Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (26 page)

For the chilli oil

At least 24 hours before you plan to serve, cut each lamb breast in half horizontally so you have 4 equal pieces. Score the lamb on the inside and rub 1 teaspoon allspice into
each piece. Roll up each piece very tightly, like a Swiss roll, and tie with string so they don’t unroll.

Heat 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat. Add the lamb and sear until browned all over. Add the star anise, garlic and onion and stir
around. Pour in the brown chicken stock and bring to the boil, skimming the surface, as necessary. Cover the pot, reduce the heat
to low and leave to simmer for 3 hours, or
until the lamb is tender. Turn off the heat and leave the lamb to cool in the pot, covered, for 1 hour.

After one hour, remove the lamb and untie. Wrap the lamb pieces, still rolled, tightly in clingfilm, trying as best as you can to keep the shape. Leave to cool completely, then
place in the fridge for 24 hours to firm up.

Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and leave to cool completely. Place it in the fridge for 24 hours, so the fat firms up and can be lifted off.

Meanwhile, begin the cracked wheat dish. Place the chicken stock, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, lemon peel and coriander seeds in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the
boil. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to one side, covered, to infuse for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in another pan over a low heat. Add the red onion, red pepper and garlic and fry, stirring, for at least 5 minutes until the onion and pepper are softened. Add the
cracked wheat and remove the pan from the heat. Strain the infused hot stock through a fine sieve on to the wheat. Cover the pan and leave for 30 minutes, or until the wheat absorbs all the
stock.

Meanwhile, make the chilli oil. Purée the red chillies and garlic cloves together in a small food processor. With the motor still running, slowly add the olive oil to make
a thin paste. Season, cover and chill until needed.

To finish the cracked wheat dish, heat 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the merguez sausages and fry, stirring for 8–10 minutes until
they are cooked through. Remove them from the pan and chop them up, then stir them into the cracked wheat. Add the chopped herbs, raisins and cucumber and season with the lemon juice and salt and
pepper. This can be served hot or cold.

Remove the fat from the lamb cooking liquid. Place the liquid in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Continue boiling until it reduces down to a sauce consistency.
Season.

Meanwhile, unwrap the lamb breasts. Add them to the fat remaining in the pan and fry until browned and crispy on all sides.

To serve, spread a little of the sauce on to 6 plates. Slice the 4 pieces of lamb breast and divide the slices between 6 plates. Serve with the cracked wheat dish and chilli oil
and the extra sauce on the side. A crisp cool salad is the ideal accompaniment.

You don’t have to use salt marsh lamb for this recipe, but it is great if you can get it! Lamb and anchovies are a classic pairing because they work so well together –
the lamb fat provides flavour and the rich, salty, savoury kick from the fish is one of the best things ever!

Serves 2

For the anchovy dressing

Melt 50g of butter in a saucepan over a very low heat. Add the onion, rosemary and a good pinch of salt, cover the pan and leave the onions to sweat for 20–25 minutes until
softened, but not coloured. Pour in the double cream and bring to the boil, then continue boiling until the cream is reduced by one-third. Discard the rosemary. Transfer the mixture to a food
processor, add the truffle oil and process until you have a smooth onion purée, then leave on one side.

To make the anchovy dressing, mix the rapeseed oil, dried herbs, fennel seeds and lemon zest and juice together in a non-metallic bowl. Stir in the anchovies, then leave to one
side until needed.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200°C/ Gas Mark 6. Season the lamb rumps with salt and pepper. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over a
medium-high heat. Add the rumps, flat side down, and cook for about 8 minutes until they are caramelised and browned. Spoon over some of the anchovy dressing, place the pan in the oven and roast
the rumps for 5–6 minutes, in which time they will become medium-rare to medium. Remove the pan from the oven and spoon a little more dressing over the top of the rumps, then leave them to
rest, covered with kitchen foil, for 10 minutes.

Melt the remaining butter with the water in another pan and bring to the boil, stirring to melt the butter. Add the broccoli stalk quarters and a pinch of salt and boil for
5–8 minutes until they are just tender.

To serve, place a pool of onion purée on each of the plates. Slice the lamb and rest it on the purée. Spoon a little of the anchovy dressing over the lamb and
drizzle some lamb sauce around the plates. Add the broccoli stalks and garnish with anchovy fillets.

Rump of salt marsh lamb and broccoli stalks with anchovy dressing

This recipe is great to stick in the oven on a Sunday morning, then go and walk the dogs and call in at the pub for a couple and when you get home the house smells amazing –
and lunch is ready. I think I can safely call it the ultimate family lunch!

Pommes boulangère are named after the French term for a bakery. Once every village or town had a baker with big clay ovens. When the baker had finished baking his bread,
he would turn the oven off and the residual heat in the oven would slowly cook this fantastic potato dish.

Serves 4–6, plus some for the dogs

Preheat the oven to 130°C/Gas Mark ½.

Mix the potatoes, onions and thyme leaves together in a bowl and season. Roughly layer the potatoes and onions in a roasting tray and put the lamb on top, skin side up. Use a
knife to pierce the lamb all over, then put a clove of garlic into each hole. Pour over the chicken stock.

Put the baking tray in the oven and roast the lamb for 4–5 hours, until the lamb is tender and the potatoes are cooked through. Remove the tray, cover it with foil and
leave the lamb to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with boulangère potatoes

This is my play on Duck à l’orange, a French classic that suits the pub style of cooking. This dish does involve a bit of prep work, but the flavours are outstanding.
The curing and confiting processes were originally intended as a way of preserving the duck legs, but the bonus is they end up tasting really lush!

Serves 4

For the blowtorched chicory

For the mash

Grind the cloves, bay leaves, sea salt flakes, demerara sugar, mace and nutmeg together with a pestle and mortar. Scatter a layer of this mix onto a non-metallic tray and place
the duck legs on top, skin side down. Sprinkle the remaining salt mix on top of the duck, then cover with clingfilm. Place in the fridge and leave for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, preheat the oven to 130°C/ Gas Mark ½. Rinse the duck legs thoroughly under running cold water. Pat them dry and place them in a flameproof casserole.
Cover the duck legs with the duck fat and heat on the hob until the fat reaches 80°C on an instant-read thermometer. Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2½–3 hours until the
duck legs are tender. Remove the pot from the oven and leave the duck to cool in the pot, covered, for 2 hours.

When the duck legs are cool, transfer them to a plate, skin side down. Pass the duck fat through a fine sieve, then transfer it to the fridge and save to use another time. It
will remain fresh in a sealed container for several months.

To prepare the chicory, mix 500ml of the water, the white wine vinegar, sugar, coriander seeds, peppercorns and salt together in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the
boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the chicory to the boiling liquid, then reduce the heat to low and poach the chicory for 15–20 minutes until it is just tender. Remove the chicory
from the poaching liquid and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, make the mash. Put the potatoes in a saucepan with enough salted water to cover them over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and leave the
potatoes to simmer for 20 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain the potatoes through a colander and leave them to steam dry. Put the milk and butter in another pan and bring to the boil,
stirring to melt the butter. Use a mouli-legume, potato ricer or a masher to mash the potatoes, then return them to the pan, if necessary. Beat in the hot milk and butter and season. Cover the pan
and keep the mash warm.

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5. Place the duck legs in a roasting tray. Place the tray in the oven and roast the duck legs for about 35
minutes until crispy and browned. When they are ready, remove the thigh bones by twisting them out. Place the duck legs, skin side up, on a heatproof plate and set aside.

Put the tray over a high heat on the hob. Add the honey and butter, stirring until the honey dissolves, then leave to bubble until the mixture turns dark amber colour and is
caramelised. Watch closely at this point. Pour half of the caramelised mix over the ducks to glaze them. Add the brown chicken stock to the caramel remaining in the tray and bring to the boil,
whisking, to make a sauce. Leave to one side until needed.

To finish the chicory, put the remaining 200ml water, the butter and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to melt the butter. Turn the
heat to low, add the chicory halves and reheat them. When they are warm, transfer them to a roasting tray. Use a blowtorch to give the chicory a charred flavour and dark colour.

Divide the mash between 4 plates, add a chicory half to each and place a boned duck leg on top. Pour over a little gravy, then freshly grate the zest of an orange over the top to
release the lovely fresh orange oils. Serve immediately.