Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food (14 page)

Heat a large frying pan until hot, then add the olive oil and fry the bacon for 3-4 minutes until browned and crisp all over. Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil.

Add a knob of butter to the pan and quickly fry the liver slices, in 2 or 3 batches, for 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. They should be browned on the outside, but still pink and succulent within.

Divide the liver between warm plates and top with the caramelized onions and crispy bacon rashers.

4 good-quality pork chops, about 250g each, with bone

2 tbsp olive oil

8-10 large sage leaves

2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

sea salt and black pepper

few knobs of butter

juice of 1 small lemon

1kg floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Maris Piper

300ml milk

30g butter

1 bunch of spring onions, about 6-8, trimmed and finely chopped

100ml crème fraîche

squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

It really pays to spend a little more on rare-breed pork from a reputable butcher. The full flavour of slow-to-mature pedigree pigs, such as Gloucester Old Spot, Middle White and Saddleback, is incomparable.

First, make the champ. Peel the potatoes and cut into even chunks. Add to a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well and push through a potato ricer into a bowl while still hot, or mash well.

Put the milk, butter and spring onions into the pan and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the onions are just soft. Pour over the potatoes and mix well, then stir in the crème fraîche and season with salt, pepper and a little lemon juice to taste. Return to the pan, ready to reheat to serve.

Trim off most of the fat from the chops, leaving a thin layer around the edge; set aside. Gently heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the sage leaves and fry for 30 seconds or until they begin to curl and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Add the garlic to the oil and sauté gently for 30-45 seconds until lightly golden. Remove to the plate, leaving the sage and garlic infused oil in the pan.

Increase the heat to medium. Season the pork chops on both sides and fry in the pan for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add a few knobs of butter to the pan along with the lemon juice. Swirl the pan to mix, then spoon the lemony pan juices over the pork and cook for a few more minutes until the pork is just firm when lightly pressed. Take off the heat.

Gently reheat the champ and pile onto warm plates. Top each serving with a pork chop, spoon over the pan juices and scatter over the crispy garlic and sage leaves to serve.

Roast lamb with rosemary, garlic and anchovies Crispy pork belly with roasted vegetables Roast duck with orchard stuffing Slow roast pork with apple and lavender sauce Roast partridge with braised red cabbage Roast chicken with gravy and bread sauce Roast grouse with Madeira sauce Christmas roast turkey infused with truffles Roast saddle of venison with poached kumquats Roast beef with red wine gravy

1.7kg boned shoulder of lamb

olive oil, to rub and drizzle

sea salt and black pepper

1 head of garlic

few rosemary sprigs

6-8 anchovies in oil, drained and halved

small handful of thyme sprigs

4 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthways and cut into chunks

4 banana shallots (or 8-10 regular ones), peeled and halved lengthways

This is a lovely way to season a roast lamb. Rosemary and garlic impart a distinctive aroma, while the anchovies add a salty, savoury depth to the meat. Accompany with new potatoes or roast potatoes with rosemary (see page 247).

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Place the lamb shoulder on a board and trim off any excess fat, leaving a thin, even layer. With the tip of a sharp knife, make slits all over the surface. Rub all over the meat with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper. Peel and thinly slice 2 garlic cloves. Insert a small sprig of rosemary, a slice of garlic and an anchovy half into each slit, using the tip of the knife to push them in.

Scatter the remaining garlic cloves (in their skins) and some thyme sprigs over the base of a roasting dish. Sprinkle over a little salt and pepper. Lay the lamb shoulder on top and surround with the carrots and shallots. Scatter over a few more thyme sprigs. Drizzle the lamb and vegetables with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 15 minutes until the meat begins to brown, then lower the oven setting to 180°C/Gas 4 and roast for another 30-40 minutes until the lamb is medium rare and pink in the middle. To check, insert a skewer into the thickest part and press gently–the juices should have a pinkish tinge. Remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and allow to rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes before carving.

2kg pork belly with rind and ribs

1 tsp caraway seeds

sea salt and black pepper

olive oil, to oil the tin

2 medium turnips, cut into wedges (unpeeled)

4 banana shallots, halved lengthways (unpeeled)

1 large red onion, quartered (unpeeled)

150g baby fennel

150g Chantenay, or baby, carrots

few thyme sprigs

Roast pork belly is one of our Sunday lunch favourites. It’s incredibly tasty and great value for money, especially when compared with other roasting joints. You don’t even need to worry about basting the meat during roasting–its crispy fat layer does this for you. Accompany with roast potatoes (see page 247).

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Pat the pork belly dry with kitchen paper, then score the rind at 5mm intervals using a sharp knife (or clean Stanley knife). Rub all over the rind and into the cuts with the caraway seeds and some salt and pepper.

Put the pork belly, skin side up, into a lightly oiled, large roasting tin and roast on the top shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the skin starts to blister and crispen, then lower the oven setting to 170°C/ Gas 3 and roast for a further hour.

Remove from the oven and spoon off most the rendered fat in the tin, leaving behind about 2 tbsp. Scatter the vegetables and thyme around the pork, toss them in the fat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return to the oven for another hour or until the vegetables and pork are tender when pierced with a knife.

If the crackling is not sufficiently crisp at the end of cooking, transfer the vegetables to a warm plate and place the pork under a hot grill until golden brown and crisp, but don’t leave it unattended as the rind can easily catch. Cover the pork loosely with foil and leave to rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.

To serve, transfer the pork to a warm platter and arrange the roast vegetables around it.

1 oven-ready duck, about 2.3-2.5kg

sea salt and black pepper

splash of red wine

300ml chicken stock (see page 243)

1½ tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

3 eating apples, such as Braeburn or Cox

400g good-quality pork sausagemeat

4-6 sage leaves, finely chopped

handful of watercress sprigs

With its rich flavour and self-basting layer of fat, duck needs very little doing to it. The rendered fat is perfect for roasting potatoes and vegetables, or frying eggs, so don’t discard it. To accompany our roast duck, we make a tasty stuffing with apples, onions and sausagemeat, cooking it separately.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Trim off the large pieces of fat from the neck and cavity of the duck, then season the cavity. Lightly score the skin, taking care not to cut through the flesh, and rub all over with salt and pepper.

Place the duck in a roasting tin and roast for 15-20 minutes until it starts to brown, then lower the oven setting to 170°C/Gas 3 and roast for another 50-60 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. When you insert a skewer into the thickest part of the duck, the juices should run slightly pink for medium rare, or clear for well-done meat. If they are red, roast for another 15 minutes and check again.

While the duck is roasting, prepare the stuffing. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sweat the onion with some seasoning over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes until translucent and soft, stirring occasionally. Tip into a large bowl and leave to cool slightly.

Peel and grate the apples, discarding the core, and add to the onions with the sausagemeat and sage. Mix until well combined. To check the seasoning, fry off a little of the stuffing and taste, then adjust as necessary. Spread the mixture in a small casserole dish and cook on a lower oven shelf (beneath the duck) for 45-55 minutes or until cooked.

When cooked, transfer the duck to a warm platter, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes. Skim off the fat from the pan juices, then add the wine and stock, and boil until reduced to a light gravy. Carve the duck into thin slices. Serve drizzled with the pan juices, garnished with watercress and accompanied by the stuffing.

2kg boned shoulder of pork

sea salt and black pepper

3 medium onions, peeled and halved

4-5 bay leaves

olive oil, to oil the tin

200ml dry cider

4 cooking apples

30g butter

30g caster sugar

few lavender stems (see above), flowers stripped

Slow cooking renders pork shoulder meltingly tender and the sauce balances the richness perfectly. If you don’t have any lavender, replace the caster sugar with lavender sugar, which you can buy from selected supermarkets and delis.

Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Pat the pork rind dry with kitchen paper, then score at 5mm intervals. Rub all over with seasoning, massaging it into the cuts. Scatter the onion halves and bay leaves in a lightly oiled roasting tin and lay the pork on top, skin side up.

Roast for 20-25 minutes until the skin starts to blister and crispen, then lower the oven setting to 150°C/Gas 2. Spoon off most of the rendered fat in the tin. Pour the cider around the pork, cover with foil and roast for another 4-5 hours until very tender. Several times during roasting, lift the foil and baste the sides of the joint with the pan juices. The meat is ready when it can be easily shredded with a fork.

For the sauce, peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Melt the butter in a pan and add the apples with the sugar and lavender flowers. Cook over a medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes until soft and pulpy, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if needed. Sieve if preferred, and reheat gently before serving.

When cooked, take out the pork and turn the oven to its highest setting. Slice off the rind and place it on a baking sheet. Cover the pork shoulder loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the rind in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes until it turns to a crisp, golden crackling. Break into shards to serve.

Slice the pork shoulder thickly and serve with the pan juices, warm apple and lavender sauce and crispy crackling.

4 young partridges, about 300g each

sea salt and black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

few knobs of butter, softened

4 thin smoked streaky bacon rashers

1 small red cabbage, about 600g

1 Braeburn apple

100g butter

150g dark brown sugar

75ml sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

75ml port (or fruity red wine)

3 bay leaves

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

pinch of ground cloves

small handful of chives, finely chopped

Partridge has an excellent mild flavour, which is ideal for those who prefer a less gamey taste. The braised red cabbage pairs well with any rich red meat or game, and it can be cooked in advance.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. For the braised cabbage, quarter, core and finely shred the red cabbage. Peel, core and grate the apple. Put the butter, sugar, vinegar and port into a large flameproof casserole dish and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, ground cloves and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Tip in the cabbage and apple and stir well. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid (or foil) and transfer to the oven. Braise slowly for an hour, giving the cabbage a stir a few times. Remove the lid and cook, uncovered, for another 15-30 minutes until the cabbage is tender and the sauce is syrupy.

About 30 minutes before the cabbage will be ready to serve, season the partridges all over with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the partridges on all sides, turning occasionally, for about 1½ minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and place in a roasting tray.

Brush the butter over the birds, then drape the bacon rashers over the breasts. Roast in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a fine skewer.

Cover the birds with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the braised red cabbage with the chives and serve with the partridges.

2 small chickens, about 1.3kg each

sea salt and black pepper

2 onions, peeled and quartered

1 head of garlic, halved horizontally

1 lemon, halved

small handful of thyme

2 bay leaves

olive oil, to drizzle

1 heaped tbsp plain flour