Animal magic
Celebrate the RSPCA’s Farm Animal Week with this exciting recipe collection from top celebrity chefs.
THAI FISH BROTH
By Lesley Waters
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
350g/12oz Thai fragrant rice
400g of coconut milk
600ml/1 pint vegetable stock
500g/1lb Freedom Food labelled salmon fillet, cut into chunks
115g/4oz sugar snap peas, halved lengthways
2 tablespoons coriander leaves, torn
Juice of 1 lime
Freshly ground black pepper
For the paste:-
1 tablespoon oil
5cm/2 inches root ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped lemon grass
1 green chilli, halved, deseeded and chopped
1 red chilli, halved, deseeded and chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
Method:
1 Cook the rice as directed on the packet. Place all the ingredients for the paste in a small food processor or blender and blend into a smooth consistency.
2 Heat a wok and add the paste. Stir over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add the salmon chunks.
3 Simmer for 2 minutes, add the sugar snap peas and cook for a further 1 minute until the fish is just cooked. Season with pepper to taste and add half the coriander leaves.
4 Drain the cooked rice. Just before serving, squeeze the lime juice over the broth and scatter with the remaining coriander leaves. Spoon some rice into each serving bowl and ladle over the broth. Serve immediately.
TOAD IN THE HOLE
By Antony Worrall Thompson
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 75 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
3 tbsp thyme leaves
8 Freedom Food labelled sausages
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp of beef dripping
For the batter:-
115g/4oz plain flour
large pinch of salt
4 Freedom Food labelled eggs
300ml/½ pint milk
freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1 Preheat the oven to 220°C / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.
2 Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions with 1 tbsp of the thyme until soft but not coloured. Place in the bottom of a roasting dish.
3 To make the batter, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and break in the eggs. Gradually beat the
eggs into the flour and slowly add the milk until the batter is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
4 Stir in the remaining thyme and season with black pepper. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
5 Cook the sausages in a large frying pan over a medium heat until golden brown all over. Remove the sausages from the pan, brush with the mustard and set aside.
6 Add the dripping to the onions in the roasting dish and place in the oven for 5 minutes or until the dripping is hot and almost smoking.
7 Add the sausages to the roasting dish and pour in the batter. Immediately return the roasting dish to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until well risen and golden. If the batter is becoming too brown on the outside reduce the oven to 190°C / 374°F / Gas Mark 5. Once ready, serve immediately.
CARAMELISED APPLES WITH REAL CUSTARD
By Nick Nairn
Preparation time: 10 -15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
For the custard:
150ml/Freedom Food labelled double cream
150m/5 fl oz Freedom Food labelled full fat milk
1 vanilla pod
3 Freedom Food labelled egg yolks
25g/1oz caster sugar
For caramelised apples:
275g/10 oz caster sugar
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and quartered
Method:
1 Place the cream and milk into a thick-bottomed pan, over a medium heat until simmering. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds, and add both to the pan. Set aside for 5 minutes.
2 Place the egg yolks and sugar for the custard into a bowl. Whisk until a thick fluffy mixture. Slowly pour the hot cream over the egg and sugar mixture, stirring continually.
3 Pour mixture into a clean pan and place back on the medium heat, continuing to stir. Cook the mixture until it starts to thicken, taking care that it doesn’t become too hot. Once a light coating consistency is obtained, immediately sieve the mixture into a clean, cold bowl. Cover with cling wrap to avoid skinning and allow to cool.
4 Meanwhile, place the sugar set aside for the apples into a large frying pan, over a medium heat. Allow the sugar to melt slowly and stir as little as possible, only doing so to fold in little areas of dark caramel, which start to appear.
5 After 6-8 minutes all of the sugar will be melted, however, allow to cook a little further (another 1-2 minutes should do). The caramel is ready when large bubbles appear along with dark, acrid smoke. Remove the pan from the heat.
6 Carefully add the apples to the caramel. Ensure all the apples are well coated and return to a low heat until they are tender but still holding their shape. Divide the caramelised apples between bowls and serve with plenty of custard.
