Buta-Kakuni

I've been meaning to write up the Masterchef course I took at Reiko's http://www.hashicooking.co.uk/ and I will. In the meantime, I have been cooking Buta-Kakuni quite a bit. If you like slow cooked pork you have to try it. It's delicious served with green beans, fresh ginger and Japanese mustard. I have a lot of work to get through today, and at least 2 more blog posts to post.. so will write recipe up when I have a sec. Once you've tried this recipe you will want to buy the book!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1906650578/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_g14_i2?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=11AZVG8ENMF09EEZZM6A&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

Blood oranges

So beautiful

A Healthy Brownie?

I am a small time, stupid risk taker. I'm the kind of person who will pop into the supermarket for bananas and milk, and therefore not take a basket and end up with so much stuff piled up in my arms, something clamped in my armpit and struggling to the till will spy an offer on washing powder and think 'grrr, i'll try it' and hold it somewhere between my chest and my chin. Inevitably something has to give.

I will also fill my water bottle up in the gym, with one hand on the tap and the other clutching my bottle together with my iphone thinking 'I really hope my ipod doesnt get wet'

Another thing I do really quite a lot is heat a pan of oil and see if I can skin and chop 2 onions in time, or bake a cake and leave the house. 

If it's a 40minute bake, I know I can run to the high street in that time, if I bump into someone I keep conversation short and tell them I really have to go, I have a cake in the oven at home. I wonder if anyone believes me.

Anyway, if you're the same, or just impatient, or even scared of baking, this recipe for raw brownies will be right up your street. 

It started with an experiment. I love my brownie recipe and so do my friends and family but they may hate me if they saw how much butter and sugar was in those gooey squares of joy.

So, the raw brownie. Trust me, they are yummy. There is no chocolate, no eggs, no flour, no sugar, no butter. This is guilt free and good for you.

In a food processor... blend...

1/2 cup of cocao nibs

2 cups whole walnuts
2 ½ cups pitted Medjool dates (not any old dates)
1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
pinch of sea salt

2 tbsp raw cacao (not cocoa)

Now, press into a tin lined with greaseproof and leave in the fridge for at least one hour. These last days in the fridge and are best eaten slightly chilled. I cut mine into hearts, you don't have to.

The other brownies were baked, and it was a mad experiment and I used all these ingredients and you know what, they were good but the after taste of courgette lingered and so I need to work on this one a bit!

The Spice Menu at Corrigan's Mayfair

Last night I was invited to a spice demo in the kitchen of Corrigan's with Richard Corrigan, head chef Chris McGowan and Arun Kapil founder of Green Saffron.

 

  

These guys are so passionate about their offering and their energy bounced off one another.  Arun is one of those people, so enthusiastic about what he does, so eager to share his knowledge. His family business ship the most wonderful quality, fresh spices from farms in India and supply not only professional kitchens but also home cooks.

 

Spices (below) the one in the middle is Amchoor powder, made from dried, unripe mangoes, it's like a natural sweet and sour. 

Richard and Arun together with Atul Kochar of Benares have designed a bar menu of small Indian inspired sharing plates and a spice infused cocktail menu to boot. We watched two of the dishes being prepared, the lobster and the grey mullet and then took seats at the bar to sample the menu. Had I only been presented with the finished result of these dishes I may not attempt them at home but really this is simple cooking, just using the freshest ingredients and letting the spice sing.

An example of which is so beautifully showcased in the crab salad (above). Aromatic black cardamon seed infused rose water and blood orange salad was so fragrant but harmonious enough for the crab to hold its place. I always crush my cardamon seeds but it really isn't necessary and in a delicate dish such as this, they look very pretty whole. Arun also told us not to keep spices longer than 5 months, to buy little and often and not to roast all the spices before adding them to dishes as you can often lose the flavour.

Spiced, roasted lobster demo

 

Richard took inspiration for his Lord Lurgan's Broth from a Beef tea recipe from a 17th Century book given to him when he opened the restaurant. This was like a warming, cleaner and lighter take on a beef Consommé. It was the perfect dish to start with, perfectly spiced and with vegetables, vintage basmati rice and shredded Chicken oyster. My mum showed me when I was little the cook's perk of the chicken oysters!

 Crisp Spiced Grey Mullet, Muhammara red pepper relish - definitely one to make at home.

Atul kochar’s rogan josh- Hardwick farm mutton shoulder with sweet potatoes

 Spiced, Roasted Lobster with more of that fluffy aged basmati

What a wonderful evening we had, so informative but fun too. Also got to chew Arun's ear off with questions I had on particular spices and farming methods I've had niggling at me since my India trip this time last year and to my delight it turns out he sells the Kerelan curry leaves I was banging on about here last year.

I highly recommend trying the bar menu for a more relaxed dining experience and the Spice menu only runs until Saturday and it is not to be missed. You can order 3,5,7 or 9 dishes and Nicholas at the bar is a top guy and will look after you.

Quinoa tortilla

I think going into January on a detox is a bad idea. Going things cold turkey and all that just seems silly. If you are anything like me your clothes are feeling a little tight and starving yourself just after a month of gorging yourself will be hell. So I am going on a health kick. Like a small tap of the foot, not a kick in the ribs.  I've started with something I make a lot. Tortilla. But instead of using yummy waxy potatoes that I simmer in oil for the best tasting tortilla, I've swapped it for Quinoa. I've banged on about the health benefits of Quinoa before, I promise this is no compromise, it's delicious and I've made it twice this week. If feeling lazy I buy the red and white quinoa which is precooked in a vacpack from M&S.

1 very large onion

60g of feta cheese

2tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

6 eggs

150g cooked quinoa

Fry off the onions until they are browned and caramelised then add the garlic on a low heat for 2 minutes. 

Crumble the feta over the onions and season with chilli salt and pepper

Whisk eggs and mix with cooked quinoa. Pour mix in the pan and slowly bring the cooked sides in to allow the raw egg to take its place. Turn the heat down for 3 minutes. 

Using a plate, placed upside down on the tortilla, flip quickly and slide back into the pan. Turn the heat off and leave the tortilla to slowly cook through in the residual heat. I like it when it is slightly gooey in the middle. 

Beef Tataki

I went to Reiko's last night for dinner and dun dun durrr she didn't cook Japanese! She made roast lamb with kosheri, stuffed mushrooms and ratatouille and it was yummy. She did make green tea icecream and aduki bean icecream though,so we all got our Japanese fix.

I had my friend Jo over for lunch the previous day and cooked Japanese, some things from Reiko's book and some just made up. She really liked the Beef Tataki I did for starter, so here is the recipe from me to Jo via Reiko! I left out a step in the recipe of dipping the hot beef into soy and mirin as I didn't have much time on my hands.

Serves 4

1 large onion thinly sliced

440ml cold water mixed with 2tbsp salt

4 garlic cloves, VERY thinly sliced

5tbsp veg oil

400g beef fillet

100ml soy sauce

100ml mirin

6-8tbsp tahini paste

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar

Put the onions in a bowl and leave for  15 mins, then rinse and drain by squeezing out the water.

Make the garlic chips by bringing a small pan of oil to medium heat and gently fry the garlic until golden, not brown!

Sear the beef on all sides to seal in the juices and continue to cook for 5 minutes (or more if you don't like it too rare)

Mix the soy, mirin, tahini, vinegar and sugar for the marinade.

Cut the beef into 5-7mm thick slices and place on top of mounds of onions, top with the sauce and garlic chips, I added a little spring onion as my plate wasn't very colourful. 

Posh nibbles