The New English Table: 200 Recipes from the Queen of Thrifty, Inventive Cooking

Copyright

Fourth Estate

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain in 2008

Text copyright © Rose Prince 2008

Photographs copyright © Laura Hynd 2008

The right of Rose Prince to be identified as the author of this work and the right of Laura Hynd to be identified as the photographer of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Source ISBN: 9780007250943

Ebook Edition © JULY 2017 ISBN: 9780007522736

Version: 2017-08-08

From the reviews of The New English Table:

‘The cook book of the season is The New English Table by Rose Prince, a food writer peerless for her knowledge, passion and practicality. The inventiveness of this bulging culinary treasury is balanced by reassurance.’

Independent

‘Rose manages to turn traditional and unfamiliar ingredients into something special – but without the angst. We love how she recycles leftovers in ingenious ways to make really good food go further. Even nervous cooks will be won over!’

SHE

‘Quintessentially English and pretty, this collection is set to expand your knowledge of new ingredients and ways to use them.’

Sainsbury’s Magazine

‘The emphasis here is on food that tastes fantastic but doesn’t cost the earth – good news in these belt-tightening times.’

Good Housekeeping

‘A proper kitchen book, made to spend time on the kitchen table. A book that chimes with the ‘new austerity’ ethos of buying wisely and making it last.’

Time Out

‘If ever a book was perfectly timed, this is it. Just as we’ve begun to value good-quality food, along comes the promise of a recession. In this heavyweight food bible featuring 200 recipes, Rose Prince explores affordable and easy-to-cook food, and proves that good eating doesn’t have to cost the earth.’

Woman & Home

‘A beacon of talent and intelligence, Prince has generated a devoted and appreciative following … writing in a tone that is all her own, her recipes are moral, healthy, economical and (in case this sounds too uplifting for words) extremely tasty.’

Independent on Sunday

‘What is new about the recipes is the way [Rose Prince] takes traditional English foods and uses them with a twist … this book is the antidote to officious nutritionists and State nannies. It’s a call to treat food with love and reverence rather than guilt.’

Country Life

‘No one bears Mrs Beeton’s mantle better.’

The Economist

‘Making the most of British ingredients has always been at the heart of food writer Rose Prince’s recipes.’

BBC Olive

Dedication

In memory of

Mary Goloubeff Kapnist and her white farmhouse

Epigraph

A man dies and is buried, and all his words and actions areforgotten, but the food he has eaten lives after him in the soundor rotten bones of his children.

George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier (1937)

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Dedication

Epigraph

Introduction

List for All Recipes

Apples

Asparagus

Bacon

Barley

Beans

Beef

Blackcurrants

Broccoli

Buckwheat

Buffalo Milk

Cauliflower

Glorious Rehash – a New Generation of Leftovers

Celery

Cheese

Chestnuts

Chicken

Chickpeas

Chicory

Cobnuts

Cocoa

Courgettes

Crab

Crayfish

Cucumber

Damsons

Eggs

Elderflower

Faggots

Figs

Goose

Gooseberries

The Local Table

Grouse

Gurnard

Haddock

Ham and Gammon

Honey

John Dory

Lamb and Mutton

Langoustines

Lemons

Lentils

Mackerel

Megrim Soles

Mushrooms

Oats

Olive Oil

The Lost Kitchen

Ox Tongue

Oysters

Partridges

Peas

Pheasant

Pistachio Nuts

Pomegranates

Pork

Potatoes

Prawns and Shrimps

Quince

Rabbit

Radishes

Rice – Short Grain

Rice – Long Grain

Roots

Roses

Runner Beans

Sardines

Sausages

Scallops

Squash and Pumpkin

Sweetbreads

Tea

Tomatoes

Trotters and Knuckles

Rhythms of Dinner and a Time to Eat Soup

Turkey

Veal

Watercress

Wheat

Wild Salmon

Woodpigeon

Bibliography and Sources

Index

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

Introduction

My one table is two tables. Mostly it is an everyday table, a busy junction where plates arrive and leave, sometimes in a hurry, sometimes late. But they leave empty, I hope. Food for every day might be an economical bean and herb soup; juicy threads of braised ham hock beside a pile of buttery potato, or something good rehashed from something left over. But every now and then we sit at the ‘other’ table, for a weekend lunch or dinner, supper with others or a seasonal feast. Then we eat dishes cooked with ingredients that are more luxurious and precious: a whole baked Cornish fish, or roast game birds; a dish of new-season asparagus and pea shoots; a creamy pudding piled with summer berries and decorated with flowers.

It is a rhythm of eating that I enjoy. I have been good, so I can be bad; some meals are tempered, so others can be rich. It rejuvenates the old concept of ‘fast and feast’ and has become quite natural. But oscillating between those dishes of leftovers, cheap cuts and humble raw materials on the one hand and richer meals based on more valuable ingredients on the other is not just a feel-good diet; it forms part of a solution to a wider predicament.

There is a strong bond between good human health and the health of the environment. What you choose to eat has both an intrinsic and an ecological impact. If, in place of eating fillets of chicken, you decide to cook a whole chicken, eat the meat, then make an ambrosial broth from the bones to use in a creamy soup scented with tarragon, you can afford to buy a traditionally reared bird that has been fed on natural forage. Feeding chickens grass rather than cereals not only saves considerable quantities of fossil fuel (used in fertiliser and processing) but also benefits you: grass-fed livestock have a higher proportion of essential fatty acids in their meat, which are good for heart health and help guard against becoming overweight. There is also the diversity factor in this equation. As well as reducing uneconomic waste, recycling food left over from other meals encourages the use of many more appetising ingredients, such as herbs, salad vegetables and pulses. Growing a greater variety of crops and so eating a more diverse diet is again a plus for both people and planet. The meals on our table form part of a cycle that can, collectively, make a positive difference.

Currently, the main challenges and threats we face are food related. ‘Peak oil’ – the point after which demand for fossil fuels outstrips supply – has pushed food prices up, and inflation on some foods is now as high as 20 per cent. Rising levels of obesity are costing the National Health Service an estimated £1 billion per year; in children the obesity epidemic is especially tragic and poignant. But in our own warm kitchens, we can go some way to addressing issues that the authorities seem uninspired, or politically afraid, to deal with.

The problem of methane-emitting food waste and higher prices can be tackled by turning, say, some surplus cooked beef into a rich braise, enlivened with puréed tomatoes, red wine, garlic and thin shreds of wild fungi, to eat with buttered pasta ribbons.

One answer to the peak oil question lies in an earthily delicious dish of home-grown purple sprouting broccoli and tender green lentils, both of which are crops with a low environmental impact.

Given the known benefits of eating a more diverse menu than red meat, white bread and King Edwards potatoes, poor diet can be addressed by exploring a wider variety of foods, trying new types of grain, sprouted seeds and leafy green vegetables. We can do good by choosing from battalions of pretty squashes, rare potato and apple breeds, less familiar seafood and game birds – even edible flowers. If any of the above were medicine, it would taste of honey and lemon.

But what to put on the table … what is English, or British? A peculiar aspect of our progress over centuries, during which artists have created works of genius and scientists have developed life-saving cures, is that the English larder has become culturally primitive. Once we were imaginative and knowledgeable about the art of food, and more democratic in the share of it. Now, the majority paint by numbers in crude colours.

So this is a book of ingredients: how and when to buy them, all the many things that can be made with them and, in many cases, how to use up what is left. There is an economic divide between the foods listed. Some are obvious candidates for an occasional feast, others plainly everyday items. Some fall between the two – they can be cheaper to buy in a glut moment, or depending on where you live. Many are recognisably home grown – beef, Cheddar, wheat and watercress, for example. Some are produced here but are underexploited – sardines, sweetbreads, barley and rabbit. Others could be grown here commercially but are not – buckwheat, lentils, quince and chestnuts. Others cannot be produced here but are non-controversial imports embedded in our history – olive oil, tea, lemons and rice. All these foods belong here, or were English once. Have confidence. There’s no need always to look to the Mediterranean for something good.

With your new knowledge and ideas, choose when is right to eat what. Try new things. Add herbs, leaves, flowers and spices to the kaleidoscope and suddenly the English table has food on its plates that is interesting, pretty, honest and so good to eat. Choosing to cook and not waste a diverse range of foods, in a rhythm that is economical and healthy in every sense, will become the essence of a New English Table.

List of All Recipes

Apples

Apple Soup

Apple, Red Cabbage and Watercress Salad

Hot Apple Juice

Russet Jelly Ice

Asparagus

Asparagus with Pea Shoots and Mint

Boiled or Steamed Asparagus

Bacon

Bacon and Shellfish

Bacon and Potatoes

Bacon Gravy for Sausages

Light Bacon Stew

Bacon and Apples

Bacon and Potato Salad with Green Celery Leaf and Cider Vinegar

Barley

Barley Cooked as for Risotto

Pot Barley and Lamb Broth

Pearl Barley with Turmeric, Lemon and Black Cardamom

Barley Water (the Queen’s Recipe)

Spiced Barley with Leeks, Root Vegetables, Oregano, Nutmeg, Allspice and Butter

Barley in Breadcrumbs

Beans

Bean Sprout and Herb Soup

Baked Beans with Bacon, Molasses and Tomato

Pinto Beans and Venison

White Bean Broth with Buttered Tomato and Lettuce

Bean and Herb Salads

Quick Braised Butterbeans

Beef

Grilled Goose Skirt with Salad Leaves and Berkswell Cheese

Top of the Rump with Lemon and Parsley Butter

Flank with Tarragon Butter Sauce

Braised Shin of Beef with Ale

Cold Salt Beef and Green Sauce

Roast Rare Aged Beef Sirloin with a Mustard and Watercress Sauce

Raw Beef with Horseradish, Sorrel and Rye Bread

Beef with Horseradish Sauce on Crisp Bread

Beef with Pumpkin Seeds and Carrot

Sauce for Pasta

Braised Beef and Fungi

Beef Stock

Dripping

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrant Tarts

Venison Marinated in Blackcurrants

Redcurrant Cake

Broccoli

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Little Brown Lentils

Creamed Broccoli Soup

Romanesco Salad

Buckwheat

Kasha Salad

Buckwheat Pancakes

Herrings in Buckwheat Groats

Buffalo Milk

Buffalo Milk Yoghurt with Lavender Honey and Pear Salad

Cauliflower

Cauliflower with Lancashire Cheese

Crisped Cauliflower with Breadcrumbs and Garlic

Cauliflower Soup

Glorious Rehash – a New Generation of Leftovers

Celery

Green Celery, Crayfish and Potato Salad

Celery Soup

Celery Stock

Cheese

Melted Cheese and Ale, to Eat with Bread

Pasta with Ricotta and Woody Herbs

Beetroot, Red Cabbage and Goafs Cheese Salad

Stinking Bishop Tart

Fried Fresh Goat’s Cheese with Apples, Victoria Plums and Orange Blossom Honey

Flowerpot Cheesecake Decorated with Flowers

Chestnuts

Hot Chestnut and Honey Soup

Potted Duck with Chestnuts

Chicken

Whole Poached Chicken, Leek and Bean Broth with Real Ale and Garlic Sauce

Dry-roast Chicken

Chicken Stock

Chicken Noodle Broth

Hot Chicken, Herb and Cream Soup

Cold Chicken, Mustard, Dill and Cucumber

Coconut Chicken

Chicken Curry with Fresh Tomato and Ginger

Chickpeas

Squash and Chickpea Soup with Single Gloucester Cheese

Sprouted Chickpea Hummus

Blue Cheese and Gram Flour Biscuits

Chicory

Creamed Chicory Soup with Pink Pepper, Parsley Oil and Soft-boiled Egg

Chicory and Goat’s Cheese Puff Pastry Pie

Braised Chicory with Butter and Lemon Juice

Cobnuts

Squirrel with Cobnuts and Walnuts

Pheasant Halves Stuffed with Cobnuts, Bread and Butter

Cobnut and Watercress Salad with Potato Bread

Cobnut Ice

Cocoa

Flourless Cocoa Cake

Courgettes

Courgettes with Garlic Butter

Courgette Shavings with Olive Oil, Lemon, Pistachio, Basil and Chives

Crab

Potted Crab

Crab Broth

Crab with Spelt

Crab and Mustard Omelette

Crayfish

Boiled Crayfish with Watercress and Egg Sauce

Crayfish-scented Broth with Trout and Rice

Cucumber

Hot Spiced Cucumber

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Mint, Yoghurt and Green Chilli

Proper Cucumber Sandwiches

Damsons

Damsons, Boiled Gingerbread and Lemon Cream

Damson Gin

Eggs

Eggs in Jelly with Tarragon

Poached Eggs with Rainbow Chard and Pink Pepper

Soft-boiled Eggs, Raw Vegetable Crudités, Mayonnaises (Basil, Nasturtium and Chilli)

Elderflower

Elderflower Fritters

Elderflower and Ginger Syllabub

Elderflower Syrup

Elderflower and Mead Marinade for Poultry

Faggots

Faggots and Watercress

Fried Faggots with Caper and Parsley Sauce

Figs

Breakfast Figs

Spiced Neck of Lamb with Figs

Baked Figs with Pear Purée

Goose

Roast Goose with Apples and Blackberry Jelly

Cold Goose and Wild Rice

Cold Goose and Cucumber

Goose Fat

Gooseberries

Gooseberry Sauce for Duck

Gooseberry Fool

The Local Table

Grouse

Roast Grouse

Grouse with Heather Honey Toast

Grouse Stock with Oat Groats and Bacon

Gurnard

Gurnard with Sweet and Sour Violet Aubergine and Celery

Fish Stock

Cockle, Potato and Garlic Hotpot

Haddock

Spiced Haddock Pasties

Baked Haddock Soup

Raw Haddock with Apples

Creamy Haddock Cakes

Ham and Gammon

Ham and Peas Dressed with Mayonnaise, Capers and Chives

Gammon and Lentil Broth

Honey

Greengage and Almond Tart with Honey Sauce

Honeycomb Cream with Hazelnut Meringue and Raspberries

John Dory

Spiced John Dory

Fried John Dory with Brown Butter, Parsley and Hazelnuts

Lamb and Mutton

Curried Lamb and Brown Lentil Broth

Lamb Braised with Thyme and Rosemary, Served with Egg Pasta

Skewered Spiced Mutton

Flatbreads

Barbecued Somerset Salt-marsh Mutton

Lamb Shoulder Steak with Broad Beans, Shallots and Mint

Lamb with Tomatoes and Garlic, Finished with Spring Vegetables

Leg of Mutton Slow-roasted with Woody Herbs, Butter and Hay

Shepherd’s Pie

Pistachio and Lamb Rice

Lamb stock

Langoustines

Langoustine Tartare with Hot Olive Oil

Langoustine Cocktail

Langoustine Stock

Langoustine Soup with Lemon Grass and Coconut

Lemons

Water Pudding

Leg of Hogget with Lemon

Lentils

A Lentil Store

Brown Lentils with Red Wine, Carrots and Thyme

Lentils and Rice

Mackerel

Grilled Mackerel

Cured Mackerel

Megrim Soles

Fried Megrim Sole

Mushrooms

Any-mushroom Soup

Mushroom Salad with Lemon, Parsley and Prawns

Mushrooms on Toast

Guinea Fowl Stuffed with Mushrooms, Groats and Herbs

Oats

Bircher Muesli

Haggis and Vegetables that are not Tatties and Neeps’

Oatcakes

Split Mealy Pudding, Scrambled Eggs and Cress

Olive Oil

Little Lemon and Olive Oil Cakes

Raisin, Currant and Sultana Pie in Olive Oil Pastry

Mayonnaise

The Lost Kitchen

Ox Tongue

Braised Tongue

Sandwiches

Hot Tongue with Potato Salad

Hash

Oysters

Grilled Oysters with Butter, Watercress, Celery and Aniseed

Partridges

Pot-roasted Partridges with Breadcrumbs

Partridge Legs

Partridge and Pears

Potted Partridge and Pistachio

Cold Partridge with Wood-roasted Peppers

Partridge Stock

Peas

Pea Stock

Pea Soup with Lettuce and Herbs

Pea and Wild Garlic Broth

Living Pea Salad with Mint

Pea Pies

Pheasant

Bacon-wrapped Pheasant

Stir-fried Pheasant with Ginger and Black Beans

Pheasant Stock

Cold Pheasant with Chickpeas, Pine Nuts, Aubergine and Mint

Pistachio Nuts

Pistachio Biscuits

Pistachio and Lamb Rice

Pomegranates