Recipe: Pascal Aussignac’s Crushed Potato with Green Olives

Another super easy recipe with just a few basic ingredients a la the Great British Chefs’ collection of vegetarian recipes – this one by Pascal Aussignac.

And therein that simple phrase lies a bunch of brilliant reasons for me to give this recipe a go. One, as said, it’s amazingly easy. Two, it’s cheap. Three, I’ve got a lot of green olives left from the last recipe I blogged about. Four, I’m a huge fan of Aussignac’s kitchen craft; one of my finest dining experiences ever was at his Club Gascon. And last but certainly not least, this dish especially filling and really healthy too. Yeah.

Here’s what you need to make Aussignac’s crushed potato with green olives recipe: King Edward potatoes, butter, green olives, rock salt, black pepper and olive oil. Throw in the time it takes to oven bake the potatoes and voilà! That’s it. The only thing I did that altered from the recipe’s directions was to not peel the potatoes. Just a personal preference. But I love how straight ahead the recipe is and how just a few ordinary green olives can turn something potentially bland into a whole new flavoursome treat.

Obviously, this dish would be awesome served as a side to any number of mains and would be a real improvement (without much effort) on what too many people usually do to potatoes. The recipe calls for far less dairy than most mashed, smashed or other potato recipes too … relying on the green olives to bring out the umph. I can see it going particularly well with a variety of fish dishes. But, I’ve got to say, crushed potatoes with green olives is tasty enough to have on its own with a mere salad.

Perfect Summer Recipe: Paul Heathcote’s Couscous

Wow. Believe it or not both Kemey and I were free last night. Nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to catch up with. Boring? Not at all! It was a refreshing break in our otherwise especially hectic (if incredibly fun) summer calendar. We knew we wanted to stay in, relax and have a nice dinner for two to accompany a bottle of chilled white in the fridge but beyond that didn’t have much of an idea what we wanted to eat.

A ha! Hit up Great British Chefs for some last minute inspiration.

K’s vegetarian. So that narrowed things down for us. And GBC’s got a great collection of vegetarian recipes up on its site. Neither of us was really in the mood for preparing something even remotely labour intensive. Cheap was definitely a prerequisite as well. Add to that the need for something summery (as in not too heavy or apt to heat up our tiny top floor flat) and … voilà: Paul Heathcote’s couscous recipe came out the winner.

Following this recipe was an absolute breeze – but just hands-on enough and with the right number of fresh ingredients to give us a feeling like we were actually doing something meaningful with what little effort it took to whip up this delicious dish.

Photo/Kemey Lafond

Yeah, it was easy. But not easy in the “duh” variety; it was ingenious in its simplicity (and now I really wanna come up with an opportunity for a scouting expedition to Heathcote’s Ribble Valley restaurant). Broad beans, fresh peas, sweetcorn, whole almonds, raisins, green olives, mint … summer summer summer … aaah. And all stuff available at pretty much any local supermarket.

Paul Heathcote’s couscous is a brilliant dish on its own, would be a welcome addition to any BBQ or picnic and is without doubt one that will be recreated again in my kitchen.

Aperitivi a la Theo Randall? It’s an Imperative! (Great British Chefs)

Don’t let his Brit surname put you off. Chef Theo Randall knows his taglierini from his tagliatelle. And judging from a new line up of cocktails launched at his eponymous fine dining Italian restaurant located within the luxuriant Intercontinental, this former head chef of the ever lauded River Cafe shows he’s got his head around Italian social drinking and how to set the tone for an “aaaah” of an evening with the right aperitivi, antipasti and atmosphere.

Read my compelte post at the Great British Chefs blog.

@GBChefs Summertime App: 21 Chefs, 105 Recipes, One Good Cause

Great British Chefs’ new Summertime app for iPhone and iPad, developed in association with Ocado, offers 105 recipes from 21 chefs for summery occasions and events.

The app includes recipes ranging from classics with a twist such as coronation chicken salad, fish and chips, curried chicken Kiev, Scotch eggs and Eton mess to dinner party stunners a la burrata with chickpea fritters, ceviche of trout with avocado sorbet, grilled sea bass with fennel and orange salad, cod with pork belly, cherry soup and Pimm’s & Hendricks jelly.

All that for the very generous price of only £1.99 and available at App Store. But even more generous is what happens with your money when you buy the app:

Great British Chefs will donate all proceeds, less VAT and any commissions payable, equating to a minimum donation of £1.20 from the sale of each Summertime app to Action Against Hunger to support the charity’s life saving programmes.

Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger, working to save the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger.

The 21 chefs who have contributed five recipes each:

• Tom Aikens,
• Marcus Wareing,
• Pascal Aussignac,
• Nathan Outlaw,
• Martin Wishart,
• Richard Corrigan,
• Alfred Prasad,
• Robert Thompson,
• Dominic Chapman,
• Christoffer Hruskova,
• Marcello Tully,
• Galton Blackiston,
• Matt Tomkinson,
• Shaun Rankin,
• Paul Heathcote,
• Josh Eggleton,
• Simon Hulstone,
• Frances Atkins,
• Greg Malouf,
• Paul Ainsworth, and
• Shaun Hill.

Wow!

The Great British Chefs Summertime app offers a thrifty and fun way to eat well while helping out those who may be uncertain about their next meal.

Oh … and that GBC team up with Ocado … that seems like a match made in foodie heaven.

Twenty Nights of Global Feasting at Stratford (Great British Chefs)

Only a couple of minutes walk from Stratford Station, Westfield and the Olympic Park is Stratford’s Old Town Hall. But the building could be a world away if you didn’t know any better. And for a glimpse of pre-Olympic grandeur Stratford, a stroll through ye olde Stratford Centre offers an almost retro take on life in East London before the 2012 hoopla.

Read my complete post at the Great British Chefs blog.

Judging the International Chocolate Awards (Great British Chefs)

Believe it or not, such a wonderful way to spend a day was just this side of gruelling. The judging procedure was incredibly rigorous, and we judges weren’t let in on who had made the chocolates we were trying. Yes, it was an epic endeavour (almost six hours sampling chocolate!). I left the judging high on an especially wacky sugar buzz with my exhausted tongue dragging behind. But please don’t think I’m complaining! I’d be extra keen indeed to sit on another round!

Read my complete post at the Great British Chefs blog.

Keeping Tidy with Rachel Khoo (Great British Chefs)

In closing, I asked Rachel if she had any cookery tips to share with the Great British Chefs community. Only a “boring” one she said …

Keeping Tidy with Rachel Khoo
Great British Chefs, 18 June 2012

Fine Dining Fun at Christoffer Hruskova’s North Road (Great British Chef)

Clean. That’s the word, the concept, the feeling that kept coming to mind during my epically epicurean journey along North Road ‘s seven course tasting menu. The other recurring thought I had while dining my way through this seven course scenic feast was that eating at North Road was a whole lot of fun.

Fine Dining Fun at Christoffer Hruskova’s North Road
Great British Chef, 12 June 2012

London Hosts First Ever British Biscuit Festival (Great British Chefs)

From digestives to custard creams to wafers, biscuits are about as British as it gets. And now there’s an all-things-biscuit festival coming to London that’s sure to send folks on a sugar rush. From the 8th June 2012, the Brunswick Centre in London will host the first ever British Biscuit Festival, a three day celebration with biscuit-centric activities and entertainment aimed to please young and old alike.

London Hosts First Ever British Biscuit Festival
Great British Chefs, 6 June 2012

Photo/Great British Chefs 

The Gilbert Scott: Brunch at the Bar (Great British Chefs)

… a quick and easy ‘I’ll have that’ was a no-can-do when I gave the weekend brunch menu at The Gilbert Scott a mouthwatering peruse. A problem it was, but such a delicious one.

The Gilbert Scott: Brunch at the Bar
Great British Chefs, 2 June 2012