DEVILLED KIDNEYS
16 January, 2007
It’s easy to dismiss offal. I did until St John. The restaurant that is rather than the apostle. When it first opened,
there was something daring and scary about the cavernous refurbished space. A part of old London reworked. And the menu with
it’s focus on the bits that others throw away. Tails, ears and trotters redefined and tenderly presented. Full respect for
the whole beast. Fish served as it is; fresh, clean and looking at you. One of their signature dishes is Anthony Bourdain’s
all time favourite; Roast Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad. I salivate at the thought of Duck Egg with Sorrel and Potato Salad
and Duck Heart Confit.
Fergus Henderson the proprietor chef, is a man of magical parts. What he can’t do with a bit of any beast, fish or fowl, isn’t
worth doing. His books reflect the simple ethos ‘from nose to tail’. Nothing is wasted, everything is treasured for its potential.
I haven’t a big offal repertoire. But I do like kidneys. They were always the mainstay of breakfast in grand houses and genteel clubs
alongside kedgeree. I guess a throwback from the Raj. Last week some lambs kidneys caught my eye in the butcher. Eight
of them came to less than a pound. A bargain meal abounding in all things nutritious. But the best of it is that if
you prepare them with love you can serve them haute cuisine. The Belgian says the taste is almost the same as foie gras
when they’re good. After all they are practically the same thing. Henderson recommends them as the perfect birthday breakfast treat.
Cut out anything that doesn’t look like kidney and slice them long ways. Lightly coat them in flour and season with sea salt and pepper
(fresh ground always, pestle and mortar ideally). Drop them into a frying pan of slightly sizzling butter and cook them for a
few minutes each side. Slosh a large (great aunt size) glass of Oloroso or even sweet sherry into the pan. Traditionally you
use stock but it isnt rich enough for me and the sherry gives the dish a caramelised flavour. Cook the liquid off quickly
and in the last moments throw in a handful of chopped tarragon and enough cream to give it a rich velvety consistency.
Serve it mounted on a couple of rounds of toasted brioche (it needs to be something light and posh that will soak up the cream sauce.
Use your most beautiful plates. Fit for a king’s birthday.
Now there is St John Bread and Wine behind Spitalfields too. Be sensible, you need to try this place if you are serious about food.
If you can’t get in buy the books and have a go at home http://www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk/.
TENDER WORDS
Tender (2009) tells the story of Nigel Slater's love affair with his garden in
Islington and the many seedlings he has raised in his box-hedged vegetable patches. It’s a magnificent volume, like a medieval knightly
treatise with pictures of his Eden, its produce and many of the recipes he has created from them.
23 May, 2010
FOOD FROM THE HEART
Cooking is a basic human instinct. We’ve been eating, chopping, shaping, flavouring, enticing ingredients into something delicious
since time began. But as the way many of us live has changed, the basic skills we require to cook, are no longer valued and it’s often easier to
let others take control of what we eat.
21 April, 2010
IN A RIGHT FISH STEW
This week we had sustainable fish stew. It’s a quick and easy way to feed a gang of hungries on a Friday night and
doesn’t need much else but some good bread and wine. Like all stews, you need balance, rich liquid and a range of potent flavours steaming
from your pot.
15 March, 2010