Rachel Allen - Entertaining at Home

Hot buttered oysters on toast Hot buttered oysters on toast For a little bit of decadence these make a fabulous starter or a light meal. SERVES 6 18 oysters (3 per person) 50g (2oz) butter, plus extra for spreading 6 slices of bread 1 tbsp lemon juice Salt (optional) and ground black pepper 1 Open the oysters one by one. Place an oyster on a tea towel, flat side up. Wrap your non-cutting hand in another cloth so you won’t get cut if the knife slips. Take an oyster knife, look for a chink in the shell at the narrow, hinged end, then insert the blade and, applying quite a bit of force, press, turn and lever upwards. 2 Put the opened oysters into a sieve set over a bowl and cut away the flesh from the shells. Discard the shells or wash them and use as salt and pepper holders. Tip the juices into a heavy-based frying pan, then, on a high heat, bring the juices to the boil. When they are boiling, whisk in the butter. 3 Add the oysters and, still on a high heat, toss for 1 minute or until the oysters are warmed through and have firmed up slightly and the sauce slightly reduced. 4 Meanwhile, toast the bread and butter it, and place on plates. 5 Just before serving, add the lemon juice and taste — it probably won’t need any salt. Place the oysters on the buttered toast, pour over the juices, add a grinding of black pepper and serve.

Lazy weekend Bloody Mary Lazy weekend Bloody Mary This refreshing tipple is strictly for Sunday mornings. Celery salt isn’t essential, but it goes to perfection, so do get hold some if you can. SERVES 10 50ml (2fl oz) Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Tabasco sauce 1 tsp celery salt (optional) 5 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp grated horseradish 1 tsp peeled and finely chopped shallot 1.8 litres (3 pints) tomato juice 2 tbsp dry sherry 300ml (½ pint) vodka 10 small sticks of celery, to serve 1 Whiz all the ingredients in a blender, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Serve in glasses over ice with a stick of celery.

Isaac’s frittata Isaac’s frittata A frittata is a thick and almost endlessly versatile Italian omelette. It can be flavoured with just herbs and cheese or almost a whole fried breakfast! SERVES 4–6 VEGETARIAN (with non-vegetarian variations) 8 eggs 50ml (2fl oz) milk Salt and ground black pepper 2 tbsp chopped chives or parsley 110g (4oz) Gruyère cheese, grated 25g (1oz) butter 25cm (10in) diameter ovenproof frying pan 1 Preheat the grill on a medium setting. 2 Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together with the milk, seasoning with salt and pepper. Next gently mix in the herbs and grated cheese. 3 Place a large non-stick frying pan on a low-medium heat. Add the butter and when it has melted and starts to foam, add the egg mixture to the warm pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the cooked mixture from the bottom, from the outside in, filling its space with liquid egg by gently tilting the pan. Do this 5–6 times, then allow the mixture to cook for a further 2–3 minutes or until the bottom of the frittata is golden — you can tell this by lifting it slightly up at the edge using a palette knife or fish slice. 4 Take the pan off the heat and place under the grill, making sure that you leave a gap of a few centimetres between the frittata and the grill element. Continue cooking for a few minutes until the mixture has fluffed up nicely and is beginning to turn golden brown on top, by which stage the frittata will have cooked through to the centre. 5 Using a palette knife or fish slice, loosen the edges and slide onto a plate. Serve immediately or allow to cool to room temperature. VARIATIONS Make the recipe as above, adding the following to the basic egg mixture just before cooking: Breakfast frittata: 150g (5oz) sliced mushrooms, fried in a little butter and seasoned with salt and pepper, and 10 rashers of streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (½in) pieces and fried until crispy. Frittata ranchera: 150g (5oz) peeled and chopped onion, sweated in a little sunflower oil or butter, 4 small tomatoes cut into 5mm (¼in) dice, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped and deseeded red chilli (or more to taste) and 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander.

LUNCH LUNCH

Spinach soup with rosemary oil Spinach soup with rosemary oil The aromatic flavour of rosemary, drizzled as an oil over this soup, works to perfection with spinach. Instead of making the rosemary oil, you could add 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary leaves to the soup just before blending, or a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg. SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN For the rosemary oil 1 sprig of rosemary, broken in half 50ml (2fl oz) olive oil For the spinach soup 15g (½oz) butter 110g (4oz) peeled and chopped onions 150g (5oz) peeled and chopped potatoes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock 600ml (1 pint) milk 275g (10oz) spinach (any large stalks removed before weighing), chopped 1 Put the rosemary in a small saucepan with the olive oil and heat gently on a low heat until tepid. Remove the pan from the heat and let the rosemary infuse for 10 minutes. Strain the oil through a sieve into a jug. 2 For the soup, melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onions and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and cook on a very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every now and again. 3 Meanwhile, pour the stock and milk into another saucepan, bring to the boil and add to the vegetables. Bring the mixture back up to the boil, then tip in the spinach and cook, uncovered, over a high heat for 1–2 minutes or until the spinach is just cooked. 4 To preserve the fresh flavour, blend the soup straight away, in a blender or using a hand-held blender. Serve in individual bowls with a drizzle of rosemary oil over the top.

Skirt steak with spicy potatoes Skirt steak with spicy potatoes A lunchtime steak is not for the faint hearted, so this is one to save for the weekend. Skirt steak is wonderfully tender and has a great flavour, though it needs to be cooked very quickly or it can overcook and toughen. SERVES 6 750g (1lb 10oz) potatoes (unpeeled if small), cut into 1–2cm (½–¾in) dice Salt and ground black pepper 75ml (3fl oz) olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated 1–2 red chillies, deseeded and finely diced 2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground (see tip below) 6 generous tbsp chopped coriander or parsley 6 thin skirt steaks (each weighing about 110g/4oz) 1 Place a saucepan of water on a high heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 3–5 minutes or until they have slightly softened, then drain thoroughly before tipping onto kitchen paper to dry completely. 2 Set a large frying pan on a high heat, pour in 50ml (2fl oz) of the olive oil and, when hot, add the potatoes and cook, tossing frequently, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chillies and cumin and cook for a further 3–5 minutes or until the potatoes are golden and crispy, then tip in the chopped herbs. 3 While the potatoes are cooking, fry the steaks. Place a separate frying pan (cast iron if possible) on a high heat and allow it to get very hot. Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper, add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the steaks for about 1 minute on each side. (If you overcook them, they will toughen.) 4 Remove the steaks from the pan and serve straight away (they can be kept warm in a low oven for 5–10 minutes, if needed) with the sautéed potatoes on the side.

Oven-baked courgette tortilla Oven-baked courgette tortilla In Spain, a ‘tortilla’ describes a large omelette that usually contains fried potatoes. Add to it practically anything you like, within reason, depending on what is in season. Here there are nuggets of softened feta and moist courgette with the cooling refreshment of mint. SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN 150g (5oz) new potatoes Salt and ground black pepper 300g (11oz) courgettes 2 tbsp olive oil 8 eggs 2 tbsp single or regular cream 2 tbsp chopped mint 150g (5oz) feta cheese, roughly crumbled 25cm (10in) diameter ovenproof frying pan 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. 2 Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil, then cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain, then peel and cut into 2cm (¾in) chunks and set aside. 3 Halve the courgettes lengthways and slice into 1cm (½in) pieces. Pour the oil into a large ovenproof frying pan on a medium heat, add the courgettes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5–7 minutes or until softened, tossing occasionally. 4 Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk the eggs together with the cream and mint and season with salt and pepper. 5 Add the potatoes and feta to the courgettes in the frying pan and lightly mix together. Pour in the whisked eggs and cook for 5 minutes or until golden underneath, then cook in the oven for 10–15 minutes or until just set in the centre. Serve immediately with a fresh green salad.