Season’s eatings

I am lucky enough to have access to fantastic gear through the restaurant suppliers and have little need or wish to shop for food in supermarkets. However, I am mindful that for many folk reading this article, that is precisely where the majority of their food is sourced and I will not be adopting the righteous “Thou shalt not buy stuff at Tesco” stance in these pages. I would, however, urge you to think about what is seasonal and indigenous and what is not.

In this country we have access to fine fruit and vegetables, so it doesn’t make sense to buy expensive and tasteless Peruvian asparagus or Californian raspberries in November. Moreover, how much pleasure will you derive from cooking them? We grow probably the best apples in the world, so wouldn’t you prefer to eat a superb English russet, which is at its best right now, rather than a Braeburn from New Zealand? As the cooler winds of early winter arrive, my thoughts turn to combining pulses with slow- cooked meats. It is not that lentils, chickpeas, beans and their ilk do not lend themselves to all year round cookery (they do admirably); it is just that I can’t think of eating anything more satisfying as we hurtle towards the short days and long nights before Christmas.

I love cooking at this time of year. Game is at its best, as are wild mushrooms (which have been particularly good this autumn; witness superb Scottish girolles) and I have always had a soft spot for soft meats braised softly.

Daubes, or casserole, of ox cheek and tail, shins of veal or shanks of lamb, beef brisket, braised shoulder of venison and others all feature on the menu at Chez Bruce as the winter approaches. Long, slow cooking is such a healthy medium, too, containing little fat, (although buttery mashed potatoes sit rather nicely alongside a richly glazed daube of beef).

The menu below — ham hock with lentils, savoy cabbage, prunes and salsa verde, followed by poached pear with ricotta, honey, oats and nuts — neatly combines these thoughts and would prove a cracking feast after a bracing day out in the elements.

www.chezbruce.co.uk

Making of a master chef

1964 Born in Guildford, Surrey.

1989 After taking a history degree and dabbling in hotel management, Poole decides that he wants to become a chef.

1994 After stints at Bibendum and The Square he was made head chef at the London restaurant Chez Max.

1995 Opened Chez Bruce with business partner Nigel Platts-Martin.

1999 Chez Bruce is awarded a Michelin star; it also has three AA rosettes.

1999 Opens The Glasshouse in Kew, Southwest London — awarded a Michelin star, two AA rosettes and Catey Menu of The Year Award.

2001 Opens La Trompette, Chiswick, West London, which wins three AA rosettes.

2006 Wins Catey Award for Chef of the Year

HAM HOCK

Serves 4

2 large ham hocks, a small cut of meat from the leg, just above the foot

1 savoy cabbage, leaves separated; use only the light green ones, discarding the tough dark outer and white inner leaves

1 large carrot

1 onion

2 bay leaves

1 large sprig fresh thyme

2 leeks

½ head of celery

1 cup of Puy lentils

A few high quality (Agen) prunes

Wash the knuckles of ham under cold running water for 5min and put them in a pan large enough to hold all the ingredients comfortably. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Skim off the scum.

Taste the water; if it is too salty (which it probably won’t be), discard the water and start again. Simmer the ham gently until it is tender and giving to the touch (about two hours).

Peel the root vegetables and chop into pleasingly big chunks. As the hocks reach tenderness, add all the vegetables and the herbs to the pan and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until all are cooked but not mushy. The lentils need not be soaked, but need to be brought to boiling point two or three times, each time in fresh cold water, rinsing them in a sieve under cold running water to clean them between each boiling. On the fourth occasion, simply cover with fresh water and bring to a trembling simmer until cooked (about 15 min). Season and set aside in their cooking liquor.

SALSA VERDE

Large bunch of picked flat-leaf parsley,

(plus some optional fresh mint)

1 crushed clove garlic

3 anchovy fillets

1tsp Dijon mustard

1tsp fine capers

Olive oil

Finely chop all the ingredients and just cover with olive oil in a bowl. Check the seasoning; it probably will not need any on account of the anchovies and mustard. This sauce should have a pleasantly piquant kick.

TO SERVE

Pull the ham off the bones and divide between four big bowls, with an even share of the veg. Combine the drained lentils and a couple of prunes per person with just enough seasoned ham broth to heat them and add to the bowls. Spoon over the salsa verde and scoff with crusty sourdough bread.

POACHED PEARS WITH RICOTTA, HONEY, NUTS AND OATS Serves 4

4 hard (unripe) peeled Conference,

Comice or Williams pears

White wine mixed with water

Caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

6 peppercorns

6 cloves

1 star anise

A little runny honey

A small handful of roasted nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, brazils or a mixture)

A dessert spoon of porridge oats, toasted until golden brown in a medium oven

A small tub of best ricotta

If you feel the need, carefully extract the core of the pears, then cover in a small saucepan with a mixture of wine and water (half and half) and enough sugar to taste (they will take quite a lot). Add the peppercorns, cloves and anise together with the scraped-out vanilla pod. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the pears are soft. Serve the pears warm with a dollop of ricotta, a dribble of warmed honey and a smattering of chopped nuts and oats.

NUTRITIONIST’S VERDICT BY AMANDA URSELL

Tuck in . . . for a low-calorie feast

This well-balanced ham-based meal contains fewer than 300 calories a serving and is brimming with energy-boosting iron (giving a third of a woman’s daily needs, mostly from the cabbage and lentils) and containing more than a fifth of our bone-building calcium for the day, again from the delicious savoy cabbage. Throwing in fresh thyme gives you anti-microbial super-nutrients, which can kill bacteria. There is also plenty of immune-bolstering zinc to ward off colds. Eating the salsa verde sends vitamin C levels soaring and it is rich in the mineral iron. Parsley is excellent for chlorophyll, the dark green pigment that latches on to cancer-causers in our digestive tracts and carries them out of our bodies. The poached pear dessert may sound naughty but it is bursting with cholesterol-lowering omega-3 fats from the nuts and soluble fibre from the pears.

Steer clear . . . if you are diabetic

It is hard to see any reason why you should steer clear of these dishes. Even the pudding has fewer than 250 calories a serving, which is about half those in many winter desserts. To make it even healthier, you could replace the sugar in the recipe, which is a medium-GI carbohydrate and raises blood sugar fairly rapidly, with low-GI granulated fructose such as Fruisiana or Tate and Lyle Fruit sugar.

(www.amandaursell.com)