too.
150g (5oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 tbsp caster sugar (optional)
2 eggs
150ml (5fl oz) buttermilk
25g (1oz) butter, melted
1 large or 1½ medium bananas, peeled and mashed just before using
a few knobs of butter
butter or maple syrup, to serve
1. Sift the flour, baking powder and bread soda into a bowl. Add the caster sugar (if using) and stir to mix.
2. Crack the eggs into another bowl and whisk, then stir in the buttermilk and melted butter. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the liquid into the dry ingredients, whisking as you add it. The batter is ready to use or can be stored in the fridge overnight.
3. Just before you want to cook the pancakes, fold the mashed bananas into the batter.
4. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and melt a couple of knobs of butter, making sure the base of the pan is covered with a thin layer of butter. I normally wipe the butter all over the pan with some kitchen paper, which I’ll use to re-butter the pan for each batch of pancakes.
5. Drop large spoonfuls (about 50ml/2fl oz each) of the pancake batter into the hot pan – leave plenty of space between them as the pancakes spread while cooking. Turn the heat down slightly or the pancakes will burn before they’re cooked in the centre. You should be able to fit four or five in the pan at a time. Cook on the first side until bubbles appear and pop on the upper surface – 1–2 minutes – then, using a fish slice or something similar, turn the pancakes over and finish cooking on the other side for another minute or so until golden brown. Cook all the pancakes in this way in a few batches, keeping the cooked ones warm in a low oven until they are all ready. Serve with butter or maple syrup – or both.
Kedgeree
SERVES 6–8
My friend Helen, who grew up in England with an Irish father and a mother from New Zealand, says that the taste of kedgeree will always bring her back, in an instant, to when she was little, sitting round the table with her family having brunch. It’s a great recipe for feeding a crowd and, of course, it’s good at any time of the day. This curried rice dish, made with delicious fresh or smoked fish, hard-boiled eggs and lots of intensely green parsley, is inspired by Helen’s mum’s recipe. Thanks, Beth!
450g (1lb) white or brown basmati rice
15g (½oz) butter
500g (1lb 2oz) smoked haddock (you could smoke your own as on here), skinned, deboned and cut into 2.5–5cm (1–2in) chunks
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground turmeric
pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp garam masala
8 eggs
225g (8oz) fresh or frozen peas
75ml (3fl oz) regular or double cream
2 tbsp chopped parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the rice with a good pinch of salt and cook over a medium heat, stirring from time to time, until tender – be careful not to overcook it or it will go mushy. White basmati rice will take only 10–12 minutes, while brown basmati rice will take 25–30 minutes to cook.
2. Place the butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and allow to melt and foam. Add the smoked fish pieces and 1 tablespoon water. Season with black pepper, turn the heat down slightly and cook, tossing regularly, until the fish is just opaque, 4–5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over a high heat and heat the olive oil until hot, then add the sliced onions and sauté for 5 minutes, tossing regularly, until almost softened and golden at the edges. Add the ground cumin and coriander, the turmeric, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook the onions until they are completely softened, 5–8 minutes.
4. While the onions are cooking, bring a pot of water up to the boil, gently drop in the eggs and boil for just 6 or 7 minutes, depending on the size. When they are cooked, drain and pour cold water over them to stop them cooking. Once they are almost cool, peel the eggs, handling them gently as they’ll be slightly soft in the centre.
5. Drop the peas into a pan of boiling water and boil for just 2 minutes or until cooked.
6. Once everything is cooked, you can assemble the dish. Add the drained rice and peas to the onions in the frying pan over a low heat and stir to mix. Carefully stir in the fish with any lovely juices. Pour in the cream and half the chopped parsley and mix gently, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Transfer to a wide, shallow serving bowl. Cut the eggs into quarters and arrange on top and around the sides, then sprinkle with the remaining chopped parsley and serve.
Devilled kidneys
SERVES 4–6
A classic Victorian British breakfast dish, this would set you up for the day – and then some! Of course, it’s great at any other time of the day, too, if kidneys are too hardcore for your morning ritual.
2 tbsp plain flour
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1½ tsp Dijon mustard
90ml (3½fl oz) chicken stock
175ml (6fl oz) regular or double cream
25g (1oz) butter
6 lamb’s kidneys, peeled, halved, all membranes removed, fat snipped from core, cut into 6 pieces (3 from each half)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
hot buttered toast or buttery mash
1. Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, combine the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, chicken stock and cream, then set aside.
3. Heat the butter in a pan over a high heat. Toss the kidneys in the flour mix and, when the butter is foaming, cook the kidneys, turning them so that they brown on all sides. Next, pour in the cream mixture and allow it to bubble and thicken.
4. Serve on hot buttered toast or with buttery mashed potatoes.
Chicken stock
MAKES 1.5–2 LITRES (2½–3½ PINTS) STOCK
I always have a pot of chicken stock on the go. When you’re using good chickens for roasting or braising, it’s crazy not to boil up the bones afterwards. There’s an old