Posts tagged thyme

Pheasant, braised lentils, parsnip puree

December 24, 2018 Comments Off read Poultry

his recipe opitimises Autumn and seasonal eating. I’m in dangerous territory of sounding like we make a regular event of it, but my more manly other half spent last weekend trekking the Wiltshire countryside surrounded by more tweed than the Queen’s wardrobe and enough flatcaps to make Prince Philip smile. Long story short, if you can’t invisage this little gathering, he went on a shoot day and…you guessed it… brought home some pheasants!

This time of year is a great time to start indulging in warming comfort food and eating what the seasons dictate. I heard pheasant, my stomach thought, bacon, parsnips, chestnuts and all things festive.

o out came the trusty Le Creuset for what might be, its last outing in this Putney kitchen. As you’ve probably not noticed, I’ve not been as active as I have been this past year. Having spent the past year arranging our membership into the first time buyers club, we are finally nearly there. Touching distance. Packing distance. But just enough time for one more roast before my faithful kitchen that has served me so well these past years in London, gets packed away and upgraded to a new humble abode.

WINE: We were feeling a little like we’d overindulged in the alcohol that night, but this would have been lovely with a Pinot Noir.

Serves 2

1 whole pheasant, gutted and plucked
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 rashes or smoked, streak bacon OR 1 small pun net lardons
1 bunch thyme, leaves picked
Handful of dried mixed mushrooms
1 glass dry white wine
500ml chicken stock
4oz Puy lentils
2 parsnips
1 bay leaf
200ml milk
Beurre manie – 1 knob of butter, mashed into a paste with 1 tsp flour. Use at the end for thickening the sauce without creating lumps. The butter will also add a gloss.
Steamed greens – kale, savoy cabbage etc (opional)

Start by preheating the oven to 200. In a large heavy based casserole dish, heat a knob of butter and some oil. Season the pheasant and then brown the whole bird on all sides until its looking golden and the skin is crisping. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Turn to heat down to a medium level and add the chopped onion and fry quickly until beginning to soften.
Add the bacon/lardons and cook for a few minutes.
Finally, add the garlic and thyme and cook gently for just a few more minutes.
Turn up the heat, add the wine to deglaze the pan. Gentle simmer to reduce the alcohol.
Add the pheasant back to the pan, chuck in the dried mushrooms and then add a good 200ml or so of the hot chicken stock.
Place in the oven for 50minutes or so until cooked through. Baste a few times during cooking.
When the bird has been in for about 30 minutes, start on the lentils. Simmer in the remaining chicken stock for about 18 minutes until just tender but with a definite crunch.
Once the pheasant has cooked, remove onto a plate to rest. Pop the casserole dish back onto the hob and simmer the juices and roasted ingredients. Add the lentil (liquid and all) and simmer to combine. Simmer until reduced. Then add the beurre manie and cook out until beginning to thicken and turn glossy.
Serve with steamed greens like kale or savoy cabbage

Parsnip Puree

Peel and roughly chop the parsnips.
Add to a saucepan with about 200ml milk and then top up with water until covered.
Add a few whole peppercorns from your grinder if you can OR a good pinch of cracked black pepper.
Add the bay leaf
Simmer (watching as the milk has a tendency to over boil) for about 10 minutes or until they are very tender but not waterlogged.
Once the pheasant is at its resting stage, you’re ready to make the puree.
Remove the parsnips from the liquid which you need to reserve.
Add to a processor with seasoning, a good splash of reserved milk and a knob of butter. Blend to get the desired consistency adding more milk if needed (You can also use a masher).

BBQ Pork Ribs

March 13, 2018 Comments Off read Meat

ith busy week schedules and weekends packed full of entertainment and fun, its often hard to find the time needed to invest in a long slow cooked dish (if you’re without a slow cooker that is…I’ve still not invested in one. Must I?) Whilst there is often some precious time for a quick casserole or slow cooked curry, dishes that need that extra bit of TLC on the timer often get cast aside. Left only as a dreamy thought on the horizon of menus and craved all too late in the day. Pork ribs for example. Covered in a sticky BBQ glaze. Marinated and slow slow cooked for hours until the bones can be plucked effortlessly from the tender pork handcuffs.

So, with that much valued time on the clock, a craving for these juicy ribs and a bowl of avocado and corn awaiting, it seemed like time to bring out my favourite BBQ marinade. I’ve used this recipe on many occasions to be slathered on nearly any meat – barbecued or oven roasted. See here for my Mexican/BBQ chicken for example. These ribs need a good marinade and then can be easily left to surrender to the oven, tightly wrapped in foil on a low heat for a good 3 hours. Basting once or twice if you can.

I served mine with some pureed sweetcorn and crispy lettuce leaves and avocado salad dressed simply in lemon juice.

Serves 2-3

Ribs

2 racks pork ribs
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp fennel seeds
5 cloves
bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
bunch of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
zest and juice of 1 orange
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
4 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika
6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
130ml tomato ketchup
8 tbsp olive oil
10 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Sweetcorn puree

400g sweetcorn
Large knob butter
1 lime
Bunch coriander
(Salad and lemon to serve)

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large mixing bowl big enough to hold the ribs and stir thoroughly. Add the pork ribs (cutting in two if needed) and coat fully in the mixture. Leave to marinade for a few hours if possible. This recipe works best if the pork ribs are left to marinade for some time. But worry not, 20 minutes is better than nothing if you’ve limited time.
Preheat the oven to 150°C when ready to cook. Line a deep roasting tray in non stick baking parchment or similar and spoon over a little marinade to cover the base of the dish. Pile in your pork ribs ensuring all the marinade is slathered over the top and around.
Cover with foil tightly to allow the steam to remain inside but allow for some circulation.
Cook for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, basting the ribs in their juicy marinade from time to time if possible.
Just before you’re ready to eat, simmer the sweetcorn for 2-3 minutes. Drain and transfer quickly to a food processor. Add the butter, lime and coriander and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until you have a chunky but smooth looking mixture. Keep warm.
Serve the ribs with a spoonful of the sweetcorn, a jug of any left over marinade in the base of the baking tray and a simple green salad dressed liberally with lemon juice, salt, pepper and avocado if you feel the need. (I always feel the need).
Devour with plenty of napkins.

Apricot, Thyme, Honey and Goats Cheese Grain Salad

July 30, 2016 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

his weekend summer finally arrived! I woke in Wiltshire to gleaming sun rays through my curtains, clear blue skies and the promise of a warm balmy day. I could already taste BBQ in the air and with some thick marbled dexter steaks sitting patiently in the fridge, all we needed was a side dish to accompany.

Now I call this a ‘grain’ salad as its open to using any type of grain or pulse of choice. Cous cous, pearl barely, lentils. Follow your taste buds. But for this creative dish I used quite an original and special one. Sent from overseas England has yet to offer this nutty, textured ingredient. Its a cross between cous cous and pearl barley but get this health addicts – its gluten free! But like I said sadly its not available in the UK yet but at least you know which food blog to check out when it does (ahem). This special packet of gold dust for coeliacs arrived for me overseas from a budding provider and I was keen to taste it. Being very versatile I wanted to use it simply and being gentle in taste it can easily handle strong flavours. Simmer for about 30 minutes and drain for a delicious texture and a wonderful flavour.

Available in both wholegrain and normal.

Serves 4

200g sorghum/pearl barley/giant cous cous/lentils
6 fresh apricots
Small bunch thyme, leaves picked
1 tbsp runny honey (I used Odysea’s ‘Wild Thyme and Fragrant Herb Honey‘)
125g soft, goats cheese
Handful of rocket
1 lemon

Simmer you grain of choice until tender but with a little bite. Drain and leave to cool until just warm.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C.. Slice the apricots in half, de-stone and place on a baking tray. Drizzle over the honey and half the thyme leaves. Season and drizzle over a splash of olive oil and toss together. Roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until the apricots are roasted and softened but still hold their shape. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before cutting each half again in half.
When ready to serve, season the grains and combine with the warm roasted apricots, the rest of the thyme and a handful of rocket leaves. Crumble in the goats cheese.
Finally, dress with the juice of the lemon and stir gently to combine and coat in the lemony juices.

WINE: Served with a deliciously fruity glass of California’s ‘Folk Machine Pinot Noir’ available at Armit Wines

Spinach, Mushroom and Ricotta Pizza

November 7, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Ok so it’s a tomato-less pizza…don’t shoot me. This was also pointed out by my (notably) satisfied and well fed but rather unjustifiably disappointed dad? A night of using up all ingredients littering the fridge, clinging on for dear life before labouring into town for a weekly food shop. One of my favourite challenges….make something from what you have left. Its a great way to be creative, prevent waste and come up with new ideas! Challenge accepted, I created this. Spinach forced its way into the base while the topping was a mix of mushrooms, lemony ricotta and some lovely fragrant thyme. Give me ready steady cook anyday?

Serves 4 lightly

Base

1 mug self raising flour
½ water
100g spinach
Pinch cumin seeds

Topping

200g mushrooms, chopped
Small bunch thyme leaves
Knob of butter
250g ricotta
150g mozzarella, sliced
Handful pine nuts
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil

Start on the base. Wilt the spinach in a hot pan with a splash of water. Once wilted, drain and squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible. Chop finely.
In a food processor, add the flour, cumin seeds, plenty of seasoning and the spinach. Blend together and slowly add the water, stopping when the mixture forms a soft dough. You will need to use your instinct with the amount of water being used.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead to form a smooth dough. Put aside to rest.
Melt the butter and a splash of oil in a hot frying pan and add the mushrooms. Fry over a medium high heat until they have released their juices. Add the thyme leaves and continue to fry until golden. Set aside.
Loosen the ricotta in a bowl with the juice from ½ a lemon and the zest.
Heat the grill to high. Next, heat a large frying pan over a high heat and add a splash of oil. Roll out the dough thinly and add to the pan pushing into the oil. While the bottom begins to cook and crisp,spoon over the ricotta and spread out evenly. Grate over the lemon zest. Top with the mozzarela and finally the mushrooms. Scatter with the pine nuts and continue to cook the base on the hob until the bottom is beginning to crisp and turn golden (you will need to lift it up now and again to check).
Once you’re happy with a crispy base, pop under the grill and cook for 8-10 minutes until the top is melted and the rest of the dough and crust has cooked.
Remove from the grill and devour drizzle with some good quality grassy green extra virgin olive oil.

Caramelised Garlic Tart

September 17, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

I’d seen this recipe in my thumbed copy of Ottolenghi’s ‘Plenty’ too many times to flick past it again. I’d heard good things about it…they’re true by the way. The original recipe calls for puff pastry which I think would have tipped me over the edge into food heaven but I used a lighter flaky shortcrust infused with thyme after an indulgent week that just couldn’t handle the butter content of puff. Either pastry is fine but I suggest puff just to do it justice. Agreed, when you read the recipe and see 3 heads of garlic, separated and peeled you may find yourself navigating away to another site. However, there is no need to contemplate taking a half day off work as it really won’t take long and you’ll be rewarded with the benefits on eating. The garlic is sweet and glazed when cooked and teasingly moreish.

Serves 6-8

375g puff pastry, rolled/ 1 quantity of shortcrust pastry flavoured with thyme (optional)
3 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
220ml water
Pinch sugar
1 tsp each chopped rosemary and thyme
240g goats cheese- a mix of soft and hard or a mix of cheeses if you’re not a goat cheese lover
2 medium eggs, beaten
100ml double cream
100ml creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 180°C . Grease and line a tart tin (about 28cm) and line with the rolled puff pastry. (You can also use a shortcrust pastry which is what I actually did when I made it). Prick all over with a fork and line with a sheet of parchment and some baking beans. Bake blind for about 15-20 minutes until mostly cooked and then remove the beans and parchment and return the case to the oven for 5-10 minutes to allow the base to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the cloves of garlic in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.
Return the garlic to a clean pan with the a splash of oil and fry for a few minutes on a high heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and the water, boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the sugar and the herbs and a pinch of salt. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the liquid begins to reduce and turn syrupy. Set aside.
In a jug, whisk the eggs, creams and plenty of seasoning.
In the pre-baked tart case, crumble or grate over your choice of cheese and then top with the garlic cloves and syrup. Add some more thyme leaves also if you like.
Fill the gap of the tart with the cream mixture and bake at 160°C for 35-40 minutes until set and golden brown.

I served mine with a fresh rocket and baby cos salad with some griddled courgette slices, toasted pine nuts, wafers of parmesan cheese all dressed lightly with lemon juice and olive oil. Devine!

Gruyere and Onion tarts

April 6, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

This recipe (that is religiously made every year on Christmas eve in the Wardlaw house), is courtesy of Delia and has always been the most deliciously simple combination. For some reason we didn’t make it this Christmas eve, so feeling cheated I found myself whipping out a batch for a warming lunch in this Christmas provoking weather….

Filling

2 eggs
75ml single cream/creme fraiche
½ tsp mustard powder
75g Gruyere cheese, grated
25g butter
2 onions, finely chopped
Cayenne pepper

Pastry

175g flour
75g butter
50g cheddar cheese, grated
½ tsp mustard powder

For the pastry, rub the butter and flour together and add the cheese, mustard and cayenne pepper. Add enough water to bring together to form a dough and then wrap and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease some small tart tins. Roll the pastry out thinly and line the tins. Bake the cases blind with baking beans and parchment for about 15-20 minutes until turning a pale brown. Remove the beans/parchment for the last 5 minutes to cook the base. Leave to cool in their tins while you do the filling.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and sweat the onions until soft and beginning to turn a golden colour. Do this slowly to get a good flavour (about 20-30 minutes). Set aside.
Mix the eggs, cream and mustard powder together in a jug adding a pinch of cayenne according to taste.
Fill the tart cases with the onion and grated gruyere and fill with the egg mixture. Scatter over a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before tucking in.

I made a tomato salsa to top mine by finely chopping a mixture of coloured cherry tomatoes, some bruised thyme leaves, salt and pepper and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Leave to infuse and serve at room temperature atop your tarts with a green salad.

Green Risotto with Crispy Parma ham and Almonds

March 27, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

Risotto is such a versatile and satisfying meal even when, like last night, I was simply using up loose ends from the cupboard because I’d run out of food for the week. It can be made fancy and gourmet by the easy addition of some little tasty toppings which are totally open to interpretation….a poached egg on top is always a favourite of mine! As a risotto lover (and sane person) I always have risotto rice, parmesan cheese and butter in the house and with white wine never more than a stones throw away these few ingredients can always be used to make an endless amount of different variation on a risotto with whatever ingredients are to hand.

I tend to make risottos by instinctive quantities. It really doesn’t matter how much rice or stock you have weighted out as long as you taste as you go along and make sure that the consistency resembles that of loose porridge when ready. I usually use a large handful of rice per person and a pinch more for luck as cold risotto is perfect for arancini (see here).

Serves 2 generously

2 large handfuls of risotto rice
40g butter
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
2 sprigs thyme, leave picked
Small glass dry white wine
Hot chicken/vegetable stock
Handful of finely grated parmesan
2 handfuls of frozen peas
Small bunch mint, chopped
Handful of rocket leaves
½ lemon
2 slices of parma ham
Small handful of flaked almonds
Creme friache

Begin by boiling the peas for a good 5 minutes. (Keep a handful aside for garnish if you like) and blend the rest in a food processor with a splash of the stock until really smooth. Set aside.
Continue by melting half the butter in a pan with a teaspoon of oil. Soften the onion gently until translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Turn the heat up a little and add rice and fry until really hot. Add the white wine to let the rice simmer to absorb the wine.
Now add ladelfuls of the hot stock as each addition of liquid becomes absorbed by the rice, simmering gently over a low heat. The rice takes about 18 minutes to cook so keep adding as much stock as needed until the rice is just cooked and soft. Keep stirring all the time to make sure the starches are released and you get a really creamy texture.
As soon as the rice almost appears to plump up and double in volume and it is just cooked and soft to taste, add the lemon juice and season.
Now stir in the pea puree and mix evenly. If it thickens too much, add a splash of stock to keep it loose.
Add the other half of the butter, cut into cubes, and the grated parmesan. Cover quickly with a lid and take off the heat to rest.
While it rests for 5 minutes, fry the parma ham and flaked almonds in a little oil until crispy and golden and then drain on kitchen paper.
Now stir the melted cheese and butter evenly through the rested risotto and add the rocket and mint and stir to wilt down in the residual heat. If it thickens, add a splash of stock again to get a loose oozing consistency.
To serve, pour a generous portion into a warmed bowl. Top with a few whole peas, the crispy parma ham and toasted flaked almonds and a few teaspoons of creme fraiche if you like!

For tips on the perfect risotto or more definitive measurements, see here.

Wild Mushroom and Marsala Risotto with thyme and mascarpone

September 17, 2012 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

An oozing, Autumnal, deep, rich, silky and moorish risotto. This can be, and I assure you- will be, eaten with nothing but a trusty fork, eyes closed with a satisfied smile on your face. As the last rays of sunshine tiptoe off back to Australia leaving behind a dark gallery of evenings and a steady chilly drizzle….not to worry, this will solve any post summer blues, I promise. Because, honestly, who doesn’t love cheesey buttery and smooth warming dinners (unless of course you don’t like mushrooms)…

Risotto is the most relaxing way to spend a evening in the kitchen, unwinding with a glass of iced white, music and some mindless stirring with a wooden spoon….bliss. [See my tips for risotto making] (Serves 4)

Risotto Base

300g risotto rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
Bunch thyme, leaves picked
150ml Marsala wine (or white wine)
Vegetable stock- About 1 ½ pints
1 bulb garlic
50g grated Parmesan
60g unsalted butter, cubed
1 tsp lemon juice
Flat-leaf parsley to serve, chopped
Mascarpone, to serve
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Mushrooms

500g mixed mushrooms- I used chesnut and button, sliced
Handful of dried wild mushrooms, soaked in 200ml boiling water for 20 minutes
1 clove garlic, crushed
Handful of parsley, chopped
Olive oil
Knob of butter

Preheat the oven to 220°C and roast the garlic bulb whole, drizzled with a bit of oil for 30 minutes. Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water.
Now begin with the risotto base by heating a tbsp of olive oil and a knob of butter in a large frying pan on a medium-low heat and soften the onion, celery and thyme leaves until translucent but not coloured. Season
While this is softening, heat 1 tbsp of oil and a knob of butter in another frying pan and saute the raw mushrooms to release and evapourate the juices (about 8-10 minutes) and to brown them. Don’t be tempted to crowd the pan, so do this in batches if necessary. After about 10 minutes, add the garlic and the parsley and cook for a few minutes.
Reserve the mushroom soaking liquid and chop the soaked dried mushrooms and add them to the frying ones. Then set aside this mixture.
Using forks, remove the (should be) softened, sweetened garlic and crush to a thick garlicky paste in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt.
Back to the risotto, add the rice to the softened veg and toast on a medium heat until translucent and hot to touch. Add the Marsala wine (or white wine) and simmer gently. Now add a ladle of hot stock to the mixture, and on a low heat, simmer gently until it is all absorbed. Continue adding ladles of stock, making sure it does not dry out but is also not swamped. The rice should expand as it absorbs the liquid and this process should take about 18-20 minutes. Keep adding stock until the rice is cooked, with a slight bite and the texture is oozy. Now add the garlic paste and mix in.
Now, the rice should be cooked. Stir in the reserved mushrooms.
Take the pan off the heat, add a squeeze of lemon juice, the parmesan and scatter with the cubed butter (you can add as much butter as you like, the more you add the shinier and creamier it will taste- restaurants are known to use up to 200g to get that decadent texture and taste). Cover with a lid and leave for 2 minutes off the heat.
After this time, mix gently to mix in the melted additions and add a touch of reserved mushroom stock if to thick. It should ‘ooze’ and be served in a shallow soup bowl- not dry and stiff on the plate.
Serve topped with chopped parsley, a spoonful of cool, creamy mascarpone and drizzle with truffle/olive oil if you want!

WINE: The depth and richness of this dish is robust enough to stand up to something regional from Italy. Here I’m thinking a hearty red from Valpolicella, Italy. While you could in fact use a splash in your risotto or make a devine Veronese Risotto as a replacement of the Marsala, better still enough a glass of Amarone della Valpolicella such as the 2010 Musella available at Armit Wines.

Trout stuffed to the gills

August 27, 2012 Comments Off read Seafood

Just as we were deliberating what we would devour for dinner the other night, an obviously psychic neighbour bought around a freshly caught trout wrapped obligingly in yesterdays paper! Perfect…..now to create a delicious recipe…..

I’m not a fan of seafood dishes where you constantly have to probe your hands into unwanted shells and tails, picking- if you’re lucky- small bones from between your teeth or in drastic cases, performing the heimlich maneuver on your friends from your fishes splintering skeleton! However, I thought it would be nice to stuff this lovely trout, so I decided to fillet it first and follow an original Jamie Oliver…

Serves 3

1 whole large trout, filleted into two or 4 small fillets
1 handful of flaked almonds
1 bunch of mint, shredded
1 generous handful of breadcrumbs
zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 slices of Parma ham/streaky bacon
Handful of artichokes in oil- drained and chopped roughly
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Creme fraiche to serve
String

Toast the almonds in a hot, dry frying pan for a couple of minutes until fragrant
Crush in a pestle and mortar until fine, leaving some more chunky pieces
Tip into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs, crushed garlic, mint, thyme leaves, lemon zest and juice and a glug of extra virgin olive oil to moisten. Season with lots of cracked black pepper and salt.
Cut about 3 lengths of string and lay one trout fillet on a lined baking tray on top, skin side down. Spread the fleshly upside with the mixture and then place the second fillet on top, skin side up.
Lay the Parma ham/bacon slices on top and tie tightly with the string. Scatter any remaining filling around the edge.
Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for about 15 minutes until crisp and cooked.
Serve with a lemony creme fraiche.