set of recipes from Dave

Paella
This was the first dish Dave cooked for me when he was trying to impress me back in 1983 - and it worked!
This needs no accompaniment other than a chilled Spanish white wine. If you prefer, you can leave the mussels
in the shells.
4-6 servings
1 x 1.5 lb cooked lobster, shell split, claws cracked and grey sac removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 x 2lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 chorizo sausage, sliced
1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped or 8oz canned peeled tomatoes, drained
1 large red pepper, white pith removed, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
12oz/2 cups long-grain rice, washed, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and drained
1 pint/2.5 cups water
Juice of 1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon ground saffron soaked in 4 floz/1/2 cup warm water for 20 minutes
8oz peas, shelled
6oz large prawns or shrimps, shelled
1 quart mussels, scrubbed, steamed and removed from shells
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1. Remove the lobster meat from the shell and claws and cut it into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a large deep frying pan, flameproof casserole or paella pan heat the olive oil over a moderate heat. When
hot add the chicken pieces and chorizo sausage slices and fry, turning occasionally, for 15 minutes or until
the chicken is evenly browned.
3. Using tongs or a slotted spoon remove the meat from the pan, set aside and keep hot.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is soft
and translucent but not brown.
5. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, salt, pepper and paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes
or until the mixture is thick.
6. Add the rice to the pan and, shaking the pan frequently, fry it for 3 minutes or until it is transparent.
7. Add the water, lemon juice and saffron mixture and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the peas.
8. Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Add the lobster, prawns or shrimps and mussels and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the chicken is
cooked through and all the cooking liquid has been absorbed.
10. Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle over the parsley and serve immediately.
White Chicken Stock à la Raymond Blanc
Dave was a great advocate of good quality stock. Our freezer always contained huge bags of frozen chicken!
This particular recipe is special because he learnt it on a course he did with Steve at Maison Blanc Cookery
School – a present from me for his 60th birthday in 2009.
A subtle and flavourful stock that is useful in many soups and sauces. The stock can be stored in the fridge for 3
or 4 days or for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Makes 1 litre
2kg raw free-range chicken wings or raw chicken carcasses, chopped (roast carcasses can be used instead)
15g unsalted butter
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
White of 1 small leek, finely chopped
1 small celery stalk, finely chopped
100g button mushrooms, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
10 white peppercorns, crushed
200ml dry white wine (optional)
1 litre cold water
1 bouquet garni
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sweat the chicken wings in the butter for 5 minutes without colouring.
Add the chopped vegetables, garlic and crushed peppercorns and sweat for a further 5 minutes.
Pour in the wine (if using), bring back to the boil and skim.
Throw in the bouquet garni and simmer for 1 hour, skimming from time to time.
Strain through a fine sieve and leave to cool before chilling or freezing.
Pork Fillets with Yogurt Sauce
This is Dave’s favourite dish from my (more limited!) repertoire.
Serves 4
1 kg/2lb pork fillets (in 2 pieces)
100g/4oz Gruyère or Emmenthal cheese
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika pepper
50g/2oz flour
50g/2oz butter
½ small onion
150ml/1/4 pint chicken stock
150ml/5 fl oz natural yogurt
Parsley sprigs to garnish
1. Remove any excess fat from the pork fillets and slit each one to make a pocket. Cut the cheese into
matchsticks and put half into each fillet pocket. Close with a skewer or a trussing needle and string.
2. Mix together the salt, paprika and flour. Coat the fillets with the mixture.
3. Melt the butter in a flameproof pan, add the fillets and brown on all sides.
4. Peel and grate the onion and add to the pan with the stock. Stir to blend and bring to the boil. Stir in the
yogurt.
5. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the port is tender.
6. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve with Brussels sprouts.
Côtelette de Porc Poêlée aux Morilles
Pan-fried pork chop with dry sherry and morels
Dave was particularly fond of morelle mushrooms and we would scour shops and food festivals as well as
ordering them from specialists via the internet in order to find the best. We never tired of this delicious dish by
Raymond Blanc.
Serves 4
4 pork chops, trimmed of fat
1 tablespoon good oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the sauce
50g/2oz dried morels or 120g/4.5oz fresh morels
15g unsalted butter
100ml/3.5 fl oz dry sherry
300ml/10 fl oz whipping cream
Dash of lemon juice
Preparing the morels
1. Soak dried morels in water for a minimum of 4 hours, then drain them and cut in half. Wash them
thoroughly, then drain again and pat dry.
2. Wash fresh morels in two or three changes of water. Handling them very delicately, pat dry and cut into
halves or quarters according to size.
3. Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C) Gas 6.
Cooking the pork chops
1. Pan-fry the chops in a small roasting tin for 3 minutes on each side in very hot oil and butter until each side
is beautifully brown. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Remove the fat from the tin and place the tin and chops in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes.
3. Place the chops on a plate, cover loosely with buttered paper and keep in a warm place.
Preparing the sauce
1. Put the butter in a pan and sweat the morels for 3 minutes. Add the sherry and boil to reduce by half and
then add the cream. Boil until the sauce is of a velvety consistency.
2. Taste, correct seasoning with salt and pepper and lift the sauce with a dash of lemon juice.
Serving
Place the chops on a serving dish and reheat in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Pour any juices released by the chops
into the sauce. Pour the sauce over and around the chops and serve to your guests.
Il Diplimatico
Il Diplimatico is a wicked dessert that we learned to cook on a cookery holiday in Tuscany with Dave’s brother
and sister-in-law, Mike and Roberta. We each gained over half a stone on that holiday and you can see why.
We never actually tried this recipe at home because it was so rich, but on holiday with high volumes of good
quality Tuscan wine, it was superb!
For the base
200g butter
200g petit buerre biscuits
4 eggs
250g bitter chocolate
200g icing sugar
200g black grapes
3 dessertspoons whipped cream
Brandy or grappa
1.
2.
3.
4.
Deseed the grapes and cover with brandy. Leave for at least 2 hours.
Melt the chocolate, crush the biscuits and separate the eggs.
Beat the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the egg yolks and then the melted chocolate.
Stir in the biscuits, then the grapes and the brandy and then the cream. Whip the egg whites and fold into
the mixture.
5. Line a tin with cling-film then fill with the mixture and smooth it as flat as you can. Chill to harden.
For the coating
250g bitter chocolate
2 tsp rosewater
250g butter
1. Melt the chocolate and stir in the rosewater. Cut the butter into pieces and stir in. Leave to cool until
thickened.
2. Use about one third of the mixture to coat the top of the cake and chill until it sets.
3. Turn out the cake. Gently warm the coating if it has set and use it to coat the top and sides of the cake.
Yorkshire Fat Rascals
These were Dave’s favourite cakes. Vicky always teased him about his Fat Rascals. We discovered this treat
when we were out one day with Mum and Dad and stopped at a café for tea. Dave loved his Yorkshire Fat
Rascal cake so much that we searched out this recipe in his vast cookery book library.
These delicious tea cakes are a cross between a scone and a rock cake and are really simple to make. Serve them
warm, cold, just as they are or with butter.
Makes 10
350g/12oz/3 cups self raising flour
175g/6oz/3/4 cup butter, diced
115g/4oz/1/2 cup caster sugar
75g/3oz/1/3 cup mixed currants, raisins and sultanas
25g/1oz/1.5 tbsp chopped mixed peel
50g/2oz/1/3 cup glacé cherries
50g/2oz/1/3 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped
1 egg
75ml/5 tbsp milk
1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/Gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the butter and, with your fingertips, rub it into the flour until the
mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (alternatively whizz the ingredients briefly in a food processor).
3. Stir in the sugar, dried fruit, peel, cherries and almonds.
4. Lightly beat the egg and stir into the flour mixture with sufficient milk to gather the mixture into a ball of
dough.
5. With lightly floured hands, divide the dough into 10 balls, press them into rough circles about 2cm/3/4in
thick and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Cook for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Thai Prawn Noodle Bowl
Steve: If there’s one thing I’ve inherited from my Dad, it’s his awesome cooking skills. Sadly I didn’t inherit his
modesty. I loved my Dad’s cooking but most of all I loved cooking with him. I never had the chance to cook him
this dish - he wasn’t a fan of Thai food because he thought it was too spicy, but I knew I would have converted
him with this. The heat he so disliked from the histamine in the chilli is mellowed by the anti-histamine
property of the creamy coconut milk. This dish represents everything my Dad loved about cooking: rich
flavours, science, and seafood!
Serves 4
2 tbsp groundnut oil
1 bunch spring onions
1 red pepper
2 celery sticks
1 bird’s eye chilli
55g unsalted cashew nuts
2 lemon grass stems
200ml coconut milk
400ml chicken stock
2 tsp Thai fish sauce
350g peeled king prawns
200g rice vermicelli noodles
3 tbsp fresh coriander
salt and pepper
1.
2.
3.
4.
Slice the peppers and finely chop the spring onions, celery, and bird’s eye chillis.
Stir fry the peppers, spring onions, celery, and chillis in the oil on a high heat for 2 minutes.
Add the cashews nuts and continue frying for a further 2 minutes until the nuts have browned.
Crush or score the lemon grass stems and add to the pan with the coconut milk, chicken stock, and fish
sauce then bring to the boil.
5. Add the noodles and king prawns and bring back to the boil until the king prawns are just cooked through.
Alternatively the noodles can be cooked in a separate pan and added before serving.
6. Taste the sauce and season as appropriate before serving with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh coriander.
P.S. All the images are for illustrative purposes only - unfortunately we didn’t have time to cook and photograph each one!