1001 Kitchen Tips #55, #Christmas cooking tips - Can I cook vegetables the day before?

Yes yes yes! Useful tip for your Christmas day cooking - cook your vegetables today (Christmas eve)!

While everything I cook for my clients is cooked fresh on the day, when it comes to those rare times I cook at home I want it to be as easy as possible. Since my first Christmas in the hospitality industry, 1995, there have only been 2 Christmases I haven't worked - one of which I ended up cooking for family, the other cooking at a friend's house. And on both of these occasions they marvelled about how this simple tip - not just preparing veg the day before, but pre-cooking it too, made everything easier on the big day itself.

Due to the late hour - check the time - I'll update this at a later date, but there's step by step blanching tips here. Make sure once cooked it goes in the fridge overnight.

As @HubUK metioned on the Christmas cooking tips post it helps to plan your oven space the day before. There's 3 ways to re-heat veg on the meals that I deliver, you could use any depending on what space you have/ what's easiest:

Re-heating instructions for green veg (french beans in this case) copied from my label printing programme (needs to be quick):

Microwave - Transfer to a microwave proof container.
Microwave for 2 minutes. Stand for 2 minutes. Microwave for a
further 2 minutes.
To oven cook - Add 2 tablespoons of water to the
container and replace lid. Cook on 190 oC for 10 - 12
minutes till hot.
On stove - transfer to a large saucepan. Add a small ladle of water to
the pan and cover with a lid. Place on stove on medium heat for 6 -
10 minutes till warm turning occasionally. The steam created heats
the beans. N.B. If you turn too much they may disintegrate.


Related posts:

Can I cook roast potatoes the day before?

Honey roast vegetables for a bistro delivery, Bredon, Gloucestershire

This was a quick photo of the honey roast vegetables to accompany a vegetarian bistro delivery in Bredon last Saturday.

Roast shallots, swede, parsnips, carrots mixed with honey, mixed spice & thyme with roast butternut squash wedges and roasted sweetcorn (now coming towards the end of the season).

Bistro menu

Roasted vegetable en croute

I've done a few of these all vegetarian menus now. This was for a family staying in Chipping Campden for the weekend almost 2 weeks ago, and the hostess was cooking for her daughters, grandchildren and other family members, and wanted everything delivered so she could finish it off simply.

Instead of a starter we went for 6 different canapes. For the main course they were having trouble deciding, and as it was a fish-eating vegtarian party in the end we went for a combination of sole roulades with asparagus coulis (asparagus, white wine, creme fraiche) and these roasted vegetables en croute with vegetarian gravy. I did enough roulades so there were 2 per person, and 5 of the en croute so, if they wanted, they could cut each in half, and then they could each have a bit of both.

Roasted celariac, swede and butternut squash, peppers with creamy mushrooms and leeks (which gives a little moisture).

Served with new potatoes, runner and broad beans.

Related posts:

Beef en croute
New potatoes in chive butter

Lunch near Stratford on Avon

It's always good to catch up with previous clients. Especially when they're so nice, and cooking in their home feels so relaxing. This time it was a lunch party for a select group of friends, and as luck would have it, it was a warm and sunny day.

Just in season at that point (2 weeks ago) I found some asparagus just outside Pershore and re-created the grilled asparagus and parmesan dish which I used to do a couple of years back.

Slow cooked shoulder of lamb with tabbouleh and grilled vegetables

When I cooked the whole lamb in February I really liked the way it went so well with the salads - a much lighter alternative to a traditional Sunday roast with roast potatoes etc.

The slow cooked shoulder of lamb has quickly become popular after I put it on our summer bistro and Sunday lunch menu - I cooked it again that week for 30 people for a Sunday lunch buffet. Being cooked for 6 hours means it is really soft and tender, and because it is sourced directly from the farm you know it's produced by farmers that really care about their animals - and this shows in the texture and flavour of the meat - you can't beat it.

This version was served with tabbouleh (hiding underneath the lamb) and grilled & roast vegetables - aubergine (which is a classic with lamb), courgettes, peppers, a spoon of pesto on top and a wedge of roasted butternut squash on top of that.

Summer pudding

An english classic which is a must as soon as the warmer weather comes along.

What was the verdict?

Thank you so much for cooking such a wonderful lunch yesterday. It was seasonal, fresh & absolutely delicious & was very much appreciated by our guests. After our holiday in France we will fix our entertainments for the rest of the year.

Related posts:

Slow cooked shoulder of lamb delivery

Whole roast lamb

Saddle of lamb with pearl barley risotto and artichokes

Rack of lamb with aubergine and potato gratin, roasted courgettes and a tomato and basil sauce

Lamb and apricot casserole
Irish stew and dumplings
Shepherds pie
1001 Kitchen tips #17 - Make your own lamb mince

Roast asparagus and pepper salad

They say the simple things are the best.

They'd be right too.

Serve at room temperature or warmed in the oven with olive oil & balsamic.

Roast cauliflower in Cotswold Way ale sauce

Soggy cauliflower no longer.

Isn't it annoying when you sauce your cauliflower cheese and by the time it's browned you have a pool of water at the bottom of the dish. Like broccoli, sprouts, you name it, roasting is the way forward, keeping in the flavour (boil it and the flavour goes into the water), plus you get the caramelisation.

Roasted with olive oil, maldon salt and fennel seeds.

Nice with left over baked beans......

Vegetarian heaven.

Click here for Cotswold Way ale sauce recipe.


Related posts:

Roast tenderstem broccoli with balsamic and pine nuts

Roast and grilled vegetables

Related posts:

Grilled chicken with roast vegetables

1001 Kitchen Tips #48 - Say 'NO!' to woody asparagus

Everyone loves Woody ("You're my favourite deputy"), not woody asparagus though.
The answer to this is to peel the ends, then chop the very base (where it turns from green/purple to white).

And the way to keep all the peelings together instead of covering your table, floor, shoes, and anything that happens to be on the work bench is a method we developed in the Claridges larder where we counted asparagus by the thousand (the most I remember preparing in one day was around 4,000 - but we had everyone on it that day).

Meanwhile, back in the asparagus factory yesterday, firstly the 'leaves' were removed on the middle 2/3 of the stem (cosmetic appearances - it looks better when cooked). Then you rest the base of the stem on a box/ bowl in the middle of a deep baking tray and peel the bottom 1/3 of the asparagus stem - this removes the fibrous/ woody part. The peelings are collected in the tray as you go along, keeping things neat, tidy and fast, and then added to your compost bin.
Related posts

Grilled asparagus with tiger prawns and oyster sauce dressing
Asparagus with salmon provencal
Grilled Evesham asparagus with scallop and tiger prawn fricasse
Grilled asparagus with parmesan
Asparagus canapé
Asparagus and hommous on baked new potato

Chef in Venice #4 - Aubergine caviar

Cut your aubergine (I used the local variety) in half, then score down to the skin (taking care not to actually cut through - you don’t want to dice it).


Drizzle generously with olive oil (aubergines really soak it up) and season with salt, pepper, and any spice if you want to - cumin is nice. As we had rosemary in abundance I studded it with these, pushing them down in to the flesh, so as they cooked it would impart the flavour. You can also use whole garlic cloves. These roasted for around 45 minutes or so at 180 oC.
Once cooked you can take a dessert spoon, and run it along the skin to scoop up the roasted flesh. Then chop it, mix with crème fraich/ or marscapone/ yogurt (depending on what you have), olive oil, lemon juice and season. Ideally you add chopped fresh coriander too.

What else to do with aubergine puree

• If you want a strong roasted flavour leave them uncovered - if you want a lighter taste and colour cover the tray of aubergines in foil while they are cooking.


• You could puree the cooked aubergine in a food proccessor and add the resulting puree to you red wine sauce.


• It makes a great vegetarian sandwich topping.
  
• Instead of roasting like this you can put it directly on the gas flame of your stove. Keep turning every 5 minutes or so. By the time it is cooked in the middle it will be well charred on the outside. This gives the resulting puree the most wonderful smoky flavour.

For more Venice dishes see here - http://www.thecotswoldfoodyear.com/search/label/venice

A sting to the palette - cooking with nettles

Once cooked the sting is destroyed -so you can eat freely. You can serve nettles as you would spinach with fish, chicken etc. Nettles also make a nice omlette.

• The best taste comes from sauteeing:

After washing (as shown previously), still wearing gloves transfer to a cloth to dry. Heat olive oil and saute.

The caramelisation on the nettle leaves is where the amazing taste is. Keep turning over so they all get cooked. After a minute when they are almost cooked add a couple of tablespoons of water and leave to evaporate which finishes the cooking while stopping the nettles turning into nettle crisps. Season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

• Steamed -

Wearing gloves you can transfer the nettles from being washed in the sink to a large pan. There should still be enough water on the leaves to create steam once you put a lid on top. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes till tender. Squeeze off excess water and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

• Deep frying -

Nettles can be deep fried at about 150 oC as you do with basil leaves and used as a garnish.

Related posts:

1001 kitchen tips #21 - top nettle picking tips
Nettle gluten free soda bread
Irish potato and nettle pancakes for St. Patrick's Day
Sauteed purple sprouting broccoli and courgettes with creamy polenta and nettle vinaigrette

Kitchen tips # 20 - Easy trim beans

How often do you resort to those ready trimmed beans? It might save chopping time for those evenings when you have had a long busy day, but how long do they stay fresh? They seem to be cut and left in warehouses for a few days before being distributed, then held in the shops' warehouse, so by the time you take them off the shelf the ends are brown already - not very apppetising.

Stick with the un-trimmed beans. This is the almost instant way to cut them.

1. Leave them in the packet. Tap them on the board lightly so all of the ends are together.

2. Trim the ends through the sellophane. I use the razor sharp pastry knife for this.

3. Turn round and repeat with the other end.

4. Cut them in the middle.

Then you can cook them and mix them with Jerusalem artichokes as seen in February.

Cauliflower - Top 5 flavours

When not eating cauliflower raw as carpaccio, there are lots of other things you can do to bring life to an old favourite - after all we live to eat.

1 - Baked with Simon Weaver's Blue Brie



2 - Raspberry vinaigrette


Amazingly good either cold or hot.


3 - With curry sauce and coriander



4 - Almond noisette butter


5 - Red pepper coulis


Is five ever enough?

6 - Stir fried with soy sauce

Just as purple sprouting broccoli the caramelisation when you stir fry caulifower tastes amazing.

Don't overfill the pan or it steams. Add soy sauce and a little toasted sesame seed oil right at the end.

Kitchen tips # 18 - If life gives you lemons

Well yes - you can make lemonade, but you can also cut one in half and put it in the pan of boiling salted water before you add the cauliflower.

It's the middle of the week and you can't fit anything else in the fridge so you decide it's time for a fridge turn-out. That is when you find the grey, furry and slimy vegetables that have creeped to the back, and have been making your fridge smell bad every time you opened the door. And why is this? Because while you had time to chop up the veg for the first meal, the next day you had had a long busy day at work and it was easier to buy some ready-cut or ready cooked veg from the supermarket on the way home.

How do we save the waste?



Instead of using just the amount of your chosen vegetable for that evening and putting the rest back in the fridge where it creeps ever near the hidden zone at the back, cook all of it in one go.

Cooked veg will last up to 3 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer. If cooked and frozen in meal-size portions it just needs to be steamed, heated in the oven or microwave on those days when you don't have time or energy to cook fresh.

In the case of cauliflower however, left in the fridge for 3 days it goes grey. Squeeze a lemon into the boiling salted water and drop the skin in, and the citric acid will keep your cauliflower pristine white. This means you can have cauliflower for Sunday lunch, serve half and leave half chilled in the fridge for a midweek meal.

Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem artichokes, despite their name actually have no links with the infamous city. They are infact the tubers of a sunflower. But the most important thing you need to know about them is that they have a seriously amazing taste.




Here they sit in water having just been peeled, as they can dry out otherwise.



Cooked in a glaze of butter, sugar and water till the liquid evaporates and you are left with a syruppy glaze, then turned out on to a tray and chilled.



They are then finished in the oven and mixed with french beans. Here the combination awaits a slice of saddle of lamb on top.

Jerusalem artichokes also make the most amazing soup, or can be roasted like parsnips.

Related posts:

Seared scallops with jerusalem artichoke puree and champagne sauce

Chanterelle Mushrooms

Close the doors, close the windows, take the phone off the hook and switch the mobile off. The preparation of wild mushrooms is time you need just for yourself. These finest of ingredients need respect as mentioned earlier, and the moment you spend with them should not be wasted. Chantarelle mushrooms either raw or sauteed are undoubtedly the finest.

Exotic mushrooms

One of the first things I learned at Claridges was "Flavour!" which came next to Seasoning ("more salt!"). To get the best flavour you have to start with sourcing the best quality ingredients. There are many mushrooms available from common (and rather bland) button mushrooms to the most expensive and rare ceps and girolles. The exotic mushrooms we use for our fillet of beef dish come from a farm in Leicestershire.

These ones are:

1. Yellow oyster
2. Buna-Shimeji
3. Shiro-Shimeji
4. Enoki (the thin straw like mushrooms - common in Japanese cookery)
5. Grey oyster

The best ingredients have to have care in the preparation. Preparing mushrooms for such numbers at Claridges would be an afternoon job. We would wash them in luke warm water (cold water damages them), dry them on cloths to remove most of the excess water, then place them on trays underneath the hot lamps of the serving pass (on lowest setting). Now I cater for smaller numbers I have more time to spend on preparation, and prefer to brush any dirt off the mushrooms as below with a pastry brush specially kept for this task. Washing mushrooms is all very well, but with such delicate mushrooms as these it can destroy the texture.



These wild mushrooms also work brilliantly for breakfast or brunch cooked in a little cream and served on top of muffins as shown in an earlier entry.

Ref also: Chanterelle mushrooms: http://www.thecotswoldfoodyear.com/2007/12/chanterelle-mushrooms.html

Steamed marrow in Evian water

Steamed marrow is a great summer flavour-memory from my childhood. I would pick them in the garden take them straight to the kitchen where my mum would peel them, dice them (leaving outthe middle), grind over loads of black pepper, add a little butter, a little water and cook them in a pan with a lid so they steamed. The result was always this lush sweet, watery vegetable you could easily mistake for vegetable candy.

When I came to make my own version last week to accompany free range oganically reared duck, I did it much the same way - lots of black pepper,butter, and used Evian water for that pure taste. That's the taste of summer.