by James Martin
To serve, slide the flatbreads onto a board and slice into pieces. Add dollops of the yogurt and sprinkle with the chopped mint and coriander and the chopped pistachios.
LANGOUSTINES AT THE HARBOUR
Strangford Lough produces the best langoustines I have ever had, so much so that this was first on the list of places I wanted to visit. Situated a few miles south east of Belfast, this is the largest inlet in the British Isles and is linked to the sea by a narrow channel that brings in the rich waters that make it the perfect place to find the best seafood around. Great fish are caught here too – whiting, ray and haddock are some of the many species that come from this very special place.
SERVES 6
400g Comber (or other early new) potatoes, unpeeled
24 large raw langoustines
4 spring onions, sliced
small bunch of dill, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
For the mayonnaise
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
200ml vegetable oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the potatoes for around 15 minutes, until tender. Drain well then tip into a bowl and chop roughly, then set aside to cool completely.
Bring another large pan of water to the boil and cook 18 of the langoustines for 1 minute. Drain well.
Heat a large griddle pan over a medium heat until hot. Put the remaining 6 langoustines on a board. Hold the body of one with your finger and thumb and, with the blade of a large chopping knife pointing towards the tail, push the point of the knife into the lateral line in the middle then slice down the body towards the tail to cut quickly and evenly through the shell and the flesh. Turn the langoustine round and slice through the head to make 2 halves. Pull out and remove the vein (a thin black strip) from each side and pull out the gut from the head – it should lift out in one piece.
Repeat with the other 5 langoustines then cook the halved langoustines on the griddle, shell-side down first, for around 3 minutes on each side, until charred and the flesh is opaque.
To make 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.
Spoon half the mayonnaise into the bowl of potatoes. Add the spring onions and dill, season and mix everything together.
Stir the lemon juice into the remaining mayonnaise.
Take a large platter and spoon the langoustines into a pile, topping with the griddled langoustines. Spoon the potato salad on the side, followed by the mayonnaise. Serve with the lemon wedges.
SEAFOOD RISOTTO
Fishing off the Isle of Wight Needles was my first real go at sea fishing and it didn’t disappoint. We used mackerel as bait and drifted over the drops and wrecks around the famous rocks and I caught a few bass. The taste of a fresh line-caught bass is a true delight and it goes brilliantly with the shellfish in this rich risotto.
SERVES 4
50g butter
1 garlic bulb, halved
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves separated and stalks roughly chopped
100ml dry white wine
500g mussels, cleaned and debearded (see my tip)
500g clams, cleaned
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 shallot, diced
200g risotto rice
250ml chicken stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 200-g sea bass portions
25g samphire
50g mascarpone
25g parmesan, grated
2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and roughly chopped
100g white crab meat
juice of 1 lemon
Add a knob of the butter to a large saucepan and heat until it has melted. Stir in the garlic bulb halves and chopped parsley stalks, cook for 1 minute, then pour in half of the wine.
Pop the mussels and clams into the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 2–3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to scoop them out of the pan and onto a plate. Pour the cooking liquor into a bowl, discard the parsley and garlic and set the pan aside. Remove the meat from the mussels and clams.
Put the same pan back over a medium heat and add another knob of the butter. When it’s melted, add the chopped garlic, shallot, rice, the remaining wine and three-quarters of the stock. Bring this to the boil then allow it to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cooking liquor from the clams and mussels, leaving the last bit as it may contain sediment.
Pop a non-stick frying pan on the hob, season the bass and add the remaining butter to the pan. Place the fish into the pan skin-side down and hold it down with a fish slice for a minute to stop it from curling up. Cook for 2 minutes then flip over and add the samphire to the pan. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
To finish the risotto, add the clam and mussel meat to the rice mixture, followed by the mascarpone, parmesan, tomatoes, crab meat, lemon juice and the remaining stock. Stir everything together and check the seasoning. The texture should be slightly runny – if it isn’t, add a little hot water until it reaches the right consistency.
To serve, spoon the risotto onto plates, top with a piece of sea bass and arrange the samphire over the fish.
LYMPSTONE MUSSELS
I have never seen anything like the contraption used by the mussel men of the River Exe. They don’t use dredges, which wreck the sea bed; they use a self-flushing elevator that kind of hoovers up the mussels, causing less disturbance and producing a more sustainable supply all year round. The mussels are then cleaned, graded and put in purification tanks for a few days before being sold. Myles is the brains behind The Exmouth Mussel Company, so next time you’re down there, pop in and say hi. It was a pleasure to cook these wonderful mussels with my mate Michael Caines.
SERVES 4
50g butter
100g smoked streaky bacon, chopped into lardons
1 onion, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
small bunch of sea aster
250ml cider
250ml double cream
2kg mussels, cleaned and debearded (see my tip)
4 thick slices of white crusty bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Heat a large casserole dish over a medium heat for a few minutes until hot, then add half the butter. When it has melted and is sizzling, add the bacon pieces and fry until crisp.
Add the diced onion and celery and the garlic and season well. Stir everything together and cook over a low heat for a few minutes, stirring every now and then.
Add the sea aster and pour in the cider and cream, then season with black pepper. Stir everything together then add the remaining butter. Once the butter has melted and the liquid is simmering, pop the mussels in and stir everything together. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 4 minutes.
Drizzle the slices of bread with the olive oil and toast in a flat frying pan until charred. Check all the mussels have opened, discarding any that haven’t, then tip into a serving bowl. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve with the toasted bread.
WHISKY CHICKEN WITH WILD MUSHROOM & MUSTARD SAUCE
Edradour Distillery is one place I had to go back to on this trip, not just because it’s beautiful but also because I wanted to check up on my barrel of whisky that is signed and maturing nicely. Set up in 1825, the distillery is hidden in a small valley in Perthshire and is Scotland’s smallest traditional whisky distillery. This place is a picture, as is the owner Andrew – he is on hand most days making
the spirit and leading tours and tastings. Use any single-malt whisky to add a delicious warmth to this dish.
SERVES 6
25g butter
1 x 2-kg chicken, jointed into 8 portions
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
50ml whisky
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
200g new potatoes, halved
100g wild mushrooms
4 medium tomatoes, quartered
750ml chicken stock
75ml double cream
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
small bunch of wild garlic, plus wild garlic flowers to serve
Heat a large, wide, non-stick sauté pan over a medium heat until hot. Add the butter and heat until melted, then add the chicken pieces, skin-side down. Season them all, then fry for about 10 minutes, until deep golden. Stir in the shallots and garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes, until starting to soften. Turn the chicken over so it’s skin-side up.
Pour the whisky into the pan and bring to a bubble to burn off the alcohol. Stir in both types of mustard, then add the potatoes, mushrooms and tomatoes. Season well then stir in the stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Cut through the thickest piece of meat and check there are no pink juices.
When the chicken is cooked, pour over the double cream and stir in the parsley. Add the wild garlic to the pan and cook for around 1 minute until it’s wilted, then remove from the heat, sprinkle the flowers over the top and serve.
CHICKEN KIEV WITH WILD GARLIC & CREAMED WELSH LEEKS
You don’t have to use wild garlic for this dish, but when it’s in season it is one of the joys of foraged food. Not to be mistaken for lily of the valley, which is poisonous, you can often smell this plant in woodlands or along pathways and roads before you see it – Britain seems to provide the perfect growing conditions. I cooked this in Wales after driving the Llangollen Railway steam train the 10 miles to Corwen. It’s a volunteer-run railway and a visit there is like stepping back in time.
SERVES 2
1–2 litres vegetable oil, for deep-frying
200g butter
7 garlic cloves, chopped
small bunch of wild garlic, chopped
small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 x 150-g French-trimmed chicken breasts (ask your butcher to do this or use regular chicken breasts)
2 eggs, beaten
75g plain flour
100g panko breadcrumbs
400g Welsh leeks, washed, cut into 8-cm lengths and halved lengthways
100ml double cream
juice of ½ lemon
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 165–170°C (330–340°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 towel.
Put the butter, garlic, half the wild garlic and half the parsley into a bowl. Season and mix well.
Pull off the skin from each chicken breast and discard then carefully pull away the fillet. Cut a hole all the way through the chicken breast from the top almost to the bottom to create a pocket. Fill each with half the flavoured butter then push the chicken fillet into the chicken breast to fill the hole.
Put the beaten eggs in one shallow bowl, the flour in another and the breadcrumbs in another. Season the flour well. Coat each chicken breast first in flour, then in egg, and then again so they’re coated with each twice. Next, coat with the breadcrumbs, pressing these into the skin so the chicken is completely covered.
Carefully lower the chicken pieces into the hot oil and fry for 10–12 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. To test if the chicken is cooked, pierce the thickest part with a skewer to check the juices run clear. Lift onto the kitchen paper and season with salt.
Meanwhile, dry-fry the leeks in a frying pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring to keep them moving, until they’re nicely charred. Pour the cream into the pan along with the remaining parsley and wild garlic. Season and stir everything together. Continue to cook for 3–4 minutes until softened and cooked down. Taste to check the seasoning then stir in the lemon juice.
To serve, spoon the leeks onto two warmed plates and pop a chicken Kiev alongside.
CHICKEN BALTI
Birmingham is the home of the balti and was the perfect place to visit with the food critic Grace Dent. We wanted to explore what this great city has to offer and, trust me, it offers a lot. It has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other British city outside London and a buzzing food scene. While we were here, we had to cook a balti. It is said to have originated in north Pakistan and became popular in Birmingham in the early 1970s when we all lapped it up, just as the crew did shortly after I cooked this.
SERVES 4
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped into 3-cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed with 1 teaspoon salt
4-cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1½ teaspoons mild chilli powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
juice of 1 lemon
For the sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
2 cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 teaspoons mild chilli powder
4 teaspoons garam masala
3 tablespoons fresh fenugreek leaves, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400-g can chopped tomatoes
1 large fresh tomato, roughly chopped into 2-cm chunks
2 teaspoons light soft brown sugar
75ml double cream
small bunch of coriander, chopped
To serve
naan bread, warmed according to packet instructions
First marinate the chicken – put the chicken pieces in a sealable container and add the garlic, ginger, chilli powder, garam masala and lemon juice. Stir everything together, cover and chill for up to 2 hours. If you’re pushed for time, you can marinate it for just 15 minutes. When the chicken has finished marinating, take it out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium to high heat and when hot, add the diced onion. Cook for about 8 minutes over a medium heat, stirring all the time, until the onion has softened and is lightly coloured.
Add the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cardamom pods and continue to fry for 1 minute, stirring everything around. Add the chilli powder, garam masala and fenugreek leaves and stir-fry again for a further minute.
Increase the heat and add the marinated chicken and season with a good pinch of salt. Stir the chicken into the onion and spices and fry for about 5 minutes, until starting to colour, then add all the tomatoes. Stir everything together, season, bring up to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
The chicken should now be cooked through but check by slicing a big piece in half; there should be no pink meat. Reduce the heat right down to low, then stir in the sugar, double cream and coriander and cook for 1–2 minutes to heat through. Taste to check the seasoning then serve with the warmed naan.
CHICKEN VERONIQUE
Camel Valley Vineyard is one of many success stories on the British wine scene. Bob and Annie Lindo bought this place originally to farm animals but soon realised the soil’s potential for growing vines. They planted some to try and have gone on to produce world-leading fizz and wine with many awards to prove it. They make one of the best British sparkling wines I’ve tasted and it’s well worth a visit to fill the boot with some of their finest. This dish is traditionally made with fresh sole but I loved the idea of a white chicken stew, and this is
a great way to add good wine and grapes to make a tasty and special dish.
SERVES 4
1 x 2-kg corn-fed chicken
1 celery stick, sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
1 medium leek, sliced
5 black peppercorns
a few sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove, sliced
50g butter
25g plain flour
100ml white wine
150ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g white grapes (peeled, optional)
a few sprigs of tarragon, leaves picked
Put the chicken on a board with the neck end facing towards you and snip off any string holding the chicken together. Lift up the flap of skin around the neck and use a small sharp knife to cut away and remove the wishbone, working as close to the bone as possible.
Take a chopping knife and cut the legs and thighs off each side and pull off the skin, then put them to one side. Working from the backbone, cut down one side to carefully remove one of the breasts, keeping the wing attached at the bottom. Do the same on the other side. Pull the skin off the chicken breasts and discard. Cut through the joint halfway through the wing to remove the tip, then slice from the top down, around the bone to remove the skin and flesh from the bone. Slice a thin piece off each knuckle so that the bone stands up.
Pop the chicken pieces into a large non-stick pan and pour enough cold water in to cover the joints. (You can save the bits of chicken that you’re not using to make a stock – wrap up, label and freeze for up to 3 months.) Add the celery, onion, leek, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves and garlic. Cover and place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 20 minutes to poach the chicken until it’s cooked through.
Lift the chicken out of the pan onto a warm plate. Strain the stock into a bowl and discard the vegetables, herbs and spices.
