recipes from tender by nigel slater

8/7/2019 Recipes from Tender by Nigel Slater

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Copyright 2009 by Nigel Slater

Photographs copyright 2009 by Jonathan Lovekin

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press,n imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division

f Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are

egistered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Originally published in hardcover in Great Britain by

Fourth Estate, a division of HarperCollins Publishers,

London, in 2009

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

s on filewith the publisher.

SBN 978-1-60774-037-7

Printed in China

nterior design by BLOK

Cover design by Colleen Cain

0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First U.S. Edition


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Asparagus

A pilaf of asparagus, fava beans, and mint

Asparagus is something you feel the need to gorge on, rather than findingthe odd bit lurking almost apologetically in a salad or main course. Theexceptions are a risottofor which you will find a recipe inAppetite

and a simple rice pilaf. The gentle flavor of asparagus doesnt take well tospices, but a little cinnamon or cardamom used in a buttery pilaf offers amild, though warmly seasoned base for when we have only a small numberof spears at our disposal.

enough for fava beans, shelled a couple of handfulsthin asparagus spears white basmati rice cup (g)butter tablespoons (g)bay leaves green cardamom pods , very lightly crushedblack peppercorns a cinnamon stickcloves or , but no morecumin seeds a small pinchthyme a couple of sprigsgreen onions thin onesparsley or sprigs

to accompany the pilafchopped mint tablespoonsolive oil tablespoonsyogurt cup (g)

Cook the fava beans in deep, lightly salted boiling water for four minutes,until almost tender, then drain. Trim the asparagus and cut it into shortlengths. Boil or steam for three minutes, then drain.Wash the rice threetimes in cold water, moving the grains around with your fingers. Cover withwarm water, add a teaspoon of salt, and set aside for a good hour.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the bay leaves, cardamom pods,peppercorns, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds, and sprigs of thyme. Stirthem in the butter for a minute or two, until the fragrance wafts up. Drainthe rice and add it to the warmed spices. Cover with about inch (cm) ofwater and bring to a boil. Season with salt, cover, and decrease the heat tosimmer. Finely slice the green onions. Chop the parsley.

After five minutes, remove the lid and gently fold in the asparagus,fava beans, green onions, and parsley. Replace the lid and continue

cooking for five or six minutes, until the rice is tender but has some bite


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Asparagus

to it. All the water should have been absorbed. Leave, with the lid on butthe heat off, for two or three minutes. Remove the lid, add a tablespoonof butter if you wish, check the seasoning, and fluffgently with a fork.Serve with the yogurt sauce below.

To accompany the pilafStir tablespoons of chopped mint, a little salt, and tablespoons of oliveoil into cup (g) thick, but not strained, yogurt. You could add asmall clove of crushed garlic too. Spoon over the pilaf at the table.

Warm asparagus, melted cheese

I have used Taleggio, Camembert, and English Tunworth from Hampshireas an impromptu sauce for warm asparagus with great success. A verysoft blue would work as well.

enough for thick, juicy asparagus spears a little olive oil or melted buttersoft, ripe cheeses such as St. Marcellin or any of the above

Bring a deep pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Trim any woody endsfrom the asparagus and lower the spears gently into the water as soon as it

is boiling. Cook for four or five minutes, until tender enough to bend. Liftthe spears out with a slotted spoon and lower them into a shallow bakingdish. Brush them lightly with olive oil or melted butter.

Preheat the broiler. Slice the cheese thicklysmaller whole cheesescan simply be sliced in half horizontallyand lay them over the top ofthe spears. Place under a hot broiler for four or five minutes till the cheesemelts. Eat immediately, while the cheese is still runny.

A tart of asparagus and tarragonI retain a soft spot for canned asparagus. Not as something to eat withmy fingers (it is considerably softer than fresh asparagus, and rather toogiving), but as something with which to flavor a quiche. The canned stuffseems to permeate the custard more effeively than the fresh. This maybelong to the law that makes canned apricots better in a frangipane tartthan fresh ones, or simply be misplaced nostalgia. I once made a livingfrom making asparagus quiche, its something very dear to my heart. Still,fresh is good too.


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Beets

Make the icing. Sift the confeioners sugar into a bowl and addenough lemon juice or orange blossom water to achieve a consistency wherethe icing will run over the top of the cake and drizzle slowly down the sides(about three teaspoonfuls), stirring to remove any lumps. Drizzle it over thecake and scatter with poppy seeds. Rest for a bit to set before eating.

An extremely moist chocolate-beet cakewith crme frache and poppy seeds

I have lost count of the number of appreciative emails and blog mentionsabout the brownies and the chocolate almond cake in The Kitchen Diaries.They are received gratefully. It is true that I am rarely happier than whenmaking chocolate cake. I especially like baking those that manage to be

cakelike on the outside and almost molten within. Keeping a cakes heart onthe verge of oozing is down partly to timing and partly to the ingredientsground almonds and very good-quality chocolate will help enormously.But there are other ways to moisten a cake, such as introducing gratedcarrots or, in this case, crushed beets.

The beets are subtle here, some might say elusive, but using them isa lot cheaper than ground almonds, and they blend perfely with darkchocolate. This is a seduive cake, deeply moist and tempting. The servingsuggestion of crme frache is not just a nod to the sour cream so close tobeets Eastern European heart, it is an important part of the cake.

enough for as a dessertbeets ounces (g)fine dark chocolate (percent cocoa solids) ounces (g)hot espresso tablespoonsbutter cup plus tablespoons (g)all-purpose flour cup plus tablespoons (g)baking powder a heaping teaspoongood-quality cocoa powder tablespoonseggs superfine sugar scant cup (g)crme frache and poppy seeds, to serve

Lightly butter an -inch (cm) springform cake pan and line the bottomwith a round of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to F (C).

Cook the beets, whole and unpeeled, in boiling unsalted water.Depending on their size, they will be tender when pierced with the tip of aknife within thirty to forty minutes. Young ones may take slightly less. Drainthem, let them cool under running water, then peel them, slice offtheir stem

and root, and process in a blender or food processor until a coarse pure.


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t

Melt the chocolate, broken into small pieces, in a small bowl set over apot of simmering water. Dont stir.

When the chocolate looks almost melted, pour the hot espresso overit and stir once. Cut the butter into small piecesthe smaller the betterand add to the melted chocolate. Push the butter down under the surfaceof the chocolate with a spoon (as best you can) and let soften.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and cocoa. Separate the eggs,putting the whites in a large mixing bowl. Stir the yolks together.

Now, working quickly but gently, remove the bowl of chocolate fromthe heat and stir until the butter has melted into the chocolate. Let sit for afew minutes, then stir in the egg yolks. Do this quickly, mixing firmly andevenly so the eggs blend into the mixture. Fold in the beets. Whisk theegg whites until stiff, then fold in the sugar. Firmly but gently, fold thebeaten egg whites and sugar into the chocolate mixture. A large metal

spoon is what you want here; work in a deep, figure-eight movement buttake care not to overmix. Lastly, fold in the flour and cocoa.Transfer quickly to the prepared cake pan and put in the oven,

decreasing the heat immediately to F (C). Bake for forty minutes.The rim of the cake will feel spongy, the inner part should still wobblea little when the pan is gently shaken.

Set the cake aside to cool (it will sink a tad in the center), looseningit around the edges with a thin icing spatula after half an hour or so. It isnot a good idea to remove the cake from its pan until it is completely cold.Serve in thick slices, with crme frache and poppy seeds.


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A soup the color of marigolds

It was a simple soup, ten minutes hands-on work and barely half an hour onthe stove. An onion, coarsely chopped, softened in a little olive oil in a deepand heavy pan. An equal amount of carrots and yellow tomatoes (I used

pound [g] of each to make enough for four), chopped and stirred intothe soft, translucent onion. About cups (a liter) of water (I could have usedstock), and some salt, pepper, and a couple of bay leaves. It simmered forhalf an hour, then I pured it to a thick, pulpy broth in the blender. Weended up with four big bowls of coarse-textured soup, as bright and cheerfulas a pitcher of Juneflowers, a few chives stirred in at the table. As we lickedour spoons, someone mentioned it would have been good to have it chilled.But by that time it was too late to try.


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Roast lamb with mint, cumin, and roast carrots

Young carrots, no thicker than a finger and often not much longer, appearin the shops in late spring, their bushy leaves inta. Often, they have a just-picked air about them, their tiny side roots, as fine as hair, still fresh and crisp.

At this stage they lack thefiber needed to grate well, and boiling does themfew favors. They roast sweetly, especially when tucked under the roast. Thesavory meat juices form a glossy coat that turns the carrot into a deleablelittle morsel.

I have used a leg of lamb here but in faany cut would worka shoulderor loin, for instance. The spice rub also works for chicken.

enough for to leg of lamb pounds (.kg)garlic clovescumin seeds large pinchesmint leaves a large handfuljuice of lemonsolive oilfinger carrots baby beets white wine or stock a large glass

Put the lamb in a roasting pan. Peel the garlic and put it into a food processor

with the cumin seeds, mint leaves, and lemon juice. Add a generous grindingof salt and some black pepper. Process to a coarse paste, adding enough oliveoil to make a spreadable slush, thick enough to cling to the lamb.

Massage the roast well with the spice paste, spreading it over the skinand into the cut sides of the flesh. Set aside in a cool place (preferably not thefridge) for an hour, basting occasionally with any of the paste that has run off.

Preheat the oven to F (C). Scrub the carrots and beets. If theyare small, you can probably get away with a rinse. Either way, be careful withtheir skins, which are tender at this point in their life. Put the meat in theoven and roast for forty-five minutes to an hour, tucking the vegetables inaround it after twenty minutes. The cooking time for the lamb will dependon how you like it done; forty-five minutes should give you a roast that is stillpink and juicy inside. Remove from the oven and rest the meat for a good tento fifteen minutes before carving and serving with the mint barnaise below.

If you want to make a gravy, transfer the meat and carrots to a warmplace, put the roasting pan over medium heat, then pour in a large glass ofwine or stock, or even water, and bring it to a boil. Stir with a wooden spoon,scraping away at the pan to dissolve any stuck-on meat juices. Let the gravybubble a little, check it for seasoning (it may need salt and pepper), then keep

it warm while you carve the lamb.


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Peas

A salad of beans, peas, and pecorino

Among the charcoal and garlic of midsummers more robust cooking,a quiet salad of palest green can come as a breath of calm. Last June, as

thousands joined hands around Stonehenge in celebration of the summersolstice, I put together a salad of cool notes: mint, fava beans, and youngpeasa bowl of appropriate gentility and quiet harmony.

enough for shelled fava beans cups (g)shelled peas cups (g)ciabatta small slicesa little olive oilsalad leaves generous handfulsmint leaves a good handfulpecorino sardo cheese ounces (g), in thin shavings

for the dressinga lemonolive oil (fruity and peppery) tablespoonsbalsamic vinegar a teaspoon

Bring a pan of water to a boil, then salt it lightly. Cook the beans in this,drain them, then rinse in cold water. Put more water on and cook the peas.Drain them and mix with the beans. Both peas and beans will need barely

more than a couple of minutes if they are small and sweet.Make the dressing by dissolving a good pinch of salt in the juice of the

lemon, then using a fork to beat in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and agrinding of black pepper (alternatively put all the ingredients in a screw-topjar and shake).

Toast the slices of bread on both sides and tear them into short pieces.Drizzle a little olive oil onto each one, then shake over a light dusting ofsea salt.

Toss the salad leaves and mint in the dressing, then add the peas, beans,and pecorino shavings. Tuck in the toasted ciabatta and serve.


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Potatoes

Potatoes, crme frache, and dill

Its the last week of June and the pink-mauve flowers of the Charlottepotatoes have started to fade. The stems are thick like old rhubarb, yetalmost transparent in the evening sun. Once the flowers have gone, its okay

to lift them.The tallest stalk doesnt disappoint. A good dozen potatoes are attachedto its fine, creamy-white rootspale, golden eggs against crumbly blacksoil. Not just hens either, there are diminutive spuds the size of quails eggsand others more like ducks. It is said that they are best left to set for a daybefore cooking. We dont, and they are rubbed clean with a thumb underrunning water, then boiled in heavily salted water for fifteen minutes,eighteen for the ducks eggs.

Gently rub the potatoes clean, washing them well under running water.Leave the skin be if it is young and thin. Peel it if not. Put the potatoes intocold water and bring to a boil. Salt generously, then simmer until tenderwhen pierced with the tip of a knifea matter of anything from ten totwenty-five minutes, depending on the variety of your potatoes. Drain andreturn them to the stove, this time over gentle heat.

Put a large dollop of crme frache into the pan and a handful ofchopped dill fronds. Cover with a lid until the cream has melted. Fold thepotatoes gently over in the melted cream and herbs until they are lightlycoated, then eat with ham or oily fish.


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Tomatoes

Roast cherry tomatoes

Put your tomatoes in a shallow roasting tin and drizzle olive oil over them.Grind over a little black pepper and add a few drops of balsamic vinegar.

Toss them around in the dressing, then roast at F (C) for aboutthirty minutes, until they are soft and oozing juices. Let them cool in theirdish, so as not to waste a drop of their juice.

Baked tomatoes with cheese and thyme

The first time I made this, I discovered a wealth of delights: the way thetomato holds the little cheese like an eggcup holds an egg; the point atwhich the juice of the tomato and the melted cheese meet; and the subtledifference in smell and flavor depending on which cheese you use.

Two of these tomatoes are lunch for me if there is something else onthe tablea couscous salad, perhaps, or some bread and salami. Othersmay want more.

enough for large, ripe tomatoes olive oilthyme or bushy sprigsfresh goat cheeses or other cheeses small

Preheat the oven to F (C). Cut a thick slice from the top of eachtomato. Using a teaspoon, scoop out enough of the seeds and flesh to makeroom for half a goat cheese (dont add the cheese yet). Put them snugly inan ovenproof baking dish, salt and pepper the inside, and add a teaspoon orso of olive oil to each one. Pull the leaves from the thyme and sprinkle theminside the tomatoes. Bake the tomatoes for twenty-five minutes, or untilthey are soft and lightly colored. Slice the cheeses in half if they are small, orin large pieces if they are larger than the diameter of the hollow. Whatever,just make the cheese fit into the tomatoes. Spoon a little oil from eachtomato over the cheese, or add fresh oil if it has escaped, then return to theoven for ten minutes, until the cheese has melted.


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recipes from tender by nigel slater

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