by James Martin
SERVES 6
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2kg shin of beef, diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots, peeled and diced
500ml beef stock
250ml British bitter
a little plain flour, for rolling out
500g ready-made puff pastry
2 egg yolks, for egg wash
For the oysters (optional)
large bunch of flat-leaf parsley
100g sourdough bread, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon
12 just-shucked oysters in their shells
You will need
6 x 12.5-cm pie dishes
Heat the oil in a very large, non-stick casserole pan then fry the meat, in batches, until well browned all over. Transfer each batch to a plate as you do it and season well.
Once all the meat has been browned, return it to the pan with the shallots and pour over the stock and beer. Cover, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours. Spoon into a large shallow dish and cool. You can make the stew up to a day in advance and chill in the fridge until you want to assemble the pies.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6.
Lightly dust a clean work surface with a little flour then roll out the pastry until it is 2mm thick. Using the top of one of the pie dishes as a guide, cut out 6 circles slightly larger than the dishes, then fill the pie dishes with stew. (We used mini ovenproof saucepans.)
Brush the edges of the pastry lids with the egg wash then turn over and lay on top of the dishes and seal around the edges. Brush the tops with egg wash, sit the pies on a large baking tray and bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden.
While the pies are in the oven, prepare the oysters (if making). Put the parsley and bread into a food processor and blitz to make fine breadcrumbs. Add the lemon zest and blitz again. Season well.
Arrange the oysters on a baking tray, spoon the crumb mixture over the top and bake on the top shelf of the oven for 10 minutes.
To serve, pop the pies onto plates with 2 oysters per person.
HERB-COATED BEEF WITH BEETROOTS & YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS
I love this dish not just because of the beef and beetroot (and of course the puddings), but for its simple flavours. Great beef and beetroot are perfect together and fresh beetroot taken straight from the ground into the pot tastes so much better than any flown halfway round the world in plastic bags.
SERVES 6
4 large beetroots
50g salted butter, softened
1kg fillet beef
1½ tablespoons treacle
small bunch of herbs (such as parsley and thyme), chopped
For the Yorkshire puddings
200g plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 eggs
600ml whole milk
40g dripping
For the sauce
200ml red wine
400ml veal jus
You will need
a 12-hole large muffin tin
First make the Yorkshire pudding batter. Put the flour into a large bowl and season well. Mix together and make a well in the middle. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, then slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously until the batter is smooth. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or for up to one day.
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan)/425°F/gas 7.
Put the beetroots into a medium pan and cover with cold water. Pop a lid on the pan and bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes until the beetroots are tender. Lift them out of the pan and set aside to cool. Once cool, use kitchen paper to peel away the skins by wrapping them in the paper and rubbing. Cut each beetroot into quarters, trimming away the stalks. Beetroot juice stains hands for days so you may want to don a pair of rubber gloves while doing this.
To bake the Yorkshires, spoon 1 teaspoon of dripping into each of the muffin tin holes then heat it in the oven for 5 minutes until the dripping is hot. Carefully ladle the batter into each hole then bake for 30 minutes until the Yorkshires are well risen and browned.
To cook the beef, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the beef until browned all over. Season then brush the treacle all over and press the herbs onto the beef. Transfer the beef to a roasting tin, add the cooked beetroots and roast in the oven for 20 minutes for medium-rare.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pour the wine and veal jus into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until reduced by half, then pour into a serving jug.
Take the beef out of the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the Yorkshires, beetroots and sauce.
BEEF WITH CHAMP, CHARRED ONIONS & PARSLEY OIL
Champ is a traditional Irish dish of mash and spring onions; I’ve added cabbage here, so this is really a combination of champ and colcannon. I like to use big chunks of meat for this dish and cook it for slightly longer than usual. The braised onions add a nice rich touch to it.
SERVES 4
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 150-g pieces beef shin
½ tablespoon plain flour
250ml red wine
4 whole onions, peeled
a few thyme sprigs
500ml beef stock
For the champ
25g butter
½ sweetheart cabbage, shredded
600g mashed potatoes
1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
100ml double cream
For the parsley oil
large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
100ml olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6.
Heat the oil in a large, lidded ovenproof pan or casserole until hot. Season the beef then brown each piece well on all sides. Turn the heat down if the oil starts to smoke. Lift out the meat and set aside.
Stir the flour into the pan and cook for 1 minute, then pour in the wine. Bring to the boil, then add the whole onions and thyme. Return the beef to the pan and pour the stock over the top. Cover the pan with the lid, bring to the boil, then transfer to the oven to cook for 2½ hours.
After 1 hour, lift the onions out with a slotted spoon, place in a shallow bowl and leave to cool. Continue to cook the beef for a further 1½ hours.
To make the champ, melt the butter in a large pan. Stir in the cabbage and cook for about 2 minutes, until wilted. Put the mash into a separate pan with the spring onions and cream. Heat over a low heat, stirring all the time until hot. Stir the cabbage into the mash and season. Cover and keep warm.
Carefully cut the whole onions in half horizontally. Heat a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Pop the onions into the pan, cut-side down, and cook until charred.
To make the parsley oil, put the leaves and olive oil into a liquidiser, season and blitz for 2 minutes, until you have a bright green oil.
Divide the champ and beef between 4 warm plates, spoon the sauce over the top and drizzle with parsley oil. Place the onions on the side and serve.
50S BURGERS & SHAKES
Goodwood was the perfect place to cook this dish. The estate has amazing pasture and produces great lamb and beef, plus it holds one of the best events in Britain – the Goodwood Revival, celebrating all things from the 1950s and ’60s in and around the race circuit. It’s like stepping back in time with 200,000 plus visitors getting into the spirit and food harking back to when the Wimpy was the first burger brought to these shores. (If you go, make sure you dress up or you’ll look like a muppet, trust me!)
SERVES 4
600g beef mince
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
125-g ball buffalo mozzarella, quartered
a little oil, for frying
4 brioche buns, halved
1 large tomato, sliced
4 slices of Monterey Jack cheese
1 red onion, sliced
For the cucumber pickle
100ml white wine vinegar
50g caster sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 baby cucumbers, sliced lengthways into 4
For the shakes
1 litre whole milk
375g raspberries, puréed in a blender
You will need
4 burger sticks
Start by making the pickle. Pour the vinegar into a large pan, add the sugar and salt and heat gently to dissolve them. You may need to stir the mixture every now and then. When they’ve dissolved, add the cucumber slices and remove the pan from the heat. Set aside to cool.
To make the burgers, put the mince into a bowl and season well. Mix together with your hands then divide into 4 even portions and shape each portion into a burger-shaped round. Push your thumb into the centre of one of them to make a hole (making sure you don’t push all the way through) then fill with a piece of mozzarella. Cover the hole over with mince to seal it in. Do the same with the other burgers and remaining mozzarella.
Drizzle a large, flat griddle pan with oil. Place over a medium heat and when hot, lay the burgers in the pan. Reduce the heat and fry the burgers gently for 5 minutes. Flip them over and continue to cook them for a further 5 minutes.
Toast the brioche buns sliced-side down in the same pan.
To serve, place each brioche base onto a plate and top with slices of tomato and lettuce leaves, then a burger. Next add a slice of Monterey Jack cheese, some onion and slices of pickled cucumber. Pop the bun tops on and secure with a burger stick.
To make the shakes, whisk the milk and the raspberry purée together in a large jug or bowl. Pour into 4 glasses and serve alongside the burgers.
GRILLED VEAL CHOPS WITH BURRATA, TOMATOES & DEEP-FRIED COURGETTE FLOWERS
I saw these veal chops at the farm over on the Isle of Wight; they’re a must whenever I see them in a butchers. In my mind, if you eat and drink milk you should eat veal, and we have some amazing veal now being produced in Britain. There is so much more to cooking with veal than just covering it in breadcrumbs and pan-frying it.
SERVES 2
2 veal chops
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic bulb, halved
6 medium tomatoes
a few sprigs of fresh basil
1–2 litres vegetable oil, for deep-frying
200g plain flour
200g sparkling water
8 courgette flowers
a few sprigs of oregano, leaves picked and chopped if large
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 burrata (approx. 125g)
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/400°F/gas 6.
Put the veal on a board and season all over. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat until hot, then drizzle in half of the oil. Add the chops, followed by the garlic bulb and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden, then flip over and fry again for about 3–4 minutes on the other side. Add the whole tomatoes and basil, followed by the rest of the oil and transfer to the oven for 5 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C (350°F) or in a deep, heavy-based saucepan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (Note: hot oil can be dangerous; do not leave unattended.) Line a large plate or tray with kitchen paper.
Whisk the flour and sparkling water together in a bowl to make a smooth batter, season with salt and whisk again. Dip the courgette flowers into the batter, making sure they’re completely coated, then fry in the hot oil for 1–2 minutes or until golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on the kitchen paper, seasoning with salt straightaway.
Remove the veal chops from the oven and transfer them to a board. Cover and leave to rest. Put the pan back on the hob and season the pan’s contents. Sprinkle in the oregano, drizzle in the balsamic vinegar and any rested juices from the board, and stir everything together to make a sauce.
To serve, pop a veal chop onto each plate, along with the tomatoes and garlic. Drizzle over the sauce, add the fried courgette flowers and sit half the burrata on top of each so it melts over.
CALVES LIVER WITH ONION GRAVY, CAVOLO NERO & MASH
I don’t know what I was more excited about – the amazing plot of land full of stunning organic veg or the 1960s Massey Ferguson 135 tractor! It was the vehicle I learnt to drive on back on the farm, and the crew couldn’t get me off it. Run by a small family in Devon, the plot where we made this dish supplies vegetables to nearby villages thereby giving the family an income and the villagers the best-tasting veg without the effort of growing it themselves. Cavolo nero, also known as ‘Italian kale’, is packed full of nutrients and goes brilliantly with liver.
SERVES 2
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
50ml Madeira
400ml veal jus
25g butter
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 x 100-g calves livers, thickly sliced
50g cavolo nero, chopped
For the mash
300g potatoes, peeled and chopped
50ml double cream
50g butter
Heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat and drizzle in the oil. Add the onion and sauté for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Pour the Madeira into the pan and flambé to burn off the alcohol, then add the jus and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently until reduced by half. Whisk in half of the butter and the sherry vinegar and season to taste. Cover to keep warm.
While the gravy is simmering, make the mash. Put the potatoes into a pan and cover with cold water. Add a pinch of salt, put a lid on, bring to the boil and simmer for around 15 minutes, until tender.
Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat until hot then add the remaining butter. While the butter is melting, season the livers all over and when the butter begins to foam add the slices and cook on one side for 2 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another 2 minutes. Cover to keep warm.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain them well, pass through a ricer and return to the pan. Heat for a minute or so over a low heat to dry any moisture, add the double cream and butter, season and stir to combine. Cover to keep warm.
In a separate small saucepan, pour in 50ml water and bring to a simmer. Add the cavolo nero and cook for 2 minutes, until wilted, and season well.
To serve, spoon the mash between 2 plates followed by the cavolo nero. Top with slices of liver and finish by spooning over the onion gravy.
VENISON WITH BEETROOT & BLACKBERRIES
Blair Castle was the perfect place to explore the Scottish Highlands with the great chef Tom Kitchin. He really is a master of game cookery at his numerous restaurants in and around Edinburgh. He’s also into his foraging so while he wandered off collecting from the woodland, I cooked this dish in the castle’s stunning walled garden with former head keeper Sandy Reid. There is little he doesn’t know about the place as he’s been here since he was 15 as a pony boy. We talked about everything from food to the golden eagles and otters that live on this amazing estate. The roe deer venison he gave me to make this dish was probably the best I’ve ever tasted.
SERVES 4
3 x 200-g venison steaks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
25g butter
½ small red cabbage, cut into 4 wedges
2 shallots, halved
2 large cooked beetroot, quartered
50g rainbow chard
1 small bunch of wild garlic
For the sauce
50ml red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
100ml veal jus
1 tabl
espoon redcurrant jelly
3 juniper berries
2 star anise
10g butter
To serve
50g blackberries
a few wild garlic flowers
small handful of fennel fronds
Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Put the venison steaks on a board and season all over. Drizzle the oil into the pan and fry the venison on all sides – it will take around 2–3 minutes to cook it all over. Add the butter and, once it’s melted, tip the pan to one side and spoon it over the venison. Cook for a further 4 minutes. Transfer the steaks to a warm plate, cover and leave to rest. Set the pan with the juices to one side.
Heat a large, flat griddle pan over a medium heat until hot, then pop the cabbage, shallots and beetroot on top and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until tender and charred.
To make the sauce, pour the wine, vinegar and veal jus into the frying pan you cooked the venison in and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it and stir in all the juices. Bring to the boil and add the redcurrant jelly, juniper berries and star anise, then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Put the chard and wild garlic onto the griddle and cook for a couple of minutes until wilted.
Remove the juniper berries and star anise from the sauce and discard, then add the butter and season.
To serve, pile the vegetables onto a platter, separating the shallots into layers. Slice the meat and arrange on top, adding any rested juices to the sauce. Warm the sauce through, then spoon over the meat and vegetables. Finally, scatter over the blackberries, wild garlic flowers and a few fennel fronds.
VENISON WITH PARSNIPS THREE WAYS, RED WINE SAUCE & SWEETHEART CABBAGE
Parsnips are definitely one of my favourite vegetables – they are so versatile, as the name of this dish suggests. This recipe also works well with chicken, game and lamb, or you can use different veg and a vegetable stock instead of the veal jus to make a great vegetarian dish.