Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food (2 page)

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest. Serve with HP sauce for dipping.

350g mixed whole, blanched (unsalted) nuts, such as cashews, hazelnuts and peanuts

2½ tbsp icing sugar

¾-1 tsp fine sea salt, to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

black pepper

Along with potato crisps, salted nuts are essential bar nibbles. Our irresistible spiced nuts have a slight kick from cayenne pepper and a mild sweetness from caramelized sugar. They are incredibly more-ish, as you’ll discover.

Preheat the oven to a low setting, about 140°C/Gas 1. Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat.

Mix the nuts, icing sugar, salt and cayenne pepper together in a wide bowl and grind over some black pepper. Tip the seasoned nuts into the hot pan. Sprinkle over a little water (about 1 tbsp) to help the sugar caramelize. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring or tossing the nuts around the pan constantly, until they start to release their oils and begin to take on some colour.

Tip the nuts onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and spread them out in a single layer. Pop the tray into the low oven and leave the nuts to dry out for 30-40 minutes, tossing them a few times to make sure they colour evenly and don’t burn.

Leave the nuts to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place and use within a month.

200g pork skins (we generally use skins from the belly)

coarse sea salt

groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

We are probably one of very few nations in the world who eat snacks with hairs protruding from them! If you happen to be cooking pork belly and won’t need the skin, remove and freeze it until you have time to prepare these savoury scratchings. Otherwise, your local butcher should be only too happy to sell you some pork skins. The crunchy pork scratchings keep well in an airtight container so you might want to double up the recipe.

Cut away or scrape off the excess fat from the pork skin, leaving an even layer attached to the skins, about 3mm thick. Rub or massage the skin with sea salt, place on a baking tray and chill in the fridge for 24-48 hours, to draw out excess moisture.

Dab off the beads of moisture with kitchen paper, then cut the skin into neat strips, about 1cm wide and 10cm long. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or a heavy-based pan until it reaches about 120°C; the pan should be no more than half-full. Fry the skin strips in batches for about 8-9 minutes until they are cooked through and firm. Remove and drain.

Increase the heat and bring the oil to 195-200°C. Re-fry the pork skins in batches for another 2-3 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp; the skins may curl and bubble as they fry. Remove and drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper. The skins will continue to crisp up as they cool. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container unless you are serving the pork scratchings straight away.

12 fresh native oysters

freshly ground white pepper

6 smoked streaky bacon rashers, derinded and halved lengthways

olive oil, to drizzle

12 soft d’Agen prunes

6 unsmoked streaky bacon rashers, derinded and halved lengthways

These used to be offered on many bar menus, but you’re more likely these days to find them served as canapés, or in the case of devils on horseback, with roast chicken, perhaps. A cinch to make, they are particularly appetizing with a cold lager or glass of white wine.

Preheat the grill to the highest setting and pre-soak 24 cocktail sticks in warm water (to prevent scorching under the grill).

For the angels, shuck the oysters (for technique, see page 16) and strain off the juices. (Save these to add to a fish soup or sauce.) Sprinkle each oyster lightly with white pepper and wrap in a piece of bacon. Fix securely with a cocktail stick. Place on a baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one, and drizzle over a little olive oil. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side, until the bacon is brown and crisp on top. Serve at once, or keep warm in a low oven while you make the devils.

For the devils, wrap each prune with a piece of bacon and cook in the same way as the angels. Serve piping hot.

600g firm, waxy potatoes, such as Desirée

3 large onions

100g strong cheddar

1½ tbsp olive oil

20g butter, melted

sea salt and black pepper

A pan haggerty consists of potatoes, onions and cheese – simple, comforting flavours you’d expect from a local bar. For a more intense flavour, use dripping from the weekend roast in place of butter. We also use gutsy, mature cheese, such as Montgomery or Westcombe cheddar from Somerset.

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes and onions, preferably using a mandoline for the potatoes. Coarsely grate the cheese and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Heat the olive oil in a fairly small, ovenproof frying pan, about 20cm in diameter. Add the onions and sweat, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes until just softened. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Arrange a layer of potatoes over the base of the pan. Brush with some melted butter and season lightly with salt and pepper, then scatter over a thin layer of onions and cheese. Repeat layering the ingredients, making sure that you end up with a layer of cheese-topped potatoes.

Put the pan over a medium-high heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottom layer of potatoes is golden brown. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small, sharp knife. The cheese topping should be golden; if not, increase the heat to 220°C/Gas 7 and bake for an extra 5 minutes or so.

Leave the pan haggerty to cool slightly for 5 minutes or so. Carefully slide it onto a warm plate, cut into slices and serve.

250g plain flour

½ tsp fine sea salt

1 large egg

50g unsalted butter

50g lard

85ml water

1 medium egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water, to glaze

400g minced pork (roughly equal quantities of belly and shoulder meat)

250g sausagemeat

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped sage finely grated zest of 1 lemon

5 juniper berries, ground with a pinch of salt

pinch of allspice

sea salt and black pepper

Enjoy these adorable little pies warm or cold with piccalilli or pickled onions and a pint of ale.

To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Crack the egg into the well and sprinkle over some of the flour. Put the butter, lard and water into a small pan and heat gently until melted, then bring to the boil. Immediately pour around the edge of the flour and quickly stir together, using a butter knife, to combine. Knead the dough lightly until smooth; it will be quite soft at this stage. Wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour until firm.

Meanwhile, for the filling, mix all the ingredients together, seasoning well. Divide into 8 portions, about 80g each, and roll into balls. Cut off one-third of the pastry for the pie lids, re-wrap and chill. Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a saucer, about 11cm in diameter, as a template, cut out 8 circles. Roll out the reserved pastry to the same thickness and cut out 7cm rounds for the lids, using a pastry cutter.

To assemble each pie, place a stuffing ball in the middle of a pastry base and flatten it slightly to get a flat base and straighter sides. Put a pastry lid on top. Brush the pastry base border with egg glaze, then draw up it up around the filling to meet the lid. Curl the edge of the lid up to meet the top inside edge of the pie case and pinch together to seal. Repeat with the other pies, then crimp the edges. Chill until firm.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5. Place the pies on a baking sheet and make a hole in the centre of each lid with a skewer. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the setting to 170°C/Gas 3. Brush the pies evenly with egg glaze and bake for a further 10 minutes until cooked. To test, insert a skewer into the centre of a pie for a few seconds; it should feel hot to the touch as you remove it. Transfer the pies to a wire rack to cool.

700g waxy potatoes, such as Desirée or Charlotte

groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

1 tsp cayenne pepper mixed with 1 tsp sea salt

Here you can experiment with different varieties of potato and other root vegetables, such as parsnips, carrots and beetroot. We love the flavour of waxy Charlotte potatoes. A touch of paprika or cayenne pepper gives them a slightly smoky sweet quality. The crisps will get soft if you leave them out for long, so store them in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Peel the potatoes and rinse well. Cut them into very thin slices, about 2mm thick, ideally using a mandoline. Rinse the potato slices under cold running water to remove the excess starch. Pat them dry using one or two clean tea towels, then spread the slices out on a baking tray to dry out further.

Heat an 8-10cm depth of oil in a deep-fryer or a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat; the pan should be no more than one-third full. The oil is ready when it reaches 190°C, or when a cube of bread dropped in turns golden brown in less than 40 seconds. Fry the potatoes in batches. Add the slices to the pan a few at a time to prevent them from sticking together. Deep-fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp, moving and turning the potatoes to ensure they colour evenly.

Remove with a slotted spoon, drain off excess oil and spread the crisps out on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Sprinkle with the cayenne and salt mix, then leave to cool completely. Store the crisps in an airtight container unless serving straight away.

24 quail’s eggs, at room temperature

350ml white wine vinegar

125ml water

1½ tsp fine sea salt

1½ tsp cayenne pepper

6 black peppercorns

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 bay leaves

½ tsp allspice

Quintessential bar food, pickled eggs are like marmite – you either love them or hate them. But even today, you’ll often find a jar of them lurking behind the counter in many pubs. This recipe uses dainty quail’s eggs, which are easier to handle when you’ve got a drink in one hand.

Place the quail’s eggs in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes, then drain and immerse in a bowl of cold water to cool quickly. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel and put them into clean, sterilized jars.

Meanwhile, put all the remaining ingredients into a non-reactive pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour the spiced vinegar mixture over the eggs to cover completely, then seal the jars with tight-fitting lids. Refrigerate and leave for at least a week before eating.

500g good-quality butter puff pastry

1½-2 tsp English mustard

6 thick good-quality wild boar sausages, about 450g (or use sausagemeat)

1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water, to glaze

sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Sausage rolls are a great bar snack when you’re after something a little more substantial with a drink, but not a full meal. This recipe is one of several versions we serve at the pubs, using fantastic wild boar sausagemeat and good-quality puff pastry. You can substitute any kind of sausage for the filling, but do try to get one with a higher meat/lower fat content, preferably from a good butcher.

Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a large rectangle, about 3mm in thickness. Cut out 6 rectangles, about 10cm x 12cm (they should be just large enough to wrap around a sausage, so use one as a guide). Brush the pastry rectangles with a light coating of mustard.

Peel off the skins from the sausages. Lay a sausage along one longer side of a pastry rectangle and roll the pastry around it, overlapping the ends slightly and pressing them lightly to seal. Put the sausage roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Repeat to make the rest of the sausage rolls, leaving some space between them to allow for expansion on cooking. Brush the tops with some of the beaten egg and rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Brush the sausage rolls once again with the egg and sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the sausages are cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly before serving. Although you can enjoy them cold, these sausage rolls are best served warm and freshly baked.

Scotch woodcock

Creamed haddock and pickled walnuts on toast

Anchovies on toast with poached egg and spinach

St. George’s mushrooms on toast

Soft herring roes on toast

Potted duck

Potted crab

Potted shrimps with toast

Potted hough

Devilled kidneys on toast

Sardines and tomatoes on toast

Roasted bone marrow with caper and herb dressing

Welsh rabbit

14 anchovy fillets in oil 50g butter, softened, plus a few knobs of cold butter

black pepper

4 large eggs

pinch of cayenne pepper

4 slices of white or brown bread

1 tsp capers, rinsed and drained

Back in the days when gentlemen’s clubs were prevalent, small portions of savouries on toast took the place of sweet puddings as an alternate way to end a meal – much like our modern-day cheese and biscuits. Scotch woodcock is one such dish. Simply scrambled eggs with anchovies on toast, it couldn’t be easier to make. The tradition is to adorn the scrambled eggs with two anchovies laid in the shape of a cross to symbolize the Scottish flag.