Making Sweet Pickled Cucumber is a great way of using up excess cucumber and giving a rather bland food an enticing lift. I decided to have a go at growing cucumbers this year. And I quickly discovered that they had teamed up with the courgettes …
These Scottish Venison Meatballs are so easy to make, and much better that the shop-bought versions. To go with them I’m making a mushroom and whisky sauce to toss through buttered Tagliatelle. The dish uses ingredients abundant in the Scottish countryside, perfect for autumntime when a variety of wild mushrooms are available to use.
Lebanese Fattoush Salad is a great summer salad perfect for eating al fresco with friends or at a barbeque. This is a rustic country salad from Syria and Lebanon that uses a dressing make from buttermilk. This gives the salad a smooth let sharp finish that makes it so refreshing.
This is a method of using left-over, day-old pitta bread to prevent waste. I suppose you could put the thinking on the same track as a French Panzanella salad.
Pita or flat bread for an integral part of the salad. Shop bought pitta is fine, but you could also try making your own flatbreads. See our post on how to make your own flatbreads (HERE).
Firstly, prepare the salad ingredients. Remove the root from the little gem lettuce, then separate off the individual leaves. If the lettuce leaves are on the large side, they can be shredded up later. Keep the little gem and mixed salad separate at the moment.
Wash the salad in deep water then drain well, a salad spinner is ideal if you have one.
Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and slice the flesh into strips then put to one side.
Thinly slice the red onion, spring onion, radishes and baby cucumbers and were good to go…
Next job is to make up the dressing. Peel and crush the garlic with a pinch of sea salt. Squeeze the juice from a lemon then mix the crushed garlic into the lemon juice. Leaving this to stand for a few minutes while we get organised will take the rough edge off the garlic and make it more acceptable to non-garlic lovers.
In a small bowl mix together the buttermilk, extra virgin olive oil, sumac and cider vinegar. And locate a mixing bowl large enough to take everything.
Stale pitta is ideal for this, but if they are too fresh, pop them into the toaster for a minute or two to firm them up. If you are using flat breads, you can miss this out.
Tear the pitta breads into small pieces letting them fall into the bowl. Add the garlicy lemon juice to the dressing and Sumac, then season with more salt and mill pepper as needed.
Pour half of the dressing over the bread, again if using pitta let the bowl stand for three or four minutes to soften the bread. If you are using flatbreads just carry on making the salad.
Add the onions, little gem lettuce and radish, then toss in the dressing.
Add the cucumber and tomatoes to the bowl followed by the mixed salad leaves turning it over in the dressing. Chop the parsley and mint then add to the salad keeping a little back to finish the salad.
Transfer the salad to a large shallow serving dish arranging the ingredients for the best presentation. I like to lay the little gem leaves out first then pile the tossed salad in the centre, letting it spill outwards.
Sprinkle the salad with the reserved chopped herbs and more Sumac and you are ready to serve…..
Sumac is the ground dried berry of a shrub found in the middle east. Once the fruit is dried it is ground and the seed removed. This produces a dark red powder with a sharp refreshing taste. It’s a bit like dried lemon juice, but it also has interesting tones that can act a bit like salt and help bring out flavours. Been sharp, it’s a great accompaniment to fatty meats like lamb, Grilled oily fish, and even fruit.
Enjoy Life.
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
How to make – Cheats Chocolate Fondant. The classic restaurant chocolate fondant is a challenge for the pastry chef needing dexterity and exact timing to be served to perfection.
This version is much easier to make and is far more forgiving in cooking and serving as it is made in advance.
Vanilla Panna Cotta must be one of the easiest desserts to make, but perhaps harder to get exactly right. Success depends on using the best ingredients and taking care to blend them perfectly. Read on to learn just how to do that.
This Asian Mussel Stew is light, yet packed full of flavour. I love mussels and this is one of the best ways of enjoying them. Its full-on flavour, and not expensive, so, what’s not to like?
The west coast of Scotland is known for its seafood. And we are lucky enough to have three of the best fish restaurants within a short drive. The Pierhouse Hotel Port Appin, The Crannog Fort William, and the Loch Leven Seafood Café.
Take a table at any of these and all around will be tucking into, crab, lobster, and oysters not to mention every type of wet fish imageable. So, with all this fantastic seafood on the doorstep what do I crave? A nice big bowl of mussels! Don’t get me wrong I’ll eat all the others as well but for sheer simplicity and depth of flavour you can’t beat a bowl of the rich blue / black shells.
Go French for some Moules Mariniere, Belgian for Moules Frites, or perhaps a Tuscan seafood stew. One of my favourites is to go Asian, adding some of the flavours of the east to the saltiness of the mussels works fantastically well. Do give this a try, don’t be put off by the stages, its quick to make and a cheap treat. Be sure to have plenty of crisp crusty bread to dip into the juices.
Most of the mussels available in the shops are farmed, which is fine as they are a lot cleaner that foraged mussels. They are also a lot safer as farmed mussels are checked for contaminates such as chemical or biological products.
Dredged mussels can be quite dirty. Its best to soak the shellfish for 20 minutes in a saltwater bath. Remember they are a sea creature and not accustomed to fresh water. Use about 35g of salt diluted into cold water as a bath. As the mussels relax dirt will be expelled from the shell.
Farmed mussels are pretty clean but they will still need a rinse and check over before use. There are a few ‘old wives’ tales about dealing with mussels. Have a look at the F.A Qs at the end of this blog where I’ll do some myth-busting.
Place the mussels in a colander and run cold water over them. A small stiff brush will help remove any stubborn seaweed, and the back of a knife is ideal to knock off nay barnacles remaining on the shell. using your hands or a clean scrubbing brush to rub off any debris like seaweed, sand, barnacles, or mud spots that could be on the shell. If you find any mussels with open shells, lightly tap that mussel against the side of the sink. If the mussel closes up again in response to this turmoil, it’s alive. Should it not move, discard it.
The “beard” of a mussel is the clump of hair-like fibres that sprouts from the flat side of the shell. Often farm-raised mussels will come debearded, but even so you’ll want to check that there aren’t some pesky ones hanging on. To remove the beard from the mussels, grab it with your thumb and forefinger and tug it toward the hinge of the mussel shell. You can also use a knife to gently scrape away the beard.
Once your mussels are cleaned and debearded, they’re ready to cook and eat.
Take the washed and peeled, carrot and leek and cut into very fine strips. Place the strips on a plate, then cut the ginger into thin strips as well. Add the ginger, and lime leaves to the plate, then using a fine grater zest the lime over the top of the vegetables. Cut the lime in half and place on the plate. Deseed the chilli, and cut the flesh into small dice, adding to the plate as well.
Using a small dish or mortar and pestle crush the peeled garlic and green peppercorns together. Put the dish next to the plate ready to be used in the next stage.
By doing this we have everything ready to hand when it comes to cooking the mussels.
Clean the outer leaves of the lemongrass and split the stalk lengthways. Lightly bruise the two haves with the back of the knife then place onto a pan with the chicken stock. Make sure the pan is large enough to take all of the mussels with plenty of room left for expansion. Add the lime leaves and fish sauce then put the pan over a good heat.
When the pan has simmered for a couple of minutes, add the contents of the vegetables plate. then return the pan to the boil.
Give the mussels one last rinse then as the stock comes up to the boil, throw in the mussels. Whack on the lid making sure the heat is as high as it will go.
Let the pan boil for a couple of minutes, then have a peek under the lid. If the mussels have opened up, they are cooked, you can remove the lid and turn down the heat.
If they haven’t opened yet, put the lid back down and keep cooking rapidly. Give them one more minute then remove the lid and lower the heat.
Add the coconut milk, lime zest and juice, and chopped herbs, and you’re done!
Have a taste of the stock and add more Thai fish sauce and lime juice if needed. Check any mussels you’re not happy with, and if you’re not sure discard them.
Lift out the lemongrass, then ladle the mussels and stock into deep bowls and serve. Have plenty of crusty bread on hand to soak up all the juices.
There is quite a lot of really tasty stock served in this dish. In the past, to make it more refined I have served some of the stock on the side in expresso cups. This makes it a little less messy to eat and will allow your guests to savour the juices on their own.
Mussels are in a group of shellfish known as bivalves. Oysters, Clams, Cockles, and Scallops also fall into this category. They are filter feeders, meaning that they filter out the nutrients that they need from the water they live in. This can also mean that they can filter out any pollutants or bacteria in the water as well. The constant filtration process means that the level of pollutant in the shellfish can be many times higher than the water they live in.
I would never gather shellfish off the beach and then just cook them. It may be very romantic, but you have no way of knowing if they are safe or not. Illnesses you can obtain from mussels include vibriosis, norovirus, and paralytic shellfish poisoning, otherwise known as PSP.
Commercially sold mussels must go through a decontamination process and be sample checked before going on sale. So don’t worry it perfectly safe to eat mussels you have bought. I like to use the farmed versions as thy tend to be cleaner, and less work.
Not necessarily, this is often mentioned because if a mussel dies the shell will open itself, and the golden rule is that shellfish MUST be alive when cooked!
The resting state of a mussel underwater is to be open. Closing the shell is defensive such as protecting themselves from drying out at low tide. When kept cool and moist sometimes they open up. This can mean that you might be wasting good shellfish, checking is simple. Take the mussel that is open and smartly tap the shell on the side of the pan. If the shell begins to close, its fine to use. If not discard it.
The shell of the mussel has a spring-loaded hinge that wants to keep the shell open.
Within the body of the mussel is a circular tendon that closed the shell when needed. During cooking, this tendon usually releases itself and the spring opens the shell. Occasionally the tendon stays intact, and the shells stays closed.
Any cooked mussels with closed shells can be checked by giving the two sides a quick twist, if the shell opens and the meat looks ok it fine to use.
But remember, When in Doubt, Throw it Out!
Enjoy Life !
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
Why Not Make Your Own Easy Flatbreads at home? It’s much easier than you think, and makes an impressive addition served with snacks and dips when entertaining
Baba Ganoush is easy to make at home and so much nicer then the bought in versions. Serve it as a snack or as part of a mezze spread with warmed Pita breads. Why not go the whole hog and try our recipe to make your own flatbreads and impress your guests even more.
How to make Hummus. It’s easy to make this classic middle eastern snack, better and fresher than the bought version. Its smooth healthy, and full of flavour. And once you have mastered the process there is a wealth of other flavours you can add to the basic mix.
I have chosen to use tinned chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans) for this as its less work. If you want to cook your own, make sure to buy decent quality chickpeas not the cheapest version. Open the packet and check for any small stones or debris present. Cover the chickpeas with cold water and leave overnight.
The following morning drain the chickpeas and put them into a large pan. Cover them with at least twice the amount of water as there is chickpeas and add 1tsp bicarbonate of soda.
Mix well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Check to make sure they are cooked through, and if ready drain the contents of the pan and run cold water over the chickpeas. If you find you have cooked to many, then can be kept in the freezer for a couple of months.
While the tinned chickpeas are already cooked, to give us a nice smooth texture its best to cook them a little longer.
Tip the chickpeas with the juices into a saucepan and top up with some more water. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the pan and bring to the simmer. Reduce the heat so the pan is sitting at a steady simmer, pop on the lid and cook for 20 minutes.
Once the time is up, drain the chickpeas into a colander and rinse with cold water.
To make a really refined smooth hummus its best to remove the skin of the chickpeas. Now this is not traditional. The original hummus was a more rustic affair with everything just pounded together. You can if you wish sit there removing the skin from each chickpea one by one. But there is an easier way.
Tip the chickpeas into a large bowl and run cold water over them to two thirds fill the bowl with water. Get your hand in and agitate the chickpeas vigorously. This will remove the skins and they will start to flat to the surface. They can know be lifted from the water using a spider or slotted spoon. I like to do this two or three times, but don’t worry if you haven’t removed every last one.
As you probably know I like garlic, but we don’t want the garlic to be the dominate flavour in our hummus. We can use the lemon juice to ‘pickle’ the garlic and reduce is potency.
Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices. Put these into a small glass dish and squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Put the dish to one side to sit for at least 10 minutes before use.
Make sure the chickpeas are well drained, then remove a few to garnish the finished Hummus.
Tip the chickpeas into the food processor and add the cumin, salt, garlic, and lemon juice, with a dash of water. Run the processor for a few seconds to break up the chickpeas.
Add the tahini and blend again, then add the olive oil. I like to use some olive oil in the recipe. Not all recipes for Hummus use it as the tahini is quite oily, but I prefer the texture and taste the oils adds.
You will need to use water to soften the texture as you blend the chickpeas. Don’t put too much in a one as you can’t remove it. Once you have a pleasing texture stop processing and have a taste.
If the Hummus tastes flat, try some more lemon juice and possible a pinch of salt. The right amount of lemon juice is crucial in getting the flavour balance right.
If you can, leave the Hummus for a couple of hours in the fridge for the flavours to develop.
I think Hummus is best served on a deep plate rather than a bowl. This makes it much easier to pick up the Hummus with flatbreads of vegetable sticks. Spread the Hummus around the plate using the back of a spoon. Pour some good olive oil into the groves made by the spoon, then sprinkle with chopped parsley. For an ideal accompaniment have a look at our post on making your own flatbreads.
Yes, there’s loads of options, try some of these. Add some basil pesto, ether mix it all through or leave it half mixed with swirls of pesto through the Hummus.
Sun blushed tomatoes. Chop them through the Hummus and use the oil from the jar in place of the olive oil in the recipe.
Soft green herbs, whatever you have fresh from the garden. Ether fold them in chopped or blend them in for a green coloured Hummus.
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and olive oil. Some varieties may also include some sesame oil for added punch. It is used as a thickening and flavouring ingredient in middle eastern cooking. Don’t just limit it to that, it makes a good dip, salad dressing, or just have it on toast!
Yes, try some peanut butter, Greek yoghurt or even Avocado to make the mix. You will need to bring up the seasoning. A dash of sesame oil could be added for authenticity.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
Flavoured Butters are one of the easiest ways of putting flavour onto a dish. I simply can’t think of anything else you can that make that will transform your cooking so quickly and efficiently. Imagine a simple jacket potato lifted by adding cheesy bacon butter. Boring cooked rice given a punch with lime, ginger, chilli, and coriander butter. Or a grilled chicken breast topped with harissa flavoured butter, amazing!
Potato and Roast Garlic Soup is a simple recipe, yet quite refined. Ideal as a starter for a dinner party or served in expresso cups as a pre-starter. Its rich, smooth consistency, offset by serving the soup with parsley pesto is always a winner!
Braised Oxtail is my idea of heaven on a cold winter’s day. So, with the frost on the ground and minus five on the thermometer I decided the time was right to get cooking.
For me Braised Oxtail is the pinnacle of meat eating. Its not difficult to cook, but it does take a little time. If the idea of having the oven on for such a long cook, use a slow cooker to do most of the cooking. That leaves only the start and finishing to be done on the hob.
If you like meat, have a look at our Food Files page on British Beef Cuts for more exiting cut and joints to try.
Peel the shallots been careful not to remove the root. Remove the carrots tops then lightly scrape the skin. Peel the swede and celeriac and cut into 1.5cm cubes allowing roughly three per person. I used a melon baller on the swede just to improve the presentation.
Oxtail has such a meaty flavour it benefits from using lots of vegetables. To help things along we gently cook the finishing vegetables in the beef stock first, so all their flavour compliments the finished sauce.
Cook the vegetables in the stock until just tender, then strain keeping the stock. The sage leaves and parsley will be used later. Put the vegetables to one side for later use.
This is an old but very convenient method of using herbs on the stem in a liquid and removing them without difficulty.
You will need a length of cotton butchers’ twine, DON’T use nylon string as it will affect the flavour of the sauce. You need two short lengths of celery, an outer leaf of leek cut the same length as the celery and the herbs you are using. For us its thyme and bay leaf.
Place the herbs into the depression in a stick of celery, then place the second stick of celery on top. Wrap this parcel using the leek then tie the whole thing together with the string.
Chefs often leave a long piece of string on the bouquet garni after tying. This can be left hanging or tied to the lid and make removal of the herbs easy.
Peel the carrots for the braise and roughly cut into 3cm sections. Repeat that for the onions and give the garlic a bash to bruise it, but don’t peel it.
Put a large heavy casserole on to a high heat, and when hot add the oil into the pan and brown the oxtail on all sides. You may need to do this in two stages. When browned all over lift each section out onto a plate and when all the meat is browned add the vegetables without the garlic to the pan and brown well without burning. Tip the contents of the pan into a colander to allow any excess fat to drain off. Once drained return the vegetables to the pan and place back on the heat.
Now it’s time to add the tomato puree. To get the best flavour for the puree and take away the raw taste we need to caramelise it. As the vegetables are frying, add the puree and mix into the vegetables. Keep stirring the pan keeping the red wine ready at hand and once the tomato puree and browned slightly add the wine. Remember, there is a difference between caramel and carbon!
Tip the wine into the hot pan scraping the base of the pan with the spatula to lift the caramelised juices into the wine.
Add the stock the vegetables were cooked in and bring to the simmer. Add the bruised garlic, passata, and bouquet garni. Return the oxtail to the pan along with and juices sitting on the plate and return to the simmer.
You can now transfer the braise to a pre-heated slow cooker to cook for about 5 hours Alternatively over the surface of the meat firstly with a disc of paper then place a tight-fitting lid on the casserole and cook in the oven at 140-150c for roughly three hours.
When the oxtail is cooked the meat should be tender and almost falling off the bone. When ready remove from the heat and let the contents cool a little.
Carefully lift the joints of meat out of the sauce then strain the liquid through a fine strainer, lightly pressing the vegetable to get every last drop of juices into the sauce. Discard the vegetables and leave the sauce to stand for 10 minutes.
Using a small ladle carful skim off any fat sitting on the surface of the sauce. If you don’t have a ladle small enough an old tablespoon bent at 90˚ works well.
Give the pan a wipe out with kitchen paper, then return the sauce to the pan and bring back to the simmer. Let the sauce reduce in volume to thicken tasting as you go. The tomato puree and passata will provide some natural thickening. If you need to thicken the sauce, further use a little diluted arrowroot. DON’T use cornflour, it will spoil the clarity and gloss of the sauce.
When you are happy with the taste and consistency of the sauce return the meat to the pan and keep warm.
Are struggling with a sauce or stock that has meat fat on it like a roast or braise?
Drop a couple of large ice cubes into the liquid. They need to be well above the level of the liquid so it may help to pour the liquid into a tray before adding the ice.
As you move the ice around the tray the fat will set and adhere to the ice, which can then be removed easily. Yes, a little water will dissolve into the sauce, but this is easily evaporated later by simmering.
Heat a shallow pan and add 3 tbsp of olive oil and heat. Carefully fry the sage leaves in the oil, they will sizzle and bubble, becoming crisp. When crisp, lift each leaf out of the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
When all the leaves are fried remove 80% of the remaining oil from the pan. Take the finishing vegetables, and but the shallots in half longways through the root. Add the vegetable sot the hot pan and roast them in the hot sage oil.
When the vegetables are a nice golden-brown lift them out of the pan onto kitchen paper to drain well.
Take your serving dish and using a pair of tongs, lift the sections of hot oxtail on to the dish.
Strain the sauce one last time, then pour the finished sauce over the joints. Arrange the finishing vegetables around the meat and add the sage leaves. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve with mashed potato and green vegetables. Make sure to check out our post on How to make Perfect Mashed Potatoes to get the very best partner to your oxtail.
Enjoy life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
These Italian delicate almond cookies with a melt in the mouth centre are usually enjoyed during Christmas time in Tuscany. Try them out as an alternative to or in addition to mince pies when entertaining guest over the holiday.
Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes are an absolute classic crowd pleaser, and so versatile. The lusciously rich creamy potato with a boost of garlic is a great accompaniment to both red and white meats. Its easy to make and can be made ahead and reheated if needed. I’m going to show you the correct method for making the gratin, so forget what you may have had in the past and try these out.