As a food writer I often get the chance to sample foods from all over the UK.
Recently I was sent 3 samples from Inverawe Smokehouse, which situated on the West coast of Scotland, 80 miles north of Glasgow.

Organic Sliced Salmon
Their organic salmon comes from the most northerly isle in the Shetlands where strong tidal currents ensure excellent water quality. The fish are fed by hand and the feed is purely organic. No artificial colourings are used as the feed contains shrimp, a natural source of pigment in the diet of wild salmon. The whole farming cycle is organic and the fish are stocked at low densities in fast moving, tidal waters, which means the fish are healthier.

The appearance surprised me in that it was much paler in colour than most other smoked salmon I have seen and tried. The taste however was wonderful, a pure, fresh, delicate flavour and texture….so simple and yet so very good.

Roast Smoked Salmon Pate
This pate is a new edition to the foods listed on their website.
It’s made from both salmon and trout that have been hot smoked.
The difference between hot and cold smoking is basically the distance the fish is from the smoke and heat source. In the case of hot smoking the food cooks as well as taking on a smoky flavour. Where as traditional cold smoked salmon is placed much further away from the smoke so that by the time it passes over the fish the smoke is cold so the process only cures not cooks the fish.

Smoked Loch Etive Trout
At first glance the smoked trout to untrained eye could be mistaken for salmon. The deep red colour is different to the pink or brown one normally associates with smoked trout. The flavour again told my taste buds this was indeed amongst the very best smoked trout I had ever tasted. Nicely balanced between the trout itself and the smoke flavour.

If you want to treat yourself to quality smoked fish then you should go and check out the award winning wonderful foods on offer from Inverawe.

http://www.smokedsalmon.co.uk/

Just a few lines to say thank you to the friends of this blog who were able to come to the Barbecue Master class. The whole day was a lot of fun and a big success. Special thanks to member Chris Hayes for his help and the sound technicians from DJ supplies who made sure the sound system and headset mic were flawless.

When I had my own restaurant in the USA,it also had an “English Pub” at the front that was popular with the locals. My idea was that the pub part of the business would help support the restaurant on quieter days.

I served hot & cold food in the pub and this Chicken Pie topped with mashed potatoes instead of pastry became a popular dish. In trying to think of a name for the pie that would clearly tell the customers it was different, I remembered a running joke I had with my dad. When ever the prodigal son(me) would return home needing some kind of favour (as must young adults do) he would jokingly refer to me as “Lord Stechford” since at that time the family home was in Stechford. When rewriting this recipe for the Mercury several years ago I wondered whether I should change the name? should it be more serious?, but then thinking of all the good memories of my dad I just couldn’t.

*you will need a 2-3 “ deep casserole or pie dish that’s oval and about 9 1/2 x 7 inches.
700 grams (1 lb 10 oz) 1” diced raw chicken
2 Medium sized leeks 1/4” diced and well washed
100 grams of chestnut mushrooms cut in quarters
2 medium sized carrots peeled & cut into 1/4” size dice
375ml Strong Chicken stock
60 grams (2oz) Plain flour
60 grams butter
125ml whipping cream
1 sprig of thyme

1.) Melt 60gr (2 oz) butter then add the chicken, leeks & mushroom.
2.) Cook the chicken mix for 10-15 minutes on a moderate gas stirring from time to time then remove from the heat.
3.) Add the thyme and carrots to the stock and simmer until the carrot is tender then add the carrots to the chicken mix.
4.) Melt 60gr butter and add the flour stirring well, cook on a low heat for 5 minutes stirring constantly.
5.) Gradually stir in the hot stock, one ladle at a time, keep stirring the sauce.
6.) Once all the stock is incorporated, simmer the sauce for about 35 minutes stirring occasionally.
7.) Stir in the cream and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
8.) Put the the chicken mix into the pie dish the strain enough of the sauce to cover it but do not swamp it,then let it cool completely.

Garlic Mash Topping
1.5 lb Maris Piper or White potatoes
60 gram (2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves of Garlic
60 grams butter
1.) Peel the potatoes and cut them into equal size pieces. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold
water together with 4 peeled cloves of garlic.
2.) Bring the water to the boil then season them with salt & pepper, then simmer don’t boil.
3.) When the potatoes are tender, drain them well, then mash them.
4.) Wait until the mash its smooth, before adding the butter, then check the seasoning.
5.) Use either a piping bag or a dessertspoon to put the mashed potato onto the pie.
6.) If you used a spoon and not a piping bag then make a pattern with a fork.
7.) Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese. and put in the oven
8.) Preheat oven gas mark 6 (200 C) and cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Chef’s Tips
A probe thermometer is handy to ensure the centre of the pie reaches 75 C.
Allowing the chicken mix to chill and set before putting on the mashed potatoes will help give the pie a more professional look. I personally like to use a food mill/mouli to mash the potatoes to an effortless smooth mix. Ideally to create strong flavoured chicken stock, start with twice the amount of stock and reduce down to 375ml.

The combination of peaches & raspberries goes back a long way to a dish created by Escoffer (a celebrity chef in the Victorian era). He created a wonderful dish called Peach Melba; using freshly poached peaches, a sauce made from fresh raspberries and real vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately somewhere in the late Nineteen Sixies the fragrent peaches where replaced with tinned peaches, the Melba sauce was replaced by a red sauce that bore no resemblance to a raspberry sauce and the ice-cream became yellow in colour without any hint of a vanilla pod.

Pastry
200 grams Plain Flour
125 grams Softened butter
50 grams Icing sugar
1 large egg beaten
Filling
5-6 fresh ripe peaches
150 ml whipping cream
3 large eggs
45 grams sugar
Almond topping
50 grams whole almonds
20 grams butter
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt
Stock Syrup
500 ml water
400 grams sugar
1 vanilla pod
Raspberry sauce
450 grams fresh or frozen raspberries
50 ml stock syrup

1. Make pastry and leave to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the pastry until it is no thicker than 4 mm.
3. Lightly butter a 10” ceramic flan dish, and then line with the parchment paper circle.
4. Trim off any excess then refrigerates.
5. Combine the stock syrup ingredients into a large stainless steel saucepan and bring to the boil.
6. Use a small sharp knife to make a crisscross on the bottom of the peaches.
7. Turn off the heat & then carefully place the peaches into the stock syrup.
8. By the time the syrup is cool the peaches will be cooked enough, but not mushy.
9. Remove and drain the peaches, then peel them (the skin should easily pull away from the fruit).
10. Carefully cut each peach in half, trying remove each stone as cleanly as possible,(save any peach trimmings).
11. Beat the eggs & sugar of the filling ingredients together, and then add the cream.
12. Cut open the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds out and add to the egg mix.
13. Lay any peach trimming into the pastry case then arrange the peach halves on top.
14. Gently ladle the custard into the centre, so as not to splash the peaches.
15. Bake on the middle shelf of a preheated oven 170C (gas mark 3) for 45 minutes until the egg custard is set.
16. Whilst the tart is cooking combine the almond topping ingredients in a non-stick saucepan and
fry gently 4-5 minutes, stirring them often.
17. Chop up the almonds using your pulse mode on your food processor & sprinkle on top of the tart during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
18. Combine the raspberries and the stock syrup then simmer for 5-7 minutes.
19. Strain the raspberry sauce through a fine strainer and offer on the side or zig zag it across the plates before laying down a slice of the warm peach tart.

Chef’s Notes
I prefer the raspberry sauce for this dish to be a little tart so it contrasts nicely against the peaches and the egg custard. The left over stock syrup with keep for several weeks, and can be used in fresh fruit salads.

Several readers emailed me and asked for directions so I thought I’d post a map.

So this is a call for all people who would like to improve their barbecuing skills to come and enjoy this free masterclass.

Learn how to roast a whole chicken on your BBQ , a shoulder of lamb, Caribbean Shrimp..some great vegetarian dishes….we will bake a pizza on the BBQ and even make a few delicious desserts. So come with an open mind and become the barbecue king of your street!!!

I will be giving out copies of the recipes, a BBQ hints and tips sheet,and of course you’ll get a chance to sample some of the delicious food yourself. We even have an Australia Sunshine Barbecue valued at almost £400 to give away in a prize draw.

Barnett Hill is a large Garden Centre on the Worcester Road. My performance begins around 10.30am and goes on until about 5pm. We also have a Caribbean steel band to get you in the party mood.

Barnett Hill Garden and Leisure Centre,
Worcester Road,
Clent,
Tel: 01562-700-308
http://www.g-l.co.uk/events-details.php?id=296&ccode=barn

I was down in London Tuesday night at a PR Media network event held at the Waldorf Hilton by the Food4Media group

The highlight of my evening was meeting TV chef and author Antonio Carluccio. He's a warm easy to talk to nice guy and he graciously offered me several nuggets of advice about cooking on TV. If you like Italian cooking………… your cookery book collection should include some of Antonio’s titles.

Being a chef, I don’t always make time on my schedule for these kinds of events but I should if I want to continue raising my profile and doing TV work in the UK.

Anyone trying to pronounce the name I have given this dish will think its a right “mouthful”,
but infact I was going to call it “Roasted Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto” originally, because the recipes also includes sage. However if this is off-putting you could just give it an Italian name such as Risotto di zucca (Zucca being the Italian name for squash). One thing that is certain if you’ve been following my column for a while is I’m a bit evangelical when it comes to Risotto. It is so versatile and can be used as starter or main course; it can contain meat, seafood or vegetarian ingrediants. If you haven’t had a good enough risotto to fall in love with the dish, then give this a try! and you too could say......mmmm! that’s a right mouthful.

300 grams Arborio Rice
1 large RedOnion roughly chopped
1100 ml Chicken or vegetable stock
1 Large butternut squash
1sprig of fresh sage
90 grams Parmesan cheese (grated)
60 grams Parmesan curls
100 grams Unsalted butter cut into small pieces
200ml dry white wine
1/2 green chilli deseeded & finely diced
4 large cloves garlic peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil

1.) Peel and roughly cut up the butternut squash , setting aside the seeds.
2.) Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto the squash, season with salt & pepper and roast in a
hot oven 220 C for 30 minutes or until golden brown & tender, then set aside.
2.) Put your chicken or vegetable stock onto heat, adding the sage and the garlic and simmer until tender and the sage and garlic flavours are infused into the stock then remove.
3.) Melt 40 grams of butter in a thick bottomed saucepan adding the red onion, as soon as the
butter has just melted.
4.) On a medium heat cook the onion until it is translucent (about 5 minutes),
stirring often with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5.) Add your rice and continue to stir the mixture for a further 2-3 minutes to coat the rice with butter.
6.) Pour in the white wine and cook until the white has been absorbed into the rice, remember to keep ocassionally stirring, then add the diced chili.
7.) Gradually add the hot stock 1-2 ladles at a time, letting the rice absorb most of the stock before adding more ....and don’t forget to stir.
8.) Rinse off the reserved butternut squash seeds seperating any membraine from the seeds, then dry the seeds on paper towel, season with salt & black pepper. Roast in a moderate hot oven until golden brown.
9.) After all the stock has been absorbed into the rice (20-25 min), turn the heat down. and stir in the roasted squash pieces.
10.) Then gradually add the rest of the butter & Parmesan cheese, the risotto should be a creamy quite runny consistency. The rice should be tender but still have a little bite to it.
11.) Season with salt & pepper (if needed) and serve topping each portion with a few Parmesan curls & the toasted butternut squash seeds.

Chef’s Tips
Risotto is best served with a salad dressed with oil & balsamic vinegar, and of course a glass or 2 of crisp cold white wine. You can also deep fry a few extra sage leaves drain them on paper towels then sprinkle on each bowl of risotto. Deep frying sage leaves really mellows the flavour so give it a try, just make sure your frying oil is clean.

Charcoal
The two main types of charcoal are brickette or hardwood lump, some purists prefer the more nature hardwood lump. My self I like a mix you see the hardwood lump lights quicker and burns faster, whereas the brickette is harder to light but burns for longer.

Health and Safety Tips
Barbecuing, like anyone form of cooking takes practice, but here are so do's & don'ts to help you have a successful BBQ

If using charcoal light the coals about 45 minutes before you are ready to cook.
If your using a gas grill then light it about 15 mins before you want to start cooking

Work Table
Is always a good idea to have a work table close by.

Be Cool Dudes
In warm weather don't take any raw meats or seafood outside until you are ready to cook. I like to prep everything in the kitchen then put the foods into plastic containers. The plastic containers then get put into a large cooler bag with 3-4 frozen cool blocks to keep the food nice and cold. This way you don’t need to keep running backwards and forwards to the kitchen whilst your food on the grill is burning.
If your having a buffet table with things like colslaw, potato salad etc keep cling wrapped in the fridge until you are about to serve.

Plates and Containers
Have heat proof containers to transfer cooked food into...don't put the cooked food onto plates or bowls that had raw foods in them.

Fingerlickin Burnt
If you wish to use a barbecue sauce don’t put it on too soon. Most barbecue sauce have brown sugar, honey, or molasses all of which burn very easily. Just brush BBQ sauce on during the final minutes of cooking.

Weather Protector
The day before a large barbecue I always make a casserole type dish such as Chili or Curry you might sayi it’s one I made earlier. I do this for 2 reasons…..
1.) If the weather turns bad and I have to bring the guests in they can still eat.
2.) Often when barbecuing you run out of food until the next batch is cooked, so by having a readymade dish people who don’t want to wait.

StoveTop
If you wish you can reserve par of your grill top to warm sauces etc.

If making your own burgers make them several hours before hand, this helps to keep there shape and prevent them from falling apart on the grill.
Make sure you have a place for keeping your grilled food hot/warm. Cook the longer cook items such as chicken before you cook the burgers. If you need to cook a large number of sausage for your barbecue consider par cook them in boiling water (add a chicken bouillon cube if you like), then finish them on the BBQ grill.

A Chip Off The Old Block
You can add a great smoky taste to the food by using various types of wood chips on your grill. Probably to two best know in the UK are hickory and oak. But there are lots of others. Here is a brief list of the better know woods and the types of food s they work well with.

Apple- Very mild with a subtle fruity flavor, slightly sweet. Good with poultry (turns skin dark brown) and pork.
Hickory- - Most commonly used wood for smoking--the King of smoking woods. Sweet to strong, heavy bacon flavor. Good with pork, ham and beef.
Lilac - Very light, subtle with a hint of floral. Good with seafood and lamb.
Mesquite-Strong earthy flavor. Good with beef, fish, chicken, and game,one of the hottest burning.
Mulberry- The smell is sweet and reminds one of apple.
Oak- Heavy smoke flavor--the Queen of smoking wood. RED OAK is good on ribs, WHITE OAK makes the best coals for longer burning. All oak varieties reported as suitable for smoking. Good with red meat, pork, fish and heavy game.

The secret to using wood chips on your barbecue is to soak the chips the night before in cold water so they smoke rather than burn on the grill.

Don’t Bug Me Man
Think about bug prevention and how you can prevent them from spoiling your fun
Remember if you use bug sprays..... spray before you bring out the food. Bugs can be more of a problem close to water so don't set up your BBQ grill close to the ornamental pond.

Clean-Up
Most of the clean up of the grill should be left until the grill is cool. But you should definitely brush the grill bars down well with a sturdy wire brush.

Children
Barbecues can be great social gatherings especially if yours gets a reputation for good food. With that in mind don't allow young children close to the BBQ when it is hot. If there is any unruly kids looking likely to cause an accident designate another adult as the safety officer to keep the kids away from the grill, after all you can't be expected to cook and watch the children.

Oven Gloves/Clothes
Its a matter of personal taste which you use but make sure you have more that one and that they stay dry.
A wet oven cloth gets very hot because the water turns back into steam.

Sunshine Legend 4500

Kevin's Barbecue Master Class starts at 10.30am
Enter the free prize draw and win this very hansome 4 gas burner barbecue worth around £372.

The Caribbean steel band "Tropical Heat" will also be performing to get you all in the party spirit.

Sunday 28th May
Barnett Hiill Garden & Leisure Centre,
Worcester Road,
Clent.
Tel:01562-700-308

There is no area of cooking more poorly understood or maligned than Barbecuing.
If you’re a reader who has only experienced the horrid charred remains of your neighbour’s BBQ please I implore you to read on.

Barbecue cookery is cooking any type of food outdoors.
The reason it is so often done so poorly is because the “chef” I use the word loosely does not understand the importance of heat control.

Firstly men who rarely if ever cook indoors do an awful lot of barbecuing.
But for some reason because this form of cooking is done in the garden it seems to fall into his domain, perhaps harking back to our caveman roots?

Basically there are two methods of barbecue cookery, direct cooking and indirect.
This explanation refers to charcoal grills, later in the article I will go over the same principles using gas.

Direct Method
Image a rectangular BBQ grill, fill one third of it with a high stack of charcoal, the middle third with a medium stack of charcoal and the final third leave empty.
So you have created 3 heat zones…High…medium…and low (the empty third will get sufficient radiated heat. Now you have 3 heat zones you will have much more control and your confidence will grow so you can be more adventurous in what you cook (I have even baked cheesecake on the barbie). If your barbecue is round then think of a pie chart and again divide your grill into thirds.

Indirect Method
To be able to cook using the indirect method your barbecue needs to have a lid.
Again image a rectangular BBQ, this time placing equal (medium amounts) of charcoal at either end. In the middle place a disposable aluminium-roasting tray,
ideally one that fills one third of the space. This will be your drip tray to prevent flare up. Once your coals are tempered (which takes about 35 minutes) then you can place a joint of meat (say a shoulder of lamb or a whole chicken) and cook it without burning. You first need to rub some kind of oil and season the meat or you can marinate the meat before hand to add interesting flavours and textures.
By closing the lid to your barbecue you are creating an oven and you will need to baste the meat from time to time ( the same as you would if you were roasting the meat in your oven. Cooked lovingly over coals will add a delicious slight smoky flavour to the meat.

Gas Grills
Both indirect and direct cooking methods can be done on a gas grill, using the same principles. For direct cooking on gas to ideally you need 3 gas jets to replicate 3 heat zones. Having 1 set on high, 1 set on medium and 1 set on very low or off.
When using the indirect method on gas you of course leave the middle gas jet off, also make sure that the disposable drip tray prevents fat getting into the turned off gas jet.

Don’t Forget The Vegetarians
If you have more that 10 guests coming to your barbecue the chances are at least one or two of them will be vegetarians…so lets not forget them.
To respect their wishes I usually cook all the vegetarian dishes first, then there can be no question that their veggies were cooked next to meat etc.
One of the most popular veggie dishes I cook is a Warm Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable salad, comprised of courgettes, aubergines, red, yellow, green peppers,
Oven dried tomatoes, roasted garlic. I dress the salad with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar…. finishing the dish with roughly chopped fresh basil and torn pieces of mozzarella cheese.
Desserts
When cooked quickly on a clean grill the combination of fresh warm fruit, very cold homemade vanilla ice cream washed down with a glass of dry champagne takes some beating.
In Summary
There is a whole world of outdoor cookery that can intrigue and delight your senses once you have mastered the basics. Recreate those Mediterranean memories of azure blue waters, the fishermen landing their catch…sardines straight on the grill.
Perhaps a shoulder of local spring lamb studded with rosemary and garlic as the sun begins to dip on the horizon.

Lots of other tips and tricks tomorrow in part 2

Sometimes trying replicate restaurant food isn’t easy because not all the ingredients are available in supermarkets. But things do change thus making certain dishes more realistic.
Several weeks I noticed that duck legs were starting to be sold in supermarkets, which makes this wonderful dish more practical. The name confit is of course French and means “to cook in its own juices” and traditionally was a way to cook & preserve the meat in fat before refrigerators were invented. The process involves cooking the meat submerged in the fat very slowly. The key to storing the meat successfully was the fat had to be pure (no water) and that all air pockets were removed so the fat could not go rancid.
If your unable to get goose or duck fat then use vegetable oil and increase slightly the amount of garlic & herbs and add half a knorr chicken bouillon cube. Cooking the confit earlier or even the day before makes this a very easy starter to serve and yet its a classic!

2 large duck legs
1.5 heads of garlic
2 Thyme sprigs
1 small sprig of rosemary
325 ml Goose fat or vegetable oil*
1 bag rocket leaves
1 dessert spoon oil olive
Cherry chutney
1 punnet cherries pitted
1 red onion finely diced
2 Tbsp honey
1 red apple finely diced
8 maraschino cherries drained & chopped
50 ml red wine
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch of cinnamon
1 finely diced red chili

1. Season the legs on both sides well with salt and black pepper and refrigerate for 4 hours.
2. Make the chutney by combining all the ingredients except the fresh cherries in a non stick saucepan and simmer until the apple & onion are tender then add the cherries continuing to cook on a low heat until most on the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a sterile storage container and allow to cool.
3. In a thick bottomed saucepan add the goose fat and herbs & break the garlic down into cloves, but don’t bother peeling them. Then turn the heat on low.
4. Using a clean tea towel, wipe the duck legs dry then carefully put them into the fat as it heats up. Make sure the legs are completely covered and bring the fat up to a low simmer. The duck legs will take about 1.5 to 2 hours to cook, and should be very tender when done, be sure to test with a skewer. Allow to cool in the fat .

To Serve
Wash the rocket leaves, then drain well.
Heat the duck legs either in a hot oven 200 C for 10-12 minutes or better still in a hot dry non stick frying pan. keep turning the duck until it is brown and crispy (about 5-6 minutes).
Spoon the olive oil onto the rocket, toss & season. Divide the rocket between two plates.
Top with the duck confit & a couple of spoonfuls of the cold chutney. Or try using a bed of coriander leaves as shown in the photo.

Chef’s Tips
If I was cooking the confit professionally I would marinate the duck legs in a spiced salt for 24 hours. This draws moisture from the meat and helps preserve the meat longer.
If your using the confit within 24 hours freeze the fat in a plastic container so you can use it again. Remember to strain out the herbs and garlic first and label the container. When reusing you will need to simmer the fat for 30 minutes prior to use to evaporate any water content, then add fresh herbs & garlic. I suggest you use the fat a maximum of 3 times before making fresh.

I will be performing one of my BBQ Master classes in the Midlands on Sunday 28th May in Worcestershire. So clear your schedule for that day and come along.

So this is a call for all people who would like to improve their barbecuing skills to come and enjoy this free masterclass. Barbecuing is just a method for cooking food…any food outdoors.

I will teach you how to control the heat, which will give you confidence to try lots of interesting different dishes.

Learn how to roast a whole chicken on your BBQ , a shoulder of lamb, Caribbean Shrimp..some great vegetarian dishes….we will bake a pizza on the BBQ and even make a few delicious desserts. So come with an open mind and become the barbecue king of your street!!!

I will be giving out copies of the recipes, a BBQ hints and tips sheet,and of course you’ll get a chance to sample some of the delicious food yourself. We may even have one or two prizes to give away.

Barnett Hill is a large Garden Centre that has its own produce and meat section (so you can even do your food shopping whilst your there). I will be performing on the large patio deck area…we also have a Caribbean steel band to get you in the party mood. I will post more details and the show times in the next day or two.

Barnett Hill Garden and Leisure Centre,
Worcester Road,
Clent,
Tel: 01562-700-308
http://www.g-l.co.uk/events-details.php?id=296&ccode=barn

When I go to various food shows, one of the things I look to sample is the olive oil. Usually sampled with a piece of plain bread, it’s amazing how different olive oils can vary so much. Some can be fruity, other peppery, some with grassy or other characteristics.

Earlier this year in London I had the chance to attend a Portuguese Food and Wine tasting. Being a member of The Guild Of Food Writers I often get these kinds of invitations but usually turn them down due my busy schedule. But since I know so little about Portuguese food and wine I felt I should really make the effort to go.

It was at this show I came across an olive oil that is one of the best I have tasted for a very long time. It’s called Quinta Vale de Lobos. In the last couple of years this olive oil has won medals in the USA, UK and other European countries.

Difference in Dressing
This might be the ideal time to write a paragraph or two about how the French and Italians dress a salad. The French generally speaking make a Vinaigrette (which mixes the ingredients together) before mixing into the leaves. Where as the Italians put the ingredients on one at a time. First the Olive oil, then salt & pepper, then a vinegar (usually red wine, balsamic or sometimes both. The reason the Italians put the oil on first is it coats and protects the leaves thus preventing the vinegar from “burning the leaves”. Occasionally you find an olive oil good enough and well balanced enough to dress the leaves without any vinegar.

Below is a link to the Quinta Vale de Lobos site….again let me stress that I am not being paid to endorse this product………I’m just sharing with you my honest opinions.

http://www.valedelobos.com/

For UK foodies out there that enjoy events like the BBC’s Good Food Show in November, now you can get up close and personal with all your favourite
TV chefs 18th-21st May at the NEC in Birmingham.

This brand new event is intended to replicate the success of the November show. Centre-stage at The Summer BBC Good Food Festival is The Summer Kitchen sponsored by Sainsburys where Britain’s top celebrity chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Ainsley Harriott, Lesley Waters, The Hairy Bikers, Gino D'Acampo and the Good Food magazine team will be serving up a tasty selection of summer recipes to inspire and entertain you.

As you many of you know (read my profile) for the last two years I have performed cooking demonstrations at the November show and am hoping (in talks at the moment) to appear again (I will keep you all posted).
http://www.summer.bbcgoodfoodfestival.com/
*logo and photo with kind permission of BBC Haymarket.

Knives
If you do intend to go to the show here is a great opportunity to buy the same knives that I use. As I mention here several months a go Kin Knives are quite simply the best knives I’ve ever owned. I tried Henkels, Global, Sabatier and others but Kin knives stay sharper longer and are better balanced.

Tony Murland of Kin Knives will be at the show stand GF193.
Mention to Tony that you read my blog and tell him he should too.
Or if you can’t visit the show take a look at his web site.
http://www.uktoolshop.com/catalogue/kinknives/kin1.htm

Living in the countryside for the last couple of years, I grown to appreciate the seasons more and the different things each one brings. Right now many farms around here (Worcestershire) are selling wonderful Asparagus…so please if you get the opportunity this year to take a drive into the countryside then look for signs on the farm gate selling wonderful foods directly to you. The word asparagus comes from the Greek asparagos, meaning shoot or sprout. Asparagus spears are, in fact, edible shoots that develop on rhizomes when the soil temperature is warm and the water supply is favourable. The spears, if not harvested, develop into ferns 4-6 feet tall. You can occasionally pick wild asparagus but it does go to seed quicker and can be tough once past its best.

Farm Shops
Growing in number,Farm Shops around the UK reflects people’s willingness to seek out good wholesome ingredients. Although it’s been a while since I been in the US I’m sure the situation is similar there. The big advantage we have in Britain that we still have lots of local butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers compared to the US.
This mainly due to the UK’s smallness in size, which makes shopping a walk up the road in many communities. Also most of these UK town centres were developed long before the Car so consequently thinks are not generally spread out.

Use It or Lose It
I know from my own busy life that it’s easy to do the one stop shop at the supermarket and I do….But I also patronise the local corner stores to get a better quality. I’m lucky to have 4 quality butchers and a greengrocer in my small town. The reason is because this town has so far resisted the huge supermarkets and the two we have are small enough to still give the local trades people a chance to do business.
Do use your local quality butcher, not just for the better quality but because a good butcher can be a treasure trove of information and ideas.

Asparagus Ideas
This not a formal recipe per says but a few ideas you might want to try.
The combination of tomato and asparagus is the natural combination, either in risotto or pasta. Last week for the Mercury shoot I created an Asparagus starter.

Mixed leaves tossed in a top quality Portuguese olive oil, lemon zest and juice and chopped coriander. Steamed local asparagus spears topped with a poached organic free-range egg. I decorated the plate with oven-dried cherry tomatoes and latticed the dish with reduced syrupy balsamic vinegar.

Another favourite lunch dish is Asparagus soup garnished with grilled spring onions and collops of warm smoked chicken.

Hope that has enticed your taste buds enough for you to consider going into the countryside near you and looking for the King of vegetables.

If you asked anyone who knows me, they would tell you I’m a bit of a chocoholic. So I have shown great restraint in only have having written one or two chocolate based recipes since beginning this column.
I was really pleased with my first attempt at making a chocolate trifle. It had to be very chocolatey but not too sweet. I also experimented with different types of meringue, even poaching some in vanilla milk similar to a dish called floating island. In the end I decided to keep it simple.

6 large egg yolks
250 grams amaretti biscuits
225 grams Plain Chocolate (70%)
Juice of one large orange
75 grams hazelnuts ground
60 grams castor sugar
250 ml Double cream
550 ml milk
2 Tablespoon corn flour
2 Tablespoons Brandy
1 Tablespoon Amaretto (Almond Liquor)
4 small meringue or shells or stars

1. Reserve 4 amarretti biscuits for the top of the trifle then soak the remaining biscuits in the Brandy, Amarretto and orange juice.
2. Make a few chocolate curls to decorate with then melt the remaining chocolate.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with 50 g of caster sugar for 3-4 minutes.
4. In a medium size bowl mix the corn flour with 50 ml of milk into a smooth paste.
5. In a non-stick saucepan bring to the boil the remaining milk, then pour onto the corn flour paste whisking briskly.
6. Whisk in the egg yolk mix then return to the heat in a non-stick saucepan and cook on a medium heat until thickened stirring constantly.
7. Place saucepan in a sink filled with 1-2 inches of cold water and continue to stir for 1-2 minutes and leave to cool.
8. In a cool bowl whisk up the double cream to a soft peak stage.
9. Stir in the melted chocolate into the now luke warm custard.

Assembly
in a decorative glass bowl spoon half of the cream then top with half of the soaked biscuits. Pour 1/2 of the chocolate custard. Sprinkle half the hazelnuts then repeat the layers, finishing with the custard. Decorate the top with the four reserved amarreti biscuits and four small meringue stars. Dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle the centre with the chocolate curls.

Tomato Sauce comes in many guises and plays
a major part in both French & Italian cookery
and yet its often under represented in cook books.
Though I work in a French Restaurant I am also
influenced by the evocative mental picture of
craggy-faced Italian grandmothers making tomato
sauce as if “a labour of love” for the whole family.
A tomato sauce so full of flavour that it makes me
think of late summer afternoons & the smell of
warm rain on the rich volcanic soil.

2 packets of vine ripened tomatoes (about 1 kilo)
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
2 Tsp of olive oil
1 Large Spanish onion finely diced
3-4 large cloves of garlic peeled
sea salt to taste
fresh black pepper (from a pepper mill if possible)
1 medium sized carrot very finely diced.
8-10 large basil leaves chopped

Tips for a good tomato sauce
Use good quality tomatoes (vine ripened) and the tinned tomatoes should be a quality brand such as
Napolina. Don’t chop the garlic because it burns very quickly & can become bitter.
Just peel the cloves and put them in,this way you can also take them back out of the sauce at the end of the cooking if you feel the sauce is garlicky enough. Be patient enough when cooking the onions, they should be soft but not brown before adding the tomatoes. Use olive oil not vegetable oil, you will notice the difference. Use fresh herbs not dried and put the herbs in the sauce at the end to keep the freshest
flavour. Generally speaking I don’t put tomato paste in my tomato sauce, if you do use it do so sparingly.
Too much can spoil the colour of the sauce making it too dark almost reddy-brown or even bitter
if the sauce is cooked for a long time. I don’t normally add sugar, wine or vinegar to tomato sauce because leaving the tomato seeds in during
the cooking adds enough acidity and the carrot will bring out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.

Making the sauce
1.) Make a crisscross on the bottom of each vine ripened tomato with a small sharp
knife
2.) Carefully put them into boiling water for 10 seconds, then quickly drain and cool
the tomatoes in cold water. The peel should come away easierly.
3.) Warm olive oil in a saucepan, then add the diced onion, carrot and garlic and
gently simmer until the vegetables are soft.
4.) Chop the now skinned fresh tomatoes and add once the onions are soft, and
also the chopped tinned tomatoes.
5.) Simmer the sauce gently for about 40 minutes (stirring occasionally), then
season with salt & pepper.
6.) Blend with a hand blender leaving the sauce as chunky or as smooth as your
personal taste requires. *You can also strain the blended sauce if you want
a very smooth finish & add a small splash of olive oil.

Chef’s Tip
Besides the obvious addition of Basil there are several other herbs that go particularly well with tomato sauce like Coriander, or you could combine basil & oregano for a more Italian flavour. Or try other favourites of mine like chopped olives. Thyme, Rosemary, Tarrogon & Sage also work well in tomato sauce but you need to use less of these herbs.