Adapted from Elizabeth David.
285ml/1/2 pt double cream 3 eggs 200g smoked bacon/lardons 50/75g cheese - I use mixed parmesan and medium/mature cheddar; a mix of parmesan/gruyere also works well. 1/2 pack shortcrust pastry Roll out the pastry and line a 20/23cm or 8"/9" pie/flan dish. Bake blind for 15-20 mins. This makes a deep (approx 2.5cm/1") tart on a 18/20cm or 7"/8" tin, or about 1/2" on a 9"; both are pleasant, in their own way.
Make a marinade from:
1 tbs five spice powder; 100 ml soy sauce; 100 ml dry sherry (or a suitable substitute); a 1in cube of fresh root ginger, finely chopped; 2-3 cloves of garlic; 1 finely chopped chili; 50 ml or so light oil. Take a 800g piece of pork loin, and put in in the marinade. Rub the marinade well in; and make deep cuts through the meat and push in the marinade.
pack of chicken thighs (500g) 2 leeks 6 medium carrots small bunch of thyme 1 stick celery 1 tin cannelini beans 1 glass white wine 0.5 - 1.0 lt/1-2 pt chicken stock (good quality stock is very important) Bone and trim the thighs, and brown them with a little oil (they give off a lot of fat, so use just enough to start them). Skin them after browning, and break up into decent sized lumps - sort of broad bean sized, if that helps.
Equipment 1 medium casserole (I use pyrex one) 1 largish frying pan (10" is good) 1 medium saucepan 1 potato masher/ricer, or a strong fork at a pinch Ingredients 1 medium onion 500g mince (lean preferred) 1 tsp marmite 3 medium potatoes 200ml/ 1/3 pt hot water 55g/2 oz butter 30ml/2 tbs oil Slice the onion and soften it in some oil. Brown the mince and mix with the onion.
From Elizabeth David, Italian Food
500g lean beef - “braising steak”, skirt, or one of the lumps sold as “roasting joint” in English supermarkets. Preferably in a chunk rather than a flat steak, and NOT diced. 1 italian pork sausage, approx 85g/3oz. 1 onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 stick of celery, finely chopped 1 oz butter 1 tbs tomato puree small glass white wine 240ml/1 cup beef stock 2 cloves salt and pepper Melt the butter and soften the onion, carrot and celery over a low/medium heat.
Brine 0.5 cup kosher salt 475ml/1 US pt pineapple orange juice 15 black peppercorns small bunch thyme 4 cloves crushed garlic joint - remove wings, cut alongside spine (both sides), split into 2. Separate into 2 parts each. Score the skin (not into meat) - 3 cuts each way.
2.5 hours in brine in fridge.
45 mins steam. 2" water in bottom of pan. Cover.
Sauté potatoes in duck fat.
This is my translation of Poulet Sauté au Vinaigre, courtesy of Michel Guérard, via Simon Hopkinson.
1 chicken, jointed into 8 60g/2 oz butter 6 skinned and deseeded tomatoes (aka one can) 300 ml red wine vinegar (best quality) 300 ml chicken stock 60g/2 oz butter 1 tbs chopped parsley Season the chicken, and fry in the first butter in a sauté pan that can hold all of the parts until golden brown.
750g best mince (lean steak) 2 red chilis (fresh, or from a tin of chipotles in adobo) 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tin (400g) mixed beans or red kidney 1 tin red kidney beans in chili sauce 1 tin (400g) tomatoes 1 onion 2 red peppers stock to cover 1 tbs flour First, brown all the mince in small batches in a very hot pan, with the windows open and smoke detector turned off.
Taken from Gordon Ramsay. The more traditional variation is described at the bottom.
4 skinned chicken breasts 200 ml white wine 2 tbs capers, rinsed and squeezed 200 ml chicken stock 100 ml creme fraiche garlic (can use half a head cut across to expose the bulbs) rosemary sprig Flatten the chicken breasts - put then in a plastic bag and roll firmly with a rolling pin.
Heat some oil/butter in a sauté pan and heat the garlic and rosemary in it for 2 minutes.
This is a simple pie made from easy to find ingredients, with a potato topping.
650g fish: it can be 100% undyed smoked haddock, or a mix of fish including smoked haddock or cod. No oily fish, please; only firm white fish 100g prawns (or other varied fish/shellfish) 4 hard boiled eggs, shelled (boil for 7 mins, heating the eggs from cold) 450g potatoes, made into mash with 60g butter 30g plain flour 30g butter 425ml/3/4 pt milk 1 bunch parsley 60g cheese (cheddar rather than parmesan, etc), grated seasoning (pepercorns, bay leaf) First poach the fish for about 7 minutes in the seasoned milk.