stewed beef northern style

chinese

northern region

350g stewing beef such as brisket or shin

1 spring onion

2 teaspoons groundnut oil

1 slice ginger

1 clove garlic lightly crushed

1 dried red chilli (optional)

110g Chinese white radish (mooli)

braising sauce

300ml chicken stock (qv)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons dry sherry or rice wine

2 teaspoons five spice powder

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons whole yellow bean sauce

Cut the meat into 2.5cm cubes.

Slice the spring onion at a slight diagonal into 5cm segments.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and when it is hot add the beef.

Stir fry until it is brown. (This should take about 10 minutes.)

Then pour off any excess fat leaving 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan.

Add the spring onion gingergarlic and chilli and stir fry with the beef for about 5 minutes.

Transfer this mixture to n large casserole or pot.

Add the braising sauce ingredients.

Bring the liquid to the boil skim ot any fat trom the surfact aild turn the heat as low as possible. Cover and braise for 1 1/2 hours.

Peel the chinese white radish and cut it at a slight diagonal into 5cm chunks.

Add these to the meat and continue to cook for anothor 30 niinutes or until the beef is quite tender. Then turn the heat up to high and rapidly reduce the liquid for about 15 minutes

The sauce should thicken slightly.

It can be served immediatily or cooled and re heated later.

Beef in China is often tough and braising is therefore the preferred method of cooking it. Chinese cooks long ago learned to make a virtue of this necessity by using spices and seasonings during the long braising process to imbue the meat with subtle and complex flavours. This recipe is really a Chinese version of a beef stew and uses many of the favourite seasonings of northern China. Be sure to use an inexpensive cut of beef such as brisket or shin. One of the ingredients is Chinese white radish sometimes called mooli. It can be bought in many greengrocers and in Chinese and Asian grocers. If you cannot find it you could use turnips or carrots instead. Plain steamed rice is a perfect accompaniment.

Serves 4

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’stewed beef northern style’]

stir fried chicken shreds

chinese

eastern region

225g boneless chicken breasts skinned

1 egg white

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cornflour

175g fresh bean sprouts

110g mange tout trimmed

110g waterchestnuts tinned (drained weight) or fresh

150ml groundnut oil

1 teaspoon salt

Cut the chicken into very thin shreds and combine these with the egg white salt and cornflour in a bowl.

Mix well and place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile trim the bean sprouts finely shred the mange out lengthways and shred or slice the waterchestnuts.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and when it is almost smoking add the chicken.

Stir fry quickly for 1 minute.

Drain the chicken in a colander or sieve immediately.

Pour off the oil leaving 1 tablespoon in the wok or pan. (The rest of tlle oil may be saved when it is cooled and used for future cooking with chicken.)

Re heat the pan and stir fry the vegetables for 2 minutes.

Return the drained chicken to the pan stir to mix well and add the salt.

Give the mixture a few more stirs and then turn it onto a warm serving platter.

Serve with rice and Ham and Marrow Soup.

This is a simple recipe which is quick and easy to make and is very suitable for family meals. The secret of cooking the chicken shreds without drying them out is to Stir fry them quickly in oil until they turn opaque and then remove them at once. You can substitute other vegetables such as asparagus carrots or green peas for the ones I have used if you prefer.

Serves 3

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’stir fried chicken shreds’]

stir fried pork with spring onions

chinese southern region

350g boneless lean pork

2 teaspoons dry sherry or rice wine

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon cornflour

4 spring onions

2 teaspoons oil

l/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon sugar

The key to success is not to overcook the pork.

Cut the pork into thin slices 5cm long.

Put the sliced pork into a bowl and mix in the dry sherry or rice wine soy sauce and cornflour.

Let the mixture sit for 1015 minutes so that the pork absorbs the flavours of the marinade.

Cut the spring onions on the diagonal into 5cm lengths.

Heat a wok or frying pan to a very high heat.

Add the oil.

When it is almost beginning to smoke add the pork slices and stir fry them until they are brown.

Add the spring onions salt and sugar.

Continue to stir fry until the pork is cooked and slightly firm.

This should take about 5 minutes.

Remove and arrange the pork on a warm serving platter.

Pour over any juices and serve at once.

Serves 4

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’stir fried pork with spring onions’]

stracciatella

Ragged Egg Soup

italian

2 eggs

2 tablespoons fine semolina

50g grated Parmesan cheese

1.2 litres Brodo di Pollo (qv)

Beat together the eggs semolina cheese and about 200ml Brodo dipollo.

Heat the remaining broth until almost boiling

immediately remove from the heat and beat in the egg mixture.

Continue beating over a low heat for 2 to 3 minutes just until the eggs

break into ragged flakes.

Serve immediately.Parma Ham with Figs

Prosciutto e Fichi

italian

8 ripe purple figs

4 slices Parma ham or raw smoked ham

Cut the figs almost through into quarters.

Arrange the ham on individual plates and top with figs.

Serves 4

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’stracciatella’]

stuffed barbecued sea bass

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons yoghurt

2 tablespoons chopped tomato

2 red onions peeled chopped and saut

stuffed vine leaves

dolmathes

mediterranean

225g vine leaves

dill to serve

2 lemons cut into wedges to serve

for the stuffing

150g long grain rice rinsed and drained

350g onions finely chopped

3 tbspns pine nuts toasted lightly in a deep frying pan

2 tbspns sulatanas or raisins rinsed (optional)

5 tbspns finely chopped fresh dill

4 tbspsns finey chopped parsley

3 tbspns coarsely chopped fresh mint

juice 1 lemon

4 tbspns olive oil

425ml hot water

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the vine leaves and blanch them in batches of 68 in a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water for 1 minute or less if they are young.

Take them out with a slotted spatula and drain.

They should be just wilted and not cooked.

If using preserved leaves which are very salty rinse them first and plunge them in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes.

Take out and place in a bowl of cold water then rinse them again and place in a strainer.

Mix all the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl.

However use only half of the oil and lemon juice at this stage.

Line the base of a wide saucepan or saute pan with some of the vine leaves.

Trim the stalks of the others and spread each vine leaf on a plate uneven side upwards.

If the leaf is small take a teaspoon of stuffing if large take a tablespoonful and place it along the stem end of the leaf.

Press the stuffing into an elongated sausagelike shape and fold the stem end of the leaf over it. Next fold inwards the two edges of the leaf and roll tightly to the end into a small cigar shape. Squeeze the rolled package in your hand to get rid of excess moisture if they appear too wet. Arrange them tightly in circles around the base of the pan trapping their loose ends underneath.

When one layer is formed sprinkle over a little more seasoning and start another layer on top.

It is best not to have more than 3 layers otherwise you get the bottom ones overcooked and squashed.

Dribble the remaining oil and lemon juice all over and then place a small inverted plate on top to keep them in place while cooking.

Slowly pour in the hot water cover and simmer for so minutes.

Try one and if the rice is too crunchy cook a little longer.

The dolmathes are delicious served hot or cold.

Arrange on a pretty platter garnish with dill and surround with lemon wedges.

This is a laborious dish to make so try to enlist some help. In Greece it is often the result of a joint effort of extended families friends and neighbours. Vine leaves are stuffed with various ingredients all over the middle East and Turkey but I think the best versions are made in Greece. Fresh vine leaves ideally young ones at the beginning of the season obviously produce the best results. Alternatively one can buy packets of preserved ones. If you have access to a vine you can freeze its leaves in season. Pile them up in groups of a dozen roll them up cover with dingfilm and place in the freezer. Let them thaw at room temperature for two hours before use.

Makes about 40

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’stuffed vine leaves’]

summer salad

insalata estiva

italian

river cafe cook book

a handful each of wild rocket sorrel young beet leaves escarole cavolo nero spinach

young swiss chard

oil and lemon dressing (qv)

Pick over and wash the leaves.

Dry then mix together and toss with the dressing.

The ingredients for this salad depend on the wild leaves and sprouting vegetables you can obtain.

Serves 6

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’summer salad’]

sweet and sour fish

chinese

eastern region

450g cod haddock or sea bass fillets

110g carrots

110g peas

110g mange tout trimmed or 1 green pepper (about 110g)

1.1L groundnut oil

110g cornflour

sauce

2 tablespoons spring onions finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped

300ml Chicken Stock

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice wine

11/2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons cider vinegar or Chinese white rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cornflour blended with 2 teaspoons water

If you are using fish fillets select ones which are at least 2.5 cm or more thick and remove the skin.

If you are using a whole fish it should be cleaned and gutted and the gills removed.

Either leave the head on as the Chinese do or remove it if you prefer.

Using a sharp knife or cleaver make criss cross slashes across the top of the fish or each fillet.

Do not cut right through but keep the fish or fillets intact.

Next prepare the vegetables.

Peel and dice the carrots.

Blanch the carrots peas and mange tout or pepper in a pot of boiling water for about 4 minutes each.

Now plunge them into cold water and then drain them.

Put all the blanched vegetables into a pot with all the sauce ingredients.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and remove the pot from the heat.

Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or large wok until it is almost smoking.

Coat the fish fillets or whole fish well with cornflour shaking off any excess.

Then deep fry one of the fillets (or whole fish) until it is crisp and brown.

Do the same with the other fillet.

Drain on kitchen paper.

Bring the sauce to a simmer.

Arrange the fish fillets or whole fish on a warm serving platter and pour the re heated sauce over the top.

Serve at once.

A sweet and sour sauce is a perfect foil for fish. The sugar and vinegar in the sauce contrasts well with the rich flavour of the fish. This Chinese dish is at its most impressive when a whole fish is used but it can be just as successfully made with fish fillets. The best fish to use are cod haddock or sea bass. The sauce can be made in advance and re heated.

Serves 4

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’sweet and sour fish’]

sweet pastry and butter suppliers

Top quality.readymade sweet pastry is not widely available in either supermarkets or specialist. shops although if you need large quantities (ie 10 lb boxes) contact the wholesale pattisier Michael Nadeli on 020 7833 2481. Otherwise pastry requests to your local good patisserie often yield results.

Fine butter is essential for the best pasties. Try the following

Waitrose

01344 424680

has a laudable butter range. It includes a French organic French unpasteurised the pyramid shaped Paysan Breton (in Greater London stores) and the German Maggie (all unsalted) along with the salted Lanquetot.

Harvey Nichols

London 020 7236 5000

Leeds

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’sweet pastry and butter suppliers#’]

swiss chard info

Chard belongs to the same family as beetroot sugar beet and spinach. The leaves which have a sweet and meadowy taste are perfect for wrapping food. As the ribbed stems of chard can be quite hard for most purposes it is best to trim them off. They are very tasty on their own but need longer cooking. Like spinach chard contains vitamin C carotene iron potassium and folic acid. Chard is also a very good source of fibre.

[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’swiss chard info’]