Cook House Issue 15

the food magazine of Soho House

ROASTING!

Great roast recipes

Rene Redzepi interview Sous chefs battle to be best

Winter 2014

ROCKING ROASTS AND ALL THE TRIMMINGS Photo by Steven Joyce

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COOKHOUSE WINTER 2014

Welcome to the winter 2014 issue of Cookhouse, the Soho House food magazine. This issue we’re all about wintery roasts, and have a collection of great recipes from Soho House’s kitchens around the world to tempt you. We also have an exclusive interview with chef Rene Redzepi from the world famous Noma in Copenhagen (p17), talking about how he deals with his extraordinary success.

We meet Kyle Boyce, head chef at Pizza East Portobello and hear about his career so far (p8), plus we look ahead to possible food trends for 2014 (p10). Last issue we covered the sous chef battle heats between Soho House’s North American sites, now we are very excited to announce the results (p12). We also have all the food news from around the group, including managers getting involved in cooking staff food, as well as foodie foraging trips and a heartfelt plea from chef James Drye not to deny ourselves the joys of butter.

Tuck in!

a taste...

4

STARTERS

Soho House food news

8

WHAT I KNOW

Pizza East head chef Kyle Boyce

17

RENE REDZEPI

An exclusive interview with the Noma chef

30

MANAGERS COOKING The bosses get behind the stoves for staff food

18

31

CUT OUT & KEEP

10

Guest chef recipes from London and Copenhagen

GROWN UP PUDS

What to look forward to in food for 2014

20

32

TRENDING FOOD

12

SOUS CHEF BATTLE FINAL Announcing the USA champion

16

FOODIE FORAGING

Finding wild foods and hunting for game

ROAST RECIPES Top chefs top recipes

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GREY GOOSE VODKA Soho House and Grey Goose pop up in Brighton

Desserts with booze

WHAT’S IN SEASON NOW? What to cook this season

34

IN PRAISE OF...BUTTER Chef James Drye on his favourite ingredient

you know who you are...

Editor: Rebecca Seal Art Etc: Dominic Salmon Publisher: Dan Flower Thanks to: Sophie Roche-Garland, Phoebe Strawson, Markus Pieterse, Caroline Boucher, Ronnie Bonetti, Martin Kuczmarski, Andrea Cavaliere, Jake Rigby-Wilson, German Lucarelli, Dai Williams, Steven Joyce, Camilla Karlsson. Cover image: Dai Williams

www.cookhouse.com

Slices

nibbles and food news

THE APPRENTICE Cookhouse is thrilled to announce a new apprenticeship programme for Soho House to develop passionate young chefs. We are really excited about bringing young chefs into the culinary industry. This is a great way for our chefs to work with younger teams and increase their own training skills at the same time. We are starting our first year with five apprentices and chose them via open days interviews and kitchen trials, working with a government-backed training company called HTP who are also supporting us and the apprentices throughout the scheme. Four of the apprentices will work and study over three fourmonth long semesters, one in a Pizza East, one in a House and one in a restaurant, and one intern will be spend their internship at Babington House. Welcome to Aaron Fuller, Georgina Theo, Petros Papadakis, Eddie Bolus and Richard Crowther!

The apprentices begin their training.

“We are really excited about bringing new young chefs into the culinary industry”

COOKED AND BOOKED

Eat, Drink, Nap is a collection of ideas we have picked up over the years. We’ve learnt a lot since opening the first House in 1995 and are still learning.

From how to throw a memorable party to how to make a truly comfortable bed, if you like what we do then this book will help you Bring the House Home.

The book is available to members in Club receptions or via houseseven.com, £25, and for non-members from February.

Farming in Toronto

TORONTO VEG-OUT

The Soho House Toronto team (including Raymond Choo, Kat Sloane, Kim Haugen and Nano Crespo) took a trip to Vicki’s Veggies, a Slow Food, Bee Friendly, Local and Sustainable certified farm. They learned about the farm’s philosophy as well as some new things about the produce used in-house – such as the fact that the celery that grows from the roots that we buy is completely different from the celery that we use for mire poix everyday.

www.vickisveggies.com

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S'MARKETING TRIP

Courtesy of Cookhouse, the Soho House NY team headed to Smorgasburg, a huge weekend food market held in Brooklyn and Williamsburg. “We tried all different types of food and were completely stuffed at the end!” says Joanna Targonski. “The staff loved it and are totally excited about the next CH trip!”

The team go to market.

I'M BLINDDDD!!

Soho House Toronto’s Eric Ting explains their latest chef event. “I organised a blind taste test. We challenged our cooks to test their tastebuds in a fun game of ‘name that ingredient’. The participants included Raymond Choo, Nova Hedges, Andrew Alkins, Amit Bangar, and Kim Haugen. The cooks had a great time with the game, but next time I will have to make it more challenging since all the ingredients were guessed correctly by the participants!”

SWAPSIES IN BERLIN Berlin’s bar and food teams have decided to get to know each other better – and understand each other’s work better too – by organising a series of job swaps. First up, star bartender Juanita took on the salad section and breakfast chef Slavo shook some amazing cocktails! Well done team!

CHICKEN SHOP TOOTING

Now open! Chicken Shop's second branch is now serving delicious rotisserie chicken and those crinkle-cut chips to the good people of Tooting in south London.

BUTCHERY MASTERCLASS

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Blind tasting.

In other news...

Pizza East's Markus Pieterse ran a butchery masterclass for our junior members of the kitchen.

Getting back to basics, the butchery class focused on the art of deboning and portioning chicken. Each chef worked from their own station, starting with the wish bone and finishing with classic portions.

RESTAURANT SHOW Teaming up with sister initiative House Tonic, Cookhouse visited this year's Restaurant Show. Held at Earl’s Court, it has come to be known as the place for hospitality professionals to turn to for inspiration, to meet new suppliers and try new things. The highlight this year was Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder’s pasta demo, and sampling the delicatessen delights of Deli Station.

SHMOKIN'!

A smokey masterclass was hosted by exec chef Andrea Cavaliere in Cecconi’s West Hollywood, all about smoking fish and much more. Andrea showed the difference between a conventional smoker and Cecconi’s homemade version.

The team were shown how to smoke halibut, scallops and octopus. Andrea and the group smoked cod croquettes and even vegetables…Who knew smoked mussels could taste so good!?

Changing stations.

www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 05

PASSIONATE 'BOUT PIGS

A brilliant campaign organised by chef Thomasina Miers of Wahaca and campaigner Tristram Stuart of Pig Business, the Pig Idea is all about changing EU law and once more allowing pigs to be fed on waste food, as they used to be, rather than cutting down rainforests to grow corn and soy for their feed. After rearing eight pigs on safely-sourced waste food in east London, they were butchered ready for the Pig Feast to take place in Trafalgar Square, serving pork dishes.

Above, Thomasina Miers and Tristram Stuart.

Below, the Pizza East team cooking in Trafalgar Square.

A follow-on from last year’s successful Feed the 5000 event, which fed people with wasted food to raise awareness of just how much grub we chuck out, this event fed 5000 on delicious pork dishes, with chefs Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Valentine Warner, Bruno Loubet and Stevie Parle joined by DJ Sara Cox and food writer Giles Coren. As a major sponsor of the Pig Idea, Soho House was there in full force, with the team from Pizza East serving some amazing goodies, including massive pieces of delicious crackling, braving the bitter London winter with pizza ovens to keep warm!

“To raise awareness of just how much grub we chuck out” Chef ’s Deli goodies at the Wine Show.

DELI WELLY

Massive thanks to Ben Milne from the Chef ’s Deli who helped feed the hungry tasters at the inaugural Soho House Wine Show at Shoreditch House. He served cheese from Le Marche with truffle honey, cave-aged Tuscan pecorino with damsons preserved in wine and syrup, lamb speck and prosciutto from the rare breed di Cinta Senese pig, carved off the bone.

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Slices RISING STARSCelebrating the unsung heroes of the kitchens OLEG SEVASTJANOV

Chef de partie, Pizza East Shoreditch, nominated by Brian McGowan

Oleg’s calm and confident attitude has been a great asset to himself and the team. We would like to congratulate him not only on his progress at work but also on getting married recently...Not a bad year!

KRZYSZTOF KRAJEWSKI

Cafe Boheme, nominated by Lucas Kus and Mike Ellis

Lucas and I would like to nominate Krzysztof Krajewski, chef de partie as the rising star in the Café Boheme kitchen. Kris has been with us for over a year now and is really starting to find his feet. His patience and attention to detail sets him apart.

NEIL NARINE

Soho House Toronto, nominated by Nano Crespo

Neil has been a very dedicated and passionate employee. He was an intern from cooking college, and after realising his potential I offered him a permanent position. He’s always shown great energy and lately has also demonstrated amazing customer service skills when we threw him on the Sunday feast and put him in charge of the crepe and waffle station!

PASCUAL MARTINEZ

Soho House New York , nominated by German Lucarelli

I want to nominate our best sautée boy, Pascual Martinez! Cheers to him and thank god we have him to handle the busiest services in America!

JUAN MANUEL CASTRO DIAZ Hoxton Grill, nominated by Tank Loy

Juan is an all-rounder in the kitchen, his ability to learn new things then implement them in his daily routine is second to none. His attitude and work ethic is also outstanding. A very valuable asset to the team here at Hoxton grill.

FREDDIE AVENDATTO

Cecconi's West Hollywood, nominated by Andrea Cavaliere

Freddie comes to us from Quetzaltenango capital of the Maya empire in Guatemala.

He started at Cecconi’s in 2009 as a glass polisher, then moved to the kitchen and quickly rose through the ranks. He is now excelling at any position in the line from breakfast to pasta and pizza. His eye for detail and willingness to learn make him a true rising star.

STEVEN YOON

Soho House Toronto, nominated by Eric Ting

A young cook with us since opening, Steven has come a long way in his time with us. He’s moved his way up the hot line and is now one of our most reliable and trusted cooks. We’re very lucky to have him and he’s interested in travelling with the company!

ANDREA AGUIRRE

Pizza East Portobello, nominated by Lliam Boyle

I’d like to nominate Andrea Aguirre as our rising star. She has been with us for only a short time but her enthusiasm and creativity are a pleasure to have around the kitchen. Ever surprising with new ideas and always willing to lend a hand, she displays all the characteristics of a future great.

LAUREN O'HALLORAN

Dirty Burger, nominated by Sienna Pulati

Lauren was new to the company when she joined Dirty Burger and has shown just the kind of attitude and dedication that we want in our staff. Always willing to help in any way she can and keen to learn and grow. She’s also become our staff food champion, despite our limited kitchen space. We look forward to seeing her grow with the us as the brand continues to expand.

JOIN US! Soho House is recruiting chefs.

Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com or visit www.cookhouse.com. www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 07

Photograph by Max McNair

“If you can handle the wash-up in a restaurant… you can handle anything”

what i know

KYLE BOYCE Head chef, Pizza East Portobello, 27

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y brother and I always knew we wanted to be chefs from the age of 11 or 12. Our parents weren’t chefs – in fact they worked in banking – but they cooked every single day when we were young. We were always around food in Cape Town, where we grew up. When our parents saw how much we were into it, they let us cook a night or so a week – they saw it in us and nurtured it.

After I finished school I went to do a one-year City and Guilds course, which meant one day of lessons per week, and six days working. It was pretty full on. When I finished I landed a job at Cape Grace, which was one of the 15 best boutique hotels in the world at the time. I started as a demi chef-de-partie and worked up through larder, soups and salads, then I was promoted to chef-de-partie and worked on fish and sauces.

I was contacted by a recruitment agent for Soho House, and so was my brother.

At the time, I didn’t particularly want to leave because I played guitar in a band with all my best friends and we were doing pretty well. But my brother left and came here and we’re super close, so after three months I came to join him.

Now, we share a flat with my girlfriend – my little London family.

I started at Soho House London in the House Kitchen as a chef-de-partie but after four months I was made a sous chef, and a couple of years after that I was senior sous. Then, just after this place opened I came over to help out – it was busier than they’d expected. Then Tim Fuller, the head chef, left to open Little House and I became head chef.

I have a really, really good team here.

We haven’t had anyone leave for ages. Building the team has been a really good process. I find it far more rewarding to train up my kitchen porters and now we have seven chefs out of the 15 who used to work in the wash-up here. You can see when people start as a KP if they have what it takes – you want someone who comes in and cracks on. If you can handle the wash-up in a restaurant, you can handle anything. We start training them on the pizza dough section, and work up from there. Training people this way gives the kitchen a nice family vibe, and everyone has a lot of respect for each other and the team work is awesome – the guys that have worked up from the wash up really push the KPs to grow and become more. We make a big deal of it when someone puts on a white jacket for the first time. I find that sometimes young trained chefs lack passion and selfmotivation. Every other skill you can be

taught, but not that. Kitchen porters are so often overlooked, but they are almost always the hardest working people in the team.

My brother, who is now head chef at High Road House, and I got lucky when we were taught how to be chefs: work hard, and be better than the next guy.

It’s a weird industry and a weird job and at the beginning you have to be prepared to make sacrifices. It can be daunting when you start out and you’re looking at working eight or nine shifts a week, especially if you haven’t been around professional chefs before.

I like to eat out with friends but I don’t do stiff and formal restaurants. I like homely places where it’s more about the company and everyone getting involved with the food, like Polpo and Bocca di Lupo. I cook when I’m off – mostly for my girlfriend...I just leave the scraps for my brother. I cook simple, hearty food – the kind of food my parents would put up for my brother and I when we were growing up. I love this season for braising. Here, we let the wood ovens die down at night and bang loads of meat in them to slow-cook overnight, as well as beans and vegetables like artichokes. You come in to the most unbelievable smells in the morning. It’s such a nice way of cooking.

SOUND GOOD? Want to join one of our kitchen teams in London, Somerset, Berlin, New York, LA, Miami or Toronto?

Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com or check out our website. www.cookhouse.com to find out about vacancies and how to apply. www.sohohouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 09

trendy tastes…

Abra-kebabra…

HOT STUFF COMIN' THROUGH

2013 has been a great year for Soho House and a brilliant year for exciting food, whether you’re in North America, Europe or further afield. What will 2014 bring?

We caught up on the latest research and asked a few of our most on-the-pulse staff for their thoughts as well.

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he last year has been a rollercoaster for food trends, with new dishes emerging like the cronut – a croissant-doughnut hybrid – in New York, and traditional dishes from other countries hitting the mainstream – such as Korean kimchi, now appearing on burgers and tacos.

Forecasters Baum & Whitman recently released their annual report on future trends in the USA, and they agree. They say to look out for: “gochujang, a sweetspicy Korean amalgam of fermented hot chilli paste and soy; Shichimi togarashi, Japanese seven-spice of sesame, ginger, nori and hot peppers; Okonomiyaki [Japanese pancakes] and Korean dumplings (mandoo).” They also reckon octopus will be a major ingredient for 2014 (and one look at London restaurant menus confirms that chefs love working with it, every which way from raw ceviches to slow-cooked with smoky paprika).

Town says, “I really think we will start to see kebabs becoming trendy. We’ve had chicken and burgers and now I think it will be the kebab’s time to shine,” and he’s backed up by the major forecasters too.

Sterling Rice, another forecaster, expects Middle Eastern flavours in 2014. Expect preserved lemons and unusual spices like za’tar, sumac or urfa chillies. They are also expecting seaweed to move from just being a wrapper for sushi, to being a green side in its own right.

Awight Darjeeling: 2014 Tea Time?

Posh chicken is also going to get bigger in the US, says B&W, along with singleitem restaurants (much like our own Chicken Shop and Dirty Burger). As a flipside to that, however, they see more mid-level restaurants going the other way and embracing tasting menus, something that until now has been the preserve of higher-end venues.

David Stewart from Pizza East Kentish

Tyler Murphy at Dean Street Townhouse thinks tea is going to be big, and the forecasters agree – tea is hopping out of the cup and onto our plates. “Starbucks is trying to turn America into a teadrinking nation and numerous tea bars and café’s are popping up in Manhattan.

A recent survey said that most people will drink tea with food, but not coffee, and barmen are catching onto this and making infused herbal and fruit blends for cocktails.”

“Hot dogs in London are now haute dogs” 10 COOKHOUSE

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Embrace octopus with open arms

“Octopus …chefs love working with it, done every which way from raw ceviches to slow-cooked with smoky paprika”

Good old fusion food isn’t going anywhere of course, whether it’s a fusion of cuisines, or unlikely but successful combinations of flavours. Freddie Fallon, from Pizza East Portobello says, “Food trucks are finally taking off here in London. Mexican food is becoming really big and there are so many innovative pop up restaurants all over the city. The street food scene of NYC or Los Angeles is finally here.” For the first time and often all in one place, you can now get gyoza, hirata buns or burritos in London. “Hot dogs in London are now haute dogs,” says Rachel Sutton from Cafe Boheme. “It’s gone beyond an ordinary frankfurter with mustard and ketchup. Now there are a range of different dogs and toppings – for example you can have caramelised lettuce.” Matthew de Quillen sees fusion as a long-term trend too. “I dined at Coya in London last week and had a really amazing meal. They serve a fusion of French, Japanese and Peruvian – what a great combination.”

To counteract all those hotdogs, wholesome foods remain popular.

Agata Majwald at Soho House says,

“I think more superfoods will step up to the plate, like quinoa, pomegranate, kale and lentils. Customers want to leave a restaurant feeling good, not ‘Oh gosh, I’ve just eaten a kilo of lard’.” With more and more welloff millenials (otherwise known as Generation Y) eating out, restaurants have to innovate and provide healthy dishes for their young, savvy, healthconscious, eco-conscious clientele.

Retro is so now!

“Oh gosh, I’ve just eaten a kilo of lard!”

This same group, however, is driving an ongoing trend for retro food – in part because it tends to be heavy on local, seasonal ingredients. Matthew de Quillien says, “I think we are going to see a lot of old French cooking come back this year, classic dishes like coq au vin or niçoise salad.” Glenn Leigh from Pizza East Portobello agrees. “I think there will be real return to the retro trend, to things that were considered naff in the 1990s. In both food and drinks, we are returning to old classics.”

Lara Bisconi from Pizza East sees something similar in the future too.

“I think 2014’s food trends will be based on food knowledge, experience and know-how, and will be all about discovering perfect combinations of traditional ingredients and rare breeds or not-so-popular ingredients, especially vegetables.” Sterling Rice forecast that there will be more interest from diners in unusual meats, like goat, pigeon and rabbit, particularly in the US. Sounds tasty to Cookhouse. We can’t wait to see what we’ll be tucking into over the next 12 months.

WHAT'S IN YOUR FUTURE?

Join one of Soho House's kitchen teams for great training. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 11

Photographs by Creel Films

SOUS' BETTER, SOUS BEST The heats have been taking place all year. Now, it’s time for the sous chef battle showdown!

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competition

“Phew! So not scary at all…” ive nervous sous chefs gathered in the kitchens at Cecconi’s West Hollywood for the battle to end all sous-chef battles. Each had triumphed in the regional heats, beating members of their own teams to represent their Soho House site at the finals. And it was a tough crowd they had to please too – Keith Edwards and Martin Kuczmarski had travelled from support office in London to judge the competition, joined by exec chef Andrea Cavaliere and regional directors Shelley Armistead and Pierre Dourneau.

Robert Pagan from Soho Beach House Miami, Michael Mahony from Soho House West Hollywood and Riccardo Lopez from Cecconi’s West Hollywood. Each had blind picked a classic starter and main from a selection of eight, plus they had to create one dish “from the heart”.

The finalists were Mikel Trevino de Luis from Soho House New York, Sarah Tsai for Soho House Toronto,

Phew, so not scary at all...

Each of the chefs is a top class performer, and standards were

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Each dish had to be costed, and that afternoon they’d been to market to get all the ingredients. Now, all they had to do was cook their three dishes, in no more than two hours, and present the result to the judges.

fantastically high. After much deliberation the judges decided to award Mikel first place for his classic steak tartare and Riccardo came a close second with his tacos el pastor. Riccardo triumphed in the creative section with veal cheeks and risotto Milanese, and Sarah took second in the creative from-the-heart round for lychee and ginger granita.

Wins in the two rounds see Riccardo and Mikel lucky enough to win a foodie trip to Chicago, while for their second places Sarah and Riccardo won a beautiful set of knives.

Well done to everyone who took part. We’ll see you again next time!

LYCHEE AND GINGER GRANITA serves 8 2 stalks lemongrass 100g /3 1/2 oz fresh ginger 1 cup/240ml sugar 1 cup/240ml water 2 cans/800g lychees ½ cup/125ml lychee liquid 2fl oz/50ml iced wine juice of 4 lemons salt to taste blackberries to serve

Sarah Tsai at work.

Make a lemongrass and ginger simple syrup with the sugar and water. Chill. Measure out 1 cup. Purée the rest of the ingredients together with the 1 cup/240ml syrup and season. Freeze and use a fork to stir, to break the ice crystals, every half hour. Black berries: mash with fork, if not sweet enough, add sugar to taste.

From the heart runner up: Sarah Tsai, Soho House Toronto www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 13

STEAK TARTARE WITH INFUSED PAPRIKA AND NORA OIL,

Above, steak tartare. Above left, Mikel Trevino de Luis.

QUAIL EGG YOLK, BRIOCHE TOAST AND CREME FRAICHE serves 1 4 oz/125g Wagyu beef eye round, diced 8 cornichons, diced 1 tbsp finely chopped capers 1 shallot, fine brunoised (finely chopped) ¼ cup horseradish, diced small 1 tsp Dijon mustard Worcestershire sauce, to taste 1 cup/250ml creme fraiche ¼ cup heavy cream 3 gelatine leaves 1 quail’s egg Maldon salt, to taste 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil pinch of chives 1 tsp Spanish paprika 2 nora (a dried Cayenne pepper from Spain) 2 caper berries 1 slice brioche butter

Dice the Wagyu beef into small irregular cubes and reserve it in a perfect ball wrapped in plastic until serving to avoid letting contact with air change the colour of the meat. Place the cornichons, shallot, fresh horseradish and capers (which have been chopped small) in a bowl.

Add the Dijon mustard and the Worcestershire sauce and season well. Reserve.

For the creme fraiche: slightly warm the heavy/double cream, add the gelatine leaves and fold together with the creme fraiche. Strain and cool. Place in a pastry bag after cooling and reserve until plating.

For the infused oil: bring the olive oil to 85ºC/185ºF. Add the 2 noras and the spicy Spanish paprika and let it infuse for 2 hours. Strain through a cheese cloth twice, and then finally through a coffee filter paper.

For the brioche discs: with the help of a 2cm pastry ring, cut 6 pieces and toast in a pan with the butter. To serve: place an 8cm metal pastry ring in the middle of the plate and place the cornichons, capers, horseradish and shallot mixture at the bottom of the ring. Be sure that you press it in a little bit to avoid it falling apart. Unwrap the beef and put in a bowl, season with Maldon salt as needed, add a little of the paprika oil and add to the ring to form a second layer above the cornichon mixture, until the ring is full to the top. Fry the quail egg, making sure the yolk is still runny, and cut off and discard the egg white. Place it on top of the beef, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, drizzle with olive oil. Add 6 small brioche discs to the plate, 3 each side of the ring. Cut the bottom off the caper berries and place one looking north and the other south, standing up. Make seven nice creme fraiche drops around the plated disc. Add chives to garnish. Remove the metal ring to serve.

Classic winner: Mikel Trevino de Luis, Soho House New York

Right, Michael Mahony at work, far left Roberto Pagan. Left centre, judges deliberating.

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Left, tacos al pastor.

Below, Riccardo Cruz.

Bottom, beautiful knives as prizes.

TACOS AL PASTOR serves 4

GUACAMOLE

1 avocado 5 sprigs cilantro/coriander, picked 1 jalapeño chilli ½ lime, juiced Mash avocado then mix all ingredients.

TORTILLAS

200g/7 oz maize flour 150g/5 fl oz water, tepid salt

Mix the ingredients together by hand, then rest the dough for 30 minutes. Roll into 30g/1 oz balls. If you don’t have a tortilla press, cut up a piping bag and use the bottom of a pan to press each one flat. Toast on 325ºF/160ºC on flattop stove until spotted brown, about 1 ½ minutes each side. Put aside and keep warm.

SALSA ROJA

6 fresno chillies ½ red onion 1 garlic clove 3 Roma tomatoes 5 sprigs cilantro/coriander, picked salt and pepper

Roast chillies, tomatoes, garlic and onion over coals. Chill, then mix everything in Robocoup (or food processor), pulse til roughly chopped.

PORK AL PASTOR

2 pork “butts” (shoulder) ¼ pineapple 25g/1 oz paprika 100ml/3 ½ fl oz pineapple juice 1 red onion 3 garlic cloves salt ½ bunch cilantro/coriander, picked Mix together enough paprika and salt to rub each pork butt evenly, then soak the meat in the pineapple juice. Chop the onion, garlic and pineapple into ¼ inch/5mm chunks, put aside.

Grill both sides of pork over mesquite wood chips. Rest then chop into ¼ inch/5mm chunks.

Toss with the remaining ingredients on the plancha (or use a frying pan) flipping frequently. Put aside, keep warm.

Serve the meat with the freshly made tortillas, guacamole and salsa roja.

Classic second place: Riccardo Cruz, Cecconi’s West Hollywood

UP TO THE CHALLENGE? Join one of Soho House's kitchen teams and you could compete too.

Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 15

the hunger games

HUNTER GATHERERS

Chefs from the UK escape the heat of the kitchen for the countryside and get back to basics hunting their own wild foods. By Phoebe Strawson. any of us have never foraged for edible wild plants or hunted for game; it's a forgotten skill, one replaced by a trip to the supermarket.

But getting back to basics and learning more about where produce comes from is something Cookhouse loves to do. Consequently, members of the UK food teams have been rubbing shoulders with the likes of forager Miles Irving and farmer Frank Shellard, to learn more about wild foods.

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As foragers go, Miles Irving, author of the Forager Handbook, is pretty much at the top of his game, so spending an afternoon with him was a real education.

On a short stroll along the Kent coastline we found a startling amount of foraged foods that we never knew were edible. Our bounty included dandelions, nettles, hawthorn, seaweeds and crab apples (to name but a few), all of which were taken home to use in our completely wild meal.

The Cookhouse team catching some rays and some wild food.

“We found a startling amount of foraged foods that we never knew were edible”

Back in the kitchen the team plucked, gutted and BBQ’d teal, cured scallops in a seaweed broth, served steak tartar with a roasted crab apple accompaniment, prepared a fresh salad of wild wild rocket, dandelion leaves, nettles and nuts and finished up with acorn pannacotta and roasted chestnuts.

Meanwhile, a separate team spent the day in Somerset game shooting with farmer Frank. After a quick practice on the clays, it was off to the first peg to take aim at the real thing. Two successful pheasant drives later, the guys came home with many a brace of bird, and tucked into a hearty chicken pie, freshly prepared for them by the chefs at Babington.

Photography by Mita Patel

WANT TO LEARN?

Join one of Soho House's kitchen teams and you could compete too. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com

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friends of cookhouse

NOMA(N) IS AN ISLAND An exclusive interview with chef Rene Redzepi about his new collection of books.

or several years, Rene Redzepi’s restaurant in Copenhagen, Noma, was ranked as the best in the world, but it wasn’t making him happy. To try and work out why, he kept a journal for a year, writing late at night after service. The journal has now been turned into a book, A Work In Progress, and comes packaged with two other beautiful books: new recipes and a small collection of his photos (see extract overleaf). Cookhouse sat down with the chef to find out more.

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“I started the journal for myself. I wasn’t really having fun doing what I was doing and that was strange because we had every reason to be happy: we were the world’s number one restaurant, the first book had come out and it was selling and suddenly we were full all the time. But as flattering as it was, that success became so limiting. I started really doubting the decisions that were so clear to me a month earlier. Was this what people would expect of the world’s best restaurant?

The journal was to let me distill the day and figure out why were they good or bad days. It was an insanely good thing to do. It gave me an overview of the year and each day. Why was it a good day? That always referred down to the team, if we were happy. With the bad days, why were they bad? I could www.cookhouse.com

“I don’t want to be a restaurant that passes along yet another generation of insanity” see the answers, where before it was totally unclear. I now just do whatever we feel is right, not what people expect of us. We play around again, as though we have nothing to lose. That’s very important if you’re trying to be creative.

What really made everything work, the glue binds everything together, is fun. I hadn’t had much fun before in kitchens. There was the occasional joke, but then you’d be in service, shouting and screaming. In writing the journal I could see how many good moments were dependent on fun. It is still an intense environment, but put in fun elements and it makes it worth it.

I made changes so that we could have fun in the kitchen. I closed the banquet room – and that subsidised

the restaurant for seven years and people said it was crazy – and made it a staff room with space for staff meals, a test kitchen, a library and coffee bar. I changed the opening hours, so we had an hour and a half to sit together and eat. Spending a little time on the staff and on ourselves made a big difference.

I think it’s made me nicer to work with.

I don’t want to be a restaurant that passes along yet another generation of insanity. Intensity, yes. There’s no way around it, you’re going to work your ass off in a restaurant. But the insanity, I would like much less of. The screaming, the partying, the drinking...the insanity.

As a young chef, should you work in as many places as possible? No. I think you should have a few jobs where you stay for a long time, in places where they really teach you how to cook, every day: slaughtering animals, butchering fish, harvesting vegetables, foraging. If you keep moving, I don’t believe you’re ever going to make it.

Technique is crucial, knife skills, how to braise, how to boil...but there is one skill set that is just as important for cooks, and that is understanding the landscape that you are in, what is edible and what is not edible, and what comes through the seasons. This knowledge is almost totally gone, but is as important as technique. I really mean that.” winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 17

out......... cut it

Recipes for you to cut out and keep from our chef friends around the world

BARAFINA

Barrafina on Frith Street, in Soho, London, is a firm favourite among support office staff round the corner, serving up simple Spanish tapas and seafood from its tiny counter.

Calçots are similar to spring onions (scallions) and come from the Catalonia region of Spain, where they are so prized that regular festivals are held to celebrate and eat them during the winter. Traditionally they are cooked over a barbecue, before being steamed and served with romesco sauce. This recipe is by executive chef of Barrafina and Fino, Nieves Barragán Mohacho, and you can try her food with Soho House in February, when she is taking over the kitchens at High Road House as a guest chef in our ‘One Night Only’ series. www.barrafina.co.uk

CALCOTS serves 4 100g /3 1/2 oz blanched almonds 3 tbsp flaked almonds 2 bunches of calçots 300ml/10 fl oz olive oil 1 garlic bulb, individual cloves peeled 6 tomatoes, quartered, deseeded and roughly chopped 2 dried chillies 2 dried peppers 3 tsp sherry vinegar sea salt and freshly ground pepper First, preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF. Spread out the whole blanched almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning them once or twice until nicely browned, taking care not to let any burn. Allow to cool. Then toast the flaked almonds and allow to cool. Put to one side.

Heat a griddle pan until smoking (on a barbecue is best), then chargrill the calçots, in batches if necessary, for 10 minutes or so, turning every so often. Remove from the heat and place in a deep dish, then cover with cling film and leave to steam while you make the sauce.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat about 200ml olive oil (enough to completely cover the garlic when it is added) to 80°C/175ºF, but no hotter. Add the garlic cloves and cook (or confit) at this temperature for 15 minutes (use a thermometer to check). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

Place the toasted blanched almonds in a blender and whiz until coarsely ground. Add the garlic, tomatoes, chillies and peppers and blitz again. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the sherry vinegar and remaining olive oil. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the calçots while still warm, on top of the sauce and finish with the flaked almonds.

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RENE REDZEPI Chef Rene Redzepi needs no introduction. Executive chef at the multi-award-winning Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, he has been hailed as one of the best and most innovate chefs of his generation. In celebration of his new book, A Work In Progress – Journal, Recipes and Snapshots, he has shared one of his latest recipes with us, for you to try at home.

CARAMELISED CAULIFLOWER

SERVED WITH WHIPPED CREAM serves 4 For the whipped horseradish cream 20g/¾ oz grated horseradish 200g/7 oz cream salt For the cauliflower 20g /¾ oz pine needles* 20g /¾ oz salt 1 large cauliflower 50g /2 oz butter lemon thyme sprigs pine sprigs* For the cooked cauliflower leaves 200g /7 oz water water 250g butter /9 oz butter small cauliflower leaves salt For the whey sauce 200g /7 oz yoghurt whey salt lemon juice 100g /3 ½ oz pine oil (see below) For the pine oil 50g /2 oz pine needles* 200g /7 oz grapeseed oil 50g /2 oz parsley leaves

Pine oil

Blanch the pine needles for 3 minutes. Refresh in cold water and dry. Blend the pine needles, grapeseed oil and parsley in a Thermomix at 60°C (140°F) for 8 minutes. Infuse for 8 hours, strain and keep in the refrigerator.

Whipped horseradish cream

Stir the horseradish into the cream. Infuse in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Strain, then whip the cream to a light foam. Season with salt and keep in the refrigerator.

Cauliflower

Blend the pine needles and salt and keep in an airtight container. Cut a slice off the top and the stem of the cauliflower. Heat the butter with the lemon thyme and pine twigs in a large pan. Cook the cauliflower, covered, stem side down, for 15–20 minutes or until evenly caramelized and tender. Keep the cauliflower on greaseproof (wax) paper. Remove any pine needles on the cauliflower. Season with the pine salt. Trim into florets.

Cooked cauliflower leaves

Boil the water. Emulsify the butter into the water. Cook the cauliflower leaves in the butter emulsion for 30 seconds. Keep the leaves on greaseproof paper and season with salt.

Whey sauce

Heat the yoghurt whey gently. Season with salt and lemon juice.

Serving

Warm 4 plates. Place a caramelised cauliflower floret in the centre of each plate. Arrange a few cooked cauliflower leaves around the caramelised cauliflower. Split the whey sauce with the pine oil, and serve immediately with a quenelle of the whipped horseradish cream.

Recipe from: A Work In Progress – Journal, Recipes and Snapshots

by Rene Redzepi, published by Phaidon

GET ON THE GUEST LIST!

Join one of Soho House's kitchens and work with our great guest chefs. Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com *excercise caution when using wild or foraged ingredients, only use what you know is safe to eat. www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 19

Main photographs by Steven Joyce

“The end result is all those lovely roasted meat flavours and scents”

FIRST PASS THE ROAST...

Winter is the perfect time for a roast. Cosy up with some of Soho House’s best chefs’ recipes for a perfect Sunday afternoon, plus a special pork roast from chef and anti-food waste campaigner Thomasina Miers.

But first – who invented the roast? eing able to roast meat, fish or vegetables in our ovens at home or at work barely seems like a luxury today. But the ability to turn raw protein and tough, stringy or even poisonous vegetables into tasty meals was incredibly important to early man. Richard Wrangham, author of the groundbreaking book, Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, reckons that about 1.8-1.9 million years ago, very early humans managed to work out how to cook meat (someone dropped the day’s catch in the fire by mistake, or an animal fell into a firepit, giving early man his very first roast dinner). This would have revolutionised the flavour of what they ate and made it much less likely to kill them.

B

But Wrangham also suggests that cooking meant much more nutrition could be gleaned from meat and vegetables, which actually helped the human brain and body evolve into that of the modern human; a pretty radical theory about the importance of cooking.

For much of the time since that first cooked meal, food was cooked over fire. Ovens as we know them now – little metal boxes fitted into every home – are a late 19th-century invention, although the earliest clay ovens that have been found so far are around 5,000 years old, and were used to bake bread in Egypt.

The classic British Sunday roast may have started life in a bread oven too. There are several theories around how it came about and one is that poor folk (who didn’t have a big hearth or a spit to cook on) would drop a joint of meat off at their local bakery on a Sunday, to cook in the bread oven while they attended church. Bakers didn’t make bread on Sundays, and the meat would slowly cook in the stone ovens’ residual heat. Others say that Sunday roasts are a Yorkshire tradition dating back to the Industrial Revolution (1760-1820) that spread throughout the country during Queen Victoria’s reign. Or that they may have been a reward from the lord of the manor to his medieval serfs and peasants, given every Sunday, their only day not working his land.

The quintessential flavours in roasted meat come from something called the Maillard Reaction. Named after the chemist who discovered it in 1910, it’s the – deep breath! – reaction of a carbohydrate molecule and an amino acid, followed by a chain of reactions several hundred links long. The end result is all those lovely roasted meat flavours and scents, along with that tell-tale delicious brown colour. Maillard reactions only happen above about 115ºC/230ºF, which is why browning the meat early in the process is so important when slow cooking.

TANK LOY – HOXTON GRILL CAULIFLOWER CHEESE

SUNDAY ROAST BEEF WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS serves 4-6 28-day aged rib of beef, 1.8-2kg, 4-4 lb 6 oz salt and pepper for the vegetables: seasonal veg of your choice butter salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. In a roasting pan, place the beef on a roasting rack and season well with salt and pepper. Roast the rib of beef until the internal temperature of the beef is 30 degrees and leave to rest. Cooking times depends on the size of the beef you are cooking. Keep all the pan juices as you will need this for the Yorkshire puddings later.

For the seasonal vegetables, cook however pleases you, but ensure you season well and add butter to enrich the vegetables.

When the sides below are ready, carve your beef – which should be well rested by this time – and serve with all the complementing veg and either horseradish sauce or a red wine jus.

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces ½ a lemon 1 litre/4 cups whole milk 250g/9 oz unsalted butter 250g/9 oz plain flour 250g/9 oz grated cheddar cheese (plus extra 150g/5 oz for top) 150g/5 oz grated parmesan (plus extra 75g/2½ oz for top) 80g/3 oz hot English mustard salt and pepper 100g/3½ oz panko breadcrumbs Boil the cauliflower in salted water with ½ a lemon (the lemon helps to retain the whiteness). Bring the milk up the boil. In another pan, melt the butter and add the flour, making a classic roux. Slowly add the milk bit by bit, always stirring. Add the cheddar and the parmesan and mix until it is melted. Finally, add the mustard and salt and pepper to taste. In a baking dish mix the sauce and cauliflower together and top with the remaining cheeses and breadcrumbs. Bake at 180ºC/350ºF until golden brown.

YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS 150g/5 oz plain flour 150ml/5 fl oz whole milk 150g/5 oz whisked eggs (yolks and whites) reserved fat from cooking the beef

good quality roasting potatoes duck fat salt and pepper While the beef is cooking peel and boil potatoes until about 70% cooked. Drain and steam dry in a colander to ensure all water is removed. Melt the fat. Season the potatoes and ruffle them up until the outside of the potato is fluffed up. In a roasting pan place the potatoes and fat and roast in the oven at 180ºC/350ºF, turning them once or twice. This will create a crunchy outside and a fluffy inside.

Place the reserved beef fat inside muffin tins (or any other metal baking tin) until it reaches ¼ of the way up the sides (add lard or vegetable oil to if necessary). Heat in the oven until the fat is smoking hot. Carefully add the Yorkshire batter. Cook for around 20 mins or until they rise, then flip then over and cook for a further 5-10 mins. Cooking time depends on the size of your muffin tins or your baking tray.

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“At Shoreditch House we serve two roasts every Sunday: 28-day aged rib of beef on the bone or roasted corn-fed chicken. For sides, we always choose what is best in season. At the moment we are using curly kale, Heritage carrots and parsnips. We chop them, steam them for 4 minutes and finally roast them with goose fat, honey and black pepper.”

“For sides, we always choose what is best in season” FOR THE RIB OF BEEF:

Pre-heat your oven to 190ºC/375ºF. Add all the ingredients, except the fat, together, mix well and let the mixture stand for a while. It is better to do this the night before as the mixture relaxes, in which case place in the fridge. Bring the mix out before you put the beef in to let it come up to temperature. If the mixture seems too thick add a bit more milk as you want a consistency like a crepe batter.

DUCK-FAT ROASTED POTATOES

MICHELE NARGI – SHOREDITCH HOUSE

Serves 7-8. Season the ribs with salt and black pepper and roast them in a preheated oven at 250ºC/480ºF for 10 minutes and then at 60ºC/140ºF for four hours with 100% humidity (in a domestic oven, place about 200ml/7 fl oz in a shallow pan at the base of the oven).

Once cooked, keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR THE ROAST CHICKEN: Serves 2. Cut the chicken into two halves, removing the wings (these can be used for another dish). Marinate overnight with espellette (a mild dried chilli pepper), lemon wedges and fresh thyme, and just before cooking add salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Cook at 190ºC for 20 mins per 450g/1lb + 15 mins, or until the leg core temperature reaches 79ºC/174ºF if you have a meat thermometer.

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Hey, hey Mr Roastman...

TAMAS PRIKKEL – PIZZA EAST SHOREDITCH GRANDMA’S ROAST BEEF serves 4-6 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ kg/1lb baby new potatoes 6 carrots, sliced 4 banana shallots, halved 6 garlic cloves 1 bay leaf couple of thyme sprigs 100g/3 ½ oz butter 1 whole rib eye of beef 200ml/7 fl oz white wine Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF degrees. Get a large frying pan and sauté the potatoes, carrots and shallots with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bay leaf and thyme and cook it for 15mins stirring regularly. Heat half the butter in a roasting tin over a high heat and brown all sides of the beef rib. Transfer it to the preheated oven and roast it for 20 mins.

Remove it from the oven, take out of the pan, and let it rest in its own juices for 10 mins covered with foil.

Deglaze the roasting tin with white wine, scraping up all the good bits from the bottom.

Mix the remaining 50g of butter into the juices till you get a creamy consistency. Add the veggies to the roasting tin and put it back into the oven for 5 more minutes. Serve.

RONNIE BONETTI – BABINGTON HOUSE POT ROAST BEEF SHOULDER, CHEESY MASH, KALE serves 4 1.6kg/3½ lb beef feather blade 1 medium onion roughly chopped 1 bunch baby carrots (washed) 8 cloves garlic, peeled 4 dried bay leaves 2 sprigs rosemary 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt 1 bottle red wine For the cheesy mashed potato: 6 large Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 150ml/5 fl oz milk 80g/3 oz butter 140g/5 oz grated parmesan steamed kale to serve Preheat oven 160ºC/320ºF. Season the beef well with Maldon sea salt and place into a cast iron pot (with a lid). Add all the other ingredients to the pot except the carrots. Place the lid on and pop it into the oven. Leave the beef in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove, turn the beef over and add the carrots. Place the lid back on and cook in the oven for another hour.

While the beef is in the oven start the mash.

Place the potatoes into a pot, cover with cold water and add 1 teaspoon table salt. Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are well cooked. Drain and mash with a potato masher.

Add milk, butter and parmesan; now give the mash a good mix. Check the consistency and seasoning: add a little more milk if it’s too stiff, plus some salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Remove the beef from the oven and check if it's ready.

To check you should be able to place a knife into the beef without any resistance. If not place the beef back in for another 30 minutes.

Steam the kale for just a few minutes, toss with butter and a little salt and pepper.

Dig in and enjoy…

“Dig in…and enjoy!” www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 23

Hey, hey license toMr grillRoastman...

KYLE BOYCE – PIZZA EAST PORTOBELLO WHOLE ROAST SUCKLING PIG serves 20

ANDY LLOYD – SOHO HOUSE BERLIN ROAST LAMB OR BOAR WITH APPLES AND DAUPHINOISE POTATOES

DAUPHINOISE POTATOES

serves 8

3 litres/ 12½ cups double cream 6 cloves garlic, crushed 5kg/11 lb waxy potatoes 500g cheddar or Swiss cheese, grated

serves 20

1 whole suckling pig, boned ½ bunch of sage ½ bunch of picked thyme 3 lemons 8 cloves of garlic 2kg/4 lb 6 oz minced veal shoulder 400g/14 oz table salt

1 boned leg of lamb or wild boar 8 carrots 6 red onions 2 head of celeriac 2 heads garlic 2 sticks of rosemary 2 sprigs of thyme 1 tsp black peppercorns 1 bottle red wine

In a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, sage and thyme into a paste with a touch of olive oil and then add the zest and juice of the lemons.

Peel all the vegetables.

Cut into large pieces of equal size.

Peel the potatoes and thinly slice with a mandoline. Add the potatoes to the boiling cream and again bring to the boil. Add the grated cheddar or Swiss cheese.

Season the meat well. Heat a thick-bottomed pan with a little olive oil on the stove top until smoking hot.

Once the cheese has melted and the potatoes are hot through season the mix with plenty of salt and pepper.

Add the meat and cook until coloured all over.

Tip the potato mix into a roasting tray and cook in the oven at 160ºC/320ºF till the potatoes are cooked through and the top is bubbling and golden, around an hour to an hour and a half.

Mix through the minced veal and set aside.

Cut a sheet of greaseproof/baking paper and roll the minced veal into a sausage that measures the same length as the pig’s stomach.

Lay the pig on its back and lightly season the inside of its belly.

Place the veal meat into the pigs stomach and roll it up.

With some butcher’s twine truss the pig from the back of its neck down the full length of its body. Cover with the salt and roast at 220ºC/430ºF for 2 hours.

Then rinse the salt off and roast for a further hour at the same temperature.

Once well coloured, remove the meat and add a little more oil to the pan. Add the vegetables and garlic to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables will colour fairly unevenly so when about half coloured add the herbs, peppercorns and the red wine to the pan.

Simmer for a couple minutes to loosen the colour and flavour from the pan and then transfer to a roasting tray.

Place the browned joint on top of the vegetables and cover the roasting tray with tin foil.

If using lamb:

Place 3 peeled apples into a food blender with the leaves of 1 large bunch of mint.

Add to 200ml/7 fl oz of white wine vinegar and 100ml/2½ fl oz (by volume) of sugar.

Blend to a pulp. Season to taste and adjust acidity if necessary with lemon juice.

Cook at 160ºC/320ºF for 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender and juicy.

Use as soon as possible for the best results.

Remove the foil and place in an oven at 250ºC to finish for about 5 minutes.

Peel 12 apples and roughly chop.

Place in a thick bottomed pan with 120g/4 oz butter, 120g/4 oz sugar and 100ml/3½ fl oz white wine or cider vinegar.

To serve, spoon the vegetables onto a dish and place the meat on top.

Spoon over the juices with any extra served in a sauce boat on the side.

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Place a thick-bottomed pan on the stove top and add the double cream and crushed cloves of garlic. Bring to the boil and reduce by no more than a ¼.

If using wild boar:

Add 5 cloves and 10 peppercorns.

Stew over a low heat till the apples start to disintegrate.

Remove from the heat and season to taste.

Adjust the acidity with lemon juice, to taste.

winter 2014

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“A very crunchy outside and a fluffy inside”

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winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 23

ANDREA CAVALIERE – CECCONI'S WEST HOLLYWOOD ROAST PRIME RIB OF BEEF WITH AN ANCHOVY AND HERB CRUST serves 18-22 1 bone-in prime beef rib, about 5½kg/12 lb 8 garlic cloves, smashed 65g/ ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoe paste 65g/¼ cup cured anchovy paste leaves from 4 fresh rosemary sprigs leaves from 6 fresh thyme sprigs 100g / 3½ oz salt 40g/¼ cup ground black pepper 240ml/1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 480g/1 lb mixed wild mushroom (including porcini), finely chopped 240ml/1 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 480ml/2 cup beef or chicken broth/stock Preheat the oven to 360ºF/180ºC. Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side facing down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.) In a small bowl mash together the garlic, sun-dried tomato, anchovies, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast.

Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 51ºC/125ºF (medium-rare), for 1½ to 2 hours.

Remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Sauté the wild mushrooms. Pour off some of the roasting pan drippings and place the roasting pan on the stovetop over a mediumhigh heat. Add the white wine and mushrooms and bring to a simmer, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan.

“Massage the paste generously over the entire roast…”

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Reduce the wine by half. Whisk in the flour, then add the broth and continue to cook, whisking until sauce thickens into a gravy, about 20 minutes.

At Cecconi's West Hollywood, we roast the rib in a wood oven using olive wood and serve with roast potatoes and peperonata (a sweet & sour tomato and pepper stew).

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Hey, hey Mr Roastman...

THOMASINA MIERS Thomasina Miers is a chef, co-owner of the Wahaca chain of Mexican restaurants and a campaigner against food waste. This year she teamed up with Soho House and other London restaurants to curate the Pig Idea, a feast for 5000 people in Trafalgar Square, London, feeding everyone with pork from pigs reared on waste food – something which has been banned in the UK for the last decade. See page 6 for more info.

She believes growing feed for animals that could easily be fed on carefully chosen waste from the food industry is – in a word - crazy.

This is her favourite way to roast pork.

TAMARIND & CHILLI-INFUSED BELLY OF PORK serves 6 approx 2kg/4lb 6 oz pork belly 8 cloves of garlic 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half 1 teaspoon cloves 1 teaspoon allspice berries 1 onion 1 tablespoon concentrated tamarind paste 1 heaped tablespoon Chipotle purée a small handful of fresh coriander (including the roots if possible) 4 tablespoons soy sauce 4 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar 6 tablespoons demerara sugar olive or vegetable oil sea salt and black pepper Ask your butcher to score the skin of the pork belly, or do it yourself with a Stanley knife, making a criss-cross pattern across the skin.

The day before, put the pork belly in a pan that is just big enough to comfortably fit the joint.

Cover in cold water and bring to the boil.

Discard the water (which will contain impurities and excess fat) and rinse out the pan.

Smash the garlic cloves once with the flat side of a knife and add to the pan with the pork, spices, onion, tamarind, chipotle, coriander, soy sauce, half the vinegar and sugar and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer gently over a low heat for about 1½ hours until the meat is tender, topping up with more boiling water if you need to.

Remove the meat from the pan and remove the bones from the joint, as they come out very easily and make carving a doddle.

Put the pork in the fridge, skin side up and uncovered, so that the meat dries out (to give you the best crackling).

Meanwhile, simmer the poaching juices with the rest of the sugar and balsamic vinegar for about 20 to 25 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy juice.

Transfer this gravy to a bowl, cool and store in the fridge until needed.

The next day, rub the joint in a tablespoon of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and roast the joint for 20 minutes before turning the oven up to 230°C/450°F and roasting until the crackling has turned crisp and golden.

Watch out, as the crackling can turn quickly from golden brown to black. Meanwhile, skim and discard the fat from the gravy you made the day before and heat up. Serve slices of the pork on rice, soft polenta, mashed potatoes or sautéed greens.

Recipe from Mexican Food Made Simple, by Thomasina Miers (published by Hodder & Stoughton, £20)

“Part-cook this recipe the day before. The prep takes about 15 minutes and the next day you will be rewarded with a feast.”

MOUTH WATERING?

Join one of Soho House's kitchen teams and you could add your roast recipe to the menu.

Email cookhouse@sohohouse.com www.cookhouse.com

winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 27

silver goose…

BRIGHTON FILM FESTIVAL Grey Goose vodka, CINECITY and Soho House teamed up to host a fabulous pop-up dinner at Emporium, to celebrate the 11th annual Brighton Film Festival.

S

oho House and Grey Goose have long been big supporters of film around the world and this event was part of the Brighton Film Festival, which showcased lots of excellent British and international talent. Guests at the dinner included Benedict Cumberbatch, Zawe Ashton, Jamie Campbell-Bower, Greta Scacchi and Adam Ackland, alongside Brighton-based Soho House members.

The bar team served up delicious Grey Goose cocktails – the Winter Fix, Sea Breeze and Moonshine – all specially designed for the night. Guests made the most of the four-course seasonal feast prepared by Soho House chefs Ronnie Bonetti, Jon Pollard and the crew from Pizza East. Dishes included treats like devilled crab, burrata with figs and honeycomb, saltbaked salmon and rib-eye on the bone with cavola nero. Those that had room tucked into lemon pots and salt caramel chocolate tarts.

“ Soho House and Grey Goose have long been big supporters of film around the world” GREY GOOSE MOONSHINE

35 ml/1 oz Grey Goose La Poire, 25 ml/¾ oz Tuaca Liqueur, 20 ml/¾ oz pressed apple juice.

Stir over ice and serve in a sherry wine glass.

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Far left, Benedict Cumberbatch; left, the dressed up dining room at Emporium; above, l-r: Nick Jones, Zawe Ashton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Greta Scacchi; right, l-r: Jamie Campbell Bower, Benedict Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland. Below: below left and top right, the team get busy with Grey Goose cocktails; Emporium by night.

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winter 2014

COOKHOUSE 29

Boss-ted

Managers from all over Soho House getting involved in the kitchen!

THE MANAGEMENT Soho House is committed to serving the best possible staff food as part of its family meal. As a way of spreading the foodie love, some houses have even asked their managers to get involved in the kitchen.

I

t can’t be easy putting on an apron and prepping staff food for a team of hungry chefs and front-ofhouse staff when that isn’t actually your job. So we are super impressed with the managers across the group who have taken up the challenge of preparing staff food for their teams.

In Pizza East Kentish Town, they’ve added a further twist, says floor manager David Stewart. “I cooked staff food with Suze Allen. It was a really great thing to do. All the staff really appreciated it and were very happy.

We are currently running a friendly competition between managers that staff are judging.” The bar has been high, with managers Trish McLean and Simon Jaris cooking up a Mexican

feast of nachos, chicken fajitas, salsa, guacamole, followed by minced lamb pitta pockets, quinoa salad with chilli, coriander, feta, served with humus, harissa yogurt and tzatziki and sweet potato wedges. Sounds like some of the chefs should watch their backs!

Drummond have been rustling up hearty winter pies as part of Top Chef SHNY, a competition spread over six weeks, with six managers competing for the top prize. Helped by head chef German Lucarelli, each manager’s menu has to reflect their nationality.

At Pizza East Shoreditch managers have also been competing. Mirko Zanardo and Jose Mirandela have been cooking for staff – Cookhouse wishes it had been there for roast seasonal vegetables with bacalhão a bràs (salt cod), followed by crostata al cioccolato e amaretto (amaretto chocolate tart). Yum!

In Miami, the chefs held a workshop with managers, and the results were served to staff: sancocho de carne and sancocho mixed (a traditional soup with pieces of corn, chicken, plantains potato and yucca), with chicken empanadas and caprese empanadas.

Delicious! At Babington Kelly Wardingham and Alice Heard have been busy knocking up falafel and delicious salads for staff to eat at lunchtime.

The managers are pitched against each other at Soho House New York too. Oliver Duckworth and Douglas

“Sounds like some of the chefs should watch their backs!”

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adults only DEVON BOYCE’S DRUNKEN BRANDY MALVA South African Devon says, “This is an awesome boozy pud from back home, to warm those winter nights!”

serves 4 1 cup caster sugar 2 eggs 1 tablespoon smooth apricot jam 1 ¼ cups/200g plain flour 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda pinch salt 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon vinegar 4 fl oz/125 ml milk for the sauce: 250ml/8 ½ fl oz cream 125ml/4 fl oz butter 125g/4 oz sugar 125ml/4 fl oz Klipdrift brandy (South Africa’s finest!)

Preheat oven to 190°C/375F. Beat the caster sugar and eggs until fluffy then beat in the jam until a creamy consistency is reached. Sift dry ingredients separately.

Melt the butter in a pot on a medium heat and add the vinegar and milk. Now, add the butter and milk mixture to the sifted ingredients and mix well. Then add the egg mixture and mix well again.

Pour into an ovenproof casserole dish. Bake at 190°C for 45 mins until nicely browned.

Melt all the sauce ingredients together (adding the brandy at the end) in a small pot over a medium heat and pour over the pudding before serving, while it’s still hot. Serve with ice-cream or custard.

JAKE’S CHAMPAGNE RHUBARB Poach rhubarb gently and set in champagne jelly.

serves 6-7 1 head rhubarb stalks 1 bottle Champagne or Prosecco 250g caster sugar 7 leaves gelatine

BOOZY WINTER PUDS

There are all sorts of delicious things you can do with booze to elevate a humble pudding. Jake Rigby Wilson, Soho House’s executive group pastry chef, has some top tips for the season, while, left, Devon Boyce of High Road House shares his favourite winter warmer.

JAKE'S TIPS

“A good slug of Amaretto onto a frangipan tart straight from the oven brings out the almond flavour. Soak prunes in Armagnac to give them a traditional taste, try them with rice pudding or on a custard tart.

Two of my favourites, though, are rhubarb set in Champagne jelly (left), or a blood orange trifle, lifted by the addition of triple sec and white wine.”

Jake Rigby Wilson

Gently poach rhubarb until just cooked, but not falling apart.

Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. Meanwhile heat 200ml of the sparkling wine in a pan with the sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then squeeze out the water from the gelatine and dissolve in the champagne mixture. Add the rest of the Champagne and mix well. Add the pieces of poached, drained rhubarb and set in individual moulds or a single mould in the fridge, overnight.

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COOKHOUSE 31

season to taste

“Sprout juice.

Surprisingly good.

Promise”

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US

‘Tis the season for chestnuts, in all their earthy goodness.

Chestnuts are a fairly low fat nut, and go well with other in-season goodies, especially game like venison, veggies like squash and sweet potato, pears (try in a bitter leaf salad with sliced pear) apples, pork (or both apples and pork) and wild mushrooms. In the pastry section, chestnut flour is a versatile ingredient for cakes and desserts, or they’re delicious simply candied. Cranberries and pomegranate with their tart, almost tannic flavours, are perfect foils for rich food at this time of year, while sweet potatoes are the kind of comforting ingredient perfect for a wet, cold day – go for coconutty curries, roast them or mash them, stew them with greens or spice them up with chorizo or merguez sausages. If you can get your hands on some salsify, then grab it – it works well as a fritter or as a gratin (most root vegetables work well gratinated – little doesn’t when covered in cheese and cream!).

EUROPE

Jerusalem artichokes can be a little hard on the tummy, it’s true, but they are too tasty to miss out on completely; pair with garlic, saute, roast or blitz them into soup. They also work with smoked fish. It wouldn’t be winter without Brussels sprouts – but if you want to be really cool, don’t boil them – juice them.

Surprisingly good. Promise. Game is great at this time of year – substitute your usual weekend bird for guinea fowl, or slowbraise some deer in red wine. Make sure you’re getting your vitamins with a kick of winter fruit – hot pink forced rhubarb has now arrived (see page 31 for a boozy rhubarb pudding), and marmalade makers look out for Seville oranges arriving soon; for now make do with blood or navel oranges, just as good in salads as they are in desserts.

Photo by Dai Williams

In season now…

What should be finding its way into your cooking

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COOKHOUSE 33

ingredients…

in praise of…

BUTTER

James Drye is pastry chef at Soho House West Hollywood. Here, he sings his praise for the good stuff, butter.

E

veryone accuses the pastry chef of sabotaging their diets with butter. What would become of sweet indulgences in its absence? I use it extensively in making laminated doughs, pies, cakes, creams and many other baked goods. Depending on how it is applied it provides moistness, flakiness, flavour, volume or tenderness.

Yes, it is high in fat – especially the European-style butter that I now can’t live without – but the smoothness and mouthfeel it gives cannot easily be mimicked, making the calories worth it.

I have a deeply rooted respect for butter; during my culinary career I’ve witnessed (and caused)

countless flops due to mishandling or misunderstanding how butter is supposed to be treated in a recipe.

Chocolate buttercream made with salted butter; poorly wrapped butter absorbing unintended odours; dishes collapsing or rising to new heights... the list goes on. It’s a one-of-a-kind ingredient with no substitute, and to replace it would alter the texture and flavour of almost every baked good.

opinion on the quality. I spent an afternoon baking up a storm with a good friend, making a variety of items that I thought would show off its best uses. Many dishes and much flour later, surveying the beautiful end results, I realised how versatile butter can be in its own right, but also how good butter, unobserved, sometimes plays a great part in cooking, but rarely gets the credit.

During the summer I visited my home town in New England, and was greeted with several pounds of hand-pressed, locally produced high-fat goodness made at the dairy where I used to work.

I was asked to give my professional

Always try to use good quality butter, you will be surprised at the difference it makes.

There’s no guilt in butter, only in cheating yourself of the pleasure.

“It’s a one of a kind ingredient with no substitute”

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WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR FRESH FACES

Soho House Group is always on the look out for new talent. If you want a great career in food then get in touch. We have restaurants, hotels and clubs in our venues in the UK, Berlin and North America, with more opening in the next couple of years. We offer tailor-made training, excellent support and the chance to travel or possibly even work overseas.

Photo by Tom Mannion

Our farm-to-fork food philosophy is all about working with great ingredients, treated simply and with respect - whether we're flipping burgers at Dirty Burger, making pasta in Cecconi's, or wood-roasted pizza at Pizza East.

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

For more information about current kitchen vacancies worldwide and how to apply email sophie@sohohouse.com, visit our website, www.cookhouse.com, or call Sophie Roche-Garland on +44 (0)20 7074 1449

WINTER FIX CREATED BY OLI BLACKBURN THIS WARMING COCKTAIL WITH NOTES OF LEMON, CHERRY AND CINNAMON IS AVAILABLE IN EVERY HOUSE BETWEEN DECEMBER AND FEBRUARY – JUST ASK THE BARMAN. PAIRED WITH SCOTTISH SALMON, BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND QUINOA. TO SEE HOW TO MAKE THIS COCKTAIL GO TO WWW.HOUSETONIC.COM

For the facts drinkaware.co.uk ©2013 GREY GOOSE, THE GREY GOOSE BOTTLE DESIGNS AND THE GEESE DEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS AND/OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.