All posts tagged: Mark Hix

Whipped beetroot dip with radishes recipe

Whipped beetroot dip with radishes recipe

Published by skeptic

Beetroot makes a great, colourful dip, but with this method you can use any root vegetable, from carrot to squash, and even spice things up with a little chilli or ginger if you wish. Try it topped with toasted chopped walnuts, or a sprinkle of the Egyptian spice and nut blend dukkah, too. I’ve served this with simple new-season radishes but you could use any vegetable crudités or flatbread. Timings Prep time: 10 minutes, plus cooling time Cook time: 1 hour Serves 4-6 Ingredients 500g raw beetroot, trimmed but left unpeeled 1 tbsp tahini 100ml extra-virgin rapeseed oil juice of ½ lemon  radishes, well washed but any leaves kept on, to serve Method Put the beetroot in a saucepan and cover well with water. Add 2 tsp salt, bring to the boil and simmer for about an hour, or until the beetroot is soft. Top up the water level if needed to keep the beetroot covered. Once cooked, drain and leave to cool a little, then rub off the skins.  Chop the beetroot flesh into …

Black chickpea hummus recipe

Black chickpea hummus recipe

Published by skeptic

My favourite little Persian snackery is Berenjak restaurant in Soho. It’s always busy and one can always eat well there. The other week I ordered a few different bits including their black chickpea hummus which is amazing and makes a delicious vegetarian substitute for chicken liver parfait in my eyes. I’ve recreated it here. Dried black chickpeas (kala chana) require pre-soaking and cooking; use tinned for a quicker fix. It’s important to use a good food processor or liquidiser for this to produce a hummus that’s light and fluffy. I’ve served it with roasted heritage carrots but any bread or vegetable would work. Timings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 1-1½ hours Serves  4-6 Ingredients 100g dried black chickpeas (kala chana), soaked for 24 hours ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 4 garlic cloves, grated ½ tsp paprika ½ tsp ground cumin 80g black tahini, or as needed 100ml rapeseed oil, plus a little more to drizzle on top Black and white sesame seeds, to serve Method Rinse the soaked chickpeas and put them in a …

Oyster mayonnaise with deep-fried seaweed recipe

Oyster mayonnaise with deep-fried seaweed recipe

Published by skeptic

We might live on an island surrounded by sea but as a nation we’re still a bit hesitant to eat seaweed. All in-shore seaweeds, such as dulse, bladderwrack, kelp, laver and sea lettuce, are good to eat, and are surprisingly tasty when turned into these little deep-fried snacks. If you don’t live by the sea to forage your own, a friendly fishmonger might part with the fresh seaweed that oysters come packed in. Or look out for dried kelp from Asian supermarkets or online. Timings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes Serves 4 Ingredients 4 oysters, shucked and juices reserved 120g good-quality mayonnaise 1 tbsp finely chopped chervil Vegetable or corn oil for deep frying 150g fresh seaweed, washed well, or 75g dried seaweed, soaked in water overnight 100g gluten-free self raising flour Method Put the oysters and their juices in a small pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 seconds then remove from the heat.  Blend the oysters and juice in a food processor or liquidiser with a third of …

Smoked trout dip with crispy fish skin recipe

Smoked trout dip with crispy fish skin recipe

Published by skeptic

I used to make a version of taramasalata (the Greek fish-roe dip) with the flesh of salmon I smoked at home, and called it salmonata. But a few years back, as the controversy over intense salmon farming increased, I converted to smoking large trout. Since ‘troutalata’ doesn’t sound quite right, let’s just call it a (delicious) smoked trout dip. I grill the fish skin to serve as crisps for dunking along with my Turkish balloon flatbreads, but you can of course use any bread or dipping ingredients you like. Timings Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 6 minutes Serves 4 Ingredients  20g white bread, crusts removed 200g smoked trout (ideally from the belly of the fish), skin removed and reserved Juice of ¼ medium lemon A pinch of cayenne pepper, plus extra to serve Flatbreads, to serve Method Soak the bread in some water for a couple of minutes then squeeze out the water with your hands and place the bread in a food processor with the smoked salmon flesh.  Blend to a purée then …

Rack of venison with black salsify salad recipe

Rack of venison with black salsify salad recipe

Published by skeptic

A rack of venison can be treated in exactly the same way as a rack of lamb; you can also cut the rack into cutlets to fry or grill. Depending on the size of the deer, you may need to allow 2-4 bones per person.  Black salsify (or scorzonera) isn’t produced widely in the UK (look to riverford.co.uk and finefoodspecialist.co.uk to buy online), but if you grow it yourself you’ll know that, like Jerusalem artichokes, you can leave it in the ground until you need it. Once dug, it will last a couple of weeks in the fridge in a ziplock bag or wrapped in a damp cloth. Peeled and cooked, it can be served like white asparagus, sliced in a salad, or teamed with other root vegetables. Timings Prep time: 15 minutes
 Cook time: 20 minutes Serves  4 Ingredients  4 black salsify sticks, trimmed and peeled juice of ½ lemon 1-2 racks of venison with 8-16 ribs, depending on size a little vegetable or corn oil 20ml cider 80ml rapeseed oil 4 handfuls of …

Pan-fried venison salad recipe

Pan-fried venison salad recipe

Published by skeptic

If I butcher my own venison I usually use the inner fillets from the back leg for this, but you can use the saddle fillet or loin too. My salad here is totally wild – pennywort, leaves of ox-eye daisies, wild chervil (cow parsley), wild chives and dandelion leaves that grow in the hedgerows around my house – but any combination  of salad leaves works well. I picked the sea buckthorn berries last October and froze them; you can use any small berries, such as redcurrants, for sharpness. Timings Prep time: 10 minutes
 Cook time: 5 minutes Serves  4 as a starter or light lunch Ingredients 400g venison fillet(s), from the leg, saddle or loin 200g venison kidney and/or any other offal (optional) a little vegetable or corn oil, for frying 4 handfuls of foraged edible leaves and/or herbs, or small cultivated leaves For the dressing 30ml red-wine vinegar 100ml extra-virgin rapeseed oil 50g sea buckthorn or other small berries Method Season the venison fillet and offal, if using.  Heat a little oil in a …

Venison pie recipe

Venison pie recipe

Published by skeptic

When buying the meat for this, it’s best if it comes from a single cut or joint, so that the pieces all cook in the same time. Shoulder or neck meat works well. If you are a fan of offal, you might like to add some pan-fried heart and kidney pieces to the meat once it’s tender, in the manner of a good old-fashioned steak and kidney pie. Timings Prep time: 45 minutes, plus cooling time
 Cook time: 2 hours  35 minutes Serves  4 Ingredients For the filling 1kg venison shoulder or neck, cut into rough 2-3cm chunks 3 tbsp plain flour vegetable oil, for frying 30g butter 2 medium onions, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed 1 tsp tomato purée 200ml red wine 1.5 litres dark meat stock, such as beef 1 tsp chopped thyme leaves 10 juniper berries, crushed 1 small bay leaf 1-2 tsp cornflour (optional) For the pastry 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 85g shredded beef suet 60g butter, chilled and coarsely grated 1 medium egg, beaten Method Season …

Venison keema recipe

Venison keema recipe

Published by skeptic

This is a great way to use up all of the belly and off-cuts of venison, or any game for that matter. It makes for a great sharing starter or main course, served with flatbread or poppadoms.  Timings Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes Serves  4 as a starter Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable or corn oil, for frying 500g coarsely minced venison 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds 1 tsp ground coriander the black seeds from 10 green cardamom pods 1 black cardamom pod (optional) 4-5 curry leaves 1 tbsp fenugreek leaves 1 tbsp ghee 1 medium onion, finely chopped 5 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed 30g root ginger, peeled and finely grated or chopped 4 medium green or red chillies, finely chopped 1 tbsp tomato purée 1 litre lamb, beef or game stock 1 tbsp tamarind paste To serve 20 or so fresh or dried curry leaves a little vegetable or corn …

Beef carpaccio with horseradish and parmesan recipe

Beef carpaccio with horseradish and parmesan recipe

Published by skeptic

Carpaccio is a simple anytime starter or light main course. It’s important to buy a super-fresh fillet or sirloin and it can help to pop the beef in the freezer for 30-40 minutes before you need it; this firms it up and makes slicing it a little easier. Some people like to slice the meat paper-thin so that the plate can almost be seen through it, but I find you can’t taste the actual beef this way; slightly thicker slices are fine. Timings Prep time: 5 minutes, plus optional freezing time Serves  4 as a starter Ingredients 400-500g trimmed beef fillet or sirloin 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle 60-80g fresh horseradish root, peeled 100-120g Parmesan Method Place the beef (wrapped in cling film if you like) in the freezer for 30-40 minutes, if you wish. Using a very sharp knife, carve the beef into slices about 3mm thick and arrange on serving plates, covering as much of the surface as possible.  Season the beef and drizzle with olive oil. Finely grate the horseradish all over the beef to taste, followed by the Parmesan. Serve immediately. …

Sashimi salad recipe

Sashimi salad recipe

Published by skeptic

You can serve pretty much any super-fresh white fish for this, or try scallops. Even very fresh second-division fish is good, such as mackerel or whiting; there’s no need to buy expensive premier-division fish like bass or turbot unless you want to.  I team the fish with mushrooms marinated in ponzu (a Japanese citrus sauce) and a dried seaweed salad mix – a combo of colourful edible sea vegetables which you can buy from Asian supermarkets or online from The Cornish Seaweed Company or Clearspring.  Timings Prep time: 10 minutes, plus marinating time Serves 4 Ingredients  100g fresh Asian mushrooms such as enoki or shimeji, cleaned and separated 150ml ponzu 400g very fresh white fish, skin removed and filleted 20g dried seaweed salad, rehydrated in cold water a handful of small Asian leaves, such as red mizuna and micro mustard leaves, and lengths of chives a handful of coriander leaves 2 spring onions, finely sliced Method Place the mushrooms and ponzu together in a bowl and leave to marinate for about an hour, then drain …