The New English Kitchen: Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat

leaves from 2 sprigs of mint

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a pan and add the aubergine, onion and celery. Cook, stirring, until the aubergine is soft, then add the pumpkin seeds, cumin and stock or water. Mix in the rice and reheat thoroughly. Add the mint and season to taste.

kitchen notes

For a richer, sweeter dish, substitute sherry for the stock or water.

A recipe for pilaff using cold cooked rice and leftover roast lamb can be found on here 202 (#litres_trial_promo).

kedgeree

We made this for a big Christening party recently and agreed that kedgeree is hard-to-beat party food. The bare bones can be made in advance and assembled just before everyone arrives. It’s also incredibly rich. A little fish goes a long way in kedgeree, which is an advantage with the high price of sustainable fish. For information on how to choose fish, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

Serves 8–12

480g/1 lb smoked fish fillet – haddock, pollack or hot-smoked

organic salmon (see the Shopping Guide)

1 onion, cut in half

6 cardamom pods, crushed

250ml/8fl oz creamy milk

90ml/3fl oz single cream

1 quantity of cooked basmati rice (see here (#u72594d21-7bf9-4996-8ae2-4aa571aa7ea5))

180g/6oz cooked peeled North Atlantic prawns (optional)

1cm/

/

inch piece of fresh ginger, grated

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground in a pestle and mortar

6 fennel seeds, toasted and ground as above

/

teaspoon ground turmeric

30g/1oz butter, melted

4 semi-soft boiled eggs (see here (#litres_trial_promo)), peeled and quartered

8 sprigs of coriander, chopped

Put the fish in a pan with the onion and cardamom pods and pour over the milk and cream. Place over a medium heat and bring up to boiling point. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, or until the fish begins to firm up and flake apart (if you are using hot-smoked salmon, you will not need to cook it – just bring to the boil). Strain off the creamy milk and reserve.

Break the fish into large flakes, discarding any skin or bones, and mix lightly with the rice and prawns. Add the remaining spices, pour over the reserved creamy milk and the melted butter and mix quite thoroughly. Strew the eggs on top and scatter over the coriander.

rice, cucumber and dill salad

The herbs lend their aromas, the onion seed gives a sharp little kick and the cucumber cools down this salad. It will not spoil if you take it to work in a carton. It’s also very good eaten outdoors, with barbecued sardines or lamb.

Serves 2

2 helpings of cooked basmati rice (see here (#u72594d21-7bf9-4996-8ae2-4aa571aa7ea5))

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

juice of

/

lemon

a pinch of sea salt

/

cucumber, cut in half lengthways, then peeled, deseeded

and sliced

4 sprigs of dill, chopped

4 sprigs of chervil, if available, or flat-leaf parsley, torn into

smaller sprigs

/

teaspoon black onion seeds (nigella)

freshly ground black pepper

Put the rice in a deep bowl, add the oil, lemon juice and salt and mix well. Add a little more oil if you want a wetter salad. Add the cucumber and dill and mix again. Strew the chervil leaves on top. Throw over the onion seeds and finish with a grind or two of black pepper.

short grain rice

There are various traditional risotto recipes in the Stock chapter (see here (#litres_trial_promo)) but here is the store-method recipe.