Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food (13 page)

Melt the butter in a pan and throw in the peas, broad beans and mint. Add a splash of hot water and simmer for a minute or so until hot. Season to taste and divide among warm plates. Lay a chicken supreme on each plate and garnish with the thyme and rosemary. Top each chicken portion with a thick slice of herb butter and serve at once.

4 Barnsley chops, about 300-350g each

4 lamb’s kidneys

3 tbsp olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

small bunch of watercress, to garnish

If you’re not familiar with them, Barnsley chops are cut across the saddle of lamb, to give two joined pieces of loin separated by a bone in the middle. Buy good-quality chops, ideally from rare-breed lamb, and you’ll appreciate the full flavour of prime meat cooked on the bone. And, of course, make sure the kidneys are very fresh. Braised red cabbage (see page 199) and chips are perfect accompaniments.

Trim off the excess fat around the chops, leaving an even layer surrounding them, and set aside. Halve the lamb’s kidneys and snip out the white cores with a pair of kitchen scissors.

Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan (or use two smaller frying pans simultaneously). Season the chops with salt and pepper and fry over a medium-high heat for 2½-3 minutes on each side, spooning the pan juices over them as they cook. If the band of fat around each chop is not sufficiently crisp, hold the chops upright with tongs to fry the fat until golden brown and crisp. The chops are ready when the meat feels slightly springy if lightly pressed. Transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest in a warm place while you cook the kidneys.

Season the kidneys with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan you cooked the chops in. Add the kidneys and fry for about 1 minute on each side, basting them with the pan juices as they cook. The kidneys are ready when nicely browned on the outside, but still pink and succulent within. Transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil.

Serve immediately, placing a Barnsley chop and two kidney halves on each warm plate. Spoon over the pan juices and garnish with a handful of watercress.

4 lamb steaks, about 175-200g each

sea salt and black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 rosemary sprig

20g butter

1 shallot, peeled and finely sliced

1 rosemary sprig, leaves stripped and chopped

250ml red wine

250ml lamb stock (see page 245) or chicken stock (see page 243)

1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

This is an excellent, quick and easy way to cook lamb leg or shoulder steaks. We’ve used redcurrant jelly to add a little sweetness to the sauce, but you can also throw in a handful of fresh redcurrants to add a tart element: cook the redcurrants until they burst and add a little more redcurrant jelly, balancing the sweet, sour and savoury flavours; sieve the sauce before serving.

First, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the shallot with a pinch of salt and pepper for 5-6 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the rosemary and pour in the red wine. Let bubble until the wine has reduced by half, then pour in the stock. Return to the boil and cook until reduced again by half. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and Worcestershire sauce and adjust the seasoning to taste.

When ready to cook, season the lamb steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan, add the rosemary sprig and swirl the oil around the pan to infuse. When it is hot, add the lamb steaks and fry for 1½-2 minutes on each side until browned on the outside but still pink in the middle. They should feel slightly springy when pressed. Transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest for 3-5 minutes.

Leaving the frying pan on the heat, pour in the redcurrant sauce, scraping up any sediment from the base of the pan with a wooden spatula. Pour in any juices from the resting steaks and swirl the pan to incorporate them. Take off the heat and check the seasoning.

Place a lamb steak on each warm plate and spoon over the redcurrant sauce. Delicious with sautéed potatoes flavoured with rosemary and buttered green beans on the side.

8 oven-ready quails

2-3 tbsp olive oil

finely grated zest of 1 orange

sea salt and black pepper

1 large orange

1 yellow grapefruit

1 pink grapefruit

3-4 tbsp olive oil

pinch of caster sugar

600g waxy potatoes, such as baby Charlotte

1-2 tbsp olive oil

few knobs of butter

few flat-leaf parsley sprigs, leaves finely chopped

Tender quails take little time to cook, especially if they’ve been spatchcocked. It is easy enough to do this yourself, but getting your butcher to do it for you will save time.

To spatchcock each quail, cut along both sides of the backbone with poultry shears to remove it. Open out the bird, skin side up, on a board and press down firmly with the palm of your hand to flatten. Thread two long skewers crosswise through the quail, piercing through the legs and breasts; this helps to keep it flat. Mix the olive oil with the orange zest and some seasoning and brush over the spatchcocked quails. Put them on a tray, cover and chill until ready to cook.

For the dressing, prepare all the fruit: cut off the top and bottom and slice off the skin and pith, following the curve. Hold over a sieve set on a bowl and cut along the membranes to release the segments. Remove any pips and cut the segments into smaller pieces. Mix the collected juice with the olive oil, a pinch of sugar and seasoning to taste.

About 15 minutes before serving, heat the oven to low. Peel the potatoes and slice thinly. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan until it begins to foam. Season the potato slices and fry, in batches if necessary, for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown and tender. Remove to a plate and keep warm in the oven.

Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper and return to the heat. Cook the quails in batches: fry them skin side down first for about 3 minutes until golden brown and the skin is crisp. Turn and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest.

Put two quails on each warm plate, removing the skewers. Pile the sautéed potatoes alongside and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Spoon the citrus segments and a little dressing around the quails and serve.

4 thin British rosé veal escalopes, about 150-170g each

500g asparagus, trimmed

2 tbsp olive oil

500g mixed mushrooms, such as chestnut, St. George’s and ceps, sliced

1 thyme sprig, leaves stripped

sea salt and black pepper

few knobs of butter

2-3 tbsp double cream

This incredibly tasty yet simple dish is smart enough for a dinner party. Unlike the continental white veal, British rosé veal comes from dairy cattle that are humanely reared in the UK. The pale pink meat is tender, delicately flavoured and absolutely delicious pan-fried.

Pat the veal escalopes dry with kitchen paper and set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Peel the lower part of the asparagus stalks, then add to the boiling salted water and blanch for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Lift the spears out with a pair of tongs and plunge them into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide pan until hot. Add the mushrooms, thyme leaves and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Add a few knobs of butter to the pan and fry the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and any moisture released has been cooked off. Add the cream and stir well to mix. Cook for a few seconds, then turn off the heat and keep warm.

Season the veal escalopes with salt and pepper. Heat a wide frying pan until very hot and add the remaining olive oil. In two batches, sear the veal over a high heat for about 30 seconds on each side until golden brown and slightly springy when gently pressed. Transfer to a warm plate and keep warm while you fry the rest of the veal.

Reheat the asparagus in simmering water for a minute, then drain. Place a veal escalope on each warm plate and arrange the asparagus alongside. Spoon over the creamed mushrooms and serve.

4 boneless rib-eye steaks, about 200-225g each

sea salt and black pepper

1½ tbsp olive oil

knob of butter

1kg floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper or King Edward

groundnut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

100ml lemon and tarragon hollandaise (see page 246)

knob of butter

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 large plum tomato, skinned, deseeded and diced

This is one of our most popular items on the pub menus. A rib-eye steak has a beautiful marbling of creamy fat, mostly centred on the middle (or the ‘eye’) of the rib steak, which melts, bastes and flavours the meat as it cooks.

First, prepare the chips. Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-1.5cm wedges. Add to a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil, then immediately take the pan off the heat. Leave the potatoes in the cooking water for 3-4 minutes, then drain well in a colander and leave to dry out.

Heat the oil for deep-frying in a deep-fryer or other suitable pan to 120°C. Put the potatoes into a chip basket and immerse in the hot oil. Deep-fry for 5-7 minutes until they are cooked through and lightly golden on the outside. Drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper.

For the sauce, have the hollandaise ready. Melt the butter in a small pan and gently sweat the shallot and garlic with some seasoning for 5-6 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the tomato and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the hollandaise. Keep warm by standing the bowl in a pan of hot water; stir occasionally.

Reheat the oil to 190°C and fry the chips for a second time, for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Keep crisp in a low oven while you cook the steaks.

Heat a wide frying pan until very hot. Season the steaks well with salt and pepper. Add a swirl of oil to the pan and fry the steaks for 1½-2½ minutes on each side, depending on thickness, until the outside is nicely browned but the meat is still medium rare. They should feel slightly springy when pressed. (For medium steaks, cook for a minute longer.) Transfer to warm plates and rest for a couple of minutes, before serving, with the chips and sauce choron on the side.

4 thick sirloin steaks, about 200-225g each

1 tbsp black peppercorns

sea salt

1½ tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely crushed

splash of cognac or dry sherry

1 heaped tbsp green peppercorns in brine, rinsed and drained

200ml double cream

1 tbsp English mustard

This succulent steak comes with a double dose of peppers, in the form of cracked black peppercorns on the meat and mild green peppercorns in the sauce. Serve with potatoes, cooked any way you like, and a leafy green salad tossed in a mustardy dressing.

To prepare the steaks, lightly crush the black peppercorns with a pestle and mortar, then sift out the fine dust. Tip the crushed peppercorns onto a plate. Season both sides of the steaks with salt, then coat with the crushed peppercorns.

Heat a wide frying pan until hot–you should feel the heat rising above it. Add the olive oil and swirl it around the pan. If the steaks have a thick layer of fat around the edge, hold them upright with a pair of tongs and fry the fat until golden brown and crisp. Turn them onto one side and fry for about 2-3 minutes, then repeat on the other side or until cooked to your liking. For medium rare steaks, the meat should feel slightly springy when pressed; medium steaks will feel slightly firmer. Transfer to a warm plate and leave to rest in a low oven or a warm spot in the kitchen, loosely covered with foil.

Add the shallot and garlic to the frying pan and fry for about 3-4 minutes until the shallot starts to soften. Pour in the cognac, stirring to deglaze, and scrape up any browned sediment on the bottom of the pan. Let bubble for 30 seconds, then stir in the green peppercorns, cream and mustard. Tip in any juices released from the resting steaks. Simmer for a few more minutes until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Place a sirloin steak on each warm plate and spoon over the green peppercorn sauce. Serve at once, with accompaniments of your choice.

1 large or 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

20g butter, plus an extra knob

1 tsp caster sugar

sea salt and black pepper

2 tsp sherry vinegar

600g calf’s (or veal) liver

2 tbsp plain flour

1-2 tbsp olive oil

8 thin rashers of streaky bacon

It may not be everyone’s favourite, but calf’s liver can be meltingly tender and delicious when cooked properly. It also happens to be highly nutritious and low in fat. Serve with creamy mash or champ (see right) and wilted Savoy cabbage.

First, caramelize the onions. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onions, sugar and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, over a medium heat for 10-12 minutes until the onions are soft and lightly caramelized. Add the sherry vinegar and let it bubble for 30 seconds until the onions are nicely glazed and golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.

Halve the calf’s liver horizontally, removing any large membranes. Season the flour with salt and pepper and toss the liver in the flour to coat lightly and evenly all over. Set aside.