In praise of the Ploughman's Lunch

My cravings have recently taken me to the world of the Ploughman’s Platter.  I know many of you may be thinking “really?”, but I am not just talking any Ploughman’s but one with homemade Pork Pie (or my variation on it) and a smooth, creamy and I have to say divine Chicken Liver Pate (for which I have to thank the Rvv as it is he who made it).   Add to the ensemble fat pickled onions, a slice of notably moving Brie and pungent smelling Stilton, some fresh baked bread, cherry tomatoes and a glass of Red you will find yourself instantly transported to a country pub complete with roaring fire and good conversation. 

So if you fancy making something simple for supper one evening here is my recommendation on dressing it up beautifully.

Richard’s Chicken Liver Pate

300g trimmed Chicken Livers (buy 400g before trimming)

2 Shallots finely chopped

3 cloves Garlic finely chopped

3 tbsp Brandy

100ml Double Cream

1 rasher Bacon finely chopped

2 tbsp Butter

Clarified butter (optional)

Salt and Pepper

A handful of Flat Leaf Parsley (chopped)

Fry off the shallots and bacon until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the chicken liver and cook until it starts to change colour.  Season with salt and pepper, add the brandy and cook for a few minutes then add the cream and parsley and cook for another 3 minutes.  Place all the ingredients from the pan into a food processor or blender and add the 2 tablespoons of butter and blitz until smooth.

Tip into a container or pot and cover with clarified butter or cling film.  Refrigerate overnight to set.

Pork, Turkey & Bacon Pie

For the pastry

200g lard (trying to be relatively healthy I use Trex Vegetable Fat)
220g water
575g flour
1 beaten egg
1 small cake tin (20cm) with loose bottom

For the filling

200g Minced Pork

200g Minced Turkey

8 rashers of Streaky Bacon (chopped)

1 tsp fresh Thyme Leaves (finely chopped)

5 fresh Sage Leaves (finely chopped)

½ tsp Ground Allspice

Salt and Pepper

For the Jelly

½ pint good quality Chicken Stock which has formed a jelly (this is very important, if the stock does not form a jelly it is not concentrated enough and you will end up with a wet pie)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Firstly make the pastry. 

Place the lard and water in a saucepan and heat to a boil.  Once boiling point has been reached remove from the heat and empty in the flour mixing with a wooden spoon forming a wet dough.  Leave until cool enough to handle but it should still be warm to the touch when you put it in the tin.

Take a quarter of the dough and leave to one side.  With the remainder place it in the bottom of the tin and work it over the bottom and up the sides of the tin until it is all covered and slightly overlapping the sides.  Be careful to ensure there are no holes in the pastry and that certain areas are not too thin as this will mean leakage when you pour in the stock.

With the remaining quarter of the pastry, either roll it out or use your hands to flatten it as a top for the pie.

Place all the filling ingredients into a food processor fitted with a blade and blitz until well combined.  Using your hands put the meat mixture into the pastry gently pushing down to remove any air bubbles or spaces.  Place the top of the pastry on top and then using the bits hanging over the sides use these with the top to seal the pie by pinching with your fingers all the way round.  Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a hole in the top middle of the pie pushing it almost all the way down the pie (but not through the bottom).

Place the pie in the oven for 30 minutes.  After this time, reduce the temperature of the oven to 160 degrees and cook for a further 90 minutes.  I know this may seem like a long time but it will be fine (trust me!).  After the 90 minutes remove from the oven, brush the top with egg and then put back in the oven for a final 30 minutes.  OK that is it for the cooking so remove from the oven and re-establish the hole in the top with the wooden spoon again as it may have sealed itself during cooking.

Heat the jellied stock until liquid and then gently pour into the hole in the pie until it seems full.  Place in the refrigerator overnight to set.

This may seem a little long-winded but it is definitely worth it and I guarantee you will never look at shop brought pork pies again in the same way.

Duck and Lamb Cassoulet (Peasant Food? I don't think so...)

Aimlessly wandering around the garden yesterday morning in my PJs watching the sunrise - gorgeous by the way - having said my ‘good mornings’ to the ladies (chicks), I came to the conclusion that winter was definitely on its way.  There was frost on the ground, an ice cold chill in the air and I finally understood why my sisters were excitedly counting down the days to Christmas already (although it is still a little early for me to be thinking like that).

So with that in mind, my stomach tells my brain (you would think it’s the other way around wouldn’t you?) to salivate for winter stews, roast dinners, honey parsnips and, yesterday morning, for rustic slow cooked Cassoulet.  Now it may not look the most tempting dish in the world (its difficult to pretty up beans and meat in a dish) but sometimes you have to think flavour first.

Start this the night before, put in a low oven or slow cooker before you trot off to work and when you return indulge in the most deliciously wonderful flavours this dish offers.  Depending on where in France you go, sometimes they add all different cuts of meats and sometimes skin, for me this is perfect just with slow cooked tender meat without the wibbley bits!

A word of warning... If you are planning on kissing someone new you may want to lay off a bit on the garlic, either that or I suggest you invite them for dinner as a precursor.

1 Shoulder of Lamb (get the butcher to bone it for you but keep the bones for cooking)

2 Duck Legs

8 Chipolata Sausages

1 Stick of Celery

1 Carrot

1 Onion

Small bunch of fresh herbs tied together – Rosemary, Thyme, Bay, Parsley, Bay

1 Bottle of Dry White Wine

1 Pint Water

250g Harricot Beans (dried are great, tins are OK too)

10 cloves of Garlic peeled but not chopped

Drizzle of Olive Oil

Handful of chopped Flat Leaf Parsley and Coriander (to finish)

If you are using dried Harricot Beans then the night before you want to cook the Cassoulet you need to soak the beans in cold water. 

The next day start by finely chopping the onion, celery and carrot to a brunoise (this is a cheffy term whereby you slice the vegetables into a fine julienne about 1-2mm thick and then finely dice them all the same size).

In a large frying pan fry the duck legs off skin side down to crisp them up.  While this is happening cut the lamb up into large chunks (about 2-3” squared).  Add this to the duck along with the sausages.  You are not trying to cook them at this time just seal the meat.  Place the meats in a large casserole dish with a lid along with the bones.

Sauté off the vegetables, add the garlic and then add to the meat mixture.  Drain the beans and add into the meat and vegetables.  Pour the bottle of wine into the casserole dish, season and stir to combine.  Add in the herb bundle, put on the lid and place in the oven.  Cook for 1 hour at 200 degrees then reduce the temperature to a very low setting (about 120 degrees) for between 5-7 hours.  Check half way through to make sure there is still liquid.  If it is running dry then add the water and return to the oven.

I like to leave my cassoulet until the next day to eat.  This is for two reasons, 1) I can remove any fat which has come to the top making it healthier without losing the flavour and 2) the flavours continue to develop and it becomes even more wonderful.

When you are ready to eat heat the cassoulet through in the oven, remove the bones and give these to the dogs, gently stir through the parsley and coriander (you can add a slight squeeze of fresh lemon if you want extra zizz) and then dive straight in.

Now why this originated as peasant food I have no idea.  Clearly the peasants had far better taste in food than those financially better off!