As Bill Granger’s3 year anniversary ofcontributing recipes toThe Independent on Sunday is fast approaching, we decided to compilea list of our5 favourite 2014 recipes from the chef to try at home.
Catching a whiff of fresh bread out of the oven is always heavenly, and this recipe helps us make our own rye bread to toast.Bill loved this so much that he once finished half a loaf in a single sitting. Hemay not have convinced his kids but he sure enough has convinced us. Freshly toasted, it would go great with butter and jam. For something a little more substantial and wonderfully out of the ordinary, top with herbed ricotta (picture belowused mint and dill), scatter with chilli and drizzle honey tofinish.
Taken from Kristin Perers, The Independent
Makes 1 loaf
100g milled linseeds
250g rye flour
125g medium ground oatmeal
100g hazelnuts
1 tsp sea salt
60g pumpkin seeds
100ml honey
50g groundnut oil
3 tbsp light-flavoured oil, plus extra for greasing
Line a 1.2 litre loaf tin with baking paper and grease lightly with oil. Place the milled linseeds, rye and oatmeal in a large bowl with the hazelnuts, salt and pumpkin seeds. Stir well to combine.
Combine the honey, oil and 350ml warm water in a jug. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Spoon into the lined loaf tin.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas4 and bake the loaf for 1 hour 20 minutes, until cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out and wrap tightly in cling film. Leave for a few hours, or ideally until the next day.
Slice thinly and toast to serve.
Fennel, pea, mozzarella, mint and lemon salad
Light, refreshingand tasty, thisrecipeis fantastic for anyone who is a fan of Granger & Co.‘s salads. A juxtaposition of warm fennel with cold mozzarella, and a dash of zing from thechunks of lemon, this flavourful mixhad us eager to whip up ourown, proving that salad does not always have to feel like a healthy obligation.
Taken from Kristin Perers, The Independent
Serves 4
1 large fennel bulb, cut into wedges
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
½ tsp crushed chillies
1 lemon, peeled and chopped
75g frozen peas, defrosted
1 garlic clove
2 slices crusty bread, toasted
2 x 125g balls buffalo mozzarella, each torn into four
Handful mint leaves
Drizzle the fennel wedges with oil and season with salt. Cook on a griddle pan over a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until charred and softened.
Place 2 tbsp of oil in a large bowl and stir in the chillies, lemon and peas.
Season with salt and toss through the grilled fennel. Rub the garlic clove over one side of the toasted bread then chop the bread roughly. Stir into the bowl.
Place the salad on a serving platter and top with the torn mozzarella and the mint leaves.
Comfort ishaving a bowl of Bouillabaisse and this is an appetising recipetocosy up the dinner table, rain or shine. Perhaps you could take a cue from Billhimself, who likes to put a crouton at the base of his bowl then add a little bit of everything before pouring over a ladleful of broth.
Serves 6-8
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced
1 fennel bulb, chopped, fronds reserved
3 garlic cloves, sliced
½ tsp fennel seeds
Large pinch chilli flakes
Large pinch saffron strands
2 wide strips orange peel
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 bay leaves
1kg white-fish bones (ask your fishmonger for some clean carcases)
1 large or 2 small snappers, gutted, gills removed and cut into chunks
500g firm white-fish fillet, cut into chunks
12 whole raw prawns
500g mussels, cleaned
300g clams, cleaned
To serve
Boiled potatoes
1 large baguette, sliced and toasted
Rouille
Parsley
Lemon wedges
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan, add the onion, leek, celery, fennel and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the fennel seeds, chilli flakes, saffron, orange peel, tomatoes and bay leaves. Cook for a further minute.
Add the fish bones then pour in 1.7 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain into a large, clean pan, using a wooden spoon to push as much goodness through the sieve as you can.
Return to the boil. Add the snapper and white fish and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Add the prawns, cook for another 2 minutes then tip in the mussels and clams and simmer for 2 minutes, or until opened.
Using a slotted spoon, lift the cooked fish on to a platter. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with salt and chilli. Ladle a little broth over the fish to keep it moist.
Serve the platter and broth with boiled potatoes, baguette croutons, rouille, parsley and lemon wedges.
Korean sticky barbecue marinade
From making his own Kimchi pickles to serving Korean fried chicken with iceberg lettuce, spring onion salad at his London restaurants, Bill is no stranger to adding a zest of Korean-influence tohis cooking. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then thatBill loves using this sticky barbecue marinade on pork or beef short ribs, chicken wings or simply thinly slice beef (as pictured below), ready to be skewered, and so do we! The grated kiwi inthe marinade tenderises the meat beautifully and grilling the skewers caramelises the sauce into smoky, sticky deliciousness. Yum.
Taken from Laura Edwards, The Independent
Makes enough for 1kg ribs or meat for 4 people
100ml soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 ripe kiwi, peeled and grated
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 spring onions, sliced
2cm piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. To use, place your meat in a large container and toss through the marinade.
Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight, turning the meat a couple of times.
Before cooking, lift out the meat and brush off any excess. Slow-cook the ribs in a roasting tin covered with foil for 1½ hours at 160C, before uncovering and caramelising under the grill or on a barbecue.
For skewers or thin steaks, barbecue, oven-grill or flash-fry in a pan over a high heat.
Berry & meringue ice-cream slice
Hot summer weather calls for fruit stall berries and ice-cream, and we’re hopeful the rain here in London will stop and it will feel less chillywrapping up our list withone of Bill’s favourite fruit ice-cream recipes. Call it the frozen version ofthe white-chocolate pavlova with strawberries that you can find at Granger & Co. Clerkenwellif you will, these meringue slices are like a frozen Eton mess, perfect to cool anyone downor serve at a more formal dinner party.
Taken from Jonathan Gregson, The Independent
Serves 6-8
600ml double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
350g mixed berries, strawberries hulled, and extra berries to serve
4 bought meringue nests, broken into chunks
Runny honey, to serve
Grease a 1 litre loaf tin, then line with cling film, allowing the film to overhang the edges. Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
Drop a few berries into the loaf tin (these will be the top of the loaf) then fold the rest of the berries and the meringue through the cream.
Pour into the loaf tin and give it a shake to remove any air bubbles. Fold over the overhanging cling film then pop in the freezer for 4 hours, or until frozen.
Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving, slice and serve with a pile of fresh berries and a drizzle of honey.
For more recipesby Bill Granger, including the Ceviche he “would happily make should Gisele Bundchen and her fashion mates ever pop over for a light lunch”, click here.
