Angela Gray - 30 May 2025
BRINE RECIPE
Ingredients
200ml warm water
1L cold water
4 tablespoons fine sea salt (3 tablespoons if using table salt)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Optional ingredients to add - Juniper (good for game),
rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, allspice berries
(good for Caribbean/South American), star anise (good for
Asian) – other spices and herbs can be used, just look at the
recipe you are making, and pluck a couple of the key spices
and herbs. Also some sliced onion, smashed garlic cloves, and
sliced lemon can be used.
What you do
Use a large nonreactive container, combine the warm water,
salt and sugar (if using), stirring to dissolve, then top up with
the cold water. Cover and pop in the fridge-
1 hour for chicken breasts, thick pork chops and pork
tenderloins.
4-6 hours for a whole chicken or turkey breast
6-8 hours for a pork loin, leg lamb or similar
12-24 hours for a whole turkey
Note: This recipe makes enough brine for 8 salmon fillets , or a
side of salmon or similar fish; also 6 pork chops, 6 chicken
breasts or 2 pork tenderloins. Double, triple, or quadruple the
recipe for bigger cuts or larger batches.
BBQ Salmon
Ingredients
1kg fresh salmon fillet
1 rounded teaspoon sea salt
1teaspoon coarse black pepper
3 bay leafs
1 medium unwaxed lemon
10 sprigs parsley, chopped
3 sprigs fennel or dill
50g butter
Rub
1 teaspoon garlic granules
½ teaspoon pink peppercorns
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon yellow mustard seed
Also try 1 tsp sumac and 1 teaspoon dried mint
To Cook
50g butter, melted
1 tablespoon olive oil
What you do
Brine the salmon for 45 minutes, remove, pat dry,
brush with olive oil and apply the rub all over,
sprinkling and patting into place. Slice the lemon
thinly and arrange along the centre of the salmon. Top
with the herbs and dot with the butter.
Set your BBQ for indirect cooking at 180-200C- put a
pan of water on the lower level between the coals, this
will keep the interior nice and balmy throughout
cooking.
Roast the salmon on the centre of the BBQ grill, I put it
on an oiled convection BBQ tray, this has holes in it
allowing for the heat to move evenly around the fish.
Add a handful of soaked wood chips to each pile of coals,
close the lid and cook/smoke for about 25 minutes.
Check the temperature at the thickest point, it should
be around 65C. Remove, cover with foil and rest for 10
minutes.
Piedmontese Peppers - these can be cooked alongside
the salmon,
Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a starter
Flavour Bomb
Ingredients
1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic
granules, smoked paprika, fennel seeds, sugar
1 rounded teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon crushed black
pepper, ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil
The peppers
4 red/yellow peppers, cut in half, seeds and white membrane
removed
½ small red onion (keep the other half for the Puttanesca dip),
halved, peeled, and sliced very thinly
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 char-grilled artichokes, drained
4 black olives - pits removed
To finish
Fresh Basil(shredded) or Parsley (chopped)
30g grated Parmesan (optional)
What you do
Make the flavour bomb. Pound and mix all the ingredients
together in a mortar and pestle - the fennel seeds should break
down slightly, and it should all look nicely combined. Mix in
the olive oil.
Fill with the onions, tomatoes, artichoke, and black olives.
Push a folded leaf of basil into the each, drizzle with olive oil
and roast on the Q for 25-30 minutes. Remove and finish with
some shredded basil or chopped parsley and a sprinkle of
Parmesan.
Cook the peppers. Heat your BBQ to 200°C/180°C Lay the
peppers in a parchment lined baking tin/dish, or arrange
directly above the coals to get a good char. Smear with a little
of the mixture you have just made.
Caramelised Pineapple pudding
Ingredients
1 medium pineapple, trimmed
and peeled
Basting syrup
100ml fresh orange juice
50ml maple syrup
12 cloves for studding
Sticky sauce
25g “Softer” unsalted butter, melted
120g molasses sugar
60ml double cream
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons rum
75g dried mango
40g sour cherries
Batter
240g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or essence
¼ teaspoon baking soda
160ml yoghurt
2 large free-range eggs
125g “Softer” unsalted butter,
180g golden caster sugar
To finish
2 tablespoons rum
Serves 6-8
What you do
First make the sticky sauce, Combine the butter, sugar, cream,
cinnamon and rum in a saucepan and bring to the boil until the
sugar melts and forms a sticky sauce.
Place the pineapple in the base of a double foil that has been
buttered, and top with the sauce. Heat the BBQ to 200°C/
180°C
Next make the batter- sift the flour, baking powder,
salt, and baking soda into a mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl,
whisk together the low fat yoghurt and
eggs.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter
and sugar until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and whisk in
the low fat yoghurt and eggs, followed by the flour mixture.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape any ingredients from the sides
and beat into the batter mixture until smooth. Pour over the
pineapple and sauce and set on the BBQ “INDIRECT” cooking- I
put the foil on an upturned metal tray. Bake for about 25
minutes until firm in the centre.
To serve, run a knife around the inner edge and decant the
pudding onto a plate.
Heat 2 tablespoons of rum in a metal ladle and ignite with a
lighter- immediately pour over the cake and serve with vanilla
ice cream or Greek yoghurt.
Kwoklyn Wan - 23 MAY 2025
Braised Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion
Crispy golden chicken skin steals the show in this comforting classic. Juicy strips of tender chicken are marinated and gently braised in a fragrant ginger and spring onion sauce, with just the right touch of sweetness. Simple, satisfying, and all about big flavour and that irresistible crispy skin.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Marinating Ingredients
450g Chicken Thigh, skin on boneless, cut into bite size strips
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp Sugar
1 ½ tbsp Minced Garlic
1 small Onion, finely diced
8 Spring Onions, cut into 5 cm long strips
3 to 4 slices Ginger
1 ½ Cup water
2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Light Soy sauce
½ tbsp Dark Soy sauce
¼ tsp White pepper
Salt to taste
Method
- Fry chicken over med-high heat until golden brown and skin is crispy.
- add ginger, spring onion and minced garlic and fry for further 20 secs until fragrant.
- add oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy and sugar along with 1.5 cups water.
- allow chicken to braise for 10-15 mins until juicy and succulent and flavours have merged.
- sauce will naturally thicken.
- serve over your favourite noodle or rice.
Express Mushroom & Veg Curry
Enjoy the exotic flavours of Express Curry! Juicy Mushrooms marinated in ginger, garlic, and curry powder, simmered to perfection in a savoury coconut cream sauce. Ready in minutes!
Ingredients
300g Mushrooms
New Potatoes or Tinned Potatoes
Aubergine, bite size pieces
Courgettes, bite size pieces
1 carrot, chopped into bite size pieces
1 tbsp Ginger, freshly minced
2 tbsp Garlic, freshly minced
2 to 3 tbsp Curry Paste
1tsp Chilli Flakes
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Small Red Onion, finely sliced
2 cups Water
Salt to taste
Coconut Milk
Corn Flour Slurry
Method
- Fry ginger and garlic over a med/low heat to infuse the oil.
- add onions and fry until translucent and golden.
- add remainder of veg and continue to fry.
- stir through your curry paste ensuring all of the ingredients are well coated.
- add your coconut milk along with remaining ingredients Except Cornflour Slurry.
- stir and cook for further 10 mins on med/high.
- thicken with cornflour slurry to desired consistency.
- serve over freshly steamed rice.
Patrick Hanlon and Russell Alford - 16 MAY 2025
TURKEY SCHNITZEL:
Ingredients (serves 2):
- ·2 x 120g pieces of turkey breast fillet, bashed to about 1/2cm thickness between sheets of cling film
- ·50g plain flour
- ·150g fine dried breadcrumbs
- ·Fine salt and ground white pepper
- ·1 large egg (free range, if possible) and a dash of milk to thin
- ·Flaked sea salt, to finish
- ·Wedges of lemon, to finish
- ·200ml sunflower oil for frying
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy, wide frying pan over a medium heat as you prepare your pané station: a dish for flour, a dish for egg and a dish for the breadcrumbs.
2. Take the pounded turkey breasts and season generously on both sides before coating in the flour, shaking off any excess, then the egg wash and finally coating fully in the breadcrumbs. If you’d like a double coating, return the breadcrumb-adorned schnitzel to the egg and once again into the breadcrumbs (note: you may need extra eggs and breadcrumbs for this).
3. Place gently into the hot oil (always lowered in angled away from yourself) and jiggle the pan a little to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Allow 2-3 minutes per side and then using sturdy tongs carefully turn over and continue on the second side.
4. Remove to a kitchen-paper lined plate and serve whilst still warm with your choice of accompaniments.
GOUGÈRES:
Ingredients (makes around 30):
- ·150ml water
- ·2 eggs
- ·75g flour
- ·50g butter
- ·1/2 tsp salt
- ·1/4 tsp white pepper
- ·100g finely grated comté or gruyère cheese
Method:
1. Preheat the oven or airfryer to 220ºC and line a tray or baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter into the water, salt and pepper, then, using a whisk, add in the flour and stir vigorously until it comes together as a thick paste. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Using an electric beater (or stand mixer) add the eggs one by one as the mixture is vigorously blended, don’t worry if the mixture looks like it is lumpy and seized at first, it will emulsify and smoothen as you work the mixture.
4. Once the eggs are incorporated into the mixture set to one side and allow to cool again for 10 minutes before stirring in almost all the cheese, reserving a little to sprinkle on top later.
5. Pop the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a wide nozzle and pipe little, even-sized domes onto the baking sheet, giving an inch or two space between each one. You may need to do several trays or several batches. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on each choux mound.
6. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes and then turn the oven down to 180ºC and bake for 15-25 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire tray before enjoying!
Tommy Heaney - 9 MAY 2025
Asparagus, Tomatoes, Smoked Ricotta, Wild Garlic Veloute
Serves 4
Cooking/prep Time: 20mins
Ingredients:
-1 bunch of asparagus
-Sea Salt to season
-Handful of mixed tomatoes
-10ml olive oil
-200g ricotta
-handful of good quality meadow hay
-325ml chicken or vegetable stock
-100g wild garlic
-100g chervil
-100ml cream
Method:
For the asparagus
Bring 500ml water and pinch of salt to the boil and blanch your asparagus for 30seconds, plunge in ice water, strain and dress in olive oil and sea salt. slice into bit sized pieces and keep at room temp until ready to serve
For the tomatoes
Cut into various bite size pieces, dress in olive oil and season with sea salt keep at room temp until
ready to serve
For the smoked ricotta
Place hay in a pan, place your ricotta into a sieve lined with j-cloth that’s big enough to sit over your pan.
Please ensure that you have adequate fire prevention equipment in place before you do this next step.
Light the hay that you’ve placed in the pan, once the flames have extinguished place the sieve with the ricotta over the top and cover with foil leave to smoke 20mins.
For the wild garlic
simmer your cream and stock together in a pan for 2mins, add wild garlic and chervil and cook for a further minute. Place all ingredients into a blender, blend at maximum speed for 1 minute. through a sieve and chill straight away to keep its vibrant colour
To serve
Place a spoonful of roughly 50grams smoked ricotta into the centre of a bowl/shallow plate, surround your ricotta with your mixture of tomatoes and asparagus. Veloute can be served hot or cold and can be poured to serve or on the side to drink
Linguine, Clams, Garlic & Chilli
Serves 4
Cooking/prep Time: 20mins
Ingredients:
600g Palourde Clams
3 Thinly Sliced Garlic Cloves
1 Red Chilli (Seed Removed if you want to tone the heat down!)
40g Flat Leaf Parsley
40g Cubed Unsalted Butter
4 Anchovy Fillets
280g Dried Linguine (or fresh if you fancy making it yourself!)
½ Glass Dry White Wine (Good Enough to Drink)
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Seasoning to Taste
Method:
1. Wash clams thoroughly. Ask if your fishmongers to do this for you. If not, simply soak the clams in water with 2 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of cornmeal for 2-3 hours. Then, run cold water over the clams for 15 minutes to remove salt. This process will remove any grit and dirt from the clams.
2. In a large frying pan on a medium heat add all of the olive oil and sliced garlic, chilli and anchovies. Cook until the anchovies have dissolved and the garlic has a golden hue.
3. Add the white wine and clams and put a lid on the pan to cover until the clams have cooked (about two minutes).
4. You will know the clams have cooked once the shells open up. Discard any that haven’t.
5. Cook your linguine for 2 minutes less than packet instructions in salted boiling water (about one tablespoon of salt will do).
6. Once cooked, add linguine to the pan with clams. Add half a ladle of pasta water and the cubed butter along with the juice of one lemon and chopped parsley.
7. Cook the pasta in the pan, stirring to bring together into a sauce for a couple of minutes. Add more pasta water if too dry.
8. Season to taste and enjoy
Lia Moutselou - 2 MAY 2025
BIFTEKÁKI FLORÍNIS (MINI BURGER WITH ROASTED PEPPER):
Ingredients (makes 15 mini burgers or 4 large burgers):
• 500g minced beef
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or 2 tsp garlic paste
• 2 roasted horn red peppers, skin removed (around 180g) (from a jar)
• 50-100g chopped parsley
• 50g hard, mature cheese (cheddar or parmesan or kefalotyri or mix)
• 1 small egg
• 1-1.5 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried spearmint or other mint (optional)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
Method (30-60 mins depending on cooking method):
1. Place the parsley, minced garlic, salt, torn peppers, oregano and spearmint, and cheese (cut in pieces) in a blender to make a paste.
2. In a deep and large bowl, place the mince.
3. Add the mince and the egg.
4. Mix well with both hands until the paste is well integrated in the mince. This is important to make sure the flavour of the ingredients is well spread.
5. Ideally let the mince sit for 30 minutes or overnight for the flavours to bind.
6. Shape your burgers or patties to the desired size.
7. BBQ or hot plate cook: grill a large or medium burger on a hot BBQ or hot plate for 3-7 min each side. Mini patties might take less time, about 2-4 min each side.
8. Oven: medium or large burgers can take 20-30 min at 180 degrees. Similar for medium patties the width of a Jaffa cake or digestive biscuit. Flip half way though cooking. They need to be golden but not dry.
9. Airfry: I air fry mini to medium patties in 15 min (7 each side), whilst burgers can take me 20-25 min.
TZATZÍKI TOURSÍ (PICKLED GHERKIN TZATZÍKI):
Ingredients:
• 250g strained Greek yoghurt
• 100g chopped pickled gherkins
• 1 garlic clove, minced or 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dried fennel tops
• Some mint (optional)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Method (15 mins):
1. In a deep bowl, mix the yoghurt well with all the ingredients, starting with the yoghurt, salt and pepper, vinegar and herbs.
2. Add the chopped gherkins.
3. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar.
4. Add the oil last to bind the tzatzíki. This is always my last and favourite stage. Without it, it is not tzatzíki.
Beca Lyne-Pirkis - 25 APRIL 2025
RECIPES:
PROVENÇAL TUNA PASTA:
Ingredients (serves 1):
85g pasta – any shape, but choose white over brown to minimise fibre
1 tin tuna steak in spring water
1 fresh tomato
1 garlic clove
9 black olives
1 tbsp capers
Small bunch fresh parsley
A drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to season
Method:
1. Cook the past in salted water until just cooked.
2. Finely chop the tomato, garlic, olives, capers and parsley – I usually pop everything on a chopping board and chop everything together with a pinch of salt. Drain the tuna.
3. Once the pasta has cooked, drain the water and add in the tuna and the chopped vegetables, add a good drizzle of olive oil and some black pepper and stir well. Taste to check seasoning – adding additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve straight away.
RECOVERY VEGETABLE CHILLI:
Ingredients (serves 6):
2 Aubergines
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion
1 Carrot
1 Green Pepper
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Tin Black Beans
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
3 tbsp Tomato puree
55g Red Lentils
20g Dried Porcini Mushrooms
1 Fresh red Chilli
1 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tsp Dried Oregano
3 tsp Ground Cumin
3 tsp Smoked Paprika
2 tsp Ground Coriander
1 stick of Cinnamon
600ml Vegetable Stock
Salt and Pepper to season
To serve
360g Rice
100g Grated Cheddar
150g Sour Cream
1-2 Fresh Chilli
4 Spring Onions
1 Avocado
½ -1 Lime, juiced
Method:
1. To start, you need to scorch the aubergines – easy if you have a gas hob, otherwise you will have a similar effect by placing the aubergines under a grill, or better yet on a BBQ. I placed a cooling rack over my gas hob and then placed the aubergines directly onto the flame, turning until it’s coloured all over. Pop to one side to cool.
2. Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in some hot water until soft – they’ll need around 20 minutes, so do this first. Chop the onion, pepper and carrot relatively small and place in a large saucepan with the rapeseed oil. Sweat until soft for around 5-8 minutes. You can scorch the green pepper too if you want. Scorch first then chop and add to the onion and carrot after they’ve sweated for 5 minutes.
3. Next, add in all the spices except the fresh chilli, long with the tomato puree and cook for a couple of minutes. Chop the garlic and chilli and add to the pan along with the lentils and stir everything. Chop the porcini mushrooms and add to the pot along with the mushroom water and the black beans. Add in the tinned tomatoes and chocolate and give everything a good stir. Bring up to a simmer and leave for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. After this time, taste to check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper as needed. Cut the aubergine into relatively large pieces and add to the chilli, being careful not to stir too vigorously as you want to try and keep the aubergine intact.
5. Cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Serve the chilli hot with the rice, some avocado mashed with lime juice and salt, a spoonful of sour cream, some grated cheese, chopped spring onions and some slices of chilli. I also like to add some chopped coriander and some tortilla chips on the side for added crunch and scoopage.
Beatriz Albo - 11 APRIL 2025
Bacalao al Pil-Pil – Traditional Basque Cod in Garlic Sauce
Ingredients:
Serves 4
- 4 pieces of cod loin, skin on (you can use salted cod) *
- 6 cloves of garlic, sliced
- 1 red chilli pepper (optional, to taste)
- 250 ml (of extra virgin olive oil
- Chopped parsley
* If using salted cod, soak it in cold water for 48 hours, changing the water every 8 hours to remove the salt.
Method
1. Prep the ingredients
- Pat the cod dry with paper towels.
- Peel and thinly slice the garlic removing the green germ from the centre.
- If using chilli, slice it and remove the seeds.
2. Infuse the oil
- In a wide pan (ideally earthenware or non-stick), heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the sliced garlic and chilli. We are going to ‘confit’ them so fry gently at a low-medium heat until the garlic is golden — not burned.
- Remove garlic and chilli from the oil and set aside (you’ll use them for garnish).
3. Cook the cod
- Lower the heat and gently place the cod into the infused oil skin-side up and the oils will cover the fish slightly. The oil should be around 800 C as we want to poach the cod in the oil not frying it (you will see little white bubbles coming out of the fish and into the oil).
- Cook slowly for about 15-20 minutes agitating the pan slowly several times as the cod will release a natural gelatine — this is key for the sauce!
4. Make the pil-pil sauce
- Once cooked, remove the cod and let the oil cool for 10 minutes.
- Begin to gently stir or swirl the oil using circular motions — either by:
- Tilting the pan continuously in circles, or
- Using a tea strainer or spoon to whisk in circles
- Slowly, the oil and gelatine will emulsify into a creamy, slightly thick yellow sauce.
Important tip: The key is low heat and patience. If it gets too hot, the sauce won’t emulsify.
5. Plate and garnish
- Place the cod back into the sauce and warm it for 2 minutes at a low heat just enough to warm the fish.
- Plate the fish skin-side down on a plate.
- Spoon the pil-pil sauce over the top.
- Garnish with the crispy garlic, chilli slices and chopped parsley.
Torrijas (Spanish-Style French Toast)
Torrijas are perhaps the most popular treat during Holy Week in Spain. They're similar to French toast but with unique regional touches:
Ingredients:
Serves 4-6
- 12 thick slices of day-old rustic bread (you can any bread)
- 1 litre of Milk (infused with 1 cinnamon stick, 4-6 strips of lemon zest and 1tbsp of sugar)
- 2-3 Eggs
- Sugar and ground cinnamon, to serve
- Vegetable oil for frying
Method
- Place the milk, cinnamon stick, lemon zest and sugar in a saucepan and bring it to the boil. Turn the heat off and allow to cool (this step can be done a few hours ahead). Strain the milk.
- Cut the bread into thick slices and soak them in the infused milk.
- Dip each soaked slice into the beaten egg.
- Fry in hot oil until golden and crispy.
- Place the slices on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
- Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon before serving.
Important tip: Avoid soaking the bread for too long – just enough to absorb the milk – so it holds its shape during frying.
Torrijas can be served warm or cold. In some regions, they’re soaked in sweet wine or topped with honey for extra flavour.
Variations:
- With cream: Substitute half of the milk with single cream and add a tablespoon of sherry to make it into a richer version and serve with vanilla ice-cream for a perfect dessert.
- With chocolate: When infusing the milk, add some cocoa powder. Use brioche bread and once fried, drizzle with warm chocolate sauce.
- Tropical flavour: Instead of regular milk, use coconut milk and add a hint of cardamom or ground ginger. Once cooked, serve with tropical fruit jam or preserve — mango or ion fruit work beautifully.
- Matcha style: When infusing the milk, stir in a little matcha tea. Once the torrijas are fried, serve them with a lemon or yuzu cream for a touch of acidity that pairs wonderfully with the sweetness.
- Posh: Make a cava reduction by simmering one cup of cava with three tablespoons of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer slowly until it reaches a syrupy consistency. Serve the torrijas with this reduction and a handful of red berries.
SIAN DAY - 4 APRIL 2025
Dubai Chocolate brownies
Ingredients
For Brownie
225g butter
100g dark chocolate
200g sugar
4 eggs
50g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1tsp vanilla
For the pistachio kanufa filling
100g kataifi
270g pistachio paste
1 tbsp butter
30g pistachios chopped
For the topping
100g melted chocolate
1 tbsp pistachio cream
METHOD
To make the brownies put the butter and chocolate in a microwavable bowl and heat on 30 sec bursts until melted together or heat over a saucepan on a low heat set aside to cool slightly.
Mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla together until light and fluffy then pour in the chocolate mixture and then sift in the flour and coco and salt stir until combined then tip into a lined baking tin.
Bake for approximately 25 minutes on 180 degrees
While cooling prepare the kanufa filling by heating a heavy based large frying pan with butter and kataifi , mix until golden approx 10-15 mins then stir in the pistachio paste and chopped pistachios then spread over the cooled brownie and pour over melted chocolate and drizzle over the pistachio paste, allow to set and cut into squares
Caramel slice
SHORTBREAD
175g butter
250g plain flour
75g cater sugar
CARAMEL FILLING
1 can of condensed milk (397g)
100g light brown sugar
100g butter
CHOCOLATE TOPPING
200g milk chocolate
Method
Heat the oven to 180 degrees /gas 4
Grease and line a 20-22cm square baking tin
Mix the flour, butter and sugar together into a dough like consistency, then press into the baking tin, prick with a fork all over to prevent from rising, bake for 20 mins or until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile make the caramel, use a heavy based saucepan , mix the condensed milk, sugar and butter together and stir continuously, bring to the boil until thick and caramel like in colour, then pour over the shortbread and spread evenly and allow to cool.
Melt the chocolate and pour over the top of the caramel smoothing out and allow to set.
Cut into squares and enjoy!
Sticky toffee pudding with Caramel sauce
INGREDIENTS
200g pitted dates
290ml boiling water
200g self raising flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
170g demerara sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
1 tbsp golden syrup
55g butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp black treacle
100ml milk
CARAMEL SAUCE
175 light brown sugar
50g butter
225 double cream
! tbsp Treacle
METHOD
Place dates in a bowl and add boiling water simmer for a minute take off the heat and mash and then add the bicarbonate of soda.
Meanwhile heat the oven to 180 degrees C/Gas 4 Put the butter, syrup, treacle and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy add the eggs gently sift in the flour followed by the date mixture and pour into a cake tin and bake for approx 35 minutes until springy to touch.
SAUCE
Put the sugar, butter, treacle and cream into a heavy based saucepan, heat gently stirring to ensure bottom doesn’t stick, bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes until thick and caramel coloured
Cut the sponge into squares and pour over sauce and serve!
JOHN CHANTARASAK - 28 March 2025
Coconut prawns with sweet chilli sauce
Ingredients for Sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
3 tbsp tomato puree or tomato ketchup
3 tbsp white sugar
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
150ml water
1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tsp water into a slurry
Method
1. Combine all the ingredients except the cornflour mix in a saucepan.
2. Bring to the boil and stir to dissolve the sugar.
3. Stir in the cornflour mix and cook for a further minute to thicken. Transfer to a serving bowl
and set aside to cool.
Ingredients for Coconut prawns
500g raw tiger prawns
100g panko breadcrumbs
50g desiccated coconut
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 tbsp plain flour
2 whole egg, beaten
Vegetable oil
Sea salt flakes
Method
1. Peel the tiger prawn bodies, discarding the shells and heads. Devein the prawns by cutting into the back of each and removing the dark digestion line. Wash the prawns in cold water, then drain well and pat dry on absorbent paper.
2. Combine the panko breadcrumbs, desiccated coconut and finely chopped herbs in a wide dish, mixing together well. In another wide dish add the plain flour and in another separate wide dish add the beaten egg.
3. First dust the prawn bodies in the flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumb mix.
4. In a wide saucepan, heat 2 cm of vegetable oil over a medium heat. In batches, fry the prawns so the breadcrumbs turn golden brown, flipping once. Drain well on absorbent paper.
5. Sprinkle the cooked prawns with sea salt flakes and serve with the sweet chilli sauce.
Leafy radishes with whipped tofu and caviar
Ingredients
1 bunch leafy radishes
300g silken tofu
1 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp lime juice
¼ tsp sesame oil
50g trout caviar (optional)
Method
1. Clean the radishes in a large bowl of cold water, being sure to wash away any dirt. Drain off the water ensuring the bowl is clean. Submerge the radishes in fresh cold water and leave until serving in the water.
2. Transfer the silken tofu to a fine sieve. Gently press to remove any excess liquid. This will help to make a thicker final product with a richer feel.
3. Add the silken tofu, white miso, lime juice and sesame oil to a blender. Blitz until very smooth and thick. Transfer to a serving bowl and chill in the fridge until required.
4. To serve, drain the radishes of excess water on a kitchen towel then transfer to a serving plate with the whipped tofu topped with trout caviar.
ANGELA GRAY - 21 March 2025
Cook along with Angela on BBC Sounds
New Season Asparagus and Wild Garlic Tart
Pastry:
120g Salted butter, cubed and chilled, a little extra for dusting
225g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1 medium free-range egg yolk
Filling:
1 bunch large asparagus, base and cuticles trimmed 8 wild garlic leaves, shredded
300ml double cream
3 medium eggs, beaten
3 twists black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
60g full flavoured hard cheese e.g. Vintage Cheddar
WHAT TO DO:
Make the pastry:
Pulse the butter and pulse together in a food processor until it all looks like butter crumbs.
Sprinkle in the salt and a tablespoon of chilled water.
Pulse again to combine into a ball.
Wrap up in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180c/160C fan/gas 4.
Lightly butter and flour a 22cm loose bottom tart tin.
Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the pastry evenly, lift and line the prepared tart tin.
Gently ease the pastry to fit into the base and sides.
Prick the base all over with a fork.
Scrunch up a sheet of baking parchment and line the pastry case, then fill with baking beans.
Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.
Remove the paper and beans, and continue baking for 5 minutes to dry the centre of the base out.
Make the filling:
Steam or boil the asparagus until al dente, about 4-5 minutes.
Drain and refresh under cold water.
Cut off the tips, these will be the decoration, and chop the rest of the asparagus up, bliss to a puree in a food processor.
Tip into a bowl and add the wild garlic, cream, eggs and seasoning, mix well.
Assemble: arrange the asparagus tips on the base of the tart, top with half f the cheese, pour in the asparagus cream mixture, and finish with the remaining cheese.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes, but check at 30 minutes, shake the tart gently, it should have a little wobble in the centre.
Turn the oven off, remove the tart after 5 minutes more for a perfect soft set.
Serve with a lovely fresh green salad with herbs and a simple vinaigrette.
Accompany with a Pink Rhubarb Fizz
Syrup:
1 Kg new season pink rhubarb
2 large oranges
2 large lemons
60g fresh peeled ginger
600ml water
To Serve:
Chilled prosecco, or sparkling water, or sparkling tea
Sprig mint,
1/2 slices of orange and lemon- frozen
What you do
Wash and cut the rhubarb into equal pieces, tip into a large saucepan.
Using a veg peeler, peel away the zest of the oranges and lemons, add to the pan.
Juice the oranges and lemons into the pan.
Slice the ginger and add to the pan.
Tip in the sugar, add the water and bring it all to a simmer.
Cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and leave to steep for 1 hour.
Use a fine sieve, or muslin cloth in a strainer and ladle the rhubarb mixture in, leave it to strain through.
You may have to do this in a couple of additions.
Once strained and cooled, pour into sterilised jars or bottles and keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Use 50ml as a base for prosecco, sparkling water of sparkling tea.
You can also use it as a mixer in cocktails, or as a sauce over ice-cream and to soak into a sponges.
Additional Recipe:
Create your own funny face Red Nose pizza, using this delicious garlic, basil and tomato savoury butter.
A fun way to celebrate all the great work Comic Relief does.
Ingredients:
Savoury butter:
80g Salted Butter
8 basil leaves, finely shredded
1 large clove garlic, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon tomato puree
The Pizza:
1 medium tomato, hollowed out and drained- keep the lid
1 large pizza base
75g grated mozzarella
2 thin slices chorizo or salami
2 sliced mozzarella
2 black olives, pitted
1/2 sweet pepper, thinly sliced
1 slice streaky bacon or pancetta
Blend or mash the savoury butter ingredients
Then put your savoury butter in the freezer for 30 minutes
Once chilled, put inside a hollowed tomato
Assemble your pizza face with toppings, bake for 12 mins, then splat the butter-stuffed nose for a deliciously fun finish!
Sam and Shauna of Hang Fire BBQ - 14 March 2025
Listen on BBC Sounds
Corned Beef / Salt Beef - from Scratch!
Making your own salt beef is relatively straight forward. You just need time – and patience – as this recipe will take up to 7 days start to finish! But it’s so very worth it.
The weight of the beef plays a large part in this recipe as it dictates how much curing salts and water you’ll need for the brining/curing process to be both effective and safe. You can adjust any of these quantities based on the weight of meat you’re using.
We like to use a curing method that uses a product called ‘Prague Powder No1’ this is, in effect, a nitrite additive, that is not only a preservative, but it prevents any potential bacteria growth during the brining process. It also gives the beef its gorgeous pink colour when cooked. You can of course choose not to use this if you prefer to go all natural, but bear in mind the meat will appear grey after the cooking process, but it’ll be equally delicious to the taste. You can pick up Prague Powder No1 from any butcher supplier online.
Ingredients
3kgs Welsh Beef Brisket
We prefer unrolled brisket, with any silver skin and fat trimmed off. Make sure the brisket is an even thickness all over to ensure even curing.
For the pickling spices
1 Tbl whole yellow mustard seeds
1 Tbl coriander seeds
1 Tbl chilli flakes
1 Tbl whole black peppercorns
1 Tbl whole allspice berries (optional)
1 teaspoon whole cloves
5 dried bay leaves, torn up
3 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
For the brine/cure
4 litres water (split into 2litres)
250g Sea Salt Flakes
30gms Prague Powder No1 (optional)
3 tablespoons of your pickling spices
100g Soft brown sugar
Method
- Start with preparing the pickling spices; toast the allspice berries (if using), mustard seeds, coriander seeds, chilli flakes, peppercorns, cloves in a small frying pan on medium heat until just fragrant and the mustard seeds just start to pop. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Lightly crush in pestle and mortar to them or in a zip lock bag and give them a gentle bash with a rolling pin. Add the spices to a bowl with the ground ginger and cinnamon stick and give it a mix.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the pickling spice mix plus the stick of cinnamon, to 2 litres of water in a large pot, along with the sea salt, Prague Powder No1 (if using), and the soft brown sugar. Reserve the rest of the pickling spices for cooking the beef after it has cured.
- Warm through and keep whisking until all the salt and sugar is fully dissolved, you don’t need to bring it to the boil. Remove from heat and let cool back to room temperature then add the remining 2 litres of cold water.
- Place the brisket in a large, flat container and cover with the brine. The brine should completely cover the meat. The beef may float in which case you may want to weigh it down with a plate.
- Place in the fridge for 7 days. Flip the brisket over daily, so it brines evenly.
- At the end of the 7-day cure, remove the brisket from the brine and rinse off with cold water. Place the brisket in a large pot that just fits around the meat and cover with at least 5cm of cold water. If you want your corned beef less salty, add another 5cm of water to the pot.
- Add your remaining reserved pickling spices to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer, cover with a lid, and gently cook 3.5-4 hours, until the corned beef is fork tender.
- You can also use a pressure cooker if you have one, it certainly speeds up the cooking process, but make sure its set to low and you pop a trivet at the bottom for the beef to sit on. Pressure cook for around 90 minutes or until fork tender. You don’t want to boil the beef too vigorously as it has a tendency to fall apart when cooked on too high a temperature.
- You can choose to keep the cooking liquor and boil any veggies like the potatoes, carrots and cabbage in it. Make sure you strain off the spices first.
- We like to slice the brisket thinly and serve with buttery champ, Chantenay carrots and seasonal cabbage. In our house, there’s always a debate on whether we serve with gravy or a creamy whole grain mustard sauce. Either way it’s delicious. And we always have leftovers to make salt beef bagels with lashings of mustard, sweet pickled cucumbers and nutty slices of Swiss cheese the next day.
- Any remaining beef can be in the fridge for up to a week (though we doubt it will last that long as its amazing!),or slice it and pop it in a zip lock bag as it freezes very well.
St Patricks Day Dinner with Corned Beef and Champ
Nothing says St Patricks Day than what our Irish cousins call a ‘Boiled dinner’! The comforting, silky mash potato, spiked with soft spring onions, sweet, al dente Chantenay carrots and pan-fried Savoy cabbage and a rich gravy is only made better with your own homemade Corned Beef.
We make Salt Beef/Corned Beef and Pastrami regularly throughout the year and it’s easier than you think. Impress yourself, and your friends and family, with your new found curing skills. We hope you give it a go!
Serves 4
Ingredients
400gms Salt Beef/Corned Beef (100gms per adult, thinly sliced)
1 medium Savoy Cabbage (500gms), large outer leaves removed
300gms Chantenay Carrots, scrubbed
1kg Maris Piper Potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
1 bunch spring onions, finely diced, washed
120gms salted butter (split in half, cubed)
100mls Whole milk
3tbl Plain flour
500ml Good quality beef or chicken stock
Sprig each of thyme and rosemary
1 bay leaf
Salt and Cracked White Pepper to taste
2tbls extra butter for finishing
Method
- Start by preparing your vegetables. If you have a steamer, steam the potatoes until cooked through.
- While the potatoes are cooking, in a small pan, add the milk and spring onions. Heat on a low simmer for 5-10 minutes so the spring onions cook through and infuse the milk.
- We like to put the cooked potatoes through a potato ricer to make sure there’s no lumps and the mash is silky, alternatively, a potato masher will do the trick with some elbow grease.
- With the potatoes mashed, add in 50gms of the butter, cubed works well, it’ll melt faster as you stir and fold it in. We add in some sea salt and freshly cracked white pepper to taste. You can use black pepper here, but we prefer our Champ without the little dark flecks of black pepper. But use whatever you have to hand.
- Now add in the milk and spring onion infusion, mix well, cover and set aside, your Champ is done!
- For the beef gravy, add your beef stock to a pan, simmer gently with the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf for around 15 minutes to infuse, if it reduces, add in a little water as you’ll need the full 500ml of liquid.
- To a separate saucepan, add the remaining 60gms of butter to a pan, melt over a medium heat then add in your flour a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a spatula thoroughly as you go. When all the flour has been well incorporated, start to add in your warm stock, minus the herbs, a ladle at a time to your flour roux.
- We usually switch to a small whisk at this point, stirring vigorously with each ladle of stock, ensuring a lump-free gravy as you go. Continue until all the stock is incorporated. Season to taste at this stage and turn to a low simmer.
- Steam cook the cabbage whole until al dente. When it’s cool enough to handle, and cut into quarters through the core. Sprinkle each cut side with a tiny pinch of salt. Heat a large frying pan, medium high, and add in a tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of oil. When the butter is melted, add in your cabbage quarters carefully. Fry each cut side of the cabbage, just to give a light colour, around 2 minutes per side. Be careful as if any water is trapped in the cabbage leaves from the steaming process, it can spit a little as it meets the hot fat in the pan.
- Steam cook the carrots to your liking. As soon as they’re are cooked, we add a little salt, pepper and butter and toss through. Set aside to keep warm.
- We like to heat our sliced corned beef in a foil parcel and in a low-medium oven (around 150C/gas mark 2) until warmed through gently, around 15-20 minutes.
- Lastly is simply plating up your Irish dinner. Lay your pan-fried cabbage quarter and cooked carrots side by side, next heap the Champ in the centre of the plate, don’t be shy with the potatoes! Lay the slices of Corned Beef on top of the Champ followed by a ladle of hot gravy. Enjoy your celebratory St Paddy’s Day dinner!
Owen Morgan - 7 March 2025
Cook Along With Owen on BBC Sounds
Braised lamb neck fillet, spring greens and peas:
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp mild smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
15ml light olive oil
3 lamb neck fillets, trimmed
1 large onion, roughly diced
3 carrots, roughly diced
3 celery sticks, roughly diced
1 head of garlic, smashed
4 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 x 330ml bottle beer
400ml chicken stock
For the peas and greens:
500g butter
½ onion, finely diced
250g frozen peas
6 mint leaves
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
Light olive oil
6 chard leaves, thick stalks sliced, leaves torn
6 cavolo nero leaves, stripped from spine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
- Place the salt, paprika, coriander and cumin seeds in a blender and blitz together. Stir in the olive oil, then rub this paste into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Add some olive oil to a heavy based flameproof pan over a high heat. When hot, sear the lamb until caramelised all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add all the vegetables and herbs to the same pan over a medium heat and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened. Preheat the oven to 150ºC/130ºC Fan/Gas mark 2.
- Add the marinated lamb to the vegetables. Turn the heat up, add the beer and reduce by half.
- Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then cover the pan with parchment and a lid and place in the oven for 3–4 hours, until the meat is meltingly tender. Allow to cool in the liquor, then transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside.
- Strain the vegetables and liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, using the back of a spoon to press as much moisture as possible out of the veg. Place the pan over a high heat, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium and reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
- Cut the lamb necks into halves or thirds and add to the sauce to warm through.
- Meanwhile, prepare the peas and greens. Melt the butter in a heavy based pan over a medium heat and sweat the onion in it until translucent. Add the peas and stir, cooking for a minute or so, then add the mint leaves. Transfer to a blender and blitz for 2–3 minutes, until smooth. the mixture through a sieve for an extra smooth result.
- Place the garlic and some olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook for 1 minute, until sizzling. Add the greens and sauté for 1–2 minutes, stirring. Season to taste. Serve the lamb with the pea purée and the sautéd greens.
Osso bucco in sherry, olive oil potato, bone marrow migas (crumb) - sharing dish:
Ingredients (serves 6-8):
2kg shin of beef, cut into 6–8 pieces (ask your butcher to do this)
Plain flour, for dusting
Light olive oil
4 large carrots, roughly diced
2 large onions, roughly diced
2 leeks, roughly diced
2 sprigs of thyme
50g tomato purée
50ml balsamic vinegar
1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
1 x 750ml bottle red wine
750ml beef stock
3 tbsp brown sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the olive oil potato purée:
1.5kg King Edward potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
400ml double cream
150g butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400ml extra virgin olive oil
For the bone marrow and herb migas:
1kg beef marrow bones (mid-section if possible), cut in half horizontally and soaked in water overnight (if bone marrow is unavailable, use liberal amounts of olive oil, or dry aged beef dripping instead, and omit the roasting step)
3 slices of two-day-old bread
10 sage leaves
50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, gently smashed with the palm of your hand
1 tsp thyme leaves
Handful of picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 160ºC/140ºC Fan /Gas mark 3.
- Season the shin of beef well, then dust with flour. Add some olive oil to a heavy-based pan and sear the beef in batches on all sides until deeply caramelised. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add some more olive oil to the same pan and add the carrots, onions, leeks and thyme. Sweat for 15 minutes, until completely softened and starting to caramelise.
- Stir in the tomato purée and balsamic vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Return the beef to the pan and pour in the wine, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, then reduce the wine by half (about 5–10 minutes). Add the beef stock and bring to the boil, then stir in the brown sugar.
- Transfer the contents of the pan to a large roasting tray or ovenproof casserole dish, cover with baking parchment, then a lid or foil. Place in the oven for 3 hours, or until the beef is meltingly tender. Set aside to cool in the liquor for 1½ hours, then transfer the beef to a large plate and strain the liquor through a fine sieve.
- Return the liquor to the roasting tray, place over a high heat and reduce it to a sauce consistency. Add the beef to the sauce and keep warm until needed.
- To make the potato purée, cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender. Meanwhile, gently heat the cream in a separate pan.
- Drain the potatoes, then put them through a potato ricer, or mash until smooth. Place in a large bowl, add the warm cream and mix well.
- Warm the butter and garlic in the empty potato pan over a medium heat, until starting to sizzle. Add the olive oil and keep stirring. Add the potatoes and mix well without overworking. They should be very loose, almost purée-like. Taste and season as necessary.
- For the bone marrow migas, preheat the oven to 200ºC/180º Fan/ Gas mark 6.
- Put the marrow bones into a roasting tray and roast for 20 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, put the bread and sage leaves into a blender or food processor and blitz into crumbs.
- Place the olive oil and garlic in a non-stick frying pan and use a spoon to scrape the marrow into the same pan. Sauté over a medium heat, breaking up the marrow as much as possible. After a couple of minutes, add the sage breadcrumbs and thyme leaves, stirring to coat until glistening. Keep sautéing, stirring regularly, until the breadcrumbs are crisp, golden and bursting with bone marrow flavour. Empty the contents of the pan into a sieve to drain off any excess fat, then pat the crumbs dry on kitchen paper. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest, season to taste with sea salt and mix well.
- To serve, spoon the potato onto individual plates and tap firmly from underneath to let the potato find its natural level. Place a piece of warm ossobuco on top and finish with a sprinkling of migas (this dish can also be served family-style, at the table).
Beca Lyne-Pirkis - 28 February 2025
Cook along with Beca on BBC Sounds
HOGGET MEATBALLS AND VEGETABLE CAWL:
Ingredients (serves 4-5):
- 500g Hogget mince or lamb mince
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- ½ an onion
- Small handful of fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
- 1 slice of bread – white or brown, made into breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- Olive oil
- 200g carrots, scrubbed and cubed
- 200g swede, peeled and cubed
- 300g potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
- 1 large leek, cleaned and sliced
- Salt and pepper to season
Method:
- Blitz the garlic, ½ onion and fresh parsley in a food processor until fine, add to a bowl with hogget mince. Add the bread to the food processor and blitz into breadcrumbs and add to the meat, along with the egg and season. Mix everything until well combined and shape into 25 meatballs.
- Add the oil to a large pan and place over a medium heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs and pop to one side. Add the carrots, swede, and potatoes to the pan, stir and pop a lid on, reduce the heat. Sweat the veg a for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the leeks in and sweat for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Add the meatballs and any juices to the pan and cover with water, season with salt, give it a good stir and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. You can use stock if you prefer – but I just add water allowing the meat and veg to shine through.
- The cawl is ready when the veg are soft, taste the broth to check for seasoning. Serve with an extra sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley, some strong Welsh cheese and some crusty bread.
BARA BRITH BABKA (YEASTED BARA BRITH):
Ingredients (makes one loaf, 2lb loaf tin):
- 300g strong bread flour
- 7g dried yeast
- 6g salt
- 115ml full fat milk
- 3 tea bags
- 65g sugar
- 85g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
Filling
- 1 heaped tsp mixed spice
- 30g light brown sugar
- 60g unsalted butter
- 75g mixed fruit
Glaze
- 50ml strong black tea
- 50g caster sugar
Method:
- Place the milk and tea bags into a saucepan and gently heat, making sure not to boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until hand hot, or cooler.
- Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter, then add the sugar and yeast and mix until evenly distributed. Remove the tea bags from the milk, and add the egg and the milk to the mixture, bring everything together into a ball of dough and tip out onto the worktop.
- Knead the dough until smooth – it will be very soft and sticky to begin with, but persevere; it should be smooth in around 10 minutes. Place the dough back into the bowl and leave to rest, covered with a tea towel at room temperature until doubled in size, at least one hour.
- Whilst the dough is proving prepare the filling by gently melting the butter with the sugar, mixed fruit and mixed spice. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until the mixture has solidified and formed a paste.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, tip out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a rectangle around 30cm x 40cm. Spread the now cooled paste evenly onto the dough and then roll up from the short end to encase the filling inside the dough like a swiss roll. Cut the dough lengthways so that you now have 2 long pieced of dough with the filling exposed. Gently lift one of the pieces up and onto the other piece to create a cross, then twist the 2 pieces of dough together. Gently lift the twisted dough and place into a greased loaf tin, cover and leave to prove for 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 170C fan, and once proved for a 2nd time, bake in the middle of the oven for around 25 minutes.
- Whilst the bread is baking, make a simple syrup with the strong black tea and caster sugar – place in a small saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for a couple of minutes or until glossy and thickened. Once the bread has baked, gently brush the tea glaze over the loaf, then leave the loaf to cool completely before slicing.
Store in a cool, dry place in an air-tight container and eat withing 1-2 days. Can be frozen.
Chef Michael John - 21 February 2025
Cook along with Michael on BBC Sounds
Braised fillet of Turbot with fine herbs and spring vegetables
Introduction
The technique of cooking releases the essence of the fish which is used to create a wonderful clean and fresh jus. The jus is finished with the smallest amount of butter - just 5g per person. A great classic sauce, which is still enjoyed in spite of its richness. The Gewürztraminer is a beautiful fresh and clean wine with great fruit which retains its character when cooked - unlike many other white wines.
SERVES (YIELD): 2
PREPARATION TIME: 15 mins COOKING TIME: 15 mins
Planning ahead:
You can have all the ingredients sliced and your wine weighed out the day before.
Ingredients:
Cooking the fish:
2 x 150g Turbot, filleted and portioned into 4 (150g pieces)
2g / 2 pinches Sea salt
15g Butter, unsalted
30g / 1 x Shallots, small peeled and sliced
40g / 5 x Mushrooms button, washed and sliced
50ml Wine, dry white /Gewurtstraminer/ Noilly Pratt
25ml Water
Ingredients to finish the sauce:
10ml / 2 tsp Cream, double
15g / Butter, unsalted, diced, cold (see chef note *1)
5ml Lemon juice
2g / ½ tbsp Chives, chopped
2g / ½ tbsp Chervil, chopped
Method:
Cooking the fish:
Season the fish fillets with salt. In a large sauté pan, sweat the shallots in the butter for 2 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and sweat for a further minute. Add the wine or Noilly Pratt and boil for about 30 seconds (chef note *2) before adding the water and the cream. Add the fillets of fish, bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, and cover with a lid. Cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and reserve in a warm place for 3-5 minutes (chef note *3).
Finishing the sauce and serving:
Lift the fish fillets on to a large buttered serving dish and keep warm. whisk in the butter (chef note *4). Taste, correct the seasoning and add a little lemon juice to lift the sauce. Add chervil, and all the cooked vegetables. Bring to the boil for 30 seconds, pour over the fillets and serve.
Chef’s notes:
- The butter is to be incorporated into the sauce and must be cold. If it is too soft it would melt too quickly and the sauce would not emulsify.
- The wine is boiled in order to remove some of the alcohol content and to reduce the acidity. The aim is to leave enough acidity to give depth of flavour; if reduced too much, the sauce is likely to be very flat.
- Once the fish has been taken out of the pan, it is rested for 3 minutes. This will allow the residual heat to finish cooking the fish perfectly, and also some of the juices to escape. This will be used to enrich the sauce.
- The butter needs to be whisked vigorously in order to disperse it and emulsify it within the juices to create a homogenous sauce. Since it contains much less emulsifier than, for instance, a hollandaise sauce - it is less stable. However, by vigorously whisking, thereby creating very small fat globules, it can be made to last for 20 minutes or more. Whisk again if it separates.
Variations:
The fish could be portioned on the bone and cooked which would provide more flavour to the sauce. The bones of the fish could be chopped up and softened with the sliced mushrooms to provide more depth of flavour.
This dish offers many variations: tomatoes, mustard, basil and leek could also be used.
Fillets of brill, plaice, lemon sole, etc. can be used instead.
Planning ahead….
Shopping list;
Braised fillets of turbot with fine herbs, spring vegetables
30g Unsalted butter
2 x 150g turbot if not available (brill, halibut, sole, plaice)
2 pinches Sea salt
1 x banana Shallots,
40g / 5 x Mushrooms button, washed and sliced
50ml Wine, dry white, Noilly Pratt or Champagne
10ml / 2 tsp Cream, double
½ Lemon
2g / ½ tbsp Chives, Chervil or parsley
100g spinach (optional)
50g frozen peas (optional)
6no asparagus (optional)
40g samphire (optional)
Equipment list;
1 x medium skillet & lid
1 x medium saucepan and a lid
1 x chopping board
1 x chefs knife/utility knife
1 x fish slice
1 x plate to rest the fish
1x cling film
Angela Gray - 14 February 2025
Cook along with Angela on BBC Sounds
Blood Orange Bellini
Will make 6 cocktails
2 blood oranges
100g sugar or agave syrup
1 sprig rosemary
1 tbsp brandy or orange liqueur
Chilled Champagne or Prosecco
What you do
Make the blood orange syrup: Peel 4 wide strips of blood orange zest from 1 orange, add to a small saucepan. Add the sugar/agave syrup. Juice both oranges and add enough water to take it to 200ml. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has melted, add the rosemary and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Discard the rosemary, pick out the orange zest strips and keep for the cocktail, stir in the brandy. Cover and chill until needed.
To serve: add a dessertspoon of the chilled blood orange syrup to 2 chilled glasses. Top with chilled bubbly. Thread a piece of blood orange zest onto a cocktail stick and set across the top of the glass and serve.
Marry Me Chicken Pasta
serves 2
2 medium chicken breasts, each cut into 3 strips
2 tbsp plain flour mixed with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper
Marry Me Butter:
60g Salted Butter, softened
2 large cloves garlic, grated
75g sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
The rest:
180g mascarpone or cream cheese
100ml water (use the pasta water)
120g pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta
To finish:
50g Parmesan, grated
Fresh ground black pepper
A few torn basil leaves
2 handfuls rocket leaves, soaked in cold water and drained
What you do
Roll the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess and set aside.
Make the savoury butter: put all the ingredients in a mini food processor, or beat together by hand in bowl- butter, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, thyme, paprika, lemon zest and juice. Whizz together util combined and colourful.
Cook the chicken part 1: Pop a large frying pan over a medium heat, and 2/3 fill a large saucepan with water and bring to the boil for the pasta.
Add half the butter to the frying pan and melt, add the chicken pieces and gently fry until lightly coloured all over, remove onto a plate and set aside. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the instructions on the packet. Tong the cooked pasta into a bowl and set aside.
Make the sauce: add the remaining butter to the pan and melt, add the mascarpone, mix together, then use about 100ml of water from the pasta pan and add to the sauce to make a nice creamy consistency.
Cook the chicken part 2: add the chicken pieces back into the pan adding any resting juices and spoon the sauce over. Poach gently for 12 minutes, turning the pieces over half way through the time. Make sure the sauce is not boiling!
Serve: remove the cooked chicken pieces and 1/3 of the sauce onto a warm plate. Tip the cooked pasta into the remaining sauce and coat well. Tong onto 2 warm plates, top with the chicken pieces and sauce. Finish with grated Parmesan, and garnish with torn basil leaves and a side of rocket leaves.
Olly Smith - 8 January 2025
Cook along with Olly on BBC Sounds
Mango Colada – Mocktail
60ml (2oz) cream of coconut
30ml (1oz) Freshly squeezed pineapple juice
15ml (1/2 oz) freshly squeezed lime juice
60ml (2oz) 60g frozen mango
Garnish: mango slice and pineapple leaf
Equipment: blender
Method:
Add all of the ingredients to a blender cup.
Blend on high until you have a smooth, thick cocktail.
Pour into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a slice of fresh or dehydrated mango and a pineapple leaf.
Vibrant and creamy, this deluxe treat is a celebration of Mauritian tropical fruit designed to brighten your day with every sip. Send your spirit on holiday and get ready for a tropically scrumptious modern classic.
Garden Spritz - MOCKTAIL
50ml non-alcoholic gin/spirit
20ml Elderflower Cordial
Squeeze of lime juice
Fever Tree Tonic Water
Method:
Half fill a wine glass with ice cubes. Add the non-alcoholic gin/spirit, elderflower cordial and fresh lime juice.
Top up with tonic water and stir to combine.
Garnish with a couple of slices of cucumber.
I love my garden and as the summer swells apple blossom into fruit, I could spend endless hours iring the butterflies and listening to the swallows flying overhead. The pristine flavours of this scented bubbly gem remind me of all the verdant freshness of those heady days, it’s my homage to every country garden!
Non Alcoholic Paloma - MOCKTAIL
25ml non alcoholic tequila
75ml Grapefruit Juice
Soda water, a twist of lime juice for zing
Method:
Add non alcoholic tequila to a highball glass half filled with ice. Add grapefruit juice and top with soda water and lime juice if you like. Garnish with a pink grapefruit wedge!
