Wild Alaska Pollock And Prawn Pancakes

by

Why not add a twist to your normal pancake repertoire, by making these scrumptious savoury pancakes? They’re made by simply adding flakes of Pollock and prawns to a creamy cheese and herb sauce that’s perfect for filling home-made pancakes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 400g smoked wild Alaska Pollock

Pancakes:

  • 100g plain flour
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium egg
  • 300ml milk
  • Vegetable oil for cooking

Sauce:

  • 300ml milk
  • 40g butter
  • 40g plain flour
  • 100g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 75g cooked peeled prawns
  • 1tbsp chopped fresh parsley, dill or chives

Method

  1. Put the smoked Pollock in a frying pan and cover with water. Heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the fish is cooked. The flesh should be opaque and should flake easily. Drain and cool, then flake into large chunks. Set aside.
  2. To make the pancakes, put the flour, a little seasoning and egg in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the milk to make a smooth batter.
  3. Heat a medium heavy-based frying pan and add a few drops of oil. Pour in a ladleful of the batter, swirl the pan to make a thin pancake and cook for 1-2 minutes, turning halfway through until golden and cooked. Transfer to a warmed plate and repeat to make a total of 8 pancakes.
  4. To make the sauce, put the milk, butter and flour in a pan. Heat, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened. Add the cheese and stir to melt. Add the Pollock, prawns, seasoning to taste and most of the herbs. Heat gently then use to fill the pancakes. Sprinkle with the remaining herbs to serve.

Get Ahead!

The pancakes can be made ahead and placed in a large greased baking dish. Cover with foil and chill. Reheat in the oven at 180°C/Esse Dial Guide MODERATE. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of MODERATE or very low end of HOT) for about 10 minutes.

Parma Ham Pitta Pizzas

by

I enjoy a meal prepared for me at home. My own children came up with this real winner a couple of years ago… a pizza made with a ready-made base but imaginative topping that can be on the table I next to no time. They used naan bread instead of pitta for theirs but both work fabulously well.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 8 tsp regular or sun-dried tomato puree
  • 8 mini or 4 large white or wholemeal pitta breads
  • 4 medium tomatoes, sliced
  • 2 tsp dried Italian mixed herbs
  • 100g mozzarella cheese, grated
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 black or green olives
  • 8 slices Parma ham
  • basil leaves, to garnish

Method

  1. Preheat the grill to medium/hot or the oven if necessary to 190°C/Esse Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the low end of HOT).
  2. Divide and spread the tomato puree evenly over one side of each pitta bread. Arrange on the grill rack or on a baking tray and top with the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with the mixed herbs, grated mozzarella and pepper to taste.
  3. Grill for 3-4 minutes or bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Top with olives and Parma ham. Scatter over a few basil leaves and serve at once.

Variation

Parma Ham and Pesto Pitta Pizzas: Prepare as above but replace the tomato puree with red or green pesto and omit the dried Italian mixed herbs.

Warm Jersey Royal Salad With Seared Mackerel

by

Here is a fish dish that is perfect for Good Friday eating or great for a simple mid-week supper. Jersey Royal potatoes are simply unbeatable when available in the Spring but any other waxy potato can be used when out of season. A mixed baby leaf salad makes a fine accompaniment.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 450g Jersey Royal potatoes, scrubbed
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp snipped chives
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • olive oil
  • 4 fillets fresh mackerel
  • lemon wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Place the Jersey Royals in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 15-25 minutes (depending upon size). Drain and cut any large potatoes into bitesized pieces.
  2. Add the spring onions, chives, mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste and gently fold together. Keep warm while cooking the mackerel.
  3. Lightly smear a frying pan with olive oil and heat until hot. Add the mackerel fillets, skin-side down, reduce the heat to a gentle sizzle and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Flip over, season to taste and cook for a further minute or until the fish is cooked. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for 2 minutes.
  4. To serve, place a portion of the warmed potato salad in the centre of 4 plates. Top each with a mackerel fillet. Serve at once with wedges of lemon to squeeze over the fish.

Tip

This dish needs nothing more than a simple baby leaf salad accompaniment. Consider leaves of watercress, corn salad, rocket, chard or spinach tossed in a citrusy lemon dressing.

Pissaladiere

by

The French obviously invented pizza and this is about as good as it gets.

Paired with a Provençal Rose, this is just a match made in heaven. Using the dough recipe I previously gave you wonderful ESSE devotees, you can prepare this recipe in advance and do the two-day prove. If you aren’t that patient – or organised – you can add more yeast to the dough and make this in a day.

For the topping you need:

  • 3 large Spanish onions or 15 shallots
  • 1-2 tins of anchovies in olive oil
  • Pitted black olives
  • Fresh Thyme

Method

Peel the onions. Slice in half. Finely slice. Heat a knob of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Gently soften the onions. Stir from time to time. They don’t want to start crisping. Leave on a low heat. Add a little more oil or a drop of water if they need it. They need to soften until sweet.

For the dough:

  • 600g strong bread or pizza flour
  • 350ml water
  • 7g fast action dried yeast
  • 8-10g salt
  • Olive oil

Method

  1. Knead the dough by hand or in a mixer until smooth. Leave in a large bowl or tub greased with a good glug of olive oil and covered with a lid.
  2. Let it prove all day at room temperature. If it is bubbling too much, turn it out onto a floured surface, ball and place in the fridge covered with a damp cloth until a couple of hours before you use it.
  3. Pull out of fridge. Re-ball your dough. Leave to get to room temperature for the first hour. In the second hour the balls should relax and go soft enough to open like a pizza base. Flour a surface.
  4. Open ball and work in a circular motion from the middle outwards until you have your pizza base. Slide it on to greaseproof paper to add toppings. Heat your ESSE to 240˚C (Top Oven – Very Hot) or get your pizza stone out.
  5. Layer your softened onions, then cross your anchovies, slit your black olives and scatter a little thyme.
  6. Cook in your ESSE for 10 minutes or until golden. You should get two large pissaladiere pizzas from the amount of dough in the recipe.

Recipe by Miranda Rose Shearer

Wild Leek and Garlic Rarebit

by

ESSE Recipes March – A Welsh Spring
This cheeky twist is a classic, simple and easy to make but such a winner it has to be done.

Ingredients

  • Bread for toast
  • 100g Organic mature cheddar type cheese
  • 50g Organic butter
  • Either a handful of wild leeks and wild garlic or some well shredded and very well washed organic leeks.
  • 50g Organic plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon English (Or Welsh!) mustard
  • 1 pt Local dark beer
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Wash and chop whatever veg you have decided to use, in this case I will be using 3 cornered leeks and wild garlic. Briefly fry them with the butter in a sauce pan and then add the flour to make a roux, add the mustard and then add the beer a little at a time to make a very thick sauce. Beat in the cheese until a smooth paste is formed. Season very well and set aside.

Toast bread, place mixture on the bread and grill under a hot grill or in a fierce oven, the Fire Stone would work very well here. As a variation you could do this as a folded pizza?

Leek and Potato Soup

by

Serves

Four people

Ingredients

  • The white of 4 leeks sliced about 500g in total (Save the green tops for a stock)
  • 300g white sliced potatoes
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 50g butter
  • 1.5 ltrs Vegetable, chicken or fish stock
  • 250 ml cream
  • Salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • Small bunch of chives

Method

Leeks can often be gritty. They need washing well. Do this by splitting each leek from tip to tail. Run each half under the cold tap making sure to rinse them well up around the tops. You can remove the outer layer if necessary. Slice the leeks.

Peel and slice the potatoes to about 5mm thick, peel and slice the garlic cloves.

Pull out your favourite soup pan, put it on a medium heat add the butter and allow to foam. Add the prepared vegetables to the pan. Cook for 10 – 15 mins until soft but not coloured.

Add the stock (a good fish stock works particularly well here) to the soup base. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 mins until potato is cooked.

Puree soup well until smooth and creamy. I find that jug blenders are the best tool for this job.

Return the soup to the pan. Add the cream, salt, pepper and chopped chives.

Bring gently back to the simmer.

Serve with buttered bread and slabs of cheese. Or iced, like a classic vichyssoise with 1/2 dozen Oysters on the side.

Potatoes, Bacon, Onion and Parsley

by

This simple but deep flavoured salad works well with larger white potatoes as well.

Serves

Six People

Ingredients

  • 1 kg new potatoes well scrubbed
  • 350 good organic streaky bacon or pancetta
  • 2 large onions peeled and thinly sliced from tip to root
  • 2 cloves of garlic peeled and slivered
  • 1 massive handful of fresh coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 Tbls of olive oil

Method

Par boil the potatoes until just tender but not completely.

Heat a very large frying pan over the hot plate. Add the olive oil followed by the bacon fry until just starting to colour (2 mins max) add the onions and turn down the heat or move to the lower plate.

Sauté for 5 – 6 mins throw in the potatoes and cook for 10 – 20 more minutes.

Season well to taste.

Throw in the parsley, toss well and bring to the table.

Eat with bread, a little olive oil and some fresh tomatoes.

Singapore Vegetable Chow Mein

by

This is a tasty noodle dish where the vegetables are flavoured with ginger, garlic and a touch of curry powder. A good vegetarian option it can also suit meat eaters if two finely sliced or shredded duck breasts are added to the mixture at the last stage of cooking with the noodles.

Serves

4 people

Ingredients

  • 250g egg noodles
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 red pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
  • 100g shitake mushrooms, wiped and sliced
  • 75g mangetout
  • 75g spring onions, sliced
  • 100g bean sprouts
  • 1/2 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tbsp medium curry powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp crushed chillies
  • 1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
  • 5 tsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)

Methods

  1. Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and rinse.
  2. Heat the oil in a wok or large deep frying pan. Add the pepper, mushrooms, mangetout, spring onions and beansprouts and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic granules, curry powder, ginger, chillies, soy sauce, rice wine and cooked noodles. Continue to stir-fry for a further 2 minutes then serve at once.

Tip

Toasted sesame oil gives a good authentic flavour to this stir-fried dish but chilli or wok oil (where the oil is infused with garlic and ginger) can also be used.

Hot, Sour and Sweet Prawn Stir-Fry

by

Fiery from the chilli; sour from the tangy tamarind; and naturally sweet from the delicious Pink Lady apples… this is a Chinese New dish to tickle the taste buds. Try and choose a stir-fry vegetable mix that has lots of different colours and flavours, or make up your own selection. Serve with steamed rice instead of noodles if you prefer.

Serves

4 people

Ingredients

  • 100g dried egg noodles
  • 100g Tenderstem broccoli
  • 2 tbsp groundnut oil
  • 1 Pink Lady apple, cored and sliced into strips
  • 200g raw peeled king prawns
  • 3 tsp tamarind paste
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced
  • 260g pack fresh stir-fry vegetables (or your own mix)
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp Thai fish sauce

Method

  1. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain, rinse and keep warm. Meanwhile, cut the florets off the broccoli and finely slice the stems and set aside.
  2. Heat half of the groundnut oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the apple slices and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate. Add the prawns and 2 tsp of the tamarind paste and cook for 2-3 minutes until almost cooked. Remove the prawns and keep with the apples.
  3. Add the remaining groundnut oil to the pan and stir-fry the chilli, stir-fry vegetables and broccoli for 4 minutes.
  4. Finally, return the prawns and apples to the pan and stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce and remaining tamarind. Cook for 1-2 minutes then serve with the noodles.

Tip

Make up your own stir-fry mixture by combining ingredients like sliced dwarf corn, chopped spring onions, strips of red and yellow pepper, discs of crunchy water chestnuts or julienne of bamboo shoots for a colourful vegetable medley.

Scallops with chorizo

by

If you’re cooking this dish in the summer when fresh broad beans are available, blanch some and toss them into the pan at the last moment. Sweet little fresh peas are another delicious addition. You could also substitute black pudding for the chorizo. Add 6 torn sage leaves to the pan with the scallops to bring out the flavour of the sausage.

Serves

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course

Ingredients

  • 12 large, hand-dived scallops
  • Olive oil
  • 250g fairly hot cooking chorizo, cut into 1–2cm thick slices
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
  • Few bay leaves (optional)
  • A squeeze of lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional Extras

  • Baby broad beans and/or garden peas, podded and blanched for 2 minutes

Open the scallops if they are still in the shell. If the corals are plump and bright orange, leave them attached to the main muscle.

Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper and set aside.

Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over the hotter plate, add a little olive oil, then throw in the chorizo and, if you like, a sprinkling of fennel seeds and a few bay leaves. Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring all the while, as the chorizo releases its salty, spicy fat.

Move the chorizo to one side of the pan. Check that the pan is still really hot, then add the scallops. Leave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, then carefully turn them over. After another scant minute, using a sharp shake of the pan – or a light stir with a spatula – toss the chorizo and scallops together with all that lovely, flavoursome fat. (This is the moment to add the optional broad beans and/or peas.) Cook for just another minute, tossing and shaking regularly.

Add a twist of pepper, a little bit of salt (the chorizo is already pretty salty) and a few drops of lemon juice, then divide the mixture between warmed plates and serve straight away, with bread and a green salad – for which the oil from the pan, with a few more drops of lemon juice, will make a sublime dressing.

DHAL

by

A simple, red lentil dhal is such a great complement to so many vegetable dishes – not just curries or biryanis, pakoras or bhajis, but even simple fare such as shredded, stir-fried greens and a scoop of rice. It’s a delicious way to add protein to a veg-based meal too. This easy but authentic example is based on a recipe from the wonderful Indian chef Udit Sarkhel.

Serves

Four people

Ingredients

  • 250g red lentils
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

TO FINISH (Optional):
A small bunch of parsley or coriander, or a couple of sprigs of mint, roughly chopped.

Method

  1. Put the lentils in a pan with 800ml cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum then stir in the turmeric and salt. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring or whisking vigorously every now and then, until the lentils have broken down completely and you have a purée – the consistency of a thick soup or thin porridge. You can whisk in a little hot water from a just-boiled kettle if you need to thin it a bit. Keep warm in the pan.
  2. When the Dhal is just about done, heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a couple of minutes until browned and fragrant. Add the onion and fry fairly briskly for 5–10 minutes until golden brown, even just a smidge burnt.
  3. Tip the mixture on to the hot lentils in the pan, cover and leave for 5 minutes then stir in the onions and cumin. Taste and adjust the seasoning. This is very good with coriander, parsley or mint sprinkled on top – but that’s not essential.

Pan Fried Mackerel, Labneh, Baby Gem, Salsa Verde

by

Ingredients

  • 2 mackerel fillets
  • Half a baby gem lettuce
  • 4 spears asparagus
  • 50g butter
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbls capers
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • 1 lemon
  • sprig chives
  • sprig flat leaf parsley
  • sprig dill
  • sprig mint
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2tbls labneh

Method

  1. In a searing hot pan, place a little cooking oil followed by the mackerel fillets skin side down, place a small amount of pressure with a spatula on top of the fillets to ensure the skin is flat to the pan. Turn the heat down slightly, add the baby gem lettuce and asparagus to the pan flat side down and leave to caramelize.
  2. In a bowl, chop all the herbs, one garlic glove, 1 tablespoon of capers, and half a juiced lemon, mix together and put to one side to dress the mackerel once cooked.
  3. You will notice as the fish is cooking the sides of the flesh will start to turn white, once this has reached around half way up the fish add the butter, capers, garlic and anchovy to the pan. Break the anchovy up in the hot butter with the back of a fork until it dissolves. Take the pan off the heat, add the other half of lemon juice. Turn the fish and the baby gem over and baste in the hot butter.
  4. To serve, spread the labneh on the bottom of a warm plate, with the baby gem, asparagus and mackerel on top. Finish off with a little bit of the salsa verde and some sea salt.

Meatballs

by

Ingredients

  • 500g minced pork shoulder (roughly 20% fat), could also use lamb
  • 5g salt (about 1 teaspoon)
  • Black pepper
  • Nutmeg/mace
  • Fennel seeds

Method

  1. Simply mix the ingredients together. This mixture when made with pork is a classic Italian sausage mix. Be generous with the black pepper and fennel seeds and not so much with the nutmeg/fennel.
  2. Cook in a flat pan or direct to hotplate on all sides.

Bacon and five root soup

by

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

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, cut into small dice
  • 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 150g carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 150g swede, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 150g potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 150g parsnip, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 150g celeriac, peeled and cut into small dice
  • 1 litre light vegetable, ham or chicken stock
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • About 100g grated mature cheddar, to garnish

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.

Wholemeal ESSE Hotplate Pancakes

by

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

  • Whole meal self raising flour – 250g
  • Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Caster sugar – 25g
  • Free-range eggs – 2
  • Fresh milk – 275ml
  • Butter (melted) – 25g
  • A pinch of salt
  • ESSE range cooker – simmering plate

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.

Traditional ‘flipping’ pancakes

by

Pre-fire your ESSE to somewhere between hot and very hot

Serves

Makes around 15 pancakes

Ingredients

  • Plain flour – 250g
  • Free-range eggs – 2
  • Fresh milk – 500ml
  • A little Sunflower oil for frying
  • A pinch of salt

Method

Sift the flour and salt into the mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and break in the eggs.

Pour in half the milk and start to mix the eggs and milk with the balloon whisk, whisking in the flour from the edges a little at a time. Add the rest of the milk and keep on whisking until there are no more lumps of flour. Pour the batter into the jug. It may still be quite thick at this stage so whisk in extra milk just a little at a time until you get the right consistency – not quite as thick as single cream, but certainly thicker than milk!

Put a non-stick frying pan on the hotter of the 2 plates. Add about a tablespoon of sunflower oil, swirl it round the pan and then pour the excess into the cup so that just a slick of oil stays in the pan.

When the oil is hot pour a little of the batter into the pan. How much to pour really depends on the size of your pan but you need to leave plenty of room for the pancake to spread out (use a ladle if it helps you to judge the right amount of liquid each time). Immediately tilt and rotate the pan so that the batter runs across the base and doesn’t sit in a big lump in the middle.
As the pancake sets, loosen the edge of it with the palette knife. Shake the pan gently so that you know the pancake hasn’t stuck (a bit of work with the knife if it has; don’t worry, the first one often does). Flip the pancake over and cook the other side for a few seconds – the second side is much quicker to cook. (Notice the intricate patterns left behind by the hot oil; each one different, like a fingerprint.)

Slide the pancake out of the pan and on to a warm plate. Cook the rest of the pancakes as before.

Note for ‘Flippers’: Flipping is the best bit so don’t be afraid to give it a go… give the pan a vigorous shake to make sure the pancake is not sticking, then use the side of the pan as a launch ramp and remember it takes less effort than you think. You want to ‘land it’ not attach it to the ceiling! Always use a non-stick pan and make sure it’s not too heavy otherwise you will find them hard to flip. Hopefully you’ll be up for giving the flip a go but if not, you can turn your pancakes with the palette knife or a wide spatula.

Serve with: Caster sugar, freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice, strawberry jam, honey, lemon curd or anything you like.

ESSE Master Stove Maker Logo

CONTACT US

+44 (0)1282 813235
enquiries@esse.com

FOLLOW US

  • Twitter Icon
  • Pinterest Icon
  • Facebook Icon
  • Instagram Icon
  • YouTube Icon