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Saturday 3 December 2011

Recipe: Sausage Rolls - Christmas treat! (These rock! Mum's are much better!! But these still rock!)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

First things first! No sausage roll is ever going to beat the sausage rolls that my mum's made for time immemorial for the family at Christmas -  and sometimes on my birthday fair amount of bargaining for that to
happen though! - years of honing and perfecting!

That said you can always practise! I was clearing bit of space in the freezer and found a couple of bits of pastry too small to be useful on their own, but together . . . . it might just work! A little more hunting rewarded me with a couple of rather nice looking sausages which I put on the side immediately to defrost (whilst putting the pastry in the fridge). A quick root around the fridge found me some chives that wouldn't have lasted much longer, and a little thyme. All I needed now was an egg for shiny loveliness and I was good to go!

I made these sausage roles in about 10 minutes flat from spare parts! It's really just an assembly job!

INGREDIENTS (makes 12 mini or 4 man size)
150g flakey pastry (buy if you want, but here's how to make it!!)
2 good quality sausages
6 pieces of pepperoni
5g chives
3g soft thyme
1 egg for wash and seal

APPARATUS
rolling pin
pastry brush

METHOD (preheat oven to 220C / Gas Mark 7 / cooking time ~20m)

Beat the egg in a bowl.
Finely chop the pepperoni, chives and thyme.
Remove the casing from the sausages and add the meat to the chopped ingredients.
Mix them all together and using a little flour on the counter roll into a sausage shape about 1inch (2.5cm) in diameter.

Cut in half at it's centre  - one sausage for each piece of pastry!
Take the pastry from the fridge and roll it out into an oblong, around 9 inches (~23cm) wide, and 3mm (1/5 inch) thick. Then cut along it's length into 2 pieces.

Take one of the sausages and place it at the top of one of the lengths of pastry and roll it towards you leaving an inch wide flap, brush this with egg, and finish rolling towards you.
Cut it into 6, 4cm rolls and and brush with beaten egg. Place on a greased baking tray.  
Repeat for the second roll.
You can cut them to any size you fancy!
Pop them in the oven for 20mins or until golden brown! 
 
(I usually check them after 15 minutes)
Cracking treat for all the family!! : ) Thanks Mum!

Sunday 23 October 2011

Article in Verdens Gang - VG Weekend Food Journey

by Nilas Johnsen (Journo) and Fredrik Solstad (Photographer)

Post by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Verden Gang - which translates to "World Affairs" is a Norwegian news paper. VG is one of the most award-winning newspapers in Norway for its journalism and has the second largest circulation there. It was established by members of the resistance movement shortly after the country was liberated from German occupation in 1945! The things you find out on wikipedia!


Nilas Johnsen (Journo) and Fredrik Solstad (Photographer) came to dinner here's what they had to say:

Please excuse **woeful** machine translation by google translate! I've tidied it up but I have no doubt that parts will 'on inspections' (in joke between me and google translate - I've removed about 45 'on inspections') be lost in translation.


It's not just about the food. This is London's premier check-place, says Tom about his cramped kitchen. It simmers in the sauce and the air is thick with the aromas of the wine, garlic and French cheeses. Boil-creases Tom Cenci (31) and Dan Do-herty (27) prepares classic French evening of allowable guests.

A group of strangers paying a fixed price but worth noting this is no ordinary dinner party, but a dinner club, or "un-derground supper club" as it is called - We are head chefs in each restaurant was, but in that environment there's less chance to play with your products and try new things, explains Dan.

"Supper Club" is perhaps the hippest food to eat in London right now, and ever new dinner clubs emerging as all the time. They range from the test premises of chefs with Michelin stars, to the kitchenette at home lonely-me housewives.

Tom and Dan, who run the Chefs-London, is "in home variant" But thanks kokkeut-formation and good råvarekontakter, the duo have ray shining [SF: this sounds pretty good to me!] reviews on matblogger.

[SF: I think it is immensely important to have good kokkeut-formation]

An hour before the guests arrived-more, the small kitchen table is full as the ingredients are being prepared.
- The first time we were nervous, now is the routine. Moreover, it should not be stiff. Guests will see us make ready the food, says Dan.

One night on inspections visits Chefs London costs 35 pounds, or 311 kroner. The guys are not as Template A make money, just covered expenses. At the same time, they learn new dishes, building reputation, and meet new people.

- There are so many singles, and most are women. It is a perfect place to check, [SF: Oi Oi Tom!] smiling Tom, and reveals that one of the guests are not completely unknown, however: His new flame to taste his food for the first time.

While snails in the frying pan, guests are tumbling in and take matters into their on inspections [SF: I left that one in for a laugh] Toms kitchen brought wine.

Nicky Gorman (37), who's come with his girlfriend Kirsty Dennett, the for-sure that even though she works in the financial sector, not the economic recession that has driven her away from the restaurant tables, and back into a kitchen in South London - It is the social. We will not sit and babble to each other. We are sitting on a table and get to know new people. [SF: NASA]

A scant fifteen minutes later, the kitchen is chock-full. While Tom and Dan cook, smatter guests in a dip of white beans and drinking wine [SF: Tom's at it again! ; )] - I live in a fairly closed environment, where all the musicians. Here, I meet people I otherwise never would have talked to, says composer Philip Ash-worth.

28-aring agree with matblogger and table-woman for the evening, Fiona Maclean (51), that the snails [SF: post on snails coming soon! The question is, do snails have teeth?] are excellent (and less threatening looks host snail outside their houses, soaked in sour cream and hidden among fungi).

Five French cuisine (and a few bottles of wine) later, the guests exchanged phone numbers and Tom's new flame, Swiss Alessandra, has given the food a thumbs up.

Photo captions
DANDERING: Chef Simon Fernandez checks that chefs Jennifer and Sabrina Ghayour plating starters as shown. [SF: the translation called you guys my apprentices, but I figured that was a little unfair!]

SKY: Simon purifying the lamb jus, for a dish that's adopted the nickname "marry me lamb", after a happy, male guest, asked about Simon's hand because he liked food so much! Wife rolling her eyes!


Chef Simon Fernandez was one of the pioneers of Supper Club trend, and a regular in the top ten charts. Since then he has taken the concept one step further and started what londoners call a "pop-up restaurant" in a wood panelled ballroom in East London. When VG weekend visit ferdiesfoodlab  the mood in the kitchen was bit more frenetic than at the home of Tom and Dan. 37 hungry guests waiting in the foyer, and even though Simon has two chefs and three servi-tors, it has become a race against the clock.

- My God, this is not good for the nerves. But the passion for food is and the interest is what drives me, he explains.

The six dishes served on a shared platter and guest pass around. After liquorice brushed steak with white tomatoe sauce,  champagne roasted pears with Italian ham, the first fresh crab with creamy samphire, followed by lamb shoulder roast on  low heat for five hours.  It has been said the mother that the term "melt on the tongue" is not a cliché. [SF: unlike most mums that's a totally superflous mother in there!]

Four different desserts, including chocolate with dark chocolate and black olive, quit the party.
- such places as ferdiesfoodlab you can really taste the father of new and exciting food, says guest Tom Ledwidge (34) satisfied, and stroking himself on inspections of his round belly.

FACTS
● WHAT: "Supper Clubs" are clubs where you pay a fixed price to attend the a dinner party. They come in as many varieties and price ranges as restaurants, but is less formal and less expensive.

● WHY: There are many good restaurants in London, so why go to a home kitchen to someone you do not know? That's why: Supper club is bathing in a social and gastronomic experience. Perfect for those who intend meet new people on the weekend.

● HOW: to select a good supper club requires a little more preparation, cooperation than to choose a restaurant. Space must have usually booked at least one week in advance (as is the case of the good restaurant). Decide what kind of food you want, what price range and where in the city you want.

You may want to judge read a bit about the place on different matblogger / kåringer before you book space.

● WHAT IS PROVIDED: A set menu for the evening with five or six dishes (say if you have any allergies). There are separate clubs for brunch, "high tea" with cakes, curry nights, Asian, and went on for ages, but most focus on inspections of modern European cuisine.

● VIN: Some serve a cocktail before dinner, some wine, but the most common is that you buy with a wine bottle.

● Collect: Most supper clubs located in suburbs  slightly away from the centre. Use http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk to judge the directions.

● ONLINE: You can search for different dates and a variety noon clubs: http://supperclubfangroup.ning.com http://www.guestaurant.com/ http://www.gusta.com/

● WE VISITED: both highly recommended ferdiesfoodlab: bookings[at]ferdiesfoodlab.co.uk & chefs london: chefslondon[at]gmail.com

● RECOMMENDED: London's most celebrated [SF: Ahem! Cough!] dinner club "the Loft Project", where Michelin-star chef Nuno Menndez invites famous chefs from around the world for an evening of mateksperimentering. Book in advance: www.theloftproject.co.uk/

[SF: NASA - Nice And Safe Attitude]

With many thanks to Nilas and Fredrik for their permission to use their work on the blog!

Friday 14 October 2011

Recipe: Mum's Orange & Almond Cous Cous

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Cous cous is one of those foods that can be mind numbingly bland. In the hands of any would be - or accidental - food assassin,  it could have everyone around the table slumped over with their tongue handing out, bored to death.

First time I tried this was at Marc's house. (old school friend) I think I was 7 or 8 years old! I'd never seen anything like it, and filled my bowl with trepidation. I'm glad to say Marc's mum was no food assassin and I snorked my portion along with various other French bonne bouche that his mum had put out for us after a hard day's climbing!

I've traditionally made cous cous with hearty winter flavours provided by roast vegetables and nuts, raisins and chicken stock.

But orange juice used to make the cous cous -  add a really fresh dimension, fantastic!

This recipe is by my mum, and jolly good it is too . . .

ferdiesfodlab recipe mums orange cous cous and almonds

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
1 medium onion
3-4 handfuls (depends on size of serving dish) Marcona (round) almonds for decoration
green part of 2 spring onions  (finely chopped)
half a small fennel bulb  (finely diced)
1 orange for decoration
juice of 1 orange
large knob butterl
large handful dried fruit (apricots/cranberries/sultanas)
cous cous (2 tablespoon per person)
6-8 cherry tomatoes
cooked green veg – could be green beans or very finely chopped mange tout
6-8 black olives

You can also add boiled egg (quite soft), dates or nuts

METHOD
Soften the onion in some oil and drain
Roast the almonds at Gas mark 6 for 15 mins  (enough to decorate the serving dish you plan to use)
- leave to cool a bit, coat in honey and sprinkle with salt.
Stew cherry toms (I do mine in the cast iron pan with a bit of oil and salt) until very soft. Remove and try to keep intact for decoration.

Place cous cous in a bowl and add boiling water and salt to taste. Add a knob of butter and stir in.
Warm the orange juice and reduce slightly – then add to cous cous.
Then add dried fruit and greens, fennel (finely chopped) spring onion & olives
Put the mixture in a nice bowl, cut the orange into discs and place round edges of bowl. Use honey coated almonds and cherry toms on top of cous cous for decoration.  (you could also use some of the egg or the olives as well)

Tuesday 23 August 2011

ferdiesfoodlab - first review

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab
When I put the menu together for the test run opening, there were a number of things I was bearing in mind, first and foremost was that the only working equipment in the Toynbee Hall kitchen was a 6 ring burner and an oven. The next thing was that it may be a total disaster!

I certainly don't advocate thinking like that, but you cant help those little moments, when you're exhausted - partly because you've been so busy you've forgotten to eat and partly because 16 hours in front of a computer or stove will do that to you - and then one of those sneaky doubts creep in, I certainly find it's when I'm most tired!

So it might be the only one I do so I'm going to put some things on the menu I'll possible never get another chance to cook with again, question is what!?

I remember sitting down in the restaurant at the hotel I was staying in in New York, and a friend of mine who'd stayed in the same hotel recommended I try the King Crab, he said it was the biggest crab he'd very seen! Well, I had my doubts, but I tried it anyway - I'd had a good day in the office and decided I could do with a reward : )

In typical American style, it was also the biggest crab I'd ever sean, I couldn't possibly ; ) eat a whole one!! Really quite beautiful to behold, and a delicate sweet tasting meat . . . hmmm!

As I reminisced, I thought, that's got to go on! Later . .  fek it's expensive! Sod it, it's the first and possibly only run, I'm putting it on! Can't pic that up in the super market I can tell you . . . 

Anyway needless to say I put my heart and soul into creating ferdiesfoodlab.

This is what the London Foodie thought of it. . . .


I don't know what to say, except thank you Luiz, and Toynbee Hall! 

Friday 19 August 2011

Recipe: ferdiesfoodlab - building a new supper club from scratch

by Simon Fernandez (@ferdiesfoodlab)

I've spent the last month creating ferdiesfoodlab and it's been a very, very, busy month I can tell you. There's been a lot of hecticness (it's a real word), and a fair amount of, is this really going to work? Anyway, here's the recipe. . .  

INGREDIENTS (serves 28)
1 passionate ferdie (with an idea and nowhere to do it)
1 passionate organisation (with a venue and nothing to do with it - Toynbee Hall)
some willing friends in the kitchen and front of house (Albert, Jo, Marc)
2 extra chefs (Jen aka Cook School Cat & Robbie of NoReservations)
2 photographers (Jo Maynard, Steve Berryman)
1 wine connoisseur (Nathan Nolan of Mr Drink n Eat)
1 bar of self belief (broken into chunks and snorked at regular intervals)
a pinch of doubt (to keep it real)
a small dose or terror
      (again to keep it real - you can substitute with fear but doesn't keep it as real)
as much luck as you can get hold of (very scarce ingredient, seems to come in packs of 3)
1 surprise concert pianist
1 table of guests (not the grumpy sort - good quality ingredients are critical!)
      (including London Foodie, Claudia of Whiteroom Supperclub & Gail of A Girl in Walthamstow)
small hoard of unknown quantities (these are a bit like luck and really add to the depth of flavour)
I'm sure I've forgotten something . . .  : ? oh yes, a menu!

APPARATUS
1 6 ring burner
1 convection oven
1 blender
10 baking trays
sharp chefs knives
various kitchen utensils
white board pen (not permanent!!)

METHOD
Be invited by passionate organisation (in this case Toynbee Hall) to use their venue. Go to look at venue and meet the passionate custodians of the hall.
ferdiesfoodlab at Toynbee Hall

Be blown away by the venue, and spend the weekend cooking for friends at their engagement party and talking about it.

Return to Hereford (or other homely sunny place), and get some sunshine on your face. I remember one time a very long time ago, a friend of mine told me, "If you stand facing the sun all the shadows fall behind you". I love the sun on my face it always puts me in such a good mood!

I love you sunshine! Please don't take my sunshine away!!
Facing the sun! You're not doing it right!



Now use those positive thoughts to work some ferdie magic and go and find some cool things that would create a nice atmosphere in the venue.
Harry Copper! : ) Ferdie magic! Get it? - I couldn't help myself
Once you've found them get to work restoring them so they're all nice and shiney!

A bit of elbow grease, a drill and some rotary sand paper.
It didn't look much in the reclaim yard. . . .
We served 5hr "will you marry me" slow roast lamb in it  -  Photography by Steve Berryman


to be continued . . .             
don't forget, upcoming dates Fri 9th Sep, and Fri 23rd Sep 
at Toynbee Hall near Aldgate East.


in the next episode . . . .

Barents Sea King Crab - Stunning Ingredient
ferdiesfoodlab at Toynbee Hall
A really lovely crowd came to help test run : ) Photography by Jo Maynard (Artist)






Tuesday 9 August 2011

A cut above!!

by Simon Fernandez (@ferdiesfoodlab), in partnership with East London Steak Co for The Jamie Oliver Foundation

Introduction to East London Steak Co:  The East London Steak Co. is a new online delivery concept launched by acclaimed chef Richard Turner and butcher James George. This new venture offers the finest naturally reared beef from selected rare breeds to customers within the M25 area.

The East London Steak Co. source the highest quality beef from British farms. Every animal is hand-picked and selected using strict criteria, which ensures all cattle are grass fed, have been traditionally farmed and reared in an environment which meets the highest standards of welfare.

The East London Steak Co. only use five main rare breeds of beef, including Dexter, Galloway, Longhorn, Shorthorn. The beef is dry-aged on the bone for a minimum of 28 days or longer on request.

Richard Turner, director of the East London Steak Co. is a restaurateur and chef who has worked with renowned chefs including Michel Roux Jnr, Pierre Koffman and Marco Pierre White.  James George, also director of the company, has worked as a butcher for over 10 years; their professional background brings a unique partnership to the business, as they both understand first-hand the necessary components needed to enhance the quality and taste of the beef.

The Experience
I was expecting delivery of the meat in between 5am and 8am. At around seven I received a text msg to inform me that my meat was 20 mins away, and delivery was imminent.

Got up, had a shower and got a coffee on the go . . .  and waited with baited breath.


It arrived in a very cute van! And I don't mean that it was a nice colour or anything like that. It was a micro van, and clearly with green credentials.
A very polite - and frankly, for that time of the morning, quite cheerful guy handed over a couple of boxes: nicely packed, and in tact - had clearly been treated with care.



It's nice to know where your meat is from, the type of animal it came from and it's provenance, how it's been reared and butchered.


Types of steak that we used - before I go any further it's important to note that East London Steak Co sponsored the event and the beef, both for some of the test runs and on the night were contributed by them. The quality and taste of the beef was the amongst  the highest I've ever encountered, the marbling and fat content of the fillet and the forerib gave them both astonishing flavour and tenderness.

For the test run I picked cuts that I've been meaning to use but just haven't had occasion or time to - things like ox cheek, hanger steak (onglet), forerib and bone marrow.

Here are some of the things I tried out:

Ideas, recipes and ingredients tested for supper club - posts to follow
Liquorice "Smoke Cured" Hanger Steak

Hanger Steak, Chips and Ginger Carrots w/ Tarragon Sauce and Horseradish Sauce



Fore rib with to be served w/ roast potatoes and ginger carrots

Ox Cheek - and Garlic
Braised Ox Cheek

Roast Bone Marrow


Briased Oxtails w/ Onions & Green Beans

Fillet Roulette - something I came up with in the Alps at Christmas thought I'd share!

Recipes for each one to follow . . . . . look out for the Jamie Oliver Foundation fundraiser series. 8 fab recipes!!!

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Recipe: Patatas a lo Pobre

by ferdie
This is a classic dish, I've used sausage meat (and sausages) to give a real winter warmer feel to the flavour. It takes about 40 mins of chopping and stove work to prep it, then it's in to the oven at 180C for 25 mins and then 15 mins more at 220C to crisp up. Cracking served with garlic bread, which you can put in during the last 15 mins so everything is ready at the same time!

The tomato sauce base is tasty and very versatile, I use it in all sorts of things from a delicate oregano macaroni, spiced up with tortilla, simple with parmesan and spaghetti and a little basil.(ooh and don't forget pizzas too)

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)
3 onions chopped,
1 red & 1 green pepper,
8 medium potatoes,
6 cloves garlic,
2 bay leaves,
1 bunch (40g) thyme,
1 bunch (40g) parsley
175g sausage meat
10 slices of salami (pave or a black pepper coated one - chopped)
8 good quality sausages
6 ripe tomatoes (coarsely chopped)
100ml EVO

METHOD
Pot 1 - The potatoes

Take 8 medium potatoes washed and sliced around 3/4 -1 cm thick. Then boil, skin on. When done check with a knife, smash them. This is adding a little extra virgin olive oil some salt and pepper and rough mixing them around the pan so a light potato fluff forms around them. This will give them a crispy outside when they're fried later which adds a great texture to the final dish.

Pot 2 - The tomato sauce
Put the EVO on high, hot, add 1 of the chopped onions, 1 clove of crushed garlic. After a minute or so add the tomatoes - they'll spit when they go in so be careful. Also add 1/2 a finely chopped chicken stock cube. Simmer for 10mins. Then mash with masher.

Pan 1 - Softening the veg
Slice 2 onions, 3 cloves of garlic add them to the pan, and sweat them off - cook them until the onions go clear (sweat then off) on a medium heat. While the onions cook, chop the peppers into eighths, removing the stalks and seeds. Next peel and slice 5 carrots. Peel them either lengthways or, a little easier first in half then diagonally about 1/2cm thick. Put the lid on and leave them all on a low heat to sweat. In the meantime, back at pan 2, err actually it's our first visit to pan 2!

Pan 2 - The stock and the sausages
Put 1/3 of a pack (around 175g) of sausage meat into the pan with a little oil and squash it flat into the pan with a spatula. Crumble 1 pork stock cube over it.
Chop up the salami and add it to the pan, break up the sausage meat with the spatula and cook through. You can add the sausages around the edge here to brown them off.

When sausage meat is cooked through remove sausages and put to one side. Add what should now be an almost crunchy mix to the veg in pan 1.
Put the potatoes in pan 2 with olive oil and crisp up adding the sausages to brown a little more if required. 


Remove sausages and halve them, add the potatoes to pan 1 and mix through. Add a dash of white wine to pan 2 to deglaze the sausage flavours and pour this into pan 1 too.
Spread the tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dsh and add sticks of thyme liberally
(every inch) on top, pour pan 1 in, spreading it over the top and add halved sausages.
Bake 180C for 25mins then full 220C for another 15mins (add a garlic bread or 2 now!)

Tip 1 - The tomato sauce base made here is very coarse but it doesn't matter since it's going to sit at the base of the dish and get thicker adding flavour and texture to the dish. For a smoother sauce add about 1/3 of the volume again of boiling water once the tomatoes are soft blitz it with a stick blender, then sieve.

Friday 25 March 2011

Recipe: Oyster Mushrooms Noissette

by ferdie

This is an unassuming but tasty little number, I often do it if I'm doing tapas since you can cook them in the afternoon and reheat them when you need them. Sitting in the clay dish with a little parsley on top they look very prosaic. Which is kinda what you want so that with that first bite your guests will have that look of mixed surprise and delight at the nutty loveliness.

They go well with tortilla, and as an accompaniment to a variety of things (add link to chorizo crisps), and are a great vegetarian option on their own, and, for example, with a little cream and tagliateli or torteloni.  
Oyster mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil, salt.
INGREDIENTS
400g oyster mushrooms
150ml Noilly Prat (dry white vermouth or failing that white wine)
50g unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
parsley to garnish
flakey salt and pepper

METHOD
Put enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan with generous coat of oil and add the mushrooms, turn up the heat.
Add the mushrooms just before the oil starts to smoke and toss them in the oil to coat them all over.
Once coated sweat off the mushroom don't move them around too much allow them to brown from the heat of the pan.
Once they have released most of their moisture and are nice and golden brown, remove them from the pan to a bowl.
Get the pan hot, pour in the Noilly Prat / white wine - it should bubble as soon as it hits the pan - and boil until you can no longer smell evaporating alcohol. When you reach this point return the mushrooms to the frying pan, stirring them to coat them all over.
Once there is almost no liquid left in the pan remove the mushrooms to your bowl again and add the butter.
Melt the butter and heat it until it turn a light brown, (You do not want this smoking!) and then return the mushrooms to the pan, coat well. Once all the juices are soaked up, you can serve or put aside until later.
After they've taken a little colour they should like this. Fab!
If you put it aside simply return it to the pan to warm through.

Serve in a clay tapas dish with a few leaves of parsley on top and some rosemary bread.
A vegetarian dish: Oyster Mushrooms Noissette w/ Tagliateli and Baby Courgettes

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Recipe: Sweet Corn Velouté w/ Chorizo Film

by ferdie, in partnership with Unearthed for Action Against Hunger

This is a pretty standard flavour combination, the film is almost undetectable but adds a strong complementary chorizo flavour to the thyme infused corn soup. Another contributing factor is taking a proportion of the corn and frying it to within an inch of it's life, giving it a charred savoury popcorn-esque dimension to the flavour of the soup! It usually goes down pretty well! 
Flavour 1: Sweetcorn
Flavour 2: Chorizo (pronounced cho-ree-tho)
INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

Sweetcorn Veloute
8 cobs sweet corn (if you're going to use tinned use 4 tins unsweetened corn 280g each)
4 tbsp EVO
1.0 litre veg/chicken stock (or 2 pints water + 2 stock cubes)
10g lemon thyme
50g butter
1 tsp table salt
250 ml double cream
1 large onion (finely chopped)

Chorizo Film
75g chorizo diced
50ml milk (semi skimmed fine)
150ml single cream
Lemon thyme imparts a wonderful fresh depth to the soup.
METHOD
Blend 3/4 of the corn until smooth and put aside.
Put stock, and cream in pot with bouquet garni of thyme and extra virgin olive oil.
Set to boil, then simmer for 20 mins to infuse with the lemon thyme.
Charring the sweetcorn adds an extra facet to the flavour.
Put remaining 1/4 of the corn in pan, with chopped onions and saute with butter until it's almost starting to burn, in fact the odd charred one will add to the flavour the frying brings out.
Blast the charred corn and onion in blender until smooth.

The chorizo film is an infused cream:
Pan fry finely chopped chorizo, let the fat seep out, add the cream and mix simmering to soak up the flavour of the chorizo for about 10 minutes, after which it will have taken the colour of the paprika from the chorizo, blend the mix, if the mix is a little too thick to sieve return it to the pan and add a little milk to loosen it, then sieve it, squeezing the mix down with a wooden spoon to extract as much flavour as possible. 

Put it into a squeazy bottle and, once cooled, into the fridge until ready for use.

TIP: If you want to make a chorizo and leek pie you can get away with not blending the chorizo and cream, simply loosen it and sieve it and keep the chorizo back to mix with leek for a nice pie filler!
Serve me! serve me!
When nearing time to serve, remove the chorizo cream from the fridge, to bring it to room temperature.
Finally remove the bouquet garni from the stock and add all the sweetcorn purée. Bring to the boil and simmer not more than 10 minutes or the colour will become dull.
Here you can see the cream starting to spread to form the film.
To serve ladle the soup into bowls and squirt the cream gently (so that it doesn't go under the surface) in a circular motion onto the surface of the soup. Initially it will form lines, but as the cream warms through it will spread to form a film on the surface of the soup. Garnish with a sprig of thyme and serve immediately.

This is a version we did in partnership with  Unearthed for Action Against Hunger 
Me thinks this one sneaked past quality control - served in a bit of a rush! Ahem!
Sweet Corn Veloute w/ Chorizo Film
We used Unearthed spanish chorizo, pre-sliced.
You can find the whole 8 course menu we served here.

Monday 21 March 2011

Recipe: Flamenquines (Cordoban Rolls) w/ Saffron and Green Mayo

by ferdie, in partnership with Unearthed for Action Against Hunger

Like croquettes? Like dipping sauces? Like using your fingers ; ) . . .  I mean you don't have to but you can!! Well you'll love these! They're a bit of a faf but you can make a huge batch and freeze them and then pull them out when friends come over, or you fancy something snaky to go with that movie!!

INGREDIENTS
Flamenquines a.k.a. Cordoban Rolls w/ Saffron and Green Mayo (makes ~12 rolls)

1 pork loins (butterflied and hammered)
10g parsley (chopped)
1 garlic clove minced
1 pack serrano / prosciutto ham
250g bread crumbs
flour and eggs to coat

For the cheese roux

50 butter
30 plain flour
165ml milk chicken stock (50/50)
40g cheese
1 pack Hungarian pepperoni

To serve
100g saffron mayonnaise
100g green mayonnaise
100g lambs lettuce

METHOD
To make the cheese roux, melt the butter in a pan and add the flour. Mix it into the butter to make a paste and keep cooking it to cook the flour through for about 5 mins, then add the milk. Mix it to a smooth sauce, than add the cheese and keep cooking it to thicken it up. We also used spicy hungarian pepperoni chopped up and sprinkled into the sauce to give it a little extra pep and texture!

Allow to cool, and then put into a piping back reserving 1/4 to coat the flamenquines.
Take care not to cut all the way through else it's GAME OVER
Cut the pork loins along their length in half, then butterfly each half and hammer them out thin.
Oooh! Aaaah! Make me thinner! Aaaah! Eeeeeh!
If you're lucky it will come out as an oblong in which case you can make one large roll!
If not, cut across it's length (see chopsticks) to the desired width.
If it comes out triangular cut across the width. Top of picture.
Now lay the pork onto cling film.Lay the ham on top, and then the parsley and cheese.
Next pipe a thick core (1.5-2.5cm) down and wrap the flamenquines so the edges don't overlap too much. This is important because it means the pork will cook properly when they are fried.
Roll them in the cling film and put in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. (this helps them retain their shape as you cut and handle them, patience required here because it has quite an effect on the outcome!)
The cheese roux will give you a sumptuous centre! Aaaah come to me lovely cheese roux!
Take them out of the fridge, unwrap them from the cling film and using a knife coat them with the remaining cheese roux.
Re-wrap and return to the fridge.
Last step is to coat in bread crumbs. You want 3 bowls: flour, whisked eggs, and bread crumbs.
Coat in flour, dip in the whisked eggs and then in the bread crumbs and then return to the fridge for 30mins before use.

Cook at 150C/5mins in fryer. Take one out to make sure the pork is properly cooked through.Then remove the rest.

You need to be precise with the cooking time here, the centre must be piping hot, soft and gooey, and the outside cooked and golden crispy. If you cook them too long not only will you burn the outside but the inside will start to create steam causing it to squirt  out into the oil - Oh nooooo . . . catastrophe!!! - which isn't good if you're doing a bunch of batches because all the bits that squirt out will quickly start to char and pollute your oil with burnt bits. Result: rather mangled looking hollow husk of tough pork with burnt toast flavour coating! Oh, and no lovely gooey cheese centre, time to cry!

Serve with saffron mayo and green mayo and garnish with lambs lettuce (which also makes a nice side salad dressed with a little lemon and extra virgin olive oil). They can be served whole or cut in half to show of their porky goodness!

This is a version we did in partnership with  Unearthed for Action Against Hunger
I'm glad my freezer isn't big enough to have a cache of these. I'd be a reet podger
Flamenquines (Cordoban Rolls) w/ Saffron and Green Mayo
We used Unearthed italian pork loins, prosciutto, spicy hungarian pepperoni.
You can find the whole 8 course menu we served here.

I adapted these from the more traditional recipe so we could pre-prep them and cook them quickly in a deep fat fryer. The more traditional version, in which less cheese roux is used, and the pork is rolled swiss roll stylee, is baked for 25 minutes instead. It makes for a meatier snack, but of course you can't make them in a fryer in the same time as the above recipe because the pork simply wont cook.

If you have time - I quite like the relaxed pace of the baked version on a weekend afternoon, since you can make something else as they bake (or read the paper!) - you can roll them with more meat in the centre and bake them at 190C for 25mins. If you brush them with olive oil it gives a lovely golden crisp finish.

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More Techniques, Basics and Corker Recipes

More Techniques, Basics and Corker Recipes
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