Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i Good Food

‘I never cease to feel excited by new season asparagus: nothing compares to the fresh new green spears in terms of flavour,’ says BBC One Saturday Kitchen regular Rosie Birkett in her easy seasonal recipe feature (p53). I couldn’t agree more. This versatile veg has a short season so we use it whenever we can. It plays a starring role this issue, teamed with cheese and watercress in our cover spring tart (p26), a weeknight frittata with tarragon and sausages (p39), Rosie’s beautiful brown shrimp starter (p56), a low-fat veggie lasagne (p79), one-pan Sunday roast chicken (p103) and the showstopping picnic pie on page 30. Don’t let any go to waste – find out how to use the stalks on page 112. As well as showcasing familiar ingredients, the Good…

Wholesums air-popped chips (22g) These popped chips made from carrots, peas and potatoes are lighter than crisps – we like the salt and vinegar flavour. 95p, selected Sainsbury’s Local stores Lotus Biscoff ice cream sticks (pack of 3) Fans of Lotus Biscoff will love these ice creams, filled with Lotus Biscoff ice cream with a Belgian chocolate coating. £3.89, selected Waitrose & Partners stores Yumello salted date peanut butter (170g) Made with roasted peanuts, dates, coconut oil and sea salt, this peanut-butter-with-a-twist is the perfect balance of sweet and salty. £2.85, ocado.com Tracklements Special Edition chilli & chorizo jam (100g) Sweet and spicy, this jam would be great with cheese or in sandwiches. £3.30, tracklements.co.uk Dalston’s real squeezed rhubarb & sparkling spring water (330ml) A change from other fruit-based drinks…

Spiced bean Scotch eggs Scotch eggs are a thing of beauty. I felt compelled to come up with a version that packs in plenty of flavour but without the meat. MAKES 6 PREP 30 mins plus freezing COOK 15 mins MORE EFFORT V 2 x 400g cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed 2 tsp each turmeric, ground ginger, ground cinnamon and pul biber chilli flakes 2 carrots (about 200g), peeled and coarsely grated 1 onion, grated (drained and juice discarded) small pack dill, finely chopped 8 large eggs 4 tbsp plain flour, for dusting 100-125g fine white breadcrumbs vegetable oil, for frying 1 Put the beans and spices in a large mixing bowl, add a generous amount of salt and pepper and mash until the mixture is as smooth as…

GIN Wild Spirit Manchester Gin was created after owners Seb & Jen met and bonded over a G&T. Following the success of their signature gin, their Wild Spirit gin is inspired by walks with their dog in the woodlands around South Manchester and uses ingredients foraged in the area. You can really taste it, too – it’s full of herbaceous, woody flavours with notes of pine, sage and earthy dandelion. £36 (500ml), 40% ABV, manchestergin.co.uk WHISKY Queen Margot Blended Scotch Whisky ‘A striking nose, packed with vanilla and citrus notes’ – these were the judges’ notes on the winning entry in the ‘Scotch Blended whisky, 12 years and under’ group at this year’s World Whiskies Awards. None other than Lidl’s own Queen Margot 8-Year-Old blend managed to beat off stiff…

Spelt is an ancient member of the wheat family and an evolutionary hybrid of emmer wheat and grass. Its high energy content led the Romans to call it the ‘marching grain’. Grains can be bought whole or pearled and are creamy and brown. Spelt makes a hearty addition to stuffings, soups, salads, and risottos and has a complex nutty, rye-like flavour. There are two types of barley available – pot barley and pearl barley. Pot barley is the more nutritious of the two but is less readily available and takes longer to cook. It is less refined than pearl, with only the outer husk removed, which also gives it a nuttier flavour. Pearl barley has all the husks removed and is then polished (pearled), resulting in a product that more…

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Fruit & nut granola SERVES 8-10 PREP 10 mins COOK 40 mins EASY V Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss 350g jumbo oats with 1 heaped tsp cinnamon, 125g mixed nuts and a pinch of salt in an oven tray. Stir through 75g melted unsalted butter or coconut oil (for a vegan version) and 70g maple syrup. Put in the oven for 35-40 mins or until golden brown, stirring halfway. Allow to cool down completely, then stir through 125g mixed dried fruit before storing (see tip, right). Serve with milk, yogurt or sprinkled on porridge. GOOD TO KNOW vegan PER SERVING (10) 325 kcals • fat 15g • saturates 5g • carbs 38g • sugars 13g • fibre 3g • protein 8g • salt 0.1g Banoffee pecan granola SERVES…

We’ve teamed up with Hotel Café Royal to plan an elegant afternoon tea, designed to celebrate 200 years since the birth of Queen Victoria and the beginning of afternoon tea. The late 19th and early 20th century marked the high point of afternoon tea’s splendour, and Café Royal was at the centre of this vibrant culture, attracting the likes of Oscar Wilde, Lord Alfred Douglas, Virginia Woolf and DH Lawrence. Afternoon tea is served in the grade II-listed Oscar Wilde Lounge, with mirrored walls, ornate gold detailing and painted ceilings. You’ll enjoy a glass of champagne, finger sandwiches, desserts and warm scones with clotted cream and jam, and your choice of tea. You will receive a commemorative menu to take home, an edible favour and a goody bag worth £25.…

The first day of summer is officially 21 June, yet us keen beans in the UK celebrate the start of the season on 1 May with bunting, Morris dancing and maypoles. I’m always in awe of maypole dancers; I find a simple plait takes a fair bit of concentration but multiple people skipping round and plaiting simultaneously is mind-boggling. Starting the summer early doesn’t seem totally alien when you consider that we put the Christmas lights up in September and Easter eggs hit the shops on New Year’s Day. Why should summer be any different? However, it is sometimes worth remembering that it’s not really summer just yet – you might need that cardigan for another month. Spring produce is also still absolutely at its best right now (see our…

breakfast Poppy seed buckwheat porridge SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins plus overnight soaking COOK 15 mins EASY V 50g buckwheat 250ml milk of your choice 2 tsp poppy seeds 125g blueberries 1 small orange, zested and juiced 1 tsp cinnamon 1 Tip the buckwheat into a bowl. Pour in 250ml cold water, then cover and leave to soak for at least 4 hrs or preferably overnight. 2 Drain the soaked buckwheat and pulse a few times with the milk in a food processor to create a semi-smooth texture, then pour into a saucepan along with the poppy seeds. Cook over a low heat for 7-10 mins whisking continuously until creamy and thickened. 3 Put the blueberries in a small saucepan along with the orange juice, zest and cinnamon. Bring to…

Jane Hornby is a food writer, author and stylist and a former food editor for BBC Good Food. She has written hundreds of recipes for the UK’s top food titles, and four cookbooks. @janehornby Breakfast blinis with smoked salmon Buckwheat flour gives these pancakes a light nuttiness. A traditional blini would be made with yeast, but baking powder is a lot simpler and quicker to use. SERVES 4 (makes 12) PREP 25 mins COOK 20 mins EASY 1 lemon 150g cre`me frai^che or thick soured cream small bunch dill, finely chopped 25g unsalted butter 200g buckwheat flour (see tip) 2 tsp baking powder (gluten free if needed) 3 large eggs 300g buttermilk or low-fat natural yogurt 100g wild rocket, half finely chopped 2-3 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying…

1 If your prawns still have the head and shell on, twist the head away from the body. 2 Pull the head and shell apart and save the head for stocks or sauces. 3 Using your thumb, peel back the main shell away from the body. 4 Release the tail meat from the body, leaving the tip of the tail on, if you want. 5 Use a small knife to carefully cut down the back of the prawn to expose a vein. 6 Use the tip of the knife to pull out the gritty vein. The prawn is now butterflied and ready to cook. Turn the page for our prawn pad Thai, or make our kung-po-prawns on bbcgoodfood.com/kung-po-prawns…

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Jargon buster: new chopping terms We’ve noticed chefs are chopping more unevenly (but still as precisely) for more interesting presentation. Look out for these techniques Oblique When long vegetables like carrots, cucumbers or celery are roughly chopped into different-sized, angular slices. This is done by rolling the vegetable as you slice and moving the knife at different angles. The pyramid When a round fruit or vegetable is cut into pointed wedges, so when it’s served it sticks up from the plate. We’ve also seen this with wedges of lettuce and chicory. Next level kit: baking domes Steam gives bread its crunchy crust, so if you’re making it at home, nothing works as well as enclosing the dough while it bakes to trap the steam it releases. This can be done…

Spanish Spain has a deep cheese history but only one – manchego – is really well known in the UK, so expand your repertoire with these different styles from artisan cheesemakers Blau del Mar A deliciously soft blue that almost weeps when pressed, it is both spicy – picante – and has the typical earthy creaminess of northern Spanish artisan cheesemakers. Manchego DOP Made with milk from the Manchega sheep, this is Spain’s cheddar equivalent. It’s ready to eat after a few weeks; the one here is 12 months old – dry, savoury, salty and nutty. Grazalema Made from the milk of rare Merina de Grazalema sheep or Payoyo goat, the latter version is coated in pepper and has a velvety, milky texture. A World Cheese Awards winner. For more…

Roast rabbit with thyme SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 35 mins EASY 1 whole farmed rabbit (about 1.2kg) 2 tbsp thyme leaves 4-6 tbsp olive oil 12 small onions or shallots, peeled 16 garlic cloves, peeled 1 Ask your butcher to joint the rabbit, cutting the legs into two pieces, the saddle into three and the shoulders and front into two. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. 2 Put the rabbit in a large roasting tin, season and add 1 tbsp of the thyme leaves. Add the oil and toss until the rabbit is well coated. Roast for 20 mins. 3 Add the onions or shallots and the garlic, then stir well and roast for another 15 mins, stirring again halfway through. Sprinkle over the remaining thyme before serving.…

I’m not exactly sure when I fell out with the fry-up, but undeniably, I have. Back in mid-80s Manchester, as a kid, and for decades after, it felt like the ultimate breakfast. Today? I have no idea when I last ate one. It helped that, back then, food was plainer, paler, less abundant. The cooked breakfast was a conspicuous Sunday treat. Particularly for mums, as it was the only time dads cooked. Quite the maverick, my old man used frankfurter sausages, tinned tomatoes gilded with Kwik Save cheddar, and instead of bacon, fried luncheon meat. Later, in the 90s, when the concept of eating out on Sunday mornings was still wildly exotic, an uncle – a man who lived his life beyond the drab opening-hours everyone else was subject to…

The Spirit of Exmoor Launched in autumn 2015, Wicked Wolf® Exmoor Gin™ is a premium craft gin made from 11 botanicals, distilled and blended in small batches on Exmoor. Our goal has always been to remain artisan and produce a gin that is different. We do this with a fun and striking brand and a flavoursome gin, including the more unusual botanicals of cardamom, lemongrass, kaffir lime and hibiscus. 01598 741357 wickedwolfgin.com Potter and Mooch Explore our brand new collection of Ear Wings climbing earrings designed for a single piercing. Each pair is handmade in England on either 925 Sterling Silver, 14ct Rose or Yellow Gold-Filled wires with SWAROVSKI Elements. Hypo-allergenic and Nickel free. From £22 per pair. Visit our website or call for a brochure. Featured design is Sterling…

This month’s food news, trends, Sabrina Ghayour’s veggie Scotch eggs and what’s on the BBC this month Put down your bar spoons and step away from the ice crusher, it seems the chic way to enjoy your favourite cocktails right now is to eat them. We’ve seen everything from bloody mary ketchup (Ocado) to raspberry & prosecco marshmallows (nakedmarshmallow.co.uk), pink gin jam (pinkstergin. com), piña colada coleslaw and our very own espresso martini pancakes went down a storm on Instagram (turn to page 106 for the recipe). As the weather warms up, the refreshing and punchy flavours in these classic cocktails lend themselves beautifully to sauces, marinades, dressings and bakes. Try them in these dainty, yet boozy, fondant fancies. Espresso martini cocktail fancies If you want to make piña colada…

• What it is Kombucha is a fermented drink made from sweetened tea with a history going back thousands of years through China, Japan and Tibet, although its exact origin is unknown. It has recently become hugely popular in the UK. • How it’s made Made from sweetened tea and a culture called a scoby (‘symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts’), the bacteria and yeasts ferment the sugar, which is what gives kombucha its distinctive sour taste. • Where to get it There are plenty of kombucha drinks on the market now, including Real Kombucha, Jarr Kombucha and Equinox Kombucha. Or try making your own –visit bbcgoodfood.com for our how-to guide. Anna Lawson…

GREAT BRITISH MENU FINAL Guests are in for a rocking banquet at the climax of this year’s competition marking 50 years of British pop music. Joining an array of stars at the Abbey Road Studio feast are some unsung music industry heroes from backing musicians to security guards. Friday 17 May, BBC Two. THE KITCHEN CABINET Jay Rayner takes Radio 4’s culinary panel show to The British Library for the last in the series as part of the Library’s Food Season, inspired by its extensive food-related collections. Tune in at 10.30am on 11 May. More on the season at bl.uk/ events/food-season . Kathryn Custance…

Jelly & custard trifle squares This stunning retro dessert is made using cheat’s ingredients (you don’t have to reveal this to your guests, of course), and it’s completely make-ahead. SERVES 12 PREP 25 mins plus 3 hrs setting and cooling COOK 5 mins EASY 2 x 300g shop-bought madeira cakes 5 tbsp sweet sherry 2 gelatine leaves 500g tub fresh custard 2 x 135g blocks raspberry jelly 150g frozen berry mix 150ml double cream 1 tbsp golden caster sugar toasted flaked almonds and sprinkles, to serve 1 Line a deep 20 x 25cm baking tin with a sheet of baking parchment so it goes along the bottom and up the sides to make it easy to lift the trifle out. If you’re using a loose-bottomed tin, tightly wrap the base…

1 Slice the tips off the asparagus (and save them for a side salad), so they are uniform in size. 2 Cut each chicken breast into long strips about the width of two fingers. 3 Roll some of the asparagus spears and chicken strips in prosciutto to wrap them tightly. 4 Cut baking parchment to fit the dish, leaving an overhang, so you can lift the pie out at the end. 5 Lay the pastry in the dish, also leaving an overhang, so you can seal the pie properly later. 6 Fill the pie with alternate layers of sausagemeat, chicken and asparagus for a showstopping effect. 7 Roll out the pastry top, then drape over using the rolling pin. 8 Use a small knife to trim the pastry around the…

Orange & passion fruit traybake SERVES 12-16 PREP 20 mins plus cooling COOK 25 mins EASY V * sponge only 150g margarine or butter, plus extra for the tin 150g caster sugar 3 eggs 150g self-raising flour 1 orange, zested and juiced For the mascarpone topping 250g tub mascarpone 1 tbsp icing sugar 4 tbsp fresh orange juice 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 passion fruit 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Butter and line a 20 x 24cm cake tin with baking parchment. Cream the margarine or butter with the caster sugar using an electric whisk until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Sieve in the flour and fold it in. Add the orange zest and juice, fold that in as well,…

AMUSE BOUCHE Cheshire cheese & asparagus tart SELECTION OF TEA SANDWICHES English cucumber & pink peppercorn; H. Forman’s smoked salmon & dill crème fraîche; rare roast Angus beef and Albert sauce; curried corn-fed chicken and raisins; ham hock galantine with pistachios & truffles SCONES Traditional raisin & plain scones with clotted cream, strawberry jam & lemon curd DELICACIES Victoria sponge with raspberry compote & vanilla cream; vanilla blancmange, with apricot glaze & Brussels biscuit; chocolate profiterole with salted caramel cream; rose & lychee mousse with raspberry jam Served alongside your choice of over 25 tea blends and infusions.…

Chicken, sweet potato & pea curry Serve this with brown or white rice, or some roti. Different korma pastes vary in heat so add a little more, if you like spice. SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 30 mins EASY 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 1 tbsp korma paste 2 skinless chicken breast fillets, each cut into 8-10 pieces 320g sweet potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces 6 tbsp red lentils 325ml can light coconut milk (freeze the rest for later) 200g frozen peas 220g cherry tomatoes 300g cooked rice or roti, to serve 1 Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or wok, stir in the curry paste and fry for 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant. Stir in the chicken, then add the sweet potatoes and lentils and keep…

Mac ‘n’ cauliflower cheese Roughly mash any leftover cauliflower cheese from p86, and mix through some cooked macaroni and a splash of double cream. Tip into a gratin dish, scatter over more grated cheese and some chopped macadamia nuts and thyme leaves, if you like, then bake at 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 for 30 mins until golden on top and bubbling. Hog roast rolls Reheat the leftover roast pork from p86 in the oven. Pull the meat apart using two forks, then chop any leftover crackling and stuff into soft floury rolls with leftover rhubarb compote and English mustard. Easy chicken & asparagus pie Shred leftover chicken and cut leftover asparagus into pieces from the roast chicken with tarragon sauce on p103. Stir back into any leftover sauce and potatoes,…

Vinegar. Something you sprinkle on your fish ‘n’ chips, right? An acidic liquid to preserve onions, gherkins and beetroot? Yes, that too. But there is so much more to vinegar than you could ever imagine, as this fascinating part-history, part-science lesson, part-recipe collection – with advice on how to taste, store and most importantly, use it – avidly demonstrates. Interest in vinegar has soared recently, perhaps, suggests food writer Angela Clutton, because of ‘consumer tastes swinging away from sweet towards sour’. She asks, ‘How much is it to do with our widening interest in the provenance of food, with us wanting to know more about an ingredient and how it is made? Maybe it is on the back of the trend for fermenting, which is at the very heart of…

What’s your cooking ‘cheat’? If you need to reduce a liquid quickly pour it into a hot, wide, shallow pan. The wider the surface area, the quicker the reduction. What utensil should every home have? A fine microplate grater. I use mine mainly for zesting lemons which I use as a seasoning to add lemon flavour without the acidity of the juice. They’re also good for grating garlic instead of chopping and they grate parmesan into a big fluffy cloud. What’s your secret seasoning? Moscatel vinegar is a sweet, floral Spanish vinegar. I use it in salads and with fish and pork, but my favourite way is through smooth riced potatoes with lots of olive oil. What’s the most common cooking mistake? Dressing with substandard olive oil. When you’re finishing…

From the Trade Descriptions Act to the Consumer Protection Act, myriad laws and labelling regulations protect us from food that’s sold fraudulently or mis-described. Contravene these laws and you can be prosecuted. In 2017 a restaurant in Wales was ordered to pay in excess of £7,000 for false description on its menus, website, and social media. Its menu read, ‘Wye salmon’, implying that the fish was wild and locally caught, when in fact it had been sourced from various fish farms. Crucial though the distinction between wild and farmed fish is, it’s a drop in the ocean compared to the liberties that caterers and food manufacturers take these days when they market vegetarian and vegan products. They have insinuated vegan cheese, milk and mayonnaise, and vegetarian chicken into our food…

Keyaki On arrival at New Chitose Airport, head straight to Keyaki for the buttered corn ramen. Corn is one of the region’s biggest crops, so this is a local speciality. The pork-based broth is made with three kinds of miso, plenty of vegetables, noodles and sesame, then topped with fresh sweetcorn and a hefty knob of butter that melts over the corn into the broth. Prices start at £5.95. new-chitose-airport.jp/en Kita no Ryoba Start the day like a local with a bowl of kaisen don at Kita no Ryoba, one of the restaurants surrounding Curb market, serving seafood so fresh it’s almost still swimming. Mixed seafood bowl, around £10.70. Kessel Hall For those looking to soak up the alcohol following a tour and tasting at Sapporo Beer Museum, neighbouring restaurant…

Kyseri is the second of Selin Kiazim and Laura Christie’s restaurants following the success of Oklava in Shoreditch, east London. It’s named after the Anatolian city Kayseri where sweet-savoury dishes like manti, a type of dumpling (see page 142), are a speciality. Kiazim is of Turkish-Cypriot heritage, but the menu features sharing plates that will expand your knowledge of Turkish cuisine from a wider region via modern versions of dishes such as house-cured pastirma (a bit like a spiced bresaola), Cypriot hellim loaf (bread with halloumi baked into it) served with Black Sea fondue, and beef borëk (a filo beef pie) with pistachio mayo. As well as the manti, combinations of sweet and savoury play out across several dishes including a whole roast duck cooked in pomegranate molasses (p142), and…

What is it? Black garlic is simply garlic that has been gently heated in a humid environment for several months. What does it taste like? The heat-aging process results in a kind of caramelisation of the garlic cloves – not only do they become soft and dark, the garlic taste also gets much milder and sweeter, a little like syrupy balsamic vinegar. What do I do with it? Use black garlic in place of white garlic in salad dressings, marinades or aïoli for a sweeter, less pungent garlic taste; use in bolognese or chilli con carne for molasses-like depth or chop finely and add to soy sauce for a salty-sweet Asian marinade for meat and fish. Where can I get it? Once a specialist ingredient used by chefs, particularly in…

Cheeseburger-inspired dishes Taking the flavours of a cheeseburger and infusing them with different cuisines is a genius move that we’ve noticed on several menus lately. There’s cheeseburger gyozas at Dirty Bones (London and Oxford), cheeseburger pizza at Pizza Punks (Belfast, Glasgow, Newcastle) and cheeseburger tacos at Temper (Soho, London). Artisan vegan cheese Earlier this year, Britain’s first vegan cheesemonger, La Fauxmagerie (lafauxmagerie.com), opened and we’ve noticed others including Mouse’s Favourite (mousesfavourite.com) and Tyne Chease (tynechease.com). Gnocchi Squidgy, satisfying and a perfect vessel for soaking up sauces, we can see why gnocchi is so popular, and this year it has become even more so. Google searches for ‘gnocchi recipe’ were up by 50% and ‘how to make gnocchi’ by 21% compared to last year. Doughnut walls People are going (dough) nuts…

As we become increasingly aware of our impact on the environment, looking into how our food is farmed is more important than ever. Organic grocer Abel & Cole (abelandcole. co.uk) recently revealed how one of its farmers, Liz Findlay of Nantclyd Farm in Ystwyth Valley in Wales, has adopted biodynamic farming practices. Biodynamic farming was first developed in the early 1920s. Like organic farms, the main aim is to be as environmentally friendly as possible, promoting organic fertilisers and pesticides, but biodynamic farms go further than this. The farm should be as self-contained as possible, (at least 50% of the livestock feed should be grown on the farm), while manure should be used for compost. Nantclyd Farm produces biodynamic eggs, available to buy at abelandcole. co.uk. The farm uses natural…

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Choose the best The tips should be tightly furled and perky, rather than limp, and the spears should be straight and firm. Prepare it Young asparagus needs no preparation other than a wash. For larger asparagus, bend the spear until it snaps and trim the woody ends (see p112 for ways to use these up). If the ends still feel tough, pare away the exterior to reveal the more tender flesh beneath. Cook it Boil (for 3-5 mins) or steam it (4-5 mins, depending on size), then serve as a side with hollandaise sauce or hot melted butter, chop and use in a quiche, or combine with peas, podded broad beans, young spinach leaves and basil for pasta primavera.…

Sardines & peperonata on wholemeal toast SERVES 1 PREP 10 mins COOK 2 mins EASY 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ½ tbsp red wine vinegar 1 large red pepper from a jar, thinly sliced 1 small shallot, thinly sliced ½ tbsp capers ½ small garlic clove, finely sliced ½ small bunch basil, shredded 2 slices wholemeal bread 120g can sardines in olive oil, drained ■ Whisk the oil and vinegar in a bowl. Mix in the pepper, shallot, capers and garlic. Toss with half the basil and season to taste. ■ Toast the bread until crisp and golden. Top with the peperonata and large chunks of the sardines. Finish with the remaining basil and a good grind of black pepper. GOOD TO KNOW calcium • fibre • iron •…

Eating the same thing for lunch every day is as uninspiring as making it over and over again. The problem is, we don’t have time to make something nutritious and delicious every day, and it’s tempting to just nip out for a sandwich, soup or burrito, which adds up financially. Making one large pot of something versatile can make lunchtimes easier, and cheaper. All you need is a microwave at work. Either buy a few toppings on your way in, or spend five minutes prepping them at home and pack them in a separate container. When you start repeating your favourite toppings, it’s time to adapt the base recipe – try adding herbs and spices such as rosemary, chilli flakes, or sundried tomatoes. Add chunks of sausage, bacon lardons or…

Slow cooker beef topside with red wine gravy SERVES 6 PREP 20 mins COOK 2 hrs 10 mins plus 1 hr marinating EASY * 1 tbsp black peppercorns 1 tbsp English mustard powder 2 tbsp chopped rosemary 1 tsp celery seeds 15g dried porcini mushrooms 4 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 1.6 kg beef topside, cut into 12 slices 600ml hot beef stock 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped 1 large onion, roughly chopped 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped 2 tbsp tomato purée 200ml red wine 1 tbsp cornflour (optional) 1 Crush the peppercorns with the mustard, rosemary, celery seeds and a little salt using a pestle and mortar. Blitz the mushrooms to a fine powder in a food processor, then stir them in with 2 tbsp oil and…

There’s a good reason why I timed my wedding, and the release of my second cookbook, The Joyful Home Cook, for May. It’s the end of spring, and it’s asparagus season. I never cease to feel excited by new season asparagus: nothing compares to the fresh new green spears in terms of flavour. But given that British asparagus is only around for eight fleeting weeks, we should be taking every opportunity we can to cook it during the season. It is one of the most delicious and joyful ingredients available to us in the UK, and why not celebrate that? One of my favourite ways with it is to drown it in spiced butter with little brown shrimps on top (see p56). You can also replace the shrimp with roasted…

DIGESTION Are gut microbiome tests worth it? Within all of our bodies is a unique microbiome – a complex ecosystem of around 100 trillion microscopic organisms – with many of them housed in the digestive system. Home testing kits have become popular in recent years – but do they really work? We asked dietitian Emer Delaney for her opinion. Home microbiome test kits promise to help you understand the make-up of your unique gut bacteria by sending off a stool sample to be analysed in a laboratory. They’re becoming popular due to the increased interest in gut health, however there is no standard testing method and no quality control. It is important to remember that gut microbes change regularly in response to diet, sleep, stress, exercise and travel, and as…

Most people have a jar of honey in the cupboard but it’s typically just used to drizzle over porridge or stirred into hot water with lemon and ginger. I love cooking with honey to make the most of its floral notes, which add an extra dimension of flavour to cakes, or to harness that sweetness to cut through dishes that contain cheese or spices. Drizzled over fruit before roasting, it creates a caramelised finish that’s perfect for summery desserts. Impress dinner guests by pairing it with apricots in a cheesecake (see p92); the subtle fragrance of the fruit is beautifully complemented by the honey, and you can also use this method with figs, nectarines, or rhubarb. I often swirl a little honey through yogurt with toasted nuts and fruit as…

Wine expert Henry Jeffreys, along with the BBC Good Food team, tasted his way through over 100 wines to choose our Wine Club selection. Henry writes about wine for The Guardian and The Spectator, and on his blog, worldofbooze. wordpress.com. He’s also a judge in the Best Drinks Producer category for the BBC Food and Farming Awards. His first book, Empire of Booze, is out now. Find Henry’s tasting notes, including food pairings, for all the selected wines at bbcgoodfood.com/wine-club. THIS MONTH’S FAVOURITE ELMSTONE SAUVIGNON BLANC Wine type New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Characteristics Smoky, green peppers, limes, very fresh Goes well with Goat’s cheese tart, chicken korma, tabbouleh, vegetable stir-fry Tastes similar to Sancerre…

Espresso martini pancakes SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 20 mins EASY V 200g self-raising flour 1 tbsp instant coffee mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp golden caster sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 200ml milk 3 eggs 25g butter, melted, plus extra for frying For the topping 100ml espresso-strength coffee 4 tbsp caster sugar 25ml coffee liqueur 130g mascarpone 70g 0% fat Greek yogurt 1 tbsp vodka 4 tbsp icing sugar 40g chocolate-coated coffee beans or chocolate shavings 1 For the syrup part of the topping, simmer the coffee, sugar and liqueur in a pan until thickened, about 5-10 mins. Leave to cool. 2 Whisk all the pancake ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. 3 Put a small knob of butter in a…

THE BASICS For a standard meringue, you need 60g of sugar for every egg white. Whisk the white until stiff, then add the sugar gradually, whisking well between each addition. The meringue is then ready to cook, and is generally baked slowly on a low heat at 120C/100C fan/gas ½. THE SCIENCE Egg whites are made of tight protein molecules that unravel and trap air when whisked, which makes the whites stiffen. Baked on a low heat, the mixture holds its shape and becomes crisp. Baked on a high heat, the air expands, which is how you make a sou lé. Peak perfection ‘Stiff peak’ is the stage you want to get egg whites to before adding the sugar. This is when the whites are whisked until peaks form and…

Biryani Originally the food of Mughal soldiers and kings, this family favourite is typically eaten for lunch on Fridays across Karachi and most parts of Pakistan. A yogurt-based curry with meat and potatoes is layered in a large pot with parboiled rice and sprinkled with fried onions, coriander leaves and sliced green chillies, then covered and left on a very low flame for hours for all the flavours to infuse. Karahi A stir-fried meat dish that gets its name from the wok-like pan it’s cooked in. Pani puri A street-food classic – hollow crispy dough balls, stuffed with chickpeas and chopped onions, filled with a sweet and sour tamarind sauce. One is never enough! Seekh kabab Melt in the mouth beef mince kebabs marinated in spices, wrapped around a skewer…

Plus Find out the top wine for summer Victoria Moore, p125 The British fry-up has had its day Tony Naylor, p127 Plant-based substitutes are a con Joanna Blythman, p128 Michel Roux Jr is a legendary figure in the world of food – he owns three London restaurants, including the iconic Le Gavroche, is author of six cookbooks, was a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals for six years, is a regular on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen and a guest judge on the latest series of MasterChef. He arrived at my home to eat his famous lapin au thyme – roast rabbit – cooked by me. *Gulp.* “Michel Roux is my father, but he was also my boss. When I was 33, I took over Le Gavroche and tried to stamp my…

Most winemakers have a little secret – a wine they make just for friends and family. What’s surprised me over the years is what that personal stash very often turns out to be. It’s not, as you might guess, experimental, or esoteric, or a skim of the very best grapes, but a wine style that for ages had zero status in winemaking circles: rosé. Yes, I’ve been to bodegas in Rioja and castles in Tuscany where the rep is built on magnificent reds, but when friends come round they crack into the chilled pink. ‘It’s very hot in summer,’ they always say, ‘So we make this just for ourselves.’ It makes perfect sense. The rest of us love rosé, too. It’s refreshing. Also, in terms of relaxation signals, the sight…

Always read the recipe thoroughly before starting, and use standard measuring spoons for accuracy. Where possible, we use humanely reared British meats, high welfare chicken and eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice, and sustainably sourced fish. We avoid waste by using full packs, or suggesting how to use leftovers. If egg size is important, we’ll state it in the recipe. Helping you to eat well Our BANT registered nutritionist analyses our recipes on a per-serving basis, not including optional serving suggestions. You can compare these amounts with the Reference Intake (RI), the official amount an adult should consume daily: Energy 2,000 cals, Protein 50g, Carbohydrates 260g, Fat 70g, Saturates 20g, Sugar 90g, Salt 6g (please note, RIs for total fat, saturates, sugar and salt are the maximum…

Blueberry & lemon croissant bake SERVES 8 as dessert or 6 as brunch PREP 12 mins plus 1 hr soaking COOK 40 mins EASY V 6 large croissants (leftover stale croissants work well) 500g ready-made custard 250ml whole milk 150g lemon curd 250g fresh or frozen blueberries icing sugar, to serve (optional) 1 Cut each of the croissants in half, then arrange them roughly, overlapping them slightly, in a deep medium baking dish about 20 x 20cm. 2 Pour the custard into a small saucepan and whisk in the milk. Warm over a low heat for 3 mins or until just starting to steam. Whisk through half the lemon curd. Pour the custard over and around the croissants, then set aside for 30 mins-1 hr for the croissants to absorb…