Gizzi Erskine - Slow - Food Worth Taking Time Over

Copyright

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018

Text copyright © Gizzi Erskine 2018

Photography copyright © Issy Croker 2018

Author photo © Eeva Rinne

Gizzi Erskine asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN 978-0-00-829194-5

eBook ISBN: 978-0-00-829195-2

Photographer: Issy Croker

Art Director, Props and Food Stylist: Emily Ezekiel

Designer: Dean Martin

Editorial Director: Rachel Kenny

Creative Director: Louise McGrory

Assistant Editor: Celia Lomas

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Soups and Stews

Curry Soy Miso Ramen with Roast Butternut Squash, Tofu & Kimchi

Souped-up Kimchi Jjigae

Jewish Chicken Soup

Matzo balls

Salt beef kreplach

Under the Weather All the Veg Soup

Boston Beer Baked Beans

Planet Friendly Bolognese

Blonde Ragu with Pork, Veal & Sage

Beef & Potato Stew

Ox Cheeks Stewed with Wine & Beer

Sticky Oxtail Stew

Big Plate Chicken

Venetian Duck Ragu

Poach and Steam

Gingered Coronation Chicken

How to Poach & Break Up a Crab

Dressed Crab On Toast

Crab, Chilli & Lemon Linguine

Ginger Ham

Gingery Pease Pudding

Salt Beef Brisket

Confit Garlic

Steak & Kidney Pudding

Sussex Pond Pud

Poached Fruit

Braise

Pork & Apple ‘Stroganoff’ with Hot Dog Onions

Braised Chicken with Shallots, Orange Wine & Brandy

Aligot

Lightly Braised Toulouse Sausages

Braised Sour Red Cabbage

Braised Peas with Little Gems, Spring Onions & Wild Garlic

Caldeirada Fish Stew

Arroz con Mariscos (Hot Bisquey Rice with Oven Roasted Seafood)

Cheesy Polenta

Dirty Prawns, Spring Onions & Bacon

Golabki

Makhani – Proper Butter Masala

Braised Lamb Mince

Bake

Baked Kale, Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Conchiglioni

Bangers, Bacon & Beans

Mushroom & Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Root Veg Mash

Flageolet, Anchovy, Rosemary & Confit Garlic Gratin

Chicken, Buttermilk & Wild Garlic Pie

Salt Baked Sea Bass

Ultimate Salt Baked Potato

Smoked Mackerel, Beetroot and Horseradish

Smoked Haddock Mornay Jacket Potato

Lamb Hotpot

Vegetable Lasagne

Rye Bread Sauce Gratin

Lemon Sherbet Meringue Pie

Chocolate Pavlova with Poached Pears, Salted Caramel & Chocolate Sauces

Roast

Sausage, Roasted Squash & Potatoes with Pancetta & Chilli

Tandoori Marinade

Roast Duck with Blood Orange Gravy

Roast Chicory, Ham & Parmesan Gratin

Grilled Turbot

Thai Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce

Slow Roast Goat Shoulder

Goat ‘Shawarma’ Wraps

Goat Dumplings in Broth

Mallorca Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Pork Meatloaf

Roast Leg Of Lamb with Garlic, Rosemary & Anchovies

Foolproof Roast Beef Rib & Gravy

Fresh Horseradish Cream

Yorkshire Pudding

Roasted Fennel, Chicory & Shallots in Aged Malt Vinegar

Slow Roasted Butternut Squash

Sesame Miso Roasted Red Cabbage

Dough

Fresh Hand Rolled Pasta

Pierogi Dumplings

Beetroot & Horseradish Pierogi with Sour Cream, Brown Butter, Paprika & Braised Sour Red Cabbage

Sichuan Hand Pulled Noodles

Xian Lamb & Cumin Hand Pulled Noodles

Shortcrust Pastry

Leek, Bacon & Cheese Quiche

Lemon Surprise Tart

Puff Pastry

Rosemary Salted Caramel & Apricot Tarte Tatin

Rhubarb & Custard Doughnuts

Basics

Slow Cooked Scrambled Eggs

Stock Making & Broths

Gizzi’s Slow Cooked Tomato Sauce

Green Peppercorn Sauce

Garlic and Herb Butter

BBQ Sauce

Apple Sauce

Pickled Pears

Parsley Sauce

Crispy Shallots

Mayonnaise

Salted Caramel Sauce

Chocolate Sauce

Whipped Cream

Rhubarb & Blood Orange Jam

List of searchable terms

Acknowledgements

About the Publisher

Introduction

Sometimes I feel out of sync with the modern approach to cooking, which seems to be all about valuing convenience over quality. Our obsession with ease and speed puts us in danger of failing to appreciate the joys of technique and process, and what it means to pour love and care into the food we are growing and cooking. Cooking shouldn’t just be about the final result, it should be about the whole experience, and for me that includes finding the best produce and continually educating myself about the history and heritage of the dishes I cook.

There’s no denying that I’ve spent time sitting at my desk reading reviews of my previous books or work on the internet feeling pretty disheartened. While much of my work has received acclaim, the biggest criticisms I get are that people think my work is more complicated than your average popular chef or food writer, and that I don’t support using ingredients that are always easy to find. It’s true that I don’t make things simple for people. I’ve wondered whether I should answer the call for quick and easy recipes, whether I should say it’s OK to use a stock cube and give alternatives for ingredients I love, such as gochujang paste or black vinegar, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.

This is not to say that I haven’t done it in the past. Very early in my career, a TV show wouldn’t allow me to make my own curry paste as they thought this would be too challenging for its audience, so, despite finding the statement patronizing, I used the most basic of supermarket pastes. A different show wanted me to cook a braise in under an hour using chuck steak cut into small cubes. The results are out there for all to see, embedded in the internet; I still panic at the idea of them. At the time I knew I shouldn’t have gone against my instincts, and now – even with the knowledge that I was young and malleable, and that as I’ve grown I’ve become more comfortable with the way I operate as a food writer – they still devastate me.

These examples may not sound that bad, but I see my job as a position of responsibility, being lucky enough to be out there educating people on how to cook. I accept that I run the risk of going against the grain, but what defines me as different is that I really really prefer doing things properly and that is how I want to demonstrate what I do. Unless something is naturally easy or quick, I don’t cook in the easiest, fastest way. I love technique; I enjoy finding out the correct way to do something and investing the time and effort in ensuring it’s made as well as possible.

The kick I get from cooking is the same now as when I first started. The day I made my very first stew is still etched in my memory: the anticipation of seeing a dish develop from raw whole ingredients, rolling my sleeves up and working out the right way to chop them, brown them, braise and bake them. I trusted my mother’s advice as she dictated how things should be done, for she had done this a million times before and I knew of no one better equipped to teach me. Her stews, all gelatinous and sticky, were the best I’d tasted. I wanted to learn to make stew because that was the food that meant family. Coming home to the smell of a stew cooking made me feel cosy. It made me feel safe. It still does.