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Beetroot Salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
2 kg smaller-sized beetroots of every colour and variety
125g caster sugar
250ml very good red wine vinegar
150ml water
6 eggs
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp good Dijon mustard
6 tbsp double cream
A stick of horseradish
Salad leaves
Chopped chives (optional)
Salt and pepper
Method
Trim and wash well the beetroots and place in a suitable pot to steam until quite cooked through and tender.
When done, remove the beetroots to a bowl and once cooled slightly rub the skins away. When all are peeled, cut the beetroots into large pieces, random shapes of roughly the same size.
In a bowl whisk the sugar with the vinegar until it is dissolved and add the water. Pour this light pickle over the beetroots and cover well. Refrigerate. These pickles will happily last a week in the fridge.
Bring a pan of water to a furious boil. Drop in the eggs and let cook for 3 minutes once the water has returned to the boil. Remove the eggs to a bowl of iced water and once cooled peel carefully, storing them in another bowl of iced water.
To make the dressing dissolve the sugar and the vinegar in a bowl. Stir in the mustard until smooth and then add the cream. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
Peel the horseradish and keep covered until needed.
Wash the salad leaves, dry well and keep covered.
Should chives be at hand then slice them very thinly in readiness.
Tumble the salad leaves onto a plate and then heap the beetroots thereon. Cut the egg in half and lay upon the beetroots, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Liberally spoon over the mustard dressing and then grate horseradish all over swiftly, followed by the chives.
©Jeremy Lee
Fish Tagine with Potatoes, Tomatoes and Olives
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 hake steaks about 225-250g each or 4 fillets of monkfish or any other firmish white fish, about 200g each
20 small, waxy new potatoes, peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
3 large green peppers, grilled until black and blistered, skinned seeded and sliced into strips
A handful of black oily olives
100ml water
For the charmoula:
2 garlic cloves
1 level tsp sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
½ tbsp good quality red wine vinegar
1 tsp paprika
1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
We make the charmoula, the classic Moroccan marinade, in a mortar and pestle. Pound the garlic with the salt until a smooth paste is formed, then add the cumin followed by the lemon juice, vinegar, paprika, coriander and olive oil. Rub two-thirds of the charmoula mixture into the fish and stand it in the fridge for between 20 minutes and 2 hours.
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 – 15 minutes until just tender. Drain and half lengthways.
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over a medium heat and fry the garlic until light brown.
Add the tomatoes and toss for 2 minutes until they begin to soften.
Stir in the green peppers and remaining charmoula and check for seasoning.
In a 25cm tagine, saucepan or frying pan with a lid, spread the potatoes evenly over the bottom.
Scatter three quarters of the pepper and tomato mixture over the potatoes then place the marinated fish on top.
Dab a little of the remaining pepper and tomato on top of each fish as well as the olives. Add the water, drizzle on the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, put on the lid and steam over a medium to high heat for 10 – 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
The beauty of this dish is that it hardly needs anything to accompany it, perhaps just a little salad and some bread.
© Sam and Sam Clarke
Christmas Pudding Soufflé
Serves 8
For the filling:
Ingredients
50g double cream
70g dark chocolate, chopped
20ml Drambuie
50g mincemeat
Method
Bring the cream to the boil, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
Stir in the Drambuie and mincemeat and leave to cool.
When cool, mould into rough even-sized balls.
For the soufflé:
1 ready-made sponge cake
300g butter
300g white chocolate
10g baking powder
¼ tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
240g flour
5 eggs, separated
90g caster sugar
30g dried mixed fruits, soaked in hot water
Butter and caster sugar, for dusting the rings
Method
Lightly butter and dust with caster sugar the inside of eight 8cm stainless steel rings, or deep egg poaching rings. Cut eight discs of sponge 8cm wide and ½ cm thick and place them inside the rings on a buttered baking sheet, 6-7 cm apart.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas mark 5.
Melt the butter and white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Meanwhile, sift together the baking powder, spices and flour.
Mix the egg yolks into the chocolate, and then gently fold in the sieved flour mixture.
Whisk the egg whites and sugar until stiff and then fold into the mix.
Half fill the moulds then add a ball of the filling and top up with the rest of the mixture.
Bake the soufflés for 10-12 minutes, remove from the oven, loosen with a knife and carefully put onto warmed serving plates with a spatula. Serve with pouring cream or as they are, as the filling acts as a sauce.
©Mark Hix
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