Eat – The Little Book of Fast Food. Nigel Slater

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СКАЧАТЬ shallots, cherry tomatoes, coriander

      Clean 1kg mussels, discarding any with cracked or broken shells and any open ones that refuse to close when tapped on the side of the kitchen sink. Tug off any wiry beards. Put the mussels in a large, deep pan with 500ml water and bring to the boil. When the shells open, remove the mussels, reserving the liquid, and take them out of their shells. Discard any that don’t open. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve.

      Peel 2 large banana shallots and separate the layers, then cook them in a little oil in a shallow pan until softened. Add a tablespoon of mustard seeds, half a teaspoon of chilli powder and 2 teaspoons of turmeric and cook for 3–4 minutes. Halve 12 cherry tomatoes and add to the shallots and spices, letting them soften over a moderate heat for 5 minutes or so. Pour in the reserved mussel stock, bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cut 250g pollock fillet into 4 pieces, add to the pan and cook briefly until the fish is opaque. Add the mussels and a handful of chopped coriander.

      Enough for 2 generous bowls. Sweet, earthy, spicy.

       A few thoughts

      Haddock, gurnard and cod are also suitable candidates for a spiced fish soup.

      Rust-coloured, lightly spiced broth, firm white fish

      Thickly slice 100g chorizo and cut the slices into thick strips. Cook them in a deep pan over a moderate heat till the oil starts to run and the pieces are sizzling gently. Add a crushed garlic clove and a finely chopped small onion and fry till soft. Stir in a teaspoon or so of chopped rosemary. Tip in 200ml tomato passata and 350ml vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Add 400g hake, haddock or cod, cut into large pieces, and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, till the fish is opaque. Add a handful of chopped parsley, correct the seasoning and serve.

      Sour, hot, refreshing. A quick crayfish soup

      Sizzle 2 tablespoons of green curry paste in a little oil, then pour in 800ml vegetable stock. Add 4 scrunched lime leaves, or 2 well-bashed stalks of lemongrass, and a couple of coins of sliced fresh ginger. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add 2 diced tomatoes, 300g prepared crayfish tails and a shot of lime juice. As the shellfish warms through, add a handful of torn coriander leaves and a splash of fish sauce.

      Spiced Haddock Chowder

      haddock, milk, onion, carrot, swede, potato, mustard seeds, turmeric, bay, parsley, plain flour, black peppercorns

      Cut 2 haddock fillets in half and place them in a deep pan with 500ml milk, 2 bay leaves and 6 black peppercorns. Bring the milk to the boil and leave to infuse with the heat off and a lid on.

      Roughly chop an onion and fry it over a low heat in a little butter. Finely dice a carrot, a medium-sized swede and a waxy, yellow-fleshed potato and add to the onion. Fry for 5–10 minutes, till lightly browned. Stir in a teaspoon of mustard seeds and a teaspoon of turmeric and cook for 5 minutes.

      Remove the haddock from the milk, reserving the milk. Scatter 2 tablespoons of plain flour over the vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour the infused milk into the pan and cook, stirring continuously, until you have a thick sauce. Place the haddock briefly in the pan to warm through, then add a small handful of chopped parsley before serving.

      For 2. Satisfying. A cold-weather dish.

      A leek and clam chowder (an hour of your time but worth it)

      Thinly slice 3 leeks, fry in butter till softened, then add 150g smoked bacon, chopped, making sure the leeks do not colour. Cook 1kg small clams with a glass of white vermouth or wine in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid for a few minutes, till the clams open. Pull the clams out of their shells; it doesn’t take long when you get into the swing of it. Add 400ml of the clam cooking liquor to the leeks and bacon with 200ml double cream, some black pepper and a little chopped parsley. Remove half of the mixture and blitz in a blender or food processor, then stir it back into the soup. Add the clams and serve with roughly torn crusty bread. For 4.

      Sweetcorn and haddock. A cheat’s chowder

      Fry 2 chopped spring onions in a little butter in a deep pan. Tip in a large can of sweetcorn, 250ml double cream and a handful of chopped parsley. Slide in a couple of pieces of skinned and boned smoked haddock (about 400g total weight). Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the fish will flake easily. For 2.

      Miso Soup with Beef and Kale

      white miso, rump steak, cavolo nero or kale, spring onions, bouillon powder

      Pull the leaves from the stalks of 100g cavolo nero or kale. Shred them, then chop the stalks finely. Pour a little oil into a shallow pan, add the chopped stems and cook briefly, then add a 240g piece of rump steak. Fry briefly and when it browns, turn over and add 3 chopped spring onions. Brown the steak on the other side, then remove from the pan and cover it, then pour 800ml boiling water into the pan and stir. Add a tablespoon of bouillon powder and 2 tablespoons of white (shiro) miso paste, then the cavolo nero leaves. Simmer until the greens wilt. Ladle into bowls, slice the steak into thin strips and drop into the broth.

      For 2. Light and sustaining.

       A few thoughts

      • Allowing the miso to boil will make it cloudy and alter its flavour but a brief simmer will do no harm.

      • Cook the pieces of meat for seconds rather than minutes, to keep them supple and rare.

      • Shredded savoy cabbage, purple-sprouting broccoli and any of the Chinese greens, such as bok choi, would be perfect here instead of the kale.

      • Add wide or thin ribbon noodles as you wish, or even cooked rice, to make a more substantial bowl of soup.

      Roasted Beetroot and Tomato Spelt

      beetroot, tomatoes, pearled spelt, garlic, coriander or parsley

      Drizzle 4 small beetroot with a little oil, wrap them in foil and place in a roasting tin. Bake at 200°C/Gas 6 for 20 minutes. Open the foil, add 5 garlic cloves, left whole, and 4 largeish tomatoes and cook for another 30 minutes, until the beetroot and garlic are tender. Peel the garlic, then peel and halve the beetroot.

      Boil 200g pearled spelt in 400ml salted water for 20 minutes, then drain. СКАЧАТЬ