Kitchen Garden Experts

We love kitchen garden books.  That being said, Kitchen Garden Experts is quite extraordinary. We came upon this very British book by way of the photographer, Jason Ingram.  We love, love, love him.  He photographed our favorite cookbook of recent memory, The Ethicurean.  So now we have kitchen gardens and Jason Ingram!  Add in Cinead McTernan, the editor of The Simple Things magazine, who manages to corral gardeners, chefs, recipes and dynamic photos to pull it all together and you have a great book.  In the old stereotype, the English were great gardeners but rather lousy cooks.  This book proves that they are both. 

Raymond Blanc's 27 acre Le Manoir garden

 To start with, this is not your raised bed in the backyard type of kitchen garden.  These are farms, educational centers, walled ecosystems, and plots with elaborate greenhouses.  There are a few gardening tips, but the biggest tip is to hire a full time gardener!  As for the recipes, don't think just because these guys grow their own peas that the menu will feature a nice bowl of mushy peas.  These chefs haven't gone to the expense of hiring passionate gardeners and fussing over ingredients to simply toss them in a salad. 

The recipes are often long, with several preparations to achieve the final dish.  There is Chef Duncan Barham's whose dish, Beetroot Textures, requires eight different preparations to pull off  his beet salad.  Then we have the ever elegant, yet simple Ruth Rogers of River Cafe with a Sorrel Frittata. 

The book features venerable names like Jekka McVicar and Sir Terrance Conran along with new kids on the block like the Pennington brothers and Mark Cox at the Ethicurean.  Some of the gardens were gardens in past centuries, some only a few years old.  The mix is intoxicating. 

David Kennedy and Ken Holland in "The Pod" bringing the kitchen to the garden.

One of our favorites, Skye Gyngell, who spent many years cooking in a small kitchen behind Petersham's Nurseries, has moved to a larger canvas, but retains a desire for home grown produce.  Here is her recipe for a simple syrup that transforms a plain, soft cheese into an elegant dessert.

Rose Hip Syrup

1kg/2lb 3oz rose hips
350ml/12fl oz water
750g/1 1/2lb caster sugar

1. Wash the roe hips and remove their stalks.  Pulse the hips in a food processor to chop coarsely.  Quickly place the hip pieces in a saucepan of 175ml/6fl oz boiling water.  Once the water has come back to a boil, remove the pan from the heat and let it stand for 15 minutes.  Then strain, reserving the liquid.  In another 175ml/6fl oz boiling water, repeat the boiling process and strain once more. Having strained off the liquid, this time discard the rose hips.

2. Measure the strained liquid, then put back in the saucepan on the heat.  For each 1 liter/1 3/4 pints of strained liquid add 750g/1 1/2 lb caster sugar.  Stir to help dissolve the sugar.  once it has boiled and the sugar dissolved, remove from the heat and pour the sugar into sterilized jars to cool. 

Kitchen Garden Experts is a must have.  The biggest problem is where to shelve it.  Maybe we should get two copies, one for the cookbooks and one for the gardening books!  Not a bad idea.

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Pitt Cue Co.

OK, we saw this book quite a lot.  It seemed to be quite popular.  But in the end we let prejudice get in the way.  After all, what could Brits possible know about barbecue?  What a joke, right?  Then our fellow bloggers led us down the cookbook path.  We willing admit, it is not hard to lead us down that path.  Then one of our favorite bloggers, Matthew Rowley of Rowley's Whiskey Forge wrote about this book, Pitt Cue Co.

Rowley was in Britain and browsing in a bookstore when someone articulated my very prejudice, Why would you want to buy a barbecue book in Britain?  Well, Rowley says the authors, Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard Turner, understand the credo of cue -- low and slow.  What makes the book interesting is their use of local ingredients.

Fine, but this what captured my attention:

Pickled Hot Dogs.  This was a first for me in a barbecue book, in fact, it was the first in a preserving book.  You had me at pickled hot dogs.... The other big plus, they never shy away from adding booze to anything.  They are very nose-to-tail.   They feature one of my favorite sides, hominy and cheese.  They put chicken skin on their deviled eggs.  They make barbecue sauce into jelly.  These guys are great.

The drawback to the book is that often lamented problem of the restaurateur as cookbook author.   When one is used to cooking in a big, fully equipped kitchen, with minions to run errands and cook for you, it is often a bit hard to translate that experience in a way that the home cook can accomplish it without ordering from said restaurant.

But did we mention they pickle hot dogs?

Our Pickle Brine

water                                   1.5 liters
cider vinegar                       1 liter
caster or demerara sugar    700g
sea salt                                30g
optional aromats (peppercorns, bay leaves,
fennel seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds,
star anise, cardamom pods, root liquorice)

Put all the ingredients into a large pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar and salt are dissolved.


Pickled Hot Dogs

Our Pickle Brine              1 liter
hot dogs                           1kg
chillies                              3
garlic cloves                     4
sprigs of thyme                3

Put the pickle brine into a pan and bring to a boil.

Stack the hot dogs neatly in 2 large sterilized glass jars with the chillies, garlic and thyme spread evenly throughout the jars.

Pour over hot pickling liquid and seal the jars.  Leave to cool, then refrigerate for 1 week before eating.

 Did we mention they pickle hot dogs?  We sincerely apologize that we dismissed this book based on the nationality of the writers.  It is now our very favorite book on cue!

The authors of the book — restaurateurs Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard Turner - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2013/11/bookshelf-pitt-cue-co-cookbook.html#sthash.geohmKEa.dpuf

The authors of the book — restaurateurs Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard Turner - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2013/11/bookshelf-pitt-cue-co-cookbook.html#sthash.geohmKEa.dpuf

The authors of the book — restaurateurs Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard Turner - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2013/11/bookshelf-pitt-cue-co-cookbook.html#sthash.geohmKEa.dpuf

restaurateurs Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard Turner — - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2013/11/bookshelf-pitt-cue-co-cookbook.html#sthash.geohmKEa.dpuf

restaurateurs Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard Turner - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2013/11/bookshelf-pitt-cue-co-cookbook.html#sthash.geohmKEa.dpuf

restaurateurs Tom Adams, Jamie Berger, Simon Anderson and Richard Turner - See more at: http://matthew-rowley.blogspot.com/2013/11/bookshelf-pitt-cue-co-cookbook.html#sthash.geohmKEa.dpuf

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Shakespeare's Kitchen

We believe that a cookbook is not just a bunch of recipes, but a cultural document. American popular culture is ripe with references to the work of Shakespeare, in fact, about every 20 years, there is some sort of remake of Romeo and Juliet with the era's leading heartthrob.

 

As much as we know of Shakespeare and his work, the references to food and drink in his work are often lost as many of the recipes of the Elizabethan era are lost to most readers. Francine Segan's Shakespeare 's Kitchen gives the reader of Shakespeare and cookbooks a chance to delve into the foods that would have been common to the Elizabethan audience. Now they are common to today's viewer.

 

Segan draws upon texts from the late 1500's and 1600's, wading through the creative spellings and unusual customs to present recipes that transcend history. This recipe is a favorite of King James, famous for his Bible. The original recipe comes from Mistress Sarah Longe. Longe collected her recipes into a personal collection around 1610. The book now resides in the Folger Shakespeare Library.

King James Biscuits

7 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons rose water
1 cup sugar
5 cups pastry flour
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon aniseeds

1. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg yolks, rose water,and sugar for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of flour and mix for 2 minutes. Add another cup of flour and mix for 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low, add another cup of flour, and mix for 2 minutes. In a seep rate bowl, whip the egg Whitestone soft peaks. Add another cup of flour, the caraway, aniseed, and the egg whites to the batter and mix for 2 minutes. Add the remaining cup of flour and mix till smooth and elastic. (If the dough is too thick for your mixer, knead in the last addition of flour.)

2. Preheat the oven th 350. Drop the dough, 2 tablespoons at a time, onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until light golden brown

Of course, the "electric" mixer of Shakespeare's day was some kitchen help with a big wooden spoon!

Along with recipes, there are other Shakespearean tidbits. From The Merry Wives of Windsor:

Go fetch me a quart of sacke,

Put a toast in 't.

 

To soften the blow of bitter drinks, a piece of toast was added to mellow the flavor. This is the origin of the tradition of making a toast. So here is a toast to Shakespeare's Kitchen.

 

 

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The Acorn House Cookbook

The Acorn House Cookbook is not your average "farm-to-table" cookbook.   You will find no pictures of content chickens running about, in fact you will find not pictures in the book.  It is old-fashioned in that way.  But that might just be a factor in making it timeless.  Arthur Potts-Dawson is a pedigreed chef. He made a name for himself at the River Cafe, which seems to be the incubator of renown British chefs as well a fine restaurant.  Fellow River Cafe alum, Jamie Oliver made Potts-Dawson the executive chef for Jamie's Fifteen restaurant.

Potts-Dawson, like many young chefs, didn't want to merely talk about sustainability, he vowed to put it into practice at The Acorn House.  His commitment for the environment stretches from the kitchen to encompass all aspects of his restaurant.  He has constructed an eco-kitchen, complete with wormery. 

The Acorn House Cookbook gives readers an outline of these environmental principals, from ways to make one's own kitchen environmentally friendly, to growing tips, shopping ideas,and even where to procure your own wormery.

All this ecology might fall on deaf ears if his food wasn't so good.  In an age of hugely overproduced cookbooks, this one a bit hard to get used to.   (We confess, we wanted to see the wormery in action.)  The lack of frivolity in glowing pictures, lets one concentrate on the beautiful, fresh foods offered up.

Ravioli of summer herbs and ricotta

250g fresh pasta dough
60g young herbs (chervil, mint, basil, parsley)
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
125g ricotta cheese
60g parmesan, freshly grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:
60g butter, melted 25g flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped freshly grated parmesan

Roll the pasta into two sheets, thin enough so that you can just see the colour of your palms through them. Keep covered when not working with them. Wash and cut the herbs into small pieces, and place in a bowl. Grate in some of the nutmeg, then mix in the ricotta and parmesan. Season well.

Arrange one pasta sheet on the work surface. Place tablespoonfuls of the herb mixture at 2.5cm intervals on the pasta. Spray (use a clean plant mister) between the piles of mixture with filtered water; this is better than brushing, as it prevents the pasta from becoming too gluggy. Cover with the second sheet of pasta, and press down between the mounds. Make sure there is no air left in each, as heated air expands and will blow a hole in your ravioli. I always make square ravioli, as there is no waste. Press the edges of the pasta to seal.

Place the ravioli in a large pan of simmering filtered water for 3 minutes, until they bob back to the top. Serve with melted butter, the parsley, some more nutmeg and grated parmesan.

This may also be the only cookbook you will run across using the word "gluggy."  

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The Ethicurean Cookbook

I have no real desire to visit Noma.  The restaurant I would travel across the ocean to visit is The Ethicurean.   After reading their cookbook, I am more convinced than ever that this is my culinary destination.   The Ethicurean is one of those places that seems to be plucked from the mind of writer, a satirical writer at that.


What if the people who produce Portlandia decided to go to England and make it parody of pretentious foodie restaurants.  First you would pick a name -- something that sounds made-up -- let's call it The Ethicurean.  You would set your imaginary restaurant in a very British setting, like Downton Abbey.  Not actually Downton Abbey,  but a decaying country estate.  Not in the actual estate but in the decaying walled garden.  There would be an old orangerie, with missing glass, this would be the restaurant.  The walled garden would be the farm-to-table variety.  The head gardener, unlike his Victorian counterpart, would look like he ambled out of a J. Crew shoot.   The vegetables would be washed, then dusted with organic dirt.   The waitstaff would look exactly like they have walked off the runway in Milan or as one reviewer stated, "it's as if they're putting in a bit of work experience before getting engaged to Prince Harry or something."  The  restaurant would be out-of-the-way so it will be a difficult to get there which would encourage people from all over the world to make a pilgrimage.  You would construct a menu so the gorgeous waitresses would say things like, "Tonight, we have lacto-fermented carrots."  or maybe, "The bar has a lovely hay infused apple cider,"  or, "Do try our goat bacon."  It would all seem so funny and witty, but....

The reviews are in.  They keep coming in and The Ethicurean knocks it out of the park or the walled garden, as it were.  The cookbook follows in this same exquisite vein.  Every time you pick it up, you just can't seem to put it down.  When you do set it aside, you think about it and soon you are leafing through the pages, again.  The Ethicureans are a team consisting of brothers Matthew and Iain Pennington, Paûla Zarate and Jack Adain-Bevan.  This merry band keeps the walled garden humming.

The cookbook leaves you humming with a strange sense of vertigo.   You see a recipe and it seems familiar.  You look at it again and it seems totally original.  The brownies have elderflowers.  The steamed pudding is stuffed with rabbit.  There is goat bacon.  Or this:

Fennel Seed and Ginger Hot Chocolate

400ml milk
100g dark chocolate with 70-73 per cent cocoa solids, grated plus a little extra to finish
1 tsp ground ginger
20g dark muscovado sugar
a pinch of salt
2 tsp fennel sugar
100ml double cream

Gently heat half the milk in a pan and add the grated chocolate, ginger, muscovado sugar, salt, and most of the fennel sugar (save a pinch for sprinkling). Stir until the chocolate has melted into the milk, then whisk in the remaining milk and the cream.  Do not allow the mixture to boil but bring it to a comfortable drinking temperature.  If you have a hand blender, substitute this for the whisk; either way, for a frothy head a good amount of whisking is needed.

Sprinkle with he remaining fennel sugar and a few shards of chocolate.

Needless to say, the cookbook is beautifully photographed by Jason Ingram and in keeping with that ethicureanism, it is printed on certified, forest managed paper.  I love cookbooks and this one is magical.  I love walled gardens, and The Barley Wood Walled Garden is both practical and ever so romantic.  Far from being pretentious, ethicurean is a lovely word, like yo, get out your dictionary every now and then.   In the end, it is always about the food and this food makes you long for a kitchen and a walled garden.  The Ethicurean is my pick for Cookbook of the Year.

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The Black Farmer Cookbook

 I hear about most cookbooks out there, but this one snuck up on me.   Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones is England's only Black Farmer.  Born in Jamaica,  Emmanuel-Jones' parents came to the United Kingdom where he was raised Birmingham. Coming from a large family in a small flat, he loved to work the small allotment where his family grew vegetables.   Emmanuel-Jones wanted more.

He managed to get into television, rising to become the producer and director for many of the U.K.'s big celebrity chefs, including Gordon Ramsey. He finally saw his chance to get his own small farm and soon after launched The Black Farmer brand. Before long, his sausages were winning awards.  Not content to be Britain's only black farmer, he launched a rural scholarship program bringing  kids from inner city communities to live and work on rural farms.

His empire is growing as he adds more products and enlists the help of family.  There is even a Black Farmer's Daughter line.

This books just oozes a love of product. One feels the land on every page.  While being grounded in a place, the influence of his travels and his Caribbean birth flavor his recipes making them seem at the same time comfortable and a touch exotic.  You want to sit down and have a meal with this guy.  Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones' love of the land extends not only to the animals of the farm but to the people in his community.  He shares his success, supporting sports teams and schools while making a mean bacon!

Trieste is one of my favorite places so this recipe caught my eye.  Trieste is a city on the  northern most edge of the Adriatic Sea. Now considered Italian, it has been claimed by East and West and Austrians, Germans, and Slavs.  It is a melting pot and goulash is a melting pot.

Trieste-Style Beef Goulash

2 tablespoons olive oil
800g braising topside, cut into large pieces
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato purée
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 fresh rosemary sprig, leaves finely chopped
a small handful of fresh oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
150ml dry white wine
400g can plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons kalamata olive tapenade
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a  large flameproof casserole pan and cook the beef for 5 minutes, turning until brown. Remove and set aside. You will need to do this in batches. Add the onions and cook for 5-8 minutes until softened and just starting to brown.

2. Return the beef and stir in the tomato purée and paprika. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then stir in the rosemary, nearly all the oregano leaves, the bay leaf, white wine and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened.

3. Check the seasoning and serve immediately in shallow bowls, topped with a spoonful of tapenade and a few oregano leaves.

Seek out this cookbook.    You won't be disappointed.

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