My first flat had no oven, only a couple of electric rings on which to cook dinner. Pretty good some of them were too: little vegetable curries, lamb stews, sautéed chicken and endless, endless pasta suppers. Dishes cooked on the hob, in a high-sided frying pan or deeper saucepan, are generally things that take longer than the frying-pan dinners of the earlier chapter. The deeper pans allow you to cook in liquid and in larger quantities. You can boil fettuccine or simmer meat in a sauce; steam basmati or stir a soup.
For the most part, these are dishes cooked in a single pot that will sit over gas or electric heat at a rolling boil, a calm simmer or quietly plodding towards tenderness. Most, though not all, require a lid of some sort. We are talking fried chicken with bread sauce, slow sautés with their pan juices, a stirred risotto, clams cooked in their own steam. And then there's pasta of course: tangles of pappardelle and little pasta shapes that hold a sauce; there is couscous, lentils and beans.
We cover food with a lid to keep its liquid from evaporating, to allow it to cook a little more slowly than in a shallow open pan, giving it time to cook right through to its heart. We often start by browning the surface of the food lightly, then adding liquid before covering it with a lid. Not all my pans have a lid. I have to use a plate sometimes.
A lid also permits the food to cook in its own steam. Mussels and clams, perhaps, things that produce their own juices and take just seconds to cook. We trap in the steam they produce, encouraging them to cook more quickly. Sometimes, the lid is on tight, so no steam escapes; other times it is left at a jaunty angle, like a cap.
I have an assortment of hob pans, some of which have been around as long as my oldest friends: a cast iron pan, whose thick base allows a lump of meat to cook evenly; a set of stainless steel pans that I have had for two decades (the best money I have ever spent); a copper-based sauté pan with curved edges and a lid, for cooking chicken pieces; and a vast pan with tall sides that gives room for pasta to roll around in deep boiling water. Not many, I concede, but that is generally all I need.
Cooking on the hob is often about heat control - the first burst of heat to form a crust, then a lower heat to cook the meat, fish or vegetable right through to the middle. If we turn the heat down really low, or use a diffuser mat, then the food can be left unattended. Generally, anything cooked on the hob needs watching, even if it is only to give it the occasional stir. I have burned many a pot of soup (and, incessantly, chickpeas) by being distracted. It takes a while to get to know the intricacies of a gas or electric hob.
I tend to think of the hob as the home of the cheap dinner. Less expensive to heat than the oven, the hob is where we can make a bowl of pasta, a hearty main-course soup, a noodle broth or a vast pan of mussels. This is the place I boil lentils for a bolognaise, poach a chicken for salad or cook up a mound of mash for sausages. What I like about cooking on the hob is that I can stir to my heart's content. Unlike opening the oven door, grabbing a tea towel and sliding out the baking dish, you simply have to lift the lid and you are immediately in touch with your food. This is the food whose smell fills our kitchen as we cook. It brings us to the table. The joy of stirring a dish while we drink and chat with those we are feeding. Cooking on the hob allows us to get closer to our cooking than roasting or baking. It allows us a sniff, a peep, a stir, a taste. The very best sort of hands-on cooking.
A few favourite hob-top dinners
Warm and mash cannellini (or haricot) beans. Toast some whole cumin seed, ground coriander and ground chilli in a pan till fragrant, then add to the beans. Stir a little melted butter into the bean mash, then scoop up with warm naan bread. Or serve in a soft mound alongside grilled gammon or grilled lamb cutlets.
Cut brown and white chicken meat into rough chunks (about the size of a walnut in its shell), then roll them in a mixture of ground paprika, salt and pepper. Heat a little butter and oil in a shallow pan, add a sliced onion and let it soften. Add a handful of quartered small mushrooms and let both lightly brown, then tip out into a bowl. Add a little more butter to the pan. When it froths, add the chicken and let it colour. Tip the onion and mushroom in with the chicken, stir in a generous seasoning of Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, then add a pot of créme fraiche. Simmer for 6-7 minutes. Eat with noodles, bread or rice.
Drain a couple of cans of butter beans, chickpeas or cannellini beans, rinse them in a colander under cold running water, then put them in a saucepan with a can of water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to heat thoroughly, then drain. Mash with a potato masher or fork, or in a food processor, beating in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and seasoning with salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Mash a clove of garlic with a little butter, spread it on hot toast or a halved baguette, then spread generously with the bean mash. Trickle over some more olive oil, perhaps something rich and fruity.
Rinse a couple of cans of flageolet (or cannellini) beans, put them in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper and warm them for a few minutes. Roughly mash the beans with a fork or potato masher, then pile on to slices of toasted baguette and scatter with chopped parsley, basil and a few capers. Trickle over a little olive oil and finish with a grinding of pepper.
smoked bacon, chickpeas, butter beans, onion, garlic, paprika, créme fraiche
Peel a medium onion and roughly chop it. Warm a film of olive oil in a deep frying pan and soften the onion in it over a moderate heat. Peel and crush a large clove of garlic and add to the pan. Drain a 400g can of chickpeas and a 400g can of butter beans and rinse briefly in a colander under running water. Put them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil and heat for 5 minutes to warm thcroughly. Add to the cooked onion.
Season the onion and beans with a little ground paprika and some salt and black pepper. Blitz in a food processor, then stir in a couple of tablespoons of créme fraiche. Grill or fry 8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon till thoroughly crisp. Serve with the bean purée.
For 2, as a light meal. The soft earthiness of mashed beans. The warmth of spice. Crisp bacon.
A few thoughts
You could spread the bean mixture on to bruschetta or crispbread and place the crisp bacon, cut into short lengths, on top.
Once you have rinsed the beans, you can cook them in water or a little olive oil, depending how rich you want the mash to be.
Canned butter beans and cannellini seem to make the smoothest mash. Chickpeas produce a slightly grainy texture.
If you drain a can of beans, warm them in a little olive oil and then blitz to a smooth mash, you have an instant dip for scooping up with chunks of torn baguette or toasted sourdough.
chicken skin, popping corn, butter, rosemary
Set the oven at 180°C/Gas 4. Remove the skin from 4 free-range chicken thighs with a small knife, place it flat on a baking sheet, then lightly season with coarse sea salt and black pepper. Bake for 20-25 minutes till crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and place on a piece of kitchen paper to fully crisp.
Melt 50g butter in a small pan, add a heaped tablespoon of rosemary needles, very finely chopped, and cook very briefly till fragrant.
Crumble the chicken skin into small pieces and season generously with sea salt. (Only you know how salty you like your popcorn, but start with half a tablespoon of sea salt flakes.)
Melt a further 30g butter in a deep pan. Add 150g popping corn and cover with a lid. Over a medium heat, cook the corn till it starts to pop, shaking the pan vigorously from time to time to ensure it doesn’t scorch.
As soon as all the corn has popped - there may be a few stubborn kernels that refuse — pour in the melted rosemary butter and add the crumbled chicken skin.
For 4, as a snack. Scandalously salty, moreish popcorn.
Cut 200g smoked bacon into large dice and fry it in a shallow pan. As it starts to crisp and the fat turns amber, add 750g small, sweet mussels in their shells. Toss together, allowing the bacon and mussel juices to mix. Add a glass of vermouth, such as Noilly Prat, and a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley.
Season fillets of fresh mackerel with black pepper and twist a rasher, or even two, of smoked streaky bacon around each one. Cook under an overhead grill till the mackerel is tender and the bacon is crisp. Eat with a salad of thinly sliced fennel, dill and lemon juice.
Cut thin slices of pancetta into postage-stamp-sized pieces and fry in a non-stick pan for a couple of minutes. Add chunks of cold cooked salmon and leave to cook, with the occasional shake of the pan to stop them sticking. Try not to let the salmon break up. Split pieces of crisp baguette open and slather with mayonnaise. Pile the salmon and pancetta on top of the mayo and squeeze over a little lemon juice.
mussels, clams, chorizo, dry sherry
Wash 500g mussels and 500g clams, discarding any with cracked or broken shells, any that seem lifeless or exceptionally light, and any open ones that refuse to close when tapped on the side of the kitchen sink. Tug off any wiry beards from the mussels and knock off any barnacles with the back of a knife.
Remove the skin from 200g chorizo and slice or tear it into small chunks. Get a wok or frying pan very hot, add a tablespoon of oil, then add the chorizo and let it colour lightly, tossing it around the pan so it doesn't burn. Pour in a glass of dry sherry and let it boil briefly (you need the flavour, not the alcohol), then put the washed mussels and clams into the pan and let them cook for a minute or two, till the shells open, discarding any that stubbornly refuse tc open. Season lightly.
Serve immediately, with the juices and some bread for mopping them up.
For 2. Shellfish, sherry and sausages.
Cook Puy lentils in boiling water until tender and then drain. Cook a thinly sliced onion in a little olive oil or butter till pale gold, then add 4 chopped smoked bacon rashers and cook till they are sizzling and the onion is a rich golden colour. Stir in the drained lentils, some roughly chopped parsley and couple of tablespoons of créme fraiche. Eat with steamed brown rice, with pasta or as a side dish.
Boil Puy lentils, drain them and toss with warm cooked broad beans, popped from their grey skins, some cooked peas and finely sliced spring onions. Stir through a generous glug or two of olive oil, then add large pieces of crumbled grilled salmon. Maybe serve as a side dish.
Simmer Puy lentils in vegetable stock until tender, then drain. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve warm, topped with thick slices cut from a log of English goat’s cheese, such as Tymsboro, Ragstone or Dorstone. Or use the cooked lentils as a base on which to pile feta cheese that you have baked in foil with thyme leaves and a little olive oil.
Puy lentils, carrots, onion, vegetable stock, creme fraiche, balsamic vinegar, pappardelle
Cut 2 carrots into small dice, peeling them if you wish, then leave them to cook over a moderate heat in 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan. Peel and finely slice an onion, add to the pan and cock for a good 15 minutes, till the onion is deep gold and the carrots lightly browned.
Tip 200g Puy lentils, rinsed if necessary, into the pan, then pour in a litre of vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat so the liquid simmers and leave to cook until the lentils are soft — anything from 25-40 minutes. Season with salt towards the end of cooking.
Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta and salt it generously. Cook 300g pappardelle in it until al dente.
While the pasta cooks, remove half the lentils and their liquid and blitz to a rough purée in a blender or food processor. Return them to the pan and stir. Mix in 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and check the seasoning. Bring almost to the boil.
Drain the pasta, divide between warm bowls, then spoon over the lentil ragu.
For 4. Earthy, frugal and filling.
orecchiette, ricotta, broad beans
Drop 400g broad beans into boiling, lightly salted water, cook for 7-8 minutes, depending on their size, then drain in a colander. Cook 250g orecchiette or other medium-sized pasta in deep, generously salted boiling water until al dente. Whilst the pasta is cooking, squeeze the beans from their grey skins. Discard the skins and toss the beans in a splash of olive oil.
Drain the pasta, tip into a large bowl, then add the broad beans. Stir a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into 200g ricotta — there may be a little curdling — and season with black pepper. Drop large spoonfuls of the ricotta on top of the pasta and serve.
For 3. Delicate flavours. The marriage of warm and cool.
A change
Chopped tarragon, mint and chervil are the most appropriate herbs to add. A scattering of grated Parmesan, tiny nuggets of pecorino or shavings of aged ricotta will add a savoury hit. Shelled peas, mangetout or snow peas will bring more sweetness, just as sliced button mushrooms cooked in a little butter will introduce an earthy quality. The recipe is a gentle one, so it is not worth adding anything too robust or powerful.
Other delicate summer flavours for pasta
Fold lightly cooked green beans into cooked ribbon pasta with some creme fraiche, Parmesan and a little grated lemon zest.
Warm double cream in a small pan, add black pepper, flaked cooked salmon and chopped dill. Toss with pasta.
Boil and drain shelled or frozen peas, toss them with small pasta, watercress, basil and warmed créme fraiche.
Drain preserved artichokes from their oil, slice them, then warm with torn parsley, lemon juice and shredded Parma ham. Toss with any ribbon pasta.
Chop a couple of handfuls of mixed fresh herbs — basil, tarragon, dill, parsley, chives. Mash them into softened butter with a little salt and black pepper. Drain the cooked pasta — ribbons of fettuccine or pappardelle would be appropriate — then toss with the soft, but not melted, butter.
Dice 8 thick rashers of smoked streaky bacon and cook over a low to moderate heat in a non-stick pan. Peel and dice a red onion. As the bacon fat starts to run, add the onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Finely chop 6 chestnut mushrooms, stir them into the bacon and onion and continue cooking till the mushrooms are glossy and tender. Push everything to one side of the pan, add 250g lamb’s liver, chopped into small dice, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cut 12 cherry tomatoes into quarters and stir them in. Let the tomatoes cook down for a few minutes, then add a wine glass or so of stock. Leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes, scraping any goodies stuck to the base of the pan into the sauce, until the sauce has reduced a little — it won't thicken a great deal.
Cook 125g fettuccine in generously salted boiling water. Drain the pasta and toss gently with the sauce.
Trim 2 large leeks and slice them lengthways into long, thin ribbons, like pappardelle. Cook them slowly in butter, without letting them colour, till they are soft. Add a couple of cloves of finely sliced garlic, a tablespoon of chopped tarragon, a little double cream and 150g deeply flavoured, crumbled farmhouse Caerphilly. Toss with cooked ribbon pasta. Shave a further 100g Caerphilly or so on top.
chicken, garlic, spring onion, lemon thyme, parsley, lemon, chicken stock, pappardelle or fettuccine
Cut 400g boned chicken breast into very small dice, just a step or two up from mince. Peel and thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic and thinly slice a spring onion. Lightly brown the chicken in a little oil or butter. As the colour turns, add the garlic and spring onion. Stir in a tablespoon of lemon thyme, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, some salt and pepper, then 2 tablespoons of plain flour. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in 400ml hot chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Check the seasoning and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Cook 125g pappardelle or fettuccine in deep, generously salted water, then drain and toss with the ragù sauce.
For 2. Light, creamy and fresh. A change from a dark ragti sauce.
Sauté 2 large boned chicken breasts in a little olive oil over alow to moderate heat, turning them regularly and basting them as they cook. Remove them from the pan as soon as their juices run clear when you pierce the meat with a skewer at the thickest part. Tear 4 thin slices of prosciutto into pieces and roughly chop a handful of tarragon leaves. Add a little butter to the pan, followed by the prosciutto and tarragon, then stir in a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche and return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Green beans would be good with this. For 2.
Slice a couple of cloves of garlic, warm them in olive oil, then add a can of chopped tomatoes, a handful of torn basil leaves and a little salt and black pepper. Simmer for 6-7 minutes. Brown 4 chicken breasts in a little oil, then place in a baking dish, pour over the tomato and basil sauce and lay thick slices of mozzarella on top. Scatter over a layer of grated Parmesan and bake for 25 minutes at 180°C/Gas 4. For 4.
Brown 6 chicken thighs in oil in a deep pan, then add a peeled and finely sliced onion and a couple of sliced cloves of garlic, followed by 2 tablespoons of ras el hanout. Add a handful of dried apricots, 2 chopped tomatoes and 8coml chicken stock. Bring to the boil, season and cover with a lid, then simmer gently for a good hour. For 3.
chicken wings, pearled spelt, ras el hanout, cabbage, butter
Fry 8 chicken wings in 3 tablespoons of oil in a casserole. When they start to brown, stir in 2 tablespoons of ras el hanout. Add 200g pearled spelt and pour in 400ml boiling water from the kettle. Bring back to the boil, lid on, then transfer to an oven heated to 180°C/Gas 4 and bake for 35-40 minutes, till the liquid has been absorbed.
Shred 4 cabbage leaves, add them to the casserole with 30g butter and cook briefly on the hob before serving.
Enough for 2-3. Tender grains. The warmth of Moroccan spice.
Thinly slice a handful of button mushrooms and cook them in a shallow non-stick pan with a little butter till they are soft and lightly coloured. Stir in a drained and rinsed 400g can of cannellini beans and warm through, stirring from time to time. Put a couple of pieces of smoked haddock fillet, about 200g each, into a second pan, with 400ml double cream. Add a couple of bay leaves and 6 black peppercorns and simmer gently for about 12 minutes, until the fish is tender. Lift the fish out on to plates. Pour the cream through a sieve on to the beans and mushrooms, cook briefly (some chopped parsley would be good, if you have it), then spoon the mixture over the fish.
Put a couple of kipper fillets in a shallow pan. Pour over enough double cream just to cover them, add 6 black peppercorns and a bay leaf and bring to the boil. Immediately turn down the heat. Let the cream simmer gently for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Cover the pan with a plate and give the cream 10 minutes more to infuse with smoke from the kippers, bay and pepper. Empty a 400g can of butter beans into a sieve and rinse them under cold running water. Break the fish into large bite-sized pieces, removing the bones as you go. Warm the beans over a moderate heat with enough of the cream to cover them. Add the pieces of kipper, a little salt, lemon juice and, if you like, a grating of horseradish.
smoked haddock, green lentils, carrots, onion, vegetable stock, double cream, parsley, bay, black peppercorns
Put 250ml double cream in a shallow pan. Remove the skin from a piece of smoked haddock weighing about 350g and add the haddock to the pan. Add 6 black peppercorns and 3 bay leaves, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and cover with a lid. The fish will cook in the residual heat.
Finely dice a couple of medium carrots and an onion. Cook them in a thick slice of butter over a moderate heat for 5 minutes, then add 150g green lentils and 400ml vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and turn the heat down to a simmer. Leave to cook for 20 minutes, till the lentils are approaching softness, then stir in the cream from the fish. Continue cooking, letting the liquid reduce until it just covers the lentils.
Add a good handful of chopped parsley and season carefully with salt and pepper. Divide between 2 dishes, putting the haddock on top of the lentils.
For 2. The calming quality of smoked fish and cream.
Cook the mackerel in the cream as opposite. Boil enough pappardelle for 2 in deep, salted water. Wash 4 handfuls of spinach and, without shaking dry, put them into a pan with a lid. Cover and let the leaves steam briefly till they have just wilted, then drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Squeeze dry with your hands, then tuck bits of spinach between ribbons of pasta and shards of torn smoked mackerel. Pour over the seasoned cream.
Break a smoked mackerel fillet into pieces, mash it roughly with a fork, then fold in a little grain mustard, black pepper and cream. Spread it on to bagels, with o1 without slices of cucumber.
smoked mackerel, green beans, double cream, bay, parsley
Pour 450ml double cream into a saucepan, season with coarsely ground black pepper and add a couple of bay leaves. Place over a moderate heat. Once the cream is almost at the boil, break 350g smoked mackerel into large pieces and drop into the cream. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then turn off the heat. During this time the cream will soak up the smoky flavours of the mackerel. Top and tail 250g green beans and blanch them: in salted water. Drain the beans and toss with the cream and mackerel. Warm gently, season thoughtfully and serve with a little chopped parsley. Enough for 2. The ever-useful smoked mackerel.
A thought
Whole smoked mackerel is moister and more creamy fleshed than the fillets. But use whatever you can. I like to keep the pieces of fish large and heat them gently in the cream with as little stirring as possible, so as not to crush them.
For a change
The cream can be infused with other flavours, such as a few sprigs of thyme or a tablespoon or two of chopped dill, tarragon or chervil. Mustard is a fine addition, especially the grainy sort. A little lemon is good too.
You could add lightly sautéed strips of courgette in place of the green beans in the recipe opposite.
Sizzle butter in a pan, drop in some shavings of asparagus (I use a vegetable peeler), let them soften for a minute, then add a handful of prawns. As soon as they are hot, stir in the eggs. If you have some, a handful of tarragon would be good.
Sizzle a finely chopped tomato, a little finely chopped chilli and some chopped spring onion in a little butter, then stir in half a chopped avocado, a squeeze of lime juice and a little coriander. Use half as the base of the scramble, adding the eggs to it once it is hot. Serve the other half as a salsa on the side.
Sizzle chopped bacon in butter, then add a handful of croutons and fry till crisp. Pour in lightly beaten eggs, add a handful of chopped parsley and scramble as opposite.
Steam a couple of large handfuls of spinach and chop roughly, then stir into the beaten eggs together with finely ground black pepper and a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese. Add to the melted butter, stirring as opposite to give a loose scramble.
eggs, curry powder, cumin seeds, dried chilli, tomato, spring onions, coriander
In a food processor, blitz a large tomato with a teaspoon each of decent curry powder, cumin seeds and dried chilli flakes. Put the resulting paste into a shallow pan with a little butter and fry gently over a moderate heat for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Finely slice 2 spring onions and add them to the spice paste. Break 5 eggs straight into the pan and stir quickly so that they scramble and mix with the spiced tomato paste and a little coriander. This dish is all about speed, so make it quickly and get everyone to the table first. It needs to be eaten fresh from the pan. For 2.
A few thoughts
Basically Spanish-inspired scrambled eggs, this is a dish to which you could add cooked prawns, bacon or ham, or chopped cooked greens such as spinach or summer cabbage.
Chopped or quartered mushrooms can be added to the pan before the spice paste, as can morcilla, peppers, chorizo or slices of squid. It is very much a recipe for last-minute inspiration.
Cook any pasta in deep, boiling, generously salted water. Warm ripe Gorgonzola in a small bowl over hot water, stir in a little cream and olive oil. Drain the pasta, then toss with the melted cheese sauce.
Dice a courle of medium-sized courgettes, then cook the cubes in butter in a shallow pan till they are tender and golden. Finely chop 2 large garlic cloves and let them colour with the courgettes. Add a handful of chopped mint leaves, a little grated lemon zest and a little more butter. Cook enough small pasta, such as penne or rigatoni, for 2 in deep, salted boiling water, drain and toss with the courgette and lemon.
basil, tomatoes, pasta, olive oil
Cook 150g conchiglie or other pasta in deep, salted water till just tender. Make a dressing by putting 150ml olive oil, 20g basil leaves, a beefsteak tomato and a little sait and pepper into a food processor or blender and blitzing till you have a rough dressing. Drain the pasta and return to the pan, then add the dressing and toss gently.
For 2. Hot pasta. Cold, fragrant dressing.
In the colcannon recipe opposite, substitute spring onions for the leeks. In place of ham, fold in cubes of Taleggio, Camembert or other soft cheese, leaving it to soften in the warm potato. You will need about 100g cheese to 350g of cooked potato.
Fry sliced onions in butter and a little oil till they are soft, deep gold and glossy. This will take a good 20 minutes, if not longer. Stir them into the mashed potato with shredded cooked cabbage, then pile into a dish and brown lightly in the oven.
Take the colcannon opposite and pat the mixture into small cakes. Toss them lightly in flour, then fry in butter and oil till a crisp crust has appeared underneath. Turn them tenderly and cook the other side. Serve on their own or with a fried egg on top.
ham, kale, potatoes, leeks, milk
Peel 500g large, floury potatoes, cut them into large chunks and cook in boiling water. Slice 250g leeks and fry in butter, till soft but not coloured. Steam a couple of handfuls of kale and drain. When the potatoes are soft enough to mash, drain, then beat to a fluff either with a potato masher and a wooden spoon or in a food mixer. Beat in about 150ml hot milk and a thick slice of butter. Tear up about 250g thick-cut cooked ham, chop the kale and fold them into the potato, together with the cooked leeks. Season with salt and black pepper and serve. For 3-4. Comfort food of the highest order.
A few thoughts
Wet potato will give a sloppy mash. Steaming the potatoes in their skins instead of boiling them is a successful way to get a dry, fluffy mash.
For extra-light mashed potatoes, whip the mixture further after mashing, using a wooden spoon or an electric beater.
Colcannon, an Irish recipe from the bubble and squeak family, is traditionally served unfried, with kale, potatoes and milk as the main ingredients. Often eaten with boiled ham, it can be a sound use for leftover ham too, tearing it up and mixing it with the mashed potato, as opposite.
Use creme fraiche instead of milk, or add a handful of grated cheese.
Fry the mixture in a little butter or bake till nicely browned, if you prefer, but don't call it colcannon if you do.
mackerel, bulgur, tomatoes, vegetable stock, red wine vinegar
Heat 400ml vegetable stock in a saucepan, then pour it over 150g bulgur wheat and set aside for 15 minutes or so, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the grain.
Halve 8 medium-sized tomatoes and cook them under an overhead grill till soft and the skins have started to blacken. Remove the skins, pour in a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and season with black pepper. Crush the tomatoes with a fork to give a thick, roughly textured sauce and keep warm.
Brush 4 mackerel fillets with a little oil, season with salt and pepper, then cook under an overhead grill for a few minutes, skin- side down, till the fish is opaque and a flake will pull away from the skin. I like to turn the fillets skin-side up for a minute or so, to crisp them lightly. Divide the bulgur between 2 plates, add the mackerel fillets, then spoon over the grilled tomato sauce.
For 2. Homely grain. The sweet sharp joy of tomatoes.
To the basic potato mixture opposite, add cooked and lightly crushed kippers (keep the pieces quite large) and some shredded courgette that you have briefly fried with a little butter and dill. Fold into the potato mixture, shape and fry.
smoked haddock, leeks, potatoes, milk, bay, black peppercorns
Scrub 400g King Edward or other floury baking potatoes then cut into large chunks. Boil in a deep pan of salted water for 10-15 minutes, till tender enough to mash. Drain the potatoes and crush them with a potato masher or a fork, keeping the texture rough and lumpy. Finely shred 400g leeks, then let them completely soften in a thin slice of butter over a moderate heat.
Place 300g smoked haddock, 250ml milk, a bay leaf and 6 black peppercorns in a pan. Bring the milk to the boil, turn off the heat, cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes, until opaque (this is all the cooking it needs). When the fish is opaque, remove, discard the skin and break the flesh into large flakes, then mix with the crushed potatoes and half the cooked leeks. Shape into 6 rough patties, then fry in a little oil and butter till crisp and golden and serve with the remaining leeks.
Makes 6. Enough for 3. A modern rough-textured take on the classic fish cake.
A few thoughts
Use another type of fish if you prefer.
You could peel the potatoes before cooking them and mash them to a soft cream for a more classic result.
Include alittle cooked spinach, well drained and squeezed dry, in place of the leeks.
Add a few capers.
Make a hollandaise to accompany.
brown shrimps, linguine, dill, garlic, vermouth, lemon
Put a large pan of water on to boil, then salt it generously. When the water boils, add 200g linguine. Cook for the time given on the packet, about 8 minutes.
Peel and crush 2 medium cloves of garlic. Put 5 tablespoons of oil in a small pan, add the garlic and fry briefly till soft, then add 200g brown shrimps and a large handful of chopped dill. Season with black pepper, salt and the grated zest and juice of a lemon and a tablespoon of Noilly Prat or other vermouth. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat.
Drain the linguine, tip in the shrimp mixture and toss them gently together.
For 2. Light lunch. Summer flavours. The fun of little shrimps and dill.
Wash and thoroughly inspect 800g mussels, discarding any that are open and refuse to close when tapped hard on the side of the sink or have broken shells. Put the mussels in a pan with 6 peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves and 200ml of water. Bring to the boil, cover with alid, and steam for a couple of minutes till all the shells have opened. Discard any that remain closed.
Remove the mussels from the pan, leaving the cooking liquid inside. Pick the mussels out of their shells and place in a bowl.
Break a medium cauliflower into large florets and steam over the mussel cooking liquid for 10-15 minutes, till tender, then strain the cooking liquid.
Toast 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts in a frying pan, till golden. Blitz the cauliffower and the strained mussel liquor in a blender or food processor till smooth. Stir in 225ml double cream then check the seasoning and reheat if necessary (probably not). Add the shelled mussels, some chopped parsley and the toasted hazelnuts. For 3—4.
broad beans, baby leeks, spring onions, courgettes, flageolet beans, peas, vegetable stock, chives, parsley, Parmesan
Pod 400g broad beans, boil them in lightly salted water, then drain and cool under running water. Unless they are really young and small, I like to pop them out of their pale skins, but it is up to you.
Thickly slice 200g leeks (I like to do them diagonally), then thinly slice 2 spring onions. Place them in a saucepan, with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and cook gently, covered with a piece of greaseproof or baking parchment. The parchment will encourage them to steam and soften rather than fry. You want them to be tender, but they shouldn't brown. Cut 200g courgettes into short lengths.
When the leeks and onions are soft and still bright green, remove the paper, add the courgettes, two 200g cans of flageolet beans, rinsed, 200g peas and then a litre of vegetable stock, bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add the broad beans and 10g chives, chopped into short lengths. Roughly chop a handful of parsley and stir into the soup. Season and pass round a dish of grated Parmesan at the table for those who want it. For 4-6.
A few thoughts
Chop and change the vegetables to suit what you have available. The point is to keep the ingredients fresh and green. French beans, chopped into short pieces, are an option, as is thickly shredded, mild- tasting spring cabbage.
To make the soup more substantial, you could add spaghetti, broken into short lengths, or any of the tiny star- or rice-shaped pastas. As this is a variation on the traditional tomato-based minestrone, there are no rules. You can add and subtract according to what is in your shopping bag. You could include some bits of chopped pancetta too. Cook them with the leeks and onions.
Squeeze the soft flesh from a head of black garlic, mix to a smooth paste with a few tablespoons of olive oil, then turn the chicken fillets in it. Cook for a few minutes in a shallow non-stick frying pan. When the chicken is almost ready, toss in a handful of whole, salted Marcona a!monds.
Make a loose paste with crunchy peanut butter, white wine vinegar, crushed dried chilli flakes and a little grain mustard. Spread on to the chicken and cook in a shallow non-stick pan in a little olive oil.
chicken fillets, smoked paprika, Dijon mustard, breadcrumbs
Mix 3 heaped tablespoons of Dijon mustard with 2 teaspoons of hot smoked paprika and a little salt and pepper. Season 400g chicken fillets. Put 25g panko or other crisp white breadcrumbs on a plate. Press the fillets first into the mustard and paprika, then into the crumbs. Shallow-fry in sunflower oil till crisp, then drain briefly on kitchen paper. Serve with mayonnaise and wedges of lime.
For 2. Smoky, crunchy chicken.
spring carrots, harissa paste, garlic, egg, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard
Trim the leaves of 650g spring carrots, then blanch, whole, in a deep pan of boiling, lightly salted water, till tender. Peel and mash 2 cloves of garlic with a pestle and mortar or in a blender, then blend with an egg yolk, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and 1-2 tablespoons of harissa paste.
Drain the carrots carefully and place on a serving dish. Pour over the dressing whilst the carrots are still warm and serve with steamed brown rice.
For 4. The sweetness of carrots. The balance of spice.
chicken thighs, potatoes, white breadcrumbs, double cream, milk, butter, thyme, sage, vegetable or chicken stock
You will need a large, shallow pan for this. Heat a little oil in the pan and brown 4 chicken thighs in it over a moderate to high heat, then remove them and set aside. Cut 400g potatoes into large chunks and brown them in the chicken pan, adding more oil if necessary. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in 400ml hot vegetable or chicken stock. Lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and leave to cook for about 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken and potatoes from the pan. Pour 300ml milk and 100ml double cream into the pan, scraping at the toasty, crusty chicken bits on the base with a wooden spoon. They will flavour the sauce. Tip in 150g soft white breadcrumbs, add 2 tablespoons of lemon thyme (or just garden thyme) and a tablespoon of chopped sage leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then add 40g butter and whisk until you have a smooth, creamy bread sauce. Pop the chicken and potatoes back in to warm through, then serve.
For 2. Sunday lunch in a pan, for bread-sauce lovers.
Trim and finely dice a large aubergine, then fry in olive oil till soft and pale gold. Add a crushed clove of garlic, fry a minute or so longer, then season with shredded basil, a little lemon juice and some salt. Cook 150g orzo as opposite, then stir it into the aubergine. Toss with a handful of grated Parmesan.
Add cooked, drained orzo to the roasting juices of a joint of roast pork. Stir gently and serve with the pork. The pasta will soak up the sticky juices from the pan.
Bring some homemade or good-quality bought chicken stock to the boil. Add cooked, drained orzo, sea salt and lemon juice, then finish with chopped mint. Cures most things for me.
turnips, orzo pasta, mushrooms, shallot, rocket
Boil 100g orzo pasta in deep salted water for about g minutes, till tender. Peel a large banana shallot or small onion and slice it finely, then fry in a little butter or oil till pale gold. Remove and set aside.
Slice 200g young white turnips into rounds about the thickness of a pound coin. Slice 100g button or small chestnut mushrooms. Fry both in a little butter and oil till golden brown. Return the fried shallot to the pan, then add 2 handfuls of rocket.
Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the shallots, turnip, rocket and mushrooms.
For 2. Earthy, frugal and mild.
Fry hake fillet in butter until pale gold underneath, then turn and cook the other side. Pour a small glass of white wine into the pan, add lots of chopped parsley, then double cream. Keep shaking the pan till you have a rough, impromptu sauce.
Swap the cod opposite for salmon. Continue as in the recipe but, instead of tarragon and capers, add a tablespoon of brined green peppercorns and a little very finely chopped rosemary.
Bring 300ml double cream to the boil, add about 10 lightly crushed cardamom pods, then remove from the heat and let it infuse. Fry fillets of gurnard in a little butter in a non-stick pan, then pour in the cardamom-infused cream through a sieve to remove the pieces of crushed spice. Finish with salt, black pepper and coriander leaves. Eat with steamed rice.
cod, lemons, tarragon, crème fraîche, capers, bay, butter, black peppercorns
Put 350g cod fillet, cut from the thick end of the fish, into a large, shallow pan with the juice of 2 lemons and 40g butter. Chop half a small bunch of tarragon and add to the pan with a bay leaf and 6 black peppercorns. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes, till the fish is opaque. Remove the fish with a fish slice and keep warm.
Chop the rest of the bunch of tarragon and add it to the pan with a teaspoon of capers and 3 tablespoons of créme fraiche. The creme fraiche will turn a little grainy where it meets the lemon juice. No matter. Coarsely flake the fish and spoon the sauce over it.
For 2. Soft, white, supremely citrus fish.
On the side
aubergine, chickpeas, rosemary, garlic
Slice a large aubergine into thick rounds and place them in a single layer in a grill pan or on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, scatter with a tablespoon of chopped rosemary needles, salt, black pepper and 2 cloves of finely crushed garlic. Cook under an overhead grill, adding a little more oil as necessary, for 10 minutes or so, until the aubergine is golden brown and thoroughly soft and tender. Turn each piece and allow to brown lightly on the other side.
Drain a 400g can of chickpeas and warm half the contents in a small saucepan with a little olive oil, salt and some black pepper. Blitz in a blender or food processor with half the grilled aubergine to give a soft, quite smooth purée. Fry the reserved chickpeas for a few minutes in a little oil in a shallow pan till hot, then stir, whole, into the aubergine and chickpea purée. Correct the seasoning then serve with the warm, grilled aubergine and some torn sesame bread.
For 2. A textural thing.
mushrooms, curry powder, naan, canned tomatoes, spring onions, chilli, yoghurt, mint
Warm a few tablespoons of oil, or oil and a slice of butter, in a deep pan over a moderate heat, then add 3 chopped spring onions and a finely sliced chilli. Cook until the onion is soft then cut 200g chestnut mushrooms into halves or quarters depending on their size and add them to the pan. As soon as the mushrooms start to lightly brown, stir in a tablespoon of your favourite curry powder, fry briefly, then add a 400g can of crushed tomatoes and their juice. Season generously and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, watching the pan carefully. Serve with warm naan, and if you wish, a little yoghurt and chopped mint.
For 2. The nourishment of warm bread. The heat of spice.
A few thoughts
Commercial curry powders vary in heat and flavour, so use one whose qualities you know and trust, or of course mix your own.
Use paneer or aubergine instead of mushrooms. Make a slower, more complex version by starting with chopped shallots and grated ginger and allowing them to soften before adding the mushrooms. Add more liquid, water or an extra can of tomatoes, and cook for longer for a gentler, more mellow result. Introduce some herbs, such as coriander and mint, at the end of the cooking time to brighten the flavour.
large prawns, watermelon, dried chilli flakes, fish sauce, lime, sugar, flour, mint, coriander
Mix 50g plain flour in a bowl with a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes and a grinding of black pepper. Pour 4 tablespoons of Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce into a bowl, stir in a pinch of sugar — no more — then add 400g large, raw peeled prawns (fresh are best; defrosted are fine) and leave them for 15 minutes.
Heat a thin film of oil in a frying pan or wok, add the prawns and fry, moving them around as they cook, for a few minutes until they are crisp and sweet. Remove from the pan and serve with the salad below.
Peel a large wedge of watermelon and pick out as many of the seeds as you can. Cut the flesh into large chunks and toss with the juice of a lime, a few chopped mint leaves and some torn coriander.
For 2. Mouth-popping prawns. Refreshing watermelon.
Sometimes, at the end of a long day, I am happy to stand at the hob and just stir. Remove four double handfuls of meat from yesterday's roast chicken and tear it into small pieces. Make a classic risotto with 200g arborio rice and a litre or so of stock. As the risotto approaches its moment, stir in 2 teaspoons of chopped thyme leaves, the chicken and a handful of grated Parmesan. Finish with a slice of butter and any jelly that may have set in the chicken’s roasting tin.
arborio rice, chicken stock, shallot, pancetta, Parmesan
Peel a shallot and chop finely, then cut 150g pancetta into small dice. Melt a thick slice of butter in a wide, shallow saucepan and add the pancetta then the onion. Leave to cook until the onion is soft but not coloured, stirring regularly so it doesn’t brown. Add 300g arborio rice, stirring to coat the grains in the butter and pancetta fat, then add 6oo—700ml hot chicken stock, a ladle at a time, stirring almost continuously. You will find the rice will take about 20 minutes to cook. The consistency should be thick and crearny.
When the rice is ready, adjust the seasoning, adding a good 3 heaped tablespoons of grated Parmesan and a little black pepper and salt (you may not need any salt at all) then spoon on to plates. For 4.
A thought or two
Risotto is as much about texture as flavour. Ideally, it should be neither soupy nor stiff. It should slide slowly and gracefully from the wooden spoon, rather than pour off it, or have to be shaken. The creamy quality has as much to do with the rice as the stock — arborio rice and homemade chicken stock out of preference. But the desired texture can be aided by beating in a thick slice of butter with a wooden spoon at the end of the cooking time. The correct, round- grain rice, good rich stock and constant stirring will get you there.
red onion, aubergine, lemon, oregano, garlic, mint, basmati rice
Finely slice a medium-sized red onion and place on a roasting tray in a single layer. Slice an aubergine into thick ‘coins’ and add to the onion, then squeeze over the juice of a lemon and tuck in 4 or 5 peeled garlic cloves. Dampen with about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Scatter with dried oregano, then bake for 25 minutes at 180°C/Gas 4.
Cook 200g basmati rice in 400ml water. Drain, add 3 tablespoons of mint and stir in the roasted aubergine and onion.
For 3. Homely. Aromatic. The joy of vegetables.
Blitz a couple of large handfuls of basil leaves with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then warm in a frying pan. Add small chunks of torn-up ciabatta or baguette, letting them soak up the basil oil as they crisp. Toss them over a salad of marinated anchovies, black olives, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and Little Gem lettuce with a glug or two of olive oil.
A can of anchovies in oil is an endlessly useful addition to the kitchen cupboard (I can eat them straight out of the can).
marinated anchovies, small penne, butter, breadcrumbs, chilli, lemon, parsley
Cook 150g mini penne pasta in boiling water then drain.
In a large non-stick pan, cook a couple of handfuls of dried bread- crumbs in a little oil, till golden, then remove. Add 50g butter and a chopped red chilli, then, 30 seconds later, add the juice of half a lemon, 100g marinated anchovy fillets, a large handful of roughly chopped parsley and the browned breadcrumbs and drained penne. Toss briefly.
For 2. Soft, piquant, crisp and hot.
Rye bread, the light sort, toasted and spread with mayonnaise then layered with thickly-cut smoked salmon, shatteringly crisp smoked streaky bacon, and a little crisp, heart lettuce. If you stir some chopped dill into the mayo, then all the better.
Shred the salmon into thin strips, then fold it into freshly made scrambled eggs with a twist of black pepper. It's a classic.
More interesting, perhaps, is to add a few bottled green peppercorns to the egg; include chopped chives or stir in alittle finely chopped cherry tomato, so the result is more like a coarse piperade.
smoked salmon, macaroni, green peppercorns in brine, butter
Cook 150g macaroni in boiling salted water. Shred 100g smoked salmon into thin strips. Melt 50g butter in a small pan and add
2 teaspoons of rinsed, bottled green peppercorns. Drain the pasta in a colander and return to the pan, add the warm green peppercorn butter and, just before eating, the strips of smoked salmon.
For 2. A light lunch. Gentle, delicate and a little piquant.
kipper fillets, egg yolks, butter, spinach, English muffins, lemon
Put the kettle on. Put 500g kipper fillets into a heatproof container or pan and pour boiling water from the kettle over them. Leave for 10 minutes, till the fish will come off the bones fairly easily. Carefully remove every small bone.
Make a hollandaise. Soften 100g butter in a small saucepan. Put 2 egg yolks in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Slowly beat in the butter with a whisk, trickling it slowly into the egg yolks. Season with lemon juice and salt then remove from the heat. Give it a regular whisk to stop it separating. Briefly steam a handful of spinach leaves.
Split and toast 4 English muffins and spoon a little hollandaise on to each. Divide the spinach and kipper pieces between the muffins, spoon over more hollandaise and grill for a minute or two till golden, then eat immediately.
For 2. The reworking of an old breakfast favourite.