Two good things to put on toast
Devilled kidneys
4 lambs’ kidneys 150g plain flour 20g mustard powder pinch of cayenne pepper 10g clarified butter 2 thick slices white bloomer bread, toasted 100ml sherry (Amontillado or even “cream” sherry) 100ml chicken stock (broth) 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Halve the kidneys and remove the cores with sharp scissors. Season the flour with the mustard powder and cayenne pepper, and toss the kidney halves in the mixture.
• Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until foaming and toss in the floured kidneys. Keep them moving until crisp and browned on the surface, about 2 minutes. They should still be pink inside.
• Lift the kidneys onto the toast, then pour the sherry into the pan, and allow most of the liquid to boil off. Add both the stock and the Worcestershire sauce to the pan, boiling hard and continually stirring, so that everything combines to form a thick, spiced gravy. Taste and adjust the seasoning before pouring the gravy over the kidneys and toast.
Shellfish on toast
50ml olive oil 2 shallots, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 500g clams or mussels (fresh or frozen; if frozen, cooked as per instructions) 75ml dry vermouth (if using fresh shellfish) 1 slice of sourdough bread small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Warm a little of the oil in a large pan for which you have a lid, add the shallots and garlic and soften. Pour in the cooked shellfish and their liquid, or the fresh shellfish and vermouth. Cover and steam until the shellfish open, about 5 minutes.
• Pick the meat from the shellfish shells, discarding any that are unopened. Grill the sourdough on both sides.
• Strain the cooking juices back into the pan, bring to a hard boil and add the remaining oil (you could also use cream – whipping cream is the best).
• Return the shellfish meat to the pan to reheat in the juices. Season with salt and black pepper, and stir in most of the chopped parsley. Pour over the grilled bread and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
Taken from Loaf Story: A Love Letter to Bread by Tim Hayward, published by Quadrille at £20. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £15.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.