Pug's Kitchen

This second lockdown has been tough for everyone – the days are shorter, the nights are longer and the temperature is lower. All in all it’s been a bit of a grim experience.

The highlight has been my social bubble – those friends who have helped me navigate the past month with love, laughter, long walks in the park and Zoom calls to die for.

I made this hotpot for the one Social Bubble Buddy I was allowed to meet indoors. I’m trying to be good with my money to make it last longer while looking for work, so I’m creating dishes that can feed many people for at least two days.

This recipe is an absolute belter – it has minimal ingredients, is easy to put together and tastes great heated up as leftovers. And it’s best to use the cheaper cuts of lamb – you’re going to cook this for an age so they’ll soften up nicely while tasting superb.

For all you purists out there, this is not a Lancashire Hotpot which has kidneys in it – my last experience with those still has me traumatised.

Music to listen to while preparing this dish: ‘Spooky’ by Dusty Springfield

Ingredients

• 900g Lamb, cut into small chunks
• 2 Large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 Large potatoes, thinly sliced
• 3 Sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• 1L Hot lamb stock
• Flour for dusting
• Salt and pepper
• Butter

Method

1. Heat your oven to 170 fan and generously grease a large casserole dish with butter.
2. Lightly dust the lamb with the flour – you want a delicate coating, not a smothering.
3. Now’s the time to start your layering – start with a layer of potatoes, then your lamb, then half your thyme, then half the onions. Remember to season each layer as you go. Each layer should be packed with lamb and onions.
4. Repeat the process ending with an artistically arranged layer of potatoes. Dot the top layer with generous amounts of butter.
5. Gently pour in your hot stock – the fluid should just nip the heels of your top layer, not drown it.
6. Cover your casserole and cook for three hours. Remove the lid for the last hour so the spuds crisp up (mine was a little pale). If your potatoes start to catch, push down with a spoon to coat them with a little lamb liquor.

Serve with a Wilfrid Rousse Chinon Clos de la Roche – tasty but not too heavy.

There are three things about this dish you need to consider before preparing it:

1. Apologise to all your Italian friends for the liberty you are about to take with a national dish.
2. It looks like a Vesta curry from the 1970s but tastes amazing.
3. It’s better the day after – the spices mellow and warm into each other beautifully.

This was born out of a desperate scramble for a curry with the contents of my reasonably stocked cupboards, my spice rack and the left over roast chicken from the night before. I love using arborio rice for big-hitting flavours as it absorbs them well and carries them delightfully. While I apologise for brutalising Italy’s national dish, I make no such apology for the pleasure I take in eating the end results.

Spices are a personal matter – for my mood I wanted some fire without the ensuing eruptions the morning after so I balanced fresh ginger, curry powder, white pepper, garam masala and a medium chilli… just the one. To balance the spices I used some coconut cream – it really toned the heat while adding a dash of luxury. 

It’s your curry, you decide the spices you want.

Music to listen to while preparing this dish: ‘Big Time Sensuality’ by Björk

Ingredients

• Leftover roast chicken, shredded
• 500g Arborio rice
• 1 Onion finely chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, finely grated
• 2” Fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1tsp White pepper
• 1tbsp Garam masala
• 1tbsp Mild curry powder
• 1 Green chilli, thinly sliced
• 1.5 litres Hot chicken stock
• 1 Small can coconut cream
• 1 Small bunch of coriander, finely chopped
• Oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Gently warm a really good glug of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and gently sauté the onions, seasoning with salt.
2. After around five minutes they should be golden and translucent – at this point add the garlic and fresh ginger and fry for a further two minutes.
3. Next add the white pepper, garam masala, curry powder and green chilli and mix well. Cook the mix down over a gentle heat for a good three minutes.
4. Add your rice to the pan and mix well. You may think you won’t be able to coat all the rice, but stick at it and all will come good.
5. Now it’s time to add your stock – gradually. When the rice has absorbed the first pour of stock, add the next – think a ladle at a time and stir continuously. Do not rush this stage – the more attention you pay at this stage, the smoother and more velvety your risotto will be. You may not use all your stock, it really does depend on the rice you have.
6. After around 20 mins your risotto should be done. When you test it, the sensation should be al dente, not chalky. If it’s a little gritty still, keep adding stock.
7. Once it is done, add your shredded chicken and coriander and stir through (saving some coriander for garnish). Reduce the heat to low and cook through for five mins. Then stir through your coconut cream.
8. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 10-15mins. Serve with the last of your coriander as garnish.

Serve with a lightly chilled Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma

So two things have happened in the past few weeks – we’ve entered the autumn period and we’ve entered another lockdown. So it means two things… The apple harvest is in and we need comfort food. And this is where Sarah comes in…

I first met Sarah during one of my walkabouts when I worked at RICS on Parliament Square. The purpose of these walkabouts is to put a human face to me, the digital editor, to get to know the people using the tech I harnessed and to get a little bit of gossip.

And Sarah was a delight…. Smokey voiced, all-knowing eyes and a laugh that promised a filthy joke or two. Think Emma Peel in the Avengers… of the Chartered Surveying world. In short, she’s a marvel. She’s also the Flamini this recipe is named after.

Our career paths took us in different directions – me to Syco and her to an orchard in the country where she is doyenne of several apple varieties, some ancient and some old favourites. So when she put out a call for who wanted the fruits of her hard work, I volunteered.  The next day I was the proud owner of a tray of Bramleys, an assortment of rarer varieties and a litter of quinces (currently being made into an alcoholic brew by a friend).

I’ve been busy with these apples – I’ve made crumble, I’ve made stewed apples and I have shared the spoils with my neighbours. But I wanted something that would keep, something cakey, something for elevenses so I headed back to basics and made apple cake… and it’s delicious.

It’s not refined, it’s not light, it’s a no-brainer for people like me who find desserts a challenge. For this recipe I went heavy on the fruit, if you want a lighter sponge-type cake, remove one of the apples and one of the eggs. Everything else remains the same.

Music to listen to while preparing this dish: ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ by Republica

Ingredients

• 300g Self Raising flour
• 150g Sugar (plus extra for dusting)
• 125g Unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 4 Medium Bramley apples, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 2 pieces of stem ginger roughly chopped
• 1tsp Ground ginger

Method

1. Heat your oven to 180º and liberally grease a lasagne dish.
2. Combine the flour, sugar and ground ginger in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the apples and stem ginger and mix to evenly distributed.
4. Add the melted butter and eggs and mix till all the ingredients are well combined. You should have a thick heavy batter. If it’s a little dry, add a splash of milk. Use a large metal spoon if you have one.
5. Press this into your greased dish, sprinkle with your extra sugar (and cinnamon if feeling decadent) and bake for 35-40mins.

This is for Elevenses… that very English meal at 11am where the only drink option is a Cup of Builder’s Tea.

This meal started out very differently… it wasn’t meant to be with chicken at all. It was meant to be with kidneys.

I pride myself on eating everything at least once, but I failed miserably this time. I cleaned the kidneys impeccably but when it came to cooking them I started to retch. The smell, like frying a urinal cake, became too much. I had to stop the cooking and get rid of the kidneys (I hate waste) and put the rubbish out straight away. 

It didn’t stop there… the smell lingered in my tiny kitchen/living room… I ‘Shake & Vac’ed’ the carpet, wiped the walls down and scrubbed my chopping board to an inch of its existence. It wasn’t how I saw my night going…

I swear with an ill wind I can still smell them.

So when all else fails, resort to chicken thighs and for this dish they work exceptionally well. You’ll want to serve these with potatoes (or fried polenta) so you can mop up as much of the tangy sauce as possible. If you can’t get the tarragon mustard, use an extra dessert spoon of dijon and a heaped tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon. This will serve two.

Music to listen to while preparing this dish: ‘Ballroom Blitz’ by Sweet

Ingredients

• 6 Chicken thighs (skinless/boneless)
• 2tbsp dried mixed herbs
• Juice of 1 lemon diluted with a good splash of water
• 200ml Crème fraîche
• 1dstspn Dijon Mustard
• 1dstspn Wholegrain Mustard
• 1dstspn Tarragon Mustard
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Fry the chicken thighs on a medium-high heat, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over half your mixed herbs. Fry for about 8 minutes to get a good colour on them.
2. Once golden, turn the thighs and sprinkle over the remaining herbs. Once the underside has a good colour return them to their normal position. Gently pour in the lemon/water mix and gently shake the thighs to deglaze the pan a little.
3. Cover and simmer in the lemon mix for about 20 minutes, reducing the heat if need be.
4. After about 20 minutes your thighs will be cooked and you should have a thick syrupy sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and put the thighs to one side to rest, covered, while you whip up the sauce.
5. In your still-warm pan add the mustards and the crème fraîche and mix well over a medium-low heat. I used a pan-friendly whisk but a wooden spoon will do.
6. Once the sauce is combined and warmed through, decant into a sauce boat… it’s now ready to pour over your chicken once it’s plated.

This is quite tangy so splash out on a full-bodied white to balance it out… a Clos Saint Michel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape should do the trick.

There is one universal truth – we all love the nibbles at a dinner party. The variety of tastes, textures and combinations often outshine the main event.

There’s an even greater truth about nibbles. No one likes to make them. They’re a pain, they’re finickity and if you’ve spent hours making them you eye them with a deep contempt usually reserved for the washing up.

So to deliver on the first and not the second of these truths, I conjured up these little tubs of delight while we hosted Gillian and Peter for a meal during our staycation in Whitstable.

Gillian is my former boss and now firm friend; we share a love of food, wine and the odd filthy joke. She’s also an inspiration; that gentle tinkling you may hear every now and then? That’s the glass ceiling that Gillian keeps breaking. It’s always a pleasure to host the pair of them – even more so in these odd times.

The joy of these nibbles is there’s no cooking involved, it’s just assembly and presentation. And these little beauties really do look the part – simply arranged on a board in unison they tempt as much as they delight.

You’ll need a few specific items which I have linked in the ingredients list below, a wooden board to present them on and a teaspoon to fill them. The most important component is the croustade (pictured at the end) – you’ll find these, oddly enough, in the aisle with the cheese crackers.

Music to listen to while preparing this dish: ‘Crying at the Discoteque’ by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Ingredients

• 1 pack of Rahms 24 mini croustades
• 200g Smoked trout
• 1 tub Paysan Breton Cream Cheese French with Sea Salt
• 1 jar Elsinore Salmon Caviar
• Black pepper

Method

1. Finely chop your smoked trout.
2. Using your teaspoon, assemble each of the croustades in the following order: Trout, Cheese, Pepper, Caviar.
3. The cheese layer should be flush with the top of the croustade with the caviar rising a little above.

Serve immediately with an ice cold Barnsole 2016 Classic Sparkling Wine… let’s keep it local.

Look out for: Rahms Croustades

I have a Love-Hate relationship with my flat. I love it but I hate the four floors I have to climb to get into it. A spiral staircase, at night, after some merriment is a challenge. You think you’ve made it and then you realise there is ONE MORE FLOOR.

My flat is a garret on one of the prettiest roads in central London. It’s a Victorian block on a road lined with interior design shops, there’s a farmers market on a Saturday and a few good pubs right on my doorstep. I have a tin roof and triple height windows throughout. I’ve also got some great neighbours – as London gets more anonymous, I take comfort in the fact I know my neighbours and they know me.

I ended up here by accident – a series of unfortunate break-ups and house moves meant I had to find something quick and immediate. This flat fell into my lap. But unknown to me at the time, I have history here… quite a bit.

While my dad was ill we talked about his time in London, my time in London and then he casually dropped in that he managed the Victoria Wine shop on Ebury Street. That’s the street that runs parallel to mine. The street that I can see (in winter when the leaves are gone) from the desk I am typing this on. And if I crane my neck, I can see the shop my father used to work in (now an estate agent).

In the summer, this flat gets hot…. very hot, so I take to the balcony (really an open staircase) to drink in the view and drink something to cool me down. It’s often too hot for wine, way too hot for cocktails and unfortunately I’m not a great beer drinker… so I created this cooler to slake my thirst.

It’s a long drink, made of three simple ingredients which together produce an earthy, elegant and crisp cooler that takes seconds to make and a good while to drink. Perfect for those long summer evenings (or those shorter winter ones). 

So this is The Belgravia – my tribute to the area that has been so good to me for a decade.

Music to listen to while making this cocktail: ‘Don’t let me down, gently’ by The Wonder Stuff

Ingredients

• 50ml Bourbon
• 150ml Tonic water (don’t use slimline, it’s artificially sweet and ruins the balance of the drink)
• 3 large sprigs of mint (plus one for decoration)
• Ice

Method

1. In a shaker, muddle the mint and the bourbon.
2. Shake with a heap of ice.
3. Strain into a tumbler filled with ice, add your tonic and gently stir. 
4. Garnish with mint

I was hoping to share a recipe for an apricot and lemon thyme tarte tatin this week… with the memories evoked of Provence, rosé in the sun and the hope of a holiday in the south of France with the Clarke-Brown family. Fate had other plans…

Instead my efforts turned my kitchen into a wasteland thick with the whiff of burnt sugar… yep, I burnt one batch of caramel, used salted butter in another and when I did get it right I dropped the tatin when I tried to flip it over. In short … I’m not trying that again.

So, instead you are getting another chicken dish for the BBQ. I’m a big fan of cooking outdoors even if the weather is a bit dodgy and this recipe is real comfort food. It doesn’t give you crispy skin – think of it more of a quick cook casserole that produces a really moist chicken with a deeply rich and satisfyingly garlicky sauce with minimal effort.

Music to listen to while preparing this dish: ‘I drove all night’ by Céline Dion

Ingredients

• 1 Medium chicken
• 2 Large onions, quartered
• 1 Large bulb garlic cut in half horizontally
• 1 Large bunch thyme
• Juice and flesh of 1 lemon
• 2 litres hot chicken stock (plus more to top up if necessary)

Method

1. First spatchcock the chicken by putting it breast-side down, with the legs towards you.
2. With a steady hand and your solid scissors cut up along each side of the parson’s nose – basically either side of the backbone. All that cracking and crunching you’ll feel is the rib bones breaking. Once you’r done, remove the backbone and keep it for stock.
3. Turn the bird over and flatten it. Be prepared for some more cracking.
4. Well done you! You’ve spatchcocked your first bird. Now put it in a BBQ-friendly roasting tin.
5. Arrange the dry ingredients around the chicken, ensuring you get even distribution.
6. Pour over the hot stock and add the lemon juice and flesh and seal tightly with tin foil.
7. Once the coals are ready, place the tin on your bbq and close the lid, ensuring the air vents are open.
8. After 1 hour remove the foil and check your liquid levels – they should be fine but if not, top up with a little stock. Foil off, close the lid of your BBQ.
9. After a further 30mins your chicken is ready to carve and your sauce should be thick and gooey.

Serve with steamed broccoli, a generous dollop of Dijon mustard and a hearty glass of Cuvée Saint Fructueux 2016.