by Dan
Ingredients
Method
by Dan
Ingredients
Method
by Dan
Ingredients
Method
Wilted Greens
by Dan
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Serves: 10
Ingredients
Method
Recipe by Jane Baxter – demonstrator of ESSE electric range cookers at Humble by Nature.
by Dan
The ESSE EC4i fan oven cooks Tim Maddams’ garlic and focaccia perfectly. Learn how with this mouth-watering instruction video.
by Dan
This is one of my favourite recipes. The sharp-sweet quality of cider helps make this old-fashioned apple butter a sensational fruity spread to daub over hot buttered toast or crumpets making it a wonderful wintertime teatime treat.
Makes
5-6 x 225g jars
Ingredients
Method
There is no need to peel or core the apples. However, if you’re using windfalls (and this is a very good recipe in which to do so) cut away any damaged or bruised bits. Chop the apples into fairly big pieces (about 8 to each apple). Place in large pan with the cider and 600ml water. Cook gently until soft, then remove from the heat.
Push the apple mixture through a nylon sieve or use a mouli to reduce it to a puree. Weigh the fruit pulp and return to the cleaned-out pan, adding 340g sugar for every 600g fruit pulp.
Add the cloves and cinnamon. Slowly bring to boiling point, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Rapidly boil for 10-15 minutes until the mixture begins to splutter and is thick and creamy.
Remove from the heat and pour immediately into warm jars (it’s best to use small jars as this low-sugar preserve has a relatively short shelf life, once opened).
Seal immediately. Use within 12 months and store in the fridge once opened.
by Dan
Cooking Mackerel using the ESSE Gas Cat cooker as seen on Channel 4’s River Cottage
by Dan
This is not a smooth blended soup, but a broth packed full of little pieces of root veg. Their flavours remain more distinct this way, which is very pleasing. Enriched with plenty of smoky bacon and finished with grated cheese, this is a fabulous, sustaining, salt-of-the-earth sort of dish. Make sure you cut the vegetables small, and keep the pieces all the same size.
Serves
Four people
Ingredients
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and sweat gently until the fat runs and the bacon starts to turn golden. Add the chopped onion and sweat gently for another 10-15 minutes, or until soft and golden.
Add all the diced root vegetables, cover the pan and let the whole mixture sweat and soften for 10 minutes or so. Then add the stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until all the veg are tender. Taste the soup and season accordingly.
Ladle into warmed bowls, top each with a little pile of grated cheese and serve straight away, with some thick pieces of toast.
by Dan
This fantastic rather usual vegetable makes the delicious soup.
Serves
Four people
Ingredients
Method
In a large heavy based pan sweat the vegetables in the butter until soft.
Now add the stock, bring the soup to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 – 30 mins.
Liquidise the soup until smooth and creamy.
Return the soup to the pan and place back over a medium heat. Season well and stir in the cream.
The soup is ready to eat.
by Dan
Fish Stock
Demonstrated by River Cottage Chef, Andy Tyrell, using an ESSE CAT Gas Cooking Range
This is our basic fish stock, a light, well-flavoured broth that we use as a base for all manner of soups, plus sauces and risottos. It’s particularly good in ‘green’ soups – watercress, nettle or parsley, for example – even if no fish is being added to the soup.
Get into the habit of freezing all your white fish trimmings and you can soon build up a good stash for making stock. You can use the entire fish frame: bones, skin, head and tail – anything that’s not guts or gills. Not only is this good, thrifty cooking but making your own stock also gives you control over its flavour. Indeed, this recipe is only a guide. The more fish bits you pack into the pot, for instance, the more intense your stock will be. You can vary the vegetables too: trimmings of fennel bulbs, celeriac and shallots are all good candidates for inclusion.
The golden rule: all the fish trimmings must be scrupulously fresh (or fresh when they were frozen). A fish that only just passes the sniff test might have fillets that are just about worthy of the frying pan, but its bones will not be worthy of the stockpot.
Ingredients
Makes about 1.5 litres
Method
Rinse the fish trimmings in cold water and put them in a large stockpot with all the other ingredients. Pack them in fairly well and add just enough cold water to cover everything. Bring up to a very gentle simmer. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface, then cover the pan and simmer for half an hour, taking care that the stock doesn’t boil fast at any point. A gentle, popping simmer is all that is necessary – overcooking or boiling can make the stock cloudy and chalky tasting.
Let the stock cool slightly before straining it into a container. You can use it straight away, or refrigerate it for up to 2 days, or freeze it.
by Dan
River cottage recipe for ESSE slow roasted shoulder of lamb.
Lamb studded with rosemary, garlic and anchovies – learn with Gill Meller.
by Dan
This recipe for my little hotplate pancakes is quick, easy and delicious. I use self raising flour which means they rise slightly on cooking, the result being lighter and more textured than traditional pancakes.
This recipe can be customised in many ways. Adding different flavours and spices is part of the fun. For instance, grating a little blue cheese into the batter and serving them with thick slices of roast ham would make a beautiful Sunday night supper. Alternatively adding some cinnamon and a little chopped apple to the batter would make a perfect desert, served hot with vanilla ice cream.
Cooking these pancakes directly on the plate is immensely satisfying and not at all messy. You can make big ones or small, it’s up to you.
I keep a tea towel by my ESSE for cleaning up the plate. Giving it a good firm rub will polish it up perfectly for cooking on.
Serves
Makes around 15 hot cakes depending on size
Ingredients
Method
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and stir in the caster sugar. Make a well in the flour and break the eggs into the middle. Pour in about half the milk. Whisk, gently at first, and then as you start to get a thick paste, add the more milk and the melted butter. Beat until you get a good, thick creamy batter – you might not need all the milk.
Lift the lid on the right hand plate. Check the temperature, the dial should be reading in the middle of hot. Use a spoon to dollop the batter directly onto the clean plate. You should be able to fit 3 – 4 on at a time depending on the size. After about a minute, little bubbles will start to appear on the surface of the cakes. As soon as they cover the surface, flip them over with a spatula or thin palette knife.
Cook the other side for a further minute or so, then transfer them to a warm plate and cover them with a clean tea towel so they stay soft – or hand over to those waiting eagerly to get stuck in. Cook the remaining batter in the same way, adjusting the area on which you’re cooking over if they are getting too brown too quickly.
Note: For the savoury variation omit the sugar before adding your cheese or chopped bacon or sauté onion etc.
Serve with: Butter and caster sugar, strawberry jam, honey, lemon curd or anything you like.
by Dan
Cooking bread in the Esse is an absolute joy. I love it. I don’t bother with loaf tins I just shape the bread, give it a final prove and get it straight on the floor of the hot oven. Cooking it this way gives the most fantastic crust with a deeper, well developed flavour.
You’ll need to crank the oven up high bread; the higher part of ‘very hot’ is good.
This is my standard loaf that I make at home.
Serves
N/A
Ingredients
Method
Combine the flour, yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and, with one hand, mix to a rough dough. Adjust the consistency if you need to, with a little more flour or water, to make a soft, easily kneadable, sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and clean your hands.
Knead until the dough is smooth, stretchy and no longer sticky – about 10 minutes. Shape the dough into a tight round. Oil the surface of the dough, put it in the wiped-out mixing bowl, cover the bowl with cling film and leave to ferment and rise until doubled in size, which should take about an hour.
Pre-heat the oven get the dial up to very hot. Deflate the dough by tipping it onto the work surface and pressing all over with your hands.
Divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Shape into nice even rounds, coat with whole meal flour and Leave to prove for a further 30 minutes, or until nearly doubled in size.
Use a bread knife the gently score the loaves across their tops, this will help them to rise in the oven. Make sure your oven floor is clean and free of racks. Carefully lift each loaf and place on the floor of the oven, being careful not to burn yourself as you go.
Cook for 40 to 50 minutes, until well coloured. Remove the loaves and cool on a wire rack.
by Dan
Serves
Four people
Ingredients
Method
Set a medium sized pan over the hotter of the plates; (make sure it has a lid that fits it snugly). Add the wine, water and bring to the simmer. Throw in the scrubbed mussels. Toss them around the pan and replace the lid. They should open within a minute.
When the mussels are just opening remove them from the pan and set aside until they are cool enough for you to pick the meat from the shell.
Set a medium sized pan over the hotter plate. Add a splash of olive oil followed by the sliced garlic and sauté, just as it’s starting to colour throw in the washed chard and wilt it with the garlic for 2- 3 mins.
To make the Béchamel – melt the butter in a medium sized pan.
When it’s foaming add the flour and stir well. Combine the cooking liquor from the mussels with enough milk to give you 500 ml of liquid. Warm this in a pan and pour over the roux mixing all the time until it is smooth and creamy. Cook the béchamel for 4- 5 mins before removing from the heat.
Fry the shallots in a little olive oil over a medium heat until soft and golden.
Fold the shallots, picked mussels and cooked roughly chopped chard in to the béchamel.
Season with freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Divide the mixture between 4 shallow oven proof dishes. Top with bread crumbs and cheese if you like and trickle over a little olive oil. Bake in the middle of the top oven reading middle of very hot, for 10 – 12 mins or until golden and bubbling.
Serve with crusty bread and butter.
by Dan
Serves
Six people
Ingredients
For the short crust
For the filling
Method
To make the short crust
Place the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and pulse to a bread crumb consistency.
Add the egg yolk followed by the milk in a gradual stream.
Stop as soon as the doe comes together.
Turn out and knead a couple of times.
Wrap and chill in the fridge for half an hour.
Roll out the pastry and line your tart case. Leave the edges over hanging. (You can cut these off later. I find this eliminates the need for baking beans)
Prick the base with a fork and bake blind for about 15 mins on the floor of the top oven reading ‘HOT’. (This will help to dry out the pastry base) or until the base is dry but not coloured. Trim the edges.
The filling
Blanch the nettle tips in boiling water for 2 mins. Remove and refresh in a large bowl of iced water. Drain and squeeze excess water from the nettles.
Roughly chop the nettles. Melt the butter in a pan over heat and soften, lightly colour the onion, chilli and garlic. Add the chopped nettles and season with lemon juice salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Spoon the filling into the tart case, top with the cheese.
Combine your eggs and yolks with the cream and season to taste.
Fill the tart case with the custard.
Bake straight away at 180c for about half an hour.
The custard should be just set when you shake the tin.
Allow it to cool before you eat it. It’s much better then.
by Dan
A firm River Cottage favourite. It ranks up there with fish pie for comfort food but, as it’s a bit more stylish and doesn’t have any potato in it, we serve it as a starter course. Be careful not to overcook the fish, it really only takes about 5 minutes.
Serves
Four to six people
Ingredients
Shortcrust pastry
Filling
Method
To make the pastry, put the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and pulse until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, start the processor again and start adding the milk in a thin stream. Watch carefully and stop adding the milk as soon as the dough comes together. Tip out of the processor, knead a couple of times to create a smooth ball of dough, then wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170/gas 3/ESSE dial reading MODERATE. Roll out the pastry thinly and use to line a 25cm-diameter tart tin with a removable base. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the edge.
Prick the base in several places with a fork. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the pastry looks dry and cooked. Remove from the oven, brush the pastry with beaten egg, then return to the oven and bake until golden (about 5 minutes). This helps to seal the pastry and prevent any of the tart filling leaking out. Trim off the excess pastry with a small, very sharp knife. Leave the oven at 170/gas 3/ESSE dial reading MODERATE.
Put the pollack in a pan and pour over enough milk to just cover it. Bring the milk to a simmer. Taking care not to let the milk boil, cook the fish just until it will come apart in flakes – about 5 minutes. Remove the fish from the milk and leave to cool. Don’t discard the milk – strain it and set aside.
While the pollack is cooling, heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the onions. Fry gently, without letting them brown, until soft. Drop the spinach into a pan of boiling water and cook until wilted. Drain and, once cool enough to handle, squeeze dry and chop.
Flake the pollack into a bowl and add the grated cheddar, onions and spinach. Mix well, then put the mixture into the tart case. Mix 250ml of the strained fish poaching milk with the cream and eggs. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the pollack mixture.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until set and browned. Serve warm or cold.
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