A Selection of Bruce Chop's articles and seasonal recipes to try
Articles
"The British preservation society"
Are you thinking about what to have for dinner tonight? How about some corned beef, pickled herring or brawn with lacto-fermented vegetables? I’m sure these aren’t top of most people’s wish list but although it might bring back nightmares of bad school dinners it could be worth giving some of those old recipes another chance…
Our culinary history has a long tradition of preserving foods in time of plenty – whether by making jams and chutneys out of the abundant fruits of late summer or pickling and curing meat and fish to guarantee a good source of protein throughout the whole year. Not only did this make a lot of economic sense, it also produced some of our most delicious British dishes – strokes of genius inspired by necessity!
I believe this has a strong resonance with us today. When thinking more about cutting down waste and making more out of what we’ve got contributes to sustainable food consumption and at the same time broaden the variety of what’s on offer to customers.
The concept of using every part of the animal has been championed by some of this country’s top chefs, but it’s becoming more widely accessible across the board. If we’re going to eat meat and fish of course there will always be a special place in our hearts (or stomachs) for a good fillet steak or roast rack of lamb, but can we also save some room for corned beef and pickled cabbage? By this I don’t mean out of a can but the way they originally made it for long sea voyages, by preserving the meat by packing it in large salt crystals called corns. Made properly it can be absolutely incredible.
Recently, restaurants have put a lot of emphasis on eating seasonally and locally, and I agree that this is important – but it doesn’t mean that we can’t still have variety on our menus or be innovative in what we serve. Maybe it’s time to revisit some of our old traditions.
We are in a period of preparation before the spring where you can start to think of this when you might give this a go. In March you will start to smell wild garlic in the woods or even beside the road places. This makes an amazing accompaniment for cheese, or cooked meat or as a flavouring in dishes where you would use garlic. It makes an easy and very accessible way of having a go at fermenting and preserving.
How to relish the new season’s produce
Thoughts often turn to eating lamb at this time of year, but British new season lamb reared outdoors and suckling on their mother’s milk – who herself has enjoyed a diet of fresh grass – these animals have a uniquely sweet flavour and a tender texture, which needs careful cooking and subtle accompaniments to bring out its best.
Which is why the new season vegetables make such wonderful partners. Whereas strong herbs like rosemary and hardy winter veg like kale and red cabbage go so well with more mature animals, seasonality dictates that they would overpower the delicate flavour of new season lamb which is only up to [8 months old]. But spring vegetables such as asparagus, broad beans, fennel, trompette mushrooms, courgettes and tomatoes are just right, creating a dish which is light but still full of flavour. Ditto soft herbs like chervil, parsley, chives, tarragon or even dill.
Don’t be too afraid of it, however – for all its delicacy, new season lamb is still quite versatile. While it’s not the right meat for slow-cooked stews or minced up for burgers, it’s fantastic barbequed, where the caramelisation gives a nice balance to the sweetness of the meat. Simply marinade it in soft herbs, garlic and olive oil and serve with a raw or lightly steamed salad of spring veg with a lemon, black pepper and pecorino vinaigrette. Or try it [steamed] in a light broth with sheep’s milk dumplings and crunchy new season veg. If you’re really adventurous, “hay baking” is a classic way to cook it – packed in a roasting tin surrounded by hay – served simply with buttered Jersey Royals.
So let’s relish all our beautiful new spring produce as we enjoy the sunshine!
“Mutton, not dressed up as anything: it’s perfect as it is!”
I don’t know about you, but in January I’m done with Winter and I start yearning for the new season and produce like asparagus or lamb. While I love these and they are amazing, we shouldn’t forget about amazing produce available right now. Today I am talking about lamb’s older brother mutton. Maybe it’s because I enjoy cooking classic dishes or that I have big mutton chop sideburns, but I love cooking and eating it when possible. However, this unique meat is almost impossible to find. In the era of sustainability, could there be more demand for it? I’ve never seen it in the supermarket, and you rarely come across it on menus. We love our lamb but mutton, which used to be far more common on British dinner tables, has really fallen out of favour.
There doesn’t seem to be any good reason for this, other than changing trends in the way we produce and eat our food. Looking into history, according to the great Mrs Beeton, writing 150 years ago, “Mutton is undoubtedly the meat most generally used in families and by connoisseurs … it stands first in flavour”. Today people seem to think that mutton is just tough old lamb and a lesser option. This assumption in my opinion doesn’t do it justice. After all, we don’t think of beef as just tough old veal.
So, what is mutton? Well, it comes from a sheep that is more than two years old (lamb tends to be anything up to a year – after that it’s technically called “hogget”), and because of its age and the fact that it tends to have spent longer outdoors it has more inter-muscle fat, known in the trade as “marbling”. Although this makes the meat less sweet and tender than lamb, it also gives it a deeper flavour. It does take more (slower) cooking, but to my mind, the rewards are there.
Thanks to its stronger taste, dishes such as stews, hotpots, pies, tagines or curries come alive when you substitute lamb with mutton. It goes perfectly with sharp, spicy or other robust flavours, which is perhaps one reason why it is popular in Middle Eastern and Asian cookery. One of the easiest ways to eat it is in a simple Shepherd’s pie, throwing in a few capers at the end to give it another dimension.
If you can find it, now’s a good time to try how versatile and flavoursome it can be. We still have months to wait for the British new season’s lamb to grow and be ready. The issue with “if you can find it” is the problem. While some TV chefs and food writers have started challenging negative perceptions of mutton, the lack of availability is the biggest hurdle, although restaurants like St Johns and Otto’s are leading the way in championing different meats. To get this back on the menu more readily we really to get the conversation growing about the poor old sheep and putting mutton chops, roasting joints, pies and stews, back in fashion. I am sure the appetite would be there. Mrs Beeton would be proud!
Recipes
Fermented Ramsons (Wild Garlic)
Preserved Ramsons (Wild Garlic)
· Go out and find as many wild garlic leaves and flowers you can pick
· Take them home and wash well to get all dirt etc from them and allow to dry
· Shred the leaves as best you can put into a clean bowl and weigh
· Calculate 2-3% of the total weight of the leaves and weigh this in fine salt (the more salt the stronger the flavour)
· Mix together with the leaves and liberally mix together with a spoon or clean hands for about 3-5 minutes to release juice, then push a weight down on top to the wild garlic and leave for an hour
· Remove the leaves from the bowl and place in a sterilised jar pushing down to remove the air (this is very important)
· Pour over the remaining liquid from the bowl and keep a disc of parchment over the top of the wild garlic to maintain a constant pressure.
· Cover with a double sheet of muslin and lay the lid on to the jar don’t tighten yet.
· Leave to ferment for a week or so then tighten the lid firmly put a dated label on the jar and this should last for months in the cupboard.
· Once you open it keep it in the fridge and try to use within a week
New season Lamb, Charred asparagus and black pepper dressing – Serves 4
2 best end racks of new season lamb (trimmed outer skin removed)
2x bunches of Asparagus, cleaned and stalks cut off
8/10 in number breakfast radishes
8 in number yellow cherry tomatoes
8 in number red cherry tomatoes
1 head of radicchio or trevisano
2 heads of white chicory
1/2 bunch of chervil
For the dressing
1 lemon zest and juice
50ml white balsamic vinegar (or good white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
200ml cold pressed rape seed oil
70g grated pecorino cheese
Salt to taste
Method
For the dressing place all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until it has come together as a dressing.
Thinly slice the radishes and place them in a bowl, cut the tomatoes in half and add to the bowl, squeeze a little lemon and oil over them and season well with salt and milled pepper. Then leave for a few minutes.
Oil and season the asparagus and then grill on a hot griddle pan for a few seconds each side to colour but not totally cook. Then place them on a tray and pour over a little of the dressing.
Season the Lamb well and put into a hot pan fat side down and cook on a medium to high heat for 3-4 minutes. When they have a lovely golden colour turn them over and start to baste them with the rendered fat. Do this all over for 3-4 minutes moving the lamb all the time until there is now raw areas. Then place on a rack with a tray underneath and cook in a pre-heated 180-degree Celsius oven for 4-5 minutes until the flesh is a little firmer. Remove from the oven place on the side for about 8 minutes to rest. You are now ready to complete the dish
Just before plating add the salad leaves to the tomato and radish bowl and then arrange over the plate, then add the asparagus. Slice the Lamb into cutlets and arrange on the plate and finish with a good spoon of the dressing over each and finish with sprigs of chervil.
Whole slow roasted Leg of mutton, tikka, onion, red cabbage & cucumber salad, coriander chutney & fresh roti bread 6-12 people
Start with finding the Mutton, you will need a 2-2.5kg leg of mutton, have a look at the companies https://www.blackface.co.uk or https://rhug.co.uk who will do this.
To prepare the mutton, score the flesh a little all over around ½ a centimetre deep in preparation for the marinade
Then you need to make a paste for the marinade, this will consist of:
- 300ml natural yogurt
- 2-3 fresh chilli’s de seeded
- 4 good sized cloves of garlic pealed
- a good 3-4cm piece of ginger pealed
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 3 tablespoon’s tandoori masala powder
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons of clear honey
- 1 lemon zest & juice
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon salt
- A few good twists of the pepper mill.
With all cooking this is about personal taste so add more or less of the chilli or other spices as is right for you.
Blend this all together in a blender or food processer until smooth.
Then rub this liberally all over the mutton, massaging the paste into all of the cuts made.
Leave this for at least an hour or ideally over night to absorb the marinade
When you are ready to cook, drizzle with a little light oil and season well
Wrap the leg first in parchment paper, then in a double layer of tin foil
Place on a roasting tray and cook in a preheated oven to 140 degrees Celsius or gas mark 1 and cook very slowly pretty much all day (at least 5 hours until super tender and falling off the bone)
Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes while you get everything else ready
For the onion, red cabbage & cucumber salad
- 1 in number medium red cabbage core removed and finely sliced
- 2 red onions pealed, halved and very finely sliced
- 1 cucumber, de seeded and cut into small dice
- The juice of one whole lemon
- 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons of light oil
- Salt and milled black pepper to season
Literally mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl about 10 minutes before you want to eat.
For the coriander chutney
- A good bunch of coriander with stalks roughly chopped
- A bunch of mint, pick the leaves roughly chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons of light oil
- Salt to taste and milled black pepper
You can either make this in a blender, with a hand blender all together or as I like to make it in a pestle & mortar.
Start with pounding the coriander and mint together until they have darkened in colour and become more of a paste.
Add the sugar and continue to pound, then add the vinegar and drizzle the oil so it all comes together as a thick paste.
Season well and serve, you can even leave this in the pestle for effect
Now for the roti bread, this is super easy but will take a little longer and can be made in advance while the mutton is the oven as the breads can keep.
- 500g of strong flour
- 100ml natural yogurt
- 150-170ml warm water
- 2 teaspoons salt
Again to make this is very easy, mix all ingredients together in a food mixer or by hand, kneading well for 5 minutes or so.
Bring together into a ball and place in a clean bowl, cover and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Divide this into 10-12 balls, in a little flour on the table and on the rolling pin, roll out each ball carefully, you want these to be quite thin so they will cook quickly.
Place your widest frying pan on a high heat brush a little oil with a paper towel and place the rolled-out bread flat into the pan.
Cook for about a minute or so, you will see the bread puff up and bubble, then turn and cook for about 30 seconds on the other side to finish.
Place on a plate or wooden board and cover with a clean tea towel.
Repeat the process until all are cooked and ready
To finish the dish
Remove the mutton from the wrapping and place on a serving dish, there will be some lovely cooking juices, either baste the mutton with these for serving or place them in a bowl next to the mutton.
You should only need a fork and spoon to carve the mutton as it will be soft and falling of the bone.
