Hi Everybody. I hope that 2018 is going well for everyone. It certainly has been an interesting last month for me. I got to travel to Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia (all new destinations), and returned to the UK, where this month's recipe - the Scotch Egg - originated. Please don’t forget to let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook if you tried any of my recipes, such as those in this newsletter, those on my "Simon Says" cooking series on Pureflix.com (where you can sign up and join for free for a month), or those on my website. Also, if you have the time, please check out my latest feature on Time Out LA on Filipino food, as well as my latest article on Saute Magazine (at page 54). Cheers. |
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SIMON'S FOOD SCHOOL: Stuff You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Food SCOTCH EGG I do love a Scotch Egg. It is something that I like to make for myself whenever I have the chance, and I like to seek out great examples to have with a pint of my favorite bitter when I am at my favorite pubs in London. The perfect Scotch egg should be crisp and golden on the outside, and then, when broken, reveal well-seasoned sausage meat that is still juicy and an egg whose yolk is still soft. Scotch eggs actually have nothing to do with Scotland, although I am sure they are popular there. The term Scotching refers to off-cuts of meat that were pounded together to make forcemeat that was tender. This was then wrapped around an egg from a pullet (a hen that is less than a year old) which would have been significantly smaller than the ones we are used to today, and then breaded and fried. There are a number of claimants to be the creators of scotch eggs, the most often cited being the famous grocery store in London, Fortnum & Mason, who claim to have invented them in the 1730s. Although there are other theories that they were in fact created by those returning from the colonies in India and are a British take on Nargisi Kofta, which are eggs covered in meat and cooked in a spicy sauce. Whatever their origin, by the beginning of the 19th Century, recipes for Scotch Eggs began appearing in cookbooks and they had become a popular picnic snack. Like so many pub snacks, just as with pork pies, one of the reasons they became so popular is that once cooked, they were easily transportable, and people could have them made at home, or buy them from an inn to be eaten while they were travelling. Nowadays, it would be hard to have a “proper” pub menu without a Scotch egg on the list. While I love a classic Scotch egg, made from a fresh hen's egg, it is always nice to try something a little different. I do love making Scotch Eggs with quail eggs to serve as a canape. Served with a nice pint of beer and a spoonful of chutney, it’s hard to beat.
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THE GREAT SHELLFISH COOKBOOK By Matt Dean Pettit For so many people, cooking fish and shellfish is the most intimidating task they face in the kitchen. Not only are these ingredients often very expensive, but they can go from cooked to overcooked in a matter of seconds, leaving you with nothing more to enjoy than a bite that resembles chewing on a tire. This terrific book by my good pal, Matt Dean Pettit, is the perfect place to start if you want to up your seafood game. He really is the real deal when it comes to matters seafood and fish. |
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YOUR "FIRST LOOK" RECIPE: Scotch Egg |
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(Serves 4) INGREDIENTS - 4 Quail eggs
- 1 Regular egg (for the egg wash)
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 1 pound Pork Sausage
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 Cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 Cup Panko
- Water (for boiling water and for ice water)
- Ice Cubes
- Canola oil (for frying)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS - Boil the Quail eggs for two minutes.
- Place the boiled Quail eggs in iced water. This will stop the Quail eggs from cooking further.
- Once cool, gently peel off the Quail eggshells and return to the ice water.
- Combine the panko and breadcrumbs into a wide bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Whisk the regular egg with the milk in a wide bowl. Set aside.
- Put the flour in a wide bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- For each Quail egg:
- Take the sausages out from its casing and divide into four portions. Flatten each portion into roughly the size of your palm.
- Take a Quail egg and gently wrap entire Quail egg with the sausage, forming a ball around it. Be careful not to crush the Quail egg.
- Coat the Quail egg wrapped in sausage with flour. Shake off excess flour.
- Dip the Quail egg into the egg wash and make sure the entire surface is coated with the egg wash.
- Coat the Quail egg with the breadcrumbs/panko combination.
- Dip the Quail egg into the egg wash a second time, and again making sure the entire surface is coated with the egg wash.
- Coat the Quail egg a second time with the breadcrumbs/panko combination.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour to ensure that the ingredients set.
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Deep fry the Scotch egg until the panko and breadcrumbs are golden.
- Pre-heat an oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the eggs on a tray and into the preheated oven for 5 minutes. This way, the sausage meat will be cooked but the breadcrumbs will not burn.
- Serve whole or cut in half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve with your favorite dip.
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And, Last But Not Least... Please Check Out: |
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