boil, add the rice with a good pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until tender – be careful not to overcook it or it will go mushy. White basmati rice will take only 10–12 minutes, while brown basmati rice will take 25–30 minutes to cook.
2. Place the butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and allow to melt and foam. Add the smoked fish pieces and 1 tablespoon water. Season with black pepper, turn the heat down slightly and cook, tossing regularly, until the fish is just opaque, 4–5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over a high heat and heat the olive oil until hot, then add the sliced onions and sauté for 5 minutes, tossing regularly, until almost softened and golden at the edges. Add the ground cumin and coriander, the turmeric, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook the onions until they are completely softened, 5–8 minutes.
4. While the onions are cooking, bring a pot of water up to the boil, gently drop in the eggs and boil for just 6 or 7 minutes, depending on the size. When they are cooked, drain and pour cold water over them to stop them cooking. Once they are almost cool, peel the eggs, handling them gently as they’ll be slightly soft in the centre.
5. Drop the peas into a pan of boiling water and boil for just 2 minutes or until cooked.
6. Once everything is cooked, you can assemble the dish. Add the drained rice and peas to the onions in the frying pan over a low heat and stir to mix. Carefully stir in the fish with any lovely juices. Pour in the cream and half the chopped parsley and mix gently, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Transfer to a wide, shallow serving bowl. Cut the eggs into quarters and arrange on top and around the sides, then sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley and serve.
Devilled kidneys
SERVES 4–6
A classic Victorian British breakfast dish, this would set you up for the day – and then some! Of course, it’s great at any other time of the day, too, if kidneys are too hardcore for your morning ritual.
2 tbsp plain flour
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1½ tsp Dijon mustard
90ml (3½fl oz) chicken stock
175ml (6fl oz) regular or double cream
25g (1oz) butter
6 lamb’s kidneys, peeled, halved, all membranes removed, fat snipped from core, cut into 6 pieces (3 from each half)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
hot buttered toast or buttery mash
1. Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, chicken stock and cream, then set aside.
3. Heat the butter in a pan over a high heat. Toss the kidneys in the flour mix and, when the butter is foaming, cook the kidneys, turning them so that they brown on all sides. Next, pour in the cream mixture and allow it to bubble and thicken.
4. Serve on hot buttered toast or with buttery mashed potatoes.
Chicken stock
MAKES 1.5–2 LITRES (2½–3½ PINTS) STOCK
I always have a pot of chicken stock on the go. When you’re using good chickens for roasting or braising, it’s crazy not to boil up the bones afterwards. There’s an old South American proverb that says, ‘Good broth will resurrect the dead,’ and it’s not far wrong as the nutritional content of a homemade stock indeed has miraculous qualities if eaten regularly. Our great-grandmothers were right after all.
1 whole chicken carcass, raw or cooked
1 large leek, cut into 4 pieces
2 celery sticks, each cut into 4 pieces
2 carrots, each cut into 4 pieces
2–4 garlic cloves, to taste, peeled
1 bouquet garni (a few sprigs of parsley, 1 or 2 sprigs of thyme and a small bay leaf)
a few black peppercorns
pinch of sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. Place the chicken bones in a roasting tin and cook in the oven for 15 minutes. The roasting stage is optional but I love the slightly stronger, more enhanced flavour that it gives the final broth.
2. Once the bones are roasted (see tips), transfer them to a large saucepan and add the leek, celery, carrots and garlic cloves. Pop in the bouquet garni and black peppercorns, then cover generously with cold water – adding about 2 litres (3½pints). The water must be cold since, while it’s slowly heating up, it will draw the flavour and goodness out of the vegetables and the bones.
3. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 2 hours, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface.
4. Once it’s cooked, strain the broth through a fine sieve, then leave to stand to allow the fat to rise to the top. Skim off the fat and season the broth with salt to taste.
TIPS
If there are any bits of meat or little caramelised nuggets of flavour stuck to the roasting tin after cooking the chicken bones, place the tray over a medium heat on the hob, pour in a small glass of water and, using a whisk, scrape to dissolve the bits. Pour these into the saucepan too.
I’ve found that if I leave the fat sitting on top of the stock while it’s in the fridge there are two added bonuses – once the fat is chilled it’s far easier to lift it off the stock; and the stock keeps for longer (a few weeks rather than just a few days) in the fridge if completely covered in the fat. Remove the fat before use.
Chicken noodle broth
SERVES 6–8
I remember many versions of this broth while growing up – I don’t think it was ever the same twice. Mum seemed to constantly have a delicious chicken stock on the go, which always went into this most restorative of soups – a hug in a bowl.
1.6 litres (2¾ pints) chicken stock, well strained
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
160g
