt with the lemon juice sugar and salt and fold in the peeled diced mango
5) Ben Charlton-Grey of every-bloody-where – Banana bread
This isn’t really a banana bread. Banana bread is typically loaf shaped, and needs either toasting or topping to make remotely enjoyable. Selon moi.
This banana bread/ cake recipe is genuinely unlike any I’ve tried before. It has an almost sticky-toffee like texture, with a great balance of sweetness thanks the the salt and yogurt.
I bake a 10- inch square. Anything with the same surface area will work, too.
150g unsalted butter, soft
400g dark brown sugar
180g natural yoghurt
4 eggs
3.5 tbsp dark rum. I use Brugal.
300g plain flour
2 tsp bicarb of soda (not the same as baking powder)
1 tsp fine sea salt
5 small or 4 large super ripe bananas
Wack the oven on 180 c.
Cream the butter, sugar and yogurt until light in texture and pale in colour. 4 mins in a stand mixer, 6 mins by hand.
Add eggs one at a time, beating between until fully incorporated.
Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.
Mash bananas with potato masher. You can blend them for a smoother texture but I like it left a little chunky.
Add the flour mixture, bananas and rum to the creamed mixture.
Fold until combined.
Line your tin of choice with greaseproof paper, or foil greased with butter.
Pour in the mix and bake. Check after 30 mins, but will probably take more like 40. It’s ready when you can gently press the centre and it slightly springs back.
Let it cool completely in the tin, then portion.
This will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
