Away from grind
Saturday Kitchen presenter and chef Matt Tebbutt has a new cookery book out, Weekend by Matt Tebbutt. Photography by Chris Terry.
Warm halloumi with watermelon, Parma ham and herbs
SERVES 2
Ingredients
• 1 x 250g block good-quality halloumi cheese, still in
its packet
• 2 slices of stale crusty bread, torn into chunks
• 2tbsp sherry vinegar
• 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 thick slices of watermelon, cut into 8cm (3in)
chunks
• 4 slices of Parma ham
• ½ small bunch of mint leaves
• 1 handful of basil leaves
• 1 handful of flatleaf parsley leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Bring a pan of water to the boil and then add the halloumi, still in its plastic packet. Turn down the heat and let the cheese simmer for 20 minutes to warm through and soften. Remove from the water and allow to cool before opening.
While the halloumi is cooling, put the bread chunks in a bowl and drizzle over the sherry vinegar and two tablespoons of the olive oil. Allow to sit and soak for 10 minutes, then toss together. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the watermelon and season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the watermelon chunks on a serving dish, lay the ham slices on top, then scatter over the mint, basil and parsley. Open the packet of halloumi and drain off the liquid. Tear the halloumi into chunks and add to the salad to serve.
Duck massaman curry
SERVES 4
For the curry paste:
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 red chilli, chopped
• 1tsp Thai fermented shrimp paste
• 30g toasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 banana shallot, chopped
• 1 thumb-sized piece root ginger, chopped
• 2 lemongrass sticks, outer skin removed and core
chopped
• 2tsp tamarind paste
• Pinch of ground mace
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 2tsp palm sugar
• 2tbsp fish sauce
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 2 whole cloves
For the duck curry:
• 2 duck breasts, skin removed and skin frozen for at
least 40 minutes, meat chopped into 1cm dice
• 2tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 large potato, diced
• 3tbsp curry paste
• 1tbsp palm sugar
• 400ml coconut milk
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
• 2tbsp chopped coriander
• 50g roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• Steamed jasmine rice (cook 60–70g per person)
METHOD
Remove the duck skin from the freezer and cut very thinly using a sharp knife. Heat a small pan over a high heat. When hot, add the skin and cook, stirring, until crispy. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. For the duck curry, heat a medium sauté pan over a medium heat, then add the vegetable oil. Once hot, add the onion and the spices and cook, stirring, until soft – this should take about 10 minutes in total. Add the potatoes, curry paste and palm sugar.
Stir in the coconut milk and simmer it gently over a low heat until the potatoes are just tender when tested with the tip of a sharp knife, about 10 minutes.
Add the duck meat and continue to simmer for five to six more minutes over a low heat. Don’t let it boil or the meat will become tough. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the curry into serving bowls and garnish with the chopped coriander and roasted peanuts, then top with the crispy duck skin. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Apricot Linzer torte
SERVES 10-12
Ingredients
• 175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 40g caster sugar
• 115g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 medium free-range egg yolks, beaten
• 380g apricot jam
• 6tbsp raspberry jam
• Zest and juice of ½ lemon
• 8-12 whole blanched almonds
To serve:
• 2tbsp icing sugar (optional)
• Custard or single cream
METHOD
To make the pastry, put the flour, spices and sugar in a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter using your fingertips until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks, mixing well with a wooden spoon to just bring the pastry dough together.
Alternatively you can put the flour, spices and sugar in a food processor, then add the egg yolks and pulse to bring the
pastry dough together. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for at least one hour in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas mark 4.
Cut off one third of the chilled pastry and set aside to make the lattice top for the torte.
Lightly dust the work surface with flour and roll out the larger piece of pastry to a three millimetre thickness and use it to line a 23-25 centimetre tart tin.
Make the lattice for the top by rolling out the reserved pastry on a floured surface to a three millimetre thickness. Cut it into 12 strips of 25 centimetres long and about one centimetre wide.
Use the apricot jam to fill the pastry case and lay the pastry strips over the top one by one to form a neat lattice pattern. Trim the edges.
Put the raspberry jam in a bowl with the lemon zest and juice, mix well, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
Pipe the jam into alternate squares of the lattice top. On each square of the lattice now filled with jam, place a blanched almond for decoration. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin.
If you want to add a pretty touch for serving, dust the torte with icing sugar. Serve sliced with homemade custard or single cream.
■ Weekend by Matt Tebbutt, photography by Chris Terry, is published by Quadrille, £22.
Ravneet Gill’s LPC (Lazy Person’s Cake)
MAKES A 20CM CAKE
Ingredients:
For the wet cake mix:
• 175ml olive oil, not overly strong,
plus extra for the tins
• 2 eggs
• 175ml buttermilk
• 170ml boiling water
• 1tsp instant coffee
For the dry cake mix:
• 125g caster sugar
• 125g light brown sugar
• 80g cocoa powder
• 230g plain flour
• 1tsp sea salt flakes
• 2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1tsp baking powder
For the malt chocolate ganache:
• 150g 70 percent cocoa solids chocolate, chopped
• 50g 55 percent cocoa solids chocolate, chopped
• Pinch of sea salt flakes
• 300g double cream
• 1tbsp malt extract (alternatively use black treacle,
maple syrup or honey)
METHOD