popcorn If magician David Copperfield were a chef, he’d love popcorn. Chuck a handful of corn into a metal container with some oil and, 90 seconds later, voila! It’s like turning water into wine, and all you need to know are a few basic dance steps around the stove top to ensure a perfect batch of puffy corn clouds —with no burnt bits and no leftover kernels.
Corn pops because the moisture inside the kernel superheats and expands, blowing up the fibre inside. Logically, if you let corn dry out you don’t get a good ‘pop’. Old corn is bad corn. The answer is to keep the bag in the freezer to freeze the moisture in the kernels. – B
Heat the oven to 50˚C (120˚F), fill a bowl with enough popcorn to eat now and tip the rest into a baking dish. Leave the dish in the oven and refill your bowl with warm popcorn during ad breaks. This is also a great way of reheating any leftover popcorn the following day. – N
about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup popcorn kernels salt 1. Put a large pot, about 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter (we use our stock pot), on a large stove plate at medium-high heat (see page 32) and pour in the oil—just enough to cover the bottom. 2. Now throw in two kernels of corn. You’ll see the oil start to heat up and as soon as the two kernels pop, the oil is ready to receive its willing victims. 3. Fish out the two pop-test dummies (a wooden or metal skewer is the right tool) and add the cup of kernels. Add a couple of pinches of salt (and a turn or two of the pepper grinder, if you like)—this seasons without making the final product overly salty. 4. Now comes the crucial dance step mentioned above: in order to keep the corn from burning, you need to shake the pot while it’s all going off inside. Imagine you’re trying to ‘stir’ the kernels around without lifting the pot off the heat. This will require making circular motions—as if you’re panning for gold—while keeping the bottom of the pot on the hotplate. Yes, it will look silly, but believe us it’s worth it! 5. The popping should be violent—and short-lived, probably no more than 90 seconds. As soon as it slows down to one or two pops per second, remove the pot from the heat, rip off the lid and pour the popped corn into a bowl. Sprinkle with more salt to taste. Push play on the DVD. Go mad. Makes 2 large bowls
14 cook. better.
popcorn If magician David Copperfield were a chef, he’d love popcorn. Chuck a handful of corn into a metal container with some oil and, 90 seconds later, voila! It’s like turning water into wine, and all you need to know are a few basic dance steps around the stove top to ensure a perfect batch of puffy corn clouds —with no burnt bits and no leftover kernels.
Corn pops because the moisture inside the kernel superheats and expands, blowing up the fibre inside. Logically, if you let corn dry out you don’t get a good ‘pop’. Old corn is bad corn. The answer is to keep the bag in the freezer to freeze the moisture in the kernels. – B
Heat the oven to 50˚C (120˚F), fill a bowl with enough popcorn to eat now and tip the rest into a baking dish. Leave the dish in the oven and refill your bowl with warm popcorn during ad breaks. This is also a great way of reheating any leftover popcorn the following day. – N
about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup popcorn kernels salt 1. Put a large pot, about 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter (we use our stock pot), on a large stove plate at medium-high heat (see page 32) and pour in the oil—just enough to cover the bottom. 2. Now throw in two kernels of corn. You’ll see the oil start to heat up and as soon as the two kernels pop, the oil is ready to receive its willing victims. 3. Fish out the two pop-test dummies (a wooden or metal skewer is the right tool) and add the cup of kernels. Add a couple of pinches of salt (and a turn or two of the pepper grinder, if you like)—this seasons without making the final product overly salty. 4. Now comes the crucial dance step mentioned above: in order to keep the corn from burning, you need to shake the pot while it’s all going off inside. Imagine you’re trying to ‘stir’ the kernels around without lifting the pot off the heat. This will require making circular motions—as if you’re panning for gold—while keeping the bottom of the pot on the hotplate. Yes, it will look silly, but believe us it’s worth it! 5. The popping should be violent—and short-lived, probably no more than 90 seconds. As soon as it slows down to one or two pops per second, remove the pot from the heat, rip off the lid and pour the popped corn into a bowl. Sprinkle with more salt to taste. Push play on the DVD. Go mad. Makes 2 large bowls
14 cook. better.
finely ground salt for seasoning during cooking
which texture for what purpose?
sea salt This is what we use—not because we’re snobs but because we like the taste. You know the faint saltiness on your lips after swimming in the ocean? That. It’s harvested naturally (literally from the sea) through evaporation, so it retains minerals. Table salt is a more processed product and often has anti-caking agents added. We find it quite harsh. Sea salt, on the other hand, tastes cleaner; briny but somehow sweetish. Try it for yourself: do a salt taste-off of table versus sea and decide which you prefer. Put finely ground salt in a pestle and mortar, and you can grind it into a soft powder for popcorn, like the kind you get at the movies. – B
We keep coarse salt in a large jar next to the stove for flinging in handfuls when boiling pasta or blanching vegetables, and sea salt flakes in a small bowl on our dinner table for seasoning (if necessary) during a meal. These pyramid-shaped salt crystals add a textural crunch so they are a bit wasted when dissolved in cooking—and they’re too expensive to waste. Rub them between your fingers so they rain down over the likes of steak, salad or a chicken destined for roasting, or use for crushing garlic (page 38)— the sharp edges break it down more easily. A final word about seasoning: it is not the exclusive domain of salt. Don’t underestimate pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice can lift a dish—or sometimes even rescue it. But when it comes to sugar, rather than adding it during cooking, we prefer to develop the natural sugars in an ingredient.
salt flakes
coarse salt
for finishing a dish
in boiling water
cook. better. 23
finely ground salt for seasoning during cooking
which texture for what purpose?
sea salt This is what we use—not because we’re snobs but because we like the taste. You know the faint saltiness on your lips after swimming in the ocean? That. It’s harvested naturally (literally from the sea) through evaporation, so it retains minerals. Table salt is a more processed product and often has anti-caking agents added. We find it quite harsh. Sea salt, on the other hand, tastes cleaner; briny but somehow sweetish. Try it for yourself: do a salt taste-off of table versus sea and decide which you prefer. Put finely ground salt in a pestle and mortar, and you can grind it into a soft powder for popcorn, like the kind you get at the movies. – B
We keep coarse salt in a large jar next to the stove for flinging in handfuls when boiling pasta or blanching vegetables, and sea salt flakes in a small bowl on our dinner table for seasoning (if necessary) during a meal. These pyramid-shaped salt crystals add a textural crunch so they are a bit wasted when dissolved in cooking—and they’re too expensive to waste. Rub them between your fingers so they rain down over the likes of steak, salad or a chicken destined for roasting, or use for crushing garlic (page 38)— the sharp edges break it down more easily. A final word about seasoning: it is not the exclusive domain of salt. Don’t underestimate pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice can lift a dish—or sometimes even rescue it. But when it comes to sugar, rather than adding it during cooking, we prefer to develop the natural sugars in an ingredient.
salt flakes
coarse salt
for finishing a dish
in boiling water
cook. better. 23
CHAPTER 1 garlic The ‘stinking rose’ and the respect it deserves is a very good place for us to start …
34 cook. better.
CHAPTER 1 garlic The ‘stinking rose’ and the respect it deserves is a very good place for us to start …
34 cook. better.
green salad with parmesan and pine nuts A study in simplicity. Crunchy, sharp, nutty, salty—contrasting flavours and the freshest possible ingredients.
We use a vegetable peeler for thin shavings. – N
120 –150 g (4 – 5 oz) leaves (try 1 large head cos lettuce and 40 g / 1 ½ oz sweet rocket) 1 x quantity of dressing made with garlic (see page 40) sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 40 g (1 ½ oz / ¼ cup)—or more—shaved Parmesan 30 g (1 oz / 1⁄3 cup)—or more—pine nuts, toasted 1. Clean, dress and season leaves as described on page 46. 2. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pine nuts, and serve immediately. Feeds 4 as part of a meal
Pine nuts are pricy but worth it. Squirrel gold, I call them—do you know how difficult it must be to get them out of a pine cone, without thumbs? – B
Toasting pine nuts Heat a pan (no oil added) over a medium-low to low heat and add the nuts so they cover the base in a single layer. Move the nuts around the pan using a wooden spoon or spatula until they are golden all over—watch closely, they burn easily. Remove from the heat immediately. We usually do a packet at a time and store the extra nuts in a sealed jar in the fridge.
When to serve the salad
An interesting assortment of leaves is all I need, but I don’t mind additions when they’re appropriate. Brandon’s Parmesan and pine nuts definitely work. – N
48 cook. better.
Sometimes we’ll have it with the mains (like the fillet, page 142). Other times it feels right for a cleansing salad to follow a plate of something very rich. This is the French way, after mains and before the cheeseboard and dessert. Vinegar wreaks havoc with wine (never bring out your finest with salad), so serving it after mains limits the chance of these two being on the table at the same time.
Combinations we like • Butter lettuce + iceberg lettuce + thinly sliced radish + mustard vinaigrette made with white-wine vinegar and chives • Wild rocket + mustard vinaigrette, with roast chicken (page 169)
green salad with parmesan and pine nuts A study in simplicity. Crunchy, sharp, nutty, salty—contrasting flavours and the freshest possible ingredients.
We use a vegetable peeler for thin shavings. – N
120 –150 g (4 – 5 oz) leaves (try 1 large head cos lettuce and 40 g / 1 ½ oz sweet rocket) 1 x quantity of dressing made with garlic (see page 40) sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 40 g (1 ½ oz / ¼ cup)—or more—shaved Parmesan 30 g (1 oz / 1⁄3 cup)—or more—pine nuts, toasted 1. Clean, dress and season leaves as described on page 46. 2. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pine nuts, and serve immediately. Feeds 4 as part of a meal
Pine nuts are pricy but worth it. Squirrel gold, I call them—do you know how difficult it must be to get them out of a pine cone, without thumbs? – B
Toasting pine nuts Heat a pan (no oil added) over a medium-low to low heat and add the nuts so they cover the base in a single layer. Move the nuts around the pan using a wooden spoon or spatula until they are golden all over—watch closely, they burn easily. Remove from the heat immediately. We usually do a packet at a time and store the extra nuts in a sealed jar in the fridge.
When to serve the salad
An interesting assortment of leaves is all I need, but I don’t mind additions when they’re appropriate. Brandon’s Parmesan and pine nuts definitely work. – N
48 cook. better.
Sometimes we’ll have it with the mains (like the fillet, page 142). Other times it feels right for a cleansing salad to follow a plate of something very rich. This is the French way, after mains and before the cheeseboard and dessert. Vinegar wreaks havoc with wine (never bring out your finest with salad), so serving it after mains limits the chance of these two being on the table at the same time.
Combinations we like • Butter lettuce + iceberg lettuce + thinly sliced radish + mustard vinaigrette made with white-wine vinegar and chives • Wild rocket + mustard vinaigrette, with roast chicken (page 169)
macaroni cheese A maccie cheese to feed an army. It’s very cheesy and very rich.
I like to use a pale Cheddar in the sauce and a yellow one on top, but that’s just me! – N
If you like your maccie cheese noodles defined, rinse your macaroni! Earlier we said don’t rinse pasta, but in this case cold water stops cooking pronto and prevents the pasta from bonding with the sauce. – N My friend Woz reckons maccie cheese ain’t maccie cheese unless it has bacon inside and tomato on top. If you agree (and I sometimes do), fold your fried, chopped bacon bits through the macaroni with the sauce (step 5) and lay thin slices of tomato over the cheese topping just before baking. – B Hmmm … total nostalgia: my mom used to add a sprinkling of dried basil to the tomato. – N
122 cook. better.
100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) butter 100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) flour 1.4 (47 fl oz/5 cups) litres fresh full-cream milk 500 g (1 lb 2 oz/4½ cups) mature Cheddar cheese, grated sea salt and white pepper 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) macaroni 1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C (370˚F). 2. Make a white sauce (page 118) in a large pot, using the quantities of butter, flour and milk listed above, and boil for 5 minutes. Adjust the heat and stir to prevent it scorching or sticking to the bottom of the pot while boiling. 3. Take the sauce off the heat and stir in 320 g (11 oz/3 cups) of cheese until it’s all melted. Season well and set aside. 4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the macaroni, bring back to the boil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes—it should be slightly underdone. 5. Tip into a colander and drain well. Return the pasta to the pot and fold through the sauce. 6. Tip the mixture into a baking dish (we use one that measures 25 x 25 cm/10 x 10 inches, and 5 cm/2 inches deep), smooth out so it’s even and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. 7. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes, then briefly switch to grill until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Feeds 6
need to know Undercook in the beginning Undercook the macaroni so it can still absorb some of the sauce and cook during baking without becoming flabby.
Don’t overcook at the end Don’t bake the macaroni cheese for too long or at too high a heat or the cheese sauce will look curdled.
macaroni cheese A maccie cheese to feed an army. It’s very cheesy and very rich.
I like to use a pale Cheddar in the sauce and a yellow one on top, but that’s just me! – N
If you like your maccie cheese noodles defined, rinse your macaroni! Earlier we said don’t rinse pasta, but in this case cold water stops cooking pronto and prevents the pasta from bonding with the sauce. – N My friend Woz reckons maccie cheese ain’t maccie cheese unless it has bacon inside and tomato on top. If you agree (and I sometimes do), fold your fried, chopped bacon bits through the macaroni with the sauce (step 5) and lay thin slices of tomato over the cheese topping just before baking. – B Hmmm … total nostalgia: my mom used to add a sprinkling of dried basil to the tomato. – N
122 cook. better.
100 g (3½ oz/½ cup) butter 100 g (3½ oz/1 cup) flour 1.4 (47 fl oz/5 cups) litres fresh full-cream milk 500 g (1 lb 2 oz/4½ cups) mature Cheddar cheese, grated sea salt and white pepper 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) macaroni 1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C (370˚F). 2. Make a white sauce (page 118) in a large pot, using the quantities of butter, flour and milk listed above, and boil for 5 minutes. Adjust the heat and stir to prevent it scorching or sticking to the bottom of the pot while boiling. 3. Take the sauce off the heat and stir in 320 g (11 oz/3 cups) of cheese until it’s all melted. Season well and set aside. 4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add the macaroni, bring back to the boil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes—it should be slightly underdone. 5. Tip into a colander and drain well. Return the pasta to the pot and fold through the sauce. 6. Tip the mixture into a baking dish (we use one that measures 25 x 25 cm/10 x 10 inches, and 5 cm/2 inches deep), smooth out so it’s even and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. 7. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes, then briefly switch to grill until the top is golden brown and bubbling. Feeds 6
need to know Undercook in the beginning Undercook the macaroni so it can still absorb some of the sauce and cook during baking without becoming flabby.
Don’t overcook at the end Don’t bake the macaroni cheese for too long or at too high a heat or the cheese sauce will look curdled.
nikki’s tomato sauce, from giorgio, via peter To make our point, we’re illustrating the onion chapter with tomato sauce. Not ketchup for French fries but red sauce for spaghetti (known as pomodoro in Naples and Napoletana to the rest of the world). The sweetness of fully caramelised onions balances the acidity of tinned tomatoes, and just goes to show: cook your onions right and you need never add sugar again.
The finer you chop them now, the easier they will break down and turn into a smooth sauce. There’s a lot of onion so bring out the mezzaluna (see page 89) if you own one. – N Peter picked this up from his fellow chefs at Giorgio Locatelli’s restaurant, Zafferano. ‘They’d bastardised Giorgio’s recipe,’ said Peter, ‘but stayed true to him with the olives.’ Why five olives? ‘Because that’s how Giorgio’s grandmother made it.’ We know better than to argue with an Italian nonna! – N
Peter told me to ‘treat all the ingredients with love and never blend it. Always use a mouli to push it through—blending turns it orange from air being whisked into it’. – N
When chef Peter Tempelhoff shared his go-to tomato sauce, it became my go-to tomato sauce. Sure, it takes two hours to make, but there are only three main ingredients (tomatoes, onions, olive oil) so I can make it from memory. 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 large onions, very finely chopped 1 teaspoon sea salt 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) tin whole or chopped tomatoes 5 black olives, pitted 1 branch basil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) spaghetti or linguine freshly grated Parmesan 1. Set a medium-size pot over low, heat the oil and add the onions and salt. Put the lid on and sweat the onions. After 20 minutes the onions will be one amalgamated mass (with a semblance of crunch) and the olive oil will have separated out. It should have retained heat with the lid on and be bubbling energetically. 2. Take the lid off and keep cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes until the onions are softer and a deep golden colour. 3. After an hour the onions will start to stick to the bottom. Stir well and add the tomatoes and olives. 4. Simmer on a low heat until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens—about an hour. Keep stirring so it doesn’t ‘catch’ (burn). If it gets too thick, add a little water. 5. Add the basil, season again and pass through a mouli twice for a smooth sauce. If you don’t have a mouli, use a potato masher. 6. Cook the pasta (see page 68), toss with the sauce and serve topped with lots of Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Feeds 4
cook. better. 79
nikki’s tomato sauce, from giorgio, via peter To make our point, we’re illustrating the onion chapter with tomato sauce. Not ketchup for French fries but red sauce for spaghetti (known as pomodoro in Naples and Napoletana to the rest of the world). The sweetness of fully caramelised onions balances the acidity of tinned tomatoes, and just goes to show: cook your onions right and you need never add sugar again.
The finer you chop them now, the easier they will break down and turn into a smooth sauce. There’s a lot of onion so bring out the mezzaluna (see page 89) if you own one. – N Peter picked this up from his fellow chefs at Giorgio Locatelli’s restaurant, Zafferano. ‘They’d bastardised Giorgio’s recipe,’ said Peter, ‘but stayed true to him with the olives.’ Why five olives? ‘Because that’s how Giorgio’s grandmother made it.’ We know better than to argue with an Italian nonna! – N
Peter told me to ‘treat all the ingredients with love and never blend it. Always use a mouli to push it through—blending turns it orange from air being whisked into it’. – N
When chef Peter Tempelhoff shared his go-to tomato sauce, it became my go-to tomato sauce. Sure, it takes two hours to make, but there are only three main ingredients (tomatoes, onions, olive oil) so I can make it from memory. 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 large onions, very finely chopped 1 teaspoon sea salt 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) tin whole or chopped tomatoes 5 black olives, pitted 1 branch basil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) spaghetti or linguine freshly grated Parmesan 1. Set a medium-size pot over low, heat the oil and add the onions and salt. Put the lid on and sweat the onions. After 20 minutes the onions will be one amalgamated mass (with a semblance of crunch) and the olive oil will have separated out. It should have retained heat with the lid on and be bubbling energetically. 2. Take the lid off and keep cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes until the onions are softer and a deep golden colour. 3. After an hour the onions will start to stick to the bottom. Stir well and add the tomatoes and olives. 4. Simmer on a low heat until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens—about an hour. Keep stirring so it doesn’t ‘catch’ (burn). If it gets too thick, add a little water. 5. Add the basil, season again and pass through a mouli twice for a smooth sauce. If you don’t have a mouli, use a potato masher. 6. Cook the pasta (see page 68), toss with the sauce and serve topped with lots of Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Feeds 4
cook. better. 79
crunchy edges need to know Maximum surface area Depending on the size of the potato, we cut it into two or three pieces—more sides mean a higher crunch-to-centre ratio.
Parboil the potatoes Besides taking pressure off during the roasting stage, partial cooking softens the edges, making them easier to fluff up.
Rough ’em up Either bang them about in the pot (instructions to follow) or use a fork to score the surface. It’s the shaggy surface on each potato that will become golden crust.
Preheat the fat When potatoes land in dangerously hot fat they’re off to a good start—it galvanises a crusty outside from the get-go.
Avoid overcrowding Give the potatoes their space; each should have enough breathing room to develop crisp edges and corners (and be turned comfortably). Too many potatoes will slow the process.
fat = flavour The fat you use can greatly improve the flavour of your roast potatoes. Our mothers used sunflower oil, we sometimes use bacon fat, but duck fat lends a slight sweetness and depth that’s unsurpassed. The good news is jars of duck fat are now available from supermarkets, butcheries and specialist food stores.
cook. better. 185
crunchy edges need to know Maximum surface area Depending on the size of the potato, we cut it into two or three pieces—more sides mean a higher crunch-to-centre ratio.
Parboil the potatoes Besides taking pressure off during the roasting stage, partial cooking softens the edges, making them easier to fluff up.
Rough ’em up Either bang them about in the pot (instructions to follow) or use a fork to score the surface. It’s the shaggy surface on each potato that will become golden crust.
Preheat the fat When potatoes land in dangerously hot fat they’re off to a good start—it galvanises a crusty outside from the get-go.
Avoid overcrowding Give the potatoes their space; each should have enough breathing room to develop crisp edges and corners (and be turned comfortably). Too many potatoes will slow the process.
fat = flavour The fat you use can greatly improve the flavour of your roast potatoes. Our mothers used sunflower oil, we sometimes use bacon fat, but duck fat lends a slight sweetness and depth that’s unsurpassed. The good news is jars of duck fat are now available from supermarkets, butcheries and specialist food stores.
cook. better. 185