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Sunday 17 January 2010

Jamie's roast squash, sage, chestnut and pancetta risotto


1 x basic risotto recipe
1 butternut squash
1 level tablespoon coriander seeds
2 small dried chillies
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
12 slices of pancetta or dry-cured smoky bacon
100g chestnuts (vac-packed are fine)
a bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked
optional: 6 heaped tablespoons mascarpone cheese


If I could pick a load of ingredients that just shout out ‘Bonfire Night! Christmas! Cosy!’ it would have to be all the ones in this risotto. It’s so damn good — cook it whenever the ingredients are in season.

Preheat your oven to 190°C. Carefully cut your butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Put these to one side. Cut the squash lengthways into 0.5cm slices. Bash up your coriander and chillies with a pinch of salt and pepper in a pestle and mortar (or use a metal bowl and the end of a rolling pin). Dust this over your squash with a tablespoon of olive oil. Toss around until completely coated. Line up snugly in a roasting tray and bake for around 30 minutes until the flesh and skin are soft to the touch. Now get all your ingredients ready and start making your basic risotto.

Remove the squash from the oven and lay your pancetta over it. Mix the squash seeds, chestnuts and sage leaves with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the squash and pancetta and place back in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes until the pancetta is crisp.

Once the squash has cooled down a little, shake off the pancetta and chestnuts and finely chop the squash – it will be quite mushy but that’s fine. I go for half of it fine and half chunky. Add this to the risotto at the end of Stage 3. Carry on as normal through the basic recipe, season to taste and serve with the pancetta, chestnuts, sage leaves and squash seeds sprinkled over the top.

Lovely served with a big dollop of mascarpone cheese on the side.

Try this: Place a grater and a block of Parmesan cheese in the middle of the table so that everyone can help themselves.

Saturday 16 January 2010

Warm green bean salad

250 g fine green beans, stalk ends removed

1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 bunch spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook and drain the beans well and return them to the pan.
Toss with the spring onions and mustard dressing. Pile into a serving bowl and serve warm.

Sunday 3 January 2010

Gordon's mac and cheese

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

2 shallots, finely diced
250g dried macaroni
1 tbsp olive oil
100g girolles, trimmed and cut into even pieces
1 sprig of thyme, leaves removed
75ml white wine
200ml double cream
4 egg yolks
200g stichelton cheese, or similar eg stilton
100g Parmesan
Handful chives, finely chopped
25g butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil

1. Add the macaroni to a large pan of boiling salted water with the olive oil and cook for 7-10 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse under cold water to remove excess starch. Return to the pan and set aside.

2. Melt the oil in a small frying pan. Add the mushrooms and fry until golden brown, add a small knob of butter and the thyme, cook for another minute then season with pepper. Drain the excess oil from the pan and then add the shallots and cook for a further 2 minutes or until softened, deglaze with the wine, reduce by half and set aside

3. Bring the cream to a gentle boil and add it to the mushrooms, add the egg yolks, chives and parmesan, mix well and crumble in two-thirds of the cheese. Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir until everything is fully incorporated. Heat gently for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Season with pepper.

4. Butter the ovenproof dish, and pour in the mixture. Top with some stichelton and parmesan and transfer to a med oven for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown, remove and leave to stand for 5 minutes or so, then serve.

Saturday 2 January 2010

Pan-fried duck breast with raspberry and balsamic sauce and roasted vegetables



Ingredients


For the duck

1 duck breast, skin scored
pinch salt

For the sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 orange, juice only
55g raspberries

For the roasted vegetables
3 tbsp olive oil
½ butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, flesh cut into cubes
3 garlic cloves, skin left on, squashed
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.

2. Score the skin of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern.
Season with salt and black pepper.
Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, on a dry cold ovenproof pan, turn the heat on and cook over on medium heat to render down most of the fat. This may take 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fat.
Turn the duck breasts over and cook the flesh side for 1-2 minutes.
Place the pan into the hot oven for 15 minutes for medium-cooked duck, which should be slightly springy when pressed. Wrap in an aluminium foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Turn the oven up to 180 C.

3. For the sauce, drain the fat from the reserved pan juices, then add the balsamic vinegar to the pan, bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced by half.

4. Add the orange juice and raspberries and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the fruit resembles a pulp.

5. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and reserve the liquid.

6. For the roasted vegetables, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the butternut squash and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened.

7. Add the herbs and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

8. Add the tomato halves and sesame seeds, then transfer to the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender.

9. To serve, carve the duck into thick slices. Spoon the roasted vegetables into the centre of a serving plate. Drizzle the sauce around the edge of the plate.