PAPARDELLE WITH HOMEMADE PESTO

Allow 100g of Papardelle per a person and a tablespoon of pesto.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil(allow 1 litre of water for 100g of pasta), cook pasta to preference or packet instructions. Drain pasta and add back to the pan, add a table spoon of cooking liquid, then stir through the required amount of homemade pesto(recipe can be found under the heading pesto) if using.

Finish with a grating of Parmesan, and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Shop bought pesto could be used!

FETTUNTA

Fettunta is tuscan bread and oil. Fettunta translates as slices oiled.



A very basis preparation which relies on good quality ingredients.



Often eaten with antipasti or as a stand alone snack, i sometimes wonder if this the original garlic bread.







Method;







Country bread



Garlic



Extra virgin olive oil


Half a ripe tomato



Salt and pepper(freshly ground)



Lightly toast the bread on both sides, rub with garlic on one side then drizzle with oil, an optional rub with half a ripe tomato, gives this bread a nice colour as can be seen in the above picture.
season with salt and pepper.







I like to add a little finely sliced basil to this bread!

PESTO

This recipe for pesto, is wonderful for the home cook to attempt, although made with the help of a food processor, the result is very robust with good flavour!

Better results would be achieved with a pestle and mortar, but just the small step from shop bought to homemade is a revelation!

100g pine kernels/nuts(lightly toasted)

200ml extra virgin olive oil

50g fresh basil leaves(approx 2 handfuls)

25g Parmesan(freshly grated)

3 medium cloves of garlic

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method;



First lightly toast the pine nuts in a saute pan without colouring or burning, toast until they release a little aroma!

Place basil leaves and garlic cloves into a food processor, and pulse gently, until roughly chopped, now add the pine nuts, pulse again, add a little oil to loosen then lightly season. Now add the parmesan pulse again, and add the rest of the oil in a steady stream.


Taste and adjust seasoning!


This will make approximately 350g

This pesto will keep in an airtight container, for about 7 days.



Note on pesto:

Pesto is a ligurian speciality, that is now wide spread throughout italy. A measure of pesto's success and taste is revealed by it's use all over italy, and it's rampant spread across the world.
Pesto is a sauce, with vivid green colour, that can be used with pasta, minestrone and other dishes to add colour and flavour. Pesto can be made with other varieties of nuts, sometimes.
walnuts are used, and some commercial varieties might include inferior nuts!
There are many versions of pesto, with each recipe being personal to the cook, some remain secret to this day!

If ligurian oil is available, please use as pesto is a ligurian speciality. Each oil brings it's own unique taste, and pecorino could be substituted for parmesan, the variations are many!

BRUSCHETTA

Bruschetta from the word brucare meaning to grill or toast over coals, possibly originated in central italy's Abruzzo area around the 15th century.

Usually served as an appetizer or sometimes part of antipasti or a lunch dish in it's own right, Bruschetta has become a food for the global community, elevated to posh in some restaurants with the inclusion of finer ingredients, or rustic among others. Bruschetta in it's most basic form is toasted bread with garlic and oil, in America it might include chopped tomato, basil and mozzarella.

Method:

Country style bread or ciabatta

Good ripe tomatoes

A clove of garlic

Basil leaves

Slices of buffalo mozzarella

salt and pepper

Lightly toast the bread on each side, remove from the grill and rub the clove of garlic over one side between 2 and 5 times, depending on your tolerance for fresh garlic!

Add tomato and mozzarella slices to the top of the bread and pop back under the grill for a short while,but not long enough to melt the mozzarella!

Remove and season with salt and pepper and garnish with torn basil leaves.

CONCHIGLIE WITH PORCINI AND PARSLEY

Conchiglie is a shell shaped pasta originating from campania, due to it's shape, it is good to use with sauces, although this recipe does not hold sauce, the shape of the pasta proves to be worthwhile host for all the flavours from this dish.

This recipe calls for dried porcini mushrooms, which are reconstituted in boiling water. Pour enough boiling water to cover the mushrooms and a little more, for good measure. Your drained water can then be used as a mushroom stock.
This recipe is suitable for vegetarians.



Serves 4



Ingredients;



2 lts lightly salted water

400g conchiglie pasta (100g per person)

40g dried porcini mushrooms( 10g per person)

60g pecorino cheese(15g per person)

2 medium cloves of garlic

25g unsalted butter

olive oil

a large pinch of mild chilli powder

2tsp fresh lemon

2 tbsp of mushroom stock- reserved from reconstituted mushrooms

A handful of fresh- flat leaf parsley(if using a small hand, please use a large handful)

Sea salt and ground pepper



Method;

You will need to reconstitute the dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water, for approx 30 minutes. Once reconstituted, pass the mushroom liquid through a fine sieve or strainer, and reserve.
Bring 2lts of lightly salted water to the boil, once boiling add 400g of conchiglie.

While waiting for pasta to cook, peel 2 garlic cloves, and wrap your parsley into a nice tight bunch, finely chop the parsley and garlic together.
Add 25 g of butter and a splash of olive oil to a large skillet/saute pan, once hot add porcini and cook for a couple of minutes, then add parsley and garlic, keep the pan ingredients moving, after a minute add a pinch of chilli, incorporate, add 2 tbsp of mushroom stock to loosen the ingredients,then add 2 tsp of fresh lemon.

Be cautious when seasoning this dish as you will have salt from the cooked pasta and pecorino, a turn or two of the pepper mill will be more than sufficent!

Check the pasta to see if cooked to your liking(personally i like pasta very firm to the bite), if happy, turn off heat and add a cup of cold water to the pasta pan to stop, the cooking process!
Drain the pasta and add to the saute pan and toss to mix through. (do not rinse the pasta under a running tap, as this will impair the flavour).
Turn onto desired serving wear, and then add freshly grated pecorino, and serve at once.

Note;

These are guideline amounts, feel free to vary. The amounts shown work well in this dish.

Any other hard cheese could be substituted for the pecorino.

A NOTE ON BUILDING BLOCKS

Stock while essential to an honest restaurants kitchen, is sometimes overlooked by the home cook. Often stock is viewed as a complicated chore, at times when a recipe calls for veal stock, can we actually acquire the the veal bones? Supermarkets do not usually carry bones as a matter of course.
Stocks form the basis of most soups and sauces, and can be made from beef,veal,lamb,chicken,rabbit,fish and vegetables.
The japanese have a version of stock called dashi, which requires the use of kombu(seaweed) and bonito(dried tuna).
You will find during a search as many different recipes for stock as uses. Stock is a personal thing, i like to include star anise in my meat and chicken stock, with aromatics such as parsley, bay and thyme. I like to include carrot,onion,garlic and sometimes a parsnip, a couple of pepper corns as well. Some people like to include celery, some don't because it can leave a bitter note. I have found recipes for stock that includes only two ingredients bones and water, these recipes are striving for a pure unadulterated stock. A great many cooks will roast bones first, to develop colour and flavour,some even coat them in tomato paste! I make my stock using a big saucepan, but use a pressure cooker and you can develop great flavoured stock in under an hour!
For me stock is about my mood, i don't have to abide by rules in my kitchen, so i can tailor my stock for what ever use i intend! This is the beauty of cooking, you can break the rules, as long as the end result is good! If i will be cooking an Asian dish and require a light chicken stock i can change the aromatics maybe include lime leaves instead of bay, a little lemon grass,the choice is endless!
Recently when i have simmered a ham, i have included aromatics and vegetables, after removing the ham, i will let the cooking water reduce- then strain and bingo, a ready made stock, i like to clarify this as much as possible to use with pea or pea and ham soup. This is not cutting edge cooking, just minimising waste, the cooking fluid would have ended up down the drain and i have a pea soup with a lot more body!
Most people i know will use cooking water from the veg on a Sunday to add to the gravy, again this is a kind of stock- a building block.
A little while back when experimenting with carrot soup i made three side by side. The first was made with chicken stock, second with beef stock and the last with the cooking water!The object of that exercise was to try and make a very tasty soup without a meat based stock, they were all exceptional soups, the beef had the most body with out a doubt, but the use of a vegetable stock would have been great, but i achieved my goal i made a soup that was exceptional without any stock and at the point i knew if i hit hard times i wouldn't go hungry!
Stocks can often be reduced, to develop a great flavour, therefor they become a building block of a great sauce. I have often thought of using juiced fruits, such as apple as a stock for a pork or a ham dish. Maybe this would not work, but with an understanding of flavours it could.
The building blocks of good dishes are endless, we have traditional stocks for a reason, they build flavour!

A NOTE ON FLAVOUR BASES

Flavour bases come with many names and disguises, although essentially they all serve the same purpose - to add flavour!

In some asian cooking garlic is added to very hot wok, then stirfried until golden brown, this then adds a nutty note, which is essential to some dishes, but not all. In other dishes this nutty note, would be a very dominant flavour that would not be desirable.

Flavour bases worldwide, have different names, in the dessert world a sugar syrup is a form of flavour base - a simple combination of sugar and water!

In france a flavour base is often referred to as THE TRINITY-(meaning the state of being or a group of three). The trinity consists of three ingredients onion,carrot and celery. Cajun and Creole cooking have a similar combination, named THE HOLY TRINITY- a slight variation consisting of onion,celery and green bell pepper, with the carrot omitted. This would be found throughout cajun and creole dishes. The italians have there version the soffritto, translated means sauteed. A spanish version might consist of garlic,onion and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. Although i have mentioned four different countries the onion remains constant.
A french culinary term MIREPOIX is often referred to when talking of flavour bases, this would sometimes contain onion,celery,carrot- (the trinity) plus cubed ham or sometimes bacon. All these bases add wonderful flavour to stocks and sauces or individual dishes.
A mirepoix or savoury vegetable base can start with any number of different vegetables, including leeks,shallots and garlic. Herbs are sometimes included, parsley and thyme being the most popular.
By cutting the vegetables into very small dice we increase the surface area to be cooked therefor maximising the extraction of flavour. Small diced vegetables are more suited to shorter cooking times, meanwhile large cut vegetables have a place,especially in stocks and stews. The larger area being more suited to the longer cooking times.

COTTAGE PIE

This, a basic recipe that will yield a very tasty pie. Of course other ingredients can be added at your whim, the inclusion of a little brown sauce works a treat, a member of my family will often add peas, what ever you do, this is a treat to eat. A time consuming dish to make, but the results are superb. A hearty meal that all the family can enjoy with seconds, if you desire! There are several methods, which include browning the mince first, then removing , then adding your flavour base, removing and a simple de-glaze,with red wine. We like to stick to this recipe as it's simple.





Here is our recipe;



2 tbsp of vegtable oil

1000g beef mince(lean)

1lge onion

2 sticks of celery

2 lge carrots

2 cloves of garlic

200ml of red wine

300ml of beef stock

1 tbsp of plain flour

2 tbsp of tomatoe puree

3 tbsp worcester sauce

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

You will need to finely dice the carrot,celery,garlic and onion, as this will be your flavour base.
Once you have prepped your vegtables for the flavour base, you will need a good size skillet or saute pan, add 2 tbsp of oil, place on the heat and add your onions, saute for 2 minutes, then add your carrots and celery cook for a further 2 minutes, add a good pinch of sea salt, and a good grind of pepper, now add your garlic and saute for a further 5 minutes.
Add your mince, cooking to the mince changes colour(you will need to keep the ingredients in the pan moving, to avoid sticking and clumps of mince forming).
Once the mince has changed colour, turn down the heat to low, add 1 tbsp of flour, passed through a sieve, cook for a further 1 minute till the flour is mixed. Add 2 tbsp of tomatoe puree, whilst keeping the ingredients moving, cook for a further 1 minute, before adding 3 tbsp of worcester sauce. Incorporate the worcester sauce, before adding red wine and beef stock.
The cottage pie mixture is now covered and left simmering for 40 minutes, check regularly for seasoning,with a stir now and then being a good idea.

Mashed potato topping;

1.2 kg potatoes

25g unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Whilst the cottage pie filling is simmering, you will need to bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, prepare the potatoes, cutting into pieces the same size to encourage even cooking. Once the potatoes are cooked and tender(pierce a potato with a sharp knife, if the potato, easily slides off the knife, they are ready). Drain, then mash with the butter and olive oil and season to taste.By this time, you should be ready to remove the cottage pie filling from the hob, place in your desired dish, allow to cool a little. Then spread your mashed potato evenly over the top of your filling, i will leave your desired pattern as a personal choice.

Place your pie/pies in a pre-heated oven about 190c/375f/gas 5 this should be sufficient. Cook for approximately 35minutes or until your topping is golden brown, and the inside of the pie is very hot.

This will serve 4 very hungry people, or six average sized portions.

Note;

This recipe does not require the fat from the mince to be drained. Lean mince is used, and the inclusion of a little that adds wonderful flavour.

We like to eat this, with seasonal vegtables.

Please see note in archive on flavour bases!

REAL YORKSHIRES

The key to excellent yorkshire puddings, is heat. You need a very hot oven.

Eggs are an essiential ingredient, but a lot of recipes call for only one egg. I have used up to six eggs with this recipe , with really good results, i now find three large eggs to be more than sufficent. This recipe will see your yorkshire puddings rise to new heights.

Suitable for vegetarians if using vegatable oil.

Note; Measuring in cups, from your cupboard, use the same size(standard mug is good) for liquid and flour.

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of milk

3 large eggs(preferably organic)

Beef dripping or vegatable oil

A pinch of salt

You will need to make your batter at least an hour in advance, i often leave the batter for longer so that a good whisk from time to time , will allow the incorporation of air.

You will need a mixing bowl of sufficent size to allow all of the ingredients to be mixed without spillage. Place a sieve over the top of your bowl, and pass the flour through the sieve and add your pinch of salt.

Slowly incorporate your milk until you achieve a batter with a smooth consistency, add the eggs one at a time, until you achieve a lump free batter. The batter should be the consistency of double cream, if your batter is to thick add tepid water until you have the correct consistency.

Allow to rest for 1 hour minimum.

Heat is the key to good puddings, so pre-heat the oven on maximum. Once a good heat has built up, you will be ready to place your yorkshire tray into the oven, when the oil is smoking hot and only when smoking hot, you are ready to pour your batter.

This is the tricky part, you need to maintain the tempature of the oven, so pour the batter into a jug, that is easy to pour from, and keep at the ready.

Take out yout tray, only when the oil is smoking, shut the oven door to maintain oven tempature, and quickly pour your batter into each hollow so that it is level with the top of the tray. Open the door and place on an oven shelf above halfway. Only keep the door open for the shortest possible time.

These will take 20-25 minutes depending on your oven. For the first 5 minutes leave the oven tempature as it is, then turn down to 200c/400f/gas 6, for the remaining cooking time.

Note; Opening and shutting of the of the oven door during cooking, will cause the loss of heat, resulting in the puddings losing height and volume.

EGGS

Potato omlette



6 large organic free range eggs

300 g waxy potatoes

150g cooked ham (omit ham for a vegetarian potato omlette)

1 medium red onion

10 cherry tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pinches of paprika or mild chiil powder

2 small pinches of cumin

10 basil leaves (torn)

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

sea salt (to taste)

freshly ground pepper (to taste)



pre heat oven to 190c/375f/gas mark 5, and place a saucepan of salted water to boil.

Cut your potato into dice, and add to a pan of salted boiling water, cook the potato till

tender but holding there shape.While potato is cooking finely chop the red onion, garlic,ham and tomatoes, and reserve until called for.

Lightly whisk the eggs,season and add torn basil leaves 2 pinches of paprika/chilli and 1 pinch of cumin. Reserve

Drain the potatoes in a colander and shake excess water until dry. Heat a 12"/30 cm saute pan or skillet with the olive oil until hot, place potato into hot oil and saute for 2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper, and 2 pinches of chili or paprika and 1 pinch of cumin. Saute for a further minute then add chopped onion, continue to saute until onion has softened, season and add garlic, saute for a further 2 minutes, then add ham, continue to saute until all ingredients in the pan are mixed then pour on seasoned egg mixture, continue to cook until bottom of omlette has set, transfer saute pan to a hot oven 190c/375f/gas mark 5, with the door left open so that the top sets, as soon as eggs are set it is ready.

Slide the omlette out whole on to a large plate, serve immediately.

BREAD

Who doesn't like bread?

Malta although not noted for culinary wonders, like all countrys they have hidden gems, there use of rabbit, little pastizzi(small filled cheese cakes, made with a flakey pastry but bearing no resemblence to english cheesecakes), and of course the bread.
Maltese bread is special, very special, that special that your average maltese is said to consume roughly 1 kg a day.
Loafs are big, and for just over half a euro you can eat one yourself...............if your in malta.
Maltese loafs are based on an old tradition of bread making, probably originating from the knights of the order of saint john, similar breads exist in Rhodes.
Methods used are similar, but not identical to the true sourdough bread, made famous by San Francisco.
A maltese loaf is a textural revelation, a thick heavy crust, with a slight burnt note, chewey, moist and slightly sour, which is not devoid of the odd air hole. Most breads would be kocked back, a method used to knock the air out of the dough, during rising, this results in less holes in the finished loaf, this part of the process is omitted with maltese bread.

I have flirted with bread baking at home, with varying degrees of success, it's a very emotional process, almost theraputic, the kneading, then the wait for your loaf to prove, with the baking filling the kitchen with that lovely aroma from the alcehmic process that has happened during incorporation of yeast,flour and water, then introducing your creation to very hot oven.

My last attempt this weekend past, will be my best effort yet, the result was a lovely granary loaf, with a reasonable crust, one that i would be proud to share..........only i didn't.
Bread making so far for me has consisted of the use of dried packet yeast, and well known brands of bread flour. I want more, i want the real deal, i want sourdough .

I have had a recipe for a starter dough for a couple of years, but have never had the courage to take the plunge, after our trip to malta i bought back another starter recipe, i now have two so it's time, the time has arrived!

Over the coming weeks i will make the starter, hopefully with regular feeding i will produce a starter dough that will remain with me for many years, i will post the recipe and progress of my efforts, hopefully daily.

Watch this space.............

French laundry cookbook

Five years ago, i chanced upon an article, featuring a restaurant in the Napa valley, california's wine country. The restaurant being reviewed was the French laundry. To say i was taken in by this review would be an understatement, so you can imagine my surprise 2 years later when i found a copy in my local bookstore. This book had to be bought, even though it was £40.

Is this the book that single handed changed the face of the modern cookbook.

What do you look for in a cookbook?

I think most serious amateurs would be looking for a lot more than just recipes. We all have our books jam packed with recipes, some handed down from relatives others bought secondhand or new, but there comes a point in every cooks journey, when an extra little bit of insight is needed, into the workings of an excellent chef and restaurant, in simple terms a culinary genius!



The whole book feels right,looks right, and reads very well. A well structured book, with outstanding food photography, shot with a flair that draws you into it's beautifully crafted pages!
The book takes you in a journey through the finesse of the restaurant and the special people who make it happen.

There are some wonderful recipes, although you would need a lot of skill and patience to undertake such offerings, but this is a book, from one of best restaurants in the world.

The recipes are not traditional recipes as you might find in your run of the mill cookbook,but rather plates of food, sometimes small bites, some complete courses. This approach really appeals and with the stunning photos to back up most dishes you are able to see the courses as they would be presented.

I have often broken down elements of each recipe, i once took the orange glaze that is served with pacific moi, and recreated this glaze to be used with pan fried duck, which worked wonderfully! I have used basil oil, instead of chive oil in a tomato dish, this is allowed, you are not trying to match or better Mr keller, but learn from him, you are not cooking 3* michelin cuisine at home,but you can sure impress!
A favourite recipe that i have adopted time and time again would have to be lemon sabayon tart with a pine nut crust, absolutely adorable!

The french laundry cookbook is large, it contains 325 well crafted pages and a total- 100 recipes, this does not include the several pages on purveyors a first for a cookbook, which highlights the intense relationship between nature,purveyor and cook. There are pages on how to make flavoured oils, braising,stocks,sauces,powders, how to stain and use kitchen tools properly! There are six pages titled the importance of......................
These pages refer to ingredients or techniques, giving an insight to often overlooked, but important cooking practices.

If only you read the page on salt,pepper and vinegar, you would gain a great deal of knowledge, i sure did!

NO doubt professional cooks the world over have benefited with insight and knowledge, now not a lot of cookbooks can make that claim!
I have seen this book grace shelves across the globe from delhi to valetta, then back to singapore.
Most memorable sighting was in a restaurant cum guesthouse, which sported a bookshelf in the dining room, this was north india, the guest house was so-so, but the food serious!
Unfortunately for myself this is probably the closest, i will ever come to the French Laundry, but for now i can live with that, if only for a while!

Probably one of my best investments to date, and without a doubt an eye opener!

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to The city kitchen blog. In time we hope to recreate recipes of old and post the new.
I have a passion for the culinary world, whether it be recipes or their execution, food related issues, restaurants and of course eating.

Sometimes my food is rustic, traditional, occasionally classic, but always enjoyable.
I like to play in the kitchen, and have an interest in the science behind the cooking, but only in a practical sense.
Most of the time we stick to practical, why? Because it works.

At present, in this diminishing financial climate, plus the need to be more aware of humane issues surrounding our larder, we still need to feed ourselves,familys,friends and loved ones.
At home this is what we do. By trying our hardest to minimize our waste, buying sensibly with the need to maintain a healthy unprocessed robust diet, that we enjoy and gain pleasure from. Surely if you are here reading this,you share our views, if you are here by mistake take a minute to read our thoughts and recipes.
At present i have certain goals, some achievable, some more difficult. In a perfect world we would shop at farmers markets, buy from independent sources, but we all know the world is not perfect, but every little change no matter how subtle whether it be a boycott of caged hens and chickens, or the odd item that is organic,it is all positive.
On recent trips to the stores,i still see trolleys laden with junk, full to the brim, with a hefty price tag to match,but these super shoppers stand in the aisles bemoaning the price hikes, without realising that a change of eating habits could mean a considerable saving to health and pocket.

I will endeavour to change my ways, will you?