• Abroad

Byron is well known for his barbecues on the beach, and says the secret of good Caribbean food is in the seasoning. Everyone makes their own version and it usually includes thyme, plenty of salt, peppers such as scotch bonnet or the small local chilis, and a number of other spices. In the UK we can cheat - but make sure you do it the night before, it's all about the preparation. And use twice as much as you think you need - strong flavours are the thing. Even though summer seems to be over we will be eating this on Monday at Notting Hill and until it's too cold to go out in the garden. And then we might just have to cook it in the oven.

Barbecued chicken, pork or fish with rice and peas

Prepare your meat or fish the day before - cut slashes into them to ensure the spices get right in, it will help with cooking too.

 Season with your preferred seasoning - curry powder will do but you can buy most of the Caribbean style seasonings now. Or make your own from a combination of salt, black pepper, turmeric,  ground allspice, dried thyme, red pepper (cayenne or fresh scotch bonnet chili) and olive oil. Rub this into the meat or fish. The next day - cook on your coal pot in the garden!

Rice and Peas

Rinse your rice, long grain is best. Cook until nearly ready, add plenty of salt, a tin of black eye beans or kidney beans or if you can get them, pigeon peas complete with their liquid and finish cooking. If you like you can add a bit of coconut - but most people don't.

barbecued chicken big time Cheating!

Gary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Low_res_savoury_custard2

Suffolk Shipcord Cheese Custard - served with soda bread. Serves 4.

The Savoury Custard

1 pint whipping cream.
5 free range eggs
200g Suffolk Shipcord cheese (or similar strong cheese)
200g spinach
Pinch salt & cayenne pepper

Boil the cream and let it cool down to room temperature.  Whisk the eggs, then mix with the rest of ingredients.  Pour into a buttered oven proof dish at least 2 inches deep. Place in a pre-heated oven at 150°C for 20 to 30 mins. When cooked it should feel slightly firm to the touch. Serve with warm oatmeal soda bread and a mixed green salad.

Soda Bread

150g wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting

150g plain flour

25g porridge oats

2tsp soft brown sugar

284ml carton buttermilk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Sift flour, salt, and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.  Add sugar and oats, then stir in the buttermilk using a wooden spoon.  Bring together the dough with your hands into a round and place on a baking sheet dusted with flour.  Cut a cross on top then bake for 30 mins at 200°C. Cool on a wire rack then slice and serve with butter.

Monday, 06 June 2011 12:01

Our Farmers Life Dish of the Day - Jayne Brabban

Written by

Jayne and Ray were the deserved winners of 'A Farmers Life for Me' on tv recently. Here is Jaynes recipe for June.

Mutton Curry
 

 500 g of cubed mutton

1 tbsp dry coriander

1tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp ginger

1 tbsp turmeric

1tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp cumin

1tbsp chilli, star anise, bay leaf.

2 tbsp oil

1 tin tomatoes, 1 tin coconut milk.

plain yogurt and chopped coriander to serve.

Make the garam massalla by mixing all dry spices together and dry marinate mutton for at least 2 hours.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add mutton and seal. Turn down the heat add coconut milk and tomatoes and simmer, mix thoroughly.

Cook in a medium oven 160 for 1-2 hours until tender. Serve with rice, plain yogurt and chopped coriander to garnish.Serves 3-4.

You can contact Jayne or Ray to buy their mutton from Shotley on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call them on 0779 566 2273

the cooks 
And here is their recipe.
Crispy mackerel sandwich
• cornish line caught mackerel
• sweet pickled red onions, 
• watercress, 
• fresh tartare sauce
• a nice lightly toasted bun of your choice (something quite light)
For the pickled red onions
Thinly slice your red onions with a mandolin and gently simmer for 20 minutes in red wine vinegar and a good helping of sugar. You are looking for the vinegar to be as sweet as it is sour to excite the palette. Remove from the hob and leave to cool. Once cool this can be kept in a Kilner jar in the fridge. The flavour will get even better with time.
For the tartare sauce
Of course you can buy a tartare sauce but we choose to make ours fresh for every event. Here is a quick version for you to try: mix mayonnaise with sliced capers, gherkins, grated hard boiled eggs, a finely sliced shallot and fresh chopped parsley in a bowl. Add lemon juice, sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.
For the mackerel
Rub a little oil on the skin of the de-boned mackerel and place on a hot griddle. Lightly toast the inside of the bread leaving the outside as it is. Ensure the underside of the mackerel is cooked well enough before turning to keep the fish in one piece and guarantee a crispy base - you are looking at around 60% of the cooking time on the underside. Turn over and allow to finish cooking through. Whilst waiting mix your watercress with a good pinch of the pickled red onions and allow the red wine vinegar to coat the watercress.
Make a bed out of the watercress and pickled red onions on the lightly toasted bread, lay the crispy mackerel on top and finish with a good dollop of cold tartare sauce. Enjoy.
George_Biddle    
   the fish pie

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is George's recipe

Smoked haddock, spinach, mushroom and gruyere pie.
 500g smoked haddock
300g washed spinach
1 onion
250g mushrooms
200g grated Gruyere cheese
50g butter
20g flour
glass white wine
2 tsp English mustard
nutmeg
garlic
Poach haddock in milk with ground nutmeg and bay leaves. Remove from milk to cool.
Soften onions in butter in olive oil and season. Add flour to make a roux. Add the poaching milk a little at a time until correct consistency, then add white wine, mustard and Gruyere. Cook gently for 10 minutes.
Saute sliced mushrooms in butter, olive oil, crushed garlic and season. Add spinach until wilted.
Skin haddock, loosely break it up and add to the sauce, Layer into dishes with the mushrooms and spinach mixture and top with shortcrust pastry. Bake until golden. Serves one.

justin

bone marrow and snails

And here is Justin's recipe -

Saute of snails, bacon and bone marrow, flat parsley and capers.

4 pieces of short sawn bone marrow

12 ex large snails (tinned will do if you can't get fresh)

1/2 shallot chopped

2 slices of pancetta cut into lardons

100g fresh garlic butter

For the parsley salad:

small bunch of flat parsley, picked and washed

1/4 red onion thinly sliced and sprinkled with salt to withdraw moisture

20 baby capers

salt and pepper

drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of 1/4 lemon. Combine all ingredients together just before serving.

 

First roast your bone marrow in a medium oven, on a rack on a tray sprinkled with rock salt for 10 mins then turn the bones for another 5 minutes.

Gently colour the pancetta in a small frying pan, then add the chopped shallot, add the snails and gently fry without colouring the shallots.

Add the garlic butter and allow the butter to start to froth and gently colour.

Assemble by placing the parsley salad on a plate alongside the bone marrows and spoon the snails on top and around the marrows. Serve with a spoon to scoop out the marrow and good bread to soak the juices. Simple but delicious. And it has been on the menu since day one. Serves 2.

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