by James Martin
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites
400ml double cream
small bunch of watercress
1 chicory bulb, chopped
2 little gem lettuce, chopped
For the dressing
1 egg yolk
25ml white wine vinegar
100ml vegetable oil
You will need
4 x 8-cm soufflé moulds/ramekins
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6.
Grease the soufflé moulds with butter and dust the insides with flour, tipping out any excess.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and whisk in the flour, cooking for about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking all the time, and cook for about 2 minutes. Beat in a third of the cheese and all the mustard and rosemary, then season well, pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Stir in the egg yolk when the sauce has cooled.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into the sauce, then fold in half of the remaining cheese. Spoon evenly into the prepared moulds, then level off the tops. Run your finger around the edge of each soufflé to create a sort-of hat effect. Sit the moulds in a deep roasting tin lined with kitchen paper (to stop the bottoms of the soufflés from catching) and pour water into the tin to about two-thirds of the way up the sides. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 12–14 minutes. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 180°C (160°C fan)/350°F/gas 4.
Lift each mould out of the roasting tin and run a knife around the edge of the soufflés and turn them out into an ovenproof dish. Allow to cool slightly then pour over the cream and scatter over the remaining cheddar. Return to the oven for 10–12 minutes.
To make the dressing, whisk the egg yolk, vinegar and oil together in a bowl. Season and add a tablespoon of cold water and whisk again to combine.
Put the watercress, chicory and little gem leaves into a bowl and dress with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. (Pour the rest into a clean, airtight jar, store in the fridge and use within a week.) Toss well.
Spoon a soufflé and some sauce onto each plate and serve the salad on the side.
DEEP-FRIED SOFT-BOILED EGG SALAD WITH CROUTONS & BACON
I love this salad but you need to serve it on a platter to get the full effect. Use the best eggs and bacon you can afford to get the full flavours; eggs with deep-coloured yolks look great. Don’t overcook the eggs, though – 6 minutes should be fine – as you need the yolks to be slightly runny to mingle with the dressing.
SERVES 4–6
12 slices of streaky bacon
½ loaf of sourdough, chopped into chunks
6 eggs, unshelled, plus 2 eggs, beaten
100g plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g panko breadcrumbs
1–2 litres vegetable oil, for deep-frying
125-g bag of salad leaves
2 chicory bulbs, trimmed and separated into leaves
1 bunch or 100-g bag of watercress
handful of beetroot leaves
2 little gem lettuce, trimmed and separated into leaves
6 leafy celery tops
For the dressing
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
150ml vegetable oil
50ml white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until hot then add the bacon to the pan and fry, turning every now and then, until crisp. Lift onto a plate and set aside. Return the pan to the hob and fry the sourdough chunks in the fat, again over a medium heat, until golden and crisp. Spoon onto the plate with the bacon and set the pan aside to use for the dressing later.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Carefully lower the whole eggs into the water and simmer for 6 minutes. Lift out and lower into a bowl of cold water. Carefully remove the shells, taking care not to break the eggs.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C (350°F) or in a deep heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (Note: hot oil can be dangerous; do not leave unattended.) Line a tray with kitchen paper.
Spoon the flour into a shallow bowl and season well. Pour the beaten eggs into a separate, shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Gently roll each peeled egg in the flour to cover all over, do the same in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs, ensuring each one is completely coated.
Carefully lower 3 eggs into the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute until golden. Lift out onto the kitchen paper to drain and repeat with the other 3 eggs.
Make the dressing for the salad. Put all the ingredients into the frying pan used for the bacon and croutons, add 1 tablespoon of water and season well. Bring up to a simmer, whisking well to mix everything together.
Arrange all the salad leaves on a platter then scatter the bacon and croutons over the top. Put the eggs on a board and use a sharp knife to cut them in half lengthways. Nestle them into the salad, spoon over the warm dressing and serve.
SAUSAGE ROLLS WITH CRISPY BACON & A FRUITY DIPPING SAUCE
Using good-quality pork is key here – as a pig farmer in my younger years, I know that using cheap pork will result in too much fat and soggy pastry. The sauce is the best part of the recipe, though – I borrowed the idea from my mate, Paul Ainsworth of the Michelin-starred Number 6 restaurant in Padstow. Soak the fruit in water and blitz for just long enough to make a really smooth sauce.
SERVES 6
600g pork sausagemeat
2 egg yolks, beaten
For the sauce
300g sultanas
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
285-g bottle HP sauce
For the puff pastry
250g strong bread flour, plus extra to dust
1 teaspoon sea salt
125g butter, cubed, plus 250g butter in one piece
To serve
150g streaky bacon
Start by soaking the sultanas for the sauce. Place them in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water until they’re just covered, and leave to soak.
Make the pastry. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the 125g cubed butter and rub into the flour, using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually stir in 175ml cold water until you have a soft dough (you may not need all the water). Pat the dough into a 2-cm thick rectangular block, wrap it in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until it measures around 30 x 20cm, with the longest edge lying horizontally. Put the remaining butter between two pieces of greaseproof paper and roll or bash it into a rectangle measuring 10 x 8cm. Put this in the centre of the pastry and fold one side over the butter to half-cover it, then fold the other over to cover the other half so that the two edges of pastry meet. Pinch together the top and bottom edges of the pastry to seal the butter inside. Fold the pastry in half lengthways, then turn it 90 degrees to the right (a quarter-turn). Roll out the pastry again to around 30 x 20cm. Fold the pastry as before, bringing the right side in by a third and the left edge over the top. Press the open edges together lightly and give the pastry a quarter-turn. Repeat the rolling and folding process once more, then wrap in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6. Cut the pastry in half and roll out each piece on a lightly floured clean work surface so that each measures 30 x 15cm rectangle. Divide the sausagemeat into two and roughly shape each into a thick sausage the length of the pastry. Place each along the centre of the lengths of pastry, then fold the pastry over the sausage, press down the edges to seal and brush with egg yolk. Transfer each roll onto a baking tray and bake for 20–25 minutes.
To make the sauce, put the sultanas plus any soaking liquor and the shallot into a pan and warm gently. Tip the mixture into a food processor, add the HP sauce and blitz until smooth. Spoon into a bowl
.
Dry-fry the bacon in a large frying pan until crispy, drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper, then cut into pieces.
Slice the sausage rolls into portions, sprinkle with the crispy bacon pieces and serve with the dipping sauce.
TEMPURA MONKFISH & VEGETABLES WITH MINTED PEAS
On my travels thoughout Britain, this was the one type of fish that I saw most in fishmongers. It’s often called anglerfish due to its funny-looking head, and the cheeks and tail are the bits of the fish you eat. Nowadays it’s quite expensive but it was once used as a substitute for scampi when the price of langoustines was high. This is a great way to cook monkfish and the crushed minted peas are all you need with it.
SERVES 2
1–2 litres vegetable oil, for deep-frying
2 small carrots, halved lengthways
25g sugar snap peas
25g mange tout
25g marsh samphire
1 raw globe artichoke heart, sliced (see my tip)
2 small courgettes, sliced
300g monkfish, cut into 2-cm slices
For the batter
250g self-raising flour
250ml sparkling water
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra to season
For the peas
25g butter
200g frozen peas, defrosted
small bunch of mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C (350°F) or in a deep heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (Note: hot oil can be dangerous; do not leave unattended.) Line a large tray with kitchen paper.
Prepare the peas. Melt the butter in a medium pan over a low to medium heat and add the peas and mint. Cover and warm through for a few minutes, then use a potato masher or fork to crush the mixture slightly. Cover and keep warm.
Put all the ingredients for the batter into a large bowl and mix together until smooth. Add all the vegetables and fish then toss everything together gently to coat completely.
Use a slotted spoon to lift 8–10 pieces out of the batter and carefully lower them into the hot oil, separating them out. Fry for 1–2 minutes until golden and crisp, then drain on the kitchen paper and season with salt. Continue to cook the fish and vegetables in batches until all the pieces are cooked.
Pile the tempura monkfish and vegetables onto a plate and serve the minted peas alongside.
JAMES’S TIP
To prepare the heart from a globe artichoke, first cut the top off the artichoke, about halfway through the middle, and trim the stalk at the base. Pull off all the leaves and use a spoon to scrape out the choke. Discard the leaves and the hairy choke. Use a vegetable peeler to strip away the tough outer peel of the artichoke heart then slice. If you’re not using it immediately, fill a small bowl with cold water and add a couple of slices of lemon and the artichoke heart to stop it from going brown.
ARBROATH SMOKIE SCOTCH EGGS WITH A CURRY MAYONNAISE
Arbroath Smokies – haddock cured in salt then hot-smoked in a whisky barrel – can be eaten hot or cold and are best at the markets dotted around Scotland where Mr Spink and others make them. I grabbed some at Kirkcaldy market when I made this dish on my trip but you can buy them online. Combining them with potato and wrapping them carefully around a soft-boiled egg makes an amazing-tasting dish.
SERVES 6
6 eggs, at room temperature
75g panko breadcrumbs
75g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
8 Arbroath Smokies, skinned and separated into large flakes
1kg cooled mashed potato
2 litres vegetable oil, for deep-frying
For the curry mayonnaise
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
200ml vegetable oil
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and simmer the eggs for 6 minutes. Lift out and place into a bowl of iced water. Leave for 10 minutes to cool quickly. Carefully crack the eggs and peel them.
For the curry mayonnaise, whisk the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly pour in the vegetable oil, starting with a little drizzle and whisking well. This is easiest to do with an electric hand whisk. Continue to drizzle in the remaining oil, whisking all the time, until the mixture has thickened. In a small bowl, stir 1 tablespoon of water into the curry powder and mix to make a paste. Add this to the mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper and whisk in until smooth. Cover and chill.
To assemble the Scotch eggs, put the breadcrumbs into one bowl, the flour into another, seasoning it well, and the beaten eggs into another. Stir the fish and cooled mash together in a large bowl, season and mix until smooth. Divide into 6 even-sized portions. Take one portion and flatten it into a rough disc, large enough to cover a boiled egg. Lightly flour your hands, then lay the disc in the palm of one hand, place an egg in the middle then carefully wrap it, gently pressing around it so it’s sealed well. Do the same with the remaining eggs until they’re all covered. Take each one and roll it in the flour, then the egg, then back into the flour and egg again. Finally roll in the breadcrumbs and gently re-shape into a sphere if necessary.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 160°C (325°F) or in a deep heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (Note: hot oil can be dangerous; do not leave unattended.) Line a large plate with kitchen paper. Use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the Scotch eggs into the hot oil and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden and crispy. Lift out and drain on the kitchen paper and season with a pinch of salt. (Cook the eggs in batches if you have a small fryer or pan.)
Serve them with a big dollop of the mayonnaise on the side.
ISLE OF WIGHT PRAWNS WITH TOMATOES, MANGALITZA CHORIZO & PANCETTA
The Hut is a hidden gem on the Isle of Wight surrounded by colourful beach huts in the sheltered Colwell Bay, Freshwater, a stone’s throw from Yarmouth. It is a great place to chill out and watch the yachts moor up and the sun go down over a beer (you might need to book in advance). They cook delicious local food simply and this is my twist on one of their dishes. I used local tomatoes and garlic that thrive in the island’s amazing weather (even on the 3-mile crossing over, the temperature increased by 7 degrees!) and added Mangalitza pork from just over the water in the New Forest.
SERVES 2
50ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 garlic cloves, chopped, plus 1 extra clove, halved
½ shallot, diced
4 tomatoes, quartered
10 cherry tomatoes
3 thin slices of pancetta, chopped
6 slices of Mangalitza chorizo picante, chopped
½ small bunch of basil, torn
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red chilli, chopped
6 large prawns
2 slices of sourdough
Light your BBQ. When the coals are silvery in colour, it’s ready to start cooking.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat for a minute or so, then add the oil, the chopped garlic, shallot and tomatoes. Stir everything together and cook for 2–3 minutes until the tomatoes have started to soften and cook down. Add the pancetta, chorizo and basil and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Season, then add the chilli and stir it through.
Peel the shells off the prawns, leaving the heads on, drizzle over the oil and season and drizzle the bread with oil.
Pop the prawns onto the BBQ, along with the bread, and cook until they are charred. Turn over and continue to cook again until charred on the other side.
To serve, rub the charred bread with the cut clove of garlic and put a slice on each plate. Pile the tomato and chorizo mixture onto the bread and top with the prawns.
CRAB CAKES WITH HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE
Brown crabs a
re extremely commercially important and the crab fishery in British waters is one of the largest in the world, although the bulk of crabs are still exported to Spain and France. Brown crabs are found all over the British Isles where the rocks and weeds provide cover and, of course, the cold water. I’ve never eaten crab as good as the ones I tasted in Cromer and in the Orkney Islands on this trip. These cakes showcase the delicious flavour of fresh crab.
SERVES 4
400g white crab meat
400g cooked potato, pushed through a ricer
6 spring onions, sliced
small bunch of chives, chopped
juice of ½ lemon
1 egg yolk
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g plain flour, for dusting
olive oil, for frying
For the mayonnaise
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
200ml vegetable oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
small bunch of watercress
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
Start by making the mayonnaise. Whisk the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar together in a medium bowl until smooth. Slowly pour the vegetable oil into the bowl, starting with a little drizzle and whisking well. This is easiest to do with an electric hand whisk. Continue to drizzle in the remaining oil, whisking all the time, until the mixture has thickened. Season to taste.
Put the crab into a large bowl with the potatoes, spring onions, chives, lemon juice and egg yolk. Season and mix everything together well. Divide the mixture into 8 portions. Dust your hands with flour and form each into a round fish-cake shape roughly measuring 8–10cm in diameter and 2cm thick.
Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Drizzle with a little oil and pop the fish cakes in. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden and heated through. You may need to do this in batches, depending on how big your pan is.
To serve, pop 2 crab cakes onto each plate, garnish each with watercress and a lemon wedge and serve with a dollop or a little pot of mayonnaise.
