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Hints & Tips
The Perfect Pork Crackling
This is the method I use for pork crackling. It has never failed me yet, so why not give it a try?
First, score the skin with either a very sharp knife or a scalpel. It is best to do this in centimetre squares in a diamond shape across the meat. Make sure you don’t cut through the skin, as you may get a dry bit when you come to carve.
Place the pork on your tray, skin side up and pour a kettle of boiling water all over the skin. You will see that the skin starts to separate and open up into the squares you have cut.
Drain off all the water and pat dry with a clean dishcloth.
Take 1 tablespoons of butter and spread on the skin, working it right into the cuts.
Then season your meat; I use salt, ground black pepper and a sprinkling of English mustard powder. Rub that in on top of the butter, again forcing it into the gaps.
Then put in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for half an hour. After that, turn your oven down to 180 degrees for the rest of the cooking time.
It is always really important to let any meat rest before carving, as this encourages the juices to disperse throughout the meat and lets it relax, giving you a far more tender, juicy roast. Never cover the pork with tin foil at any point during cooking or resting, as the crackling will go soggy.
To make carving a bit easier, take off the crackling (this should come of in one big piece). On the underside of the crackling, there will be a layer of jelly fat. You can scrape this off if you prefer (our dogs love it!) and this will leave you with a really crispy peice of crackling which you can cut into portions separately.
I hope this works as well for you as it does for me. Enjoy!
How to Cook the Perfect Steak
These cooking guidelines are based on a steak about 1” thick. For thicker steaks, increase the cooking time accordingly.
Rare: 1-2 minutes per side – rest for 6-8 minutes
Medium rare: 2-2.5 minutes per side – rest for 5 minutes
Medium: 3 minutes per side – rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 4.5 minutes per side – rest for 1 minute
You should use a heavy, flat based frying pan or griddle for steaks. It is best to rub a little oil on the steaks as apposed to adding it to the pan. This stops you using too much oil.
Cook steaks on a high heat, but not smoking. The steak should sizzle instantly as soon as it touches the pan. If it doesn’t, remove it immediately and increase the temperature of the pan.
Don't be tempted to turn the steak or move it around to much while it is cooking. Have faith in your cooking times!
It is really important to rest all meat after cooking. This allows the juices to permiate the whole cut and even out the temperature.
How to Cook Guinea Fowl Supremes
This is a quick guide to cooking Guinea Fowl Supremes. This method was given to us from one of the chefs at the Fortingall Hotel, Craig. I have tried it many times and it always produces the most amazing, juicy meat. As with all poultry, we always advise that you make sure you are completely happy with colour of the meat before you serve. The Supremes do vary very slightly in size so please be advised that this is a guideline.
Heat a frying pan with a ovensafe handle to about 170-180 degrees and add a small amount of oil. It is best not to use olive oil as it has a low smoke point and may burn. At the same time, preheat your oven to the same temperature. Add your Guinea Fowl, skin side down to the pan. Make sure the pan is sizzeling but not smoking.
Cook the guinea fowl skin side for 4-5 mins. Turn the Guinea Fowl and cook on the other side for 1 mins. Take the whole frying pan and put in your oven for a further 4-5 mins. Take the pan out of the oven and this is the essential bit, rest the Guinea Fowl in the pan, on a rack, for 10 minutes.
When you come to serve you will see that the supremes are fantasticly juicy and delicious. This method can also be used for chicken with the same superb results.
Be very careful when leaving the frying pan to rest. It is easy to forget the handle has just come out the oven. Trust me!
Browning your meat
Before you oven cook or slow cook any meat, it is essential to brown your meat first before adding any liquids. This seals the meat and prevents the juices from escaping. You will find it makes a huge difference to the texture and the flavour of the dish. Once your meal is finished cooking, it is really important to let it rest before serving. Its worth the short wait.
How to Prepare a Whole Fish
I was given a 15lb Salmon recently by a dear friend of mine, not because he doesn't like fish but because his wife (not being a fan of fish herself) point blank refused to have anything to do with it. In return for the majority of this river monster, I promised him that I would prepare it and make him up a couple of delicious "Salmon en Croute" for his freezer. After the first two hours, I wish I had told him I didnt like fish. But I persevered and was immensely smug with the results. My husband, however, entered the kitchen and walked straight back out, having seen the mess. So, this process works, but it IS messy.
Lay the salmon on its side on a cutting board. Place your non-dominant hand on top of the fish to keep it steady.
Place the sharp point of the knife in the anus of the salmon and make a shallow cut from the anus up through the abdomen, between the two pelvic fins, continuing to the "v" point just under the jaw. Be careful you do not puncture the guts.
Spread open the abdomen and lift out the entrails. Place the guts in a plastic bag that can be thrown away later.
Scrape the backbone with your thumb or a spoon from tail to throat to remove any remaining guts or blood. Cut off the head and put it in the plastic bag with the guts. Dispose of the bag and its contents.
Take a very sharp knife and remove the dorsel and pectoral fins. They are attached to some hard cartilage so you will have to bring the knife behind that to get them off cleanly
Rinse the salmon under fresh running water and pat dry.
Now for the de-scaleing. I find that the best way to do this is with a potato peeler. Scrape the fish against the grain of the scales until the skin is smooth to the touch in both directions. Give the fish another good rinse after this process and pat dry.
Run a very sharp filliting knife down the spine and start filliting from the head end. You run the knife along the bones, working from the spine to the bottom of the fish, lifting the meat away gently as you go. This helps you to see where the bones are. Keep as close to the bones as you can to prevent waste. It will take you several stokes to remove a fillet. Repeat this with the other side.
Once you have removed the meat, you will see that there is a "skirt" at the belly of the fish. This can be removed and cubed into trimmings for pies or soup.
Run your fingers gently against the grain of the meat. You will be able to feel any spikey bones that are still left. Remove these with fish boning tweezers. This can be quite a time consuming job but it is worth taking the time to get them all out. It makes eating it much nicer.
Once you are confident that all the bones are out, you can either leave it a a whole side of salmon or portion it into indevidual steaks. This is the point you turn round and see how sparkely your kitchen floor is with fish scales.
Im sure you will find this as satisfying as I did when it all goes right. The reason you need a really sharp filleting knife is that, if you try and fillet it with a blunt knife you will get a lot of meat left on the bones. You can remove this and use it as trimmings but its far better to get it all off in one. Also, blunt knives will snap through the bones rather than bend round them so the tweezer process of removing the bones is far longer.
Custom designed fish bone tweezers are far superior to normal tweezers for this job as they have a sharp edge to get a better grip on the bones. It will take you far less time this way. Enjoy your fish!
Top Tip
Couscous isn't everyones favourite accompaniment to a meal. Some people say it is bland and stodgy but it is really easy to cook light, fluffy and flavoursome couscous which compliments your meal beauifully.
The secret is to pour your dried couscous in a large bowl and pour over boiling water to 1 cm above the level of the couscous. Leave it to one side and allow it absorb all the water. Once it has no water left at all, gently fork it through to seperate the grains and you will find it fluffs up perfectly.
You can add any flavours you like to the couscous but you must try adding the juice and peel of half a lemon. The couscous will absorb the juice and even if you think you have added too much, it will mellow down. This adds a delightful acididy to the finished dish. Fresh herbs are delicious in couscous and the heat from it will fill your kitchen with the most amazing herby aromas. Add some finely chopped chilli for a firey undertone or even some tangy spring onions. Play around with it. You will be amazed how you can transform it.
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