February Week 2
The end of this week is Valentine’s Day, and even if you don’t embrace the concept, it can be an excuse to cook a favourite meal for someone you love. This week of recipes includes a few that might be suitable, including a Roast Guinea Fowl or Chicken with Chicory and Bacon, the Artichoke and Pesto Tart or the Thai Beef Casserole. Scallops are supposed to be an aphrodisiac and they feature this week; but be warned – they are twinned with Jerusalem artichokes. These seasonal root vegetables can induce the most terrible wind, so if cooked as a prelude to a night of passion expect explosive results.
Guinea fowl are generally available at supermarkets and have a firm texture and subtle game flavour. They can be substituted with chickens if necessary, but it’s worth using guinea fowl if at all possible. In this recipe they are roasted on a bed of chicory and bacon – total preparation and cooking takes about 2 hours. The cooked chicory and bacon mixture is used as the basis for an almost instant pasta recipe later in the week, so the time spent browning and softening the chicory pays dividends in the end.
The Big Meal from Scratch recipe calls for two 1 1/2 kg birds, leaving enough surplus meat to make a pie. If you end up eating into the second bird, whatever meat is lacking for the pie can be made up with extra mushrooms. The pie takes 20 minutes to prepare and 20 to cook – comfort food that’s well worth waiting for.
If Jerusalem artichokes prove difficult to find, the bake can be made using potatoes, though the distinctive nutty flavour of the artichokes will be lacking. Altogether this Seasonal Supper takes 40 minutes – about 20 minutes preparation and 20 minutes in the oven.
This week’s Larder Feast is a tart with artichokes and pesto that looks impressive and is easy to put together. Most of the cooking time is spent softening onions then the tart is assembled and baked for 15 minutes in the oven. Feel free to add to the toppings if there are spare ingredients available – some ham or goat’s cheese would be a good addition.
In the Two for One recipe, Thai Beef Casserole, the meat doesn’t have to be browned, so once the spices and curry paste have been roasted the meat is added and the whole lot is cooked for a couple of hours. It’s great weekend food – very simple with excellent results.
To Full recipe details for this week are available in 'The Kitchen Revolution'. Out now in hardback.
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Shopping List for February Week 2
Meat and fish
* 2 × 1.5 kg guinea fowl or free-range chickens
* 1.5 kg stewing beef or braising steak 250–300 g rindless free-range smoked streaky bacon
* 8 large scallops off the shell, approx. 200 g, or 200 g skinless fillet of white-fleshed fish cut into 4-cm chunks
* 5-6 slices Parma or Serrano ham (optional)
Dairy
* 90 g butter
* 30 g Parmesan
* 250 ml milk
* 350 ml crème fraîche
* 150g goats’ cheese (optional)
Fruit and vegetables
* 500 g waxy new potatoes (ideally the size of small eggs), such as Charlotte, Nadine or Pink Fir Apple
* 6 medium carrots, approx. 600 g
* 4 medium parsnips, approx. 600 g
* 300 g Jerusalem artichokes or new potatoes
* 2 leeks, approx. 200 g
* 6–8 mixed heads red and white chicory, approx. 600–800 g
* 200 g pak choi or other oriental greens
* 400 g – 600 g mixed mushrooms (whatever you can get, though field flats and chestnuts add a lot of flavour and oyster mushrooms add texture)
* 5 medium red onions, approx. 600 g
* 8 large or banana shallots, approx. 240 g
* 3 spring onions
* 2 garlic cloves
* 3–4 cm piece of fresh root ginger
* 1 bunch fresh flatleaf parsley
* 3 sprigs fresh tarragon
* 8-9 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1 sprig fresh sage
* 3 sprigs fresh basil
* 2 lemons
* 1 juicy lime
Basics
* 75 g dried breadcrumbs or matzo meal
* approx. 800 g chilled ready-made puff pastry
* 60 ml olive oil
* 120 ml groundnut or grapeseed oil
* 2 bay leaves
* 30 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
* 400 ml chicken stock (fresh or made from a stock cube or bouillon powder)
* salt and pepper
Store cupboard
* 300 g Thai jasmine rice
* 500 g fusilli pasta
* 1 × 280–300 g jar artichoke hearts in olive oil (the chargrilled ones are good if you can get them) or 1 × 390 g can artichoke hearts
* 100 g pitted black olives (ideally but not necessarily marinated in oil with herbs)
* 3 tbsp pesto
* 4 tbsp passata or 50 g canned chopped tomatoes
* 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
* 2 × 400 ml cans coconut milk
* 15 g–25 g dried ceps (porcini) or other dried mushrooms (depending on how much you like their distinctive, savoury flavour)
* 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
* 2 tsp soy sauce
* 3 tbsp (approx.) Thai red curry paste
* 400 ml dry white wine
Serving suggestions
* watercress, lemon juice and olive oil (Chicory and Bacon Pasta)
* frozen peas or spring greens (Guinea fowl/ chicken) pie)
spinach and crusty bread (Scallop and Jerusalem Artichoke/Fish and Potato) Bake)
* 150–200 g rocket, olive oil and dressing
* 2 × 1.5 kg guinea fowl or free-range chickens
* 1.5 kg stewing beef or braising steak 250–300 g rindless free-range smoked streaky bacon
* 8 large scallops off the shell, approx. 200 g, or 200 g skinless fillet of white-fleshed fish cut into 4-cm chunks
* 5-6 slices Parma or Serrano ham (optional)
Dairy
* 90 g butter
* 30 g Parmesan
* 250 ml milk
* 350 ml crème fraîche
* 150g goats’ cheese (optional)
Fruit and vegetables
* 500 g waxy new potatoes (ideally the size of small eggs), such as Charlotte, Nadine or Pink Fir Apple
* 6 medium carrots, approx. 600 g
* 4 medium parsnips, approx. 600 g
* 300 g Jerusalem artichokes or new potatoes
* 2 leeks, approx. 200 g
* 6–8 mixed heads red and white chicory, approx. 600–800 g
* 200 g pak choi or other oriental greens
* 400 g – 600 g mixed mushrooms (whatever you can get, though field flats and chestnuts add a lot of flavour and oyster mushrooms add texture)
* 5 medium red onions, approx. 600 g
* 8 large or banana shallots, approx. 240 g
* 3 spring onions
* 2 garlic cloves
* 3–4 cm piece of fresh root ginger
* 1 bunch fresh flatleaf parsley
* 3 sprigs fresh tarragon
* 8-9 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1 sprig fresh sage
* 3 sprigs fresh basil
* 2 lemons
* 1 juicy lime
Basics
* 75 g dried breadcrumbs or matzo meal
* approx. 800 g chilled ready-made puff pastry
* 60 ml olive oil
* 120 ml groundnut or grapeseed oil
* 2 bay leaves
* 30 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
* 400 ml chicken stock (fresh or made from a stock cube or bouillon powder)
* salt and pepper
Store cupboard
* 300 g Thai jasmine rice
* 500 g fusilli pasta
* 1 × 280–300 g jar artichoke hearts in olive oil (the chargrilled ones are good if you can get them) or 1 × 390 g can artichoke hearts
* 100 g pitted black olives (ideally but not necessarily marinated in oil with herbs)
* 3 tbsp pesto
* 4 tbsp passata or 50 g canned chopped tomatoes
* 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
* 2 × 400 ml cans coconut milk
* 15 g–25 g dried ceps (porcini) or other dried mushrooms (depending on how much you like their distinctive, savoury flavour)
* 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce
* 2 tsp soy sauce
* 3 tbsp (approx.) Thai red curry paste
* 400 ml dry white wine
Serving suggestions
* watercress, lemon juice and olive oil (Chicory and Bacon Pasta)
* frozen peas or spring greens (Guinea fowl/ chicken) pie)
spinach and crusty bread (Scallop and Jerusalem Artichoke/Fish and Potato) Bake)
* 150–200 g rocket, olive oil and dressing
