Pasta with Short rib Ragu with Northern Monk, Sup

Pasta bolognese is a staple of every student kitchen and everyone has their own "secret" ingredient or special way of delivering this economical and filling staple. However, it is a bit of a fraud: a pile of spagetti with a huge dollop of meat sauce on top is really not very authentic. In the spirit of this fraudulent behaviour, the recipe below has been written and cooked without any research or even a glance at an Italian cookbook. My secret ingredient is Watkin's Mushroom ketchup. This is not like tomato ketchup, this is not for dipping your chips in! It is a wonderfully savoury and acidic seasoning liquid with a lovely mushroom flavour. It is brilliant for braises. soups and sauces.

• 4 Beef short ribs
• A splash of oil
• 1 medium carrot (diced)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 1 celery stick (diced)
• Crushed garlic (as much as you dare)
• 1 tbsp of flour
• 1/2 bottle red wine (chef's decision on what you do with the rest)  
• 500ml beef stock
• Big handful of baby mushrooms
• 1 tin of plum tomatoes
• 1 splash of Watkins Mushroom ketchup
•  Hard Italian cheese (or a slab of cheddar is none is available)

Heat the oil in a casserole on the hob and pop in the short ribs through the flour to coat and then put in the casserole. Make sure each side is thoroughly browned to a nice crust. Remove the ribs to a plate and add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan, cook till everything is soft and just starting to take colour then add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. 

Return the ribs (and any left over flour) to the mix and pour in the wine, tomatoes and stock. Brink to the boil, turn down to a simmer and leave on the hob for a couple of hours, stirring every now and then.

After two hours your kitchen should smell amazing. Add the mushrooms and ketchup and continue with the simmer for another 30 minutes.

Remove the ribs from the liquid and pull out the bones - they have done their job. When the flesh is cool enough to touch pull the meat away from any gristle and pull it apart with two forks. Bring the liquid back to the boil to reduce a little. Then add the meat back into the liquid and cook for a few minutes more. Heat a large pan of water to the boil and add a big pinch of salt (I was once told the water should be as salty as the Mediterranean) When the water is at a rolling boil add some dried pasta (tagliatelle and papperdelle would be ideal). 

When the pasta is cooked, drain it then swiftly add the beef ragu. stir it all together. Serve with the cheese grated over the top and a twist of newly milled black pepper.

The Match

I have previously written about how much I admire Northern Monk Brewery and this was a beer of theirs that I had never tried. The beer itself is a light golden ale coming in a 3.4% alcohol. There was a tiny hint of citrus on the nose back up by some floral tones. The body was light though nicely carbonated and a soft malt spine held the whole thing together. This is going to sound strange but it would be the perfect match for this meal if it was an early evening dinner; it would probably need to be replaced by something richer if it were to be a late night supper. I offer no rational flavour explanation for this and no excuse either.

Viet Nam / Thai spring rolls and Queer Brewing Flower

These little spring rolls are not very authentic, or at least, they are of mixed authenticity! Further to this, I have deliberately written the recipe to be vague as they should be made to your taste and precision is not an issue here. They can be served as part of a flight of canapes or as a starter; I have even served them as a lunch in their own right. They can be hot, spicy, mellow, salty, sweet or sour and any combination of these. 

The wraps are available in some supermarkets and most Asian shops. You should look for the ones that seem to have woven pattern all over them. In essence they are dried rice paper discs and they come in various sizes to suit how you wish to serve them. The ones I used were on the smaller size, perfect for little snacks. 

Rice paper wraps before re-hydration

• Rice paper wraps
• Carrot (sliced into fine "julienne"
• Cucumber (middle removed and sliced into fine "julienne")
• Spring onions (sliced into fine "julienne")
• Bean sprouts
• Cooked White crab meat (or prawns, or lobster, or anything you fancy)
• Red chilli (finely diced)
• Soy sauce
• Nam Pla (fish sauce)
• Toasted sesame oil

Put all of the ingredients except the wraps in a bowl, adding enough of the ingredients as you fancy (be a little careful with the liquid ingredients - you don't want soup). Pop this in the fridge for an hour or so for the ingredients to be properly introduced to each other.

In a frying pan, or pie dish, pour a little warm water. Slide in your first wrap and wait for a few minutes until it is slippery and very flexible. Place this on a board as flat as you can manage. Put a little of your mix towards the top of the wrap in the shape of a cylinder and wrap towards you tucking the ends in half way. You should now have a spring roll.

Serve with a sweet chilli sauce or a mixture of soy sauce and honey to dip.

The Match

Queer brewing is a queer-owned brewery providing visibility and representation for LGBTQ+ people. It was founded in 2019 and they have done over 50 collaborations in 5 countries. Flowers is a Witbier and as such wheat makes up a large part of the grain bill. Like a Belgium Wit, it contains both orange and coriander and these are both present without overwhelming the wheat and malt spine. It is naturally cloudy and has a soft gentle mouthfeel. This really is a very well made beer. It handled the spice and the richness of the dish without ever being overbearing. I was delighted with it as a pairing.    

Braised lamb neck fillet with Tap Social Inside Out

It is the time of year when it is unwise to trust the weather. This is the reason that one always needs to ready with a bright zingy salad or a heavy braise. This is really a dish that is suited to dark winter evenings and not to mild spring twilight.

• Lamb neck fillets (work on about 150-200 gms per person)
• 1 large carrot (cut into chunks)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 2 celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
• 3 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
• 1/3 bottle red wine
• 250 ml lamb stock
• 1 tbsp quince jelly (or redcurrant)
• splash of oil

Heat the oil in a heavy pan with a lid. Put in the carrot, onion, celery and garlic. sweat these down until softened and taking on a little bit of colour. Remove these from the pan and set aside. Pop the pan back on the heat and ad the lamb to brown it all over (get a real crust on them). Add the veg back in and pour over the wine. Make sure it boils to burn off the booze and then add the stock. Cover and put on a low simmer for a couple of hours until the meat is falling apart. 

Lift out the meat and set aside somewhere warm. Stain the liquid and return to the pan on the heat, add the jelly (it really is very easy to make) until it is thick and sticky. Serve the meat with the sticky sauce over the top. I served it with cauliflower puree, baton carrots and roasted shallots.

The match

Tap Social Movement are a force for good. They deliberately recruit staff who are leaving the prison system, a group for whom paid work is not only hard to find but their only chance to build a future outside of the criminal justice system. Their beer is also really good.

Inside Out is an Oatmeal Stout, meaning that oats are used as part of the grain bill during brewing. This tends to add body and also makes the head nice and creamy. This is a really lovely beer and hits all the chocolatey and coffee flavours that would be expected. It has a lovely body and matched up to the rich meal very well.

As a note, because I've been asked, I am perfectly comfortable matching a beer to a dish which contains red wine. By the time that the wine has been cooked for 2 hours it has a lovely flavour but it is not in any way like something you would put in a glass.   

Pulled pork and black pudding bon bons with Northern Monk, Heathen

It is no secret that I have an almost irrational love of Black Pudding. However, in this dish it is not the super star, merely a bit part player in a supporting role. This dish is a starter though quite a strong first course to any meal. It also uses up leftover meat. Any leftover roast meat can be used here, as long as it can be shredded like pulled pork. (For the record, I cure my own bacon and the meat from this came from the trimmings and ribs left from preparing the belly for its cure, they were simply slow roasted and shredded).

Mrs H.S. Ball's Peach Chutney is a South African classic. It's a bit like a mango chutney with a peachy overtone. Like mango chutney, it has hundreds of uses, from being alongside a curry to a decent ham sandwich.

• 120 gms shredded (or pulled) pork (though it could be any meat you happen to have left over)
• 50 gms black pudding (about one slice)
• 2 eggs
• Handful of breadcrumbs
• Handful of plain flour
• A splash of milk
• Jar of Mrs H.S. Ball's Peach chutney
• 4 rashers of good smoked bacon (you could even try making your own

Blitz up the black pudding in a small blender and add it to the shredded meat with one of the eggs and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Mix this well and then portion it into 8 balls. Roll them well and pop them into the fridge for twenty to firm up a bit.

Pre-heat the over to 160 degrees fan.

Prepare three bowls. In the first bowl put the flour (with a little seasoning); in the second bowl, beat the remaining egg with the milk; the breadcrumbs go into the final bowl. Take the balls and coat them in the flour then pass them through the egg wash (ensuring it is totally coated) and finally through the breadcrumbs to cover completely. Pop them back in the fridge.

Place a small sheet of baking parchment on a flat tray and very lightly oil it. lay the rashers of bacon on this and place another oiled sheet on top. On this place a flat bottomed roasting dish and place it all in the oven for about 20 minutes. The bacon should come out crisp and flat.

Take the bon bons out of the fridge and place near the hob. Fill a sauce pan 1/3 full of a neutral oil (like sunflower) put this on the hob and turn on. Do not take your eyes of the oil, deep fat frying is dangerous. When a loose breadcrumb, thrown into the oil, fizzes and browns quickly the oil is ready. Cook the  bon bons, four at a time, in the oil. When cooked pop them in the oven which should still be warm.

Its time to plate up! Pour a line of chutney on the plate and place a bon bon at each end of the chutney. Place a rasher of bacon across the top and serve, 

The Match

Northern Rock produce awesome beers. They are proud of their humble roots and produce some of the most drinkable beers I know. Heathen is full of tropical and stone fruit on the nose and this carries through to the palate and the finish is sweet and fresh. It is a brilliantly made modern IPA. The stone fruit notes were picked up in the chutney and the alcohol cut through the richness of the bon bons beautifully. This was a lovely match.

Fakeaway Fish Fillet sandwich with Einstok white ale

A Fakeaway is a copy (or maybe an homage) to a fast food dish. The idea of doing this falls into two categories: To get as close to the original as possible or To elevate it to a level way higher than that available to grab on the High Street. At this stage I must point out that I am a huge fan of Fast food and Street food. I am almost unable to drive past the awesome Kebab van in Thame https://www.atalaykebabvan.co.uk of an evening and Fish and Chips is a particular weakness. This dish is based on a McDonald's classic and I think I have elevated it a little from the original.

Sandwich

100 gms white fish fillet

50 gms plain flour

50 gms breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten with a dash of milk

¼ tsp smoked paprika (optional)

Zest of ½ a lemon

Salt and Pepper

1 Burger bun

1 slice American cheese (optional)

Small handful of lettuce

Oil for shallow frying

Tartar Sauce

1 egg yolk

1 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar

1 tsp mustard

130 ml sunflower  / olive / vegetable oil

A few pickled gherkins and / or silverskin onions

½ tsp chopped capers

Small handful of dill or parsley

Dash of Worcester sauce (optional)

Dash of lemon juice

Tartar Sauce

Put the egg yolk, lemon juice (or vinegar) and mustard in a bowl and beat with a whisk until light in colour. Add a drop of the oil and beat it into the yolk mix. Drop by drop, beat in the oil to the mix. Take your time with this and make sure the sauce is thick and glossy. Add all the other ingredients and gently mix. Pop in the fridge.

The Sandwich

Cut the fish to ensure that it will fit in the bun. Square is a good idea. Get three plates and put the flour (with the paprika), egg and breadcrumbs in one each. Pop the fish, first in the flour (to coat), then the egg wash (to create a sticky surface) then the breadcrumbs (with the lemon zest). If time allows, pop this in the fridge for ten minutes to firm up.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and, carefully, slide the fish into the oil. Fry on one side until the breadcrumbs are golden and then turn it over. Fry on the second side for 3 minutes, putting the cheese on top for the last minute (if using).

Cut the bun in half and toast the cut sides, add the lettuce, some tartar sauce and fish on the bottom and top of with the top.

   

The match

Einstock is Icelandic. However, it bears a lot of similarities to a Belgium Wit and that was the first reason I choose it for the match. Something too rich would have overpowered the sweet, delicate fish. I was also looking for a little bit of malt to be in evidence in order to match up with the roll and the breadcrumbs. There are hints of citrus (especially orange) in this beer as well as coriander and these stood up to the strong flavours in the sauce, The crispness of the finish also helped with the fattiness of the base sauce of mayonnaise. I was very pleased with the match. I think it was helped by the facts that the beer was very cold and the fish was of a very high standard.

Panna Cota and Rhubarb with Brick Brewery Strawberry and Cucumber Sour (M&S)

The Rhubarb patch today (10/03/24)

Roobarb and Custard was a cartoon shown from 1974 about a green dog and a pink cat who lived next door and had silly, 5 minute adventures just before the news at 6 pm. I was voiced by the late Richard Briers and was a cherished part of my childhood. Rhubarb, with its merciless sourness has long been paired with ingredients that calm its sharpness: simple sugar, cream and, of course, custard. The combination of rhubarb and custard is clearly a timeless classic and the following recipe is really a version of this glorious combination.

The first plant to go into our tine garden was a rhubarb crown. We planted more out of curiosity than expectation but since then we have had to lift and split the crown four or five times and it has produced enough stalks to completely fulfil our need and leave us with loads to share. The offspring of our crown are now scattered all over the Bucks / Oxon border. 

There are hundreds of recipes for Panna Cota so, over the years I have honed mine down to the following. In short, find a recipe that works for you.

Panna Cota (serves 8)

• 7 or 8 gms of leaf gelatine
• 700 to 750 ml double cream (adjust as to fat content. See note)
• 150 to 200 ml full fat milk (match so that liquid is 900 ml)
• 1 vanilla pod
• 200 to 250 gms white caster sugar (to taste)

Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out all the seeds. Put the seeds and the pod into a sauce pan with the cream, milk and sugar. Heat gently until the sugar is fully dissolved. Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn down to a very soft simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the leaves of gelatine in a bowl with cold water to soften.

Take the pan off the heat and, having squeezed all the water out, add the gelatine; stirring to dissolve.  share the liquid between 7 or 8 small moulds (ramekins work well here). Pop these in the fridge for 3 hours or longer. 

Just before serving, put the moulds in a frying pan with an inch or two of warm water for just a minute. Invert the Panna Cota onto a plate and serve with the rhubarb.

Poached Rhubarb 

• 3 sticks of Rhubarb
• Sugar to taste 

Cut two sticks of raw rhubarb into 2 inch slices, keep any off cuts. Bring a small pan, half filled with water to the boil and add the sugar to dissolve. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add your neat pieces of rhubarb to poach. This will take 5 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Remove the rhubarb from the water and set aside to cool. Chop the spare stick reasonably finely and add, with the reserved off cuts, to the liquid boil gently for 15 minutes. Strain of the liquid, discard the rhubarb (or serve it over porridge the following morning). Set the liquid aside to cool.

Serve The Panna Cota with a few of the poached pieces of Rhubarb and the poaching juices.

The Match

Strawberries and Rhubarb are often paired together in pudding and jams. The boisterous sweetness of strawberries balancing the savage sourness of the rhubarb. Cucumber is a cool calming flavour with both subtlety and gentleness. But it is also worth remembering that a huge part of this dish's charm is the shock of the sour!

The beer is made by Brick Brewery in South East London and sold through Marks and Spencer. They specialise in sour beers. These are made in various different ways, in this case by the addition of Lactobacillus during the brewing process. This one also has Strawberry purre and Cucumber juice added.

The beer tasted a bit like fizzy sweets and, strangely, a little like watermelon. However, many of the flavours worked really well together and the acidity levels did not prove to be overpowering. The Strawberry and Rhubarb balanced each other very nicely with the cucumber offering it's balm in the background. There was a hint of malty flavours, though very much in the background, which made me think that a sprinkling of toasted oats would lift the dish to another level.          

Note. Not all double cream is created equal. Super market creams will contain less fat than those bought at the farm gate. Cream from Jersey or Guernsey cows will be more full of fat and probably have a more yellow hue. I used cream from the lovely Lacey's farm. Their double cream is so thick that it needs persuading out of the bottle, hence the need for a little more thinning.

Roast Pork Dinner with Kernel Sour Cherry Saison

 About twenty years ago I was drinking in a pub in North London, it was a very well run establishment and was making every effort to be both up to date and embedded in the community. I instantly became a huge fan. No effort was made to be a "gastro pub" though the food it served was delicious and well priced. It was simply that the team really cared about food, but without any swagger. I was drinking one of my first ever draught pints of Hoegaarden and, as I glanced across the room I saw a sign that has stuck with me ever since-

Second best Sunday roast in the world! (you don't expect me to compete with your mother , do you?)

This gets to the truth of the Sunday roast, its full of nostalgia: For my parents, Sunday lunch was sacrosanct; the four of us would sit down to my mothers excellent cooking and talk, sometimes for hours. I credit those afternoons with my parents for my broad general knowledge and my love of rich, engaging conversation.

Incidentally, I thought that I had always known how to put together a Sunday Roast until I realised that I had learned by watching my mother. I used to do my homework on Sunday morning, sitting at the table in the kitchen. I simply soaked up the knowledge by being in the room with a highly competent cook.

This entry is not written as a standard recipe just a set of hints and tip as to how one should get the Sunday roast to the table.

The meat - Lamb and beef can be served as rare as you are comfortable but remember your guests tastes may not be the same as yours. Lamb without the fat well rendered can be a bit of a challenge for many people. Chicken should be cooked until there is no redness in the meat. Modern pork can be served a little bit pink but this will drive most people away so the challenge is to keep it moist and cooked through. Check regularly and go with your own sense of what is right for you. My only key suggestion would be to start the meat off at a very high temperature for ten minutes or so then turn the temperature down to about 170 fan.

Roast potatoes - I have been called quirky (and some ruder things too) for the way I produce roasties. I maintain that it is pure science. Primarily this method only works on cold, dry day. The potatoes should be main crop (Maris piper or King Edwards perhaps). Peel the spuds and cut into golf ball size chunks (just with sharp edges). pop them into cold water with a big pinch of salt, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes (capture the boiling water for later). Now for the quirky bit: Pop the colander with your spuds in it outside of your door to steam fast, this should take about 10 minutes. The outside of the potatoes will crack and ruffle, give them a gentle shake to help this. Your meat should've been roasting for a while by now, lift the roasting tray out of the oven and surround the meat with the spuds. roll them over to coat with fat. Pop back in the oven turning once during the cooking.

Gravy - If you are lucky enough to have some fresh or frozen stock use this but should you need to use a stock cube (like most of us without shame) this is where the retained potato water comes in. When you have taken the meat out to rest, pop the spuds in a different dish and put the roasting dish onto the hob and heat up. Add a tablespoon of plain flour and stir to create a loose roux. I like to add a splash of dry sherry at this point but id booze is not your bag then leave it out. Stir in the stock and ensure there are no lumps. boil gently till thick and shiny. If you really want to jazz it up, add a couple of teaspoons of redcurrant, apple or even quince jelly.

Vegetables - I am prepared to be attacked for this statement but I like carrots for a roast to be soft the whole way through. Also they do not need to be glazed for this meal. It's often worth cooking the greens before the meal and refreshed under cold water. This helps to keep a lovely green colour. Simply reheat in a frying pan with a little butter. Parsnips can be roasted with the potatoes (but do not need par boiling first). Please don't feel the need to add honey or such  - parsnips are naturally sweet (after they have had a frost on them) and the sugary additives will burn and ruin your gravy.

For the photo I roasted a kg of rolled pork loin.

The match

The Kernel brewery is one of London's gems. Its beers with their understated labels have become the stuff of legend. The quality of brewing is present in everything they produce. This "sour" is no exception. It is a Saison with a sour cherry flavour through it. I have a huge soft spot for Saisons. They are traditional, hybrid beer with a history wrapped up in the agricultural seasons, having been made as part payment to itinerant workers at the harvest. Saisons often have a hint of sourness and the cherry lifts this to total palate cleansing freshness. I thought this would cut through the pork and the general fattiness of the roast, after all, we regularly serve apple with pork. The sad truth was that the match was a bit too much. This is entirely my fault. Truly delicious beer, totally delicious food, just not made for each other. I felt a little bit like the person who had set up his two best friends on a blind date only to find out that they simply didn't like each other!