J Sheekey fish pie
Still the bestseller on the J Sheekey menu, a true theatre dish. Some people add lobster, prawns or peas to their pie. We prefer this purer version.
SERVES 4
boneless cod (or a white chunky fish such as halibut) fillet 200g, skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks
salmon fillet 200g, skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks
smoked haddock fillet 200g, skinned and cut into rough 3cm chunks
flat-leaf parsley ½ small bunch, chopped
for the sauce
unsalted butter 50g
plain flour 50g
white wine 125ml
fish stock 500ml
double cream 90ml
lemon juice of ½
English mustard 1 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp
anchovy essence ½ tsp
salt and ground white pepper
for the topping
King Edwards or Maris Piper (preferably) 1kg
unsalted butter 50g
milk 50ml
fresh white breadcrumbs 20g
parmesan 10g, grated
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low heat and gently stir in the flour. Gradually add the wine, stirring well. Slowly add the fish stock (a good-quality cube is fine) until you have a silky smooth sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer quietly for 15 minutes. To finish, add cream and briefly bring to the boil again. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce and anchovy essence. (Add more mustard and Worcestershire sauce if you like it spicy.) Season.
Gently fold the fish and parsley into the hot sauce, and pour into a large pie dish up to about 3cm from the top of the dish. Leave to cool, so the topping will sit on the sauce when piped.
Peel and cut the potatoes into even-sized pieces. Cook in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes until soft, then drain and return to the pan over a gentle heat to remove any excess moisture. Using an old-fashioned masher or a potato ricer, thoroughly mash the potatoes. Mix butter and milk into the mashed potato till soft enough to spread over the fish mixture. Season. Pipe or gently fork to cover the fish.
Pre-heat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5 and bake for 30 minutes. Scatter on the breadcrumbs and cheese, and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden.
From J Sheekey Fish by Tim Hughes and Howard Sooley (Preface, £25)
Tom Kerridge's slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with boulangère potatoes
This recipe is great to stick in the oven on a Sunday morning, then go and walk the dogs and call in at the pub: when you get home the house smells amazing.
SERVES 4-6, PLUS SOME FOR THE DOGS
large waxy potatoes 6, peeled and thinlysliced
onions 3, thinly sliced
leaves from a bunch of thyme
shoulder of lamb about 2kg
garlic 1 head, cloves peeled and separated
chicken stock 600ml
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 130C/gas mark ½. Mix the potatoes, onions and thyme leaves together in a bowl and season. Roughly layer the potatoes and onions in a roasting tray and put the lamb on top, skin side up. Use a knife to pierce the lamb all over, then put a clove of garlic into each hole. Pour over the chicken stock.
Put the baking tray in the oven and roast the lamb for 4-5 hours, until the lamb is tender and the potatoes are cooked through. Remove the tray, cover it with foil and leave the lamb to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
From Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (Absolute Press, £20)
Simon Hopkinson's new tomato curry
SERVES 4
cumin seeds 1 tbsp
coriander seeds 1 tbsp
cardamom pods 10
fennel seeds ½ tbsp
black mustard seeds ½ tbsp
cloves 6
star anise 2
sunflower oil or other neutral-flavoured oil 2 tbsp
ground turmeric ½ tsp
sea salt 1 tsp
coconut milk 400ml
tamarind paste 2 tsp
curry leaves a small handful
medium-sized tomatoes 12
fresh green peppercorns 2 branches
sugar 1-2 tsp, depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes
coriander 6-7 sprigs, leaves chopped
Using a frying pan, lightly toast the first seven whole spices until aromatic; take care that they don't scorch, however.
Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pot and add the whole spices. Fry for a couple of minutes over a moderate heat then add the turmeric and salt. Pour in the coconut milk, and stir in the tamarind and curry leaves. Bring up to a simmer and allow to cook quietly for about 15 minutes. Using a stick blender, blitz the mixture for about 30 seconds, to break up the spices. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse while you skin and core the tomatoes, and remove the peppercorns from their branches.
Pass the coconut sauce through a fine sieve and return it to the (washed up) pot. Put the tomatoes into the sauce (removed-core-side down) and sprinkle in the peppercorns. Allow the tomatoes to simmer in the sauce until softened and the sauce has reduced and become a touch thicker; about 15-20 minutes. Finally, taste the sauce to see if it needs a touch of sugar, or more salt, then stir in the chopped coriander leaves and serve.
From Simon Hopkinson Cooks (EburyPress, £25)
April Bloomfield's lamb meatballs
These are not straight-up Italian meatballs. The sauce has a bit of North Africa as well as the Mediterranean in it, so the dish is exotic and comforting at once.
SERVES 4
boneless lamb shoulder 1.1kg cut into 2.5cm pieces
Maldon or another flaky sea salt 2½ tbsp
fine breadcrumbs 225g
extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
for the sauce
large Spanish onion 1, finely chopped
garlic 5 cloves, thinly sliced
Maldon or another flaky sea salt ½ tsp
coriander seeds, 2 tsp, toasted and ground
cumin seeds 1½ tsp, toasted and ground
Dutch or other spicy long red chillies 2,pierced with a sharp knife
peeled whole tomatoes 800g tin, drained, trimmed, and squished with your hands
whole-milk Greek-style yoghurt about 125ml
large eggs 4, for finishing
mint leaves small handful
small, delicate coriander sprigs small handful
extra virgin olive oil
special equipment
meat mincer or meat-mincing attachment of a stand mixer
Make the meatballs: put the lamb in a large mixing bowl, cover the bowl with clingfilm and pop it into the freezer until the edges get crunchy; about an hour. Toss the lamb well with the salt, then add the breadcrumbs and toss again. Use the mincer to mince the mixture into a bowl. Put the mixture through the mincer once more.
Take a bit of the mixture in your hand, give it a few firm but still rather gentle squeezes, and roll it into a ball (you're shooting for each one to be a little bigger than a golf ball). Overworking the mixture leads to tough meatballs. The outside of each ball should be smooth, with no big cracks or crags. Gently pinch any cracks closed so the ball doesn't fall apart in the pan. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
Add the oil to an 8- to 9-litre casserole with a lid, set the pan over high heat, and swirl the oil in the pan. When it just begins to smoke, cook the meatballs in batches to avoid crowding, turning them occasionally with tongs, so they develop a shiny, deep-brown crust on all sides. You don't want to cook them too fast. If you see any black spots, turn your heat down a little. Keep at it until you're happy with the colour of each one, transferring them to a plate when they finish browning. It'll take 12-15 minutes per batch. Drain half the fat remaining in the pot.
To make the sauce: lower the heat to medium-high, add the onion, garlic, and salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and lightly browned and the garlic smells toasty and is a deep golden brown; about 5 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, and chillies and cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
Turn the heat to low, add the tomatoes, and simmer gently until the tomatoes begin to stick to the bottom ofthe pot, about 10 minutes.
Add 1 litre of water and raise the heat to bring the sauce to the boil, then turn it down to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes more. Transfer 500ml of the sauce to a blender, give it a whiz until it's smooth and airy, and stir it back into the sauce in the pot. (I always freak out at this point, because the sauce seems so bland, but don't worry – it'll taste amazing once you're done.)
Return the meatballs and their juices to the pot and stir gently to coat them in the sauce. Cover the pot, tweak the heat if need be to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes to let the flavours come together.
Finish the dish: Turn the heat to low, add blobs of the yoghurt, and crack the eggs here and there into the sauce. Tear and sprinkle in the mint leaves and coriander, and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook until the egg whites have just set (I like my yolks a little runny); 10-15 minutes.
Eat it right away, from the pot or divided among shallow bowls, making sure everyone gets an egg and some yoghurt.
From A Girl and Her Pig by April Bloomfield (Canongate, £25)
Sam and Sam Clark's roast pumpkin soup withcinnamon
The choice of pumpkin or squash is key to the flavour of this soup and we have taken to using a mix – kabocha for starchiness, and butternut, hubbard or crown prince for sweetness. We roast the pumpkin to intensify its flavour.
SERVES 4
pumpkin or squash 600g peeled and seeded (equivalent to about 1kg peeled and unprepared pumpkin), cut into 3cm cubes
olive oil 6 tbsp
medium onion 1, thinly sliced across the grain
garlic 2 cloves, thinly sliced
freshly ground cinnamon ½ tsp
crushed dried chilli a pinch
medium potato 1 (about 150g), peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
vegetable (or chicken) stock 1 litre, preferably hot
coriander 1 medium bunch (about 40g), coarsely chopped
caster sugar 1-2 tsp (optional, depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin)
To serve
unsalted butter 50g
pine nuts 30g
ground cinnamon ½ tsp
good-quality Greek yoghurt 100g, thinned with 1 tbsp milk
garlic ¼ clove, crushed to a paste with a pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Toss the pumpkin with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, a good pinch of salt and some black pepper and spread it out in a roasting tin. Roast for about an hour, until very soft and starting to colour.
About 20 minutes before the pumpkin is ready, heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to turn golden. Now add the garlic, cinnamon and chilli. Fry for another minute to release their flavour, then add the potato, and a little salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes more, taking care that the garlic doesn't burn, then add the roasted pumpkin and the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 20minutes or until the potato is soft.
Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. Melt the butter in your smallest pan, add the pine nuts and cinnamon and fry gently until the butter begins to caramelise and foam and the pine nuts are starting to turn a very pale brown.
Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any bits that are stuck and pour the pine nuts and butter into a cool bowl to stop the cooking. In another bowl, season the yoghurt with the crushed garlic and some salt and pepper.
With a handheld blender or in a food processor, blend the soup until smooth. Return it to the pan, stir in the chopped coriander and check for seasoning. Ifthe soup is not sweet enough, add a little sugar. Serve with the seasoned yoghurt, warm brown butter and pine nuts on top.
From Moro East by Sam and Sam Clark (Ebury Press, £17.50)
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