Stray Foodie Archives - Page 2 of 4

Stray Foodie recipe: for the love of lemons

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

“I’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.”

It was a sunny day and the lemon trees arrived at Daleside Nurseries, what a joy to behold! As they were unpacked, the aroma was exotic.

This time of year we start to think about lemons. Maybe it’s the colour, but certainly the flavour enhances our spring foods. The lemon that we so take for granted and is so beneficial to our diet is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world, and is one of the few fruits that gives both a sweet and sour taste. It is a rich source of Vitamin C and many other health benefits. In Morocco, lemons are preserved in jars or barrels of salt; the salt penetrates the peel and rind, preserving them, which makes an invaluable contribution to so many dishes.

Our speedy recipe for preserved lemon:

Take 3 unwaxed lemons and wash well.
Place in a pan of cold water.
Boil them until they are soft right the way through. This should take about 20 minutes.
Cool.
Cut in half and scrape out the pith and the flesh.
Push through a sieve, discarding the pips and pith.
Finely shred the skin and add to the sieved flesh.
Add a teaspoon full of salt and place back in just enough boiled water to cover the lemon, and then reduce.

Frances’ lemon tart with ice cream sorbet and fruit

This makes a lovely lemon preserve to keep in your fridge and to enhance your daily cooking. You could use it in a savoury lemon jelly or a lemon tart, which are great standbys for starters and desserts, or as a main such as fish or chicken steamed with lemon, garlic and herbs.

Lemon Verbena is a herb which makes wonderful lemon tea and takes the smell and taste of a lemon. Lemon balm, lemon thyme, certain mints and magnolia grande flora tree flowers all have the same beautiful flavour. Bergamot, which I adore, are grown in Italy and are termed as an orange although they are very similar to a lemon: the tree blossoms during the winter, the juice is less sour than the lemon, and the perfume is sensational.

These are all cooks tools to be valued and enjoyed when cooking.

Stray Foodie recipe: Salty fingers, samphire, leek & mussel

For those not in the know, Harrogate now has a wonderful fish shop, Tarbett’s on Commercial Road. Their service is exemplary and their fish a joy to behold.

Salty fingers is a coastal succulent (salicomia). Like samphire, any good fishmonger sells it, and it has a delicious salty, juicy flavour which compliments fish dishes beautifully – as well as many other foods.

Salty Fingers

Leeks – where would we be without a Leek? A fabulous vegetable that can be the base for a sauce, especially with mussels, or as a starter eek vinaigrette, or as a vegetable crumble with lentils. The list is endless and they are always something I have in my flavour tool box.

This weeks’ recipe shows poached cod, leek & mussel finished with salty fingers, samphire and sea vegetables. Broken down, a very simple dish to execute and a great dish to put with all those spring vegetables that will soon be available.

You will need:

1 piece of cod
1 x leek
100g cream
1 x knob of butter
Splash of white wine
A handful of mussels
A bunch of thyme
1 shallot

Method:

Season the cod and steam or poach, this should take no longer than five minutes and the cod should be opaque.

Wash and finely chop the leek, sweat off in a little butter and a tablespoon of water until very soft. Unlike any other vegetables, leeks should always be well cooked, otherwise they can be chewy!

While the leek is cooking, wash the mussels thoroughly and discard any that have a hole, are cracked or slightly open. This is important as these are not usable.

Heat a pan until very hot, put in the white wine, chopped shallot, some thyme and the mussels and put the lid on.

Steam the mussels in the white wine until they open.

When opened, cool and remove from shell.

Strain the juice into the softened leeks, and blend.

Pass through a sieve then add the cream, bring to the boil and finish with a knob of butter.

Place the finished sauce on the plate.

Place the cod in the centre with the mussels around.

Garnish with washed salty fingers, samphire and sea vegetables.

In the photograph you will see I have also used crispy potato balls. It is up to you – but perhaps some jersey royals would be preferred at this time of year.

To finish your meal, why not try some specialist cheese from The Cheese Board opposite the fish shop – a cheese lovers heaven!

Stray Foodie recipe: the joy of Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic grows in abundance in Yorkshire at this time of year. It loves damp conditions, especially around rivers, streams and boggy woodland. It has green pointy leaves, not to be confused with a snow drop leaf! It is at it’s best now before the white flowers come as it’s flavour is mild and fresh. The flowers, however, look very attractive garnished with peas and young vegetables. In a few weeks’ time you will spot it everywhere in this area and the smell becomes overpowering with the leaf becoming strong and coarse. It has other names, such as Bear’s Garlic, Ramsoms and Wood Garlic. The leaf makes amazing Pesto that can be added to most types of cooking for flavour enhancement. The young shoots are great to be included in herby, leafy salads or stirred through warm vegetables for another dimension. It also makes a lovely green oil that always looks very pretty on a plate along with a little balsamic vinegar to create a flavour balance.

This week’s recipe is for a Wild Garlic Crust, which placed on some seared best end of lamb makes for great complimentary spring flavours. It can also be used on top of a vegetable lasagne, fish, or stuffed butternut squash to name but a few other ideas.

For a Wild Garlic Crust

Ingredients:

A Handful of Wild Garlic Leaves
100g White Soft Breadcrumbs
50g Gruyere Cheese
50g Melted Butter

Method:

Pulverise the garlic leaf with the melted butter.

Add the breadcrumbs and cheese.

Blend until smooth

Mix into a ball.

Place between two sheets of acetate and roll.

Set up in the fridge and then cut to the desired size.

Stray Foodie recipe: the versatility of celeriac

Celeriac, or celery root, is an underrated root vegetable. Because celery tastes strong and herbaceous, especially the leaves, many people could be put off by using the root. The root is, in actual fact, a marvellous chef’s tool.

It has a milder flavour and is therefore great served raw as a remoulade, fabulous for puree, a great soup thickener and best of all, a good substitute for flour in this case. I steam the root whole in the oven with oil, garlic and seasoning for approx. an hour at 180c. Of course this is dependant on the size of the root. Once cool it can be sliced wafer thin and used as perhaps you would use pasta sheets. It is great for stuffing, making vegetable gratin, and enhances lentils and pulses. Its texture and light flavour is a great adage to any food. Please note that it will discolour so it is recommended, if not baking in approx. 50g of olive oil, then once peeled it is placed in acidulated water. If you are using it as a base for a sauce or puree, cook it in a little milk which will then preserve the white intensity.

Smoked Haddock (or White Fish) Wrapped in Celeriac with Pickled Vegetables & Greens

Serves 2

Ingredients:

½ Celeriac
1 Large Fillet of Smoked Haddock
1 Leek
200ml Cream
A Little Olive Oil
Seasoning
½ Fennel
A Handful of Mixed Herb Leaves
¼ Cabbage
2 Florets of Purple Sprouting
A Little sliced Cucumber (Batons)
A Handful of Peas
1 Tblsp of white balsamic
Parmesan Shavings

Method:

Slice the fennel and cabbage very thinly and place with the florets of purple sprouting, cucumber and peas in the white balsamic vinegar for 1 hour.

Slice your steamed celeriac as thinly as you can.

Chop the leek and cook it in the cream with some seasoning until soft. Cool.

Lay out the celeriac on a piece of cling film. Spread the leek mixture on top of the celeriac and place the fish of your choice down the centre.

Wrap into a neat parcel and place in an oiled oven proof dish.

Place in the oven at 180c for 15 – 20 minutes, dependant on oven variation.

Remove from the oven, cut in half widthways, and place on a plate with mixed herb leaves and pickled vegetables.

Grate some fresh parmesan over and if desired serve with a tomato or turmeric sauce, as in the picture.

Stray Foodie recipes: a heart for St Valentine’s Day

This is an old fashioned St Valentines Ginger Cheesecake with a heart for every member of your family. February 14 celebrates St Valentine, the patron saint of love and romance, also known as the feast of St Valentine. What could be nicer than to make a delicious cake for a special occasion that all the family can enjoy to celebrate love and romance? It is an appreciation of special people in your life.

A proper cheesecake, in our opinion at Paradise, is a baked cake and not some gelatinous mousse! At the beginning of the century, New York had a great reputation for what we call original cheesecake. This is a similar recipe, adding a ginger puree and yellow sultanas to the base and using pastry rather than biscuit (which I always feel is cheating!)

To garnish this cake we made some red jelly hearts out of rhubarb juice mixed with red orange juice. Not only is this fun and pretty but once again cuts the richness of this very moor-ish cheesecake. This cake keeps well and it is important not to make it too thick, otherwise the richness of it detracts from the enjoyment.

For the pastry base you will need:

225g Plain Flour
55g icing Sugar
140g Unsalted Butter
1 Egg
Pinch of Salt

For the filling you will need:

A handful of yellow sultans
1 dessert spoon of Ginger Pure (or experiment using other flavours such as Maraschino Cherry)

Method:

Rub the butter in to the dry ingredients using your food processer.

Add the egg.

Remove from the machine, bring together and chill for 30 minutes.

Grease a 30cm x 20cm tray with a 3cm depth.

Roll out the pastry and line the tray.

Mix a handful of yellow sultanas with a dessert spoonful of ginger puree.

Spread on top of the pastry.

For the Cheesecake you will need:

375g Philadelphia Cheese
3 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
45g Sugar
75g Double Cream
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
A couple of drops of Vanilla Essence

Method:

Mix the cream cheese with the eggs, sugar and cream together in your food processor. Blend well and pour on top of the pastry.

Put in the oven at 140c / 150c for 30 – 35 minutes depending on oven variation. It should be slightly risen and firm.

For the Jelly you will need:

250 red orange juice
250 rhubarb juice
70g sugar
4 leaves of vegetarian gelatine

Method:

Boil together and reduce by half.

Add the gelatine leaves.

Cool and pass through a sieve.

Place on a tray lined with acetate or use a non stick tray.

Set up in the fridge.

Cut out hearts to decorate.

Stray Foodie recipes: A very tasty weed recipe!

Alexander is a weed with a terrific flavour but beware, when foraging for it, not to mix it up with similar weeds. You find it growing from February to June and the young stems have a unique flavour experience. In the Spring they are the biggest and boldest plants in the hedgerow.They are a type of ancient cultivated food that the Romans brought to Britain, hence it is known as a Mediterranean plant. It appears in hedgerows, woodlands and along road sides and the stems are similar to celery and has yellow or green bell flowers. Every part is edible including the stems and leaves.

Having said that, in these times if you don’t have the access to look for this lovely weed the taste is similar to celery leaf which I often use with the zest of a lemon. We love the flavour of spelt cooked without seasoning and chopped Alexander put through it. This marriage produces a very spring like flavour. Roasting cabbage in a herb pesto or making a stuffing to include spelt and alexander, again is something different.

Alexander, cabbage, spelt and pesto

While some of us have more time on our hands at the moment, experiments in the kitchen for a special dinner can be creatively satisfying and good fun. In my photograph this week you will see my dish of Green Pasta, Stuffed Cabbage, Wild Mushrooms & Crusted Brill. This dish I have chosen to demonstrate what you can do with Alexander or another herb that you might be particularly fond of.

To start with:

Green Pesto: Put your herbs and leaf into your blender and choose a good olive oil blending approx. the same quantity of oil to herb. You can then season taste popping in a little cider vinegar to produce acidity. Correct the seasoning.

The Green Pasta: The green pasta can be made adding the green oil from the pesto to replace the oil in your favourite recipe.

Frances’s Alexander and Green Pasta

The Stuffed Cabbage: Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage, trim the core, plunge into salted water and cook for a couple of minutes until the leaf is soft, not overcooked. Dry on a paper towel. Chop a shallot, mushroom, cooked spelt and a handful of chopped alexander. Cook in a little olive oil. Mix together and place on the cabbage leaf. Roll together and tie with some string making a parcel. Roast in the oven with a little olive oil. Or quarter your cabbage, spread over with alexander pesto and roast both versions in the oven for 8 – 10 minutes until soft but still has a crunch at 180c – 200c.

Wild Mushrooms:Not always readily available. If this is the case Shitake Mushrooms sliced and sauteed off add a great flavour dimension.

Crusted Brill: For the crust, fry a handful of breadcrumbs in a knob of butter or oil with grated lemon zest until crispy. Add a teaspoon of chopped alexander through it. Place on top of your cooked, seasoned fish.

As in my picture, this can all be brought together with a fine, plain tomato sauce.

Stray Foodie: Rhubarb! Rhubarb!

January is rhubarb time in Yorkshire. The Tomlinson family have been growing forced rhubarb in Pudsey, West Yorkshire for four generations. It is known as the Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle with excellent growing conditions. The plant is initially grown outside and subject to a specified number of frosts. Each winter acres of Rhubarb plants are transferred into long nursery sheds to be forced. Harvested in the dark by candle light according to an age-long tradition. The stalks are almost fibreless and bright pink in colour and has the most amazing flavour, unlike the rhubarb we get later in the year which can often be green and tough – this is not! It is one of the colourful joys of January.

Fresh local rhubarb is one of the joys of January

My Grandmother had a larder and as a child it sticks in my memory and was a source of inspiration. It was full of colour with bottled fruits of every variety, preserved in the summer to be enjoyed in the winter.

Japanese cuisine that is so fashionable contains a lot of preservation of varying sorts. Pickling, fermenting, smoking and drying, all to achieve the wonderful fifth taste, as has other culinary cultures, which brings to mind the preservation of this great January ingredient Yorkshire Rhubarb.

Here is a recipe for a rhubarb dessert and a pickled rhubarb. Sweet and Sour, you have your choice.

For the pickling liquor:

Ingredients

100g Sugar

100g White wine Vinegar

The zest of 1 Orange, 1 Lemon and 1 Grapefruit

10g Ginger Root

Method

Place all ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil to make a pickling liquor.

Bring to the boil and add a couple of sticks of chopped Rhubarb, take off the heat and cover with cling film until cool. When cool, remove the rhubarb from the pickling liquor and serve with cold meats, pates, cheese etc.

For the Rhubarb Semi Fredo:

A semi iced mousse, which is extremely useful as you can use it to embellish other puddings.

Ingredients

175g Rhubarb Puree – for this you will need 7 sticks of rhubarb and 250g sugar. Add the sugar and the rhubarb to a pan, cover with cling film and cook slowly until it falls and drain of the liquid and reduce to thick consistency. Put through a food processor until smooth.

20g White Wine

40g Sugar

2 Egg Yolks

170g Whipped Cream

Method

In a bowl over a pan of hot water, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and wine to a thick mousse like consistency over a gentle heat. Fold in the rhubarb puree and whipped cream. Pipe or spoon into finger moulds and place in the freezer.

As you will see from the image, decorate your Rhubarb Semi Fredo fingers with whipped cream, poached rhubarb, donuts, jam, tuille biscuits, and a little chilli should you feel adventurous!

Rhubarb semi fredo by Frances Atkins

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipe: Beef with Winter Vegetables

I’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.

In this present time we are all trying to lead a safe and more healthy lifestyle. A Mediterranean diet is considered to be one of the best and is easily produced in most households.

We have always believed that one great Olive Oil, the best you can afford, is all you need to use. Even for fried eggs it is delicious. It has such huge health benefits, as does the humble anchovy, a small fish that is full of flavour, salt cured, packed in olive oil and canned it produces the 5^th umami taste.

With huge health benefits, they are great to add to pesto’s, vegetables and meats, fish dishes and cheese.

Summerstone Estate Belted Galloway Beef is a locally hand reared in Nidderdale. It has the most amazing flavour coming from our local terroir. Red meat such as this is a great treat to be eaten once a month. With a plethora of herbs and vegetables that you are able to use seasonally and a tin of anchovies with this beef produces a sensational tasty dish.

We would recommend that this dish be served with organic Pearled Spelt, a great source of fibre and protein. Once again you can add your own creativity, subject to availability, to a recipe like this.

You will need

140g Belted Galloway Rump, diced
1 small tin of Anchovies, chopped
1 Shallot
Handful of chopped herbs
80g Cooked Spelt
100g Root Vegetables, diced raw
3 or 4 Mushrooms
4 Kalletts or 2 baby Pak Choi
1 tsp of Pesto
4 Cherry Tomatoes, seared and skinned
32g Coconut Milk
1 tsp tomato ketchup or puree
1 tbs Olive Oil

Method

Warm a saute pan and add the olive oil, shallot, diced beef, root vegetables.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the juices start to amalgamate.

Add the anchovies, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, kalletts and coconut milk. Cook for a further 2 minutes. Add a teaspoon of tomato puree or ketchup and correct the seasoning.

Mix in the chopped herbs with the spelt and heat.

Serve together.

Stray Foodie New Year Recipe: All Things Barley

Stray Foodie New Year Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

This is the start of the year when we look forward and plan for new beginnings. I’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.

It’s the start of a new year, where we are all looking forward and planning for new beginnings. Here are two recipes containing one of my seasonal favourites, barley, which has a fantastic nutritional boost for the winter months.

Barley Bannocks

This is a Recipe from a dear friend of mine from Orkney who makes Barley Bannocks every year. A Bannock is something that is rounder and thicker than a biscuit and can be cooked on a griddle. It could be described as similar to a pancake.

Ingredients:

125g Beremeal or Barley Flour
1 tbs plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of Salt and buttermilk to mix

Heat the griddle

Sieve the ingredients together and mix to a soft dough

Place in dollops on the hot griddle and press down with your lifter to about 6 inches round

Bake on both sides

Serve warm with a little honey – delicious!

Barley Risotto

Pearl Barley is very similar to arborio rice which we use for a good risotto, but is so much more flavoursome and great for healthy eating.

Ingredients:

1 tsp Olive Oil
300g Pearl Barley
50ml White Wine
1 Litre hot Vegetable Stock
1 tsp Pesto of your choice
4 individual Purple Sprouting Broccoli, chopped
2 Shallots
4 Paris Brown mushrooms
1 Medium size Leek
A Handful of Spinach
Parmesan Cheese to taste

Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat with a chopped onion, leek and pearl barley for 1 minute

Then pour in the wine and bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins

Add the stock little by little, stirring all the time and it continues to absorb (note: you may not require all the stock)

Once the barley is soft and creamy, add the mushrooms, pesto, purple sprouting and parmesan

Add the spinach at the very last minute so it just wilts into the risotto and check the seasoning.

If required at this stage you may like to finish with a little butter.

This can easily be adapted to accommodate vegetarian or vegan guests.

Stray Foodie New Year Recipe: Cock a Leekie

Cock a Leekie, as the name would suggest, is a chicken cooked in a leek and good beef stock, with prunes added to create some interest. Unusual as it all sounds it has great history, as most classic dishes do.

Cock a Leekie is a Scottish dish often served around New Year. Hogmanay is a very important celebration in Scotland, as many of you might have experienced!

There are many different forms of chicken soup and many households pride themselves on serving the best for medicinal qualities.

It has been known that famous historical cooks infer that prunes are only be added when the leeks are old and bitter, as it could have been in the days before refrigeration. Like all classic dishes over the years they have been tweaked and changed to naturally bring them up to date with current style and availability. But it is basically a soup with a chicken in it, the idea being you should drink the broth first and then eat the chicken.

This recipe serves 4 people.

For the Stock

1 Carrot
1 Onion
1 Parsnip
1 Leek
1 Fennel
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Bunch of Thyme
1 knob of fresh ginger
A Little Turmeric
1 Stick of Lemon Grass, finely chopped
50g Barley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop the vegetables and place in a pan with 2 litres of water, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme and bring to the boil with the ginger, barley and turmeric.

Bring to the boil and cook for an hour.

Pass off the vegetables retaining the liquid.

For the Chicken

4 Leeks, washed and thickly chopped
1 bunch of Lemon Thyme
1 lemon, Zest & Juice
1 Chicken Stock Cube
4 Prunes
Dash of Dry Sherry
60g Barley (the barley is an important ingredient for the flavour it transmits to the finished dish)
Spiced Yoghurt (plain yoghurt with your own taste of spice) to garnish.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Take a free range whole chicken and place in a casserole dish.

Pour over the liquid.

Add the washed and chopped leeks, the grated zest and juice of a lemon, thyme and a chicken stock cube.

Cover with tin foil and place in the oven at 180c for an hour, depending on the size of the chicken.

Remove from the oven and correct the seasoning, add a dash of dry sherry and reserved barley.

Place the chicken on a dish and shred, keep warm.

Place a prune in each of your soup dishes, ladling the leeks and liquid on top of the prune with pieces of shredded chicken and spiced yoghurt.

Our speedy recipe for preserved lemon:

Read More:

You will need:

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Method:

For a Wild Garlic Crust

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Smoked Haddock (or White Fish) Wrapped in Celeriac with Pickled Vegetables & Greens

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For the pastry base you will need:

For the filling you will need:

For the Cheesecake you will need:

For the Jelly you will need:

Read More:

Read More:

For the pickling liquor:

Ingredients

Method

For the Rhubarb Semi Fredo:

Ingredients

Method

You will need

Method

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Barley Bannocks

Barley Risotto

Read More:

For the Stock

For the Chicken

Read More: