Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course (19 page)

LAMB WITH
FRIED BREAD

SERVES 2

Lamb steak is cut from the upper part of the leg, and the bone running through it is full of flavoursome marrow. Because it’s a cheap cut, it does need lots of colour on it to impart flavour, so although you can grill it, it will never be the same as sealing it in a pan and basting it to keep it moist. With the anchovy dressing and croutons, the lamb just needs a green salad or some French beans to make it into a complete meal. Who’d have thought you could make something so delicious out of a cheap cut plus a stale loaf of bread?

1
. Make small cuts into each edge of the lamb steaks to prevent them curling up while cooking. Season well with salt and pepper (lamb needs a lot of pepper), pushing the seasoning into the meat. (This will be much easier if the meat has been taken out of the fridge earlier and allowed to come up to room temperature.)

2
. Heat a frying pan until hot and add a little oil. When it’s hot, add the lamb and the garlic. Colour the lamb for 2½–3 minutes on each side until golden brown, basting with the oil as you cook and turning the garlic regularly to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Remove the meat from the pan and leave to rest, pouring over any pan juices and reserving the garlic.

3
. Meanwhile, season the chunks of bread with salt and pepper. Soak in the milk, tossing the bread to help it soak evenly. (The milk will give it a rich creamy texture, almost like French toast.) Set aside.

4
. Make the dressing by placing the reserved garlic in a mortar with the anchovies and capers, grinding until smooth. Stir in the mustard, vinegar and enough oil to bring it to a thick dressing consistency. Add the parsley to the mortar and mix well with a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

5
. Heat a little olive oil in a clean frying pan over a medium heat. Squeeze out any excess milk from the bread, then fry it with some extra seasoning for 4–5 minutes, turning it regularly until it’s golden on all sides. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

6
. To serve, spoon the dressing onto serving plates, scatter over half the croutons and place the lamb steaks on top. Finish with the remaining croutons and a little extra dressing. Serve immediately.

HOW TO FRY MEAT PROPERLY

When frying any meat, you want to be able to hear a sizzling sound as the meat cooks to show that the pan and oil are hot enough. If you can’t hear it, take the meat out and bring the oil up to temperature. Cuts such as rib-eye or leg steak have a fatty rind on them that needs to be cooked until golden. To do this, always lay the fatty part away from you in the pan and tilt the pan so that the rendered fat pools at the bottom edge and cooks as it does so.

SPICY SAUSAGE RICE

SERVES 4

This is like an old-fashioned jambalaya – a mixture of rice, vegetables and meat, a bit like risotto but without the need for stirring. Sausages are cheap but packed with flavour, and taking them out of the casing first flavours the rice beautifully. You can use any sausage you want – chorizo, merguez, pork or beef, depending on how spicy you want it.

1
. Add a glug of oil to a heavy-based casserole dish and fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the pepper and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Slit the sausage skins and crumble the sausage meat into the pan, then cook over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes until coloured. Add the smoked paprika and mix. Season to taste.

2
. Add the rice and stir well to mix thoroughly and absorb the flavour. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the white wine and scraping any bits stuck to the bottom. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 15–20 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid almost entirely absorbed.

3
. Remove from the heat, gently fold in the spring onions, tomato and parsley and serve.

HOW TO FRY ONIONS

If frying onion, don’t slice it too thinly or it will burn before it has had a chance to caramelise. Never rush cooking an onion. Always give it 5 or 6 minutes in the pan on its own.

PORK AND PRAWN
MEATBALLS IN
AROMATIC BROTH

SERVES 2

I’ve always been a fan of that surf ’n’ turf combination, seafood and meat, and these simple pork and prawn meatballs in a comforting broth make a great light lunch or supper dish. As ever, it’s important to taste as you go along so that you can control the depth of flavour of the stock. The longer you cook it, the more potent it will become.

1
. Finely chop the prawns until almost minced. Place in a bowl with the pork, chives and ginger, season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and mix until the ingredients are well combined and sticking together. Roll the mixture into small balls about 2.5cm wide. Transfer to a plate, cover and chill until needed.

2
. Meanwhile, make the broth base. Heat the stock in a saucepan, add the other ingredients and mix well. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes to infuse, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. (For a strong broth base, leave the mixture to simmer for longer.)

3
. Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and add a dash of oil. Fry the pork and prawn balls, turning frequently, for 6–7 minutes until golden brown all over. Transfer into the gently simmering pan of broth and leave to cook for 5 minutes until the balls are cooked through. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute until just wilted.

4
. Taste the dish and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve garnished with spring onions.

HOW TO PREPARE PRAWNS

First, twist off the head, then peel off all the shell and pull off the tail. With the tip of a sharp knife, score the prawn along the back and lift out the black vein. Rinse the prepared prawns before using.

CHICKPEA, CUMIN
AND SPINACH KOFTAS
WITH TAHINI DRESSING

MAKES ABOUT 20 KOFTAS

Chickpeas can be very bland on their own, but they take on spicy flavours really well. Because of their texture, they make a great substitute for mince – in a burger, say, or in these classic koftas. It’s important to let them rest in the fridge so that they hold their shape when you come to shallow-fry them.

1
. Wash the spinach, then place in a medium-hot oiled pan and stir until wilted. Drain thoroughly, squeezing out any excess water, then finely chop.

2
. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry hot pan for about 1 minute until aromatic and golden, then grind in a mortar with a pestle.

3
. Place the chickpeas, cumin and spices, along with a good pinch of salt and pepper, in a blender and blitz to a fine paste. (If the mixture looks too dry to hold together, add 2–3 tablespoons of water and blitz again.) Add the spinach, sprinkle in the flour and mix well to combine.

4
. Dust your hands with flour, then take a tablespoon of the mixture and mould it into an egg shape. (If this is too tricky, simply roll it into a ball.) Repeat until all the mixture has been used, then place on a plate or tray dusted with flour. Chill for at least 1 hour until you are ready to cook.

5
. Preheat the oven to 120°C/Gas ½.

6
. Heat some oil in a pan and shallow-fry the koftas in batches over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until golden brown on all sides and hot all the way through. Drain after frying, and keep them warm in the oven.

7
. Combine all the dressing ingredients and season to taste. Add a little olive oil if you want a looser consistency.

8
. Serve the koftas warm with the dressing on the side.

CHARENTAIS MELON
AND CRÈME FRAÎCHE

SERVES 4

When you buy fruit at the peak of its season, not only is it cheaper, but you don’t have to do much to it to bring out its best. This recipe shows how simple a fruit salad can be – just melon, sugar syrup and grapes. To check if a melon is ripe, sniff it near the stalk. A ripe melon will smell sweet. A smell of pear-drops means it is past its best.