Sichuan Peanuts

This one is my attempt at one of the dishes at the Snazz Sichuan restaurant near Euston in London. It's my favourite Sichuan restaurant, not that there are many serious contenders outside of China. I have been trying several different methods for recreating this dish and this is the best. I dislike recipes which include branded ingredients, but I can't avoid it here. Sorry.

Groundnut oil for deep frying
A couple of large handfulls of raw peanuts
4 Spring Onions, Finely sliced
1 Heaped Tbsp Hot Diced Radish
Salt
3 Sichuan Chillies
1/2 Star Anise
1 Tsp Sichuan Peppercorns

Bash the chillies, star anise and peppercorns in a mortar until they are powdered.

Heat the oil and fry the peanuts at 100-130C for 20 minutes. Drain. Mix the peanuts with the spring onions, radish and salt to taste. Add as much of the powdered spices as you can handle.

Delicious

Arbroath Smokie Fishcakes

The inspiration here was kedgeree. This was an attempt to recreate that dish (minus the rice) in the form of a fishcake, and I think it works very well.

1 Arbroath Smokie - Skin removed, flaked and bones removed
1 Onion - Chopped
2 Potatoes - Peeled
1 Egg
2 Tsps Curry Powder
Milk
Salt
Plain Flour
Mustard Seeds
Cumin Seeds

Boil the potatoes until they are of mashable consistency. Fry the onions for a few minutes until softened. Hard boil the egg then chop into small pieces. Mash the potatoes and mix in the fish, onion, egg and curry powder. Add salt to taste. If the mixture looks too dry to work with, add a little milk. Form the mixture into four patties. Put some flour on a plate along with some mustard and cumin seeds. Use this to coat the sides of the patties then fry them over a fairly high heat for a few minutes until browned on each side.

Redcurrant Fruit Leather

Not much of a recipe, but a great way of dealing with a glut of redcurrants:

Redcurrants
Honey

Put all of the redcurrants in a saucepan and put them in a very low oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and pour them into a sieve. Mash them through the sieve with a wooden spoon collecting the juice and residue in a bowl. Add honey to taste.

Grease a baking tray with butter and pour in just enough juice to cover the bottom. Place in an oven at its lowest setting with the door ajar for several hours. The time will depend on the heat of the oven and the depth of the juice. The leather is ready when it is soft but firm to the touch, not sticky (underdone) or brittle (overdone). Peel it off the tray, roll it up and store in a cool place.

Thai Chicken with Basil

4 Chicken Thighs
1 small Spanish Onion, finely sliced
1 clove Garlic, finely sliced
6 red Thai Chillies (or to taste), sliced
3 Tbsps Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tsp Sugar
3 Tbsps chicken stock
1 bunch Basil, leaves picked from stalks
Oil

Chop the chicken into tiny pieces. This is tedious and time consuming but worth the effort (it might work just as well, and be a lot easier, with minced chicken, but I haven't tried it).

Heat a little oil in a wok or saucepan and add the onions and garlic. Cook for a minute until the onion has softened a little. Add the chicken and cook until it has all coloured. Add the chillies, soy sauce, sugar and stock. Cook for another minute and adjust seasoning to taste. Add the basil and cook until it has softened.

Serve over boiled rice.

Pepper Crab

This one is a Work In Progress. It was delicious, but I feel that it wasn't perhaps the ulti,ate Pepper Crab.

Crab Claws or Quartered Crabs
Handful Peppercorns, ground in a spice grinder
2 Cloves Garlic, thinly slice
6 Red Chillies, thinly sliced
Dark Soy Sauce
150 gms butter

Melt the butter. Add the garlic and chillies. Stir for 30 seconds. Add the crab and a good splash of soy sauce. Stir to coat the crab then add the pepper and stir again. Cover and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

Sichuan Chicken / Beef

1 Chicken Breast per Person
Handful Sichuan Peppercorns
3 Dried Sichuan Chillies
Dark Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Groundnut Oil

Roast the peppercorns and chillies gently until smoking (but nor burnt). Grind them in a spice grinder and tip out onto a plate. Coat the chicken breasts well in the pepper mixture. Meanwhile heat up a dry frying pan very hot. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes each side. Finally splash with soy sauce and sesame oil. Turn over and repeat the process. Turn over once again and serve.

Thai Tomatoes

This works well as an accompaniment for fried fish.

2 Dozen Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
5 Spring Oinions, Sliced
1 Lemon
Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Sugar
Coriander
4 Red Chillies, Sliced
2 Stalks Lemon Grass, Finely Sliced

Put the tomatoes, spring onions, lemon grass and chillies in a small baking tray. Juice the lemon. Add an equivalent quantity of fish sauce to the lemon juice, mix together and add the sugar. Stir to dissolve then pour this mixture over the tomatoes. Place in a pre-heated oven (200C) for 20 minutes. Remove, stir and add a good handful of chopped coriander leaves. Stir again and serve.

Sichuan Chicken

The idea behind this was to use up some leftover roast chicken. It worked well, I think.

1 Handful Dried Sichuan Chillies
1 Tbsp Sichuan Peppercorns
3 Tbsps Ya Cai (Sichuan Preserved Vegetable) - optional
1 Tbsp Chilli Bean Paste
4 Spring Onions, chopped into 1cm sections
Cooked Chicken, enough for 2 people, shredded
1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
1 Tsp Sugar
Groundnut Oil

Cut the chillies in half. Heat a little of the groundnut oil in a wok. Add the chillies and peppercorns and stir for 20 seconds or thereabouts. They chillies should have begun to turn brown, but take care not to burn them. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add a little more oil if necessary and repeat with the ya cai. Once the ya cai has begun to crisp up, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the chillies and peppercorns.

Add the chilli bean paste to the oil and heat for another 20 seconds, stirring. Add the spring onions and chicken. Stir for another 20 seconds then add the wine and sugar. Cook briefly then add the cooked chillies, peppercorns and ya cai. Stir together and serve with rice.

Tomato & Smoked Mussel Soup

6 Tomatoes
1 White Onion
1 Red Pepper
2 cloves Garlic
1 pint Chicken Stock
1 handful Smoked Mussels
Olive Oil

Chop the onion and red pepper coarsely. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion and pepper. While this is softening, chop the tomatoes coarsely and thinly slice the garlic. Add the tomatoes, garlic and chicken stock to the onions and pepper and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mussels. Tip everything into a blender and blend till smooth. If you're fussy you could then strain out the tomato skins with a sieve (or you could peel and deseed the tomatoes to start with) but there's no real need.

Spicy Chorizo & Mussel Stew

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 White Onion, thinly sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
2 Chorizo Sausages, cubed
White Wine
1 Tin Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Chilpotle Paste (see recipe)
1/2 Pint Chicken Stock
1lb Mussels

Heat the oil in a caserole dish and add the onions. Stir for a minute or two then add the garlic and the chorizo. Stir until the chorizo has cooked through. Splash in a little white wine to deglaze then add the chicken stock. Open the tin of tomatoes and wave a knief around inside to chop them, then add them to the caserole along with the chilpotle paste. Season to taste. Leave this to simmer while you debeard and clean the mussels. Steam the mussels in a little white wine for two minutes in a separate pan, then remove the mussels from their shells and add them to the stew.

Baked Chicken with Tarragon

5 Slices White Bread, preferably a little stale
1Tsp Salt
2 Tbsps Tarragon Leaves, finely chopped
1 Egg
2 Chicken Breasts, skinless

Remove the crusts from the bread. Put it in a blender or food processor and whir it into crumbs. Put them in a bowl with the salt and tarragon and mix well. Beat the egg in another bowl and then dip the chicken breasts in the egg. Roll the chicken in the breadcrubs until they are coated all over and place on a rack in a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes in an Aga hot oven (240C ?)

Korean Beancurd Stew with Prawns

1 pt Chicken Stock
2 Tbsps Korean Chilli Soya Paste
1 block Beancurd
6 Chinese Dried Mushrooms
1/2 Courgette, split lengthways
2 Tbsps Kimchi
1 Leek
200gms Peeled Prawns
1 handful Coriander, roughly chopped
3 Spring Onions, thinly sliced
Sesame Oil

Dice the beancurd to whatever size you like. Dice size works well. Scoop out the seedy part of the courgette with a teaspoon so you have a canoe shape. Slice the leek. Soak the mushrooms in a little boiling water for 20 minutes, then slice thickly removing the stalks if they are still hard. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the soya paste. Add the beancurd and mushrooms and simmer for 10 minutes. Cut the courgette into thick julienne slices. Add the leeks and the prawns to the stock. Simmer for a further two minutes until the prawns are almost cooked. Add the kimchi and courgettes and cook very briefly so that the courgettes are al dente. Serve in soup bowls garnished with the coriander and spring onions. Sprinke a little sesame oil over each bowl.

Sichuan Chicken with Chillis - Version 1

4 deboned Chicken Thighs
2 Tbsps Cornflour
4 Tsps Sichuan Peppercorns
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Rice Wine
1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
A couple of handfulls of dried Facing Heaven Chillis
2 Cloves of Garlic
An equivalent quantity of Ginger, sliced
5 Spring onions, cut into 1cm lengths
Pinch of Sugar
Sesame Oil

Chop the chicken into small pieces and put them in a bowl. Add the wine and soy sauce. Roast half of the peppercorns in a small saucepan, then grind them in a pepper grinder. Mix the ground pepper, cornflour and salt. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a wok. Coat the chicken in the flour mixture and fry briefly until crisp on the outside. Remove from heat and set aside. It will probably be necessary to cook the chicken in several batches to avoid the oil temperature dropping too much.

Cut the chillis in half. Clean the wok and heat a couple of tablespoons of groundnut oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook briefly. Add the chillis and remaining peppercorns and cook for 30 seconds taking care that they do not burn. Add the chicken, spring onions and sugar. Cook briefly. Sprinkle on a little sesame oil and serve.

Chocolate Pomegranate Tart

In a break from my normal practice I am lifting this recipe straight out of Jamie Oliver's new book, "Cook with Jamie". Why? Well, for one thing it's delicious. The real reason though is that I have added an extra ingredient, pomegranate molasses, which transforms it into something sublime. A further reason is to correct an error in the book. Jamie, usually pretty reliable, must have had his mind elsewhere when he wrote up the quantities in this recipe. This was the first recipe in the book that I had tried and I felt fairly sceptical when, for the purposes of lining an 11" tart tin, the pastry required 1.25 lbs flour + 11.5 oz butter plus various other ingredients. I went ahead and did as I was told though. Who am I to question Jamie Oliver? I ended up with a ball of pastry the size of a baby's head. Enough to fill my 11" tart tin twice over, let alone lining it. At least I've now got enough for a couple more tarts in the fridge. I halved the quantities given for the filling, and that turned out about right. So here's the sane version:

For the Pastry:
160gms Butter
110gms Caster Sugar
Pinch of Salt
280gms Plain Flour
2 Eggs
30gms Cocoa Powder

For the Filling
100ml Milk
280ml Double Cream
30gms Caster Sugar
175gms Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
1 Egg
3-4Tbsps Pomegranate Molasses

Grease an 11" tart tin. Cream the butter, sugar & salt then fold in the flour. eggs and cocoa powder. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate (is this really necessary?) for an hour, then roll it out and line your tart tin with it. Put it in the freezer for half an hour (another step I would be happy to omit).

Preheat your oven to 180C then cook the pastry base for 12 - 15 minutes. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile put the milk, cream and sugar into a pan and gently bring to the boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate broken into bits. Whisk smooth, then add the pomegranate molasses and the egg and whisk again. Pour this into the pastry shell and cook the whole lot for 15 minutes at 170C.

Pomegranate and chocolate: you heard it here first.

J.O. phrases it differently and doubtless better, but you'll have to buy the book for his version.

Mexican Roast Chicken with Stuffing

5 Slices White Bread
3 Tomatillos, Finely chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp Chipotle Paste
1 Spanish Onion, Diced
1 Egg
1 Handful Diced Chorizo
1 Handful Sweetcorn
1 Chicken

Remove the crusts from the bread, put it in a blender and turn it into crumbs. Fry the onion and chorizo until the onion is soft. Tip everything (except the chicken and half of the chipotle paste) into a bowl and mix well. Season to taste. Put this stuffing inside the chicken. Smear the remaining chipotle paste over the chicken and roast. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken, but 1 hour at 200 C is usually not too far off.

Crab Bisque

This is a simpler variation of the Prawn Bisque posted previously. It's no less delicious though.

Discarded prawn heads / shells leftover from peeling prawns in other recipes - Lots
1 bulb Fennel, cut in half
2 Carrots
1 White Onion, peeled
Small handful Tarragon, finely chopped
400gms brown and white crab meat
4 Tbsps Tomato Puree
200ml Single Cream
200ml White Wine

Put the prawn heads into a large pot with 4 pints of water. Add the fennel, carrots and onion and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about an hour, then strain through a sieve.

Freeze half of the liquid for later use, or boil vigorously to reduce liquid by half. Add the tomato puree and the wine to the remaining liquid and return to a simmer. Season to taste, then add the crab, tarragon and cream. Stir well and serve.

Mexican Mayonnaise

2 Egg Yolks
Juice of 1 Lime
300 ml Olive Oil
Handful of Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
2 Red chillies, finely chopped
Salt

Put the egg yolks and the lime juice in a blender. Very slowly dribble in the olive oil until the mayonnaise thickens. At the end, add the coriander, chillies and salt and blend again. Delicous with fried skate wings.

Broad Beans Sichuan Style

Broad Beans
1Tbsp Sichuan Peppercorns
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
Salt

Boil the beans for a couple of minutes until just softening. Drain and rinse with cold water. Heat the peppercorns gently without accompaniment until they begin to smoke. Keep them moving to avoid burning. Put them in a spice grainder or blender and grind them to a powder. Sprinkle this over the beans along with the sesame oil and salt to taste.

Spicy Crab Cakes

1 Stalk Lemon Grass
1 Tbsp Fresh Green Peppercorns, finely chopped
4 Dried Red chillis, finely chopped
Mixed meat from 2 Medium crabs, chopped
4 Spring Onions, green parts only, finely sliced
3 Slices White Bread
2 Tbsps Mayonnaise
Salt to taste

Remove the tough outer layers from the lemon grass as well as the tough bit at the end. Thinly slice, then chop. Turn the bread into crumbs with a blender. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt. Make the mixture into patties and fry in butter for a couple of minutes on each side. Serve with garlic mayonnaise and avocado salsa.

Cranberry Margarita

A drink, for a change. This recipe serves ONE.

3 Tsps Caster Sugar
4oz Cointreau
6oz Tequila
4oz Lime Juice
4oz Fresh, unsweetened Cranberry Juice

Mix all the ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. If you want the frozen version, put the mixture in an ice cream machine (it's the only thing I ever use my ice cream machine for) and process until frozen.