WELL SEASONED
David Neville on resourcefulness, reducing food waste and layering ingredients to make something delicious
QUICHE FLORENTINE SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES / COOKING 55 MINUTES
Quiche Lorraine has a sister – and her name is Flo. After trying this quiche, you decide which one you prefer. In this recipe you make the pastry, so don’t waste it. Fold it over to form a galette-style quiche. Who doesn’t like extra pastry?
175g standard flour plus extra for dusting 170g salted butter, chilled and grated
2 egg yolks
2 medium white onions, sliced
1 medium leek, white part sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
6 eggs
80ml cream
80g pecorino, grated
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
300g broad beans, podded
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
Put the flour and 100g of the butter into a food processor and pulse 3-4 times to begin combining. Add the egg yolks and continue to pulse until fine clumps start to form. Turn out onto a lightly dusted bench. Roll pastry to approximately 2mm thick; it’s important to keep it thin as this recipe avoids blind baking.
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a 25cm diameter x 4cm-deep baking tin with the pastry and prick the base all over with a fork. Don’t worry about trimming excess. Put the base in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Melt 50g butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook onions, leek and garlic for 10-12 minutes, stirring regularly, until tender. Remove from heat to cool.
Add the eggs to a large bowl with the cream and cheese. Using a wooden spoon, slowly beat the mixture 5-6 times to break up the yolks until just combined (avoid incorporating air or you will end up making a soufflé). Season well with the salt and pepper.
Remove pastry from the fridge and fill the base with the cooked vegetables. Pour over the egg mixture and give 2-3 sharp taps to get it to settle.
Carefully put ⅔ of the broad beans on top and avoid depressing them into the quiche. Fold the edges of the excess pastry towards the centre. Using a pastry brush dipped into the quiche, brush all exposed pastry. Bake for 40 minutes in the centre of the oven.
Heat the remaining butter and toss the last of the broad beans in it for 1-2 minutes to glaze. Pile them into the centre of the quiche and sprinkle with thyme leaves to serve.
GIVE THESE A GO…
Baby grilled broad beans with hemp-heart zaatar Place 20g each fresh oregano and thyme into a 60°C oven for 90 minutes until dry to the touch. Mix with 30g sumac, 20g hemp hearts (the inner seed of the hemp plant) and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Run a sharp knife tip along the seams of 400g of broad beans and toss in 40ml of grapeseed oil. Heat a large pan over high heat and sear pods until blistered. Dip beans into zaatar and consume like edamame.
Broad bean & lime hummus Blitz 250g peeled frozen broad beans, the flesh of one medium avocado, 60g tahini, 3 makrut lime leaves (stalks removed), 2½ tablespoons lime juice and 1 teaspoon sugar on high speed in a blender, scraping the sides as required. Slowly drizzle in 40ml olive oil and add a teaspoon or so of sea salt to taste. Continue blitzing until smooth. Serve with wholemeal crackers – an interesting change from the chickpea classic and just as good, if not better, made using frozen broad beans. If using fresh broad beans, blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water before starting.
Broad bean, mint & pecorino salad
Put 400g of shucked fresh baby broad beans into a clean bowl. Add 200g rocket leaves and 20 leaves each of fresh basil and mint. Squeeze over the juice of one lemon and drizzle in 60ml olive oil. Season liberally with sea salt. Mix gently, divide between 4 plates, then shave and/or grate some aged pecorino over each salad to serve - simple but excellent.
Broad bean, bacon & ebly barley soup
To make this version of classic pea and ham soup, heat 100ml olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan, then add 300g finely sliced leek, 6 sliced bacon rashers and 3 crushed garlic cloves. Fry over a low heat (under a lid) for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly. Add 10 crushed fennel seeds and continue to fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Next add 200g ebly barley and 500g peeled broad beans and stir through. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Pour in 1.2 litres of vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer for 12-15 minutes until the barley is tender to the bite. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with crusty baguette. Cook’s tip Ebly barley is a wheat berry with the outer husk removed. In this form, it has a dramatically shortened cooking time.
RICOTTA
MAKES 620-750G / PREPARATION 5 MINUTES PLUS 20 MINUTES RESTING AND 15-60 MINUTES HANGING / COOKING 20 MINUTES
2L full-fat milk
200ml cream
10g salt
5cm piece dried kombu (optional)
45ml apple cider vinegar or 8g citric acid,
dissolved in 40ml water
Put the milk, cream, salt and kombu, if using, into a pan over a low heat. Slowly bring to 90°C without stirring (a culinary thermometer is useful here). Remove from heat and whisk in the vinegar.
Leave uncovered for 15-20 minutes undisturbed (with homogenised milk the separation of curds and whey may be difficult to see). Return the pan to low heat until steam forms. Avoid boiling.
Line a colander with a cheesecloth or coffee filter and place over a large pot. Pour in the curds and whey to strain. Leave to hang. Store in a clean container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
RICOTTA GNOCCHI, KALE & QUAIL EGGS SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES / COOKING 40 MINUTES
600g firm ricotta
100g grated parmesan
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks
170g standard flour zest of 1 lemon
20g butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 400ml milk
3-4 grates of nutmeg
200g baby kale leaves
16 quail eggs
Bring a pan of salted water to a simmer.
Put ricotta, parmesan and eggs (including yolks) into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Scrape down sides and add 150g of the flour and the lemon zest. Carefully pulse in bursts until the mix begins to form clumps.
Transfer to a floured bench and shape into a ball. Tear off a small piece, roll into a ball and test in simmering water; if it rises in 1-2 minutes and is smooth, it's good to go. If it rises, is mushy and falls apart, add 20g more flour and retest.
Roll the gnocchi into a long 1cm-thick log and cut into 3cm lengths or put it into a piping bag with a 1cm nozzle.
Drop or pipe and cut pieces into the water. Once they begin to rise, simmer for a minute or two, then remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate to steam-dry.
Put the butter in a small pan and lightly fry the garlic. Stir in the remaining flour and the milk to make a white sauce. Grate in the nutmeg. When the sauce has thickened, add the kale and fold through the gnocchi to heat for 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide gnocchi between individual cocotte dishes. Gently crack the quail eggs on top and put under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes until egg whites are cooked.
GIVE THESE A GO…
Jerusalem artichoke & ricotta milkshake Simmer 500g of fresh artichoke, cut into 1cm pieces, in 1L of water until tender. Add 400ml milk, 150g glucose, 75g sugar, and return to a simmer. Add 150g ricotta and 100g milk chocolate; blitz with a hand blender until smooth. Pass through a sieve. Adjust sweetness and serve hot or cold.
Ricotta ice cream Whip 250ml cream into stiff peaks. Beat 450g soft ricotta until malleable. Fold 400g condensed milk through ricotta with a teaspoon each of vanilla essence and sea salt. Fold through whipped cream and place in a container in the freezer for 6 hours.
Sweet ricotta fritters Whisk together 4 large eggs and 70g caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Add 450g firm ricotta with the zest and juice of 1 lemon and beat lightly. Add 125g sieved standard flour and a teaspoon each baking powder and salt. Heat 900ml canola oil until a bread cube turns golden in 3 seconds. Roll mix into 3cm balls and fry in batches until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and dredge in icing sugar.
Ricotta & chive dip Put 400g ricotta, 50ml olive oil and a tablespoon of honey into a stainless-steel bowl. Whip until silken smooth. Add 50g finely sliced chives and a finely chopped garlic clove. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with potato chips, fresh bread or raw vegetables.
PAIN PERDU WITH PILONCILLO FRUITS SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES / COOKING 45 MINUTES
600g stale bread, torn in 2cm pieces 200ml full-cream milk
1 cup natural unsweetened yoghurt 4 (size 7) egg yolks
1 cup (200g) packed piloncillo sugar,
grated or 1 cup dark raw sugar 150g butter
2 Granny Smith apples, skinned, cored
and sliced into 6cm x 1cm pieces 80g golden sultanas
Put bread into a stainless-steel bowl. Add milk, yoghurt, egg yolks and 150g of the sugar. Mix until it becomes a wet paste. Leave for 10 minutes to fully hydrate.
Divide the mix between 4 x10cm non-stick springform baking tins (or use heatproof Tupperware containers).
Bring a pan of water with a steamer rack fitted to the boil. Steam puddings for 10 minutes or microwave until they begin to show resistance to the touch. Remove from heat and allow to rest.
Melt 50g of the butter in a non-stick pan until foaming. Sauté half the apples and sultanas for 2-3 minutes over a moderately high heat. Add 30g sugar and cook until sugar and juices begin to caramelise. Repeat with remaining fruit.
Remove pain perdu from moulds. Heat 50g butter until foaming and gently fry both sides until golden. Add remaining sugar and cook until caramelised.
Serve pain perdu topped with fruit and drizzle over any juice.
GIVE THESE A GO…
Bread sauce Lightly fry 100g diced onions in butter until soft but without colouring. Add 500ml milk, bring almost to a simmer and add 3 cloves, a bay leaf and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Remove from heat and leave for 60 minutes. Return milk to the heat and bring almost to the simmer. Remove cloves and bay leaf, and stir in 200g breadcrumbs and 50ml cream. Leave over low heat for 15 minutes for bread to swell. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Universal bread stuffing Cut 500g bread into 1cm cubes and bake at 90°C for 45 minutes to completely dry out. Melt 180g butter in a large frying pan and cook 200g each of diced onion and celery for 6-7 minutes until soft. Put bread and cooked vegetables in a large bowl. Fold through 2 size 7 eggs and 3 teaspoons sea salt until bread begins to soften. Add 500ml chicken stock and 25g each of flat-leafed parsley, rosemary and sage leaves; stir but avoid breaking up the bread too much. The stuffing can be used in a whole carcass or put on a baking tray covered with foil and baked on its own for 50 minutes at 180°C. Remove foil after 35 minutes and bake for 15 minutes until golden.
Ajo bianco (chilled almond, bread & garlic soup) Put 200g ground almonds into a high-speed blender. Add 750ml vegetable stock and leave for 4-5 minutes for almonds to swell. Blitz on high speed for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add 250g torn stale bread and 1 peeled garlic clove. Blitz until silken smooth. If soup is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Add a good glug of sherry vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil, and blitz for 60 seconds. Season and serve in chilled bowls garnished with sliced green grapes.
Strata (aka cheese toastie for a crowd) Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease a 40cm x 25cm baking tray. Whisk 6 large eggs, 375ml milk, 100ml cream, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper and 3 teaspoons salt together. Fold through 2 cups coarsely chopped dark leafy greens, 250g torn stale bread and 200g leg ham. Pour evenly into a baking tray and cover with grated gouda. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes until golden and puffed.
BASIC RISOTTO SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 5 MINUTES / COOKING 30 MINUTES
100ml 100g onion, olive oil finely diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
250g risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli) 30g butter
150 ml dry white wine
1.2 L warm stock (fish for seafood, vegetable for herbaceous or chicken for meatier styles), kept at a simmer juice of 1/2 lemon
80g parmesan
Heat the olive oil in a large pan with a wide base. Add the diced onion and garlic and fry, without colouring, for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, add risotto rice and butter; stir thoroughly. Return to low heat, stirring continuously, until edges of rice are translucent and a clear white star forms in the centre of the grain. Add the wine and simmer, stirring, until almost entirely reduced. Using a ladle, add 100ml of warm you can run a spoon see the bottom 3m-4asteocoensds before the rice this happens, ext ladle of stock. stirring continuously for about 15 minutes. Remove one grain of rice and break it between your fingers. If you can see a 1mm white star in the centre, it’s close. Add an additional ladle of stock and check a single grain again. Once the star is 0.25mm or smaller, remove risotto from the heat and cover with a lid for 3-4 minutes. Check one more grain; once the star has just disappeared, it’s ready (you may or may not have used up all the stock). Add lemon juice and stir through parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
GIVE THESE A GO…
Mushroom risotto with soy & egg
yolk Rinse and clean 100g shiitake, 100g Swiss brown mushrooms, 100g oyster mushrooms and 200g portobello mushrooms. Pat dry. Quarter shiitake, slice the Swiss and portobello and shred the oyster mushrooms. Toss to combine. Prepare risotto as described. Halfway through, add half the mushrooms to cook with the risotto. Fry the remaining mushrooms in butter over a moderately high heat for 2-3 minutes only. Season cooked risotto with 80ml light soy and serve in 4 bowls with fried mushrooms. Put an egg yolk in the centre of each to stir through just before eating.
Arancini with mascarpone & spring
herbs Mix 250g mascarpone with 50g each chopped basil, chervil and chives; freeze for 30 minutes to become semi firm. Make the risotto as described and spread out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper to cool thoroughly. Put in the fridge for 60 minutes until firm to the touch. Divide risotto into 10 equal balls and flatten. Place a tablespoon of mascarpone mix into the centre of each and wrap around to form a ball. Dredge balls in flour, then beaten egg and finish in panko crumbs. Heat 700ml canola oil in a large pan to 170°C or until a bread cube turns golden in 3 seconds. Fry arancini for 4 minutes until golden. Dust with salt and serve immediately.
Baked pumpkin & seaweed risotto
Combine 500g skinned, diced pumpkin with 100ml olive oil and 2 teaspoons chilli flakes, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes until tender. Make the risotto as described, with the addition of a 5cm piece dried kombu in the stock. Halfway through, add 20g dried wakame fronds to the rice to rehydrate. Fold baked pumpkin through the cooked risotto and season to taste.