Poaching, as a method of cooking meat, is sadly out of vogue, largely because of the slightly gelatinous, ‘Spam-like’ texture you get in high-collagen cuts like ox tongue, pressed brisket (corned beef) and cotechino, saveloy or zampone type sausages. It’s a bit like Marmite, I love it but it doesn’t seem to do it for most of the UK population. In Europe, where they have a firmer hold on their culinary traditions, it’s still commonly paired with something sharp like salsa verde or mustard. Think bollito misto, cotechino and lentils, or Austrian Tafelspitz.
But with a carefully poached chicken you get perfectly cooked, moist meat suitable for all manner of dishes and, if you give it a blast in a hot oven before serving, it becomes a very superior cheat’s roast, with the added bonus of a saucepan of delicious broth for whatever’s on the menu the next day. Gentle poaching is also the perfect way to cook a slightly more mature organic bird which, it pains me to admit, can be a little dry.
The key is to keep the liquid at a steady simmer (90–95°C) and, if you’re going for the cheat’s roast, to give the skin plenty of time to dry off. I did mine on the sous-vide function in my Instant Pot multi-cooker, but a saucepan and thermometer will work just as well. A tight-fitting lid, so the breasts can steam, is a must. To be extra safe, make a cartouche out of baking parchment.
Using cloves of confit garlic not only gives a lovely mellow garlic flavour, but also helps create a thicker, creamier mayonnaise. Traditionally, aioli was made without egg, making it more of a sauce than a mayonnaise and lacking the yolky yellow colour.
Shamelessly plagiarised and adapted from a recipe on the Riverford website, the combination of nutty brown rice and true spinach works a treat. Old Winchester and Parmesan breadcrumbs bring sweetness and crunch. Served by itself it’s a satisfyingly simple supper or add protein (bacon or ham for example) of your choice.
Using a good dollop of our lemon marmalade and lemon curd, this recipe will turn your excess of leftover hot cross buns into a delicious dessert this Easter.
This rhubarb is almost too good for crumble. It shines when gently poached—just fresh fruit juice and sugar will do. The key is not to overcook it: two to three minutes is plenty. Like toasting pine nuts, turn away for a moment and it’s burnt/overdone! Serve with thick yoghurt and our BFS granola for a simple, elegant breakfast.
Tapas come in many guises, from simple tortilla to London-centric ‘picture on a plate’ restaurant creations but often in Spain, and also Chez Ben’s, they can just be a ladle of whatever is in the pot at the time. Spain has an abundance of bean stews and Fabada Asturiana is, without question, the best known – almost the paella of the north. It's as simple as they come but totally dependent on the quality of the meat ingredients. It's almost a religion and the packs of, ready to go, belly pork, morcilla and chorizo are available in every food shop (including Ben's Farm Shop). Complete authenticity requires fabes de la granja (large dried runner beans) and a lightly smoked, semi cured morcilla (black pudding), chorizo and thick slices of salted belly pork. In damp Asturia, they smoke all their preserved meats in the chimney. The morcilla is the only one that keeps it’s form when cooked so definitely isn't interchangeable. The real deal beans are expensive and hard to find so most people, including me, substitute fava/butter/judion beans. It's important to stir as gently and little as possible to keep the beans intact.
The end result isn't exactly short of flavour but the extremely inauthentic mojo picon adds a little body to what can be a pretty thin broth. As with all these dishes, a slow cooker is ideal.
First Nation people were baking beans, sweetened with maple syrup, a long time before the Pilgrim Fathers arrived. A rum distilling industry soon developed in New England so the maple syrup was swapped for molasses or black treacle and Boston Baked Beans were born. It’s hard to imagine that tinned baked beans came from anywhere else. They were the first thing I cooked after my mother shipped me off to university with a slow cooker and a copy of Jocasta Innes’s Pauper’s Cookbook and they’ve remained a firm favourite ever since.
Pumpkins aren't just for October. Bring the taste of autumn into your Christmas kitchen with this candied pumpkin recipe that also doubles as a unique present. Packed in a jar with a ribbon or gift bag, it's a charming homemade gift full of natural sweetness and spice.
This classic Normandy apple and almomd tarte is somewhere between apple and frangipane - using a custard with the ground almonds forming a top crust. Almond flour tends to be a little too uniformly fine so I’d recommend blitzing some flaked almonds in the food processor.
Published in Robert Freson's 'A Taste of France', 1983.