Rhubarb & Custard Shortcake Pots

What to do with all this rhubarb?

So I have been chosen to make a hamper for next week's cricket for the chaps (ENG vs NZ ODI at the Oval for those of you interested) and after years of taking food to sporting events, festivals, picnics, etc. I think I’ve finally worked out a few things…

• Chop and slice everything before you go, no matter how good it looks! 
• Separate and portion into individual boxes
• Hand held and bowl food is the way forward

See the thing is that although a big spread looks the business, passing plates and dishes around amongst each other in small rows of seats with one hand already taken up with a beer is not exactly ideal. And I’ve not even mentioned the weather yet.

I’ve got a recipe here that looks the part, travels well and all you have to do is stick a spoon in it. Perfect for a summer hamper and is also a great dinner party dessert served fresh from the oven. The pastry is a cross between shortbread biscuit and a sponge cake, crispy on the outside and dense in the middle. The rhubarb filling can be swapped with any seasonal fruit to your liking.

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My Rhubarb & Custard Shortcake Pots

makes 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PASTRY:

• 200g butter
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 325g self-raising flour
• 1 egg
• 1 yolk
• more sugar for sprinkling

FOR THE FILLING:

• 300g rhubarb
• 50g sugar
• 150g tinned custard (Yes, use the best quality you can find!)
• 1tsp vanilla paste

METHOD

In a food processor, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the egg and yolk. Gently fold in the flour and mix to a sticky dough. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour. The pastry will make enough for 8 ramekins or one large pie. Wrap and freeze any leftover.

Pre-heat oven to 180C or gas mark 4.

Chop the rhubarb into 2cm chunks, place into a baking tray cover with the sugar and bake for 8-10 minutes or until softened. Mix with the custard and vanilla paste and allow to cool.

Grease the ramekins, take a piece of the dough big enough to cover the base and gently push in. Repeat with the sides so that even thickness of dough covers the base and sides. Fill each ramekin just to the top with the rhubarb and custard mix, then take larger piece of dough to be used as the lid and flatten to 1cm thick and cut around with the ramekin as a guide. Place on top and crimp the edges.

Brush with milk, sprinkle with golden caster sugar and bake for 35 minutes.

Either eat after 10 minutes or chill for the next day. A dollop of creme fraiche works as treat on the side :)

BBQ Rump of Lamb with Cumin Rub

Perfect if you do not have time to marinade, the dry rub quickly creates a 'crust' around the lamb whilst cooking, keeping in the moisture too.

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Ingredients

• 2 lamb rump steaks
• 3 tbsp olive oil

For the dry rub:

• 2 tbsp toasted cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp toasted coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp Maldon sea salt

Method

Toast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Crush in a pestle and mortar along with the peppercorns. Add the remaining ground spices and garlic.

Rub the lamb steaks with olive oil and roll in the spice mixture.

Place on the barbecue and cook for around 20-30 minutes or as long as desired.

Serve with my Almond Hummus for a perfect match. 

Whole Mackerel with Orange, Chilli & Olive Oil

A super easy and quick dish to make using the heat from the BBQ to steam the fish inside the foil.

Open at the table in front of your guests for an intense citrus and spicy aromas guaranteed to win everyone over.

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Ingredients

• 4 whole mackerel
• 4 red chillies
• 2 oranges, zest and juice
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place one fish on tin foil large enough to shape into a sealed bag. Chop the chilli and place around the fish add zest and juice of the orange and drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Seal tin foil to create a bag. Repeat for all fish.

Place on BBQ for about 15 minutes.

Almond Hummus

With a hint of lemon and garlic, my nutty twist on classic hummus is full of Mediterranean flavours and perfect with lamb or any grilled meat.

Ingredients

• 250g ground almonds
• Juice of 3 lemons
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 slices white bread
• 600ml olive oil
• 300ml water
• 
  

Method

Soak the bread in water for a minute.

In a food processor, blend the garlic, almonds and bread together. Add lemon juice to taste and adjust consistency with water if necessary.

When smooth, very slowly add olive oil as if you were making mayonnaise.

British Pie Awards 2015

It's April and that can only mean one thing to me... The British Pie Awards!

This year, the British Pie Awards invited me back to not only judge but to also compère their awards lunch the following day.

While looking at the list of judges a few days earlier I discovered that Marcus Bean, lover of all things chocolate and excerise, would be attending and decided via twitter we'd go for a run around the mighty Pie-shire (Leicestershire to be exact) on the morning of the judging. Our plan being that if we were going to be eating pie all day then at least a little morning exercise would just justify what was ahead.

The awards as every year are held in St. Mary's Church with Reverend Kevin Ashby opening up the doors on the two conditions...

1. That we, the people respect the church
2. He can be a judge and eat pie too 

On the morning of the big day, the church was buzzing with excitement with local and national press attending. There were 830 pies from over 130 pie makers to be judged and as always it's great to see the Pierates making themselves busy like kids in a candy shop. Before the judging commences 'Revd Kevin' addresses the congregation with a sermon and a pie prayer. 

My chosen category was Class 1 "The Melton Mowbary Pork Pie" to be judged by myself and master baker Richard Watkins (being a 'Bates' I am allowed an wry smile at that title ;). Richard has been making pork pies for years at his family-owned business in Westgate, Gratham and certainly knows his shoulder from belly.

This category calls for all pies to comply with all specifications needed to be an authentic Melton Mowbray Pork Pie by Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association which is explained as such... "The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie is a distinct product that is recognisably different from other pork pies, both in physical characteristics and in reputation. The sides of a Melton Mowbray Pork Pie are bow-shaped as they are baked free standing, whereas most other pork pies are straight-sided being baked in hoops. The meat used is fresh pork which is naturally grey when cooked, liked roast pork, not pink like other pork pies which used cured pork. The meat must be particulate, as we use chopped pork, not smooth on the palate as most other pork pies are because they used minced meat. The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie is also well jellied and the meat seasoned with salt and pepper."

We have 14 pies to try and our judging criteria included; appearance, pastry thickness, over boil, filling and taste. They are all of the highest quality. The hardest part I found was not washing each mouthful down with a bite of a pickled onion and a glug of ale, so my taste buds had to be at the top of their game. Crispness, crunch and seasoning of pastry, fat content and slight peppery after taste are all things I'm keeping an eye out for. About halfway through Richard and I found one that clearly stood out. We continue to try the rest (all amazing) but we had already chosen our winner. The results for Class 1 were as follows:

Winner: Handcrafter Melton Mowbray Pork Pie by Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe

Second: Artisan 440g Melton Mowbray Pork Pie by Walker & Son for M&S

Third: Large Melton Mowbray Pork Pie by Walker & son for Co-op website

After the all the eating AKA judging, a few of the judges and I rolled ourselves to the local for a welcomed pint and a chance to sit down and adjust our belts. Some of the other judges had tried over 40 pies! Take a peek at all the categories and winners of this year's British Pie Awards. 

The Great North Pie Co.

The awards lunch took place the following day and was back in the church and PIE was on the menu for mains and dessert. The awards went very well with Boghall Butchers and Great North Pie Co taking the lions share of the awards but in the end small producer & Supreme champion went to Great North Pie Co. Congrats to all involved! This is was only my second year at this prestigious event but everyone made me feel exceptionally welcome and very much part of the Pie family.

Afterwards the day was topped off by a lift back to London from old friends Piebury Corner, who incidentally won 2nd place in Class 8 Chicken Pie category for the “Theo Walcott” Jerk Chicken Porter Pie. Amongst our chat on the journey home they confined in me an idea to take over a well known Spanish island, start selling pies and rename it Pie-biza.

Now thats what I call the beginning of world PIE domination :)

Smoked Haddock Bhaji Scotch Eggs

For this week's BBC Food and Drink I was sent to Duck and Waffle in the Heron Tower, London to meet Chef Dan Doherty and talk about 'hybrid' food. Dan and his team are doing such great things over at Duck and Waffle and I was lucky enough to be able to try a few of their dishes, one of my personal favourites is their amazing spicy ox cheek doughnuts served with apricot jam. But that is only the beginning so please have a look at their menu to see what other delights you can devour and the views are some of the best in London. 

Dan & Tom from Duck and Waffle 

Back in the kitchen, Dan and I get to do a bit of cooking where we make scotch eggs of all things ;) bhaji scotch eggs to be exact. They reminded me of a dish I used to make on my stalls, the smoked haddock bhaji scotch egg. I used to make onion bhajis & smoked haddock scotch eggs (Buttery curried mash and smoked haddock wrapped around a soft boiled egg) then one morning I decided to use the bhaji mix instead of breadcrumbs around the scotch egg and a new dish was born. I took it to the market and sold about two, a little disgruntled I returned and handed the rest out to grateful friends. But that was 2010 and food trends are constantly changing and over the past few years with new inventive dishes like the conut by Dominique Ansel appearing thus making hybrid foods more popular than ever.

Duck and Waffle's scotch egg

Smoked haddock works so well with curried spices as we've known for a long time with dishes like kedgeree and the soft and runny yolk against the crunch of the bhaji coating is a real treat. You want a firm mash and the trick is to bake the potatoes with the skin on and then scoop out the flesh.

Enjoy and let me know what other 'hybrid' creations you have been making. 

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My Smoked Haddock Bhaji Scotch Eggs

makes 4

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SCOTCH EGG:

• 4 large free range eggs
• 200g mash potato (from 1 large or 2 medium potatoes)
• 200g undyed smoked haddock (skinned & chopped) 
• 100g butter 
• white pepper 

FOR THE ONION BHAJI:

• 2 shallots
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cardamon pods
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
• 100g gram flour (chickpea flour)
• water

METHOD

Boil the eggs for 6 minutes on a gentle simmer then place into a container of ice cold water (this will stop the egg cooking) carefully peel and keep in the cold water until needed.

Pre heat the oven 180C and bake the potatoes on a tray for around an hour or until cooked. Cut in half and scoop out the flesh (careful: HOT POTATO!) then mash with the butter till smooth. Add the haddock and season with white pepper (no need for salt as Smoked haddock will provide). Divide into 4 equal balls then flatten out and wrap each portion around your soft boiled eggs encasing and completely covering.

Chill until needed.

For the bhaji mix:

Slice the shallots and place into a bowl and salt lightly then leave for 5 minutes until the shallots begin to bleed. In a pestle and mortar place the cardamom pods and grind, then add the remaining spices. To the shallots add the spices, gram flour, chopped coriander and a dash of water. mix well until you have a dropping (double cream like) consistency.

Preheat a deep fat fryer to 180C.

Remove the eggs from the fridge, dip into the bhaji mix covering all over then carefully place into the fryer and fry for 6 minutes until golden brown.

Rest for 3 minutes, slice in half and serve.

Wild Rabbit, Pancetta & Sage Pie

Wabbit! My latest assignment for BBC Food & Drink, they have taken me to Devon to meet Chef, Hunter, Forager and all round nice guy Tim Maddams. Tim invites me into his idyllic home with a back garden overlooking a lush valley where he cooks me two recipes using wild rabbits that he shot a few days before. The first dish was rabbit leg and chanterelle pasta and the second dish is easy slow cooked rabbit with pancetta and tomatoes. Both extremely tasty and both showing just how versatile wild rabbit can be. We really should be eating more these wild and tasty animals that have some how become to be known as the 'poor man's chicken'. They can be ordered through supermarkets, butchers and even online. They have such great flavour and quality of meat, nutritious, low in fat and full of protein and vitamins. They are also very good value for money, even from a supermarket a wild rabbit costs less than a free-range chicken.

One more bit of advice, just make sure to not grab yourself an old buck which can be a little too strong in taste. The perfect age for a wild rabbit is between 6-8 weeks old and most importantly stay clear of farmed rabbit imported from abroad. 

Here's my 'Wild Rabbit & Pancetta Pie' recipe using ingredients and flavours that I believe Tim would approve of ;) 

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My Wild Rabbit, Pancetta & Sage Pie

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FILLING:

• 1 wild rabbit
• 100g pancetta or smoked bacon lardons
• 2 shallots, peeled & finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of olive oil 
• 150ml white wine
• 150ml chicken stock
• 100ml double cream
• 100g small button mushrooms, each cut in half
• 1 carrot , rough small dice
• 1tbsp whole grain mustard 
• 1/2 bunch sage, roughly chopped 

FOR THE ALL BUTTER RUFF PUFF PASTRY:

• 400g strong plain flour
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 300g butter, ice cold
• 100-150ml cold water

METHOD

For the filling, divide the rabbit into small portions on the bone and season with salt and pepper. Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil into a large pan, then seal off the rabbit until nicely browned and set aside.

In the same pan, seal off the bacon until caramelised and set aside with the rabbit. Sweat the shallots, carrots and mushrooms in the remaining oil for 5 minutes, then add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid just covers the vegetables. 

Add the chicken stock, rabbit and bacon and return to a boil for about 20 minutes until reduced. Add the double cream and mustard and continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened. Add the roughly chopped sage and set aside to cool. 

Once cooled, take the rabbit out of the stew, take the meat off the bone (discarding the bones) and return the meat back to the stew. Chill until needed. 

Preheat your oven to 180C. 

Follow directions for my all butter ruff puff pastry

Divide the pastry into four and shape over a ramekin or jam jar and then place in a small bowl to retain the shape. Place spoonfuls of the filling into the bowl-shaped pastry and fill halfway. Squeeze the top together and gently push down, being careful not to break the pastry. Cut any excess pastry on the top and brush with egg yolk. Bake for 45 mins, making sure the pinch on the top is fully cooked through.

Chicken & Ham Hock Pie

This pie won the 'Best Pie Award' in the Street Food Awards 2010 and is still my favourite. The ham hock is full of flavour, and the black treacle adds a lovely rich sweetness and depth of colour to the jelly. I've experimented with different seasonings, but lots of pepper and thyme give the best results. A hot water crust pie to me is one of the benchmarks of British cuisine and served with either salad cream or piccalilly (the acidity of the vinegar with cold seasoned meat is a dream combo) and a pint of ale is sometimes a forgotten meal in these present times of burgers and barbecues.

CHEF TIP: Soaking the ham hocks overnight will take away some of the saltiness of the brine. If bought on the day of cooking, place the ham hocks in water and bring to a quick boil, then refresh with clean water before CONTINUING. 

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My Chicken & Ham Hock Pie 

Ingredients

• 2 large ham hocks
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 handful of thyme
• 1 tsp black treacle
• Salt, black pepper (medium coarse ground) and thyme, to season
• 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 260g plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• 175g lard or butter
• 200ml water
• Small amount of softened butter

Method

Soak the Ham hocks overnight in cold water. Place the ham hocks in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and skim any scum off the surface.

Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and add the chopped vegetables, a teaspoon of chopped thyme and the black treacle. The treacle will take some of the saltiness out of the ham and give the stock a wonderful rich color. Simmer for 2-3 hours or until the meat is just starting to fall off the bones.

Remove the meat from the pan and allow it to cool. Strain the remaining stock into a clean pan and return to the boil until it has reduced by a third, then take the pan off the heat and leave to cool. This will become the jelly for the pie later on.

Pick the meat from the ham hock removing any fat and muscle. Flake the meat into a bowl and season with coarse black pepper and the freshly chopped thyme to your taste. Remember this is a cold pie so pepper will really bring out flavor once rested and chilled. Hocks can be very salty so do taste before adding any extra salt.

Next place the chicken between two pieces of cling-film and batter out with a rolling pin to tenderise and season with salt & pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl making a well in the centre. Bring the water and lard to the boil in a saucepan then stir it into the flour with a wooden spoon to form a smooth dough. Leave for ten minutes until cool enough to handle.

Lightly grease a pie ring measuring 15-20cm by about 8-10cm deep and line the bottom with a disc of lightly greased greaseproof paper. Place it on a similarly lined and greased baking tray.

Take two thirds of the dough and, on a lightly floured table, roll it into a circle large enough to line the base and sides of the pie ring and overlap the edge. Place the pastry into the pie ring, carefully pressing into the corners, allowing the pastry to just hang over the edge. Roll the remaining pastry into a circle for the lid.

Cover the bottom of the pie with a layer of ham, then a layer of chicken. Repeat this again until the pie is filled. Brush the pie edges with egg wash and place the lid on top.

Pinch the lid edge and top pastry edges together with your thumb to crimp the pie and create a seal. Trim the edge with a knife removing any overhanging pastry.

Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg, make a hole in the middle of the pastry lid and cook for 1 hour. Remove the ring and brush the sides and top again with egg before baking for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

When the pie is cold, fill any holes in the pastry with softened butter so that the jelly doesn't escape. Take the jelly from the fridge, remove the layer of fat from the surface and gently reheat to melt the jelly Pour the jelly into the round hole in the top of the pastry until the pie is filled. Return to the fridge until the jelly is set.

Shoulder of Lamb with Roasted Garlic & Almond dip

This recipe is inspired by my dinner at Al Mallah Cafe in Al Ain, UAE and their ‘Lamb and Hummus’ plate. I’ve put my own twist by making an almond dip (never ever will I call it almond hummus again. Thank you Suzanne for correcting me ;) and cooking the lamb in a pressure cooker making this an ideal midweek meal or if you're short of time on the weekend.

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My Shoulder of Lamb with Roasted Garlic and Almond dip

(serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg lamb shoulder 
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)

FOR THE RUB:

• 2tsp ground cumin
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1tsp ground coriander 
• salt & pepper
• 50ml olive oil 

FOR THE ROASTED GARLIC & ALMOND DIP:

• 250g ground almonds
• juice of 2 lemons 
• half head of garlic 
• 2 slices of white bread
• 600ml olive oil
• 300ml water

FOR THE GARNISH:

• 1tbsp chopped mint
• 1tbsp chopped parsley
• zest of 2 lemons 
• handful of tasted pine nuts
• flatbread to serve

METHOD

Place the shoulder of lamb onto a board and stab all over with a knife.

Place all the ingredients for the 'rub' into a large bowl, mix together and then massage into the lamb, leaving the the lamb in the 'rub' bowl, cover with cling film until needed.

In the pressure cooker, add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the lamb all over until browned and take out of pressure cooker. Add the onions and a touch more oil if needed to the pressure cooker and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil (deglazing the bottom as you go) then return the lamb and any juices back into the pressure cooker.

Seal with a lid (change settings if electric) and cook for approximately an hour.

Place the garlic into a piece of foil (about the size of your hand) with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap together tightly and roast in a preheated oven (180C) for 30 minutes or until soft, sweet and golden.

Soak the 2 slices of white bread in a bowl of water for 1 minute, drain and add to a food processor with the lemon juice, ground almonds and 'squeezed' roasted garlic. Blend together and adjust consistency with water if too thick. When smooth, very slowly add olive oil (You are looking for a paste similar to hummus). Season with salt & pepper.

TO SERVE:

Allow lamb to rest for 10 minutes the transfer to a clean bowl and shred into bite size chunks, discarding any bones and excess fat. Whilst the lamb is resting, bring the cooking juices to the boil and reduce to intensify the flavour and thicken.

Onto a warm large plate or four individuals. Spread the almond dip on the bottom of the plate, scatter the lamb on top and ladle some cooking juices over. Mix the parsley, mint, lemon zest and pine nuts together and finally sprinkle all over and serve with warm flatbread. 

*If you do have the time and/or don't have a pressure cooker then the lamb will happily marinade overnight and then sealed off the next day in a pan before slow roasting for 3-4 hours (until falling off the bone) at 140C/275F. Lid on or covered in foil.

Al Ain & Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi Food Festival | Feb. 12-21, 2015

Madinat Zayad to Al Ain.

Leaving the sand dunes of the western region... we headed to our second destination, Al Ain. An eastern city based on the border next to Oman. Although full of western food outlets (and I can confess to giving in on more than one occasion to Shack Shake), it's also full of hidden gems with cafes serving grilled lebanese and middle eastern spreads with freshly squeezed juices or smoothies. One cafe that particularly stood out was Al Mallah Cafe, a sandwich bar during the day and I seriously recommend the chicken breast and chicken liver sub then after 5:30 pm they fire up the shawerma grills and things get serious (seriously delicious). 

It's good, so good in fact that the wife and I happily spent our Valentine's evening there eating meats with warm hummus and pine nuts served with plates of freshly washed salad and herbs, pickles, warm flatbreads and freshly squeezed mango and banana juice. The whole meal came to under £10 (She’s a lucky lady eh!, I spare no expense on dates out ;)

Now back to the festival, this time it was to be in the centre of town at the Al Jahili Park with a huge fort as the backdrop. The street food traders prepared for their second weekend formulating their menus, poolside may I add. ATE Street Food even sourced some local camel hump for their daily special slider, which mind you sold out in just a few hours. And with the addition of more chefs including Jun Tanaka, Suzanne Husseini, John Quilter, James Walters and a few locals from TV station Fatafeat, the cooking demonstrations now had even more variety with a mix of local cuisine, street food and restaurant dishes all coming together again hosted by the brilliant, Andrew Dickens.

It was busier than anyone expected! I kept myself busy between cooking demos by helping some of the traders, my duties included: collecting boxes of cheese sandwiches from the walk in fridge for The Cheese Truck, boxes of apples for Yogusensi, proved dough for Pizza Pilgrims and peeling 2kg of prawns for Donostia Social Club. The event was a success with all traders selling out on all three nights.

Back at the hotel every evening the traders resembled a Rugby team after a hard fought win. They were all battered, bruised and nursing their wounds but very high in spirits. And their remedy was like that of a Rugby player by heading to the hotel bar. It was affectionately named ‘Power Hour’ (the bar tended to close with less than an hour to go ;). 

With Al Ain done and dusted we headed to the final destination, Abu Dhabi.

Al Ain to Abu Dhabi. 

We all knew it was going to be a busy weekend, so the traders usual three to four day break before each festival had now been cut down to just one day by the pool with days spent sourcing and buying, giving themselves an extra day of prep to get ready for the final weekend of the Abu Dhabi Food Festival.

As I only had cooking demonstrations to do, I had an evening or two to spare and Suzanne Husseini kindly invited the Real Food team, Andrew Dickens, the wife and myself round for dinner. Now I'm lucky enough to work with street food and restaurants for a living but as soon as someone says 'home cooking' I accept instantly and I'm round in a shot! We were not disappointed... Suzanne put on an Arabic feast of all feasts with dishes like whole baked red snapper, homemade hummus, stuffed vine leaves and my favourite, lemony garlic chicken on rice with yoghurt sauce. We all left very happy and very full. Seriously, everyone needs to grab her cook book. 

This time the festival was to be directly on the beach, on the Corniche to be exact. Right in downtown Abu Dhabi where many of the hotels are based.

We were all in a routine now, we were basically a travelling Street Food Festival circus. The Real Food Festival team at the helm getting all the final touches and last minute issues ironed out. The trucks arriving a couple of days before along with the demonstration stage, mobile prep kitchen, fridge and freezer trailers, electrics, plumbing, fencing, music stage, toilets and much, much more. 

The event again went to plan… BUSY! Even in the midst of a sandstorm, all traders sold out again, the kitchen demonstrations were all full houses and you could sense the people were excited and happy to have us in their city. 

I’m honoured to have been part of this journey, working with the traders and organisers as we ventured into the unknown, bringing the first travelling Street Food Festival to the United Arab Emirates. Seeing them go from strength to strength at each festival in stunning locations with road trips, hotel breakfasts and some bad dancing sprinkled along the way. And of course being out of London for three weeks in February in the sunshine is never a bad thing. Returning back to Blighty, I think we all felt a feeling of ‘MISSON SUCCESSFUL!'

Roll on to next year…

Abu Dhabi to Heathrow. Heathrow to Hackney. 

Taste of Dubai Launch Party

With the 'major' help of Chef Spencer and the team behind #VidaFoodTruck, Taste of Dubai organised a preview event to mark their launch at Vida Downtown Dubai. Together we cooked up a few street food creations including my southern-fried chicken liver burger and sea bass ceviche along with Chef Spencer's lamb dawg, tater tots with braised beef and salsa to name a few. 

Taste of Dubai will be March 12 - 14th at the Dubai Media City. Join me at the Chef's Theatre and Cookery School. Get Involved! 

*some photos provided by Hotelier Middle East

All Butter Ruff Puff Pastry

Ingredients

• 400g strong plain flour
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 300g butter, ice cold
• 100-150ml cold water

Method

In a bowl, sift the flour and add the salt. Cut the butter into cubes and add to flour, rub in with your fingers not mixing everything completely. It's important to see some chunks of butter. Make a well in the centre add two thirds of the water. Mix until if forms a dough, adding more water if needed. Wrap in cling film and rest in your fridge for an hour.

MADINAT ZAYAD - ABU DHABI FOOD FESTIVAL | FEB. 5-8, 2015

And the journey begins… Hackney to Heathrow, Heathrow to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi to Madinat Zayad. 

Upon my arrival, I meet with the British street food traders at the hotel on the eve of the first night. They flew in several days before and their trucks shipped from the UK, a journey that took four weeks on a boat. They've been sourcing and preparing local ingredients, everyone's in high spirits and looking forward to the next three weeks.

Our first destination is the western region town of Madinat Zayad, right in the middle of the desert! (or dessert as I’ve been picked up upon calling it on twitter ;) The venue is Madinat Zayad Public Park, a lush and beautiful park surrounded by palm trees making it a mini oasis. A first for everyone trading in the streetfood scene I believe? 

Everyones been hard at work, the sun is shining and most importantly everything seems to have arrived (just in the nick of time), all thanks to the tremendous work of the team from Real Food Festival as they have put their all into these events for over six months to make it happen (Bravo!). Their goal, to be the first to bring street food festivals to the Abu Dhabi Emirate. 

So what am I here to do? Well, they've incorporated a cooking demo stage and I’ve been asked along with some of the traders to do some cooking demonstrations. Hosted by the patient and damn nice bloke, Andrew Dickens, we think we’ve got a pretty good team.

We make an early start on the first day of the festival to head to the local markets to see what ingredients we can find and get inspired for our cooking demos. It’s exactly what you’d expect; Loud, colourful and vibrant with strong smells of fruits and spices.

For my first demo I'll be making coxinhas (a Brazilian bar snack and one of my faves) as I know it's a crowd pleaser and great fun to make. For my other recipe I'm not so sure, I want to be inspired by local produce but also make something that shouts 'street food'. So when getting the chicken for the coxhinas, the butcher randomly offered me fresh chicken livers. Andrew and I gave each other a look that said 'I LOVE LIVER' (as liver lovers do) and so it was decided there and then that would be the hero of my second demonstration. Next, Andrew had to gather some dry spices and herbs; garlic, oregano, paprika to name a few. I was starting to slowly get an idea of what was coming up…

Then we were drawn to the bakery where an insanely good smell pulled me towards some freshly baked potato buns, rich, with sight sweet smell, fluffy and perfect for a hand held snack. Finally we headed to fruit and veg and grabbed some red cabbage, white cabbage, red onion, apple and chilli and all else that makes a perfect slaw.  

Yep! North American inspired but born in the middle east, I had come up with southern-fried chicken livers, chili slaw in a local potato-brioche style bun. Oh, I forgot to mention that I was gonna fill the base with roasted garlic and chicken fat homemade mayo. YEAH!

Now to the festival:

The offerings from the street food vendors is a mix of their own known classics from the UK but with local influence thrown in. We've got hot dogs, tapas, sliders, pizza, fresh juices, churros, Indian, British style tacos (with coined name of bracos), grilled cheese and ice creams… 

The street traders are ready for the weekend, 'en place', their menu signs posted and shouting their usual banter between the trucks. We were ready on the demo stage, so let the party begin! ;) From my experience of new street food events opening in different countries and cultures around the world, it's always a joy to see people coming through the gates and well, not knowing what really to expect. It's not a restaurant, it’s a little like a music festival and the big name acts are the street food traders. With colourful trucks and tents each with their unique styling, menus shouting out their offerings and inside the stars/chefs bang out their hits. Cheesy??? A little but bring it on!

After an hour the crowd starts to warm up and get the idea… Phones are out, social networking with pictures, queues are starting to gather and the knowledge/know that you're not there to eat just one dish hits home.

It's early days here in Abu Dhabi Food Festival and as we roll on to the next cities, it's gonna build up momentum. But what a great event to be involved with, seeing traders from the UK being giving this opportunity is what makes our scene appealing, I'm so proud to be part of this movement, working with small business getting out there and giving it a go, doing what they love and do best, working for themselves, meeting new friends and most importantly serving great food.

I wish the team nothing but good times and good fortunes.

Next stop, Al Ain...

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'Get to know' your UK street food traders:

The Cheese Truck 

Donostia Social Club

Big Apple Hot Dogs 

Churros Bros.

The Roadery

ATE Street Food 

Pizza Pilgrims

The Indians Next Door

Yogusensi 

Whelks @ Crabhouse Café

Whelks… hmmmm. From my childhood all I can say is, YUCK!

I love British seaside food and summers spent on the beaches of Kent and Sussex. For me it's all about fish n’ chips and ice cream! Not chewy, slimey 'things' covered in vinegar, although I can vaguely remember my brother daring/telling/forcing me (probably all of them at the same time) to try one, I was only seven and the blood still runs deep...  No wonder I was a bit scarred when I heard what I was soon to do. 

See the thing is when you mention whelks to people that is exactly what they think of, a snail type thing served in a polystyrene cup with vinegar from the 60’s and 70’s.

But there's more to the whelk than meets the eye. In the UK 20,000 tonnes of them are landed each year and we are not eating them, so where are they going? The answer is... they mostly end up in soy sauce or canned as bar snacks in the far east. So are we missing a trick when it comes to the whelk? I was lucky enough to be sent by BBC Food and Drink to Weymouth to investigate that very question.

On arriving in this great thriving fishing port town we popped over to the beach to sample whelks in their classic British seaside serving (forced to eat by my director, George) but I still was not convinced. They were chewy, covered in black spots and nothing to taste apart from vinegar, I thought I was seven years old again (Director George also commented that my behaviour was very much that of a seven year old ;).

But luckily enough our next stop was Crab House Café where I was introduced to chef owner, Nigel Bloxham. He LOVES whelks or ‘sea snails’ as he calls them, (interestingly I later find out if you put ‘Sea Snails’ on a menu instead of ‘Whelks’ they will sell out) and he wants to encourage us to eat more whelks. Nigel even helped launch the ‘Great British Whelk Revival’.

Nigel explains to me that they are full of nutrients, environmentally-friendly and because they grow naturally at sea it gives them a lovely sweet flavour that works great with strong flavours like chilli and garlic. He cooks me a dish very similar to French snails with garlic butter but with our very own, British whelks. He slices them and suddenly they don’t resemble anything whelk-like, fries them in butter, garlic and parsley, with a squeeze of lemon then serves it with a massive hunk of crusty brown bread. They are sweet, succulent and tasty. I LOVE IT! Thirty years later, I am now converted!

Nigel was kind enough to share his recipe featured below, why not give it a go...

Catch it TODAY on BBC Food & Drink, January 23rd at 8:30 or after on catch-up HERE >>      

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NIGEL'S WHELKS WITH GARLIC & PARSLEY BUTTER

Ingredients

• 2kg whelks (sea snails) with shells on or 500g shelled
• 250g garlic and parsley butter 
• 1 lemon
• salt
• bread (to mop up all those lovely juices)

Method 

Take the whelks out of the shell.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the whelks. Keep them just barely simmering for about 10 minutes. This cooks them right through.

Take them out and drain. Slice them up so they don't look like whelks anymore, which is a good trick!

Fry the sliced whelks in a frying pan with a knob of garlic and parsley butter. As soon as the butter has melted, squeeze the juice of the lemon over and serve with bread.

*For more information on Nigel's cookbook visit HERE

Toulouse Sausage and Roasted Garlic Mash

From Fabulous French With Jun Tanaka and John Whaite on the 'Big Eat' on Food Network UK...

This recipe contains my weakness... MASH POTATOS! I just love the stuff! I've opted for a different take on the usual creamy and buttery naughtiness that we all know and love but this time I've added olive oil and roasted garlic.

Roasting the garlic pacifies and sweetens the mash potato whilst the olive oil adds richness and flavour and season with white pepper for the its unique taste but also not to discolour with specks like you would find with the black variety. 

The sausage is your choice, I've gone for Toulouse for the strong garlic and herb taste. And for the gravy, cooking the onions is the key... a good 25 minutes ticking over on the stove until golden and brown. 

Warning: This is one of those dishes that will make your kitchen smell insanely good!

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My Toulouse Sausage and Roasted Garlic Mash

Ingredients

IT'S JUN TANAKA!

• 8 good quality toulouse sausages
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Good splash of brandy
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 200ml red wine
• Whole bulb of garlic
• 1kg peeled fluffy potatoes, such as Maris Piper or King Edwards
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil
• Truffle oil (optional)
• Salt
• White pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Wrap the garlic bulb in foil and bake it for 20-25 minutes, until the garlic is soft and squidgy. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions in an ovenproof pan until soft and golden, this will take a good 10-15 minutes.

Once brown, push to one side of the pan and add the sausages and brown evenly. Then add the brandy and de-glaze the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar, and then put the pan in the oven.

Cook it until the onions are beautifully caramelised and the sausages are cooked through, this will take about 20 minutes.

For the mash, peel and dice the potatoes and put them in a large pan of salted water, bring it to the boil and turn down the heat and simmer it for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Drain the potatoes and leave them to steam for about 5 minutes. Put the potatoes through a ricer and put them back into the pan.

Bring the potato together with a spoon, squeeze the roasted garlic in and season with salt and white pepper. Add the extra virgin olive oil until the mash is rich and glossy.

For an extra bit of luxury, add a drizzle of truffle oil to finish.

Abu Dhabi Food Festival | Feb. 5-21, 2014

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• February 5 to 7 in Madinat Zayad

• February 12 to 14 in Al Ain

• February 19 to 21 in Abu Dhabi

"A gastronomic feast awaits visitors at the first Abu Dhabi Food Festival to be held emirate-wide this February 5th -21st. The festival, served up by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), will reach out to residents and visitors alike over two weeks and three weekends and is supported by the emirate’s leading hotels, restaurants, malls and main attractions. 

Featuring the best Food Trucks all the way from London, UK and the UAE, Street Feast is an exciting new food festival road-show taking in the whole of the Abu Dhabi region. With cuisines from all around the world, the festival offers the chance for some serious feasting as well as chef demos, live music and entertainment in a unique, family-friendly day out. Street Feast is a new event organised by Real Food Festivals, launching as part of the Abu Dhabi Food Festival, presented by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA), in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Municipality, Al-Ain Municipality, Western Region Municipality, and Official airline Etihad."

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Brioche and Seville Orange Marmalade Toasts with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

From Viva España with Jose Pizarro and John Whaite on the 'Big Eat' on Food Network UK...

The idea of this dish comes from my love of churros and a grilled cheese sandwich I once had from a food truck in Florida. The orange marmalade and cream cheese work so well with the chocolate dipping sauce. Serve as an indulgent breakfast, dessert or even better as a late night snack.

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My Brioche and Seville Orange Marmalade Toasts with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

In the kitchen with Jose Pizarro!

• Brioche loaf
• Seville orange marmalade
• Cream cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Butter for frying
• Icing sugar for dusting

For the Dipping Sauce:

• 150g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 – 3 tablespoons golden syrup

For the Caramelised Oranges:

• 2 oranges, with the skin cut off and sliced
• Caster sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons orange liqueur

Method

Slice the brioche loaf and spread on a layer of marmalade on one slice and cream cheese on the other and then bring them together with the filling in the middle.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them. Dip the brioche sandwich into the egg mix to coat well.

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the brioche and fry on one side for 1-2 minutes until golden. Flip it over and cook it on the other side.

Remove it from the pan and slice it into halves.

For the caramelised oranges, make a dry caramel in a frying pan with the sugar by simply putting it on the heat until it melts.

Then add the slices of orange and caramelise on both sides. Add some orange liqueur to deglaze the pan and remove.

For the dipping sauce, gently melt the chocolate over a saucepan of simmering water, then stir through the golden syrup.

Dust the brioche with icing sugar and serve.

Slow-Baked Indian Spiced Brisket

From Incredible Indian With Anjum Anand on the 'Big Eat' on Food Network UK...

The idea of this recipe is a mix of North American cuisine and Indian, two of my favourite cuisines coming to together in this fusion feast. It's basically pulled brisket & slaw, INDIAN STYLE! I have used a simple but tasty beef curry to cook the brisket in and then once cooked, reduce the sauce to a glaze and pass through the 'pulled' beef. The 'riata style' slaw takes the heat from the beef and adds texture as well as freshness. Serve in a wrap or naan for tasty hand held snack.

Chef's Tip: Use a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking time of the brisket.

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my slow-baked indian spice brisket

Ingredients

For the brisket:

• 1kg brisket
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion
• 5 garlic cloves, pureed
• Thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 3 teaspoons cumin
• 3 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 500ml beef stock
• Bunch of coriander
• 2 red chillies, finely chopped

For the Indian slaw:

• ½ head of savoy cabbage, core removed and thinly sliced
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 50g raisins
• 50g toasted onions
• 150ml yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• Bunch of chopped mint
• Salt and pepper

 

Method

Heat a saucepan on a medium heat and add the vegetable oil and the onion and sweat for 5 minutes without adding any colour to them. Add the chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes, add the spices and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beef stock and the brisket. Bring it to the boil, cover it and allow it to simmer for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Remove the meat from the pan and cover it with foil until needed. Blitz the remaining juices and put them on the heat and reduce it to a sticky glaze.

Pull the meat using two forks and pour it over the beef and garnish it with the fresh coriander and chilli.

For the slaw, add all the ingredients apart from the curry powder to a bowl. Heat the curry powder in a frying pan, until fragrant and add it to the bowl. Mix it all together until it is well combined and serve.

Cuban Mojo Pork with Rice and Avocados

From Caribbean Carnival With Andi Oliver and John Whaite on the 'Big Eat' on Food Network UK...

This for me is perfect no fuss comfort food at its best. Mojo (pronounced Mo-ho) can be translated to sour orange and is a marinade or sauce, sour in taste and often seen in Cuban cuisine and used all over South America and the Caribbean. It origins from the Canary Islands and was thought to be brought over by the Spanish settlers.

Usually cooked with pork 'butt' or shoulder and served with rice and beans or in a Cuban Sandwich, I'm using pork neck as it's a great alternative, as is cheap, slow roasts perfectly and really holds the marinade. The cooking juices provide a rich and extremely tasty gravy.

It takes a bit of planning for perfect results as it needs to marinade overnight.

Cook the pork the day before you plan to eat and all you have to do is reheat in the juices, slice and serve with jasmine rice, avocado and a personal fav, sriracha.

Of course if your in a hurry then all this can be done on the day. Marinade for at least 2-3 hours prior to cooking.

You have been warned, this is seriously good!

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MY CUBAN MOJO PORK WITH RICE AND AVOCADOS

Ingredients

• 1kg pork neck
• 6 garlic cloves
• Handful fresh coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Juice and zest of 2 oranges
• 100ml olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For serving:

• Avocados
• Cooked jasmine rice
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• Hot chilli sauce

Method

In a food processor, add all the marinade ingredients and blitz until smooth and mixed and season it with salt and pepper to taste.

With a small knife, pierce the pork all over with half inch cuts. Place it into a container and pour the marinade all over, rubbing it into the pork. Cover it with cling film and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the pork in a baking tray with the marinade and roast for 20 minutes.

Cover the baking tray and pork with foil, turn the oven down to 140°C and slow roast it for 2-3 hours, until it’s tender. To serve, slice the pork into thick slices.

For the gravy, spoon the fat off the cooking juices, leaving a dark brown sauce. Reduce it down a bit and then spoon it over the pork. Serve with the rice, sliced avocado, spring onion and chilli sauce.

Fennel, Onion & Blue Cheese Tarte Tatin

From Patisserie Perfection With Eric Lanlard and John Whaite on the 'Big Eat' on Food Network UK...

A great mix of sweet and savoury makes this take on the classic French dish a real winner.

Adding the cheese towards the end stops it melting completely through leaving gooey half melted creamy blue chunks. The pickled walnuts sharpen the dish and the onions and fennel complement each other making this a satisfying side dish or main. 

Easy to make but will impress those your cooking for, pairs perfectly with a glass of port.

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My Fennel, Onion & Blue Cheese Tarte Tatin

Ingredients

• 200g puff pastry
• 3 small brown onions, peeled, trimmed and cut in half
• 2 small fennel, quartered
• 50g butter
• Salt and pepper
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 50g creamy blue cheese
• 25g pickled walnuts, quartered
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

In a heavy based 9-10 inch frying pan with an ovenproof handle make a dry caramel and then add the butter. Add the onions, cut side down, and the fennel, thyme and season. Cook over a medium heat, cook for 10 minutes or until caramelised, then add the thyme and cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes to soften the onions. Allow it to cool.

Roll the pastry to a circle roughly the same size as the pan.

Drape over the pan and gently tuck in the edges around the onions.

Prick it in a couple of place and bake for 20 minutes, until it’s golden and crispy.

Carefully turn it out onto a plate and scatter with the walnuts and cheese and carefully flip it back into the frying pan and return the pan to the hob for a minute, until the cheese has melted.

Turn it out onto your serving plate, garnish with some thyme and serve.