Saba Mirin Boshi (mirin marinated dried mackerel)

This mirin marinated mackerel has to be dried first to extract moisture and concentrate the flavour. Not easy to do yourself, so I bought mine frozen from www.hokkai.com where they have lots of delicious fish dishes. All you have to do is defrost the package during 30 mins in cold water.

In the meantime pre heat the oven at 230°C, remove the packaging and bake the fish in 6 mins.

I served mine with spinach goma ae (goma means sesame and ae is sauce): grind 4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds and mix with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp mirin. 

As I had some left over green asparagus and the bottom end of a paksoi I put them in the wok and cooked them in about 2 mins. Then stirred in the sesame mix.

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Venison sausage and chestnut casserole

1. 

   Sweat a thinly sliced onion in a casserole pan and cook over a medium-high heat for 5 mins or until beginning to soften and lightly colour, stirring regularly. Add a splash more oil if needed. 
   
   
   Add 100 g quartered chestnut mushrooms for 4-5 mins, until lightly browned. Pour 100 ml red wine and 100 ml water into the dish and crumble a stock cube over the top. Stir in 100 g cooked chestnuts,  1 tbsp tomato purée, a clove of garlic, some sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover loosely with a lid and simmer gently for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. After 28 mins add a sliced stick of celery.
   
   
   Meanwhile, make the mustard mash. Put 125 g potatoes and 125 g chunks of celeriac in a large pan of water, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins or until the potatoes are soft but not falling apart. Drain well in a colander, then return to the pan and mash with butter and cream until smooth. Beat in a tbsp wholegrain mustard, season to taste, and set aside.
   
   
   When the poatoes and celeriac are happily boiling heat a tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry 2 venison sausages over a medium heat for 15 mins, until nicely browned.
   
   
   Mix a tbsp cornflour with a tbsp cold water until smooth. Stir into the casserole and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened. Keep warm.
   

   
   
   Use serving rings to put the mash 
   on the plates, then top up with the 
   chestnut casserole, sprinkle with 
   chopped parsley and finish with 
   the sausages.
   
   
   (Here the original BBC Goodfood recipe)
   
   
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Mushroom & prawn okonomiyaki

Place 200 g finely sliced shiitake and chestnut mushrooms, a cup finely shredded Chinese cabbage and  100 g finely chopped prawn meat in a large bowl.

Sift 180 g flour over mushroom and cabbage mixture and toss gently to coat evenly with flour. Add an egg, 120 ml milk and 60 ml water, stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a non stick pan to medium-high and drizzle with 2 tbs oil. Scoop per pancake 4 tbsp mushroom mixture in the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining mixture.

To serve, top each pancake with a 1 tsp Kewpie mayonnaise, drizzle with soy sauce and garnish with green onions and dancing bonito flakes

(Here the original recipe from Australian Mushrooms)

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Grilled sardines with garlic roasted potatoes and salsa verde

Make the salsa verde first, its flavour will intensify as you prepare the rest of the dish. Combine a finely diced shallot with a pinch of salt and 30ml of sherry vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes

Drain and finely chop 2 tbsp capers. Chop 1/2 bunch of flat leaved  parsley, the leaves of 3 sprigs of mint and 4 anchovies. Add 1 tsp Dyon mustard, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 minced clove of garlic, a glug of oil  and the chopped ingredients to the shallots and stir to combine. Season to taste with pepper and set aside in the fridge until required

Place 250 g potatoes into a pot. Cover generously with cold water and a large pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 7-10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just cooked. Strain and allow to steam until cool

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4

Once the potatoes are cool, slice in half on the diagonal and place into a large bowl. Add 3 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp chopped lemon thyme, 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary, 40 ml olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly 

Place on a tray and into the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are hot and crispy on the outside

Meanwhile, heat the griddle pan or barbecue until very hot. Season 4 butterflied sardines with salt, pepper and a dash of lemon juice and leave for 5 minutes

Brush the sardines with a little vegetable oil and place onto the hot grill or barbecue. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Remove and allow to rest for 2 minutes

Remove the potatoes from the oven and divide evenly onto 2 plates. Place 2 sardines onto each plate and top with the salsa verde. Serve immediately

(Here Shaun Hill's original recipe)

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Hot smoked eel with pancetta and apple

Begin by preparing the dressing. Grate a little fresh ginger into 125 ml plain apple juice.Add the juice to a small pan and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer until reduced to about 75 ml. Remove from the heat and whisk in 60 ml rapeseed oil, then season to taste and set aside to cool before serving

Peel and cut a Cox apple into large dice and place in a bowl. Pour over just enough apple/ginger juice to cover and leave to marinate until ready to serve

Place 50 g Pancetta lardons in a pan and cover with cold water. Place on a high heat and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and immediately drain through a colander. Run the lardons under cold water to refresh and remove any residue, then pat dry with kitchen paper

Add a tbsp oil to a frying pan and place over a medium heat, then add the blanched lardons to the pan and fry gently until golden brown. Transfer the cooked lardons to a tray lined with kitchen paper and leave to drain of any excess fa

Meanwhile, arrange 200 g smoked eel pieces on a metal tray and place under a hot grill for a few minutes until heated through, taking care not to let the tops burn

To serve, drain the apple cubes from the juice and divide between plates. Scatter over the cooked lardons and add the pieces of hot smoked eel. 

Garnish with cress and a drizzle of the apple/ginger dressing

(Here Adam Gray's original recipe)

Duck breast glazed in soy with date purée, mushrooms, fried walnut, pumpkin seeds

For the soy glaze, reduce 50 ml soy, 25cml red wine and a tsp honey down to a syrup, then stir in 25 ml reduced brown chicken stock. Set aside until required

For the date purée, cook 100 g stoneless dates in 180 ml water until soft, then blitz to a smooth consistency. Set aside

Fry 20 g pumpkin seeds in the 50ml of oil until puffed up and slightly golden, drain on tissue paper and season with sea salt

Deep fry 4 walnuts until golden, drain on tissue paper and season with sea salt

Sauté 4 mushrooms in butter, add 30 ml veal fond. 

Slice a fennel bulb lengthways and season with sea salt and a teaspoon of lemon juice

Toast some linseed and mustard seeds in a dry pan set over a medium heat for 2 minutes

Fry a duck breast for 12 mins, skin side down in a dry pan. Drain the fat, turn and fry for another 3 mins. Slice lengthwise in two.

To serve spread the date purée onto the plate. Brush the duck with the soy glaze, sprinkle over a small amount of the mustard seed and linseed, then the pumpkin seeds

Cut the mushrooms into quarters, drain and arrange on each plate, with a spoonful of veal demi glace. Place some slices of the fennel onto the plate, sprinkle with toasted fennel seeds and arrange some fennel green on top. 

Grate a deepfried walnut onto the dish using a microplane and serve immediately

(Here the original recipe by Paul Foster)

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Scallop, radish, peanut and lime

Begin by preparing the peanut sauce. Sweat 7 g chopped red chilli, 30 g fine diced white spring onion, 3 g green spring onion, and 15 g ginger in a little oil until soft. Cool over ice, then thoroughly mix in  40 g chopped roasted peanuts, 10 g finely cut coriander stalks, 3 g chopped coriander leaves and the zest and juice of a lime. Set to one side until required

Carefully peel a small mooli (rettich) and slice it very finely using a mandoline, transferring the slices to a dish. Combine 175 ml water, 50 ml Chardonnay vinegar, 6 g sugar, 3 g rock salt, 10 g peanut oil, 2 g coriander seeds, 2 g white peppercorns and the zest and juice of a lime in a pan to form a pickling mixture, bringing it gently to the boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and strain the mixture through a fine sieve directly over the slice mooli. Leave to cool until required

Cook the scallops just before serving. Add a dash of oil to a large frying pan and place over a high heat until hot, then season the scallops with flaky sea salt and place them in the pan presentation side down

Fry the scallops until golden and finish with a generous squeeze of lemon juice 

To serve, arrange the cooked scallops between plates and top each scallop with a slice of pickled mooli and finely sliced radish. Add a small quenelle of peanut sauce next to each scallop and garnish with fried onion and coriander cress

(Here the original recipe by Russell Bateman)

PS The pickled mooli didn't do it for me. but the rest was great. Next time just the radish...

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Best pasta ever? Keep it simple, stupid!

Looks simple. eh? Too simple for Insta?

Keep it that way. Do not add garlic. Or onion. Or cream. Or parsley. Or basil. Or whatever...

Keep it simple. With only 4 ingredients. But: the BEST ingredients!

45 g of the best Pecorino.  25 g of the best Parmesan. 100 g of the best Pancetta. 3 of the freshest eggs and 120 g of the best dried spaghetti.

Slice the Pancetta and fry, softly, in 15 mins in a dry pan.

Grate the cheeses and mix with 2 eggs and 1 extra yolk. Add black pepper.

Cook the pasta in 11 mins in salted water with a splash of olive oil. Do not drain, but move drip-dry from the water to the Pancetta and stir. Then add the cheese mix and stir. Kill the heat and stir again.

Serve with a (simple) salad

Buon appetito!

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Skrei, pea purée, onion jam, truffle potato

Panfry 2 small filets of skrei, skin side down for 4 mins.

In the meantime boil 1/2 liter of water, add some slices of truffle potato  After 3 mins add 100 g frozen peas and some sugar snaps and boil another for 2 mins then drain. 

Keep 2 tbsp peas apart, blend the rest with a tsp wasabi, 1 tbsp Mirin and 2 tbsp olive oil to a purée.

Turn the fish and fry for another 2 mins.

Serve as shown, with onion puree (from a jar) on top.

(Here is a recipe to make your own onion confit)

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Fillet of John Dory with orange glazed endive

Day 1 As it requires 2 days to mature, begin by making the curry oil. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat until hot, then add 5 g curry powder directly to the pan. Cook the powder, stirring constantly to ensure it does not catch or burn, for 2 minutes until the spices are toasted

Add 100 ml very light oil and cook to 60°C. Remove from the heat, leave to cool then store in a suitable container for 2 days until required

Day 2 Another thing you can do a day in advance is making the cauliflower purée.Remove the outer leaves and slice 1/4 cauliflower into small florets, discarding any excess stalk. Melt 25 g unsalted butter in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the cauliflower florets to the pan. Sweat the cauliflower for 3-4 minutes until tender, then add 25 ml milk to the pan, cover with a lid and increase the heat slightly

Cook until it is very tender, then drain the cauliflower and transfer to a blender, discarding the liquid from the pan. Blend the cooked cauliflower in the food processor, gradually adding cream until fully combined.
Season the purée to taste. Cover the bowl in cling film and keep in the fridge, reheat when required

Day 3 These two elements done the actual cooking is simple:

In advance of making the dressing, place 30 g sultanas in a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave the sultanas in the bowl overnight to soak

Prepare an endive by removing any brown outer leaves, then slice the head in half lengthwise, dusting the cut sides thoroughly with 10 g icing sugar. In a large pan, melt 30 g butter over a medium heat and cook until foaming. Add the endives to the pan, sugar-side down, and cook until they begin to caramelise.

Use a microplane to finely grate 1/2 lemon and an orange and add the grated zest to the pan. Continue to cook the endive, turning every couple of minutes, until they are well coloured and caramelised all over

Meanwhile, juice 1/2 lemon and the orange and add to the pan along with t1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Reduce the heat and allow to cook very slowly until the endive is tender and the liquid has become a sticky caramel. Season and set to one side, keeping warm until required

To finish the dressing, drain the soaked sultanas and place in a pan along with 10 g lightly toasted pine nuts, a tbsp baby capers and 20ml of the prepared curry oil. Heat very gently and stir to combine

Meanwhile, coat 4 John Dory fillets (St. Pierre, zonnevis in other languages; each approx 145 g) in the remaining curry oil and leave to marinade for 10 minutes.

It's a delicious fish, tasting a bit like brown shrimps.

Place a large, non-stick pan over a high heat and allow it to get very hot. At this point, add the fish fillets to the pan skin-side down. Using the curry oil marinade as cooking oil, leave the fish to cook for 2-3 minutes and allow the skin of the fish to crisp up

Once the fish skin has become crispy, reduce the heat to medium and turn the fish over to cook for a further minute. Remove the fish from the pan, season with salt&pepper, and sprinkle with a little lemon juice. Leave to drain on the kitchen paper.

To serve, use a teaspoon to add a swipe of re-heated cauliflower purée around the top and bottom of each plate and place a piece of endive in the centre.

Allow the endive to fan out slightly before topping with the John Dory.

Add some coriander leaves to the warm dressing and drizzle over the fish. Serve immediately.

(Here the original recipe by the Galvin Bros)

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Venison sausage with lentils, Savoy and sweet melted onions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6, for cooking the sausages later

Start by making the melted onions. Melt 40 gr butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, gently sweat 200 gr thinly sliced white onions for up to 1 hour until completely soft, sweet and tender. If time permits, cook for a additional 3 hours for a very sweet flavor

Open a small can of pre-cooked lentils, drain the lentils through a colander, reserving the liquid.

Drain any excess butter from the onions then season to taste and add a pinch of thyme leaves. Keep warm.

Fry off 30 gr diced bacon in a knob of butter then mince 2 cloves of garlic, add to the butter, followed by the cooked lentils, 50 g diced carrot, 50 g diced celery, 1/2 a diced onion, 50 g diced leek and 50 gr diced cucumber

Add 50ml of either red wine jus and 50 ml reserved lentil liquids. Reduce until almost dry, tasting the carrots to see if they are al dente and the lentils to ensure they are still nice and moist. Stir in 10 g Dijon mustard, 10 g chopped parsley, 10 g chopped chives and seasoning to taste

Now heat 20 g butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted and foaming, add 100 g shredded Savoy cabbage and cook slowly until tender and with no colour, approximately 4-5 minutes. Season to taste and keep hot

Fry 2 venison  sausages in a hot pan with a small dash of vegetable oil until nicely browned all over. Transfer to the oven for 6-8 minutes until cooked through 

To serve, warm the melted onions in a little of the lentil cooking liquor. Spoon the lentils onto the middle of the plate and top with cabbage and sausage. Finish the dish with melted onions, chives and fleur de sel. Serve immediately.

(Here is the original recipe by Dominic Chapman)

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