52. A year of recipes to share with family and friends , livre ebook

About the Author
David Wilshin has worked as a chef in the UK, Spain and the Caribbean. He has been general manager of the Cambridge Cheese Company since 2002, sourcing and selling fine, artisan foods from around Europe and the world.
He lives in Ely, Cambridgeshire, with his wife, two daughters, Jack Russell terrier and chickens.
Dedication
For Mum – you always believed in me x
David Wilshin
52
A Year of Recipes to Share with Family and Friends


Copyright information
Copyright © David Wilshin (2019)
The right of David Wilshin to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-52892-248-7 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-52892-249-4 (Hardback)
ISBN 978-1-52894-447-2 (E-Book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to everyone at Team Cheese – especially to Paul and Jacky for introducing me to a whole new world of food, and to Jade, Camilla and Shannon for their help with recipes and photos.
Introduction
We don’t stop enough these days. We spend our whole lives rushing around: back and forth to work, school, social gatherings, the gym, yoga, classes, clubs and whatever else we do to fill our time. We spend so much time rushing around that, before we know it, we’ve become strangers to those around us, each of us just rushing around in our own busy bubble! On the rare occasions we do actually make the effort to sit down, have a nice meal and spend some time together, we inevitably say, ‘That was nice – we must do this more often…’ – and then promptly forget about it and slip back into the relentless flow of our hectic lives!
Life in the modern world is hectic! Sitting down together to dinner every night is, for most of us, an unrealistic aspiration. But if we can find the time just once a week to get together and ‘chew the fat’, then our lives would be all the better for it!
The aim of this book is to provide you with the inspiration to do just that. It has no particular theme; there are recipes from all over the world, some very simple, some a bit more complicated. You won’t find pages of narrative; it’s simply a book of ideas. You can dip in and out of it at any time and hopefully find something new and exciting to get your taste buds tingling. But if you do choose to follow it in order, then the 52 recipes will guide you through the culinary calendar, making use of whatever seasonal ingredients are at their best.
Some of the ingredients I’ve used are unapologetically obscure – I’ve tried to include alternatives where applicable, but feel free to replace them with something else. Above all, don’t be scared to experiment and adapt – that’s half the fun!
All recipes serve four unless stated otherwise, but again, feel free to adjust the amounts, depending on how many you’re feeding or who you’re feeding.
I sincerely hope my enthusiasm shines through in the recipes and that you, and your family and friends, enjoy it as much as I have!


1: Fen Celery and Stilton Soup
Protected from the winter frosts by dark peaty soil, lovingly piled around it as it grows, fen celery develops a unique, nutty-sweet flavour and its characteristic crunchy, pale sticks. It is the perfect partner for any left-over Christmas Stilton, for a warming supper that’s not too heavy after all the festivities.
50g butter
1 head of fen celery, rinsed well and thinly chopped (reserve some leaves as a garnish)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
200g potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
750ml chicken stock
150ml double cream
200g Stilton cheese, crumbled in your fingers
Ground black pepper and plenty of granary bread rolls and butter to serve Melt the butter in a decent sized saucepan on a medium heat. Add the celery, onion, leek and potato and stir well for a few minutes. Add the stock and bring to a gentle bubble. Simmer slowly for about 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft, but not mushy! Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Liquidize with a hand blender, adding the cream and cheese as you go. Reheat, taking care not to let the soup boil. Serve in warmed bowls with a good crackle of pepper and the bread rolls.

2: Turmeric Butter Chicken with Paratha Breads
This recipe is a bit fiddly and complicated, but it is so worth the effort! I find with recipes like this that it is really important to get yourself prepared so you don’t get in a muddle – get your workspace nice and clear, work out what pots and pans you’re going to use and measure out your ingredients before you start. Please make sure all your spices are fresh and haven’t been sitting in the back of the cupboard for years! We normally have it with a simple salad of tomatoes, onion and cucumber and use the paratha breads to mop all the rich, buttery juices – yum!
For the Paratha…
These are best made in advance and reheated when needed…
300g chapatti flour
Pinch of salt
50g ghee (clarified butter)
150ml lukewarm milk
Extra melted ghee and flour for brushing/cooking/rolling/dusting In a large bowl, mix the salt with the flour. Rub the ghee into the flour with your fingertips, until you have fine crumbs. Make a well in the middle and gradually mix in the milk until you have a firm dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead vigorously until smooth, then cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for an hour or so. Divide the dough into 8 portions, then, on a floured surface, roll each one out into 6 inch circles. One at a time, brush with ghee, then dust with flour. Next, fold the disc alternately as if you were making a child’s paper fan (ask a friend if you can’t remember how to do this!). Stretch it carefully with your fingers, taking care not to snap it, until it’s about doubled in length, then on a floured surface coil it tightly like a rope on a ship’s deck or a coiled snake and dust with flour. When all your little coils are ready, take one at a time and roll it back flat into a 6 inch disc, then cook in a hot non-stick pan with a little ghee until puffed and browned on both sides.
For the Chicken…
Marinade:
10 chicken thighs, skin removed
2cm fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
50g fresh turmeric root, skin removed and finely grated
6 cloves of garlic, skin removed and finely grated
Generous pinch of salt
Juice of 1 lemon
75ml plain yoghurt
2 tbsp garam masala
Sauce:
150g unsalted butter
½ onion, very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 cardamom pods
3 cloves
1 tube tomato puree
100ml single cream
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp nigella seeds Blend all of the marinade ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Mix well, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a snug-fitting oven dish. Grill it under a hot grill for 15 minutes, turning halfway. Turn the heat off and leave it under the grill to keep warm while you’re making the sauce. For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and spices and sizzle gently for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the tomato puree, cream, lemon juice and any left over marinade and stir well. Pour over the chicken and cook in a medium-hot oven for 20 minutes.
For the Salad…
300g aromatic cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 red onion, very thinly sliced
1 cucumber, cut into thick ‘matchsticks’
Lemon juice (a good squeeze)
Salt and very coarsely ground black pepper
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Leave for 5 minutes to allow the juices to flow and mingle. Stir well again and serve alongside the chicken and paratha breads.

3: Creamy Fish Pie with Potted Brown Shrimp
A good fish pie is hard to beat and this is my favourite way of doing it, with a crispy breadcrumb topping, rather than the usual mashed potato. The addition of brown shrimp gives it that real British seasidey taste! Please make sure all fish is bought from a sustainably fished source.
1 small brown onion, thickly sliced
1/2 fennel bulb, thickly sliced
1 bay leaf
1/2 leek, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 peppercorns
2 cloves
700ml whole milk
300ml single cream
1/2 tablespoon plain flour
500g smoked haddock fillet, skin removed (keep the skin!)
500g cod loin
Salt and coarsely ground pepper
100g chilled butter
50g potted shrimp
200g white breadcrumbs
Zest of 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
3 lemons cut into wedges Place the onion, fennel, bay, leek, garlic, peppercorns, cloves, milk, cream and any fish skin into a wide pan and bring to a very gentle simmer. Cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring and squishing occasionally to get the juices flowing. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove all the vegetables, etc. Turn the heat up so your sauce bubbles a bit more vigorously and sieve your flour in, stirr