Recipes tagged with: summer

Red Poll is a native breed of Suffolk producing excellent beef. Your local butcher will be able to provide a whole oxtail and cut it into sections for you. Use well sourced meat that has been hung for at least 28 days. The stew must be slow cooked until the meat falls from the bones. Try and use shin if possible as although it takes longer to cook it makes a gorgeous more gelatinous, sticky and lip smacking gravy. It's a cheaper cut too.
This recipe is great for slow cooking on a camp fire fire and I always make it in my South African Potjie over smouldering logs. It works just as well made in a casserole or saucepan and cooked in the oven.

Redcurrant jelly is traditionally served with roast lamb. I like it spread on toast for breakfast and also use it to glaze fruit tarts and flans, or dolloped onto some natural yoghurt for breakfast. To make a firmer and stronger flavoured jelly do not use the water but you must watch the redcurrants carefully and stir to prevent them from catching on the bottom of the pan.

Spice blends, commonly called dry rubs are rubbed into meat before cooking. Some say that salt should not be included in a rub as meat should be dry brined by rubbing in salt a day in advance, in order for the salt to penetrate the meat. The spices in a rub do not tend to penetrate the meat but will help form the delicious spicy crust (or bark, as they call it down South). However as we are all so short of time in our busy lives, I make an all in one rub, mixing the salt into the rub and leaving it on the meat overnight in the fridge. Sugar is a matter of taste and needed to help caramelise the crust. I use just a little on beef. Experiment with your own spice blends and store in an airtight jar. Use a whole piece of rib eye or sirloin, or if you prefer individual steaks.

This is a Middle Eastern inspired dish with Sumac adding lemon citrus flavours and tartness to the fish. Sumac is a coarsely ground powder made from the berries of the Sumac bush, which is native to the Middle East and particularly notable in Iran. It is easy to find in Waitrose and other good supermarkets. Try this recipe with any other firm fleshed fish but make sure that if you plan to cook it on the barbecue that you keep the skin on as it helps prevent the fish from sticking to the grid.

A savoury souffle is not as hard as it looks and can turn very economical ingredients into a luxurious dish. For a perfectly fluffy and towering souffle, remember no peeking while it's cooking. Put it in the oven (don't slam the door or you'll knock the air out) and patiently wait for the cooking time to elapse. Experiment by using different cheeses and swap spinach for mushrooms, cooked leeks, roasted peppers or anything else you fancy.