FEAST Our 100th issue special
Issue 100 May 2010
ÂŁ1.00
Non smokers need not apply
CONTENTS Editor’s letters Brajun Chicken
Sloppy Joes American Style Limeomade Peter Lafayette on: Smoking in resturants
White Chocolate Sauce 5 Minute Cake
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I and the entire staff of FEAST magazine would like to thank you for buying our 100th issue. We have decided to design this month’s issue in the same way as we did our first: smaller, more concise and with more simple and quick recipes than the monthly behemoth we usually give you. True, our critics may say we have become too complex in our cooking strategy guides, but this is the progression we have taken. When I started this magazine with my three colleagues (RIP), we wanted FEAST to become almost comic book-like in its collectability. We have always strived to deliver constantly new recipes, never reproducing the same recipe twice. To tell you the truth, folks, we’re running out of ideas by now.
Fried Courgettes
Dark Chocalate Sauce
EDITOR-IN-CHEF’S LETTER
The recipes herein are classics among us. We have never published any of them before, as simple as they are, because they have been our in-house meals - our own personal cooking secrets. You may also notice a special feature by retired FEAST reporter Peter Lafayette, who has come out of exile for this issue only to combine biting political satire with helpful kitchen tips. So we present to you FEAST issue 100, or FEAST issue 1 mark 2, if you are so inclined. The years have been kind to the staff, and we thank you all for your unwavering support (though would it kill you to take out a few more subscriptions, people?). See you in another 100.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, COMPLAINTS I’ve seen movies and TV programmes that always say souffle will collapse into itself if there’s a loud noise. Is this true? Chelsea from Preston Yes. Loud noises, as well as physical disturbances, can cause the air to rush out of the souffle, forcing it to collapse. As a fun party trick, scream and make your guests think you have some kind of voodoo power over French pastry dishes. I don’t like that your magazine has started focusing more on restaurant guides. If I wanted to leave the house, I wouldn’t be reading a cooking magazine. Preston from Chelsea We’re sorry to hear we have incurred your displeasure, Preston. Although, to correct you, we have never been solely a recipe magazine: we’ve always been devoted to food culture in all its forms.
In FEAST’s early days we couldn’t afford to frequent the fine culinary establishments of Greater London, or even Greater Britain. If our more recent forays into restaurant reviewing offends you to the extent that you tell us all about it, I suggest you take a good long look in the mirror and see what kind of person you actually are. Weirdo. Who is FEAST backing in the forthcoming general election? Dave from Stoke-on-the-Water Clearly not a food-focused Letter. Everyone knows Good magazines don’t Give their political leanings. What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? Daphne from Aberdeen Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. While baking powder contains sodium bi-
Wes Burns, Editor-in-Chef
carbonate, it is less volatile and works better over time. If you want something to rise quickly, like a souffle you want to shout at, use baking soda; for cakes and scones, use baking powder. Every time I try to fry something, the spices burn into the oil and nearly ruin the pan. How can I avoid this? Lester from Leicester This is a fairly common problem people have with fried foods. The seasoning needs to be added as late as possible, when the food is almost cooked. Some seasonings like salt and pepper can be added earlier, because they don’t burn as easily. Can you send recipes directly to my house, please? Gordon from London For the last time, Ramsay, we don’t just send recipes to anyone for free. We have to make a living. We also don’t respond to threats, thank you very much.
BRAJUN CHICKEN
An original theme of cooking which combines elements of traditional British food with Cajun cuisine. Serves two. - 2 chicken breast fillets - 2 tbsp butter (melted) - 1 tsp Tabasco - 1 tbsp Worcester sauce - 1 heaped tbsp Cajun spice - Whole peppercorns - 1 clove garlic, chopped finely - Half a red onion, diced - Salt and pepper to taste 1. Heat the oven to 200C (gas mark 6). Line a roasting tin with tinfoil. 2. Place the chicken in the roasting tin and pour the melted butter over it. Turn the chicken so both sides are equally covered. 3. There should be a puddle of excess butter around the chicken. Pour the Tabasco and Worcester sauce into this puddle, not directly onto the chicken, so the meat can
soak it up in its own time. 4. Stab the chicken vigorously with a fork so the marinade can permeate it. 5. Sprinkle half the Cajun onto the chicken, then turn the chicken over and add the rest of the Cajun. Add salt and pepper at your discretion. 6. Distribute the onion, garlic and peppercorns on and around the chicken. 7. Cover the chicken with tinfoil and bake it for 40 minutes, turning it over halfway through. Sprinkle chopped chilies over it for a bit of a kick.
COURGETTES WITH WILD RICE
This recipe for fried courgettes and rice complements the Brajun chicken perfectly. For a healthier option use olive oil rather than sunflower, though this tends to be a bit more expensive. Serves two. - 2 courgettes, chopped
- Sunflower oil, for frying - 2 tsp ground black pepper - 1 tsp paprika - Half a clove of garlic, chopped finely - 2 small handfuls wild rice 1. Put a thin layer of oil in the frying pan and heat it while boiling half a pan of water. 2. Add the rice to the boiling water and stir with a fork. 3. Add the courgettes to the hot oil and fry until the off-white centre becomes translucent. 4. Add the pepper, garlic and paprika. Stir thoroughly. 5. When the rice is nicely al dente, sieve it and place the courgettes on top. Use the rice to soak up any excess melted butter from the chicken. If for some reason you have any Brajun chicken left over it goes well in sandwiches, though we don’t recommend you try that with courgettes.
SLOPPY JOES
This Florida dish is usually made with ketchup instead of barbecue sauce, but we like our way better. Sloppy joes are incredibly versatile: they can be cooked in about 10 minutes on a stove or in 8 hours on a slow cooker. Serves two.
- 400g minced beef - 1 cup barbecue sauce - 1 red onion, diced - 1 tbsp dried coriander - 1 clove garlic, chopped finely - 2 tsp ground black pepper - 1 small handful plain flour - 1 splash sunflower oil, for frying - Soft bread rolls, for serving
1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and brown the beef lightly. 2. Add the onion and fry until it’s translucent. 3. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so. 4. Add the barbecue sauce, pepper and coriander and stir thoroughly. 5. When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add the flour and serve a large spoonful of the mixture onto each bread roll. This is the quick version of the recipe, but if you have time to spare and want a sloppier joe, you can just put all the ingredients into a slow cooker and leave it to simmer for 8 hours. If you have some left over, it will reheat perfectly well in the microwave; stored in Tupperware in the fridge it will keep for up to three days, or it will freeze for up to three months.
AMERICAN-STYLE LIMEONADE
This recipe is a twist on a traditional American drink for spring and summertime. It’s more like lime and lemon juice than what we consider to be lemonade, but semantics aside, it is a very refreshing drink. - 1 cup white sugar - 5 unwaxed lemons - 5 limes - 3-4 cups cold water, to taste - Ice 1. Squeeze four lemons and four limes, combining the juices in a large jug or pitcher. 2. Add the water. 3. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. You can add more sugar if the drink is too tart. 4. Using a cheesegrater or zester, lightly grate the zest from the
remaining lemon and lime. This should produce around a teaspoon of zest, depending on size. 5. Quarter the lemon and lime and put them into the pitcher. This is mostly for aesthetic purposes. 6. Add the ice and enjoy. You can use the lemon and lime quarters on
the edge of your glass if you like. You can pour some limeonade into an ice tray and freeze it, allowing for a refreshing treat on the go. Imagine lemon drop ice lollies and you’re mostly there.
FAG AND A BRANDY, PLEASE: how the after-dinner mint is no substitute for that cigarette after your meal. By Peter Lafayette
I love smoking. I am not ashamed to admit this though a great moral taboo has been put over this particular activity. I am not here to debate the merits of smokers at large and it feels like this piece comes 5 years too late, but something seems to have left everyone’s mind. There are more people than myself who smoke. And anyone who does smoke understands that there are certain points in life when the average cigarette intensifies to an almost euphoric sensation. One of these occasions has been highlighted in the media quite a bit - the old post coital fag - but more so than this specific cigarette is the one after meals. I used to love going to restaurants and gorging myself on whatever item took my fancy that evening, but always ending the meal with a familiar friend: Mr John Player. These days are all but gone: can’t smoke on aeroplanes, understandable, pubs, less understandable but tolerable nonetheless. But I can’t help but think there would be a niche market for a restaurant to allow only smokers inside or people who would consent to have the social dreadnought, second hand smoking inside.
smoke in favour of having a magical hypothetical restaurant that allowed anyone to smoke. “Of course this would be great for business.” he said. We delved into further discussion on the matter, almost playing a child’s game of make-believe for this ultra-trendy new restaurant which would never exist in this time period or country. Over nearly a month, I extended this question to every restaurant I frequented. The results were all the same. Even the owners who don’t smoke were in agreement with the ones who did, at least from a business aspect, having people stay inside to order a coffee or drink with their cigarette seems a great result. There is however the business aspect of high turnover get the customer in the eat, pay, new table is now available and the process begins again.
So I asked some smokers on the street. More often than not when I said excuse me they instinctively took out a lighter, thinking that as an adult I would be unable to produce fire: the camaraderie of nicotine addicts is beautiful sometimes. My question was this: if there was I recently was at a fairly new a restaurant that only allowed peoMexican restaurant whose name ple who smoke or anyone who shall remain secret; the owner, accepts there will be second hand whose name will match his estab- smoke, would you eat there and lishment, has recently tried to quit how often? smoking. We both agree that the - habit, hobby what have you - is not a great one. But like I said, I am not here to debate the health risks. I simply asked him how much business he would expect if he could hypothetically trade all his regular customers who don’t
“All the time,” Jenny, who works as a shop assistant, said. “It’s a small thing, but I think a lot of the small things the government’s taken from us are kind of nazilike, you know.” Not sure if I agreed with Jenny’s comparison of the government’s smoking ban and the practice of death camps, but I assume it relates to a control principle rather than anything else. I did get one or two people who swayed from the smoking party line, however. David, who works in a call centre and has been smoking for roughly 5 years, said: “I would love to smoke at work, and yeah after meals, I can see the point though it’s fine for people to smoke if it’s their choice but it might not be someone else’s choice.” David hits on the crux of this issue. These smoking bans are put in place to protect those who don’t want anything to do with cigarettes. They either quit or never had an interest but don’t want the Godforsaken cancer sticks anywhere nearby. I understand. But the creation of smokers-only restaurants would not put people at risk like smoking in an airplane would. Imagine an entire restaurant filled with people complaining about the second hand smoke while neglecting the first hand.
CHOCOLATE MICROWAVE CAKE
DARK CHOCOLATE WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE SAUCE
Knowing a good chocolate sauce recipe will add quite a lot to most This moist, tasty cake takes desserts. Here’s a nice simple recabout as long to cook as smokipe to go with our birthday cake. ing a standard size cigarette. It’s Serves 4-6 portions. a filling snack or quick dessert. Serves 1-2, depending on how - 100g plain chocolate, finely greedy you are. chopped - 60g unsalted butter - 2 tbsp self-raising flour - 100ml single cream - 2 tbsp caster sugar - Brandy, rum or liqueur to taste - 1 heaped tbsp cocoa - 1 egg 1. Put the chocolate and butter - 2 tbsp milk in a heatproof bowl over a pan of -1 tbsp oil hot water. You want the water to - Small splash vanilla extract steam, but not to boil. 2. Stir until the chocolate has 1. Using a fork, beat the egg in a melted. medium-sized bowl. 3. Add the cream and optional 2. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa booze. and vanilla extract, and stir thor4. Remove from the heat and oughly. serve while it’s still hot. 3. Add the milk and oil. Stir again until you have a smooth batter. You can serve this sauce with 4. Place the bowl in the microcakes, ice cream, popcorn or wave and cook it at 850 watts for anything else you like. It will stay 5-7 minutes. fresh in the fridge for up to two 5. The cake is done when it risdays and you can reheat it in the es over the top of the bowl and microwave or use it as a chilled if you poke it with a skewer, the dip for biscuits. skewer comes out clean. 6. Serve with ice cream, dark or white chocolate sauce, or any combination of the three. If you’ve just had a big meal, we recommend you share your cake with friends - it’s quite filling. You can make it moister by adding a tablespoonful of golden syrup to the batter, or you could jazz it up a bit by stirring chocolate chips, chopped glace cherries or mini marshmallows into the batter just before you cook it. For a coffeeflavoured cake, swap half of the cocoa powder for half a tablespoonful of coffee grounds. Happy birthday to us, indeed.
A sweeter, lighter twist on the classic. Perfect with rich puddings and red fruit. Serves 8-10 portions. - 200g expensive white chocolate, finely grated - 200ml double cream - 80ml full fat milk
1. As with the dark chocolate sauce, put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water. Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Keep an eye on the chocolate as it’s melting, because white chocolate is far easier to burn than plain. 2. Stir until the chocolate has melted. 3. Add the cream and milk. 4. Remove from the heat and serve hot. Because of the milk in it, this sauce stays much thinner than the dark chocolate sauce even when it’s chilled: it’s nice on cereal as a self-indulgent alternative to milk.