Seconds up - round 2.....

I tend not to be very impressed with my own food when I sit down to eat it immediately after preparing it. I think it’s due to all the smells and tasting during cooking, I simply feel full up. This was very apparent the other day when I made two separate dishes which I really didn’t think much of but today, served cold for lunch, they were really tasty. But I suppose if you make food and subsequently don’t eat it you’re not gonna get too fat. If you don't drink lots of beer. Like me....




Here are the dishes;


Mushroom Lasagna


Made this using an alternative, Jammy O’ Liver “inspired,” cheats béchamel sauce which Mrs B liked but I found a tad watery. It was a 500ml tub of crème fraiche mixed with a couple of fistfuls of grated cheddar & parmesan. The trouble was it kinda split and, despite Mrs B kindly saying she liked the “clean consistency” I felt it lacked the creaminess a real béchamel gives. It might work with other ingredients tho’, something less likely to release so much water like meat or tampons. The mushrooms were amazing tho’.
500g normal white mushrooms

250g abnormal mushrooms (something with taste & a bit of bite like chantarelles)

garlic

dried chilli

fresh thyme

loads of freshly grated parmesan and cheddar

milk, four, butter & nutmeg to make the béchamel

lasagna

truffle oil



Right, clean all the mushrooms using kitchen paper. I always try not to use water as they’ll absorb it making frying nigh on imposs. Roughly chop all the white mushrooms and fry them in batches in olive oil until some of them take on colour. You don’t want them too done but the pan has to be fecking hot so as to evaporate as much liquid as poss. As each batch is done bung them in a blender with 2-4-6-8 cloves of garlic and a couple of dried chillis. Let this cool down a bit whilst you fry the posh mushrooms. When these are done put them to one side. Meanwhile blitz the white mushrooms which will not be white anymore – they’ll look like something the dog threw up. Season with the fresh thyme, salt and pepper.

Now for the béchamel. In a non-stick saucepan melt a big knob of butter and bung in a couple of tablespoons of plain flour. Stir it around for a bit. It’ll form into a paste after which you keep stirring to “cook the flourness out of the flour”. This takes a minute or so, you don’t want it to colour, then you pour in half a liter or so of milk. For gawd’s sake keep stirring as you bring it up to a simmer or else it will burn and there ain’t much fouler than the taste/smell of burnt milk. When the sauce has thickened grate in some nutmeg, season and chuck in a handful of grated cheddar. Remove from the heat.

I used a bread tin for this as it’s a good size. Firstly you put in a layer of the mushroom goo followed by a layer of the posh mushrooms, then some béchamel, then a layer of lasagna. Repeat. Finish off with whatever goo and/or mushrooms are left, a layer of béchamel and the grated parmesan. If there isn’t enough béchamel then it’s back to the cooker… Bake at 200 degrees celcius for 20-30 minutes, remove when golden brown, texture like sun and druzzle with triffle oil.




Chicken Stuffed Aubergines



Got this idea from Mike Robinson on Heaven’s Kitchen Cookbook. He did it as a vegetarian dish stuffed only with cheese, pine nuts and breadcrumbs. I can’t remember what he topped it with. What did you do Mr Robinson? Cheese was in the draw, but I don't know. I was going to make it with guinea pig after I saw a food programme on Ecuadorian gastronomy but they’re dead expensive down our local pet shop so I opted for chicken instead.


2 aubergines washed, top’n’tailed & sliced lengthways into ½ cm thick slices

olive oil

500g chicken breasts chopped into sugar cubed sized pieces

handful of freshly made bread crumbs

100g pine nuts, gently roasted in a frying pan

chopped garlic

2 good handfuls of baby spinach or rocket, washed’n’dried

A few fresh sage leaves

2 equally good handfuls of grated cheese of your preferred creed.

Some tomatoes – sliced

More cheese (goats might be good)



Brush the aubergines on each side with olive oil and grill or fry until golden (both sides of course). Remove, brush again with oil (important as it keeps ‘em supple) and set aside. In a bowl luzz in yer chicken, bread crumbs, cheese, pine nuts, garlic and greenery and mix together. Season well. Then you take a slice of aubergine into which you place a blob of meat mix. Roll the aubergine around it so it looks like a bad kebab and place it, seam side down, in a lightly greased baking dish. Repeat with the rest. Cover with tomatoes and cheese and bake at 200 celcius for about half an hour or until the chicken is cooked through. You’re likely to have some aubergine slices left over. I bung them in the oven with the main stuff, removing them after 10-15 mins. Then I chop ‘em up into pulp, mix with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and bingo, an aubergine dip.



The Kitchen Project



For those in the know we at Chez B have been busy toiling away on our new kitchen. We are now one shelf and 6 1/2 meters of oak beading away from completion. Our two week project has taken over half a year which isn't bad by my standards. As soon as I aquire the necessary skills I'll take some pics of it for uploading. But the coolest thing about it is the amount of work space we now have. Acres of it. And, apart from the joining of two pieces of oak work top and some electrics, I've built the whole lot myself which makes me rather chuffed. Viva Ikea! And Mrs B keeps buying me beer so she must be proud of me too.....

And On The Thirst Day...

.... He created Beer. And hallaluja for that.





Erm, before I start I'd like to say "sorry". Right, that was that and now for the run down. This is my blog and it isn't about me. Hopefully. It's about the nosh Mrs B and myself eat to keep ourselves alive. It's about the thoughts I have on food and the making of. It's the cataloguing of recipes I've basically pilfered from books, food programmes and dining-out experiences and then beaten up abit so even their mothers can't recognize them. Well they would but it sounded tough. Coz food is like the blues, baby. It's a linear progression from eating dirt. It's like when Mrs B isn't satisfied with eating plain old Marmite on toast. No, she has to take it one step further and put sliced cucumber on it. I will cite original recipes and/or sources of inspiration wherever and whenever I can remember where the feck I got them. And now I shall start with a chicken.....






Bought a nice fresh cluck-cluck the other day and this is what became of her. In an ideal world, of course, it would have been an organic chicken but it isn't and it wasn't. It wasn't one of those obese nine week old (or is it six) chicks which are more full of fat than your average McSlurry Whooper burger (thanks to Full On Food for that one ;-) tho but I honestly can't vouch for how happy she was when she was electrically stunned, hung by her neck in a conveyor belt then dragged throat first across a razorblade before getting plucked and drawn. That was a little insight into the types of field trips we used to get taken on back at Battle Road Incomprehensive School. But this chicken was made fine use of. Firstly she went into the stock pot. Then, after half an hour of simmering away she was carefully (coz she woz hot) taken up and her luvverly breasts filleted off. Back into the pot she then titless went to be boiled away for an hour or two. Voila, gorgeous chicken stock. Up with the carcass again which was put aside to cool then plucked of all its meat. The stock was strained then reduced by half. And these are the meals we got from this one chicken (plus a load of other ingredients);




Tom Yum Soup



Chicken Terrine



Chicken Salad



Pea & Mushroom Risotto




and these are the first recipes from the Bluebottle Feastery. Take a deep breath now, Mr B...





Stock




not gonna set the world alight with a recipe for stock, I know. But homemade stock is the difference between a decent dish and an outstanding dish. Here in Denmark you can only buy bog standard cubes or concentrates and they're all crap. Salty and crap. In some thai shops you can get shiitake mushroom cubes (knorr) which are ok. But still crap. So I make my own and freeze it. Mrs B made stock from a roasted turkey which was superb in a risotto. It's a case of waste-not want-not so all bones and off-cuts can be used. So, if anybody lops of a limb in a freak chainsaw accident the address is Fortgaard Allé......

You'll need:



Carcass or bones - from chickens to wombles, you name it I'll boil it


Veg - carrots, leeks, celery, onions, garlic, mushrooms, anything but things related to cabbages


Herbs - bayleaves, parsley, thyme, sage are goodies


Peppercorns and salt




Amounts are not vital although if too many carrots are used they tend to dominate. Chuck everything into a BIG saucepan, cover with Evian Water, ok plain cold water, bring to the boil and leave on a rolling simmer for a couple of hours. Fish stocks take a shorter amount of time as they can otherwise go bitter. Don't over salt as this will kill the stock if it is reduced. Skim the surface of impurities now and again. After two or so hours drain through a sieve (or a piece of the Turin Shroud if you're Gary Rhodes). If left in the fridge over night you'll find all the fat will have solidified on the surface which makes removing it a doddle. I know alot of pros clarify their stocks using veg and stuff but I've never been arsed. What more is there to say about stocks? Lots actually but it all can be looked up other places. The long & the short of it is it's dead easy, it makes ya kitchen smell great, tastes wonderful and it utilizes as much of a piece of deceased animal as possible. Not using all the beast is like having 24 hours with Kira Knightly and only getting her to do the hoovering. Sort of..




Tom Yum Soup



you need a lightish chicken stock for this, ie easy on the herbs and carrots.



Into your simmering stock bung in some sliced ginger, a couple of stalks of lemon grass, the roots & stems from a few sprigs of fresh coriander (if poss, otherwise don't) & a few kafir lime leaves. After 10 or 20 mins remove. Then any of the following can be added, thai auborgines (or cubes of courgette which are a good alternative), button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, more lime leaves, chopped birdseye chillis, well anything you fancy really. Then a few black tiger prawns or small cubes of chicken breast which poach for minute or two. Take the pot off the heat, squeeze in some lime juice, add fish sauce, a pinch of sugar just to balance it up and serve just before lugging in a small handful of coriander leaves. Bingo




note - Coriander. Sod that light green forced potted stuff they sell in supermarkets. It's tasteless. If you can't get the washed roots'n'all dark leaved bags of it then don't bother.



Chicken Terrine

I love making terrines. There's something about them that brings out the potterer in me. Made my first one after seeing Huge Firmly-Witheringsmall do one on his River Cottage programmes. I've dropped using bacon to line the tin with as I think it overpowers everything much in the same way it does on those beef tornados things we can buy in supermarkets over here. And omitting the bacon is also dead healthy, so to speak, aswell as making the lovely jelly less cloyey.

Forcemeat:

500g lean minced pork (or chicken or turkey)

1 onion finely chopped & softened in olive oil

Chopped garlic (I always use loads)

couple of handfuls of fresh bread crumbs

a table spoon of fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 egg

1 good glugg each of red wine & brandy. & the same again for the forcemeat....

salt & pepper (and chilli powder if y'like)

Mix together in a bowl & preferably let stand in the fridge for a while to let all the flavours get to know each other. To make the terrine (sans bacon) lightly oil a bread tin then cover the bottom with a layer of forcemeat. Then put in your cooked meat, I used the meat I plucked from the stock chicken but anything can be used, another layer of forcemeat, more chicken then a last layer of f-m, you get the sodding picture. Cover the tin with foil, place in a deep baking tray, fill with hot water half way up the bread tin then cook in the over at 200c for an hour or so. It's ready when you pierce it with a knife or skewer which you then burn your lips with. When done it has to be pressed. I use an identical bread tin with a brick in it. All hi-tec but if you can't afford a brick steal one. Once cool the terrine should be refrigerated overnight. Mmmm. Have plans of doing a snail and truffle terrine soon. Will have to have a think about the herbs for that one too. That's the great thing about them, the forcemeat's like your pizza base and it's up to you to dream up a topping. Or filling. WhatEver.....

Chicken Salad

actually we had salads two days running. The first was with the chicken breasts I'd taken off the berrrd and the second accompanied slices of the terrine. So, one at a time....

Got some luvverly romaine salad leaves, rocket (from the garden), good toms, cucumber & a thinly sliced spring onion. Sliced up cold chicken breasts and slices of good chorizo. Nicoise olives. Made a very Dijon mustardy garlic mayonaise by dolloping in 2 big tablespoons of mustard into a bowl with an egg yolk, a splash of white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, a crushed clove of garlic & a pinch of cayenne. Whisked steadily whilst adding 3 parts rapeseed oil to 1 part olive. I didn't make it too thick coz it had to drizzle nicely. I arranged it on the plates rather than in a salad bowl for the wow effect. It really did look grand. And the flavours were amazing.

Day two and the green ingredients were the same minus the spring onion. Because we didn't have one. This time I took a tin of snails, drained them then marinated them in crushed garlic and olive oil, season with s&p. I then fried some "lardons" of bacon, letting them drain on a piece of kitchen paper whilst I warmed through the snails. Then they were all arranged willy-nillyly ontop of the green stuffs and finished off with a few potatoe peelings of parmesan. The dressing for this salad was a bog standard herb vinaigrette ie red wine vineagar, olive oil, garlic, 1/2 a teaspoon of mustard, salt, pepper & some finely chopped marjoram from the garden.

note - Snails. Just love 'em. Apparently you can eat any snail you find in your garden/wardrobe but for some reason you can't eat slugs. A couple of years back I collected a few dozen large escargot snails whilst out fishing (as one does). Brought them home then fed them on lettuce leaves for a few days to clean them out. Like a health farm for invertibrates it was. I'd given a few of them names and, in a moment of madness, gave one of them the name of my mother-in-law. Honest, m'lud it was without malice. Sorry Gwen. One day they had a break-out. Mrs B discovered them slithering around the spare bedroom. We put out a general alarm, sent in the dobermen and rounded the blighters up. They were then duly dumped into boiling water for their efforts.

Pea & Mushroom Risotto

making risotto is therapy. There's something so focused about it. First you get everything prepped, not just the food but also enough to drink and the right music on the hifi, then, as you get started, you're on. No going back. No interuptions. Total concentration. It's as close as I'm ever gonna get to being graceful. I've lifted my basic risotto recipe from the late, great Jamie Oliver. He's not dead? Nevermind.

Arborio rice (or one of the other types) 500g will do for 4-6 people

1 onion

5-10 cloves of garlic

1 stick of celery

a litre or so of stock (if it isn't enough you just add boiling water at the end)

a glass or three of white wine or n'Oily Prat/vermouth

a few sprigs of fresh thyme

frozen peas - a cup or two

loads of mushrooms - any variety

dried chilis

olive oil

knob of butter

parmesan

Ok, to prep; heat up the stock. It has to be on hot when you add it to the rice. Chop up the onion, garlic & celery relatively finely. Clean the mushrooms, preferably without using water as they'll absorb it. Chop up as y'like. Fry them off in a bit of oil, towards the end add a bit of the garlic and a crushed dried chili or two. Now the fun begins. Fry the onions in a good slug of olive oil until the go translucent then add the celery and the garlic. I like the onions just to catch a little as this gives a slight sweetness to the dish. I discovered this by mistake, by the way, when I didn't prep properly & had to go off to find a new cd. Came back and the onion had "browned".

Then chuck in the rice. Get it all nice and covered in the oil & stuff. When the edges of the rice go slightly glassy it's time to whack in the booze. Don't be shy on the wine or vermouth. It really gives and amazing depth to the dish and if you keep your head over the pan you'll get all the fumes aswell. As the liquid is absorbed into the rice you start ladling in the stock, one spoonful at a time, stirring continuously to make sure every rice grain gets a even cooking experience. As the mixture thickens up give it a ladleful more. Mr Oliver recommends salting a little every time you add stock which makes sense. A lot of the recipe books I've read say a risotto is ready when the rice is still slightly chalky. I've tried to eat chalk and it wasn't an illuminating experience. So my risotti are probably a tad over done but it stops Mrs B complaining. Anyway from the first ladle of stock til the rice is cooked takes about 30-40 minutes. The rule of thumb heatwise is if the pan is too cool the rice will go stodgey and if you cook it too hard the rice won't be properly done. When you think it's perfect chuck in the peas, mushrooms and thyme to heat through. Season. Then stir in your knob of butter and finish with a good handful of parmesan. Or pecorino or whatever. Finito.

I had an idea whilst making this last risotto. The plan is to make a Japanese style risotto using dashi broth as stock (dashi being a bonito and seaweed soup) and saki instead of wine. Somehow I have to incorporate the taste of the sushi vineagar aswell. When the "lisotto" is cooked I'm thinking along the lines of serving it with sushimi, marinated shiitake or straw mushrooms, homemade pickled ginger (gari) & other veggies. Not in it but on top. We'll see.

Right, this is the end of my first posting. Time for dinner.