River Cottage Everyday Jan 21st

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
I think I just like saying that name. It makes me sound smarter.
Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall.

On Thursday we did a class based on Hugh Fearnley Whitingstalls' newest book "The River Cottage Everyday".
The River Cottage H.Q. is located in Devon, England and is home to his "Real Food" campaign. With multiple books and television shows, Hugh Fearnley Whitingstall is a house hold name in his native England, but in North America, not so much. He has written some of the best books that i have ever read, most notably "The River Cottage Meat Book". His desire to educate the public about the joys of earth to table eating and food sustainability is followed by some of England's top chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay.
The newest book does just what the title says. Food for everyday. Now i do have to mention, because Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and the River cottage is based in England, the food is very British centric. Using some ingredients not so common in North America. Sometimes people get a little confused when they see Roast Beef with all the fixings next to a recipe of Thai Curry. But don't let that throw you off. I'm a big fan of the River Cottage and everything that goes along with it.
Here is what we cooked.

Beetroot Soup with Spiced Yoghurt
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Warm Leek and White Bean Salad with Mustard Dressing
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Shin of Beef with Ginger and Soy
Caramelized Onion and Thyme Mash
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Apple and Almond Pudding Cake



The Last time I made a puree beet soup it was horrible. The worst thing about it was I made it during a class. I was so embarrassed that it tasted horrible, it scarred me and I haven't made a beet soup since. Redemption time.
It was a simple soup using the basic techniques used for any puree soup.
Starting with onion and garlic, this soup is spiced up with some cumin seeds in the beginning and then with the beets and stock added, simmered for bout 15 minutes and pureed. While it was cooking, we whipped up the sliced yoghurt with toasted ground cumin, coriander and caraway seeds, paprika, Cayenne and some olive oil.
I dollop of that on top of this beautifully red soup really brought out an exoticness that every one loved.
I was so preoccupied with the sop tasting good I forgot to take a picture of the final product. So a picture of an empty bowl will have to do. I guess that means they liked it.

Next course was the perfect winter salad. Warm leeks with white beans and mustard. Simple enough to do. I sauteed the leeks on a medium heat with a bit of olive oil until wilted. Then I added the beans (which were canned, which I got a little flack for using, understandably) and sauteed them with the leeks until warm. Season with salt and pepper and done.
In a small bowl i made the dressing with some Dijon and grainy mustard, vinegar and olive oil. I added a bit of the dressing in with the leek and bean mixture and the remaining with some salad greens. I layed the greens on a large serving platter and put the warm leeks and beans on top. I think the best part of this salad was the dressing. I like the idea of using both kinds of mustard. Added great texture and creaminess. Also, the fact that it was a warm salad is great for a cold January night.
This can be a meal in itself, but we were only half way through.


Shin of beef is not something we in North America are too familiar with. Although, we have all had Osso Bucco. That is a cut from veal. What we cooked was a cut of beef. I ordered a whole shank from my Tony the Butcher at Boucherie Westmount.
I brought it back and cut and trimmed this huge piece of meat. I do this to try and keep up with my butchery skills or the lack there of.
I started by searing the meat in a large pot until nicely browned. After removing the beef, i added big chunks of ginger and garlic and slowly sauteed for a few minutes. Then I deglazed the pan with a combination of soy, vinegar and apple juice. The addition of the apple juice was really weird to me, but after thinking about it for a second, the sour, salty and sweet elements were all there, so i trusted my good friend Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.

Once the liquid came up to a boil I added the seared meat back into the pot and laced it in the oven at 250* for a total of 3 hours.
While cooking we caramelized some onions and thyme and added it to some simply mashed potatoes. As simple as it sounds, this was a hit. I loved the texture of the sweet onions mixed into the smooth and creamy potatoes.
There was no recipe for it, but we needed some greens so i sauteed some escarole on the side.
The beef same out and it was a lot better than I though it would come out. Even with the all that apple juice in it. It was amazingly tender (anything will be after cooking for 3 hours) and really flavourful. All the plates were empty and no leftovers. That's a good sign.

Dessert was something I was really impressed with. The apple and almond pudding, once out of the oven, looked just like the picture. I LOVE it when that happens.
To start, we sauteed the apples with a little butter, sugar and cinnamon. while they were cooking, i made the batter. Nothing really special about it. A very basic cake batter incorporating ground almonds. It was thicker than i thought it would. I reminded me of a coffee cake batter. I spread the batter into a lined 9 inch spring form pan then placed the sauteed apples on top. Into the oven for about an hour and voila.
I should also note, I bumped up this recipe by 50%. After reading the amounts initially, i knew it would not feed 10 people. Originally it says to bake in a 20cm pan. Way too small to feed us all.
Even with the alteration of the amounts, it came out how I had hoped. The apples were perfectly tender and the cake was moist. I'll be making this again for sure.

So all in all, I have to say it was a successful class. Much easier to do than the River Cafe classes earlier in the week. I was happy with all the recipes and the final flavours were pretty much what I expected.
Whether or not all the recipes in this book is designed for "everyday" it's a great book to explore. The passion of Hugh Fearly Whittingstall really comes out. It's an eclectic mix of tastes and techniques that will hopefully get everyone cooking at home.

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.
I just can't say it enough.

Next Week : Soup!