Carefully lower a batch of croquettes into the hot oil and fry for 4 minutes, or until they rise to the surface with a hissing sound. Lift out carefully with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and serve hot. Repeat with the remaining croquettes.
MARCUS’ TIP:
Don’t discard your potato peelings. Toss them with a teaspoon of olive oil, then bake in an oven preheated to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 for 8–12 minutes and serve with harissa mayo.
Carrot Fritters with Pickle Juice Emulsion and Carrot Salad
Carrots are a versatile ingredient in so many recipes, but are sometimes overlooked as an ingredient in their own right. I always have some in the fridge so I thought it would be good to create a recipe for when they are starting to lose their crispness. And I am sure you all have a jar of pickles in the fridge which is 90 per cent pickle juice and 10 per cent pickle, and the juice usually gets thrown down the sink. But this can be used in many ways – here it is used to create a sauce for the fritters. Serve this as a main course for a summer lunch, with some spelt, wild rice or lentils.
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SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 25 MINUTES
1kg carrots, peeled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE FRITTERS
½ tsp table salt
4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
½ tsp caraway seeds, finely crushed
2 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
vegetable oil, for frying
FOR THE PICKLE JUICE EMULSION
50ml pickle juice, strained
30g butter, cubed
FOR THE CARROT SALAD
½ bunch coriander, leaves chopped
2 tbsp chopped toasted almonds (see Butter-roasted Cauliflower with Capers and Parsley for method)
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
Set aside 1 large carrot. Coarsely grate the remaining (roughly 800g) carrots. Place them in a colander, sprinkle with the table salt and leave for 10 minutes.
Thinly slice (using a peeler) or spiralise the remaining carrot and set aside.
Squeeze out and reserve all the juice from the grated carrots, then place the carrots in a large mixing bowl. Add half the spring onions, the caraway seeds, eggs and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix and add a generous grind of pepper. Combine the flour and baking powder and fold into the wet ingredients.
Put enough vegetable oil into a large non-stick frying pan to cover the base. Place over medium heat. When hot, put a small spoonful of the fritter mix in the pan. Brown on each side then taste and add more salt if needed. Add heaped tablespoons of the mixture to the pan, pressing them down with the back of a spoon to make fritters about 5mm thick. Fry for 4–5 minutes on each side, until browned a little, the edges are crisped and they are cooked through. Repeat with the rest of the fritter mix. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
Place the pickle juice in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the butter, cube by cube, and swirl the pan until the butter has combined with the pickle juice to create a silky sauce.
Mix the sliced or spiralised carrot with the coriander, toasted almonds and remaining spring onions, and season with salt. Mix the carrot juice from step 3 with the wholegrain mustard and mix through the salad.
Serve the warm fritters with a small spoonful of the emulsion and the carrot salad.
MARCUS’ TIP:
As you may have noticed, I use a lot of mustard to add flavour in my recipes. I always have Dijon, English and wholegrain mustards in my fridge.
Homemade Ricotta, Radicchio, Orange and Dill Salad
Homemade ricotta cheese is very simple to make, and is a great way to use up any whole milk that is nearing its use-by date. It’s also really good fun to prepare it under the watchful eyes of young children – it’s fascinating to see the milk split, and a little bit magical. If you want it a touch creamier, add a splash of cream. The slightly sour whey is also an incredibly useful by-product. In this recipe I reduce it down and use it in the salad dressing, though you can also chill it then use it in baking and bread-making. This is not a recipe for when you’re in a rush, so save it for the weekend. You can of course get your ricotta from the supermarket instead, but I urge you to give this technique a go.
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SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES, PLUS CHILLING | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 10 MINUTES
2 oranges, zest grated then fruit peeled and segmented
½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 gherkin, diced
25ml olive oil
1 large head of radicchio, separated into leaves
¼ bunch of dill, fronds picked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE RICOTTA
1 litre whole milk
juice of 1 lemon, grated zest of ½
1 tsp cider vinegar
Pour the milk for the ricotta into a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring regularly to stop it catching on the bottom. Boil for 1 minute then whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar. Turn down the heat to low. Allow to almost simmer and you should see the curds begin to form after a minute or two. Stir the milk gently and leave for another 5 minutes. Strain the ricotta through a fine sieve, keeping the whey. Leave to strain for 3 minutes, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the lemon zest, season to taste with salt and pepper and whisk well. Cover, refrigerate and use within 3 days.
Pour the whey into a medium saucepan and bring to a rapid simmer. Simmer for 10–20 minutes until you have a viscous liquid of about 100ml.
Pour half of the reduced whey into a mixing bowl (refrigerate the other 50ml to use another time). Whisk in the orange zest, wholegrain mustard, gherkin and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the salad, lay the radicchio leaves on a serving platter. Drizzle with the dressing then dollop the ricotta around the leaves. Scatter the orange segments over the top and finish with the dill fronds.
MARCUS’ TIP:
Dill can sometimes be a forgotten herb but it adds so much flavour to salads, fish dishes and pasta. It grows very easily too.
Panzanella
Panzanella, a Tuscan-style stale bread and tomato salad, is like a grab-and-go – we’ve all got bread going stale somewhere, we’ve all got too many tomatoes somewhere, on the verge of being overripe. And this recipe injects life into them, reviving something that’s almost on its way to the bin. This recipe is just a framework, so if there are other ingredients in your fridge that would work well, such as peppers (in a jar or fresh), pickled onions or baby gem lettuce, then go ahead and add them, as this chapter is all about trying to prevent waste.
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SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES, PLUS STRAINING AND SOAKING | COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES
300g fresh or stale bread, cut into thick slices
6 medium overripe tomatoes
100ml tomato juice from a carton
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
100ml olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp capers in brine, plus 1 tsp caper brine
1 red onion, thinly sliced
50g pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
½ bunch of basil, leaves roughly chopped
½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
If you’re using fresh bread, preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 4, line a baking tray with baking parchment and lay out the bread slices in one layer. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven.
While the bread is baking, cut the tomatoes into small wedges. Toss them in salt then place them in a colander set over a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes, reserving the juice.
Place the tomatoes in a large bowl.
Add the tomato juice, the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar and 50ml of the olive oil to the fre
sh tomato juice in the bowl. Mix together and season well with salt and pepper.
Cut the bread into 2cm dice and place in a shallow dish large enough to fit the bread in a single layer. Pour the tomato juice mix over the top and leave to sit for 20 minutes.
Mix the remaining balsamic vinegar and olive oil together. Add the mustard and caper brine and season with salt and pepper.
Add the soaked bread, red onion, capers, olives and herbs to the tomatoes and gently mix together with the dressing. Serve immediately.
MARCUS’ TIP:
Eating stale bread might not sound so delicious, but marinating it actually brings it back to life. It’s stale because it’s gone dry, so you’re just rehydrating it. Obviously, don’t use mouldy bread!
Leftovers Frittata with Piquant Fruit Chutney
This makes a quick and easy supper – perfect for a Sunday night if you have leftovers from the weekend. The recipe is adaptable, so experiment with what you have – courgette, onions, sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower all work well – just avoid any raw vegetables that have a high water content, as this will prevent the frittata from setting. The speedy fruit chutney can be made any time you have a glut of ripe or overripe fruit in your fruit bowl (such as apples, quince, plums, rhubarb or peaches), then it can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 weeks (unopened). Generally, chutneys tend to get cooked for hours, but with this one the liquids are reduced, then the fresh ingredients are folded into it, which keeps the flavours fresh.
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SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 50 MINUTES
FOR THE FRUIT CHUTNEY
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 clove
2 bay leaves
40ml cider vinegar
2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, finely diced
200g fruit, peeled, cored, stoned and diced
FOR THE FRITTATA
25g butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
500g cooked vegetables, cut into evenly sized chunks
80g Gruyère or Cheddar cheese, grated
8 eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the chutney, start by putting the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and clove in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toast until fragrant then transfer to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind. Return the ground spices to the saucepan and add the other ingredients. Place over low heat and cook for 5 minutes, until the fruit begins to soften, then increase the heat to medium and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring regularly and adding a splash of water (2–3 tablespoons) if needed. Remove the bay leaves then turn off the heat and leave the chutney to sit for a further 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the frittata, preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5.
While the chutney is cooking, place a medium, ovenproof frying pan (about 20cm) on medium heat. Add the butter and, when melted, add the onions and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for 20–25 minutes until the onions are deeply golden then remove from the pan. Add the olive oil to the pan and when hot, add the leftover vegetables. Heat for about 5 minutes until warmed through, then add the onions back to the pan. Mix well and add the cheese.
Beat the eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper then pour into the pan. Stir once then place the entire pan in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the egg is just set in the centre.
Serve hot, or cold, with the fruit chutney and a green salad.
MARCUS’ TIP:
Frittata is a great addition to a lunchbox. Make one the night before, chill and then cut into portions. It’s a good source of protein and vegetables and is delicious cold, too.
Not-So-Ordinary Tomato Sauce
Homemade tomato sauce is a great thing to have portioned up and ready to go in the freezer, so you can just defrost it when required. And you don’t have to spend hours and hours making it. This can be used for pasta, as a base for pizza, in Bolognese sauces or ragus, hotpots and many more dishes. It also contains some hidden vegetables, for added nutrition.
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MAKES: 1.5KG | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 45 MINUTES
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 carrot, peeled and grated (about 110g)
1 courgette, grated (about 180g)
½ sweet potato, peeled and grated (about 165g)
200ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and cook for 15–20 minutes until lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook until soft, then add the carrot, courgette, sweet potato and vegetable stock and cook for a further 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and turn the heat to medium. Cook gently for a further 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste and season if necessary.
Remove the rosemary and bay leaves then blend the sauce, using a blender or stick blender, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Leave to cool, chill, then freeze in portions.
Pizza Base
I always find it handy to have these pizza bases ready to go in the freezer. They have had their first prove, so just need to be taken out, topped and left to have their final rise. You can also use these to make a quick and tasty flatbread, with garlic butter, or put one on the barbecue for a quick grilled bread to serve with dinner.
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MAKES: 4 LARGE PIZZAS | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES, PLUS RISING PREP TIME FROM FROZEN: 1½ HOURS DEFROSTING PLUS PROVING
250g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
200g wholemeal flour
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast or easy-bake yeast
½ tsp caster sugar
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp table salt
Mix the flours, yeast and sugar together in a large bowl.
Pour the olive oil and 260–300ml of warm water into a jug. Mix together then add the liquid to the flour, along with the salt. Mix by hand until you have a dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn it out of the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured surface for 7–10 minutes until soft and smooth. Alternatively, make the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Tip the risen dough out onto a floured work surface. Cut it into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece out to a circle, approximately 25cm in diameter (or cut it into half and roll out 2 larger pizzas). Place each dough circle on a piece of floured baking parchment and dust the top of the dough well with flour. Stack on top of each other on a baking tray. Cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer. When frozen, wrap each one tightly in clingfilm.
To defrost: take the dough out of the freezer 1–1½ hours before you want to cook the pizza. Top the dough then leave in a warm place to prove for 20 minutes before baking – see Pizzas for cooking instructions.
MARCUS’ TIP:
I use a combination of white and wholemeal flour, as it’s a great way to add a little fibre and some vitamins. Most people don’t notice when they are smothered in delicious toppings!
Cauliflower and Yellow Split Pea Curry
Most people throw away cauliflower leaves, but they are a delicious ingredient that can be used in many different ways – try them in salads, soups, stir-fries and curries, like this one. If you prefer a spicier curry, use red chilli instead of green. Cauliflower carries curry fla
vours really well – the key is to taste the curry as you go, so you can make sure it’s not too spicy, not too hot. It sits great on the side of something, or works as a meal in its own right.
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SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR
1 large head cauliflower, or 2 small heads, with leaves intact
2 tbsp vegetable oil
180g yellow split peas, rinsed well
1 × 400ml tin coconut milk
sea salt
steamed rice or whole grains (such as spelt, barley or freekeh), to serve
FOR THE CURRY BASE
6 cardamom pods, crushed with a pestle and mortar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp yellow or black mustard seeds
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
4cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tbsp ground turmeric (or 4cm piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and finely grated)
1 green chilli, finely diced
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks separated, leaves chopped and stalks finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7.
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. Cut the leaves crossways, across the spine, into 1cm-thick strips and set aside. Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
Marcus Everyday Page 7
