Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas and Jalapeno Flatbread

Why isn't Caribbean food more of "a thing" in this country? Among the diverse cultural cuisines that have enriched this country over the past 50 to 60 years, Caribbean cooking seems to be disproportionately under-represented. Visit any town in the UK and you won't have any trouble encountering the ubiquitous Indian, Chinese and kebab takeaways. Delve a little deeper and you will likely find an Italian or pizzeria, possibly a Mexican, a tapas bar, piri-piri chicken or even a rib-shack with its Deep South smoky flavours. But where is the goat curry and jerk chicken? Unless you visit an area with a strong Caribbean community – Brixton immediately comes to mind in my recent experience – the tastes of Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad et al are largely absent on British streets.
Things may be changing at the numerous and excellent food markets that are appearing, where pop-up stalls selling Caribbean cuisine mix aromas with those of Vietnam and North Africa and Middle East. And, of course, the success of Levi Roots and his reggae, reggae sauces are a common sight on the shelves of every supermarket. But a successful chain of Caribbean restaurants that'll tap into the success of Nando's? Maybe it'll be the next trend.
Jerk chicken is best cooked over hot coals, but is equally as good in the oven and then browned off at the end for that crispy skin. If barbecuing, cook for 40 to 50 minutes over a medium heat, turning frequently. The method below is for an oven.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1tbsp allspice berries
1tbsp black peppercorns
1tbsp dried chilli flakes
1/2tbsp muscovado sugar
2tbsp runny honey
a few sprigs flat-leaf parsley
a few sprigs fresh coriander
2 scotch bonnet chillies
1 glove garlic
3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
olive oil
4 chicken thighs, skin on
4 drumsticks, skin on

For the flatbreads:
250g self-raising flour
250g yoghurt
1/2tsp baking powder
1 jalapeno chilli, finely sliced

For the rice and peas:
50ml vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
300g long-grain rice
400ml water
400ml coconut milk
400g tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper
fresh coriander to garnish

Method
1. Pound the allspice berries, peppercorns and chilli flakes in a pestle and mortar, then add the sugar and honey.
2. Finely chop the herbs, chillies, garlic and ginger and add to the mix.
3. Add the green parts of the spring onion and a good drizzle of olive oil. Mix well.
4. Pour marinade over the chicken and thoroughly coat. Marinate in fridge for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
5. Heat an oven to 200C/gas 6 and cook the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes, finishing off in a grill pan for that charred, smoky effect.
6. For the flatbreads, mix the flour, yoghurt, baking powder and pinch of salt in a bowl. Knead on a lightly floured surface.
7. Divide into four pieces and roll each one into a circle about 2mm thick. Scatter over the jalapeño and push in.
8. Rub a grill pan with olive oil and cook the flatbreads for two to three minutes per side.
9. For the rice and peas heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until translucent.
10. Add the rice, stir well and add the water and coconut milk.
11. Bring to the boil and add the kidney beans and thyme. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the rice is cooked.
12. Season and garnish with coriander.

Raspberry Jam

We've been growing raspberries in The Albion Tavern's beer garden for a couple of years now, and this year has seen a flourishing crop of fruit. We grow a late-season variety, which is perfect for harvesting after the summer fruits have long-since been enjoyed. Here is a very easy jam recipe. 1kg of raspberries will be enough to fill four jars.

Ingredients
1kg raspberries
1kg jam sugar
1 lemon

Method
1. Place half of the raspberries in a large pan with the juice of one lemon.
2. Gently heat for five minutes while mashing the fruit.
3. Strain the fruit into a bowl and then push the pulp through a sieve. Discard the leftover seeds.
4. Return the strained fruit to the pan and add the sugar. Stir over a gentle heat until all the sugar is incorporated.
5. Add the remaining fruit, then bring to a fierce boil (or 106C) for five minutes.
6. You can test the jam by placing a dollop onto a very cold plate, but I think with raspberry jam you can tell when it is starting to look glossy and sticky.
7. Allow to cool slightly then spoon into sterilised jam jars.
8. Once completely cool, jam should be set.

Norwegian Fiskekaker

In what is likely to be the most anti-climactic comeback since The Second Coming by The Stone Roses, I’m re-opening The Albion Tavern after an almost three-year rat infestation with a bit of a surprise dish ­– Norwegian fishcakes, aka fiskekaker. That’s right, kaker. Now the Norwegians must have an inferiority complex when it comes to their neighbours and culinary delights. Where Denmark has bacon and beer (not to mention pastries), Sweden has meatballs and Absolut vodka. Norway, meanwhile, has a salt cod dish so famous in Portugal, it even has a Portuguese name, bacalhau, and a piss-coloured liqueur tasting of dill and caraway called akvavit, which literally (and laughingly) translates as “water of life”.

And it doesn’t stop at food and drink ­– or even at Norway’s Scandinavian cousins. Take Norway’s most famous explorer, Roald Amundsen, for example. Even the first man to reach the South Pole is somewhat overshadowed by the blokes who finished second, Captain Scott, Oates et al, and their tale of bravery, sacrifice, camaraderie and, well, painful and lonely death. Makes you proud to be British.

By Odin, even the vikings aren’t as good.

Swedish vikings, yesterday

Danish vikings, yesterday

A Norwegian viking, yesterday

So why fiskekaker, then? Well apart from the rather amusing name, I’ve just hired a Norwegian pot-washer whose grandma (or mormor – literally, mothermother) sent me this recipe to try. Apparently mormor likes to make these while morfar (motherfather) is trawling the North Sea (probably in British waters) for our cod and haddock like a morfacker.

I’m not gonna lie here, the results were not what I was expecting, and certainly don't expect a traditional "western" fishcake. In fact, what you get is a kind of fishy American pancake batter. Doesn't sound very appealing, I know, but once cooked you get a very light and fluffy delight. Very tasty and very moreish. I did jazz up the accompaniments and presentation a little from the traditional Norwegian (boiled potatoes and carrots), and did play with the ingredients a little. If you aren't lucky enough to have a Norwegian pot-washer with a suspiciously large supply of potato flour, then substitute corn flour instead. Also, the original instructions called for cakes slightly larger than a nugget, but smaller than a morfar. I obviously ignored this and made fishcake-sized, er, fiskekaker.

Ingredients (serves four, making 8 large fiskekaker easily)
For the fiskekaker:
600g white fish fillets, such as cod or haddock, skinned
2 tsp potato flour
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
200ml milk
200ml double cream
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp chives
1 large shallot, sliced
1 garlic glove, sliced
2 tbsp pepper

Serve with:
Bacon
Shallot
Chives
Carrots
Capers
Boiled egg
Creamy mash

Method
1. Pre-heat over to 140C/gas 1.
2. Cut fish into chunks and pulse in a blender with salt.
3. Add potato flour and stir.
4. Add eggs, cream, milk, pepper and chives and mix well to a smooth consistency.
5. Gently fry the shallot and garlic until soft. Add to mix and combine.
6. Heat butter over a medium heat in a large pan.
7. Add large spoonfuls of the fish mix. You will probably have room for 4 generous cakes at a time.
8. Fry for 5 minutes per side.
9. Place in oven on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
10. Serve with fried bacon strips, shallots, sautéed carrots, capers, a boiled egg and creamy mash, while listening to a-ha's Take On Me, which, let's be honest, is better than anything by Abba.

Beetroot Arancini with Goat's Cheese

Beetroot Arancini with Goat's Cheese

Arancini are deep-fried Sicilian risotto balls and I'm really pleased with how these turned. These are also great for a picnic, especially if you make them slightly bigger and put a piece of goat's cheese in the middle. Posh veggie scotch eggs, innit. Follow the recipe for beetroot risotto, but double the quantities and make this the next day with the leftovers. I'm not going to lie – they are a faff (and your hands will be a bright shade of red for about a week), but utterly worth the effort.
Makes 12-16

Ingredients:
half of the beetroot risotto
3 eggs
flour
breadcrumbs
vegetable oil

Method:
1. Take tablespoon amounts of the risotto and roll into a ball. Cover in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and place on a plate ready for frying. Repeat until you have the number you desire.
2. If you are making large arancini, use more risotto and make a cavity in the middle to place a piece of goat's cheese before sealing with rice. For small arancini, melt goat's cheese over the top once cooked.
3. When ready to cook, heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pan to 170C and fry until golden brown and piping hot.

Beetroot Risotto

Beetroot Risotto

Bored of boring old risotto? Liven it up with an amazing burst of colour and the pungent, earthy flavour of beetroot. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

Beetroot Purée
3 small to medium beetroot
olive oil

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4.
2. Scrub beetroot thoroughly to get rid of any dirt. Top and tail each and place in a roasting dish. Drizzle with a little oil and roast until tender – around 45-60mins.
3. Allow to cool slightly, peel and place in a food processor. Drizzle in a little olive oil while processing until it forms a smooth purée. Season and set aside.

Risotto
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g Arborio rice
2 sprigs fresh thyme
150ml red wine
1 litre vegetable, heated and kept warm
250g parmasan, grated
50g butter

Method:
1. Sauté onion in a couple glugs of olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes.
2. Add rice and thyme and stir for a minute until the rice is sealed. Add the red wine and deglaze the pan. Once wine is absorbed add a ladleful of stock to the rice. Continue stirring until absorbed.
3. Continue doing this until rice is cooked al dente. Add parmesan cheese and butter and stir through. Rice should be slightly wet, but creamy and glossy.
4. Add beetroot purée a tablespoon at a time, to your tastes. It is a strong flavour so make sure you taste after each addition.

Chicken Kievs

Chicken Kievs

I haven't eaten chicken kievs for about 15 years. They're just not something on my culinary radar, ever since I was a student and one of my flatmates at the time used to think nothing of seeing off two of the big buggers with a whole bag of oven chips thrown in for good measure. It put me off, to be honest. That was until the Euro Championships this summer, held in Poland and Ukraine, with the final in Kiev. With a recipe from Gordon Ramsay downloaded, this was the obvious choice for dinner. It was good. Damn good, in fact, and I've got loads of the tarragon butter left over to use for fish.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
200g butter, softened
3 fat cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
small handful chopped tarragon
small handful chopped fresh parsley
4 free-range skinless, boneless chicken breasts, about 150g each
100g plain flour
pinch paprika
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
100g dried breadcrumbs
2-3 tbsp olive or sunflower oil, for frying
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190°C/gas 5.
2. To make the filling, mix the softened butter with the garlic, tarragon, parsley and seasoning. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
3. For the chicken breasts, check first to see if they have a separate under-fillet, which chefs call a supreme. If so, don't detach it. Using a small, very sharp knife, make a slit in the flesh of each breast fillet from top to bottom, creating a pocket at a slight slant.
4. Spoon the butter mixture into the pocket. If you have fillets with supremes, then simply fold these over the slits to cover them.
5. Mix the flour, pinch of paprika and seasoning together in a shallow bowl. Tip the beaten eggs into another shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs into a third. Toss the stuffed chicken breasts first into the flour to coat, shaking off any excess, then slide them one at a time into the egg and turn until covered. Finally, dip each into the breadcrumbs, again shaking off any excess. Lay the breasts, slit sides down, on a plate and chill to help firm the crumb coating.
6. When ready to cook, pour the oil into a medium frying pan to heat until you can feel a good heat rising. Add the chicken breasts and colour for 1-2 minutes on each side, until lightly golden. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for approximately 12-14 minutes until golden brown and the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Thai Turkey Burgers

Thai Turkey Burgers

Bit of another quickie as I realise I haven't posted for a while and I've had this recipe knocking around for a bit. These were an absolute winner at The Albion Tavern, eagerly devoured by two hungry boys and one even hungrier dad. From opening the packet of mince to shoving cooked burger in gob took no more than 30 minutes. These were served with a huge mound of sticky rice. Probably best not to serve this to a two-year-old who eats everything with his fingers. We were finding remnants of rice all over the place for hours. Recipe from BBC Good Food. Makes four burgers.

Ingredients:
400g turkey mince
4 spring onions , finely chopped
1 tsp grated root ginger
1 red chilli , seeded and finely chopped
1 egg yolk
small bunch coriander, chopped
1 tbsp sunflower oil
4 ciabatta rolls
a few sprigs watercress


Method:
1. Put the first 6 ingredients in a bowl, season and mix well. Form into 4 burgers.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
3. Serve the burgers in rolls with some watercress and a little sweet chilli sauce if you like.