Category: Starter

Neil Perry’s Warm Squid Salad

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4 as a share plate

It is after numbers like this one that you wonder why you don’t cook more squid! And if you don’t trust me, you have to trust that pretty much anything Neil Perry cooks is going to be wonderful.

It is an incredibly easy dish to do, it takes no time to prep and cook and it’s healthy sans the loaf of bread which unfortunately, is not optional!

The key to it all is to cook the different ingredients as fast as possible! And preferably, with the two of you cooking; it’s a fast-faced, hands-on, let’s both be rewarded sort of experience.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium Spanish Onion roughly sliced
3 garlic, sliced
2 fresh Bay leaves finely sliced
Sweet Sherry
4 medium Squid Tubes sliced 2cm thick
4 Tomatoes blanched, quartered, peeled and de-seeded
½ bunch Parsley picked
Sea salt
Freshly Ground black Pepper to taste
2 Lemons juiced
Rustic loaf of bread to sop up sauce

Method

  1. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan to very hot. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaf and fry quickly.
  2. Add the sweet sherry, toss around and allow the alcohol to burn off as it quickly reduces.
  3. Add the sliced squid. Toss through for about 30 seconds
  4. Add the tomato quarters, parsley, salt and pepper.
  5. Finish with the lemon juice, a dash of extra virgin olive oil and a grind of pepper.

Armando Percuoco’s Truffle Egg Pasta

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4 as an entree

This is a brilliant recipe for so many reasons.

It is the signature dish of Armando Percuoco of Buon Ricordo and typifies his wonderful, modern Italian cuisine; this dish served alongside his deep fried zucchini flowers together with a glass of chilled white wine is simply magic. I few years back, I replicated this combo at least once every summer and seriously, you win smiles and nods.

You just look better in everyone’s eyes!

The truffle egg pasta is a very simple dish to accomplish though it is one where no corners can be cut; the best pasta, full cream and proper butter are the point of the recipe, not merely the base. There is no question that bang for buck, this recipe is way up there.

The few times I have cooked this, I have used truffle oil though when I have had it at Buon Ricordo, it has been with truffled egg. There is a difference in flavour, though not better or worse; just different. Frankly, I’m not sure I can be bothered truffling eggs in my amateur kitchen.

You probably won’t be able to lie to your lady friend about the ingredients or the calories, though life is short and you’re only going to whip this up once a year right?

Do it and thank Armando later.

Ingredients

280g fresh or dry Fettuccine
1 tablespoon Butter
1 cup Cream
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan
4 Truffle Eggs or 1 tablespoon truffle oil
Extra Parmesan for serving

Method

  1. Boil fettuccine for about six minutes if dry, or four minutes if fresh. Drain.
  2. To a frying pan add butter and cream and simmer for three minutes over medium heat to reduce the mixture.
  3. If using ordinary eggs and truffle oil, add truffle oil now.
  4. Add cooked pasta and toss, then add parmesan and stir.
  5. Divide pasta into four serves on plates.
  6. In the meantime smear frying pan with butter and fry egg until whites are firm, but yolks are still runny. Do not burn or allow a brown under-crust to burn; it is not Sunday morning.
  7. Place egg on pasta.
  8. Add more parmesan, salt and pepper and toss egg into pasta.

 

Royale of Asparagus with Speck Dressing

.Reading time 3 minutes.
Elegant and clear you've spent the time, especially if you mention the 30 minutes of steaming!
Elegant and clear you’ve spent the time, especially if you mention the 30 minutes of steaming!

Serves: 4

This is a Guillaume Brahimi recipe and I think it is rather impressive.

It take a bit of time and his instruction to peel the asparagus (!!!) is too far, though it looks and tastes the part if served as an amuse-bouche; in fact, it looks really quite elegant.

I have a few recipes like this where people really appreciate the cut above home cooking and if you are cooking to impress, you really should give this a go.

Ingredients

20 spears (2 ½ bunches) asparagus
100gm butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 garlic glove, thinly sliced
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
200ml pouring cream

Speck Dressing

50ml extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely diced
¼ long red chilli, finely chopped
150gm speck, cut into 5cm dice
100ml chicken stock
25ml sherry vinegar

Method

  1. Trim (and peel! – no, do not peel) 8 asparagus tips and set aside. Slice remaining asparagus into thin rounds, discarding the woody ends.
  2. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat, add butter, shallots and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally until tender though not coloured; a few minutes.
  3. Add the sliced asparagus and stir until the asparagus starts to soften (2 minutes) and then add stock, season to taste and simmer until asparagus is tender; around 4 – 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and strain, reserving the cooking liquor. Blend asparagus in a blender until smooth. Add a small amount of cooking liquor if necessary in order to form a smooth puree. Pass puree through a fine sieve and refrigerate until chilled; 220ml is required for the recipe.
  5. Whisk eggs, yolks and clear and reserved 200ml asparagus puree in a bowl to combine and season. Pass through a fine sieve. Pour 125ml into four 185ml heatproof bowls (or ramekins) and cover with plastic wrap. Steam in a steam oven (90c) or steam very gently in a steamer basket placed over a saucepan of simmering water and steam until just set (25 – 30 minutes).
  6. Remove and cool to room temperature or refrigerate until needed.
  7. Blanch asparagus tips in boiling water and then refresh.
  8. For speck dressing, heat a saucepan over medium heat, add 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil, then shallots and chilli and stir occasionally until tender though not coloured. Add speck and stir until light golden brown; around 5 – 6 minutes, then add chicken stock and sherry vinegar and reduce by half (3 – 4 minutes). Add remaining olive oil and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
  9. To serve, bring asparagus custards to room temperature (if chilled), then spoon the speck dressing on top, garnish each with 2 asparagus tips and finish with a few grinds of freshly cracked pepper to taste.