new new Keep track of your favourite recipes & discover how to invent tasty new dishes
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JOURNAL
Get yourself organised in the kitchen with this interactive journal
JOURNAL
W E LCOM E o matter where you are on your cooking journey, there are always ways you can improve. If you’re new to home cooking, then you are in a great position to learn key skills from scratch. This way you can be sure that you’re doing things the right way from the outset. Or if you are a seasoned pro then you might still need advice on how to become even more creative in the kitchen. Over these pages, we’ve put together a guide to common cooking methods and kitchen skills as well as key ingredients that you must have in your cupboard. If that wasn’t enough to kick start your culinary adventure, we’ve also included tips and advice on how to become more inventive in the kitchen – learn to take risks and become more confident with your skills. Elsewhere in this journal, you’ll find space to write down your very own recipes, giving you a place to keep all your favourites together. We’ve also included some classic recipes throughout the journal to help get you started and inspire you. Discover recipes that include homemade pasta, pizza from scratch, vegetarian chilli and Victoria sponge. Make this a journal to treasure, pack it with love and delicious recipes that you might one day gift to someone else.
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this journal belongs to
JOURNAL Future PLC Richmond House, 33 Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH2 6EZ Editorial Editor Rebecca Greig Designer Madelene King Editorial Director Jon White Senior Art Editor Andy Downes Contributors Julie Bassett, Natalie Denton, Rebecca Greig Images All illustrations courtesy of Getty Images Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove clare.dove@futurenet.com International Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Clare Scott Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Managers Keely Miller, Nola Cokely, Vivienne Calvert, Fran Twentyman Management Chief Content Officer Aaron Asadi Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker Printed by William Gibbons, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XT Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU www. marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001 Recipe Journal First Edition (MCB3364) Š 2020 Future Publishing Limited We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this magazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. The manufacturing paper mill and printer hold full FSC and PEFC certification and accreditation. All contents Š 2020 Future Publishing Limited or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
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Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244
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THE EDITOR ood is such a big part of my life. Eating good food is the best, but for me making it is a hundred times better. I use cooking and baking as a way of de-stressing and keeping myself occupied. I bake when I’m bored, when I’m sad, when I’m happy and when I’m feeling creative. Most of my moods result in some sort of cooking or baking to direct my emotional energy into something tangible. I also show my affection most easily through cooking and baking for other people – and that is where most of my enjoyment comes from. I love gifting someone a cake or a sweet treat and seeing how it makes them feel – I love absorbing that happiness or gratitude, even if sometimes I don’t know how to take a compliment. Cooking a meal for someone is also one of life’s great pleasures, for me anyway. I love watching for a reaction. Hoping it’s enjoyment that I see but still getting a buzz from the anticipation even if they didn’t like it. And let’s face it, even the best cooks suffer from kitchen disasters. I’ve certainly had a lot. My relationship to food has definitely evolved over the years. I was a very picky eater when I was younger, however, the independence of cooking for myself and
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experimenting encouraged me to try new things and experience food in new ways. I think it comes down to control. Once I became in complete control over what I was eating I forced myself out of my comfort zone and made food for me. I remember coming home to visit from university one day and saying, “Oh aren’t we having any vegetables with dinner then? I always cook them.” When before I’d have avoided them at all costs. Or saying “Oh… you’re cooking it like that are you? That’s not how I would.” Being confident in the kitchen is so fulfilling. Making a dish from scratch and it turning out perfect is so satisfying and when you have added your own personal flare, even more so. As my taste buds have evolved so has my confidence with cooking. I often use recipes as more of a guideline, then add my own interpretation to the dish. I’ve become quite instinctual when it comes to cooking and will often just add a little of this and a little of that in order to make something work. I’ve learnt you have to taste as you go and even if you have followed a recipe exactly you may still have to tweak things to make it exactly how you want it to taste. It’s through this confidence that you’ll be able to take your own cooking to the next level. It does come from experience, and
ESSENTIALS BASICS INVENTION RECIPES
Rebecca Greig
INTRO
There are so many recipes passed down to me, and others that remain in the minds of my relatives that just aren’t replicated anywhere else. This is one of the reasons that I started my own recipe book to document my favourite recipes that will soon be lost if they aren’t recorded soon. The beginnings of my own recipe journal included strange bakes from my grandma’s brain including melting moments, which are delicious biscuits coated in cornflakes, biscuit balls that aren’t quite what they sound like, to coconut balls and the tastiest shortbread I’ve ever made. I’ve included a few of these quirky recipes from my past in this journal. Hopefully you’ll enjoy them and they will inspire you to record your own family favourites and possibly invent some of your own. We all, I’m sure, have a secret recipe or two that we don’t want to share with just anyone. Whether it’s your secret meat ragu or famous lasagne. My most secret recipe is my triple chocolate brownies, and I’m sorry to say that I haven’t shared it in this journal. But trust me. They are really good. I have, however, shared my fool-proof Victoria sponge recipe and super tasty take on spaghetti and meatballs. I will write my brownie recipe in my own personal copy of this journal though, to make sure it is recorded somewhere and won’t die with me. Maybe one day I’ll gift this book to someone special and let them cook up all of my favourite things – and that’s something you should have in mind when writing down your recipes in this journal.
FOREWORD
- Editor -
USEFUL INFO
you will have to take a few risks, or allow yourself to fail at times. Once you are able to cook instinctually, there won’t be a single recipe that you can’t master, which is why I have included tips to help you learn how to experiment and adapt in the kitchen. Baking and cooking has been in my life forever. My most vivid childhood memories involve being in the kitchen with somebody or other. Being from Scotland I made a lot of soup with my grandma to keep us toasty – I vividly remember standing grating the carrots and other vegetables for her famous lentil soup. Unfortunately she passed away before I was mindful enough to ask for her recipe, but the taste, texture and sensation of it burning my mouth every time, is forever etched in my brain. One day I’ll hopefully find a way of making my own lentil soup to match, or even rival, hers. There was lots of porridge too and I’m very particular with how I like it. My other grandparents owned a bed and breakfast and I was often in their kitchen in the morning as the sausages were frying. I remember my arm aching from using the hand whisk to whip up the eggs for the scrambled eggs and I remember being confused as to why they used the same oil every morning, never getting rid of it. The moment I found the frying pan full of oil in the cupboard is still such a vivid memory for me as well as the smell of the fried breakfasts cooking. Every family or every household has their own cooking quirks, which is what will make a recipe journal like this all the more exciting. Just think how different they all will be! I was baking with my mum and grandma from a very young age – there were lots of parties, celebrations and school bake sales that I baked for with my mum. My grandma and I had a tradition of doing special Christmas-themed baking to get us all through the holiday period. A tradition I have tried to keep up myself. I have so many memories related to food and cooking with others, and recipes and food help to trigger those happy memories.
cipe Journa . Re l .
RECIPE JOURNAL More than just a place to write recipes, this journal is designed to inspire and motivate you in the kitchen ooking means different things to all of us. For some, it’s simply a necessary task that has to be done to make sure we eat healthy foods. For others, it’s done for the joy and pleasure of the activity, hours spent in the kitchen perfecting recipes. But for many of us, it’s somewhere in the middle. We need to eat and therefore we need to cook, and when we do we quite enjoy the task. However, there are many factors that can get in the way of the cooking experience. Time, usually, is one of the biggest pressures – getting home late from work to a hungry family doesn’t result in the most relaxing of times spent in the kitchen. Lack of confidence is often another hurdle in our cooking journey, the fear of getting something wrong or straying from
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a tried-and-tested repertoire of crowd-pleasing simple recipes that always work. For whatever reason, you have been drawn to this journal in your hands. Maybe you just want a simple place to write down the recipes you enjoy, so you can have everything you need to hand. This is a great way to use this journal. With so many cookery books and online sources of information, you have access to more recipes than you could ever need. You might cook something once, really love it and then never remember where you found it. By using this journal and filling the pages with your favourite recipes, you can create your own curated recipe log of things you love to cook – no hunting through websites or cookbooks needed.
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KITCHEN TOOLS Equip your kitchen with all the essential tools of the trade... hether you’re a newbie, novice or Nigella in the making, you can never have enough gadgets and gizmos to get you from your culinary A to B, or rather – take you from a bunch of raw, random ingredients to an amazing, mouth-watering meal. But before you start pining for an animal-shaped pancake maker or a stainless steel egg slicer, it’s a good idea to make sure you have all the basics before shopping for weird, yet wonderful, luxuries. Having the right equipment at your fingertips won’t only make cooking easier, but you’ll discover it will actually make it more enjoyable too. When stocking up on new additions it’s generally considered a good idea to invest in the best equipment you can afford, as the items will be more efficient for everyday use and last for many years to come, if not a lifetime. It’s best to shop in well-regarded stores (or their online equivalents) which offer product guarantees, and take the time to read through customer reviews to see what others made of the product’s performance and value for money, especially if you plan on investing in something worthwhile. Before you make your choice, there are lots of questions you should consider, such
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as, can that pan be used on the stove as well as in the oven? Will that baking tray fit inside your oven? Is there enough space on your kitchen worktop for a microwave and a slow cooker? Is that saucepan non-stick? But perhaps the most important question you should consider is what material of pan best suits your method of cooking, as well as your budget. For example, if you cook on gas, consider stainless steel, which on its own isn’t the best conductor but with a copper (more expensive) or aluminium (cheaper) layer in its base, will bring it up to par. If your oven uses halogen hobs, stainless steel, again, is the way to go, or enamelled cast iron (which is more affordable). Those with electric stoves ought to consider titanium (although very expensive) or again, stainless steel with an enhanced base. Over the next few pages we’ve covered everything that ‘most’ cooks would classify as ‘essential’ but what is considered as ‘vital’ to one chef may not be to another, and perhaps there are some other gadgets that you just can’t cook without. So why not allow yourself a few indulgences that suit your style of cooking or that, more to the point, help you to get in the mood for whipping up something delicious?
There are some cooking utensils that a chef just can’t do without...
Digital kitchen scales are more effective for measuring small and large quantities alike, and be sure to choose one that shows weight in both imperial and metric as recipes online could differ depending on where the author is from. Before you throw away the receipt, just test the scales by placing an item that has the weight printed on it to check it’s accurate. When it comes to measuring volume a pyrex jug is ideal as it can hold hot and cold liquids, and again be sure to choose one showing both metric and imperial units.
INVENTION
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Measuring scales & jug
ESSENTIALS
peeler
Pestle & Mortar
USEFUL INFO
Now and then you’ll come across a recipe that calls for something to be ground, and while a china bowl and the end of a rolling pin might do an OK job, a pestle and mortar is the way forward for convenience and enhanced results. A super must-have for popping on your Christmas wish list!
RECIPES
While a knife will suffice to peel away the skin on some veg such as potatoes, a vegetable peeler really is essential for coring and strimming others, such as apples, pears, carrots, parsnips, etc, plus you can use it to create ribbons to jazz up salads.
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INTRO
Grater/zester Cheese isn’t the only food to get up close and personal with this utensil. Carrots, onions, lemons and limes, garlic – you’ll be surprised by just how many food items you can use it with. Aim to buy a four-sided multi-use one, as alongside your everyday grater, you’ll find the fine grater on the opposite side which is especially useful if you’re cutting down on cals (so creating less cheese – sort of), and on one edge there’s an even finer grater for zesting things like citrus fruit. On the other edge you’ll discover slots which are perfect for slicing things like cheese, onion and carrots.
FOREWORD
Utensils
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COOKING INGREDIENTS Store cupboard essentials come to the rescue when you need a flash of flavour or that all-important mainstay ingredient… aving a selection of essential cooking ingredients tucked away in your cupboards can make all the difference, transforming what might have been a measly, miserable meal into a terrific taste sensation. Herbs, spices, seasonings, oils, vinegars, stocks, and condiments all offer the opportunity to bring your meal, and thus your taste buds, to life. Sure, the greater selection of products the more challenging and interesting meals you can make, but even with the bare essentials you can whip up something special. Alongside these flavour-giving goodies should reside other staple stalwarts, such as pastas, grains, rice, cans, jars and longerlife veg such as garlic, onions and potatoes. Having these items, which are just as nutritious as their fresher counterparts, on hand will help to make mealtimes child’s play, and are especially helpful if you’ve not had time to pop to the shops and the fridge is looking a little bare. While it’s a good idea to keep a good stock of all these essential store cupboard items, there’s no need to go overboard. In fact, once you have an ample selection of all the essentials mentioned here, it’s a good
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idea to save money as well as time and minimise waste by doing your shopping with the aid of a weekly meal planner. Simply write down the days of the week and next to each day, jot down what creative cuisine you intend to make, using cookbooks and internet recipes for help. Then on a separate sheet, just write down the items you need for those recipes. Alternatively, if you prefer to think on your feet in the supermarket, why not take a snapshot of your cupboards before leaving the house? That way you’ll know what you already have and what you don’t. Although spices, sauces, tinned goods and jars all have relatively long shelf lives, a little maintenance can go a long way to prevent food spoiling. Place products in cupboards that are cool, dark and dry, and if you’re keeping items such as root vegetables in them, ensure the air circulation is good or your food may start to mould. Lining the shelves makes cleaning them a breeze, and it’s a good idea to store things like flour and sugar in sealed containers to keep pests like weevils and mice at bay. As well as checking dates regularly, aim to keep the oldest items at the front and newer multiples can go at the back, so that nothing is wasted and everything is enjoyed!
Using herbs and spices is an inexpensive way to bring exciting, powerful flavours to your dish
Turmeric Tumeric has become a bit of a wonder spice of late thanks to the multiple health benefits associated with it. When it comes to cooking with the vibrant yellow spice, it is a staple ingredient in curries, but it can also have a place seasoning roasted veg and soups.
RECIPES
mixed herbs
USEFUL INFO
No space for staple dried herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme and sage? Then opt for a jar of mixed herbs instead, which not only features these fab four, but also marjoram and oregano. The multiple notes in this herby jamboree boost flavours in everything from pasta sauces and stews to salad dressings to breads.
INVENTION
Five spice Five spice powder is the foundation of many East Asian dishes, and typically contains a blend of cloves, fennel, star anise, cinnamon and Szechuan peppercorns, although recipes can vary. Its sweet, warming, liquorice flavour works well in marinades, rubs and sauces that partner roast meat and fish.
Cumin Available as whole seeds or ground powder, cumin is superb for bringing an earthy, nutty flavour to Indian and Mexican dishes, but also many culinary creations hailing from typically hotter continents, such as South America, Asia and Africa. Cumin also features in many other spice blend stables, including curry and chilli powder.
BASICS
Ginger One of the more widely-used spices found on the rack, ginger’s soft spicy, distinctive taste works well with a wide range of sweet and savoury dishes. Gingerol, which is what gives ginger its unique flavour and fragrance, is also said to provide a whole host of medicinal benefits.
Sold in a variety of heat levels (mild, medium, and hot), chilli powder/flakes contain a variety of ground/crushed chilli peppers (the exact variety differs depending on the heat level) mixed with the base spices of paprika, cumin and oregano, but sometimes salt, onion or garlic powder.
ESSENTIALS
Paprika Made from the skins of red peppers, ‘sweet’ paprika brings a fruity edge, perfect for Hungarian dishes like goulash or sprinkled over cooked eggs, whereas ‘hot’ paprika uses spicy red peppers, ideal for fiery recipes. If the paprika is ‘smoked’ it uses peppers that were smoked, superb for delivering a richer, smokier taste.
Chilli powder/flakes
INTRO
Cinnamon One of the more versatile, sweeter spices, cinnamon brings a warming, aromatic flavour to a large assortment of sweet and savoury dishes from across the world, particularly those hailing from the East. Rich in antioxidants, cinnamon is said to be helpful for improving all manner of ailments from blood pressure to gut health.
FOREWORD
Spices
Stocks & gravies How to make a gravy INGREDIENTS
• Roasting juices from your choice of meat • 3 tbsp plain flour • 750ml | 25.3 fl oz homemade stock (meat or vegetable) • Salt and pepper to season
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METHOD
Make sure to release as much of the roasting juices as you can from your meat. To do so, remove the meat from its roasting tin and keep warm. Heat the heatproof roasting tin over a low heat on the hob, which will help you scrape off the remnants from the bottom of the tin. Pour everything into a large cooking pot over the same heat. Add the flour and mix well to create a paste-like roux. Now tip in your stock a little at a time, stirring it into your roux until it’s fully blended. Bring the heat up a little and keep stirring. You’re looking for a thick pouring consistency, but how thick is down to personal preference. If you like it really thick, you may need to keep it on the heat for up to 10-15 minutes. Finally, season to taste and pour into a gravy jug ready to serve.
sauces Sauces add flavour and texture to all kinds of dishes There are so many sauces out there and each one has a different flavour. There are five sauces that are considered to be the building blocks of all other sauces in classical French cooking. Most rely on creating a ‘roux’, which is just flour mixed with a fat (usually, but not always, butter) in equal parts to create a smooth paste, to which liquid is added and reduced. The first four of the five classic sauces start from a roux: Béchamel (a roux plus milk), Velouté (a roux plus a light stock, such as vegetable, fish or chicken), Espagnole (a roux plus a dark stock, like beef) and Tomato (a roux plus tomatoes, though the Italian method of making a tomato sauce doesn’t use a roux). The fifth sauce is Hollandaise, which doesn’t have a roux base, and is made from egg yolks, clarified melted butter and an acid, often lemon juice. Over time, these sauces have been adapted and changed, and there are many different methods. There are also other sauces to master outside of this, such as sweet sauces (made from chocolate, for example) or things like pesto, which can be considered a sauce.
the perfect INGREDIENTS
Pickling
INVENTION RECIPES USEFUL INFO
Pickling is a method of preservation that helps to extend the shelf life of a food. It also gives the pickled food a distinct sharp, vinegary taste that some love and some loathe in equal measure. Pickles are great for adding an extra layer of flavour or texture to all kinds of foods – from the pickled gherkins in your burgers, to a tangy fruit pickle on your summer salad. Pretty much anything can be pickled, but most commonly you will find fruits and vegetables are used. Pickled eggs are also popular in some kitchens, and you can even pickle meat. Pickling involves placing food in a brine or, more commonly for home cooks, in a vinegar solution. In some parts of Asia, a pickling liquid might include oil with the vinegar. It’s also possible to add herbs and spices to the pickling liquid to give extra flavour, and some of these can even contribute to bacteria prevention, helping the foods last longer. Pickles can be found around the world, but there are regional varieties. In Asia, pickles are made from fruits like mango, gooseberry, lemon and lime. Pickled vegetables that are popular include carrots, aubergine, cauliflower, tomato and onion. Garlic and ginger are often pickled too. In parts of Europe, pickled cucumbers and peppers are common on the dinner table. In the Southern European countries, seasonal vegetables are commonly pickled, such as in the Italian giardiniera (see the next page), which may vary in its ingredients depending on what’s available throughout the year. In the UK, pickled onions and pickled eggs are pub classics, and it’s not uncommon to see pickled beetroot on the side of a Ploughman’s lunch! Pickled fish, like herring and salmon, is popular in Scandinavian countries, as well as pickled capers. Once you learn how to pickle, you can try experimenting with anything you fancy and build up a storecupboard of exciting pickles to see you through all the seasons.
BASICS
Master this traditional method of preserving foods
ESSENTIALS
• 1kg fresh, ripened tomatoes, halved • 5 fat garlic cloves, halved • 1 tbsp olive oil • 1 tsp sugar • Salt and pepper to season
INTRO
passata
METHOD
Add the first three ingredients to a large cooking pot, cover with a lid and simmer for at least 10 minutes on a medium heat. The tomatoes should have broken up by the time you finish simmering. Season to taste and add the sugar, then boil without the lid on for a further 5 minutes. Allow the sauce to cook and then pass through a sieve to remove the pulp. The remaining sauce can be frozen for when you need it, or used straight away.
FOREWORD
How to make
Look to others for inspiration You don’t have to go it alone in your quest for the perfect recipe. Even the best chefs in the world will have been inspired by other people. If you go to a restaurant and enjoy a meal, take the time to really think about why you like it, what ingredients appeal to you and what flavour combinations you enjoy. It will make the whole experience of eating out a far more mindful experience, as you concentrate on the tastes and the textures. This is especially good if you’re on holiday, trying the local cuisine. So much inspiration for your own cooking can come from other countries and the different ways that they prepare and deliver their food. It doesn’t have to be restaurants either; street food and food stalls can deliver a lot of inspiration. Inspiration can come from the past as much as the present, too. Do any meals stick out in your mind from your younger days – things your grandparents or parents cooked well, for example? They may have recipes
you can follow and adapt, or you can try and recreate the foods you loved from memory and experimentation. These recipes can be comforting and delicious at the same time, bringing up good memories associated with those foods.
Cook with ingredients that you love
The best recipes start from good ingredients that you enjoy. Don’t try and get inventive with ingredients you don’t like to eat, as you won’t feel the passion
for creating anything from them. Start with something you really love, whatever that may be, and make that the star of your dish. This will inspire you to keep the flavour of that ingredient at the forefront of the dish and gives you a clear mission in your recipe invention. Think about what best complements your main ingredient and how you like it cooked. This will help you get started with your recipe and give a base to work from. This is turn can feel less overwhelming, by grounding what you want to achieve. It doesn’t matter whether your chosen ingredient is something big like a cut of meat or simply a spice that you love; there is a lot you can do from any starting point. Then you can work with other ingredients you love to build a strong repertoire or you combine those that work together to come up with something that hits all the right taste notes for you.
FOREWORD
Macaroni
INTRO
cheese reworked
ESSENTIALS
We take the staple pasta dish and suggest how it could be adapted to create a whole new recipe
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups | 250g | 8.8oz macaroni 1/3 cup | 50g | 1.7oz butter 1/3 cup | 50g | 1.7oz flour 2 cups | 600ml | 21fl oz milk 250g | 8.8oz cheddar cheese METHOD
RECIPES USEFUL INFO
• Add a little crispy bacon to your macaroni cheese. Chop your bacon into small pieces and fry in a pan with some olive oil. Take out of the pan and pat with kitchen towel to dry it out. Stir it in to the cheese sauce when you add your pasta, to give a meaty flavour and crunchy texture. • When cooking the pasta, add in a head of cauliflower, broken into smaller pieces, for the last five minutes of cooking, and combine both with the sauce. For fussy eaters, you can opt to add the cooked cauliflower into the sauce before the pasta and blend until smooth, then add the pasta. A great way to get children to eat extra vegetables! • Nutmeg works really well in the sauce to add a different flavour element. If you can, use freshly grated nutmeg because it has a stronger flavour, but ground nutmeg is good too.
INVENTION
Melt the butter in a saucepan. When it’s melted, add the flour and stir until you create a roux (a paste that thickens sauces). Next add in a little of the milk and whisk into the roux. Now keep adding the milk and whisking. When all the milk is in the pan, cook gently for 10-15 minutes. You’re looking to achieve a smooth sauce that is thick and creamy. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Add most of the cheese into the sauce and stir until melted. Mix in the cooked, drained pasta, and then transfer to an ovenproof dish. Add the rest of the cheese on top, then place under a hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbling away and slightly browned.
SUGGESTIONS
BASICS
• • • • •
Roast CHICKEN
Roasting meat can seem a little daunting, but this recipe will ensure it’s perfect every time SERVINGS
4
prep time
15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
• • • • • • •
1.6 kg | 3.5 lb whole chicken 2 medium white onions 2 carrots 2 sticks of celery 1 bulb of garlic olive oil 1 bunch fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and bay leaves) METHOD
Remove the chicken from the fridge around an hour before you want to cook it. Cooking meat straight from the fridge can make the fibres tense up. Preheat the oven to 240°C | 475°F | Gas Mark 9. Now roughly chop the veg without peeling them and smash the bulb of garlic, but don’t worry about peeling the cloves. Pile the vegetables and the garlic in the middle of a large roasting tray and drizzle with a little oil. You won’t need too much as you’ll get fat from the chicken itself. Next drizzle the chicken with oil,
cook time
1 hour 20 mins
season well with sea salt and black pepper, then massage it in. Now place the chicken over the vegetables, then stuff the bunch of herbs into the chicken’s cavity. Pop the tray in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 200°C | 400°F | Gas Mark 6 and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking and if the vegetables look a little dry, simply add a splash of water to stop them from burning. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the oven and move the bird onto a board to rest for 15 minutes. Cover it with a layer of tin foil followed by a kitchen towel and set it aside while you make the gravy.
• Roasted vegetables (from your chicken’s roasting tin) • 1 tbsp plain flour • 1 litre chicken stock METHOD
While your chicken is resting, use a spoon to remove most of the hot fat from the roasting tin of vegetables. Next place the tray
P O T AT O E S INGREDIENTS
METHOD
Carefully place the potatoes into the hot fat and roll them around so that they are fully coated. Distribute them over a single layer and roast them in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Turn them in the tray every 15 minutes or so. When done, remove them from the fat and sprinkle with some sea salt.
USEFUL INFO
Peel the potatoes and cut each one into four, or if they are medium sized, just cut them into three. Now put them in a large pot with just enough water to cover them. Add a little salt then bring the pan to the boil. As soon as the
Drain the potatoes, then shake them in a colander, back and forth a few times in order to fluff up the edges. Sprinkle with flour and shake again.
RECIPES
Place a large roasting tin in a preheated oven (200°C | 400°F | Gas Mark 6). If you are making the chicken on this page, it will already be at temperature.
Pour the fat that you are using into the hot roasting tin and put back in the oven until it’s really hot.
INVENTION
• 1kg maris piper potatoes • 100 g | 3.5 oz duck or goose fat, or 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz • olive oil • 2 tsp flour • Sea salt
water is at a rolling boil, lower the heat and cook for a further 2 minutes.
BASICS
roast
If you’d prefer a thicker gravy, simply pop it back on the heat for a few more minutes, otherwise serve immediately.
ESSENTIALS
Bring everything to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Next pour the gravy into a large jug or pan through a coarse sieve. Work to push as much as you can through then discard the leftover veg.
INTRO
INGREDIENTS
G R AV Y
FOREWORD
Chicken
on a high heat on the hob and add in the flour. Mash all of the veg as much as you can then add in your stock.
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k
time
time
INTRO
ESSENTIALS
BASICS
Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack
notes
INVENTION
RECIPES
USEFUL INFO
9000
FOREWORD
category