FT Festive 50: Mains

Angela Hartnett’s turkey curry

I’m not a big coconut or coriander fan, but this recipe uses both of these ingredients in a dish I enjoy eating. With turkey, they make a delicious, healthy curry. And if you want to make it super-slimming, you can remove the potatoes.

Serves 4

1 onion, chopped

4 fresh birdseye chillies, deseeded and chopped

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 garlic cloves, bruised

1 small knob of root ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tbsp sunflower oil, for frying

500g turkey breast, sliced

3 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

400ml coconut milk

150ml chicken or turkey stock

2 large waxy potatoes, peeled and diced

250g fresh spinach, chopped

1 bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

50g whole peeled almonds

● Put the chopped onion, chillies, coriander seeds, tamarind, sugar, one clove of garlic and ginger into a blender or food processor and blitz until blended into a paste.

● In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the turkey (in two batches if needed), the other garlic clove and thyme and sauté for a few minutes to brown the turkey. Remove from the pan and discard the garlic. In the same pan, add the blended paste and lightly roast for a few minutes. Remove from the pan. Return the turkey, cover with the coconut milk and stock, then add the potatoes.

● Leave for 20 minutes until the turkey has cooked and the sauce thickened. Finally, stir in the spinach, coriander and almonds, and allow to warm through. Remove from the heat and serve.

Recipe from ‘Great British Food Revival: The Revolution Continues’ published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (£20)

. . .

Raymond Blanc’s roast loin of pork stuffed with dried plums

A classic Maman Blanc dish that I used to enjoy as a Sunday roast. Two ingredients that love each other, plum and pork, are a classic combination embraced by many cultures. The drying of the plums intensifies the flavour by removing excess moisture. Like all great home cooking, this recipe doesn’t use stock. Ask your butcher to bone the loin, score the skin in a 5mm lattice and chop the bones into small pieces.

Serves 6-8

8-10 Victoria plums, halved and stoned

1.2kg pork loin

Salt and pepper

30ml rapeseed oil

400g pork bones

50ml vegetable oil

1 large beef tomato, pricked with a fork all the way round

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 sprigs of thyme

250ml water

100ml Madeira, boiled for 30 seconds (optional)

● To dry the plums, preheat the oven to 100C. Place the plum halves on a tray and put in the oven for two hours. This can be done two days in advance during which the plums can be kept in the fridge.

● Preheat the oven to 220C. Open up the pork loin and flatten it onto the table, fat-side down. Season and place three-quarters of the dried plums along the middle of the loin, chop the remaining plums and reserve for the sauce. Roll the loin up and secure both ends tightly with skewers, tie with four turns of string. Remove the skewers.

● In a small heavy-duty roasting pan, on a medium heat, colour the pork bones and meat trimmings in the rapeseed oil for 7-10 minutes until lightly golden, then take off the heat.

● In a large non-stick frying pan, also on a medium heat, crisp the pork loin, skin-side down in the vegetable oil for 7-8 minutes, rolling the joint to ensure all the skin makes contact with the pan.

● Put the bones in a roasting tray and sit the pork on top. Add the tomato, garlic and thyme and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Add the water and Madeira, if you have opted to use it, to create the jus. Turn down the oven to 180C, cover the tin loosely with foil and cook for a further 35 minutes. Once cooked, add 100ml of water to lengthen the jus if needed. Place the loin on a plate and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

● Tip the roasting tray slightly and spoon out half of the fat. Strain the remaining jus through a fine sieve into a medium casserole, heat and add the chopped plums. Taste to season, set aside and keep warm.

● Cut away the strings and carve into 8-10 slices. Pour juices released from the meat into the sauce. Arrange the pork on a warm serving dish and pour on the juice and dried plums. Serve with summer vegetables and wild mushrooms as an alternative to a traditional roast.

Recipe from ‘Great British Food Revival: The Revolution Continues’ published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (£20)

. . .

Greg and Lucy Malouf’s pork rib-eye with caraway, honey and lime

There is something wonderfully impressive about pork rib-eye, which makes it a terrific option for a dinner party or celebration. Its flavour is good, for today’s low-fat porkers, and you can cook it with or without its crackling. In this dish, the meat is rubbed with a spice mix and glazed during the cooking process, so ask your butcher to remove the crackling for you (you can always cook it separately), but to leave an even layer of fat. While you’re at it, make sure you ask for a piece from a smallish animal, with six ribs attached, and neatly tied.

Serves 6

3 cloves garlic crushed with 1 heaped tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp caraway seeds

1.5kg pork rib-eye (you want 6 ribs)

50ml olive oil

1 litre water

A few knobs of butter

Roast vegetables and mashed potatoes to serve

Glaze

Zest and juice of 1 small lime

3 tbsp honey

● Mix the garlic paste with the pepper and caraway seeds and use your hands to rub it all over the exposed fat and meat. Cover and leave it in a cool place for an hour or so to allow the flavours to permeate.

● Preheat the oven to 220C. Sit a roasting rack in a large roasting pan and put the pork on top. Wrap the sticking-up bones with foil to stop them charring in the heat. Pour the oil and water into the pan to create some steam and provide extra moisture during the cooking process.

● Put the pan into the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 160C and cook for a further 1 hour 20 minutes. Check every 30 minutes or so and splash in more water if necessary.

● While the joint is cooking, make the glaze by heating the lime juice, zest and honey in a small pan, until it all melts together.

● About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, take the joint out of the oven and turn the heat back up to 220C. Brush the joint with the glaze and return it to the oven for the remaining five minutes or until it starts to caramelise and turn a lovely bubbly brown.

● To serve, cut into thick chops with a very sharp knife. Reduce the pan juices with a few knobs of butter and drizzle over the meat. Serve with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Extract from ‘Malouf: New Middle Eastern’ by Greg and Lucy Malouf’ (Hardie Grant Books, £30)

. . .

Theo Randall’s spatchcock pigeon roasted on bruschetta with cavolo nero, pancetta and porcini mushrooms

Serves 4

4 squab pigeon

6 slices pancetta

4 soughdough bread

½ glass of marsala

300g fresh porcini mushrooms

2 heads of cavolo nero

2 cloves of garlic

Sprig thyme

Olive oil

½ lemon

For the pigeon

● Cut down backbone and force both sides away from each other. Turn over, place on chopping board and push down on to breasts with the palm of your hand to flatten (the flatter it is, the more evenly the bird will cook).

● When you have boned the pigeons, marinate them with marsala wine, one thinly sliced clove of garlic and the thyme. Leave for one hour.

Porcini mushrooms

● Clean the porcini mushrooms with a damp cloth, fry a sliced clove of garlic with olive oil, add the porcinis and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Cooking the pigeon

● In a heavy-based frying pan heat a little olive oil and seal the skin on both sides for 1 minute, add the bruschetta and pancetta and place in a hot oven (180C) for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and place the pigeon on the bruschetta, skin side up, and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Cavolo nero

● Pull the leaves away from the stem, wash and blanch in salted boiling water, drain. Slice one clove of garlic, soften in olive oil. Roughly chop cavolo nero, add to garlic, cook gently for 5 minutes.

● Place the bread slices on the bottom of the plate, add cooked cavolo nero, pigeon sliced in half and porcini mushrooms on top. Add a dash of marsala to the cooking juices of the pigeon, pour on top and serve.

Theo Randall is head chef at the InterContinental, London, http://www.intercontinental.com

. . .

Nathan Outlaw’s Porthilly beef and oyster pie with Sharp’s Shellfish Stout

Serves 4

1kg trimmed flank or shin of beef, cut into 3cm cubes

3 tbsp plain flour

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tsp tomato puree

200ml Sharp’s Shellfish Stout

1.5 litres hot beef stock

1 tsp chopped thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

12 oysters, 8 shucked, 4 left in the half-shell

Salt and pepper

30g butter

For the pastry

225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp salt

85g shredded beef suet

60g butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

140ml water

For the herb crust

50g softened butter

4 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp breadcrumbs

● Season half the plain flour with salt and pepper, and lightly flour the beef. Heat a little oil in a large heavy-based pan and fry the meat until browned. Remove the beef and set aside.

● Fry the onions and garlic in a clean pan with the butter until lightly coloured. Add the remaining flour and tomato purée. Stir over a low heat for a minute. Slowly add Sharp’s Shellfish Stout, followed by the hot beef stock, stirring to avoid lumps forming. Add the beef, thyme and bay leaf. Bring back to a simmer, cover and gently simmer for 2 hours until the meat is tender. Leave to cool.

● To make the pastry: Mix the flour, salt, suet, and butter together in a large bowl. Mix in the water to form a smooth dough and knead for a minute.

● Spoon the cooled filling into 4 individual pie dishes, up to about 1cm from the rim. Roll the pastry out to a 7-8mm thickness. Cut out 4 discs to make pie lids (about 2cm larger all round the pie dish). Cut a small hole in the centre but leave the pastry circle in position. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little of the beaten egg and lay over the top of the pie dishes, pressing the pastry down to stick to the dishes. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

● Brush the pies with beaten egg and bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 30 minutes until golden. Remove the pastry circles in the centre and pop in the shucked oysters. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

● For the herb crust: Mix the butter, parsley and breadcrumbs and spoon a small amount over the oyster in the half shell. Heat this under the grill for 2 minutes until the crust starts to colour.

● Place the grilled oyster on top of the pie and serve. Don’t forget the glass of Shellfish Stout to drink alongside!

Nathan Outlaw is chef at The St Enodoc Hotel, Rock, Cornwall, http://www.nathan-outlaw.com/

. . .

Tristan Welch’s kipper and haddock fish pie

Serves 4

Pie base

2 whole bone-in kippers

200g haddock fillet

300g washed baby spinach

400ml whole milk

20g butter

20g plain flour

Bay leaf

Mash potato topping

500g peeled potato

3 egg yolks

20g milk

20g butter

Pinch salt

● Put the potatoes on to boil in cold water and a pinch of salt.

● In the meantime make the base of the fish pie by taking a warm dish, placing the kippers in along with the haddock, bringing the milk and bay leaf to the boil and pouring over the fish. Cover and let cool.

● Once the poached fish has cooled pour off and strain the milk, flake the fish from the bone and set to one side.

● Make the sauce by melting the butter in a heavy-based sauce pan and mixing in the flour over a medium heat. Cook this out for a minute or so.

● Gradually mix in the milk and simmer for about 10 minutes.

● Cook the spinach with a little butter in a hot pan and, once wilted, dry on a paper towel and divide between four portion-size serving dishes.

● Next divide the flaked kipper and haddock between the dishes and pour over the sauce.

● Once the potatoes have cooked, mash them with a potato ricer, beat in the butter and then the milk.

● Season and fold in the egg yolks.

● Pipe the potato on top of the pie and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Tristan Welch is chef-patron at Launceston Place, London, http://www.launcestonplace-restaurant.co.uk/

. . .

Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo’s chicken with artichokes, onions, potatoes and rosemary

This simple recipe is perfect for a Sunday family lunch. Once prepared and put together, it can be left to the perfect cook, which is the oven! The dish is very versatile – the chicken can be substituted by rabbit (very good indeed), or by any other light meat (slivers of veal, for instance, or even lamb cutlets). Ensure, however, that you use the tender hearts of baby artichokes, which are available in spring and early summer, as the larger ones will be too tough.

Serves 6

About 8 small artichokes (you could use those preserved in water, not brine, which you find in jars), prepared and quartered

1.8kg good-quality chicken, cut into chunks

1 large white onion, chopped

1kg new potatoes, scrubbed and halved or cut into chunks (depending on size)

2 tsp rosemary needles, plus a few sprigs for garnish

6 tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

● Preheat the oven to 200C. Put the chicken pieces, artichokes, onion and potatoes into a large roasting dish. Sprinkle with the rosemary needles, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands so that every piece of meat is coated well.

● Put into the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Take out, mix all the ingredients together well (using a spoon this time!) and return to the oven for another 30 minutes, after which the chicken should be cooked through and the potatoes should be tender.

● Serve immediately, finished with a few sprigs of rosemary and accompanied by a simple green salad.

‘Two Greedy Italians’ by Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo (Quadrille, £20)

. . .

Heinz Beck’s venison in an almond crust with a purèe of dates

Serves 2

400g loin of venison

60g of almonds

300g Jerusalem artichoke

200ml veal stock

100ml cream

30g brown butter (unsalted butter, melted gently until it turns golden brown and then refrigerated)

30ml white wine

Olive oil

200g dates

8 Brussels sprouts

Salt & pepper

Butter

Venison

● Cut the loin of venison in single portions of 120g each. Sear the meat in a pan and cook in the oven at 180C for 6 minutes. Let rest for 3 minutes.

Almond crust

● Put the almonds in a mixer and reduce them to grains.

Jerusalem artichoke purèe

● Peel the Jerusalem artichoke, cut it into strips, place them into a pan with extra virgin olive oil and let them dry gently. Moisten with the veal stock and add the cream at the end. Cook and reduce almost completely. Blend with a mixer and add the brown butter.

Dates purèe

● Peel the dates and remove the stones. Cook the dates in boiling water for 25 minutes, drain them and blend to make a cream.

Brussels sprouts

● Prepare the Brussels sprouts by cutting the tops off and criss-crossing, then steam.

● Place two spoons of Jerusalem artichoke purèe on the plate.

● Make dots with the purèe of dates.

● Take the loin of venison and pass the portions through the ground almonds.

● Cut the meat, obtaining 3 medallions from each piece.

● Place the medallions next to the Jerusalem artichoke purèe and dates.

● Serve with the Brussels sprouts.

Heinz Beck is chef at Apsleys, A Heinz Beck restaurant, at the Lanesborough Hotel, London

. . .

Sriram Aylur’s seafood moily

Serves 2

4 scallops

4 mussels

100g fish

100g peeled shrimps

50g onions, sliced

10g ginger, julienned

4 slit green chillies

15ml oil

Salt, to taste

3g turmeric powder

400ml coconut cream

5 chopped coriander leaves

3 curry leaves

1 tsp vinegar

2 diced tomatoes

● Heat oil in the pan and add the onion, ginger and green chillies. Sauté until the onions are translucent.

● Add the turmeric powder, seafood, salt and curry leaves. Sauté for 5 minutes and add the diced tomatoes.

● Add the coconut cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or soup.

Sriram Aylur is chef at The Quilon, London, http://www.quilon.co.uk

. . .

The Silver Spoon’s farfalle with smoked pancetta

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 35 minutes

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

100g smoked pancetta, diced

1 fresh chilli, deseeded and chopped

250g tomatoes, peeled and chopped

200ml double cream

350g farfalle

25g parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Salt

● Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the pancetta and chilli and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and cook over a low heat for 25 minutes.

● Stir in the cream and cook over a very low heat for 5 minutes until thickened. Meanwhile, cook the farfalle in a large pan of salted, boiling water until al dente, then drain, tip into the sauce and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

Extract from ‘The Silver Spoon’ (Phaidon, £29.95)

. . .

Anissa Helou’s lamb with prunes

Sweet-savoury tagines are an essential part of the menu for Moroccan diffas (festive meals) and the lamb with prunes is the classic. There are two ways of making it, by incorporating a chopped onion into the sauce or by boiling the onion whole and discarding it before adding the prunes and honey. I prefer the latter better and instead of making it with pieces of lamb, I use a whole leg for a more festive presentation.

Serves 6

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium leg of lamb

1 medium onion peeled

1 bunch fresh coriander (about 100g), tied

1 cinnamon stick

Good pinch saffron filaments

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp finely ground black pepper

Sea salt

400g dried prunes pitted

4 tbsp good honey

1 tbsp orange blossom water

100g blanched almonds, toasted

● Put the olive oil, leg of lamb, peeled onion, coriander and cinnamon stick in a wide flameproof casserole. Add the saffron, ginger, pepper and a little sea salt. Add 1 litre of water and bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Then cover and cook for 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender and the cooking broth has become very concentrated.

● Remove and discard the onion, cinnamon stick and coriander. Turn the meat into the sauce and add the prunes to the casserole. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for a further 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a little water if you think the tagine is becoming too dry.

● Stir in the honey and simmer, still covered, for 10 more minutes. Add the orange blossom water and let the tagine bubble for a minute or two. The sauce should be thick and unctuous and the meat very tender.

● Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Remove the meat onto a serving dish, scatter the prunes all around and pour the sauce all over. Garnish with the toasted almonds and serve immediately, with good bread.

. . .

Lindsey Bareham’s tomato tarte tatin

This tomato version of Tarte Tatin, the famous upside-down apple tart, is simple to make and stunning to look at. It goes well with a salad of wild rocket, but to make more of a meal of it, serve draped with prosciutto and a scattering of black olives.

Serves 4

4 tbsp olive oil

1 heaped tbsp caster sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

750g medium tomatoes, cored, peeled and halved through the core

150g puff pastry

A little flour to serve

25g freshly grated Parmesan

About 10 basil leaves

● Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

● Lightly oil an 18cm flan tin or ovenproof frying-pan with a smear of the oil. Dissolve the sugar and a little salt and pepper in the vinegar and whisk in 3 tbsp of the oil. Place the tomato halves, rounded sides down, in the tin, nudging them up close together so they are slightly on their sides. Pour the dressing over the top.

● On a floured surface, roll the pastry quite thinly and lay over the top of the tin. Cut round the edge and lightly tuck it down the inside of the tin as if you were tucking in a bed (badly). Use the remaining olive oil to smear the top of the pastry. Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes until the pastry is puffed and scorched. Remove from the oven, run a knife round the inside edge of the pastry. Carefully drain most of the liquid into a small jug. Place a large plate over the top of the tart, invert it quickly and set it aside to cool slightly – lukewarm is best for this. Give the dressing a quick whisk and pour it over the top of the tomatoes. Grate over the Parmesan, then snip over the basil and serve, sliced into 4 wedges. This is very good eaten with peas mixed with pesto that has been slackened with a little olive oil.

Extract from ‘The Big Red Book of Tomatoes’ by Lindsey Bareham (Grub Street, £12.99)

. . .

Lindsey Bareham’s golden tomato lasagne with basil and vine tomatoes

This is a lovely light summer lasagne made with several different-shaped and -sized tomatoes including two golden varieties, but regular red tomatoes would be good too. As is usual with baked lasagne, the dish is finished with a topping of sauce but here it’s scattered with tiny golden tomatoes, which will scorch, blister and taste divine. Just before serving, the surface is scattered with basil leaves, which immediately release their heady aroma. This is a dish to make and eat: if left around, the tomatoes will weep and make the sauce watery.

Serves 4

1 red pepper

30g butter, plus a little extra

1 heaped tbsp flour

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

600 ml milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 egg yolks

1 tsp olive oil

250g yellow cherry tomatoes, stalks removed

8 orange-yellow vine tomatoes, cored, peeled and sliced thickly

3 large beef tomatoes, cored, peeled and sliced thickly

8 sheets fresh lasagne

1 basil plant, leaves only, 6 reserved for garnish

● Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

● Turn the grill to high, place the pepper on a baking tray and grill, turning until the skin blackens all over. Transfer to a plate, cover with clingfilm and leave for 20 minutes before removing the skin. Quarter the pepper from base to stalk, opening it like a flower. Remove each segment, trimming away seeds and membrane. Cut into strips.

● Make the béchamel by melting the butter, stirring in the flour, then mustard, incorporating the milk, whisking as it comes to the boil to avoid lumps. Establish a simmer, season generously with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Mix a little of the sauce into the egg yolks, stir it back into the pan and cook without boiling for a couple of minutes.

● Place the oil in a bowl, tip in the cherry tomatoes, and roll in the oil.

● Butter a 20 cm x 25 cm earthenware or ceramic gratin dish and smear with a couple of tablespoons of béchamel. Cover with sliced tomatoes and red pepper, tear over some basil, season, spoon over more béchamel then lay on 2 sheets of lasagne. Cover with béchamel, tomatoes, red pepper, basil, béchamel, lasagne and tomatoes, ending with enough béchamel to cloak the surface. “Plant” the cherry tomatoes over the top and bake for 20-30 minutes until they burst and the edges of the lasagne are turning brown. Scatter on the reserved basil and eat.

Extract from ‘The Big Red Book of Tomatoes’ by Lindsey Bareham (Grub Street, £12.99)

. . .

Fuchsia Dunlop’s red-braised beef with white radish

One of my all-time favourite Sichuanese stews, this heartwarming recipe demonstrates the perfect sympathy between beef and the delicate crystalline juiciness of Asian white radish. This particular version comes from the mountains of Wolong in Western Sichuan, one of the homes of the panda, and one of the areas devastated by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. It is particularly delicious if the beef is cooked the day before you wish to eat it, and the radish added shortly before serving.

Ingredients

600g beef shin

3½ tbsp Sichuan chilli bean paste

5 thickish slices ginger, skin on

Two spring onion whites, crushed slightly

One star anise

One third of a cinnamon stick or a piece of cassia bark

4 cardamom pods (optional)

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1 tsp dark soy sauce

300g Asian white radish (a.k.a. daikon or mooli)

A handful of coriander to serve

4 tbsp cooking oil

● Cut the beef evenly into bite-sized chunks. Bring the kettle to the boil with at least a litre of water. If using cardamom, smack the the pods with the side of a cleaver or a rolling pin to open them up slightly.

● Add 2 tbsp oil to a seasoned wok over a high flame, swirl it around, and then fry the beef in a couple of batches until lightly browned. Remove the beef from the wok with a slotted spoon and set aside.

● Return the wok to a medium heat with the other 2 tbsp oil. Add the chilli bean paste and stir-fry until it smells delicious and the oil is a little red. Then add the ginger, spring onion. Star anise, cinnamon or cassia and cardamom (if using) and stir-fry until you can smell their fragrances. Then add about a litre of hot water from the kettle, and the beef. Turn into a saucepan or a clay pot, bring to the boil, skim away any scum that rises to the surface, and then add the Shaoxing wine, and dark soy sauce. Return to the boil, and then simmer over a very low heat for at least two hours. This step can be done in advance, or a day or two before you wish to serve the stew.

● When the beef is approaching readiness, cut the radish into chunks of a similar size to the pieces of meat and then boil them until tender. Add them to the beef stew and simmer for a few minutes to allow them to absorb the flavours of the sauce. Serve with a garnish of chopped coriander.

Fuchsia Dunlop is author of ‘Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China’ (Ebury)

. . .

Anna Hansen’s slow-roast pork belly

Serves 6

2.5kg piece of pork belly

1 tbsp smoked paprika (or ordinary paprika)

4 star anise, crushed

2 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed

3 bay leaves

4 medium potatoes, cut in half lengthways

● Using a very sharp knife, score the skin of the pork belly as finely as you can, being careful not to cut into the flesh too much. You just want to open the surface of the skin, and the closer the scoring, the better the crackling will be - you could ask your butcher to do this.

● If you don’t have time to brine the belly, simply grind the spices and bay leaves in a coffee grinder of spice mill and add 3 tablespoons of slat. Mix together and then run the mixture over the belly. Marinate for 12 hours and roast.

● To roast, places the potatoes in a roasting tin, rest the belly on top, skin-side up, pour in 200ml of water and then place in a oven preheated to 140C. Roast for about 1 ½-2 hours. The timing will depend on the thickness of the belly but it will take at least this long. You will know if is ready when a fork pushed into the flesh comes away easily. When the pork is done, crank up your oven to 200C and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes. This should make the crackling bubble up and go crisp. Leave to rest for 15 minutes, then carve and serve with potatoes.

Anna Hansen is chef at www.themodernpantry.co.uk in Clerkenwell. The Modern Pantry Cookbook is published by Ebury

. . .

Simon Schama’s spicy turkey hash

600g cooked, shredded turkey (dark and light meat)

200g boiled potatoes

200g onion, finely chopped

2 red sweet peppers, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 long fresh red hot chilli, if available (minced dried chillies – especially little red ones minus savage seeds – would do fine, or even good quality chilli powder – 2 tbsp)

1-1/2 tbsp paprika (ideally Spanish smoked)

2 tbsp good curry powder (or made from dry-pan-roasted 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp turmeric, 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds, ground after the roasting)

150ml single cream

3 medium eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

50g grated cheese and a sprinkling for the topping before setting under the grill

● Toast the chilli pepper for about two minutes in a dry frying pan on a medium-high heat. Do not allow to burn and be careful of any chilli smoke getting in your eyes. Then soak in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes; scrape away any seeds; shred and dice and set aside.

● In a large skillet (preferably cast-iron), gently fry the onion, garlic, red and green peppers on a medium-low heat until softened, for about 10 minutes.

● In a large mixing bowl, blend together the cooked turkey, boiled potatoes (mashed roughly in your hands), paprika, curry blend, beaten eggs, Worcestershire sauce and cream. Fold in the chilli and sautéed vegetables, and blend well. Add salt to taste – you won’t need any pepper.

● Allow the turkey mix to marry up in or out of the fridge for at least two hours; the longer the better.

● In the cast-iron skillet, bring the remaining oil to a medium-high heat and spoon in the turkey mix; fold half the cheese into the mix in the pan. Cook for as long as it takes for the mix to form a crust on the bottom. Do not go for a smoke or leave to watch EastEnders. Stand there with your wooden spoon, giving the mix a stir now and then. As the crust forms you want to turn it into the body of the hash so there’s a nice mix of crispy and soft. This should take 15, possibly 20, minutes.

● Heat up grill and when you’re happy with the crispy-soft blend, dot the surface with the remaining cheese and stick the iron pan under the grill. Leave the oven door open so that you don’t accidentally let the hash blacken or scorch but just go sensationally golden brown.

● Shout “ay ay caramba!”, pour yourself another drink and serve the hot hash to the drooling troops.

Simon Schama is a contributing editor to the FT and writes about food for GQ magazine

. . .

Rowley Leigh’s cabbage cake with mozzarella and chestnuts

The “cake” needs no binding to hold together, just as long as the cabbage is squeezed dry and rested for at least five minutes after it is taken out of the oven.

1 large Savoy cabbage

250g mozzarella cheese

100g peeled chestnuts

50g unsalted butter

2 shallots

1 clove garlic

250g peeled and chopped

Tinned plum tomatoes

1 bay leaf

3 sprigs of thyme

● Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and wash them well in cold water. Drop these leaves into a large pot of boiling water and simmer gently for two minutes. Lift out the leaves carefully and refresh them in a bucket of cold water to fix the colour. Trim any protruding central stalks flat with the leaves and dry the leaves on kitchen paper. Cut the cabbage hearts in four and wash them carefully before cooking in the same water for three to four minutes. The cabbage should be tender but the stalks still hard. Drain the hearts and refresh them in cold water. Cut away the stalks, discarding them, and gently squeeze the cabbage dry.

● Take a round, flat-bottomed and ovenproof dish about 20cm in diameter and grease it well with butter. Put the most handsome leaf on the bottom. It should cover it. Overlapping bountifully, line the sides with the rest of the leaves so that they overhang the sides of the dish. Place a layer of the separated cabbage hearts on top, season well and dot with butter. Cut the mozzarella into 1cm slices and season with salt and pepper. Lay these on top of the cabbage and distribute half the chestnuts on top. Fill the dish with successive layers of cabbage, cheese, chestnuts, cabbage, cheese, chestnuts and finally cabbage and push well down into the mould to compact the cake and remove air pockets. Bring over the overhanging leaves to cover, dot with butter and place a spare leaf on top to protect the rest (you can discard it later). Bake the cake in a moderately hot oven (180C) for 30 minutes.

● Peel and chop the shallots and garlic very finely. Stew them gently in a tablespoon of olive oil for five minutes before adding the tomatoes. Add the bay leaf and thyme, a teaspoon of sugar, a good pinch of salt and some milled black pepper and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. Remove the cabbage cake from the oven and let the cake stand for three to four minutes before inverting a plate over the top of the dish and then turning the cake out on to the plate. Serve with the tomato sauce alongside and with a little good-quality olive oil.

Rowley Leigh is the chef at Le Café Anglais. More recipes at www.ft.com/leigh

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Giorgio Locatelli’s meatballs cooked with lemon leaves

Serves 4

300g pork mince

1 onion, finely chopped

100g pecorino cheese, grated

50g breadcrumbs

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp parsley and garlic

A pinch of dried oregano

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp olive oil

24 lemon leaves or fresh bay leaves, washed and dried

● Preheat the oven to 180C.

● Mix the prok mince with the onion, cheese, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, the parsley and garlic and the oregano. Season, and mix in the beaten eggs. With your hands, divide the mixture and form into balls (about the size of a golfball), then flatten them slightly.

● Grease a baking tray with a little olive oil. Lay the meatballs in lines on the tray, with a lemon leaf or bay leaf in between each one. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until cooked through.

Extract from ‘Made in Sicily’ by Giorgio Locatelli (Fourth Estate, £30)

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