Tom Kha Gai - Variations on Thai Coconut Soup

Spicy, creamy, salty, zingy... I love Thai flavours!

Ingredients


Coconut milk
Green birds eye chillies
Ginger (or preferably Galangal)
Fish sauce
Chicken stock
Lemongrass
Lime leaves
Coriander
Lime
Prawns

Method


Chop your chillies and ginger finely, mash in the lime leaves, coriander, and juice from the lime. Add to a pan of coconut milk and chicken stock. Add the fish sauce. Put in the lemon grass. Bring it to a simmer. Add the prawns (taking the shell off makes it easier to eat, but they will cook very quickly).

Best served with rice which makes an excellent way to mop up the sauce.

It's simple, but so tasty.

Note on galangal: I've never found it here in my hometown. I find ginger is an adequate substitute because it's a flavour we're used to here in England, but galangal should be used if possible.

Parisian Bistrots

A recent trip to Paris yielded three awesome bistrots, or more accurately, bistronomes (an amalgamation of gastronome and bistrot - a type of restaurant combining traditional foods with diverse ingredients and techniques).

Les Racines - 22 rue Monsieur Le Prince

Friendly staff and an awesome menu. The wine menu was reasonable. I had duck with honey and lemon. The meat, I think, was cooked sous-vide, making it tender and juicy. The sauce itself was the best thing I've ever tasted. So good that my friend stole it by soaking it up with chunks of bread. One note, the desserts were universally disappointing after such an awesome main.

Le Pre Verre - 8 rue Thenard

Lunch was a mere 14 euros including a glass of wine. Can't argue with that. Tender beef, fried, pickled ginger and the finest mash ever. Bo!

Au pied de fouet - 45 Rue Babylone

I found this place at the recommendation of a local butcher. Man, did he get it right. Poached beef cheeks, sour mayonnaise sauce, and funny staff. What's more, I was sat next to a man who looked like Max Von Sidow.

Thai, Indian and Jamaican Hamburgers

Spicy hamburgers to rock your palate

Ingredients


Pork mince
Spring onion
Garlic
Breadcrumbs
Egg

Chilli (Birds eye)
Ginger
Coriander
Fish sauce

Turmeric
Garam Masala
Curry Powder
Lime pickle

Scotch Bonnet pepper
Cloves
Thyme

Sliced tomato

Method


First, make your basic hamburger mix. Chop the spring onion and garlic finely. Add to the mince. Add the crumbs, or crumbly cream crackers. Add egg yolk and mix thoroughly.

Prepare your ingredients  for the various types of burgers (chop chillies finely) and add to the mince. Note that the fish sauce should be used in the Thai style burger instead of salt, while the other two types should be seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Also note that the lime pickle should be spread on the bun, and not mixed into the mince.

Once you have mixed your ingredients, they can be kept in the fridge until needed.

Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Fry the burger for about one minute on each side to get them to a good colour, then reduce the heat and cook through (about ten minutes).

Buns should be grilled (lightly toasted) on one side. Mayonnaise is a good counter for the heat, as is a slice of tomato. The Lime Pickle is awesome with the Indian burger.

Go crazy and experiment with these flavours.

Chilli, Ginger and Lime marinated Pork Hock with Yoghurt dressing

Hock me up!

Ingredients

Pork hock

Ginger

Birds eye chillies

Lime

Soy sauce

Garlic

Pepper

Coriander

Honey

Yoghurt

Lime

Coriander

Method

This requires about 24 hours of marinating time.

Smear the hock with honey. Chop up the chilli (about 4 per hock), garlic, ginger, and pepper. Mix with lime juice and soy sauce. Spread over the hock and leave it in the fridge to marinate.

Removing the hock from the marinade, fry the hock in a griddle pan to brown it all over. Put it into an oven proof pan, and pour over the marinade. Put it in a preheated oven at about 150 for 2 hours.

Mix the yoghurt with lime juice, salt, and olive oil. Sprinkle in lots of fresh coriander.

Serve the hock with the yoghurt and either rice or white beans.

Leeks n' Cream (with a secret ingredient)

Just like a mamma (didn't) used to make...

Ingredients

Leeks

Butter

Double cream

N**meg

Method

Boil a pan of salty water. Cut the leeks in three, then halve them, and slice lengthways to make 2 inch ribbons of leek. Add them to the water and boil for about 2 minutes.

Drain the leeks. Add to a buttery frying pan. Season heartily. Let them soak in the flavours for a few minutes. Add the cream to your liking.

Season again with salt and pepper if necessary. Grate a nutmeg over it cautiously.

Serve immediately. Ideal with chicken or any full-on, meaty flavour, like duck.

Pig's Liver, Clove and Apple Pate

Strictly for my fans of fruit and meat.

Ingredients

Pig's livers (about 400g)

Shallot

Garlic

Clove

Bay leaf

Brandy

Cream

Butter

Apple

Clove

Thyme

Method

Soak the livers in milk. Fry the shallot on a low heat in loads of butter. Add the minced garlic, bay leaf and clove. Remove the livers from the milk and add to the pan. Cook them quite well, but not over done.

Season generously throughout with salt and pepper, as always.

Add this mixture to the blender (except the leaf), then deglaze the pan with brandy and cream. Add this liquid to the blender. Whizz for a few minutes to get it smooth.

Empty this mixture out into a sieve. Squeeze it through to get a fine paste. This takes a lot of work, but the texture is much better for it.

Put the smooth pate into the fridge for 30 minutes.

Skin and slice an apple. Get a pan of butter on the hob and add some thyme. Put in the slices of apple and crushed clove. Brown the apple on both sides. Layer it on top of the pate.

Melt some more butter and cover the pate with some of the froth that rises as the butter melts.

Leave it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours and serve on warm, crusty bread.

Pork Belly Sandwich

Pork belly... nuff said.

Ingredients

Pork Belly

Rosemary

Shallots

Honey

Balsamic vinegar

Method

Season the pork belly generously with salt and pepper. Rub in lots of rosemary and olive oil. Fry it in a griddle pan for about 4 minutes, then turn it. Make sure you fry the fatty edge too to get it crisped up.

Meanwhile. slice the shallot and fry them gently in butter. When they start to brown, add some honey and then the balsamico. Turn off the heat.

As always, let the meat rest for a minute before serving. I like to let it lie on a piece of kitchen paper to soak up some of the fat if it is excessively greasy.

Layer one side of thick crusty bread with the shallots and place the belly pork on top of it (you might want to slice the pork, depending on the thickness of the pork).

Salmon Cream Spaghetti

Easy but delicious

Ingredients

Salmon fillet

Spaghetti

Double cream

Thyme

Dill

Broccoli/asparagus

Method

Boil a big pan of water with plenty of salt and oil. Add the spaghetti. High-grade spaghetti will take about 9 minutes for al dente.

Scale and season the salmon fillet - you want a heavy seasoning of salt and pepper. Fry it, skin side down, in butter.

Steam the broccoli (ideally miniature florets) or cook the asparagus in some boiling water and butter.

Turn over the salmon fillet. Transfer to a warmed plate after about 2 minutes (depends on thickness of fillet).

If the salmon pan is clean, add the cream (if not, use a new pan), dill and thyme. Add a heap more pepper and some salt. Drain the spaghetti and add to the lightly simmering cream mixture.

Layer the salmon fillet on top of the spaghetti, and line with broccoli.

The pink salmon and bright greens offset the pale pasta perfectly. An unctuous creamy dish.

Creating Flavour: Epiphany #2: Colour

It's not my intention to be pretentious here, but food is art. A gastronomic experiment is creative expression. Yet unlike most art forms it has the advantage of olfactory and gustative dimensions. But that's not to take away from the quintessential artistic element: the visual.

What I found recently, and the reason for this epiphany, is that colour and flavour are intrinsically connected. I always knew it, but the fact that colour has a bearing on taste smacked me round the chops when I made this. It is a dish composed of a kaleidoscope of colours and flavours. Most notably, avocado and lime.

Two bright, bold green objects, avocado and lime. And they taste green too. Colour has more than just a visual impact. Different colours resonate with us emotionally and gustatitively too. The standout ingredient of this year's Masterchef was mango, a fruit known for it sweet juiciness, but also it's vivid and changing colours.

A large chunk of flavour is in smell, they say. I say, it's in colour too. My food will from now on keep this in mind - colour and flavour are one and the same.

Ginger, chilli and soy marinated Asian Tuna steak, avocado guacamole, red pepper rice

Dribble...

Ingredients

Tuna

Ginger

Kikkoman shoyu (soy sauce)

Sesame oil

Birds eye chilli

Sugar

Lime

Red pepper, diced

Onion, diced

Rice

Avocado

Salt

Olive oil

Lime

Method

Needs a few hours marinating time, preferably more. Mix the grated ginger, shoyu, oil, lime juice and chilli (1 per steak). Pour over the tuna. Leave in fridge.

Dice the pepper and onion and fry in oil. Add rice and salt. Stir. Add boiling water to a half a cm above the rice and simmer at lowest heat (reduction method).

Scoop out the flesh of the avocado, add the oil, salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Mix it hard.

Sear the tune steak in a lightly oiled griddle for about 1 minute each side.

Serve with steamed pak choi, or some other refreshing green. Creating flavour on ya!

Cheese on toast a la Smoked Mackerel

A bizarre combo, but it works!

Ingredients

Smoked mackerel

Cheese (parmesan, or even cheddar)

Cream

Horseradish

Chillies

Bread

Method

Remove the skin and bones from the mackerel. Add the grated cheese, cream and grated horseradish. Season with plenty of pepper. Mix it.

Smother the mixture on toast and top with fresh chopped chillies.

Serve with a salad.

Lamb shanks with red wine

Lamb shanks are a good meat for long cooking.

Ingredients

Lamb shanks

Onions

Garlic

Red Wine

Bay leaves

Rosemary

Carrots

Fennel

Method

This is best marinated overnight. Put the lamb, wine, garlic and herbs in a tub to soak up the flavours.

The next day, season the lamb shanks with salt, pepper and flour. I also added some mustard. Brown them in butter or duck fat. Place in your baking dish.

Fry off the onions and add to the baking dish. The garlic should be whole or halved. Put the garlic, wine and herbs in the dish. You'll need about half a bottle per 500g's of meat.

Oven should be low - about 140 - so it can cook for a good 2 or more hours without drying out.

Add the carrots and sliced fennel after about 1 and a half hours.

Season the stew with salt and pepper. Check the flavours.

You might want to increase the heat towards the end to reduce the sauce.

Eat with bread and fresh green peas.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I'm not very good with sweet things, but who can go wrong with these flavours?

Ingredients:

200g dark chocolate

200g Peanut butter (salty)

Salt

Method

Melt just over half of the chocolate with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Put it in the microwave for about 1 or 2 minutes to melt. Stir it good.

Put the chocolate into some small paper liners to make a base. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Make sure your peanut butter is salty. You can add crumbs and mix it up, or sugar to sweeten. Put a dollop in each liner. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Melt the rest of the chocolate. Top each cup with a smooth smearing of chocolate. Refrigerate for about one hour.

Eat!