Recipes – Rick Stein At Home

YELLOW DAL

With tomato, turmeric & fried Kashmiri chillies

INGREDIENTS

200g yellow tur dal, soaked in cold water for 1 hour, then drained 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 4 green chillies, slit lengthways 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole Small handful fresh curry leaves 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground turmeric Tarka

2 tbsp sunflower oil 1 tsp black mustard seeds 2 shallots, finely chopped 4 dried Kashmiri chillies, each broken into 3 pieces About 15 fresh curry leaves Handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish

Tarka dal A tarka is a last-minute fry of spices and chilli which you pour, still sizzling, on top of the dal in the dish.

Put the dal into a large saucepan and add water to cover by about 4cm. Add all the remaining dal ingredients, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 45–60 minutes. The dal should be soft but still with a little bite. Use a potato masher to break up about half of the lentils, being sure to leave plenty of texture. For the tarka, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and fry for 30 seconds until they pop. Stir in the shallots, Kashmiri chillies and curry leaves and fry for 2–3 minutes until the shallots are softened and golden. Spoon the tarka on top of the dal, sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and serve. Serves 4 – 6 Rick Stein at Home Rick explores family classics that evoke childhood memories and dishes that have marked more personal milestones. Sharing the dishes he most loves to cook for family and friends, along with unforgettable stories that celebrate his favourite family cooking moments. Extracted from Rick Stein at Home by Rick Stein (BBC Books, $55). Photography by James Murphy

BARBECUED WHOLE SEA BASS WITH FENNEL MAYONNAISE

INGREDIENTS

2 x 450–500g sea bass, cleaned and trimmed of fins

2 tbsp olive oil 1 bunch fennel herb

2 tsp Pernod Salt and black pepper

FENNEL MAYONNAISE

1 egg yolk (at room temperature) 1 tsp white wine vinegar 150ml olive oil (not extra virgin) 1/2 tsp Pernod 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fennel herb A few chives, finely chopped

This is my favourite way of cooking whole fish on a barbecue, but it can be quite tricky and you might want to try cooking it under a grill the first time round. What really works in this is the mayonnaise that’s flavoured with fennel herb as well as a splash of pastis and some chopped chives. They give the sauce a bit of onion flavour which seems to work so well.

Preheat a barbecue or an indoor grill. Slash each fish 3 or 4 times down each side and rub them with olive oil. Season well, inside and out, with salt and pepper, then push some of the fennel herb into the gut cavity. For the mayonnaise, put the egg yolk, vinegar and a pinch of salt into a bowl or food processor and whisk together. Start adding the oil very slowly, literally a drop at a time at first. If you go too quickly, your mayonnaise will split. Then keep adding the oil in a very slow, fine stream until the mixture is really thick. Stir in the Pernod, the chopped fennel and chives. Check the seasoning, adding more salt if required, then set aside. Barbecue the fish for 5–7 minutes. Sprinkle each with a teaspoon of Pernod, then carefully turn them over and cook for a further 5–7 minutes until they are cooked right through to the backbone. If you’re using an indoor grill you probably won’t need to turn them over, but they may take a few more minutes. Use the browned side as the presentation side. Carefully remove the fish from the barbecue or grill and serve with the mayonnaise, boiled new potatoes and a green salad.

T I P You can also make this with sea bream, red mullet, snapper or John Dory. Serves 2

CORNISH MUSSELS WITH

CIDER

INGREDIENTS

1.75kg mussels 20g butter 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 4 or 5 spring onions, chopped A few thyme sprigs and a couple of bay leaves

100ml dry cider 120ml double cream

Good handful wild sorrel leaves, coarsely chopped, or 200g baby spinach leaves, washed Salt and black pepper Crusty bread, to serve

Wash the mussels under plenty of cold, running water. Discard any open ones that won’t close when lightly squeezed or tapped. Pull out any tough, fibrous beards protruding from the tightly closed shells and knock off any barnacles with a large knife. Give the mussels another quick rinse to remove any little pieces of shell.

Melt the butter in a large pan with a lid. Add the garlic, spring onions, thyme and bay leaves, then cook until softened. Add the mussels and cider, then turn up the heat, cover the pan and leave the mussels to steam in their own juices for 3–4 minutes. Give the pan a good shake every now and then. Add the cream and the chopped sorrel or baby spinach and remove from the heat. Season with salt and black pepper. Spoon into large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread to soak up the tasty juices.

Here’s another recipe from my Cornish TV series, something that I cooked on the turf above a beach just outside Mevagissey. I can’t name the place because it’s owned by a family. This is a version of moules marinière using Cornish ingredients – you can’t go wrong really.

T I P I’m often asked if you should discard any mussels that don’t open after cooking. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with them, as they’re cooked and should be fine. Once in a while, though, you will find that those that don’t open are full of sand and mud, so probably best to throw them out. Serves 4