Tag: TheBroadPalate

The Broad Palate – May ’24

Three tapas dishes this month, in the hope of some Mediterranean weather!

Garlic Prawns (Gambas al Ajillo) – serves 4

  • 200 grams raw prawns (or more)
  • 1 eggcup olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
  • Half teaspoon chilli flakes
  • Juice of half a lemon.
  • 3 tablespoons chopped flatleaf parsley
  • Salt and sugar to taste.
  • Large pinch of saffron (optional), soaked in a little hot water

Method:

Gently poach the garlic in the oil for 5 minutes until softened but not browned. Add chilli flakes.
Add prawns and gently fry until cooked and released their juices .
Remove prawns from the oil mixture and cover.

To the pan add lemon juice plus saffron with its water (if using). Increase the heat and whisk to emulsify.
Allow sauce to reduce and add parsley.
Check for seasoning and add salt and sugar to taste.
Add prawns back to the pan and heat through.
Allow to rest and serve at room temperature. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Tortilla española –  serves 6-8

The traditional tortilla has only five ingredients. You can add cooked chorizo, peppers, prawns, slices of ham in the middle, etc.. I have seen Spanish cooks quite successfully use leftover chips/fries and even crisps instead of sliced potatoes!  Tips for best flavour – 1) season the potato, onion and egg separately, and 2) cook the onion until caramelised. Leftovers are great for breakfast, or in a crusty baguette with mayo and roasted, sliced red peppers (from a jar). Amounts are for a frying pan 8 or 9 ins.

  • 1 medium onion, chopped.
  • 8 large eggs
  • Salt
  • Olive oil (approx.150ml)
  • 2 large (waxy, not floury) potatoes, peeled, halved, thinly sliced, rinsed and dried

Method:

Gently fry onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft and caramelised. Tip into a bowl, season with salt and wipe pan.
Over a medium heat, warm another 4 tbsp oil and add potatoes, turning to coat in the oil.
Cover and cook gently until cooked but holding their shape. Season, then tip into the bowl of onions and gently fold to mix.
Clean pan and add 3-4 tbsp oil to warm.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and season. Add potato/onion mixture to the egg (and anything else you fancy).
Tip into pan, ensuring that the mixture is evenly spread. Scrape bottom of pan, like when making scrambled eggs, then cover and leave for around 3 minutes on a medium heat.
Tease the edges away from the sides and with a spatula ensure that the tortilla isn’t sticking.
After 10 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for a couple more minutes. Place a plate upside down over the pan and using a tea towel,  turn over the pan and plate, so the tortilla is cooked side up on the plate.
Wipe out pan, swirl round a little oil and slide in tortilla to cook on underside for approx. 5 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Chorizo in red wine (Chorizo con Vino Tinto) – serves 4

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion or 3 shallots, finely chopped.
  • 1 horseshoe chorizo, skinned and sliced into roughly 5mm coins
  • 1 scant teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
  • 2 level teaspoons sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce)
  • 250ml red wine (you may need a splash more)
  • Salt and sugar to season
  • Chopped parsley to garnish

Method:

Gently fry the onion/shallots in the oil until softened but not browned.
Add the thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove onto a plate.
Add chorizo pieces to pan (no more oil needed) and gently fry until they release their oils and are slightly browned and cooked through.
Add the smoked paprika and cook for a further minute. Add the onion back to the pan, along with the wine.
Bring to a simmer – add more wine if you think you need more liquid and simmer again.
Season with salt and sugar to taste.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Best served slightly warm.

Many thanks to Ann Shaw 🙂

Bon Appetit!

Ann’s previous recipes:

The Bishops' Kitchen

To revisit the Bishops’ Kitchen recipes provided by Richard Childs
Please click HERE 🙂

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The Broad Palate – Jan ’24

A couple of warming recipes to fend off the January chills…

Scouse (or Lobscouse) – serves 4-6

Derived from ‘lapskaus’, a traditional, one-pan stew said to have been introduced to Liverpool by Norwegian sailors, this is a great winter stand-by, using beef or lamb and January’s seasonal root vegetables. Leave out the meat if preferred. Typically served with pickled red cabbage and a doorstep of crusty fresh bread (a squeeze of HP not to be underestimated). Every household has its own version. No need to follow exact weights, go by eye.

  • 50g butter
  • 2 onions, coarsely chopped
  • 3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly sliced
  • 1 medium swede, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1 cup pearl barley or dried soup mix (soaked in water for 1 hour)
  • 750g stewing beef or lamb, preferably in thick slices (I use beef as less fatty)
  • Marrowbone (optional)
  • 1.5 litres beef stock

Method:

Rinse and drain the barley/soup mix. In a large pan, melt the butter on a medium heat and seal the meat on all sides.
Add the onion and fry for 2 minutes, before adding the stock and barley/soup mix. Add marrowbone, if using.
Simmer until the meat is tender and the pulses cooked, then remove the meat onto a plate.
Season the broth with salt and pepper (plus an optional good dash of Worcestershire sauce), add the carrots and swede then after 20 mins add the potatoes and cook until everything is cooked.
Remove and discard marrowbone. Add the meat back in, check seasoning, and enjoy.

Ginger Cake

Best wrapped and kept for a few days before eating, but easier said than done. You will need a 2lb loaf tin, buttered and lined, and a hand whisk.

  • 225g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 115g hard butter, cubed
  • 115g black treacle
  • 115g golden syrup (measure treacle and syrup straight into a saucepan)
  • 115g dark muscovado sugar
  • 275g milk (whole, preferably) (measure sugar and milk into another saucepan)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 balls stem ginger in syrup, chopped (Opies brand is good)

Method:

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas mark 4.
Sift dry ingredients together into a large bowl and rub in the butter (the colder your hands, the better).
Gently warm the treacle and syrup until runny but not hot. Do the same with the sugar and milk in the other pan, just enough to dissolve the sugar.
Add the treacle/syrup mixture to the dry ingredients, whisk, then add the milk/sugar mixture and the egg.
Whisk briefly until you have a smooth batter. Fold in the stem ginger pieces, ensuring they are fairly evenly dispersed.
Pour into the loaf tin, give the tin a sharp tap on the worktop and bake for around 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack.  Keeps well.

Many thanks to Ann 🙂

Bon Appetit!

To revisit the Bishops’ Kitchen recipes provided by Richard Childs – please click HERE 🙂


#Broadwindsor #Blackdown #Burstock #Drimpton #Hursey #Kittwhistle #Seaborough #Dorset #WestDorset #Community #Village #January #Community #TheBishopsKitchen #BroadwindsorPalate #WestDorset #Baking #Food #HomeCooking #EatCake #YumYum #Foraging #BeTempted #CookWithKids #Enjoy #BeSafe #StaySafe