Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course (12 page)

EASY BOLLITO MISTO

SERVES 4

This sausage casserole is traditionally served in Italy on Christmas Day with salsa verde, a dressing of garlic, anchovies, mustard, vinegar, oil and lots of chopped herbs. I’ve added lentils to make a more self-contained meal, but simplified the dressing – just a scattering of fresh parsley.

1
. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a little oil. Fry the fennel sausages for 3–4 minutes until coloured on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the chorizo pieces, cut side down, and fry for 2–3 minutes until they start to release their coloured oil and begin to crisp up. Turn over and colour on the other side for a minute or two. Remove and set aside with the sausages.

2
. Add the garlic, celery and carrots to the pan and stir for 2 minutes until the garlic is tender. Stir in the lentils, then return the sausages and chorizo to the pan with the bay leaf and thyme springs. Stir well.

3
. Add 600ml of the stock, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes until the sausages are cooked through, the lentils tender and the stock well flavoured. If the stock levels drop too low while the lentils are cooking, top up with a little of the remaining stock.

4
. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and serve the bollito misto in shallow bowls, garnished with the chopped parsley.

SLOW-BRAISED
STUFFED LAMB BREAST

SERVES 6

Breast of lamb is a fatty cut that needs slow cooking, but it can be just as rewarding as the more expensive choice cuts. Here I’m stuffing it with anchovies, garlic and olives, which all go so well with lamb, and braising it in tinned tomatoes instead of stock. Try to stuff the breasts a day ahead as it helps to tenderise the meat even more. Serve with mashed potatoes and buttered kale.

1
. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3.

2
. Open out the lamb breasts and place them on a chopping board. Season each one on both sides with salt and pepper. Scatter the oregano, chilli flakes and three-quarters of the lemon zest evenly over the fleshy side of the meat. Arrange the anchovies equally over each breast.

3
. Starting at the smaller end of the meat, roll each breast into a tight sausage shape and tie at intervals with string.

4
. Fry the rolled breasts in a large hot, oiled casserole dish for about 3 minutes until lightly browned all over. Remove the lamb and set aside, then add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and coloured. Add the pinches of chilli flakes and oregano, the remaining lemon zest, then the capers and olives.

5
. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Boil for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and gently bring back to the boil. Return the lamb breasts to the pan, basting them in the sauce.

6
. Cover the pan with a lid and cook in the preheated oven for 2–2½ hours until the meat is tender. Baste and turn the meat often.

7
. Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing thickly. Skim any excess fat from the pan, then spoon the sauce over the lamb.

HOW TO USE DRIED HERBS

Everyone assumes these days that you should always use fresh herbs. While some, such as basil and parsley, don’t dry well, others, such as marjoram, bay and oregano, do. I would never use them to finish a dish, but they can work well in a slow braise, where they will naturally rehydrate and flavour the meat. Never use as much as you would fresh, though, as the flavour can be very concentrated.

CHICKEN AND CHICORY
IN MARSALA SAUCE

SERVES 2

Chicken breasts make for a quick and easy main course, but because chicken is such a lean meat, it can easily dry out. Here it is coloured in a pan and then braised in chicken stock, butter and Marsala. Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily, and can be substituted with Madeira or medium-sweet sherry.

1
. Heat a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and add a little oil. Season the chicken on both sides, and place it, skin side down, in the hot pan. Add the chicory, cut side down, 2 thyme sprigs and the garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes until the chicken skin is dark golden.

2
. Turn the chicken and chicory over. Pour in the Marsala to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom, then add the chicken stock and a couple of knobs of butter. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, occasionally spooning over the sauce, until the chicken is just cooked through.

3
. Serve the chicken and chicory topped with spoonfuls of sauce and garnished with the remaining thyme sprigs.

BEEF BRISKET
WITH NEW POTATO
PICCALILLI SALAD

SERVES 6

Brisket is a cut of beef from the cow’s lower chest and is traditionally used to make salt beef and pastrami. However, I’m not brining it here, but instead poaching it in aromatics, sautéed off first to boost their flavour. Just like salt beef, this is great served with piccalilli.

1
. Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas 1.

2
. Season the brisket all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large flameproof casserole dish or high-sided roasting tray on the hob. Add a glug of oil and brown the meat in the hot pan for about 5 minutes until coloured on all sides. Turn the heat down to medium, add the carrot, celery, garlic and spices and stir them through the oil at the bottom of the pan.

3
. Pour in enough water to almost cover the brisket. Bring to the boil, then cover tightly. Transfer the dish to the preheated oven and leave to cook for 3–4 hours, turning the meat halfway through, until it is really tender. Remove the meat from the cooking liquor and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

4
. Meanwhile, make the salad. Boil the new potatoes in salted water for about 15 minutes until tender and cooked through. Blanch the cauliflower and green beans by dropping them into boiling salted water for 2 minutes until their rawness has been removed but they are still crunchy. Refresh immediately in cold water.

5
. Mix together the carrot, shallot, spring onions and turmeric and add the potatoes, cauliflower and green beans. To make the dressing, stir the mustard powder into the wholegrain mustard, making sure there are no lumps. Add the honey and vinegar, mix well, then slowly pour in the oil, stirring as you do so to thicken. Dress the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste.

6
. Slice the rested brisket and serve with the salad.

ROAST GUINEA FOWL
WITH APPLE

SERVES 4

Guinea fowl is a great alternative to chicken, with a slightly deeper flavour, but like a lot of game birds it needs careful cooking to avoid the breast drying out. In the restaurant we remove the legs and wings, and poach the crown in flavoured stock before quickly roasting it at a high temperature. I’ve simplified the recipe for the home, where you may prefer to serve the whole bird.

1
. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

2
. Season the guinea fowl with salt and pepper, cover the breast with the bacon and place in a roasting tray.

3
. Melt the butter in a cast-iron frying pan and carefully lay the apple slices in the butter. They need to be kept in a single layer, so cook in batches if necessary. Sauté the apples for 3–4 minutes until they are nicely caramelised, then arrange them around the guinea fowl. Brush the breast of the bird with the remaining melted butter and season again. Pour over half the cream, then place in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.

4
. Remove the bacon and set aside. Lower the temperature to 180°C/Gas 5, then baste the bird and cook for a further 20–25 minutes.

5
. Remove the guinea fowl from the oven and transfer to a warm plate with the bacon. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.

6
. Add the brandy and the remaining cream to the tray and bring to the boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour the sauce over the guinea fowl and serve immediately, with the reserved bacon on the side.