The New English Kitchen: Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat

choosing tuna

Trawling for any fish using nets puts other wild species at risk of getting caught up in the gear, but the risk is greater to these lovely mammals when netting tuna. Check labelling on cans to be sure it contains ‘dolphin friendly’ tuna, looking for mention of monitoring by the EII (Earth Island Institute). The ‘dolphin safe’ motto you may find on cans from North and South American tuna fisheries is not, according to marine conservationists, so closely monitored. In coming years, the EII hope to develop a logo to make it easier for shoppers.

Catching tuna by pole and line is the only truly sustainable means. Not all ‘line-caught’ tuna is sustainable. Ask for hand-lined, troll-caught tuna; or tuna caught on long lines that are ‘seabird friendly’. It is currently very difficult to tell what fishing method was used for catching skipjack tuna. This is because it is a commodity – like coffee or tea – traded on a world exchange. It’s a system of trading that undermines efforts to conserve the tuna numbers. If well-managed fisheries are not rewarded, why bother? In the coming years the Marine Stewardship Council hope to certify the pole and line tuna fisheries as sustainable – watch out for their logo on tins and jars.

You can also find handline-caught albacore – a pale, delicate-fleshed relative often dubbed ‘white tuna’, and found mostly around the coast of Spain, Portugal and France (see the Shopping Guide).

Always buy tuna packed in either olive or sunflower oil, draining it away before you use the fish.

tuna cakes

Lovely, delicate cakes to eat for supper – tuna-loving children will adore them. Serve with a green sauce (see here).

Serves 4

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons plain flour

300ml/1/2 pint milk

180g/6oz canned tuna, drained

2 shallots, finely chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

dried breadcrumbs (see here)

sunflower oil for shallow-frying

salt and white pepper

Melt the butter in a small pan and add the flour. Cook gently for a minute, then remove from the heat. Gradually stir in the milk, then cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and finally boils. Remove from the heat, add the tuna, stirring to break up the flakes, then add the shallots, lemon juice and Parmesan. Season with a little white pepper and the barest pinch of salt. Refrigerate the mixture until very cold, then roll it into a cylinder shape, about 4cm/11/2 inches in diameter. Cut it into pastilles 2.5cm/1 inch thick and roll each one in dried breadcrumbs. Shallow-fry the tuna cakes in sunflower oil for 3–4 minutes on each side, then drain on kitchen paper.

tuna salad with skinless tomatoes

I mix preserved tuna with lots of herbs, lemon juice, and virgin olive oil if necessary, then add black pepper and a few capers and eat it with tomatoes. The secret, by the way, of great tomato salads is skinning them. Note to the ‘time sceptics’: it takes 3 minutes to skin 4 tomatoes. This is how to do it: nick the skin of ripe tomatoes with a knife, submerge the tomatoes in boiling water for a minute, then drain and push the skins off. They have a wonderful way of homogenising the dish, absorbing the olive oil and the flavour of the herbs and allowing the tuna to stick to them.

kitchen note

Add drained, canned cannellini or haricot beans to make a more substantial plateful.

other uses for tuna

canned anchovies

The best-quality anchovies have a sleek, carefully handled appearance, and come from artisan fisheries. Spanish groceries are a good source of the best, which come packed in olive oil (see the Shopping Guide).

anchovy butter

Melt this butter over green beans, haricots or even a dish of hot new potatoes. If you like anchovies, make a pot and keep it, covered, in the fridge.

Serves 6

150g/5oz unsalted butter

60g/2oz canned anchovies

4 sprigs of parsley, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

Soften the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Drain the oil from the anchovies and pat them with a paper towel to remove any extra. Chop finely, add to the butter with the parsley and mix thoroughly. Season with black pepper and mix again; it will temper any saltiness.

canned tomatoes

Buy canned tomatoes from Italian specialist food shops, choosing authentic brands from the south of Italy. They will be genuinely sun ripened, and canned at source. The tomatoes should have a rich dark red appearance and a thick juice. It does not matter whether you buy whole, quartered or chopped tomatoes, but if you use whole ones for the following sauce, chop them roughly using a pair of kitchen scissors while they are still in the opened can.

canned tomato sauce

Since beginning to make my own Tomato Sauce (see here), I have used canned tomatoes less, but was once shown a clever technique for an instant sweet sauce that has rescued a meal or two.

This sauce has been very useful in emergencies for pizza or pasta. It is rather thick because the hot oil instantly caramelises the tomatoes, but it has a character of its own. The technique was shown to me by Carla Tomasi, a wonderful cook from Rome.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 can of chopped tomatoes

8 basil leaves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

You need a heavy frying pan with a lid to make this sauce safely and successfully. Have the canned tomatoes open and ready.

Put the oil in the frying pan and heat to smoking point. Working quickly, pour in the tomatoes and slam on the lid, otherwise the sauce will spit. When the sound of sizzling has died down, remove the lid and add the basil. Season with salt and pepper.

kitchen note

Substitute passata for tinned tomatoes for a very smooth sauce.

tomato juice

The strained juice from canned tomatoes makes a wonderful Bloody Mary. For every 90ml/3fl oz juice, add a dash of Lea & Perrins, a pinch of celery salt, a shot of vodka, half a shot of sherry and as much Tabasco as you like – start with 2 drops. Shake in a cocktail shaker with ice.

canned artichokes

A secret store-cupboard weapon. Canned artichokes come in brine, cost very little and taste bland – until you get to work with your olive oil, herbs, garlic and lemon juice. Eat them on toast, with chopped hard-boiled eggs or soft, fresh cheese.

bottled and canned sweet peppers

Much less fuss than roasting peppers yourself, bottled peppers in oil should be an ideal store-cupboard food but the majority of them are sour from undercooking and, worse, still have leathery skins attached. Go in search of Navarrico, a Spanish brand (see the Shopping Guide). The outlay for a can seems high until you realise that it contains over 20 genuine Spanish, sun-ripened, wood-roasted peppers in olive oil. They have so much flavour you need add only a few to a paella, or use a few at a time in Roasted Pepper Mimosa (see here).

cured meats

Bacon is the most obvious example of British cured meat, with hams following closely behind. There’s a lot of dry-cured bacon about, but virtually no culture of dry-cured ham such as prosciutto at all. Every other European country has its dry-cured saucissons and salami; its charcuteries and salumerie – where are ours? The answer, as explained to me by a successful English butcher, is very interesting: ‘We are happy to make sausages and bacon; they’re quick to make and we sell them fast. But why would we want to put money on a shelf for six months?’ Because you would reap more from it if you waited – there’s a real passion for this stuff and we are importing tonnes of it.

The analogy brings Tabasco to mind. Its Louisiana originator, Henry McIlhenny, made the first batch, then forgot about it for a year. When he came back to it, the sauce had fermented slightly and developed a mellow, mature flavour, though it still had the heat of red chilli. It has been made in the same way ever since. Long maturation gives Tabasco its subtle taste. Pity the poor Caribbean sauce makers. They make superb hot sauces but, try as they might, they cannot make a similar sauce or a similar sum of money because they cannot afford the time for maturation. It’s an attitude to aged food shared by most British meat curers. We are slowly but surely reviving genuine mature Cheddar and making better wine. But, with few exceptions, British butchers will never see the point of the great starter plate of thinly sliced, dry-cured meats and sausages, with a little pile of vinegary cornichons beside.

Cured meats such as chorizo, bacon and ham hocks are very useful in the New English Kitchen. They can be served as instant meals or used to flavour stews. Take advantage of British-based charcuterie makers (see the Shopping Guide) – your spending power will see others jump on to the bandwagon.

herbs

Herbs give so much to cooking. They lift and freshen dishes and, when matched to the right foods, they turn the flavour volume up – by this I mean they sing, not shout. Herb oil half stirred into a potato soup invades it with its flavours; the same beside grilled or roast meat, or spooned over boiled meats and offal, will make the grey-brown of the dish evaporate and give it a new vitality.

herbs and english cookery

Herbs have always belonged in English cooking. There is a general idea that the English are a nation of rehabilitated mistresses of the bland, rescued by Elizabeth David’s Book of Mediterranean Food in 1952. Wrong – David herself was perfectly aware of that, as her later books testified. If you believe some of what is said about English cooking, we are masters of roasting joints but otherwise stole everything from the French and Italians. Many people believe the first statement and are subsequently shamed into accepting the second. But this is not an argument about cookery – who made custard first, the English or the French – it is about the real tools: ingredients.

Visit a house that still has its eighteenth-century gardens and you will see a herb or knot garden. Fresh herbs once had a vital place not only in the kitchen but also in the medicine chest. They were used in early recipes for salads along with edible flowers, and in sauces, soups and stuffings. Cooking with them was considered an art. I blame the puritanism that invaded the kitchens of this country in the nineteenth century for the disappearance of fragrant green leaves from our cookery – the twisted concept that exotically flavoured food is vulgar, suspect and bad for the gut. In the southern Mediterranean, aromatics are used to bridge the gap between humble, locally grown ingredients and elegant cuisine, creating an egalitarian cookery available to people on every income level. The prime example is the addition of basil leaves to a plate of sliced tomatoes, refining and cultivating the salad.

Now to those silly plastic packs of herbs that hang on hooks in supermarkets. Hopelessly, guiltily smitten is how I feel about them. They make wonderful food possible, yet I know they should be in big, generous bunches or, better still, in pots on my windowsill. I do grow a few herbs in pots but what I really want is a knot garden because I use a lot of them.

If you can, buy herbs in bulk from Middle Eastern shops. Many of them are grown in the Middle East and arrive here impeccably fresh. Wrap them in damp newspaper and then in a plastic carrier bag – they will keep for at least a week. They are ten times cheaper than the triangular, plastic containers sold in supermarkets and it is well worth lobbying the supermarket you use for larger bunches of a wide variety of herbs. Insist!

kitchen note

My sister Laura, unlike me, has only to glance at a plant and it seems to do whatever she wants. She takes home from the supermarket a potted herb such as basil or coriander. These are usually immature and soft, being 30 or so plants crammed very close together, which is why they do not grow, and drink like camels at a watering hole. She pulls them apart at the root, replants them in compost, three to a pot, and keeps them on a windowsill that gets the sun. Two weeks later, she has ten healthy pots of basil, all from one pot. If you have the time, this is well worth it; the supermarket has done the tricky part for you, you reap the reward.

green sauce

This is a standard to eat with poached, roast or grilled meat, poultry and fish. You can also stir it into mayonnaise or salad dressing. Make a small jar to store in the fridge; it will keep for 2 weeks.

Serves 4–6

5 sprigs each of tarragon, basil, chervil and parsley

about 10 chives

olive oil

salt

Chop all the herbs and the capers very finely and put them in a jar. Barely cover with olive oil and stir. Taste and add salt to bring out the flavours of the sauce.

herb oils

Herb oils can be used, a few drops at a time, to flavour salads, cooked vegetables and pasta. A pestle and mortar is the best tool to get the right effect. Parsley, basil, dill, oregano and chives are all suitable.

Roughly chop 4 sprigs of either herb, or the equivalent of chives, and put them in a pestle and mortar. Add a few drops of olive oil and begin to work it into the herbs, grinding with the pestle and mortar. Add more until you have a smooth, green oil. Season with a little salt to taste.

kitchen note

Oil blended with fresh or dried smoked chillies makes a good addition to a noodle soup.

herb, oil and breadcrumb ‘stuffing’

This can be spooned on to halved tomatoes, cylinders of courgette or thick aubergine slices before baking them in the oven. You can also fry it and serve it beside game or poultry with the gravy.

4 tablespoons breadcrumbs, fresh or dried (see here)

2 sprigs of basil or oregano, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed with a little salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Mix together all the ingredients until they are well blended and have the texture of wet sand. Spoon on to the vegetables and transfer them to an oiled baking dish. Cook for half an hour or until the vegetables are soft. Eat them on their own, or beside meat or fish.

year-round salad vegetables

lettuce

While I am grateful for those herbs in their little plastic packs, bags of washed infant lettuce leaves are expensive and taste suspiciously of chlorine. Washing salad in a strong solution of chlorine and water to kill the bugs that cause food poisoning seems to wash away the flavour, too. It can also make the leaves smell downright manky once they have sat on the shelf for a time. This is not to say that all small leaf salad is bad. You can buy fresh leaves, loosely packed, all year round – some from British farmers. Rocket, mizuna, ruby chard, sorrel, purslane, dandelion and pak choi have a beautiful fresh taste and can be bought from specialist grocers and farmers’ markets. At £10 per kilo, however, it hurts. The popularity of fresh wild rocket makes it easier to obtain, and slightly cheaper.

Whole Cos or romaine lettuces, on the other hand, are inexpensive, keep for ages and have a good mineral flavour. A salad made with torn romaine lettuce and herbs will be as good as any so-called gourmet leaf mixture. Use the inner leaves for salads and the outer leaves for stock or for creamy lettuce soups (see here).

Store whole lettuces and salad leaves as you would herbs. They will keep for a week wrapped in slightly damp newspaper in a plastic bag. Limp lettuce can be revived by separating the leaves and putting them in a ceramic bowl. Cover with a dampened tea towel and leave in or out of the fridge.

cucumber

The standard supermarket cucumber is a watery creature but you can boost its flavour with a simple method. Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Slice thinly, then place in a colander in the sink and throw a little salt over it. Leave for an hour, during which time the water will seep out of the cucumber flesh. Pat dry with a towel, which will absorb the water and excess salt.

Cucumbers store well in the lower drawers of the fridge.

cucumber sandwiches

Butter very fresh white bread and sandwich a few layers of cucumber, prepared as above and seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, between 2 slices.

cucumber salad with mustard

Serves 4

1 cucumber, prepared as on here 93

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons golden caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon soft crystal sea salt

2 tablespoons water

4 sprigs of dill, chopped

10 chives, chopped

freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cucumber with all the remaining ingredients, scattering the herbs on top. Serve with Fried Sole (see here).

spiced braised cucumber

An easy, instant curry to eat with flat bread (see here).

Serves 2

1 tablespoon butter or ghee

1 onion, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

1 tablespoon mild curry paste

1/2 can of coconut milk

4 tablespoons water

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, deseeded and cut into slices

1cm/1/2 inch thick

1 teaspoon black onion seeds (nigella)

4 sprigs of coriander, chopped

Melt the fat in a pan, add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the chilli and curry paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the coconut milk and water. Finally add the cucumber slices, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Finish with the black onion seeds and coriander.

pickled cucumber

1/2 cucumber, peeled, prepared as on here 93

1 teaspoon golden caster sugar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar a pinch of salt

2.5cm/1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

3 small green chillies, chopped

Combine the cucumber with all the remaining ingredients. It’s good served with curries or boiled ham.

avocado

When an avocado is perfectly ripe, its oil-rich flesh is almost a sauce, a kind of green mayonnaise that goes so well with crustaceans – yes, it’s a refugee from the avocado-and-prawn generation talking – but also matches red chilli, lime and fresh coriander. Avocados are imported into the UK from South Africa, the Caribbean and Mexico. The dark, knobbly-skinned variety, the Hass avocado, has more flavour but some prefer the gentle taste of the smooth, soft-skinned type. Both are available all year round and are as welcome to me as bananas and oranges – fruit that I cannot do without.

avocado mash with coriander and curry oil

Treat this as a starter. It looks dazzling with the yellow oil, particularly if decorated with a few sprouting beans or pea shoots. Smooth-skinned avocados are ripe if the skin gives a little when pressed at the round end; knobbly avocados are ripe when the skin turns from green to a dark greeny-black.

Serves 4

2 teaspoons Madras curry powder

6 tablespoons avocado oil (see the Shopping Guide)

2 ripe avocados

2 tablespoons yoghurt

juice of 1 lime

4 sprigs of coriander, including their roots, well washed

2 shallots, finely chopped

salt

Stir the curry powder into the oil and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and reserve.

Peel and stone the avocados, then mash the flesh until almost smooth. Beat in the yoghurt and lime juice. Tear the leaves from the coriander stalks and roots and set to one side. Chop the stalks and roots finely and stir them into the avocado mixture. Season with salt.

To serve, spoon the avocado mash into a neat mound on each starter plate, then scatter over the shallots and coriander leaves. Zigzag the curry oil over the top and eat with toasted flat bread.

kitchen note

If the curry powder does not contain turmeric, add 1 teaspoon to colour the oil a zingy yellow.

watercress

Watercress now grows all year round, and stores well in the fridge. It relies on a supply of clean water to grow and only several days of hard frost will dry up the supply. Most British watercress comes from an admirable co-operative of farms in the south of England, particularly Hampshire and Dorset. Choose this type in preference to French imported – there is no excuse for shops to sell this. Watercress is very underrated, and so English.

The nutritional qualities of watercress were once valued so highly that it was known as poor man’s meat. I use watercress frequently in this book as a replacement for the ubiquitously trendy rocket. Its peppery leaf goes with dozens of dishes, and finds a place in sauces and salads, too. Grumble if you are sold sealed bags of watercress that smell of rank water when opened; it means it has been hanging around a bit.

Watercress has the winning attribute of being slow to change colour from bright green to dull olive when cooked, unlike spinach or herb leaves. For that reason, as well as its powerful, clean flavours, I use it in dumplings and soups and in the simple sauce below.

watercress oil

1 bunch of watercress

6 tablespoons olive oil

a pinch of sea salt

Cut off and discard the lower 5cm/2 inches of the watercress stalks. Either whiz the watercress with the oil and salt in a food processor or pound using a pestle and mortar until you have a smooth sauce.