Toss the florets in the vegetable oil and a generous pinch of salt and place in a roasting tray. Roast in the oven for 30–35 minutes until a deep golden colour, tossing them once halfway through the cooking time.
While the cauliflower is roasting, place the crushed cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cumin, coriander and mustard seeds in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and toast until fragrant. Add the vegetable oil then the remaining ingredients, including the coriander stalks (but not the leaves), to the saucepan. Season well with salt and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the yellow split peas and 700ml warm water. Stir well then cover and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, stirring regularly, adding a little more water if the peas have absorbed it. Add the coconut milk and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the roasted cauliflower florets and the cauliflower leaves, cover and cook for a few minutes until the leaves have wilted. Remove from the heat and scatter over the chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with steamed rice or whole grains and your favourite curry accompaniments.
Fridge Gazpacho
Gazpacho is one of my favourite summer lunchtime dishes. It is tasty, refreshing, and a great cooling meal in the heat. To get the most flavour from it, the ingredients need to marinate together for at least 24 hours – the soup will be even better if you leave them for 48 hours. Feel free to substitute any of the summer vegetables or fruit, according to what’s available: courgette, lettuce and watermelon all work well, and parsley, tarragon and chives, too.
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SERVES: 8 | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES, PLUS MARINATING AND CHILLING
1kg overripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 red onion, sliced
½ bunch of basil leaves
¼ bunch of dill
1 cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 peach, stoned and roughly chopped, or 250g watermelon, rind and seeds removed
1 litre tomato juice
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 dashes of Tabasco
½ tsp table salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Put all ingredients in a suitably sized container that will fit in your fridge. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
Put everything in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth, adding a little more salt if needed. Refrigerate after blitzing and serve chilled.
Quick Vegetable Pickle
This is a great recipe to have to hand when you have one or two vegetables that you won’t have time to use before they spoil. Try the pickling method below with cucumber, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac or lettuce. You can also use this recipe to pickle fruit – some of my favourites are rhubarb, blackberries, peaches and pears. The pickles can be used in sandwiches or salads, and also served with meat and fish.
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MAKES: 300G PICKLE | PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES, PLUS STANDING TIME | COOKING TIME: UNDER 10 MINUTES
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds (yellow or black)
150ml white wine vinegar
25g demerara sugar
pinch of sea salt
200–300g vegetables, washed and sliced into even-sized pieces
Put the fennel, coriander and mustard seeds in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Toast until fragrant then add the remaining ingredients (except the vegetables) and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved then remove from the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Pour the pickling liquor over the vegetables while it is still warm. Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes then refrigerate in a sealed glass jar until ready to use (the flavour intensifies the longer the pickle is left).
Fruit Bowl Compote
Having a delicious fruit compote in the freezer ready to go for that warming crumble, fruit tart or even just to serve with pouring cream when you need something sweet, is a satisfying way to preserve seasonal fruits at their best. I have suggested a few of my favourite combinations below. The amount of sweetener you add depends on the amount of natural sugars in the fruits, as well as your own sweet tooth. I find honey is a great alternative to white sugar, so tend to use it frequently.
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SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 5–10 MINUTES
Spring
Rhubarb and fresh ginger
Strawberry, rhubarb and elderflower
Summer
Apricot and star anise
Peach and raspberry
Cherry and port
Autumn
Plum and apple
Apple and blackberry
Winter
Apple, cinnamon and nutmeg
Quince and orange blossom
BASE RECIPE
800g fruit, prepared and cut to the same size
100g sweetener (such as honey, sugar, maple syrup or fruit cordial)
SPICES
10g dried spice of choice, or
3 cinnamon sticks, or
4 star anise, or
1 nutmeg (finely grated)
LIQUIDS
50ml alcohol of choice
1 tsp orange blossom water, or rose water
Place the fruit, sweetener, spices and liquid of choice in a medium saucepan over low heat. Gently heat the fruit until the natural juices begin to come out. Turn up the heat slightly and simmer gently until the fruit is the desired softness.
Allow to cool completely then freeze in portions.
Winter Warmer Soup
This is one of those full-meal-in-a-bowl soups. Do add and leave out ingredients as you, and your fridge or store cupboard, see fit. Barley, freekeh and spelt work well in place of the rice and lentils, and you can use rosemary, parsley or tarragon instead of thyme, if you have them to hand. It freezes well.
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SERVES: 6 | PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 3 HOURS 50 MINUTES
1 smoked ham hock (about 1kg)
2 bay leaves
½ bunch of thyme
2 onions, diced
150g brown rice, rinsed
100g green lentils, rinsed
500g winter vegetables such as celeriac, swede, parsnip, Jerusalem artichoke, or squash, diced into 2cm chunks
2 leeks, rinsed and diced (white part only)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the ham hock in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then drain and rinse the ham under cold running water. Place the ham back in the pan, cover with fresh cold water, and add the bay leaves, thyme and onions. Bring to the boil over high heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface with a spoon, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer uncovered for 3 hours, topping up with more water if needed. The ham hock is cooked when you can put a butter knife through it with no resistance.
Carefully strain off the liquid into a separate large saucepan. Allow the ham hock to cool slightly then, using two forks or your hands, remove all of the meat, discarding the skin and bones.
Add the brown rice to the ham hock cooking liquid with a generous amount of black pepper. Place over high heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the lentils and the winter vegetables and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Finish with the ham hock meat and leeks, simmering for a further 5–7 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste and add more salt if needed.
Serve warm, or chill quickly then portion and freeze.
Baked Citrus and Polenta Cake
This cake works well with any citrus – old oranges, clementines, grapefruit, lemons and limes – you may have at the bottom of your fruit bowl. Baking them mellows the bitterness of the pith, and intensifies the citrus flavour. This cake is also gluten and dairy free, so a handy one to have in your repertoire.
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&nbs
p; SERVES: 8–10 | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR, PLUS COOLING
FOR THE CAKE
300g whole citrus fruit (not just lemons and limes)
150ml light olive oil, plus extra for greasing
2 eggs
200g soft dark brown sugar
200g ground almonds
150g yellow quick-cook polenta
2 tsp baking powder
FOR THE SYRUP
½ tsp fennel seeds
¼ tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp orange blossom water
100ml citrus juice
2–4 tbsp demerara sugar
cream, crème fraîche or thick Greek yoghurt, to serve
Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 7 and grease and line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin.
Place the whole citrus fruits on a baking tray or in a roasting tray and bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes until lightly golden, moving them every 8 minutes, so they colour evenly. Remove from the oven and lower the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 4.
Place the baked citrus in a blender or food processor with the olive oil and blitz until smooth. Add the eggs and brown sugar and blitz again until combined.
Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the ground almonds and mix well. Combine the polenta and baking powder then fold them into the wet ingredients.
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, until the cake is just firm in the centre and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
While the cake is cooling, make the syrup. Place the fennel and coriander seeds in a small saucepan and toast over medium heat until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and crush. Place back in the saucepan and add the orange blossom water, citrus juice and 1 tablespoon of the demerara sugar. Place over the heat, bring to the boil and simmer for 5–8 minutes, until syrupy. Taste the syrup and add another tablespoon or two of sugar if you have used more lemon or lime juice. Allow to dissolve, cool for about 5 minutes, then slowly pour the syrup over the top of the cake, ensuring it is soaking in. Sprinkle a half tablespoon of the demerara sugar over the top to finish.
Remove the cake from the tin, slice and serve with cream, crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt.
MARCUS’ TIP:
Baking recipes that are free from gluten are not as delicate as ones containing gluten. You will see I advise not to over-mix cake batters that contain plain flour, as it causes the gluten to develop and the result is denser than it should be. With gluten-free recipes, however, the risk of over-mixing is minimised, so mix away!
Sticky Banana Pudding with Rosemary Sauce and Homemade Crème Fraîche
Overripe bananas are just made for cooking with. Their flavour is so much more intense, and as the starchiness has converted to a syrupy sugar, they are super-sweet too. The rosemary sauce is really unusual but it works – rosemary has quite a bit of heat and pungency as a herb, and it pairs brilliantly with bananas, complementing their sweetness. Then the homemade crème fraîche cuts through the whole thing. You can make the crème fraîche with any old cream and yoghurt lurking in the fridge. It takes 3 days to make, so start it in advance. Once made, it will keep in the fridge for a few days.
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MAKES: 8 PUDDINGS | PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES, PLUS 3 DAYS FOR THE CRÈME FRAÎCHE COOKING TIME: ABOUT 20 MINUTES
FOR THE CRÈME FRAÎCHE
200ml double cream
2 tbsp plain yoghurt
FOR THE PUDDING
125g soft butter, plus extra for greasing
150g soft dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well (325g mashed weight)
50g golden syrup
150ml milk
235g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
FOR THE SAUCE
70g soft dark brown sugar
25g butter
2 tbsp dark rum
1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
½ tsp table salt
Start with the créme fraîche. Pour the cream into a mixing bowl and add the yoghurt. Whisk together then transfer to a glass jar. Seal the jar and leave in a warm (but not hot) place for at least 3 days, shaking the jar once a day. After 3 days, open the jar and see how thick it is. If it is still a little runny, leave for another day.
For the cake, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Grease 8 × 175ml ramekins with butter and set on a baking tray.
Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric whisk or in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, golden syrup and 50ml of the milk. Add this to the butter and sugar mix and stir until combined. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then fold them into the pudding mix.
Heat the remaining 100ml of milk in a saucepan. Bring the milk to the boil then whisk in the bicarbonate of soda. Add this to the pudding mix.
Divide the batter evenly among the greased ramekins.
Make the sauce. Put the brown sugar in a saucepan with the butter, rum, rosemary leaves, salt and 150ml of boiling water. Bring to a simmer and whisk until the sugar and butter have melted together. Pour over the top of the batter in the ramekins.
Bake the puddings (with the ramekins sitting on the baking tray) for 13–15 minutes until cooked through. Turn out directly onto serving bowls and serve with a large dollop of the homemade crème fraîche.
This is one of my favourite chapters. When I was training I was always alone, and I was perfectly content getting on with my life. I was a focused young person, happy to be on my own, and that’s probably what I prefer deep down inside. The dishes here are really personal, and they reflect how I like to cook for myself – because I’m a chef, I like to make lovely food to eat while I’m watching a movie or a sporting event. These recipes are fun, friendly and comforting at the same time. It’s about enjoying precious quiet time alone.
Croque Monsieur
My wife, Jane and I used to eat these a lot when I worked in France. They’re always pre-prepped in cafes in Paris (and probably about ten days old!). A well-made Croque Monsieur is warm, it’s toasty, it’s crunchy, it’s oozing with fat. It’s the ultimate French toastie – and this one’s a knockout. It makes a great supper, with a green salad on the side. I have used prosciutto instead of cooked ham in this recipe, as I prefer the flavour.
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SERVES: 1 | PREP TIME: UNDER 10 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: ABOUT 20 MINUTES
50g Gruyère cheese, grated
2 slices of sourdough
3–4 slices of prosciutto
10g butter
FOR THE BÉCHAMEL
100ml milk
1 tsp thyme leaves
10g butter
1 tbsp plain flour
½ tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
50g Cheddar cheese, grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Start by making the béchamel. Put the milk and thyme into a small saucepan. Gently bring to a simmer over low heat. Melt the butter in another small saucepan then add the flour, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute to get rid of the floury taste, but avoid letting it brown. Gradually whisk in half of the hot milk and stir quickly to combine. Add the remaining milk and cook for a further 5 minutes over low heat, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, add the mustards and cheese and stir until the cheese has melted.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
Place the grated Gruyère on one slice of the sourdough then top with the prosciutto. Finish with the béchamel then top with the other slice of sourdough. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the butter then carefully add the sandwich and toast it for 3–5 minutes. Gently turn the sandwich over and brown the other side for another 3–5 minutes.
Transfer to a piece of ba
king parchment on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 4–5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Masterclass BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
If you’ve ever been to France and had a Croque Monsieur in a cafe, it was probably crap. But they can be delicious. You’ve just got to put in the effort to make the béchamel sauce. It takes some skill, and can become lumpy. Why? Well, it’s simple – you’ve not cooked out your roux (butter and flour) properly, or you’ve added the milk too quickly. Once you’ve added the flour to the melted butter you really need to beat it well and work it really hard to bring them together to make that roux base. You’re cooking the flour at the same time. Now it’s like making a risotto – if you pour in all the milk at once, the roux could just split: the butter will separate from the flour and you’ll have a disaster on your hands. You need to add a little bit at a time. It’s also important to add hot milk to a hot roux, otherwise it will cool the roux right down. I use a wooden spoon in a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat.
Smoked Salmon and Garden Herb Omelette
Sometimes you want a little more than a plain omelette for supper – this recipe brings a few of my favourite things together. I would serve this with some spinach on the side, which has been sautéed in a little butter and nutmeg, and a nice glass of Chardonnay. See Branston Pickle, Onion and Cheddar Omelette for my omelette masterclass.
Marcus Everyday Page 8
