Tamale Pie

Cornbread and chilli go so well together. It just seems like a natural progression, especially when you have leftovers, to bake them together, in a single dish. This has only vague resemblances to tamales, but the cornbread topping was evocative enough of this Mexican delight that it seemed fitting to use it in naming this particular dish.

4 cups of prepared chilli, pre-heated, any regular or vegetarian chilli

1¼ cups yellow cornmeal

6 Tbsps (84gr) butter, melted

1 cup buttermilk (plain milk also works but is less flavorful)

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp+ ½ tsp baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

A pinch of salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1½ cups (about 6 oz) grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Make a recipe of chilli (or use leftovers and re-heat until piping hot).
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
3. For the bread topping, melt the butter and add the cornmeal and the milk. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a slow boil, then reduce to a slow simmer, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, then set aside for about 10 minutes. This will soften the texture of the meal.
4. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt.
5. Mix the dry into the wet, stirring thoroughly until the cornmeal crumbles into a fine crumb.
6. Crack in the eggs and beat to combine (if using, stir in the optional cheese). 
7. Dollop the cornbread mixture over the piping hot chilli and smooth it into an even layer with the back of a spoon. It can be quite thick, so I will often do this by hand, taking big pinches of the topping and shaping it a bit before putting it on the filling.
8. Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Beef cuts for stewing or braising

Tough yet lean beef makes the best beef stew and braised dishes. The long cooking time at low temperatures breaks down the connective tissues for melt-in-your-mouth tender, fall-off-the-bone delicious dishes. 

Look for lean cuts like chuck, chuck arm, bottom round, shoulder, short rib, sirloin tip, rump, or stewing beef.

The polar opposite of beef that requires slow, low temp cooking are eye of round, sirloin, striploin and tenderloin; the longer you cook 'em, the tougher they get.

Here's a handy guide to the different names for lean beef cuts.

Split Pea and Greens Bharta

It's challenging finding recipes using split peas - I mostly get hits for different variations of pea soup (which is delicious, no doubt!). Putting on my researcher cap, I looked to the far East for inspiration and found this little gem. Meant to be eaten scooped with flatbread or raw veggie sticks. The challenging detail to get this recipe right is the amount of liquid required to create the right consistency - too liquid and it'll be soupy and difficult to pick up with bread or veggie sticks, too thick and it won't process properly. The end product is well worth figuring out these details. Note that it requires soaking time for the peas, which makes it a perfect candidate to eat with Staffordshire Oatcakes, which require at least an hour proofing time.

TIMING: 2hrs soak + 1hr25mins

For the Split Peas
1½ cup yellow split peas
3½ cup water (or more, if needed)

1. Soak the peas for at least 2 hours before boiling.
2. Bring them to a boil then simmer for 30 to 50 minutes, until the peas are fully cooked and tender (don't rush this step, the longer and softer the better).
3. Save 1 cup of the cooking water and drain away any excess, if there is any.
4. Season with salt and allow to cool while preparing the veg.

For the Veg Mixture
1 onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, finely diced (or a pinch of red pepper flakes)
1 tsp salt, to taste
8 to 12oz fresh greens (spinach, chard, kale, turnip greens, nettles, etc) finely chopped.

1. Dry-sauté the onion until translucent and golden, about 10 minutes. No oil is required, but you do need to stir frequently to avoid sticking. The onion will soften and a fond will develop, which will largely come up from the liquid expressed from the greens when you add them. If it's all sticking too much, add a splash of water.
2. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, then the hot pepper, greens and salt. Stir to combine and cook until the greens wilt. 

Final Steps
2 tsps dried mint
Water
½ tsp salt or to taste
zest of 1 lime or lemon
2 tsps black pepper

1. Once the greens are perfectly cooked, purée the split peas until smooth or, if you'd rather do it by hand, press through a fine sieve with a wooden spoon. It will be quite thick so, if you're running it through the blender, add water to help it move in the machine. Ideally it should be able to just make a vortex in the blender - it will look too wet but will stiffen in no time.
2. To the just-blended peas briefly add and purée the greens, just to get a rough chop, or chop very fine by hand and thoroughly stir in. If using a machine, do it just so that the veg has passed through once - a little chunky is fine. use some of the pea cooking water to get things moving - the veg mix is quite dry.
3. Combine the lime or lemon zest, pepper and mint and mix into the paste.
4. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Both peas and any added water absorb the effect of salt on flavor, so it's important to taste and adjust the salt until the flavors pop to your liking.
5. Reheat and serve.

Corn On The Cob

Say what? A recipe for corn on the cob? Yessir, I need one! We eat seasonally, so that means we only eat corn on the cob when it's available in our area, and every year I try to remember how I did it the year before after umpteen trial and errors. But no more! As long as I remember that I wrote down how I do it for corn the way I like it, it will be preserved for the future. And I like my corn on the cob al-dente (if I can use that expression here), so very short cooking time.

1. Fill a pot of water big enough to hold the amount of corn you have. That means that you should be able to fill it ¾ full of water and the remaining ¼ will fit the corn, without it boiling over.
2. Add lots of salt to the water - for 6 ears of corn, I put in 1 Tbsp of salt.
3. While you bring the water to a boil, shuck the corn (outside - I'm very neat, and even I couldn't prevent the tassels from spread beyond my shucking bucket).
4. When the water is at a roiling boil, carefully add the corn, preferably using tongs or one of those corn-holding scissor type things. It's easy for the boiling water to splash out and onto you. Ouch!
5. Cook for 5 minutes and remove immediately. Serve asap with butter, salt and pepper on the side.

NOTE: for timing, I've seen everything from 5 to 15 minutes. More than 5 minutes, have a cooling bath ready to stop the cooking when you take it out of the boiling water. For myself, 5 minutes without a cooling bath gets me my perfect cob of corn.

Chicken Omelette for Two

Dorothy Hartley, in her book Food in England, calls an omelette a 'friendly dish', easy to make quickly for unexpected guests. I like this very much, and I think of it a lot. While the following recipe is a large omelette meant to feed to healthy appetites, it can easily extend to three people for a light lunch. I like to make it in a stainless steel pan (now that I've learned how to cook eggs in one without sticking).

1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
5 eggs
A pinch of salt
A pinch of pepper
1 tsp minced fresh herb such as tarragon, thyme
OPTIONAL
- a small handful of chives, minced
- ¼ cup minced fresh lovage (or ¼ tsp celery seed)
10 oz cubed cooked chicken
4 oz gruyere cheese, grated OR 4 oz chèvre cheese OR any cheese you like, really

1. Melt the butter with the oil in a 10" oven-proof fry pan or omelette pan, and let it heat up for 5 minutes at medium-low (in a stainless steel pan, this will prevent sticking).
2. Whisk the eggs with the addition of the salt and pepper until they are frothy.
3. Pour the eggs into the hot pan; you may want to increase the heat to medium. Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the liquid egg. As the egg cooks, lift the edges and tilt the pan to let uncooked egg get underneath.
4. With the oven rack in the middle, turn on the broiler to heat up (or use a salamander if you're so lucky to have one).
5. When the egg has half cooked, spread the chicken evenly over it. While the egg is still a little under-cooked on the surface, (not just slithery but actually jiggly), spread the cheese and slip the pan into the oven to broil
6. When the egg is set and the edges puff up a little, take it out of the oven and carefully fold the omelette, plate and serve as you will.

Smoky Red Lentil Stew

I suppose we like spicy dishes. This one comes out mildly spicy (to our taste), but you may want to reduce or omit the hot sauce if you want to try it and if you don't like spicy. The required spicy ingredient is the chipotle. The smokiness of the pepper is what makes this dish so delicious. It is particularly well paired with the Cornmeal Spoon Cakes.

1 Tbsp mild vegetable oil
1 onion (6oz/170g) diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 carrots (12oz) diced
400ml diced tomatoes
1 minced canned chipotle in adobo
1½ tsps. chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
10 to 15 dashes hot sauce
2 cups red lentils
4 cups broth
1 tsp salt
1 lime, juiced
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
OR
½ bunch parsley

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in a large pot with oil until soft and transparent.
2. Add the carrot and continue to sauté for a few minutes more, or just until the carrot begins to soften.
3. Cut open the chipotle, remove the seeds and mince.
4. To the carrots and onions add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the chipotle peppers, chilli powder, cumin, and hot sauce. Stir to combine. 
5. Add the lentils and the broth. Stir to combine, then simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils soften and break down to make a thick stew.
6. Uncover and simmer rapidly until the liquid reduces. You should be able to serve it on a plate without extra liquid seeping out.
7. Stir in the salt, cilantro and the juice of the lime. Adjust the seasoning and serve with a bottle of hot sauce for anyone who would like it spicier.

Cornmeal Spoon Cakes

These are delicious little pancakes we use to scoop up chilli or bean stews (or we just eat them on their own). I usually use polenta-style cornmeal, which is a bit coarser than cornmeal typically used to make cornbread. This means that cooking it in the boiling water becomes very important to avoid crunchy cakes!

¾ cups cornmeal
½ cup boiling water
1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
½ cup flour
1½ Tbsps sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
¾ cups milk
1 egg, beaten

1. Cook the cornmeal in the boiling water with the butter over low heat for 5-10 minutes.
2. Stir in the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and beat with a wooden spoon until well incorporated. It's important at the stage to be thorough and break down the cornmeal into small particles covered in the flour mixture; this will make adding the milk and eggs to make a smooth batter so much easier.
3. Mix in the milk and beaten egg and beat with a wooden spoon until the big lumps are gone. You can probably use a whisk since the batter should be pretty liquid. To tell the truth, I've made this with lumps in and you can't tell from the finished product.
4. Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat for 5 minutes before putting anything in it.
5. Add a bit of oil or fat and swirl around to cover the bottom of the pan, then drop soup spoons full of batter onto the griddle (you can fit 5 if you're careful) and cook until the edges are dry.
6. Flip and cook again until brown, set aside in a warm oven while repeating the process with the rest of the batter.

Skillet Cheese Biscuits

There's something wonderfully rustic about baking in a cast-iron pan on the stove-top. I suppose you have to enjoy crust, and with these babies, the crust contains crunchy bits of toasted cheese. It's a finicky pastry, because the temperature has to be well matched to the amount of time it takes to bake, or the pastry over-browns or, at worst, burns. Since the timing is so short it depends on the individual stove being used, so err on the side of caution and for your first try, set your stove to a lower temperature than you normally would.

1⅔ cup flour
2 Tbsps baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) cold butter cut into cubes
1 egg
¾ cup milk or buttermilk or yogurt
1 cup (3oz) grated Parmesan

1. Mix together dry ingredients
2. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a crumb texture. The secret is to have small globules of butter throughout the dough; really cold butter helps with this.
3. Make a well in the middle and crack in the egg - lightly whisk the egg in the well, add the milk and finally mix everything with a wooden spoon just until combined; try not to overwork the dough. It will be quite sticky.
4. Liberally butter an 8 to 10" cast-iron pan. Spread the dough over the bottom. Make cuts in the raw dough to form 8 wedges (tricky 'cause the dough is sticky). Turn on the heat to medium (or lower) and cover. After 5 minutes shake the pan to check if the dough is cooked enough to be unstuck and shifts along the bottom. If it does, gently lift to see if it has browned enough underneath and, if not, leave until it turns nicely golden. Flip and cook another 5 minutes. This part can be tricky - to flip, if your pan has rounded sides, you might be able to slide the biscuits onto a plate to flip it over into the pan or; try using two broad spatulas to lift onto a plate and do the same as above.
5. Again, test the biscuits by shaking the pan to see if it moves, and then gently lift to check the browning. If it's to your liking, turn the biscuits out onto a wire rack and allow to cool, at least long enough to handle, then break apart along the cut lines.

Staffordshire(ish) Oat Cakes

Plain old oats, you say? Nay, I reply! The I make them, these make the most surprisingly light, lacy crepes with just a little sponginess in the middle and a lovely chewy/crispy edge. You can also increase the amount of batter you use per cake to make a thicker galette, which is more usual. While traditionally eaten with eggs and sausage, or peanut butter and jam - which I recommend - they are also a delight with Indian or Ethiopian food, used like an injera bread to scoop up the saucy delicacies and eat with your hands.

1 cup (115g) oat flour (in Scotland = fine oatmeal) 
½ cup (75g) whole wheat flour 
½ cup (75g) white flour 
1¼ tsp (6g) dry active yeast 
1 tsp (8g) salt 
Warm Water half and half water and milk at no more than 110°F and no less than 105°F. How much you ask? It depends on texture. Prepare 3½ cups, but see Step 3 to see how much should go in.
vegetable oil or lard for frying

1. Thoroughly mix together the three flours, yeast and salt in a bowl.
2. Heat the water.
3. Make a well in the center of the mixture and slowly stream in the water/milk mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon, until the batter is well combined and is the consistency of thick double cream. (NOTE: You may not need to use all of the water; a batter that is too wet won't cook evenly, leaving you with soggy centers.)
4. Cover the batter with a damp, clean tea towel and set aside for 1 hour to 4 hours, to allow the gluten in the batter to develop.
5. To cook, heat one teaspoon of oil or lard in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add a ladleful (⅓ cup) of the batter mixture and swirl the pan to coat the bottom of it in a thin layer.
6. Fry the oatcake for 1 to 3 minutes (for me it's 2 minutes at setting 7), or until golden brown. The edges will start to curl up when it just starts to colour.
7. Flip the oatcake and fry again, or until golden-brown on the second side.
8. Set the oatcake aside on a warm plate and keep covered, add a little oil to the pan and repeat until you've used up the batter.

Pan-fried broccoli

I like broccoli. I never understood why kids weren't supposed to like it, although I've always been more curious than picky about food, and ate pretty much whatever was put in front of me. Because of that curiosity, I look for ways to make things more interesting, especially for holiday meals. This add smokiness and spiciness to an old friend.

1 bunch broccoli
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 Tbsps water

1. Trim and peel the broccoli stems. Cut the florets into 1" pieces.
2. In a 10" fry pan over medium heat, cook the garlic until just golden, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Remove from the oil and set aside.
3. Increase the heat and add the broccoli and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the water. Cover and steam for about 3 minutes. 
4. Uncover, stir and continue to cook until the broccoli is lightly browned and crisp-tender and the water has evaporated, 1 to 2 minute more. 
5. Scatter the garlic on top and serve immediately.

La Pescajoune Savoureuse au lardons

A peasant recipe from the Languedoc region of France, the records I found are all for a sweet apple dish. I reasoned that, since one of the essential ingredients for the real deal recipe was lard, that it would lend itself to a savory version. And we quite like it. Loads of variations are possible, but this is the basic recipe for the savory version. Parmesan is an important ingredient, for its strong, sharp flavor that gives the dish the spike of flavor that ignites the rest.

¾ cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cups milk
6 eggs
1½ cups (total 6oz) grated cheese (a mix of ⅓ Parmesan and ⅔ Gruyere is very nice)
3 slices bacon, cut into lardons
1 onion, sliced thin

1. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and cheese. In a large bowl whisk the eggs; add the flour mix and combine until there are no lumps, then add milk and mix until perfectly smooth. Let the batter sit for at least the time it takes for you to prepare and cook the rest of the ingredient.
2. Heat an 8 to 10" pan and add the bacon. Just when it starts to release its oil, add the onion and cook together over medium low heat until the onion becomes quite soft and brown. The browning is very important - the more caramelized, the better.
3. Once cooked, drain from the oil and add to the batter; mix thoroughly. 
4. Pour the batter into the oily pan (you can remove all but about 2 tsps of the oil if you want, or leave it all in). Cook, covered, over incredibly low heat until the underside lightly browns and the top becomes firm.
5. Meanwhile, lightly grease a dinner plate for the next step.
6. Upturn the plate on top of the pancake, hold firm with your hand, grab the handle of the pan and flip the pancake onto the plate. Set the pan back on the stove-top and slide the pancake back into the pan to finish cooking, just enough to lightly brown.
7. Once browned on both sides, flip back onto the plate and serve immediately.