6 minute read
GOOD COMFORT
by Dales Life
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares some delicious and nourishing recipes
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ONION TART WITH GREENS Lots of soft, sweet onion and greens
SMOKED MACKEREL FISH CAKES
SERVES 4 AS A LIGHT LUNCH IOR 2 FOR SUPPER
INGREDIENTS 300g floury potatoes, scrubbed or peeled 25g butter 1 tbsp hot horseradish sauce (or 1 tsp freshly grated horseradish root) 1 tsp English mustard 300g smoked mackerel fillet 1 tsp baby capers, coarsely chopped (optional) Finely grated zest of ½ lemon 1 tbsp chopped chives or parsley Fine plain wholemeal flour or spelt flour, to dust Vegetable oil, for frying Sea salt and black pepper BEETROOT SALAD About 300g beetroot, trimmed and scrubbed 1 tbsp olive oil A scrap of garlic, grated or crushed (about ¼ clove) 2–3 tbsp soured cream or half-fat crème fraîche 1–2 tbsp snipped dill or chives The versatility of smoked mackerel is underappreciated, and who doesn’t love a fish cake? This recipe offers up a tasty take on the fish patty – bursting with flavour as well as a healthy dose of omega-3s.
METHOD Start with the beetroot salad (making it well in advance if you like). Cut up any larger beetroot so they will cook in the same time. Put them all in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt, cover with boiling water, put the lid on and bring to the boil over a high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until tender – about 30 minutes, depending on the beetroot. Drain and leave to cool completely.
Use your thumb to push the skin off the beetroot, then crush or ‘tear’ them into rough-edged chunks and drop into a bowl. Combine the olive oil, garlic, soured cream or crème fraîche, herbs and some seasoning. Add to the beetroot and toss gently. Set aside (if you’re not serving it straight away, put the salad in the fridge, but bring up to room temperature before serving).
To make the fish cakes, cut the potatoes into chunks and put into a saucepan. Cover with boiling water, add salt and bring to the boil. Cook until tender, then drain in a colander and leave to dry for 10 minutes. Tip the potatoes back into the pan, add the butter, horseradish, mustard and some seasoning and mash roughly.
Peel the mackerel fillets off their skins and flake into the pan of mash, removing any stray bones you come across. Add the capers if using, lemon zest and herbs and stir together, keeping the mix fairly coarse, with big bits of fish. Taste and add more mustard, horseradish, capers, lemon zest, salt and/or pepper if you like.
Tip some flour onto a plate and season well with salt and pepper. With floured hands, form the mixture into 4 fish cakes, dusting them with the seasoned flour as you go. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add enough oil to cover the base. Fry the fish cakes for about 8 minutes in total, turning a few times, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the fish cakes with the beetroot salad and a crisp leafy salad or some lightly cooked purple sprouting broccoli.
ONION TART WITH GREENS
SERVES 6–8
INGREDIENTS 1 quantity half-wholemeal shortcrust pastry, chilled Flour, to dust FILLING 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil A large knob of butter About 600g onions (red, brown or a combination), finely sliced Nutmeg, for grating 200–250g cavolo nero, tough stalks removed, or about 300g spinach, very well rinsed 150ml double cream 150ml whole milk 3 medium eggs 50g mature Cheddar or Parmesan, grated Sea salt and black pepper I learned to make a French onion tart from the recipe in Elizabeth David’s classic French Provincial Cooking. This tart remains faithful to the spirit of that recipe, based as it is on lots of sweet, soft onion, but I’ve added greens, used my half-wholemeal shortcrust pastry and gone for a lighter custard.
METHOD Use the chilled shortcrust pastry to line a 24cm tart tin and bake blind. Trim the edges. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. To make the filling, heat the oil and butter together in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions with some salt and pepper. Cook gently, stirring regularly, for about 30 minutes until soft, golden and tender. Grate over some fresh nutmeg, stir in and leave to cool a little.
While the onions are cooking, blanch the greens: bring a pan of water to the boil and add the cavolo nero or spinach. Return to a simmer then immediately tip the greens into a colander to drain and run under the cold tap to cool them quickly.
Now squeeze out as much moisture from the greens as you can, then chop coarsely and combine with the cooked onion. Beat the cream, milk and eggs together in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper.
Arrange the onion and greens mix in the prepared tart case and carefully pour the beaten egg mixture over them. Scatter the grated cheese over the surface.
Bake in the oven for about 30–35 minutes until the filling is just set and golden. Leave the tart to cool, at least a little, before serving warm or at room temperature.
HOT CHOCOLATE PUDDING
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS 100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 100g butter, cut into pieces, plus extra to grease the dish 3 medium eggs 50g soft light brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 75g ground almonds A pinch of salt TO SERVE Raspberries or other berries, or plum compote Yoghurt or cream (optional)
Recipes taken from River Cottage Good Comfort by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Bloomsbury, £27). Photography by Simon Wheeler. This quick (and utterly delicious!) chocolate pud, which I’ve been making for years to delight my family, occupies a space somewhere between a brownie, a soufflé and a cake. I think you’ll agree that’s not a bad place to be.
METHOD Put the chocolate and butter into a saucepan and melt gently over a very low heat, watching all the time and stirring often so that the chocolate doesn’t get too hot. Set aside to cool a little.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5 and butter a small oven dish.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla extract together until pale, thick and mousse-like. Using a stand mixer or hand-held electric whisk on full speed, this should only take a few minutes, but whisking by hand with a rotary or balloon whisk will take a lot longer! The mix should be significantly paler, thicker and increased in volume. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and, with the motor running, slowly pour in the tepid melted chocolate and butter mixture (or whisk it gently by hand). Use a rubber spatula to scrape the last drops of chocolate into the mix, and then to fold the mixture fully together.
Combine the ground almonds and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture and fold in carefully, using the spatula.
Turn the mixture into the prepared oven dish and shake the dish a little to spread it out. Bake in the oven for 12–15 minutes until the pudding is set on top and firm at the edges, but still wobbly and gooey in the middle.
Serve straight away, with fresh raspberries or plum compote, and a spoonful of yoghurt or a trickle of cream if you like.
