British Summer Arrives!

We had our friends Tom and Charlene around for dinner for the first time last night, and we wanted to do something special. Also, quasi-legitimate summer weather was on hand for the first time in about a year, so we took advantage of a really good time of the year for British produce; the late-spring/early summer availability of things is a great time of year. My main theme ingredients I set out to work with here were asparagus, crab, lamb and strawberry. The last three of these recipes appear in Great British Menu and the first one is an original of mine.

A couple of important milestones were achieved here:

1) I made really well-formed spherical ravioli this time, having finally purchased some calcium chloride. These turned out much better then my 'reverse-spherification' attempts generally do.

2) Believe it or not, this is the first souffle I have ever made. And it rose. Evenly. And it stayed there even after spoons were hungrily thrust into it. You can't believe how happy that made me (and my guests!)

3) I put in some practice on making quenelles. You can see that it paid off with the strawberry sorbet. They are the best quenelles I have ever made. (If you are wondering, quenelles are the perfect football shape you can achieve with a spoon and a rather precise flick of the wrist.)


Spherical Ravioli of Chilled Asparagus Soup with Creme Fraiche and Confit Grapefruit Zest

SOUP BASE
1 pound green asparagus, cut in 2" pieces
2 ¼ cups Vegetable Broth
zest and juice of 1 orange
salt and black pepper

RAVIOLI OF ASPARAGUS SOUP
500 g soup base
2.3 g algin (sodium alginate)

CALCIC WATER BATH
500 g water
3.2 g calcic (calcium chloride)

CONFIT ZEST
6 strips grapefruit zest
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

GARNISH
creme fraiche, for garnish
coarse sea salt

SOUP BASE
In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the asparagus for 5 to 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and immediately submerge in cold water . Drain again.

Transfer about a quarter of the asparagus pieces to a blender and add about 1/2 cup of the stock. Puree until smooth. Pour into a larger bowl. Continue pureeing the remaining as asparagus and stock in batches. Strain through a chinois or fine-mesh sieve into the bowl.

Stir the orange zest and juice into the soup . Gently stir in more stock until the soup is the consistency you prefer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

SPHERICAL RAVIOLI BASE
Add the algin to 1/3 of the soup mixture and whiz up with a hand-blender. Add the rest of the soup base and whiz through to combine. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

CALCIC BATH
Combine the calcic and water and whisk to combine. Set aside.

CONFIT ZEST
Boil the water. Add the sugar to the boiling water and cook until dissolved. Lower the heat all the way down and add the zest. Cook for 45 minutes. Drain and let dry on paper towels. Reserve.

FINISH
Squirt some ravioli base into a dipping spoon and submerge the spoon in the calcic bath. The 'ravioli' should free itself from the spoon within a few seconds. Let the sphere 'cook' in the calcic bath for 2 minutes, then lift out with a draining spoon, and put into a cold water bath to rinse off.

Put the sphere into a serving spoon. Top with a dot of creme fraiche or fromage frais. Top with a few strands of grapefruit zest confit and a few flakes of sea salt. Serve.


Tian of Brixton Scallop and Crab Mousse with Lemongrass and Ginger Sauce

TIAN
150 g shelled scallops
50 g brown crab meat
1 egg yolk
250 ml whipping cream
150 g white crabmeat
10 g fresh ginger, finely diced
pinch of cayenne pepper
juice of 1 lemon
2 large courgettes, sliced lengthways
salt and pepper

LEMONGRASS AND CORIANDER SAUCE
75 g shallots, chopped
25g fresh ginger, chopped
50 g fresh lemongrass, chopped
175 g unsalted butter
5 g white peppercorns
5 g coriander seeds
75 g brown crab meat
250 g crab carcasses
250 ml fish stock
chopped fresh coriander (optional)

GARNISH (OPTIONAL)
grapefruit segments
batons of fresh ginger

First prepare the sauce. In a stainless steel saucepan sweat the shallots, ginger and lemongrass in 75g of the butter for 5 minutes, without coloring. Add the peppercorns and coriander seeds and sweat for a further 2 minutes. Add the brown crabmeat and crab carcasses and sweat for 5 minutes longer. Pour in the fish stock, bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes. Pass through a colander set over a bowl and then through a fine sieve. Reserve in a saucepan for later use.

To make the mousse, combine the scallops, brown crab meat, egg yolk and cream in a blender or food processor and blend until very fine and smooth. Remove from the blender and place in a bowl. Set over ice and mix in the white crab meat and ginger, then season with salt, pepper, cayenne and a dash of lemon juice. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Warm six 6cm diameter metal rings, then wrap cling film tightly around the bottom half. Allow the rings to cool, then butter the insides with softened butter.

Blanch the courgettes in boiling water, then drain and pat dry on a cloth. Line the sides of the metal rings with the courgette ribbons. Set them in a baking tray. Fill the molds with the mousse.

Pour some hot water into the baking tray (no higher than the cling film wrapping) and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, to finish the sauce, warm it through, then whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt, pepper and a drop of lemon juice. Add the coriander.

To serve, turn out the mousses into the center of the warm plates, garnish with grapefruit segments and batons of ginger, if using, and drizzle the sauce around.


New-Season Lamb with Herb and Mustard Crust and Scallion Crushed Potatoes

LAMB
4x150 g boneless loins of lamb
4 tablespoons light olive oil
6 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon thyme, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon smooth strong Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon wholegrain Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

SAUCE
300 milliliters lamb stock, made from bones and trimmings
1 pinch thyme leaves
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon wholegrain Dijon mustard
15 g butter

SCALLION CRUSHED POTATOES
700 g new potatoes, peeled
85 g butter
4 scallion, finely chopped

GARNISH
seasonal vegetables, such as new carrots, braised lettuce, asparagus and/or broad beans
Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a heavy frying pan, heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil until it is nearly smoking. Add the lamb and cook over high heat until well browned all over. This should take about 5 minutes; the loins should still be rare inside. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.

Pour the breadcrumbs on to a baking sheet and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Mix gently with your fingers. Put into the oven and toast until lightly browned, stirring two or three times. When browned, allow to cool, then add the herbs.

For the sauce, reduce the lamb stock until it has a light sauce consistency.

To prepare the scallion crushed potatoes, cook the new potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat, add the spring onions and a little salt and cook gently for 1 minute. Add the potatoes and crush gently with a fork. Keep warm.

While the potatoes are cooking, finish the lamb. Mix the two mustards together and brush over the top ofeach loin. Dip the mustard-coated part of the loin into the breadcrumbs and gently press the crumbs on to the mustard. Set the loins on a baking sheet, crumb side up. Place in the top of the oven and roast for 4-5 minutes for medium rare, or 8 minutes for medium well done. Remove from the oven and allow to rest in a warm place while you cook the vegetables and finish the sauce.

Bring the sauce to the boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the herbs, mustard and butter. Check for seasoning.

To serve, spoon the vegetable garnishes and scallion crushed potatoes on to the warmed plates. Slice each loin into three thick slices and place on the potatoes. Spoon the sauce over or around.


Strawberry Souffle with Strawberry Sorbet and Welsh Shortbread

SOUFFLE
500 g strawberries, hulled
150 g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
2 ½ tablespoons cornflour
soft butter for the dishes
4 egg whites
sifted icing sugar to dust

SORBET
100 g caster sugar
100 ml boiling water
500 g strawberries, hulled

SHORTBREAD
100 g soft slightly salted butter
45 g icing sugar, sifted
125 g plain flour
pinch of salt

To make the jam base for the souffle, blitz the strawberries and loog sugar in a food processor to a puree. Rub through a fine sieve into a heavy-bottomed pan. Scrape in the vanilla seeds from the pod. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, whisking continuously. Stir the cornflour with about 60 ml of water just to slacken, then whisk into the strawberry puree until the mixture thickens. Cool, then chill.

Brush the insides of four souffle dishes that are 9cm diameter and 6cm deep with softened butter. then dust with caster sugar. Chill.

To make the sorbet, dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, then simmer for about 2 minutes to make a sugar syrup. Cool. Blitz the strawberries with the syrup to a puree, and rub through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cool, then chill. Place in an ice cream maker and churn for 15-20 minutes to a soft scoop texture. Scoop out four neat quenelles and freeze them on a plate. (The rest of the sorbet can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.)

To make the shortbread, beat the butter and icing sugar together, then gently mix in the flour and salt to make a dough. Roll into a cylinder about 5-6cm in diameter, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C. Cut the chilled dough into 5mm thick slices (12-14 slices) and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden round the edges. Slide onto a wire rack to cool and crisp. Leave the oven on.

To finish the souffles, whisk the egg whites with the remaining 55g caster sugar to soft peaks. Fold into the souffle jam base. Divide the mixture among the four dishes. filling them to the top, then level with the back of a knife. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until risen above the rim by half.

Remove from the oven and immediately dust the tops with icing sugar. Set each souffle on a large plate. Put a frozen scoop of sorbet and a piece of shortbread to the side. Serve right away.

Creamless Cream of Joselito Ham and Pea Soup

I was going to run some crazy avant garde stuff here; a continuation of my 973-part series entitled "I Am the Smartest Person Alive" using recipes from Ferran Adria. Well, I had all of my ingredients together except one: calcium chloride. Now, you may be asking yourself, "What the hell do you need calcium chloride for?" Well, I was going to make these funky balloons of pea in a ham broth. Long story. Let's just say I didn't have it (but I have now ordered it). What do do with these ingredients? Specifically, what to do with the lovely Joselito ham bones?

Well, I have created a variation on the El Bulli recipe, just without the fireworks. The flavors are all there and totally subtle. To get Joselito ham bones, contact your local people who provide serrano ham and the like. A Spanish food specialty food shop (in person, or better yet, online) will be able to get you these bones. Get yourself some of the Joselito ham while you are at it, to see what all the fuss is about.

This turned out to be a really light soup (the foam lightened the texture considerably - made it 'airy-er') and the flavors were just meant to be together. If you don't have the foam whipper, just do it without it and omit the gelatin.

GARLIC CONFIT
30 g garlic
water
50 g extra virgin olive oil

PEA JUS
240 g peas
300 g water
salt
1 tablespoon dried mint

JOSELITO HAM STOCK
500 g Iberico ham bones, preferably Joselito
1500 g water

CREAMLESS CREAM OF JOSELITO HAM FOAM
500 g prepared Joselito ham stock
2 leaves gelatin, soaked in cold water to soften, excess water squeezed out
30 g prepared garlic confit
50 g prepared garlic confit oil

FINISH
extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle

GARLIC CONFIT
Peel the garlic. Blanch them in boiling water three times. Then, heat the oil to 70C and confit the garlic for 3 hours, maintaining this temperature. Remove from the heat and chill for 24 hours.

PEA JUS
Heat the water to boiling. Put the peas in a blender. Pour over the boiling water and whiz up in the blender. Add salt to taste and the mint. Chill.

JOSELITO HAM STOCK
Blanch the bones in boiling water for a few minutes and drain. Next, add the amount of water shown and put the ham bones in the water. Cook to reduce the water down to 500 ml, skimming every once in awhile.

CREAMLESS CREAM OF JOSELITO HAM
Combine the stock and garlic cloves in a blender and process until smooth. Slowly add the oil from the confit and blend to emulsify. Season to taste. Take 1/3 of the liquid and heat to a simmer. Add the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Add back to the remaining ham liquid and put in the siphon and charge (you don't have to use a siphon, but it does lighten the texture). Chill until needed.

FINISH
Heat the pea jus to a simmer. Squirt the ham foam into a bowl. Pour in the pea jus. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Roasted Monkfish with Chutney Pressed Rice (Peixe Cafreal)

This is another big winner from Atul Kochhar. We've really been feeling it for Indian food lately, and seafood as well. This is pretty easy to throw together and delivers BAGS of flavor. Clever use of vinegar here (in the masala) to bring a nice tang to the whole thing, and a good level of heat running through it.

If you are some crazy food-stalker and have been making things along with us, you could use some of the Spicy Tomato Chutney from the other night in the rice component. One note about the rice: if you can't find poha (as we could not), use basmati instead, and add some water in a bit at a time until the rice abosrobs enough to be done (add water as you need it until you achieve this doneness), then add the lime juice and the rest of it when the rice is cooked through. Delicious!

MONKFISH
4x150 g pieces of thick monkfish tail
aged balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
sea salt
amaranth cress, to garnish (optional)

CAFREAL MASALA
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 whole clove
4 green cardamom pods
6-7 black peppercorns
1" piece cinnamon stick
1 small blade mace
1 star anise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
3-4 garlic cloves
2 Dutch green chillies
1 small bunch coriander leaves
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

POHA
150 g poha rice (pressed rice flakes)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
1 green chilli, slit open lengthwise
1 onion, finely chopped
1 potato, boiled until tender, then peeled and diced
4 tablespoons peanuts, skinned
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves
2-3 tablespoons SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY
sea salt

For the cafreal masala, toast the coriander, cumin, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon, mace and star anise in a dry frying pan until aromatic, then put them in a blender or food processor with the remaining masala ingredients. Blend to a paste and season with salt. Apply this paste liberally to the monkfish and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.

Put the fish on a lightly greased baking tray. place in an oven preheated to 220°C and cook for 7-9 minutes, until just done. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 2-3 minutes.

For the poha, wash the pressed rice in cold running water, then leave to soak in a bowl of water. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilli and saute until the seeds start to pop. Immediately add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the diced potato, peanuts and turmeric and saute for 2-3 minutes. Drain the rice and stir it into the pan. Cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, (work the water into the rice here, if not using poha, until the rice is cooked) then remove from the heat and add the lime juice, chopped coriander and some salt. Stir in the tomato chutney to bring all the ingredients together.

To serve, place the poha mixture slightly off centre on each plate. Slice the monkfish and lean it on the poha, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Garnish with the amaranth cress, if using.

Five-Spice Plaice with Chinese Broccoli with Black Bean Sauce

This was a quick, simple and tasty one to throw together and also represents the first time I have made my own five-spice powder. The five-spice was super-fragrant, especially after pan-toasting them for a few minutes to release their oils.

The fermented black beans brought a great flavor to the broccoli and the two things together worked in harmony. Sorry about the photo! We'll have to get more light in here next time!

PLAICE

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 star anise, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon caster sugar
2x200 g plaice fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
25 g unsalted butter, diced

Toast the spices in a dry frying pan over a low to medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Tip into a spice grinder or blender and blitz until finely ground. Shake through a fine sieve to remove any large particles.

Mix the spices with the fine salt and sugar, and sprinkle over both sides of each sole. Heat the oil in a large frying pan (or in two medium pans) over a medium to high heat, add the sole, and cook for 2 1/2 minutes on each side. Add the butter, let it foam, and serve.

BROCCOLI

1 tablespoon fermented black beans
2 lbs. Chinese broccoli, separated into stalks
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 quarter-sized slices fresh ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Cover the black beans with warm water, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Plunge the Chinese broccoli, leaves included, into a large pot of salted boiling water for 1 minute. Refresh under cold water, and dry on paper towels.

Place the peanut oil in a large wok over very high heat. Drain the black beans and smash with a heavy cleaver. Toss them into the hot wok along with the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add the broccoli, and stir to coat broccoli with oil and seasonings. Add the sugar and chicken stock. Stir, cover, and cook over high heat until broccoli is just done, about 2 minutes (it should still be crunchy).

Mix the cornstarch in a small bowl with a small amount of water (about 3 tablespoons) to make a liquid that resembles heavy cream. Make sure the chicken stock is boiling in the wok, then add the cornstarch mixture to it. Stir vigorously, place Chinese broccoli on a platter, and serve immediately.

Anglo-Indian Crab (Cod) Cakes with Spicy Tomato Chutney

Atul Kochhar is a hugely successful Indian chef here in the UK. I'll be having the pleasure of attending an advanced masterclass with him in London in September as sort of a birthday present to myself. But I digress...

I have never made a recipe of his that wasn't spectacular. This was no exception. I had to modify slightly, as the grocers was out of crabmeat, to I went with cod which I sliced, then chopped up into smallish pieces.

Lovely Indian flavors coming out here and the chutney was exceptional and super easy. This would serve 6 as a starter (1 cake per person) or serve two for a main course for dinner.

Anglo-Indian Crab Cakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 small green chilli, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
300 g fresh crab meat (a mixture of brown and white)
100 g baked potato flesh, grated
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
3 tablespoons plain flour, mixed with 3 tablespoons of water to make a thin batter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100 g fresh breadcrumbs
vegetable oil for deep-frying
SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY, to serve

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the cumin seeds and saute over a medium heat until they crackle. Add the green chilli and garlic and saute until the garlic turns light brown. Add the onion and saute until translucent, then add the chopped peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then stir in the desiccated coconut, chilli powder and turmeric, followed by the crab meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the grated potato. Mix well, remove from the heat and stir in the chopped coriander. Spread the mixture out on a baking tray and leave to cool.

Divide it into 12 pieces and shape them into round patties. Put the flour and water batter in one bowl, the eggs in another and the breadcrumbs in a third. Dip the patties briefly in the batter, then in the egg and finally in the brcadcrumbs. (Dipping the patties in a batter first gives a better finish than dry flour but can make the cakes tricky to handle; if you find lhey start to break up when you dip them in the batter, you could switch to dry flour instead.)

Shape the cakes between your palms to ensure the crumbs adhere well, then leave them to rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the oil to 150C in a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep saucepan. Deep-fry the crab cakes, in several batches if necessary, for about 2 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the chutney.

Spicy Tomato Chutney

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
2 green cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
2.5cm piece of cinnamon stick
1 dried red chilli
1 kg tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon GARAM MASALA
1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
250 g brown sugar or palm sugar
250 ml white wine vinegar or white vinegar
sea salt

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the cumin, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon and red chilli and saute for 1-2 minutes, until the spices splutter. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the ground spices, ginger and some salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until the chutney is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Keep in the fridge for up to a week, or store in sealed sterilized jars and consume within 2 months.

Dry-Wok Spicy Duck (Gan Guo Ya Zi)

This was good, honest Hunan cooking at it's best, with a few additions from me. Not the healthiest of all dishes out there (due to the duck skin rendering out), but tasty, to be sure.

Traditionally, this would be served at the table with one of those little burners and a little wok with the broth in it and folks would dip their food in with chopsticks and eat it. Well, a little wok and burner are not items which we have in the kitchen, so we just made it like a stew.

I made some brown rice with some five-spice powder and Sichuan peppercorns to go underneath it. This can be a spicy as you like, really, and we like it spicy. The broth nicely melds all of the flavors going on here.

DUCK
2.25 kg duck, or 4 portions duck wth skin (leg, breast or a mixture)
30 g ginger, unpeeled and sliced
2 pieces cassia bark or cinnamon stick
½ star anise
2 tablespoons chilli bean paste
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 bay leaf
1 cao guo
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
groundnut oil, for frying

FINISH
2 cloves garlic, sliced
½" piece ginger, peeled and sliced
small handfuls dried chiles
½ red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into broad slices
3 slender scallion, trimmed, in bite-sized pieces
cilantro, to garnish

DUCK
If you are using a whole duck, cut away the whole leg joint close to the carcass, then divide the thigh and lower leg and continued use a heavy cleaver to chop each piece into 2 or 3 chunks. Cut away the breast from the breastbone and cut into bite-sized chunks. The wings can also be cut away and chopped into chunks if you wish to add them to the dish, or they can just be saved for adding to the stockpot.

Heat 200 ml groundnut oil in a wok over a high flame until it reaches 180C. Add the duck and fry for a couple of minutes to allow it to lose some of its water content. Remove with a slotted spoon, allow the oil to return to 180C and then re-fry the duck pieces until lightly browned; set aside. It is best to fry the duck in a couple of batches.

Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil and re-heat over a high flame. Add the ginger, cassia and star anise and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chile bean paste and fry some more until the oil is red. Add the duck, and splash in the wine around the edge, stirring well.

Turn the duck and all its flavorings into a saucepan or flameproof casserole and barely cover with water. Bring to the boil, add the bay leaf, cao guo and dark soy sauce, with light soy sauce and salt to taste. Turn the heat down and simmer gently, uncovered, for an hour or so, until the duck is tender and flavorful and the liquid reduced. (This step can be done in advance.) Discard the whole spices as far as possible.

FINISH
When you are ready to eat, set a small wok to heat over a low flame or in the oven. Heat your normal wok over a high flame until smoke rises, then add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl around. Add the garlic, ginger and dried chillies and sizzle briefly until fragrant. Add the prepared duck and the liquid left in the cooking pot. bring to the boil and check seasoning.

Turn the stew into the small wok, top with the red pepper and spring onion and a sprig of coriander, and take, sizzling, to the table. If you are serving the dish in a bowl, rather than over a burner, simply add the red pepper and onion to the stew while still on the heat before serving with a garnish of cilantro.

White Asparagus with Toffee and Tarragon with Yogurt, Served with White Asparagus Soup

This is Part 3 in a 974-part series entitled "I Am the Smartest Person Alive", which explores the food of legendary chef, Ferran Adria. His restaurant, El Bulli, just got voted the Best Restaurant in the World for the fourth year in a row recently.

I am saddened by the fact that my original photo did not save properly. I can say that, actually, it DID look just like this, except without all of the mirrors and stuff.

We had never tried white asparagus and were dying to try some. We were in London and hit the Borough Street Market, which is awesome, and picked some up. The combination of the toffee with the little bit of salt and the tarragon powder was a revelation. Chef Adria does a lot of mind-bender sweet/savory stuff, and this one hit the mark just right. The soup was light and springy, with a nice lemony undertone running through it. This was pretty easy by El Bulli standards - no special equipment or funky techniques here - give it a try!

For the boiled white asparagus tips
8 white 2 cm diameter asparagus
water
salt

For the white asparagus soup
270 g boiled white asparagus spears (ready prepared)
7 g lemon juice
3 g lemon zest
200 g asparagus cooking water (ready prepared)
45 g olive oil
5 g extra virgin olive oil
salt

For the toffee
100 g sugar
100 g single cream 35% fat

For the dry tarragon powder
40 g fresh tarragon

For the yogurt
100 g yogurt

Other
Maldon salt

BOILED WHITE ASPARAGUS TIPS
1. Peel the asparagus leaving the buds on.
2. Trim the asparagus tips to 6 cm.
3. Slice off the tough, woody part of the stalk that remains and discard it.
4. Boil the asparagus tips for 4 minutes in salt water, drain then cool in iced salt water.
5. Cool the cooking water down and keep the boiled asparagus tips in it.
6. Boil the asparagus spears, without the woody part, in salt water for 7 minutes.
7. Drain and chill in iced salt water.
8. Cool the cooking water down and keep the boiled asparagus spears in it.

WHITE ASPARAGUS SOUP
1. Process the asparagus spears in the blender with the cooking water, lemon juice and lemon zest.
2. Once a smooth mixture has been made, gradually add the oils and emulsify.
3. Strain the soup made through a strainer and salt to taste.
4. Keep refrigerated.

TOFFEE
1. Dry-cook the sugar to a dark caramel.
2. Then add the hot cream to the caramel and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat so the sugar dissolves into the cream properly.
3. Leave the toffee to cool down at room temperature then put it into a squeeze bottle.

DRY TARRAGON POWDER
1. Pick the leaves off the tarragon and discard the stems.
2. Microwave the tarragon leaves on medium power until they are dry.
3. Process the dry tarragon leaves to a powder in the blender.
4. Keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

YOGURT
1. Beat the yogurt, strain it then put it into a squeeze bottle.
2. Keep refrigerated.

TO FINISH
1. Brush toffee over half of the white asparagus tips.
2. Arrange 2 asparagus brushed in toffee at right angles on a rectangular serving dish, with a 2 cm gap between them.
3. Add an obvious touch of tarragon powder at the end of the asparagus tip that is not coated in toffee.
4. Drizzle a line of yogurt between the asparagus, it should be as long as the asparagus are.
5. Garnish the top of each asparagus tip with two Maldon salt crystals.
6. Serve the cold white asparagus soup in a glass.

Seared Scallops with Minted Peas and Broad Beans

It is broad bean (AKA fava bean) season now and we decided to jump on it while the gettin' was good. We had been craving springtime food for awhile now, this seemed as good as any. We had some mint tat was slowly dying, so we had to use it up anyway.

This is adapted from a Gordon Ramsay recipe, I decided to go with a puree rather than a bunch of beans and peas just scattered around. Also, I took the butter & scallop juices and drizzled it over at the end for an extra buttery kick. Good stuff. This serves 4.

24 king scallops, shelled and cleaned
coarse sea salt
250 g podded peas, thawed if frozen
300 g podded broad beans, thawed if frozen
2 thyme sprigs, leaves only
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small knob butter
1 handful mint, leaves roughly chopped
extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Take the scallops from the fridge and set aside while you cook the vegetables. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, tip in the peas and blanch for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of iced water to refresh. Drain well and tip into a bowl.

Return the water to the boil and blanch the broad beans for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Refresh in iced water and drain again. Gently squeeze the broad beans to pop them out of their skins. Add the peas and set aside.

Put the thyme leaves on a board and sprinkle with 1 tsp coarse sea salt. Chop, finely, then sprinkle the thyme salt over one side of the scallops. Heat a griddle or large frying pan and add the olive oil.

Pan-fry the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness - they should feel slightly springy when pressed. Make sure you turn them in the same order you put them in the pan to ensure even cooking. Remove to a warm plate and rest for a minute while you reheat the vegetables.

Tip the peas and broad beans into the frying pan and add a splash of water and a little butter. Heat for a minute to warm through, season to taste and toss through the mint leaves.

Spoon the vegetables onto warm plates and top with the scallops. Sprinkle with a little more thyme salt if you wish. Drizzle a little more thyme salt if you wish. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil around each plate and serve immediately.

Veal Escalope with Asparagus and Mushrooms

One of the things I'll miss most about leaving the UK is that we have the best butcher in the world, right down the street from us. He's got everything down there, and this veal came from him. Veal is inexplicably hard to get your hands on around here; the Brits don't really eat much of it. They rear it, but end up exporting most of it. Too bad, 'cuz it kicks ass.

This was a very simple recipe out of Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food cookbook. Asparagus is at it's peak right now, so best jump on that train while you can. The taste of the veal itself here was amazing. Just seasoned with salt and pepper, the meat just has such a buttery-rich flavor. Start to finish, this took about 20 minutes to throw together a couple of plates. Yum.

4x170 g thin British rose veal escalopes
500 g asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
500 g mixed mushrooms, such as st. George's and ceps, sliced
1 sprig thyme, leaves stripped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
few knobs butter
2-3 tablespoons double cream

Pat the veal escalopes dry with kitchen paper and set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Peel the lower part of the asparagus stalks, then add to the boiling salted water and blanch for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Lift the spears out with a pair of tongs and plunge them into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a wide pan until hot. Add the mushrooms, thyme leaves and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add a few knobs of butter to the pan and fry the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and any moisture released has been cooked off. Add the cream and stir well to mix. Cook for a few seconds, then turn off the heat and keep warm.

Season the veal escalopes with salt and pepper. Heat a wide frying pan until very hot and add the remaining olive oil. In two batches, sear the veal over a high heat for about 30 seconds on each side until golden brown and slightly springy when gently pressed. Transfer to a warm plate and keep warm while you fry the rest of the veal.

Reheat the asparagus in simmering water for a minute, then drain. Place a veal escalope on each warm plate and arrange the asparagus alongside. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and drizzle some good olive oil over the asparagus. Spoon over the creamed mushrooms and serve.

Ras el Hanout-Rubbed Feather Steak with Moroccan "Ketchup" and Almond Milk Couscous

This recipe is inspired by an Ana Sortun recipe for veal shanks. Well, I didn't have veal shanks, which screwed the whole thing up, basically. I didn't even have a meat which was suitable for braising, which meant it was time for some creativity.

On the subject of meat, let's talk about my new favorite cut, the feather steak. Called 'paleron' in France, it is a lovely cut of meat which, if cut vertically, produces a steak which looks like a ribeye but has a chain of fat and sinew that looks like a feather running across the middle of it. Normally, this cut would be pounded out (to compress this chain) and flash seared.

If cut, horizontally in such as way as to exclude the sinew chain altogether, each 'half' gives you a flat sheet of succulent steak, which is suitable for about two people (a whole feather steak cut this way will produces 2 large sheets to serve 4 people). Also, we tried this out on beef fajitas a weekend ago, and found it to be superior to flank or skirt steak, which are traditionally associated with fajitas. The meat is super-soft, and not the least bit chewy or stringy.

The couscous recipe was lifted out of the cookbook Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean by Ana Sortun. It was awesome and a great compliment to the steak. The almond flavors managed to hold up to the spice of the sauce and the meat.

I am really proud of this one. The sauce had just the right heat with the harissa in it and ras el hanout seemed the right way to go with the steak. In the end, a really nice marriage of flavors. A really good, spicy red wine (Barossa Valley Shiraz, or the like) is a great accompaniment.

"KETCHUP"
½ cup dry white wine
1 pinch saffron
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 small carrot, finely chopped
1 red chile, deseeded, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ginger, peeled, finely chopped
1 pinch salt
1 stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander seed
2 tablespoons harissa
1 can chopped tomatoes
salt, to taste

COUSCOUS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup water
1 ½ cups couscous
½ cup almonds, toasted
2 cups whole milk
salt and black pepper

STEAK
500 g feather steak, in one piece, have the butcher cut it horizontally to get rid of the sinew chain in the middle
2 good pinches ras el hanout
salt and black pepper

GARNISH
4 scallion, green part only, finely sliced
4 almonds, toasted, finely chopped

KETCHUP
Measure out the wine and add the pinch of saffron, stir and leave aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, carrot, chile, garlic, ginger and a good pinch of salt. Let this sweat down for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent, but not browning.

Add the cinnamon stick and coriander seeds and stir to combine, letting it cook for another 2 minutes or so, until aromatic. Add the harissa and stir to combine. Cook another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the white wine with the saffron and bring to a boil. Let this cook until the liquid is almost all evaporated. Add the can of tomatoes and a good pinch of salt. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

When done, check for seasoning, then tip into a blender and blend for 20-30 seconds. Strain the mixture into a bowl and set aside, discarding the solids.

COUSCOUS
Meanwhile, heat the butter and water in a small saucepan until the butter has melted. Add it to the couscous and stir through. Let it sit, uncovered, for 10 minutes. While it is sitting, add the almonds and milk to a blender and blend for 3 minutes, until the almond is very fine. Strain into a bowl to get rid of the solids. Heat the milk to a simmer in a saucepan and remove from the heat.

When the 10 minutes are up, add the 1 1/2 cups of the almond milk (reserving 1/2 cup) to the couscous and stir to combine. Leave to sit for 10 minutes, uncovered. When the time is up, season to taste, and put into ramekins. Keep these warm in a low oven until needed.

STEAK
Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Season the steak with ras el hanout, salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add a drizzle of vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the steak and cook for 5 minutes or so, until nicely browned. Flip over and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes, basting the top side with some of the ketchup. When the steak is done, flip briefly and coat the other side with ketchup. Give each side a quick 10-second sear to cook the ketchup in. Remove from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes.

FINISH
Add any of the steak resting juices to the remaining ketchup and stir in.

Take the ramekins with the couscous and invert a plate over the top, flipping it all over to turn the couscous out. Take the remaining 1/2 cup almond-infused milk and froth it with a immersion blender or a regular blender until frothy. Spoon some of the froth onto the couscous and top with some chopped almonds.

Slice the steak across the grain and fan out on the plate. Top with some ketchup and sprinkle all over with scallions. Serve hot.

Thai-Style Noodle Soup with Pan-Fried Tofu, Coconut and Chile

I came up with this one, which is inspired by our having eaten prawn laksa in Sydney a few weeks ago. I guess I was after a replication of the broth, more than anything. As you can see... not a prawn in sight.

This was among my better soup creations. It had a nice heat to it, and the tofu had soaked up all of the flavors of the broth. Nice herby, fresh taste of the basil coming through, too. Overall, I am really happy with how this came out.

TOFU
1 drizzle peanut oil
1 block tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
PORK
1 drizzle peanut oil
500 g pork tenderloin
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

BROTH
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½" piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, top part removed, middle and lower part finely chopped
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1.5 liters chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon fish sauce

DISH
4 packages udon noodles (enough to feed 4 people)
3 tablespoons chile oil, with sediment
3 scallion, finely sliced
12 leaves basil, finely sliced crosswise
salt, to taste

First, sear off the tofu in a small, non-stick skillet with a touch of peanut oil. Just sear them off until golden brown. Flip them over and brown the other side. Remove and set aside.

Season the pork with salt and pepper, then sear off in a non-stick skillet until golden brown all over. Set aside to rest for at least 15 minutes.

Now, make the broth. In a large soup pot, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the shallot, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and salt and let cook down for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the curry paste and stir to combine. Let this cook for another 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. When it starts to boil reduce the heat to a simmer and add the coconut milk. Stir and let the milk heat through. When it just starts to bubble, reduce the heat the medium-low, and leave to gently bubble away.

Cut the pork into bite-sized pieces and add them (and any resting juices) to the soup. The add the tofu and the udon noodles and cook until the pork and noodles are done, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chile oil, scallions, basil and salt to taste. Adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Smoked Salmon Pasta wth Edamame "Pesto"

This was another quick one which used up some of our remaining smoked salmon. The saltiness of the salmon with the garlic-y-ness of the garlic was great. Simple to throw together, and really tasty!

1 cup frozen edamame, shelled
3 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
¾ cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed, several sprigs reserved for garnish
½ cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
2 small cloves garlic
⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ lb. fusilli
6 ounces presliced smoked salmon, cut into 1/2-inch by 1-inch pieces
freshly ground white pepper
coarse sea salt such as fleur de sel

Place the edamame in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic and cook on high until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, cook the edamame in salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup of the edamame for garnish.

Combine the remaining 2/3 cup edamame, lime juice, cilantro, basil, 1/2 cup water, and garlic in a blender or the workbowl of a food processor and process into a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and then the sesame oil in a thin stream. Scrape the pesto into a bowl and stir in the kosher salt.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Salt the water and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta, turn it into a large pasta bowl, and toss it with the pesto to coat. Stir in the smoked salmon and reserved edamame and toss again to distribute. Garnish with the reserved cilantro sprigs and serve immediately with freshly ground white pepper and fleur de sel to taste.

Chicken Legs Braised in Pinot Grigio Mojo

This is the second or third thing we've made from Andrea Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine, and it is another success story. I'd been wanting to cook a mojo dish for awhile, and this seemed as good as any. The best thing about this was the balance of flavors, and it delivered a very springtime palette of flavors. Roast the garlic head (top 1/3 sliced off) and the shallots (peeled and quartered) first in a piece of foil wth some olive oil, salt and pepper thrown in for 50 minutes in a 400F oven.

The lettuce saute was an afterthought, but our neighbors Tom and Charlene went on a trip and generously donated a TON of food to us that we've been working our way through. The lettuce turned out to be a nice compliment to the chicken, and took the mojo sauce well.

CHICKEN
1 ½ cups Pinot Grigio or other crisp white wine without oak aging (leftover is fine)
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 head roasted garlic, squeezed from its skins
4 roasted shallots
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, or more if necessary
6 whole chicken legs

LETTUCE SAUTE
1 knob of butter
1 drizzle olive oil
2 baby gem lettuce
5-6 spring onions, green parts only, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
small handful of chopped parsley

Bring the wine to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce by half. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the cooled wine reduction with the lime juice, garlic, shallots, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, pour in 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow stream to emulsify.

Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof skillet. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides.

Pour 1/3 cup of the mojo over the chicken and turn the pieces to coat them. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately with the remaining mojo on the side.

LETTUCE
Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat until melted and starting to bubble. Add the lettuce, spring onions and salt and pepper, and saute briefly until just starting to wilt, about 30-45 seconds. Remove from the heat add stir in the parsley.

Salmon Tartare with Bloody Mary Sorbet

This is adapted from a Jason Atherton recipe (of Restaurant Maze - London) which originally called for tuna. I couldn't get my hands on tuns to save my life on Sunday, so I went with another flavorful, oily fish instead: salmon.

Kind of a cool contrast between room temperature fish and cold sorbet, but with a little chile heat running through it providing some 'warmth'. Overall, pretty nifty and easy to throw together. Serves 2.

TARTARE:
300 g sashimi-grade salmon
¼ red chile, deseeded and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 mint leaves, fine chiffonade
chile oil, to drizzle

BLOODY MARY SORBET:
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
¼ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 small red pepper, deseeded and chopped
8 ripe tomatoes
few drops of Tabasco
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons liquid glucose
20 ml vodka
handful of small mint leaves
TO SERVE:
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

First, make the Bloody Mary sorbet. Put the shallot, cucumber and red pepper into a blender or food processor. Halve two of the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds, then chop the flesh. Add to the blender and whiz to a smooth puree. Push through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard the pulp.

Quarter the remaining tomatoes, scoop out and discard the seeds, then tip the tomatoes into the blender. Measure 200ml of the puree and pour into the blender. (Use any leftover for another dish, or to make a Bloody Mary to drink!) Add the Tabasco, lemon juice, tomato puree, liquid glucose, vodka and seasoning to the blender and whiz until smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into the bowl of an ice-cream machine. Churn until the mixture is almost firm, then transfer to a freezerproof container and freeze until firm.

Chop the tuna fillet into 1.5-2cm cubes and toss them in a bowl with the chopped chile, mint, some seasoning and a drizzle of chile oil. Arrange them in individual bowls. Top each tuna mound with pine nuts and a small mint leaf. Drizzle over a little more chile oil and sprinkle with another pinch of salt. Serve with neat scoops of Bloody Mary sorbet on the side.

Thai-Style Hot And Sour Pasta with Clams

We had some new friends around for a mid-afternoon glass of wine which turned into a few glasses of wine, which eventually became full-fledged dinner. Fortunately, we had everything on hand, including the clams (which were originally intended for something else).

I had made up some curry paste not too long ago (search recent posts) and usually have a good stock of Thai ingredients in the freezer (lime leaves, chiles and lemongrass). This was a delicious no-brainer. For something just thrown together, the balance of spice to flavor was just right in my opinion. Great flavors given up by the clams to the broth, too.

Smiles all around the table for this one and it came together rather quickly.

500 g fettucine or other ribbon-shaped pasta
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallot, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, lower stem and bulb only, finely chopped
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
3 Thai chiles, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
½ cup dry white wine
1 kg clams
juice of 1 lime
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 large handful cilantro, roughly chopped

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat on a wide saute pan. When hot, add the garlic, shallot, lemongrass, lime leaves, chiles and curry paste and saute for a few minutes until fragrant and the mixture darkens slightly.

Add the fish sauce, white wine and clams and turn the heat up to high, covering the pan. Let the clams cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until all of the clams have opened. Discard any that have not opened.

Squeeze in the lime juice, season with salt and pepper and stir the cilantro through off the heat. Add the pasta and toss well. Serve hot.

Glazed Salmon with Spinach and Radish Salad

Vanessa and I have been detoxing ever since we got back from Australia, as it was, essentially, an orgy of Pan-Asian food. And some drinks.

We slowed it down further this week after I managed to score some SERIOUSLY high quality smoked salmon from an unnamed local source at a RIDICULOUSLY bargain price. It was put to good use here, with a nice, fresh salad and a zippy little dressing. Vanessa suggested adding a little wasabi paste to the marinade which brought a nice subtle back heat.

This was super-easy and delicious. Also, I am getting the hang of better food photography using some funky filters.

SALMON
4x150 g lightly smoked salmon fillets
100 g baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
8-10 radishes, washed, trimmed and finely sliced

MARINADE
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon grated fresh root ginger

DRESSING
1 tablespoon grated fresh root ginger
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons tahini

Remove the skin from the salmon and check carefully for pin-bones, pulling out any with kitchen tweezers. Place the fillets side-by-side in a shallow dish. For the marinade, mix the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour over the salmon to coat. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for 0 minutes to allow the flavors to permeate.

For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the oven to 230C. Arrange the spinach leaves on individual plates and top with the radish slices.

Left the salmon from the marinade and arrange on a lightly oiled baking tray. Cook in the oven for 4-6 minutes until medium rare, basting after 2 minutes. The fish should feel slightly springy when pressed.

Place a salmon fillet in the middle of each plate and drizzle the ginger and tahini dressing over the salad to serve.

Pigeon Cooked with Chettinad Spices

Another solid, simple Indian dish from Atul Kochhar's Simple Indian cookbook. I couldn't get my hands on pigeon, so I used guinea fowl instead and it was just fine. Really delicate spices here with a nice citrusy hit from the orange and zest.

PIGEON:
2 wood pigeons, cleaned (liver reserved)
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt

TOASTED SPICE POWDER:
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 star anise
5 green cardamom pods
2 cloves
2.5cm cassia bark or cinnamon stick

TO COOK:
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 curry leaves
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Joint each pigeon into 4 pieces (2 legs and 2 breasts with wing bones attached) and remove the skin. Put the pigeon pieces in a shallow dish.

Mix together the orange juice, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric and salt, then spoon over the pigeon pieces and turn to coat all over. Set aside to marinate in a cool place for at least 30 minutes. (Reserve the orange zest for the garnish.)

In the meantime, prepare the toasted spice powder. Dry-fry the spices in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until they crackle, shaking the pan constantly. Allow to cool, then grind to a powder, using a spice grinder, pestle and mortar or mini-processor. Set aside.

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a pan, add the curry leaves and saute for a minute or two, then add the sliced onions and fry until softened and golden brown in colour. Add the toasted spice powder, saute for a minute, then add the pigeon (including the liver) together with the marinade. Saute for a few minutes until the pigeon pieces are lightly browned. Add 250ml water and bring to a simmer. Cook slowly for about 45 minutes until the pigeon is tender.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and grated orange zest. Stir well and serve hot, with chapattis.

Tortilla Soup

I am wary of cooking things that are somewhat common menu items in Mexican restaurants, but for which I don't have a very strong food memory. I have had tortilla soup a few times, but that was a long time ago. Looking at the ingredient list, I was skeptical as to how it would come together. Was it too simple? Would it taste right?

Well, we had a bite, and I got the nod from Vanessa. It was right.

This is super simple and awesome. Give it a go. As for the cooked chicken, I seared them off seasoned with salt, pepper and cumin and finished them in the oven.

SOUP
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
9 tomatoes, cut in half
2 heads garlic
4 quarts water
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
Salt to taste

GARNISH
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 Hass avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
2 cups crumbled queso anejo (crumbly white Mexican cheese) or feta cheese
Fried tortilla strips
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Heat the vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns and saute until the onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and water and bring to a boil. Boil until the tomatoes ate starting to fall apart, about 30 minutes.

Add the bouillon cube and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the soup into a large pot, pushing down on the solids with a potato masher or wooden spoon to force out all the juices. Discard the solids.

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat. Add the Tabasco sauce and Worcestershire, and season with salt. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the chicken, avocados, cheese, fried tortilla strips, and cilantro.

Coffee-Rubbed Filets Mignons with Ancho-Mushroom Sauce

This was our final dinner in Australia. While I could go on about the Tequila-Lime Scallops with Mango Salsa or the Grilled Corn on the Cob with Garlic Butter which accompanied this, the real star of this show was the steak.

This is the second time I have made this steak from Bobby Flay and it delivered HUGELY on taste. Lots of rolling of the eyes and what-not. This is so simple to put together, and the payoff is amazing.

I am a bit jet-lagged now (we're back in the UK as of a few hours ago), so I won't write too much about this. Seriously, you need to try this now.

FILETS MIGNONS
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon finely ground espresso beans
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chile de arbol powder
2 tablespoons canola oil
4x8 ounce filets mignons

ANCHO-MUSHROOM SAUCE
4 cups Enriched Chicken Stock or low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ lbs. assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, cremini, portobello, and oyster, thinly sliced
4 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 ancho chiles, soaked, seeded, and pureed
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FILETS MIGNONS
Combine the ancho powder, espresso, paprika, brown sugar, mustard, coriander, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt, the pepper, ginger and chile de arbol powder in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat until smoking. Season one side of each filet with a heaping tablespoon of the rub. Place the filets in the pan, rub side down, and cook until a crust has formed, about 2 minutes. Turn the steaks over, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking to medium-rare,6 to 7 minutes. The meat will be bright pink in the center. Remove from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Ladle the sauce onto large plates and top with the steaks.

ANCHO-MUSHROOM SAUCE
Pour the chicken stock into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to 2 cups.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and their liquid has evaporated,8 to 10 minutes.

Whisk the ancho puree into the reduced chicken stock and then pour the mixture into the pan with the mushrooms. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the honey and cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Butter Bean, Chorizo and Red Onion Soup

We were out wandering around for a long time yesterday. Fortunately, Brian (a friend of Travis's) is a hardcore serious foodie. He is studying for a Masters in Gastronomy. He knows every good eating place in town for every type of cuisine. I initially asked Travis what he was like. He replied to me, "He's like you on food steroids."

We met up in Chinatown and got down to business with some dead-serious sushi. I had been craving it for awhile now, and I can't tell you how this hit the spot. We had a couple of rolls, one scallop and one with salmon. Delicious.

We moved onto a Malaysian place, which has won some accolades in the city. We barely made it in before the end of lunch and grabbed the last table. That, too, was spectacular. I'll be looking into Malaysian food more closely in the future. It's very saucy, spicy and sweet - which is right up my alley.

After this, we ended up walking home from downtown Sydney, which took awhile. It seemed cabs just kept avoiding us until we got within 500 yards of the house, then there were cabs everywhere. All told, it was probably 3-4 miles to get home.

We wanted something simple for dinner, and since Vanessa's margaritas claimed a few more victims the night before, a nice soup seemed to be the ticket. We stopped by the fish market and got a few items from the deli and away we went.

This is a fantastically simple dish, that takes no time to prepare and cook. It's so fast, it appears in Gordon Ramsay's "Fast Food" cookbook, which I highly recommend. This is one of the knockouts in it.

225 g chorizo picante, skin removed
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra
2 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and very finely sliced
3 sprigs thyme
2 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 squeeze lemon juice
1 large handful parsley, roughly chopped

Chop the chorizo into small bite-sized pieces. Put the kettle on the boil.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan and add the onions, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes then add the chorizo. Stir over a high heat for a few minutes until the oil has taken on a reddish-golden brown hue from the chorizo.

Tip in the butter beans and pour just enough boiling water to cover them. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 10 minutes.

Season generously with salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Scatter over chopped parsley and ladle the soup into warm bowls to serve.