Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food (5 page)

Heat the grill to its highest setting. Quarter the peppers lengthways and remove the seeds. Arrange on a sturdy baking sheet, skin side up, and place under the hot grill for about 5 minutes, until the skins char and blacken. Tip the pepper pieces into a bowl, immediately cover with cling film and leave them to steam for a few minutes; this helps to lift the skins.

Meanwhile, dice the fennel and potato. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan and sauté the fennel for 3-4 minutes until it begins to colour. Add the potato, fennel seeds, sugar and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir frequently over a high heat for another 4-5 minutes. If using, add the Pernod and let bubble for a few minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are very soft.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel away the skins and chop the flesh into small dice. Add half of the peppers to the soup, then purée using a hand-held stick blender (or a regular blender) until very smooth. Stir in the cream and remaining chopped peppers, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Reheat as necessary. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the reserved fennel fronds or dill sprigs.

25g butter

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

sea salt and black pepper

3 tbsp tomato purée

2-3 tsp mild curry powder, to taste

2 tbsp plain flour

2-3 tbsp grated fresh root ginger

1 green apple, peeled and grated

400ml chicken stock (see page 243)

400ml tin coconut milk

150g cooked rice

3-4 tbsp soured cream (or double cream)

small handful of coriander leaves

Originating during colonial times, this soup has retained its popularity to this day. We like to serve it at our pub, The Narrow, which is located near East India Docks—once the landing port for exotic spices shipped in from the Far East. This mildly spiced soup may very well have expanded the English palate and ignited our love of Indian curries.

Melt the butter in a pan, add the onions with some seasoning and sweat for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Stir in the tomato purée, curry powder and flour, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the ginger and apple, and stir over a high heat for a few minutes.

Pour in the stock, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Add the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer. Let bubble gently until reduced slightly and thickened. Add the rice and simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and garnish with a swirl of soured cream and a scattering of coriander leaves.

500g undyed smoked haddock fillets, preferably Finnan haddie

500ml whole milk

2 bay leaves

20g butter

2 banana shallots (or 4-5 regular ones), peeled and finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

600g waxy potatoes, such as Desirée or La Ratte

500ml chicken stock (see page 243) or fish stock

(see page 245)

100ml double cream

sea salt and black pepper

olive oil, to drizzle (optional)

flat-leaf parsley leaves, to garnish

This is a comforting soup that can be served either as a starter or a light lunch with plenty of crusty bread. It hails from the village of Cullen on the northeast coast of Scotland where Finnan haddie is readily available. This prized fish lends a wonderful smoky flavour to the creamy potato soup. If you can’t get hold of it, then use any undyed smoked haddock.

Lay the smoked haddock fillets, skin side up, in a wide, shallow pan. Pour the milk over the fish to cover and add the bay leaves. Bring the milk to a gentle simmer and poach the fish for 3-4 minutes until it feels firm when lightly pressed. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to infuse for 5 minutes.

Melt the butter in a large pan and sauté the shallots and garlic until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into small dice. Add to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden.

In the meantime, lift the haddock fillets out of the milk. While still warm, flake the flesh, discarding the skin and any bones you come across. Strain the milk over the shallots and potatoes, then pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Add a quarter of the flaked haddock to the soup followed by the cream and remove from the heat. Using a hand-held stick blender (or a regular blender), blend until smooth. Reheat the soup and add the rest of the flaked haddock to warm through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in warm bowls, topped with a little drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of parsley leaves, with some crusty bread on the side.

2 tbsp olive oil

6 smoked streaky bacon rashers, derinded and chopped

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

600g waxy potatoes, such as Desirée or Charlotte, peeled and diced

100ml dry white wine

650ml chicken stock (see page 243)

100g smoked oysters (or smoked mussels)

3-4 tbsp double cream

12 fresh native oysters

black pepper

squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Bacon and oysters are a classic combination. In times past, oysters were not regarded as a luxury ingredient to serve with Champagne. On the contrary, cooks added oysters to bulk up soups, stews and pie fillings. This soup was most likely thought of as a peasant dish, made with cheap but flavourful ingredients…how times have changed.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the bacon and fry, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until it begins to colour. Add the onions and potatoes and stir frequently for another 5-6 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Pour in the wine and let bubble until reduced right down. Pour in the stock and return to a simmer, then add the smoked oysters. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.

Ladle two-thirds of the soup into a blender and whiz until smooth. Pour back into the pan and stir well to mix. Add the cream and bring back to a simmer.

Shuck the fresh oysters (for technique, see page 16), saving and straining the juices. Tip the oysters and strained juices into the soup. Simmer for a minute, then taste and adjust the seasoning with a little black pepper and lemon juice. (You probably don’t need to add any extra salt as the bacon and oysters are quite salty.) Ladle into warm bowls and scatter over the parsley to serve.

1kg mutton shoulder (on the bone)

sea salt and black pepper

1 large onion, peeled

1 large carrot, peeled

2 large leeks, white part only, trimmed

2 bay leaves

few thyme sprigs

1 large swede, about 600g, peeled

1 large turnip, about 600g, peeled

125g pearl barley

small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Over the past few years, there have been many initiatives to promote the consumption of mutton and it is gradually making a comeback on restaurant and pub menus. It has a stronger flavour than lamb and is perfect for broths, soups and stews.

Rub the mutton joint with salt and pepper, then place in a deep cooking pot. Add enough water to cover and bring to the boil. In the meantime, roughly chop the onion, carrot and leeks. As soon as the water begins to boil, tip a cup of cold water into the pot, to encourage the froth and scum to float to the surface. Skim this off and reduce the heat to a simmer.

Continue to skim until the liquid is clear, then add the onion, carrot and half the leeks, along with the bay leaves and thyme. Simmer for about 21/2-3 hours until the mutton is very tender, skimming from time to time as necessary. Leave to cool slightly, then lift out the mutton. Cut into bite-sized pieces or shred the meat finely and discard the bone.

Strain the broth into another pan and bring to a simmer. Cut the swede and turnip into 1.5cm dice and add to the broth with the pearl barley and remaining leek. Add another pinch of salt and pepper to taste and simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the vegetables and barley are tender. Return the mutton to the broth and heat for few minutes to warm through. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve the soup in warm bowls, topped with a scattering of chopped parsley, with some oatcakes or rustic bread on the side.

700-800g boneless shin of beef (or veal or mutton), trimmed of excess fat

1 large onion, peeled

1 large carrot, peeled

1 medium turnip, peeled

1 large waxy potato, such as Desirée or Charlotte, peeled

2 celery sticks, trimmed

3 tbsp olive oil

sea salt and black pepper

330ml bottle light beer or cider

500ml beef or veal stock (see page 244)

few thyme sprigs, plus extra leaves to garnish

1 bay leaf

20g butter, softened

20g plain flour

As the name indicates, this hearty, peasant-style soup varies according to the ingredients that happen to be in any kitchen. The British equivalent of the French
garbure,
it uses a cheap cut of meat (usually beef, mutton or veal) and whatever root vegetables are to hand. Pearl barley can be used to bulk up the soup instead of potato if you prefer.

Cut the beef into small bite-sized pieces. Chop the onion, carrot, turnip, potato and celery into even 2cm dice.

Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan and add half the olive oil. Season the beef with salt and pepper and fry in batches, for about 2 minutes on each side until evenly browned all over. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the vegetables over a medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes until lightly golden. Pour in the beer and let bubble until reduced by half. Return the beef to the pan and pour in the stock. Add the herbs and top up with enough water to cover the meat and vegetables. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim off the scum and froth that rise to the surface. Cook slowly, skimming occasionally, for 3-4 hours until the meat is meltingly tender. Discard the herbs.

Mix the butter with the flour to make a thick paste (beurre manié), then stir this into the simmering soup, a small piece at a time. Simmer, stirring, for another 5 minutes or until the soup thickens. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a generous grinding of pepper.

Serve the soup in warm bowls with a sprinkling of thyme leaves, as a meal in itself with plenty of crusty bread and perhaps a side salad.

Mussels and bacon cooked in cider

Beetroot salad with grapefruit and goat’s cheese

Prawn cocktail

Fried sprats with smoked paprika

Chicory, walnut and stilton salad

Chicken liver pâté

Salad of black pudding with poached egg

Pressed ox tongue with lamb’s lettuce salad

2kg live mussels

1 tbsp olive oil

150g piece of prime bacon (preferably Old Spot), cut into 3-4 pieces

5-6 garlic cloves (unpeeled), halved

few thyme sprigs

100ml dry cider

black pepper

handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped

Steaming fresh mussels in cider with sautéed bacon enhances their sweet-savoury taste to delicious effect. Much of the flavour comes from the rendered bacon fat, which melds together with the cider and mussel juices to create a tasty sauce. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

Scrub the mussels, removing their beards and discarding any that are open and do not close when tapped. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan. When hot, add the bacon and fry, turning, for 4-5 minutes until it has released most of its fat and is golden brown all over. Add the garlic and thyme and fry for another minute.

Tip in the mussels and pour in the cider. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and give the pan a gentle shake. Steam the mussels over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until they have opened.

Remove the pan from the heat and grind over some black pepper. Taste the juices for seasoning; you probably won’t need to add extra salt as the bacon and mussels should provide enough. Pick out and throw away any mussels that have not opened.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, remembering to provide spare bowls for the discarded mussel shells.

900g raw beetroot (roughly the same size)

rock salt

handful of thyme sprigs

1 large ruby grapefruit

few lemon thyme sprigs, leaves stripped

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp hazelnut oil

sea salt and black pepper

pinch of caster sugar

115g goat’s cheese, crumbled

handful of hazelnuts, toasted and lightly crushed

We love the balance of contrasting flavours and textures in this salad—sweet roasted beetroot, tangy grapefruit, creamy goat’s cheese and crunchy hazelnuts. Roasting the beetroot on a layer of salt intensifies their earthy flavour.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Wash the beetroot, then trim the tops and roots, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Scatter a thin layer of rock salt over a large piece of foil. Sprinkle with the thyme sprigs, then arrange the beetroot in the middle. Bring up the edges of the foil and fold them together to seal the parcel. Place on a baking tray and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the beetroot are tender when pierced with a small knife. (Larger beetroot may need an extra 15-20 minutes.)

Unwrap the parcel, transfer the beetroot to a plate and leave to cool slightly. Wearing a pair of rubber gloves (to avoid staining your hands), peel the beetroot while they are still warm, using a small knife. Cut into wedges and divide between individual serving plates.