Jamie's America - Sneak Peek

designer

productioncontroller

publicationmonth

John H / RH

-

-

spine width 33.5mm

finish

special colours

foil reference

spot varnish

emboss

inside coverprinting

Kurz Luxor420 gold

Photoshop imagefiles included

use images fromprevious titleif yes, ISBN:

Yes

No

.....................

FINISHES ASPREVIOUS BLAD

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO REPRO

www.jamieoliver.com

ISBN 978-0-718-15476-9

9 780718 154769

£26.00photography: david loftus

JA Jacket MJ V2 Final.indd 1JA Jacket MJ V2 Final.indd 1 03/07/2009 02:1903/07/2009 02:19

JA p208-241 Los Angeles.indd 218JA p208-241 Los Angeles.indd 218 26/6/09 20:03:2826/6/09 20:03:28

198

This simple little salad can be quite extraordinary, but you’ve gotto season it with that Mexican spirit by being brave with the limejuice, salt and chilli, until it’s singing in your mouth. It does a greatjob of waking up the other things it’s served with – a few spoonfulsof this next to a grilled chicken breast or pork chop would be anabsolute celebration.

Veg-wise, the onion, coriander and white cabbage are non-negotiable,as they form the base of this salad, but feel free to have a play with theother ingredients and use things like fennel or asparagus. Basicallywhatever’s in season and available should be a nice addition.

Serves 4–6

½ a small white cabbage½ a small red cabbage

a small bunch of radishes (about10), trimmed and finely sliced

2 carrots, peeled and finely sliceda large bunch of fresh coriander,leaves and stalks finely chopped2 large jalapeño chillies (or other

green chilli), to taste, finely sliced1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

extra virgin olive oiljuice of 2–3 limes

sea salt

Wine suggestion:French white – an unoaked Sauvignon

Blanc from the Loire Valley (such asQuincy) or, if serving with chicken or

pork, French red – a young redBourgogne Pinot Noir

The easiest and quickest way to make this is to use a food processorwith a slicer attachment or a mandolin. If you don’t have either of those,use a speed peeler, or simply grate everything finely.

Shred your white and red cabbage into two separate piles. Put just thewhite cabbage into a large bowl with the radishes, carrots and mostof the coriander. Mix everything together really well, then kick up theflavours by adding almost all the chopped chilli, the sliced red onionand a good few lugs of extra virgin olive oil. Add most of the lime juiceand a good pinch of salt, then toss together and have a taste. Just keepadjusting everything, adding more fragrance with the coriander, heatwith the last of the chilli and acid with another squeeze of lime juice, untilit’s just right for you.

When you’re happy, fold in the red cabbage right before serving so itdoesn’t stain everything, and tuck in.


208

Gordita means ‘little fat girl’ in Spanish and is meant as a sortof cute, cuddly term of endearment. It’s also the name for thesesweet little puffy tortillas, which are often made around Easter andother special occasions. Look at the gorditas as a tasty spoon forcarrying all kinds of big exciting flavours. Mexicans put all sorts ofthings, from beans, to meat, to salsa, on them. I’ve gone for quitea delicious and delicate apple salsa here – give it a try.

Makes 16

For the gorditas500g fine cornmeal or masa

harina (which is similar)½ level teaspoon sea salt

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder700ml hot water

plain flour, for dustingolive oil

For the salsa1 red apple, halved and cored

3 large, ripe tomatoes,quartered and deseeded2 spring onions, trimmed

1 red chilli, deseededa small bunch of fresh coriander

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 limesea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve200g Don Francisco Mexican

cheese, or feta (which is similar)optional: 1 fresh red chilli,

very finely sliced1 lime, cut into wedges

Wine suggestion:French dry white –

a Gewürztraminer from Alsace

Put the cornmeal and salt into a large bowl and make a well in thecentre. Mix the baking powder into the hot water and pour this intothe well. Using a fork, mix the cornmeal into the liquid, and when itstarts to come together use your hands to knead it. Divide the doughinto 16 equal squash-ball-sized pieces and dust them lightly with flour.Roll each piece around in your hands, then pat and flatten into a smallround roughly the size of the base of a wine glass. Put these on anoiled tray, dust with flour and put aside while you make your salsa.

Finely chop your apple, tomatoes and spring onions, and finelyslice your chilli. Put them all into a bowl. Pick the leaves from yourcoriander and put them into a bowl of water until you’re ready toserve. Chop the coriander stalks up nice and finely and add to thebowl with the other salsa ingredients. Put a large pan on a mediumheat and add your pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Toss them aroundfor a few minutes and toast them. Add them to your salsa with thejuice of your lime, a good lug of olive oil and a pinch of salt andpepper. Mix well, then have a taste and add a little more seasoning,lime juice or chilli if you thnk it needs more attitude.

Put the pan back on a medium heat and add a couple of good lugsof olive oil. Cook as many gorditas as will comfortably fit into the panfor about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they’re golden andpuff up a little.

Serve the gorditas warm out of the pan with a tablespoon of yourbeautiful salsa, a little hunk of cheese, a couple of your drainedcoriander leaves and a few slices of chilli, if you fancy, and with limewedges on the side for squeezing over.


226

As a lover of good steak, I had quite a few conversations withpeople in LA about how they liked to eat theirs. This dish is aresult of me soaking up all those vibes. I’m pairing a cookedsauce, made with peanuts and spices, with a fresh green salsathat is going to send your tastebuds into orbit. If you notice thatyour peanut sauce is lighter than mine, don’t worry. The peanutsI used in LA were just darker. It will still taste delicious.

Serves 4

For the steak4 x 200g sirloin or rib-eye steaks

(approx. 2.5cm thick)olive oil

a sprig of fresh rosemary1 clove of garlic, halved

For the peanut sauce100g roasted monkey nuts,

shelled, skins removed50g sesame seeds

1 teaspoon dried oregano1 teaspoon cumin seeds

a few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked1 smoked chipotle chilli, crumbled

(or 1 teaspoon smoked paprika)3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

100ml extra virgin olive oila swig of rumjuice of 1 lime

1–2 fresh green chillies, stalksremoved, seeds left in

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Mexican salsa verdea small bunch of fresh coriander

a small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked1 clove of garlic, peeled

1–2 fresh red or green chillies, deseeded4 large spring onions, trimmed2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

juice of 1–2 limes

Wine suggestion:French red – a Syrah such as

Crozes Hermitage or Saint-Josephfrom the northern Rhône Valley

Take your steaks out of the fridge and let them get up to roomtemperature while you make your peanut sauce. Put a dry frying pan ona medium heat and toast the nuts and sesame seeds for a few minutesuntil lightly browned. Add the oregano, cumin seeds, thyme, chipotlechilli and garlic and cook for another minute or so. Tip into a liquidizerwith the extra virgin olive oil, rum, lime juice, fresh chilli, salt and pepper,and 200ml of water. Whiz until shiny and smooth, then have a taste andadjust with a bit more salt, chilli or lime juice if needed. Put to one side.

To make your salsa, get yourself a good knife and a big choppingboard. Set aside a few of the coriander leaves, then chop the top of thebunch, stalks and all, with the mint leaves, garlic, chilli, spring onionsand tomatoes until it’s all very fine – watch your fingers here! Sprinkleover a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then add most of the limejuice and a good lug of extra virgin olive oil. Mix together on the board,taste it, season with more salt, pepper, lime juice or chilli, and put it intoa bowl ready to go.

Get a frying pan, griddle pan or barbecue screaming hot and seasonboth sides of your steaks with salt, pepper and a good drizzle of oliveoil. Add the steaks to the pan or barbecue. Turn every minute andcook to your liking. I’m going to give you some rough timings, but useyour intuition: a 200g steak about 2cm thick wants about 2 minuteseach side for medium rare and 3 minutes each side for medium. Asit cooks, whip the meat with the sprig of rosemary and rub it with thecut side of the garlic clove for some extra flavour.

When the steaks are perfectly cooked to your liking, move them to aplate to rest for a few minutes. Cut them into 1cm thick slices, spreadthe peanut sauce all over a large serving platter or divide betweenyour plates, and gently place the slices of steak on top. Finish with afew dollops of salsa, and scatter over your remaining coriander leaves.Drizzle over any resting juices and let everyone tuck in. This goesbeautifully with the Mexican street salad (see page 198).


This milkshake is a shout out to all the date producersin California. It’s delicious and dead simple. Justchuck 20 stoned dates into a liquidizer with 250mlof milk and blitz until smooth. Add a small handful ofice cubes and a pinch of ground cinnamon and whizagain. Serve straight away in tall glasses.

Makes 2 shakes


JA p298-323 Wyoming.indd 318JA p298-323 Wyoming.indd 318 29/6/09 22:34:5129/6/09 22:34:51

311

One of the cowgirls I met said she struggled for ideas at mealtimesbecause the men weren’t overly keen on eating veg. However, shedid say one of the things they would eat was broccoli salad. Everydiner and restaurant in Cody seemed to have one on the menu, soI created this version, which is absolutely delicious and hits all theright spots. When I cooked it for a group of ranchers there was noneleft by the end of the night. Success!

Serves 6 as a side

2 large heads of broccoli8 rashers of smoked streakybacon, the best quality youcan afford, finely slicedolive oil3 firm red tomatoes, halved,deseeded and finely sliceda small bunch of fresh chives(with flowers if you can get them),finely chopped, flowers reserved

For the dressing½ a clove of garlic, peeledand finely grated2 teaspoons Dijon mustard6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 tablespoons white wine vinegarsea salt and freshlyground black pepper

Wine suggestion:Italian white – a Falanghinafrom the south

Use a small knife to remove the broccoli florets and cut them up intosmaller ones. Basically, this is your opportunity to make the broccolireally delicate and more salady-looking, so spend a bit of time doingthis. You’ll be left with the stalk, so discard the thick dry base, then cutthe remaining stalk in half lengthways and finely slice.

Blanch your broccoli florets and sliced stalks really quickly in boilingsalted water for 60 seconds, just long enough to soften the broccolibut still leave it with a bit of a bite. Drain it in a colander, then spread itaround a clean tea towel to steam dry (this is important because it willhelp the dressing cling to the broccoli). Once completely dry, transferto a serving dish.

Fry the bacon on a medium heat with a small splash of olive oil until crispand golden, then spoon most of the bacon bits over your broccoli. Anyleftover fat in the pan can be used in your salad dressing. Pour it into amixing bowl with all the other dressing ingredients and whisk.

Add the sliced tomatoes and chopped chives to your broccoli and baconbits. Dress it all really well, and check the seasoning. If it needs pimpingup, add a splash more vinegar. If you’ve got any chive flowers, sprinklethose over the top and serve straight away. It’s beautiful on its own orserved next to any grilled or roasted meat or fish.

PS: I also like to toss things like diced feta cheese or chopped freshchilli through this salad. Different-coloured cherry tomatoes are reallynice too.


317

Marcy Tatarka, an absolutely lovely cook I met in Wyoming, was fullof all sorts of local food knowledge. She told me that people in thispart of America are really into their pasties! Turns out that in the1920s and 30s, miners from Cornwall came over to work in Montanaand it wasn’t long before the locals developed a taste for the goodold Cornish pasty. Their recipes haven’t evolved radically since, butthey do embrace local ingredients like chicken, squash and sage.Pastry isn’t exactly health food, but a delicious pasty once in a whilewon’t hurt you. If you like, you can make a slightly ‘skinnier’ pasty byreducing the butter to 200g and adding 50ml of olive oil. But frankly,if I’m making these I just go for it old-school style.

Serves 8

For the pastry250g butter300ml hot water500g plain flour, plusextra for dusting1 tablespoon sea salt1 large egg, preferablyfree-range or organic, beatena handful of medium groundcornmeal or polenta

For the filling1 red onion, peeled andfinely choppedolive oil4 skinless, boneless chickenthighs, preferably free-range ororganic, cut into 2cm dice½ a small butternut squash(approx. 250g), peeled andcut into 1cm chunks1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped1 medium potato, peeledand cut into 1cm chunks6 sprigs fresh sage or thyme,leaves picked and choppednutmegsea salt and freshly groundblack pepper300ml chicken stock,preferably organic2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce1 tablespoon plain flour

Wine suggestion:Italian red – a Barbera d’Alba

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/ gas 4. Bring your butter and water tothe boil in a large pan, then take the pan off the heat. Stir the flour andsalt into the mixture bit by bit with a spatula, until you’ve got a dough. Tipit on to a floured surface and use your hands to shape it into a smoothball. Put the ball of dough into a floured bowl, dust the top with flour, thencover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes while youmake the filling.

Meanwhile, get a large pan and fry your chopped onion in a lug of oliveoil for 10 minutes or until softened. Add the diced chicken and fry for5 minutes until brown, then add the rest of the chopped vegetablesand herbs. Fry for another 5 minutes, then add 3 or 4 good gratingsof nutmeg. Season well with salt and pepper, then pour in the chickenstock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the flour and simmer on amedium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until most of the stock has cookedaway and you’re left with nice thick gravy.

Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour, then divide your pastrydough in half and roll each half out until it’s slightly thinner than 0.5cm.Use a cereal bowl (about 15cm in diameter) to cut 4 circles out of eachhalf, so you end up with 8 circles. You may need to cut out 2 or 3 circlesfrom each half first, then re-roll the remaining pastry to make the rest.Dust the circles with flour, and spoon your filling into the middle of eachone. Brush the edges of the pastry with some of the beaten egg, thenfold each circle in half over the filling and crimp the edges with yourfinger and thumb to seal them. If you want to see how this is done,check out the video on www.jamieoliver.com/how-to.

Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper, scatter a handful ofcornmeal or polenta over the paper, and place your pasties on top.Brush the pasties all over with more of the beaten egg and sprinkle overa little more cornmeal. Bake in the hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes, oruntil golden, and serve straight away with a fresh green salad. A taste ofCornwall in the Wild West – who’d have thought it!


347

Even though it has a strong British heritage, America has embraced theapple pie to the point that it’s now considered a quintessentially Americandessert. American pies often look like the ones from those Desperate Dancomics – big, robust and full of attitude. The crumble-like topping sprinkledover my pie is an idea I’ve been playing about with, and I think it helpsmake it unique. Because huckleberries grow wild in Wyoming, I felt it wasonly right to use them, but feel free to use fresh or frozen blueberries intheir place for equally delicious results. Assembling your pie is dead easy,and I’ll talk you through it step by step, but if you’d like to see how it’s donebefore you start, check out my website, www.jamieoliver.com/how-to, for ademonstration.

Serves 10–12

optional: good-qualityvanilla ice cream, creamor custard, to serve

For the pastry500g plain flour, plusextra for dusting100g icing sugara pinch of sea salt250g unsalted butter, chilledand cut into cubes2 large eggs, preferablyfree-range or organica splash of milk

For the filling10 Granny Smith apples, peeled,cored and halved, 3 slicedjuice and zest of 2 oranges7 heaped tablespoonscaster sugar400g huckleberriesor blueberries1 heaped tablespoon plain flour1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic, beatena small handful ofdemerara sugar

Wine suggestion:Italian sweet white –a Moscato d’Asti from Piemonte

You can make your pastry by hand, or simply pulse all the ingredients in a foodprocessor. If making by hand, sieve the flour, icing sugar and salt from a heightinto a large mixing bowl. Use your fingertips to gently work the cubes of butter intothe flour and sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Transfer a handful ofthis mixture to a separate bowl, rub it between your fingers to get larger crumbs,then put aside. Add the eggs and milk to the main mixture and gently work ittogether until you have a ball of pastry dough. Don’t work it too much at this stage– you want to keep it crumbly and short. Sprinkle a little flour over the pastry, thenwrap it in clingfilm and pop it into the fridge to rest for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, put the apples into a large pan with the zest and juice of 1 orange,a splash of water and 5 tablespoons of caster sugar. Cover the pan and simmeron a medium heat for 10 minutes, until the apples have softened but still holdtheir shape. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Scrunch a handful ofberries in a bowl with the remaining caster sugar and the zest and juice of yourremaining orange. Add the rest of the berries. Toss the cooled apples and theirjuices in a large bowl with the berries and the flour, then put aside.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Take your ball of pastry out of thefridge and let it come up to room temperature. Get yourself a pie dish around28cm in diameter. Flour a clean surface and a rolling pin. Cut off a third of yourpastry and put that piece to one side. Roll the rest into a circle just over 0.5cmthick, dusting with flour as you go. Roll the circle of pastry up over your rollingpin, then gently unroll it over the pie dish. Push it into the sides, letting anyexcess pastry hang over the edge. Tip in the fruit filling and brush all aroundthe edge of the pastry with some of the beaten egg. Roll out the smaller ballof pastry about 0.5cm thick and use your rolling pin to lay it over the top of thepie. Brush it all over with more beaten egg, reserving a little. Sprinkle over thereserved crumble mixture and the demerara sugar.

Fold the scruffy edges of pastry hanging over the sides back over the pie,sealing the edge by twisting or crimping it as you like. Brush these folded edgeswith your remaining beaten egg. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross intothe middle of the pie. Place on the bottom of the oven and bake for 45 to 55minutes, until golden and beautiful. Serve with ice cream, cream or custard.


JA p014-049 NewYork.indd 24JA p014-049 NewYork.indd 24 18/6/09 01:19:1018/6/09 01:19:10

18

I couldn’t possibly leave the great American burger out of thisbook. Sadly, the classic burger has gone from humble beginnings(as something brought over by German immigrants) to become asymbol of fast food and junk. But when made at home with qualityingredients, it’s an absolute joy. So, introducing my great Americanburger, and its little cousin, the ‘slider’, or mini burger . . . Have funwith your toppings and flavour combos and enjoy.

Serves 6

For the burger mixolive oil

2 medium red onions, peeledand finely chopped

6 Jacob’s crackers or 4 slicesof bread, crusts removed

500g good-quality lean minced beef1 teaspoon sea salt

1 heaped teaspoon freshlyground black pepper

1 large egg, preferably free-range or organic, beaten

a handful of freshly gratedParmesan cheese

For the spicy mayo4 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon tomato ketchupa good pinch of smoked paprika

or cayenne pepperjuice of ½ a lemon

To serve12 rashers of smoked streaky bacon,

the best quality you can afford6 large or 8 small burger buns

1 soft round lettuce, leaveswashed and spun dry

4 tomatoes, sliced6 gherkins, sliced

a few pickled chillies

You can make these burgers or sliders in an oven at full whack, onthe barbecue or in a hot pan. If you’re using the oven or barbecue,preheat it now.

Put a splash of olive oil into a large frying pan on a low heat and add yourchopped onions. Fry for 10 minutes or until the onions have softened,then put to one side to cool completely. Blitz your crackers or bread ina food processor until you get a fine consistency. Oil a clean baking trayand put aside. Put the cooled onions into a large bowl with the rest ofthe burger ingredients. Use clean hands to scrunch the mixture togetherreally well, then divide into 6 equal balls for burgers and 18 equal ballsfor sliders. Wet your hands and roll the balls into burger-shaped pattiesabout 2cm thick. Place your burgers or sliders on the oiled baking trayand pat with a little olive oil. Cover them with clingfilm and put the trayinto the fridge for at least an hour, or until the patties firm up. This is agood time to make your spicy mayo, so put all the ingredients into abowl, mix well and put to one side.

If using a frying pan or griddle pan, put it on a high heat now and let itget really hot. However you decide to cook your burgers, they’ll wantaround 3 or 4 minutes per side – you may have to cook them in batchesif your pan isn’t big enough. When your burgers or sliders are nearlycooked on one side, add the rashers of bacon – whichever way you’recooking them – then flip the burgers and cook the bacon until goldenand crisp. When the burgers are cooked to your liking and it’s all lookingreally good, halve your burger buns and warm them through. Put thebacon on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.

When everything comes together pop your burgers or sliders on to theirbuns, add all your lovely toppings and your spicy mayo (you know how toput a burger together!), then tuck in with a lovely fresh salad, baked potatoor potato wedges.


28

This salad was inspired by two of the loveliest girls, Tamara and Zora,who regularly host an anti-restaurant supper club in Queens. Supperclubs are becoming quite popular in New York, and I think the ideabehind them is quite cool. By opening up their homes and serving foodat decent prices, people are sort of rebelling against the crowded,overpriced and rushed service of established city restaurants. This isa great twist on your standard warm salad and, although I’m not crazyabout ultra-sweet things, it was cleverly done because the candiedlayer goes so well with the crispy smoked bacon. Add a good greensalad and some seasonal fruit and you’re on to a winning combo.

Depending on the season, you can vary the lettuces and saladleaves, and the fruit too: apples, pears, peaches, figs, grapes andstrawberries would all be great, so use your imagination. Thanks forthe inspiration, girls!

Serves 4

For the creamy French dressing6 tablespoons good-quality

extra virgin olive oil3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard1 heaped tablespoon natural yoghurt

sea salt and freshly groundblack pepper

For the salad12 rashers of smoked streaky bacon,

the best quality you can afford1 clove garlic, peeled

3 slices of fresh white breadolive oil

freshly ground black pepper2 heaped teaspoons demerara sugar

3 clementines5 large handfuls of mixed salad

leaves, washed and spun dry1 pomegranate

a small bunch of fresh mint,leaves picked

Wine suggestion:Californian white – a Fumé Blanc

To make your dressing, put all the ingredients into a large serving bowl,whisk together, and season to taste. You want it to be slightly too acidic, soadd a splash more vinegar if you think it needs it. Put to one side.

Get a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the bacon rashers andcook until lightly golden (but not really crispy), turning them every sooften. Remove the bacon to a plate. Squash your garlic clove and add itto the pan, then turn the heat up a little and tear your bread into medium-sized chunks. Drop them into the pan so they suck up all the flavours andbecome crispy. If your bacon didn’t release a lot of fat and you think thebread needs a little help to crisp up, simply add a lug or two of olive oil.Add a pinch of black pepper and shake the bread around until crispy andgolden, then remove to the plate with your bacon.

Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper, then put the bacon back in withthe sugar or honey and the juice of 1 clementine. Concentrate on whatyou’re doing, and make sure you don’t touch or taste anything at anypoint because it will burn you. Stir everything around in the pan so thesyrup starts to stick to the bacon. As soon as the rashers are perfectlycaramelized and sticky, use tongs to carefully move them to an oiled plateand leave to cool down for a minute. Whatever shape you leave the baconin at this point is how it will set, so give the rashers a bend or a twist. Peelthe remaining clementines and slice them into rounds.

Grab your bowl of dressing and add your salad leaves. Halve thepomegranate and use a spoon to knock the back of each half and popthe seeds over the salad. Add your mint leaves, then use your hands totoss and dress everything thoroughly. Lightly toss your croutons throughthe salad and lay your candied bacon on top. Place your clementinerounds on top of the salad, then pass the bowl around the table and leteveryone serve themselves.


60

‘Mac ’n’ cheese’ is a classic American pasta dish – everyone lovesit. Sometimes it’s done so badly in the convenience area, it’s almostbecome famous for being horrible, but when you do it properly,trust me, it’s an absolute killer. Feel free to use any tubular pastayou want. I’ve made this dish my own by lightening it with sweettomatoes and given it some crunch with delicious breadcrumbs.Just you wait till you try it!

This dish isn’t going to win any prizes in the nutrition department, butyou can, and should, balance it with a nice salad. If you only have itonce in a while as a special treat it’ll do you no harm.

Serves 8–10

sea salt and freshlyground black pepper

45g butter3 heaped tablespoons plain flour

10 cloves of garlic, peeled andfinely sliced

6 fresh bay leaves1 litre semi-skimmed milk

600g dried macaroni8 tomatoes

150g freshly grated Cheddar cheese100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

a few sprigs of freshthyme, leaves picked

optional: a couple of splashesof Worcestershire sauce

optional: a grating of nutmeg3 big handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs

olive oil

Wine suggestion:dry Italian white – a good Pinot Grigio

Get a large pan of salted water on to boil. Melt the butter in a largeovenproof saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and turn theheat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste – this isyour roux. Add all the sliced garlic – don’t worry about the amount,because each slice will caramelize like toffee in the roux. Keep cookingand stirring until golden and the garlic is nice and sticky. Add the bayleaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get anice smooth sauce. Bring the mixture to the boil, then leave it on a lowheat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally. Preheat your ovento 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7.

Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted water and cook accordingto the packet instructions. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes on aboard and season them well with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta andadd it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan offthe heat. Stir in your grated cheeses, chopped tomatoes and thymeleaves. A little Worcestershire sauce added now is nice, and so is a littlegrating or two of nutmeg. Now work on the flavour – taste it and seasonit until it’s hitting the right spot. You want it to be slightly too wet becauseit will thicken up again in the oven, so add a splash of water if needed.

If you’ve made your sauce in an ovenproof casserole-type pan, leaveeverything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish. Bake itfor 30 minutes in the oven, until golden, bubbling, crispy and delicious.

While it’s cooking, put your breadcrumbs and thyme into a pan with a fewdrizzles of olive oil over a medium heat. Stir and toss the crumbs arounduntil crunchy and golden all over. Remove from the heat and tip into a nicebowl. Serve your macaroni cheese in the centre of the table, with yourbowl of crispy breadcrumbs for sprinkling over, and a lovely green salad.


JA p100-123 Louisiana.indd 114JA p100-123 Louisiana.indd 114 23/6/09 23:19:3223/6/09 23:19:32

87

Jambalaya is a French word that means ‘jumbled’ or ‘mixed up’,and I have no doubt that the philosophy and heart of this recipecome from a similar place to paella, kedgeree and risotto.

Originally, any Louisiana ‘critter’ unlucky enough to get caughtwould have gone into this: rabbit, duck, squirrel, frog, alligator. . . you name it! And similarly, you can adapt it to whatever yourlocal butcher or fishmonger happens to have. Go cheaper byusing things like frozen prawns and chicken livers, or moreexpensive by including lobster or crab. I used an incredible localsmoked sausage called andouille, but fresh chorizo or any othersmoked sausage would work just as well.

This dish makes me happy every time I eat it. And if more peoplethan expected turn up for dinner just add a bit of extra rice.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Poura couple of lugs of oil into a large casserole type pan and brownthe chicken pieces and sliced sausage over a medium heat. After 5minutes, once nicely browned on all sides, add your onion, peppersand celery as well as your bay, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper.Stir, then fry on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes stirring every nowand again. It’s important to control the heat of the pan: you don’t wantit to be so slow nothing’s happening, or so fast that things are catchingand burning. You want a steady, solid heat.

Once the veg have softened, add your garlic and chillies, stir aroundfor a minute, then stir in the tinned tomatoes and chicken stock.

Bring everything to the boil, then turn the heat down, pop the lid onthe pan and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. When you can pull themeat off the bone and shred it easily the chicken’s ready. Feel freeto remove the chicken bones at this point if you like, then add yourrice. Give it all a good stir, then put the lid on. Give it a stir every fewminutes, scraping the goodness off the bottom of the pan as yougo. Let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is perfectlycooked. Stir in the prawns and if it needs it, add enough water tomake it a kind of porridgey consistency (look at the pictures). Popthe lid back on and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes while you chopyour parsley. Stir the parsley through and serve on a lovely big platter.I absolutely love this with a lemony green salad.

Serves 8–10

4 chicken thighs, skin on, preferablyfree-range or organic4 chicken drumsticks, skin on,preferably free-range or organicsea salt and freshly groundblack peppercayenne pepperolive oil300g smoked sausage, such asandouille or fresh chorizo, skinremoved, cut into 1cm thick slices1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped1 green pepper, deseeded androughly chopped1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped4 sticks of celery, trimmedand roughly chopped4 fresh bay leaves4 sprigs of fresh thyme6 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced1–2 fresh red chillies, deseededand finely chopped1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes1.5 litres chicken stock, preferably organic700g long-grain rice16–20 raw king prawns, peeled and deveineda handful of fresh curly parsley

Wine suggestion:American Pinot Noir – try one from Oregon


89

In the UK we love our bangers and mash, don’t we, andyou’ll find that this dish is fairly similar but with rice andLouisiana gravy. It pushes similar buttons, and it has theadded advantage of extra spices, and it also remindsme of a kinda Italian peperonata. But, let’s be honest,beautiful sausages in a lovely stew are a winning comboin any country.

In the spirit of Cajun cooking, this is a simple one-pan dish,perfect whether you’re at home or cooking outdoors. Givethis a try and you’ll love it.

Serves 6

olive oilgood-quality sausages (about 2 or 3 per person)1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped1 green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped2 sticks of celery, trimmed and roughlychopped, yellow leaves reserved4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped1–2 fresh red chillies, deseededand finely chopped10 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked1 heaped teaspoon paprika1 heaped teaspoon cayenne pepper2–3 heaped tablespoons plain flour1 tablespoon white wine or cider vinegar750ml chicken stock, preferably organic1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoessea salt and freshly ground black peppercooked long-grain rice, to serve3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliceda small bunch of fresh curly parsley,roughly chopped

Wine suggestion:Argentinian red – a Malbec from Mendoza

Put a splash of olive oil in a pan and let it get hot. Add yoursausages and let them cook away so they brown nicely onall sides. Once golden and crisp, take them out of the panand put them on a plate to rest. Depending on your sausages,there may be a lot of fat left behind in the pan. You only wantto keep about 4 tablespoons of it in the pan, so carefully pourany extra away. If you don’t have enough, just add a splashmore olive oil.

Add your onion, peppers and celery to the fat and fry on amedium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, untilsoftened. Stir in your garlic, chilli, thyme and spices and fry foranother minute or two. Stir in your flour and vinegar, and after acouple of minutes add your browned sausages, chicken stockand tinned tomatoes, using a wooden spoon to break them up alittle. Season with a nice big pinch of salt and pepper, stir, thenbring to the boil and let it tick away for 15 minutes or so untilyou have a thick and delicious gravy.

Serve with a hearty spoonful of rice on the side and sprinkle oversome sliced spring onion, chopped parsley and any reservedcelery leaves. Really tasty stuff!

PS: I’ve also stirred chopped up pieces of cooked chicken,quail and smoky bacon through this with great results!


98

This is my own expression of gumbo and it’s a bit like the people of NewOrleans: gregarious and out there. I loved what Leah Chase said to mewhen we made gumbo together: ‘Dishing up a portion of gumbo is likegoing fishing . . . you get what you get.’

I used beautiful blue crabs for this dish, but you can use preparedcrabmeat. Make sure you make a nice dark roux and get the ‘holytrinity’ base of onions, peppers and celery really going, and you canthen substitute prawns with crayfish or fish, and use any other type ofcured sausage you like. It’s the principle of the dish that counts, andswapping ingredients is just fine – in fact, that’s sort of the point!

Serves 8–10

16–20 raw king prawns,preferably shell on

olive oil500g spicy cured sausage,

sliced into 1cm rounds3 litres chicken stock,

preferably organic5 heaped tablespoons plain flour

1 large onion, peeledand finely chopped

2 large green peppers,deseeded and finely chopped

3 stalks of celery, trimmedand finely chopped5 fresh bay leaves

a small bunch of freshthyme, leaves picked

8 cloves of garlic, peeledand finely chopped

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

200g okra, sliced into rounds300g picked crabmeat, plus 4

claws (if you can get hold of them)1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes


juice of 1 lemona small bunch of fresh

curly parsley

Wine suggestion:New Zealand red – a young

Pinot Noir, served lightly chilled

If you’ve got shells on your prawns, peel them and keep the heads and shellsaside for your stock. Heat a large pan over a medium to high heat and add alug of olive oil and your sliced sausages. Let them get some nice colour. Whilethat’s happening put a large stock pot on a high heat, add another lug of oliveoil and fry any prawn heads and shells for about 5 minutes. Use a rolling pin tobash them up in the pot and release all their lovely flavours, then pour in yourchicken stock, bring to the boil, and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

Move your cooked sausages to a plate and add the flour to the fat left behind inthe pan. Turn the heat down to low and stir. You want the roux to have a semi-loose, doughy consistency, so add a splash of olive oil if there isn’t a lot of fat.(You also want the roux to get really nice and dark, so have a bit of patience andkeep stirring to stop it sticking. It might take around 10 minutes to get it to theright darkness. Peanut butter colour is a good starting point, but you can take iteven darker if you prefer by stirring and cooking it for another 20 to 30 minutes.)After about 2 minutes, add a splash more olive oil to the roux along with theholy trinity of onion, peppers and celery. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, thenscrunch up your bay leaves to help bring out their flavours and stir these intothe trinity mixture with the thyme leaves. Fry for 5 minutes, then add your garlic,cayenne, Tabasco and the okra, which will act as a brilliant thickening agent.Give it all a good stir and fry for a couple of minutes.

At this point, add your stock. If you’ve got prawn shells in there, strain it througha large sieve. Stir and bring everything up to the boil. Add your crab claws, ifusing, and tinned tomatoes and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in your cookedsausages, peeled prawns and crabmeat, and leave on a medium heat to tickaway for another 5 minutes.

Have a taste and add salt and pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice if youthink it needs it. Keep tasting and seasoning until it’s got some kick. Roughlychop the parsley and sprinkle into your gumbo. This is lovely served in bowlsover some rice, but you can also put that wonderful big pot right in the middleof the table and let everyone go fishing. What a celebration!


JA p274-297 Georgia.indd 280JA p274-297 Georgia.indd 280 26/6/09 21:56:5826/6/09 21:56:58

273

I think this is a really simple way to make a lovely flatfish like flounder,lemon sole, plaice, turbot or brill look, and taste, really exciting. If youwant to, you can ask your fishmonger to run a knife down the back ofthe fish and make a pocket for you to stuff. If not, it’s dead easy to do athome. If you need some guidance, check out www.jamieoliver.com/how-to to watch a video of it being done. Once you’ve tried it this wayyou can stuff the fish with whatever you fancy: lobster or crabmeat,small fish, herbs, tomatoes . . . just let your imagination go wild!Getting a nice big fish isn’t hard, but you might want to order it inadvance from your fishmonger. It’s equally delicious with individualportions though, so look at this as a principle as well as a recipe.

Serves 4

either 1 x 1.2–1.5kg or 4 x 200gflatfish, such as flounder, lemon orDover sole, plaice, turbot or brill2 medium onions, peeledand finely slicedsea salt and freshly ground black pepper75g butter2 cloves of garlic, peeledand finely gratedcayenne pepper1 lemon250g raw prawns, peeledolive oila splash of white winea small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley

Wine suggestion:Austrian dry white –a dry Grüner Veltliner

Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. If you look at the head and thetail of your fish, more often than not there’s a secret line between themthat the Big Man upstairs has drawn. Using this as your guide, carefullycut into one side of the line near the head, push down gently, angle thetip-end of your knife towards the bone and score between the flesh andthe bone to peel away that beautiful fish fillet. Run the knife down to justabove the tail and part the fillet from the bone – about 4 to 5cm deep onboth sides. Even if you don’t get it perfect, you’ll be stuffing this pocketwith prawns so no one will know if your knife work was a bit shabby.

Get a roasting tray that snugly fits your fish and sprinkle your finelysliced onions around the base of the tray. Season both sides of your fishwith salt and pepper and lay it on top of the onions. Try to sweep mostof the onions under the fish so they sweeten as they cook. Put the butterinto a small pan on a low heat, and once it’s melted pour it into a bowland leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper, the grated garlic and a pinch of cayenneto the butter, then grate over the zest of half your lemon. Toss the peeledprawns through this mixture until nicely coated, then stuff them looselyinside the fish, pouring over any flavoured butter left behind in the bowl.Before putting it into the oven drizzle over some olive oil and a splashof white wine, then halve your lemon and add both halves to the tray.Adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your fish: a large fishwill want 25 minutes, 2 small fish about 12 minutes. You’ll know it’sbeautifully cooked when the flesh flakes away from the bone.

Finely chop your parsley leaves and sprinkle them over the fish once it’sout of the oven. Squeeze over the juices from your roasted lemon halves,and serve. I like to put this in the middle of the table with somethingpropping up one end of the tray so that the delicious milky juices run outof the fish and mingle with the butter, olive oil and lemon juices at oneend of the tray. Spoon this over clumps of your fish and prawns, andanything else you’re serving it with, like new potatoes, mash or simplesteamed greens – it will taste wonderful.


283

Slow-roasting a whole ‘hog’ is a big deal in the South,and roadside restaurants will use that pork in all sorts ofdelicious ways. I’ve made a deconstructed version of aroadside restaurant meal here by roasting half a shoulderof pork, dressing it with fresh flavours and serving it withmy take on their traditional coleslaw. I wasn’t really into allthe added sugar so I swapped it for slices of apple, whichworks brilliantly and serves the same purpose, but in a muchfresher way. Put these things together on a plate and throwin a few hush puppies (see page 284) like they do in Georgiaand you’ve got yourself a proper Southern-style meal.

Serves 10–12

For the pork½ a shoulder of pork, neck end with bone in(approx. 5kg), the best quality you can affordolive oilsea salt and freshly ground black pepper2 heaped teaspoons smoked paprika,plus a little extra for sprinkling overa handful of fresh mint1 or 2 fresh red chillies6 tablespoons olive oil3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

For the collard greens and apple slaw½ a white cabbage, finely sliced1 red onion, peeled and coarsely grated3 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated2 big handfuls of collard greens or springcabbage, washed and spun dry3 crunchy apples, very finely slicedsea salt and freshly ground black pepper2 tablespoons mayonnaiseextra virgin olive oilcayenne pepper4–5 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Wine suggestion:Italian red – a Rosso di Montalcino from Tuscany

Preheat your oven to full whack. Score the pork skin about 1cmdeep all over with a sharp knife. Drizzle a little olive oil overthe pork and season generously with salt, pepper and paprika.Rub the flavours all over the skin, then place your pork in aroasting tray in the middle of the oven and immediately turn thetemperature down to 160ºC/320ºF/gas 3. Cook for about 4hours, basting occasionally with the juices from the tray, thenturn the oven down to 150ºC/300ºF/gas 2 and continue to cookfor another 2 hours, or until you can pull the meat apart reallyeasily. Remove the crackling and put it to one side, then removeany fat from the tray. Pull all the pork apart, discarding any bonesand fat as you go, and use 2 forks to break the meat into small-and medium-sized pieces. Cover with foil until needed.

To make your coleslaw, finely slice your veg and apples or usea food processor or box grater. Put them into a large bowl andseason with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add your mayonnaise,a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of cayenne and the redwine vinegar. Mix everything together until you’ve got a perfectcoleslaw texture. Have a taste; it should be fresh and lovely, soseason and put it to one side while you dress your meat.

Pick your mint leaves and finely chop them on a large board.Deseed and finely chop your chilli on the same board as yourmint. Drizzle the olive oil and red wine vinegar all over the chilliand mint and add a good pinch of salt. Add this to your tray ofpulled pork and mix it all together. Serve the dressed pork in apile on to a plate next to some crackling and a good portion ofthat wonderful coleslaw. Finish the whole plate off with a littlesalt and a hit of paprika and tuck in with a lovely cold beer.


284

Hush puppies are little savoury doughnuts and I think they’re quite cool. Iwas told their name comes from the time of the Great Depression, whenloads of people were going hungry. When they did get a bit of food, theirhungry dogs would hang around whining, so they’d throw these little bunsto them to keep them quiet. That might be an old wives’ tale, but if it is, Idon’t care because I like the story. OK, they’re not the healthiest things onthe planet, but every now and then . . . they’re not going to hurt you.

Makes 25–30

300g fine cornmeal or polenta100g self-raising flour

1 x 330ml bottle of beer100g fresh or frozen sweetcorn

4 spring onions, trimmedand finely sliced

120g freshly and finelygrated Cheddar cheese


1 litre vegetable oilsmoked paprika

Wine suggestion:French dry rosé from the

Languedoc, or a cold beer

Put the cornmeal and flour into a bowl, add your beer, and leave to sit for afew minutes. Add the corn, sliced spring onions, grated cheese and a pinchof salt and pepper and use a fork or a spoon to mix it up really well. Onceyour batter is ready, pour your vegetable oil into a large sturdy pan and putit on a high heat. Please make sure you don’t move the pan about and thatno one is running around the kitchen while you’re doing this, as hot oil canburn quite badly.

You want the oil to reach about 180ºC, so if you don’t have a thermometerget a small piece of potato and drop it into the pan. When it turns crisp andgolden and rises to the top, the oil is ready to go. Get a tablespoonful of mixand carefully drop it into the hot oil. In Georgia they roll their batter into roundballs, but I say just let it drop off the spoon: a bit scruffy and rustic feels rightto me. You’ll need to cook them in batches.

Keep your eye on them and let them fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, then removewith a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Sprinkleover a tiny bit of sea salt and a hit of paprika to finish them off, and serve rightaway, either on their own or as they do at roadside restaurants, as part of ameal with the amazing pork and slaw (page 283). Naughty but nice!


JA p124-159 Arizona.indd 140JA p124-159 Arizona.indd 140 18/6/09 01:32:5318/6/09 01:32:53

136

The Navajo love their lamb and mutton, but back in the day– at the right times of the year – they’d also get out thereand hunt things like elk, which they’d stew with wild juniperberries. What’s amazing for me is that thousands of miles awayin Britain we were hunting deer for venison and stewing thatwith juniper too. I guess some combos are just brilliant, nomatter where you live. Don’t worry if you can’t get venison,because stewing beef will also be delicious. Really nice servedwith some rice, beans, a jacket potato or flatbreads (see page139), or, if you’re a bit more traditional, some nice steamedgreens. A humble but delicious stew.

Serves 6–8

4 tablespoons plain floursea salt and freshly ground black pepper

800g stewing venison or beef,cut into 2cm chunks

olive oil2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 sticks of celery, trimmedand roughly chopped

1 tablespoon juniper berries,crushed in a pestle and mortar

2 sprigs of rosemary, leavespicked and chopped

a knob of butter6 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 beef stock cubes, preferably organic600g small new potatoes, scrubbed

clean, larger ones halved1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

Wine suggestion:Californian red – a Merlot from the

Napa Valley or Sonoma County

Dust a chopping board with 2 tablespoons of flour and a goodpinch of salt and pepper, and toss your chunks of meat through thismixture until well coated. Heat a large pan on a high heat, add a fewlugs of olive oil and fry your meat for 3 minutes to brown it. Add yourchopped onions, carrots, celery, crushed juniper berries, rosemaryand the knob of butter. Add a few tablespoons of water, giveeverything a good stir, then pop the lid on the pan and let everythingsteam for 4 to 5 minutes so the flavours really mingle together.

Take the lid off so your meat and veg start to fry, and stir everyso often for 5 to 10 minutes. Chop your parsley stalks finely, andonce the onions start to caramelize, add them to the pan with yourremaining 2 tablespoons of flour and your crumbled stock cubes.Stir, and pour in enough water to cover the mixture by a couple ofinches. Put the parsley leaves aside for later.

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium low so thatthe stew is just simmering. Add your potatoes and slow cook for atleast 2 hours with the lid slightly askew, or until the meat falls aparteasily. Keep an eye on it as it cooks, and add splashes of water ifyou think it looks too dry.

Put your chopped garlic in the middle of a chopping board. Addmost of your parsley leaves with a teaspoon of sea salt and ½ ateaspoon of black pepper. Chop everything together so you get akinda chunky paste. Add this to the stew and stir through. Chopthe last of your parsley leaves and sprinkle over before serving.


139

These flatbreads are a sort of cross between Indian naanbreads and Mexican tortillas. They’re used for breakfast,lunch or dinner and carry, complement or mop up whateveris being served with them. Apparently, in the old days, if aNavajo woman couldn’t whip up a batch of fluffy flatbreads,her chances of marrying a decent bloke were pretty low. Nopressure! These are brilliantly simple to make.

Makes about 10 flatbreads

600g strong white bread flour,plus extra for dusting1 heaped teaspoon sea salt2 heaped tablespoons baking powderoptional: 1 teaspoon dried herbs orspices, such as thyme, parsley, sumac(see page 66) or crushed fennel seeds6 tablespoons olive oil

Mix your flour, salt, baking powder and herbs or spices (if using)in a large bowl, using a fork. Make a well in the centre, then pourin the olive oil and about 150ml of warm water. Use the fork togradually bring in the flour from the edge of the bowl, and addanother splash of water if you think it’s too dry. Once it startsto combine, wet your hands and use them to really bring it alltogether until you have a nice ball of dough.

Dust your hands and a clean work surface with flour and kneadthe dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic. This willtake about 5 to 10 minutes. Pop the dough back into the bowl,dust it with a bit more flour, then cover and leave to relax.

Divide your dough into 10 equal-sized balls, then lightly oil yourhands and squeeze each ball between your palms to flattenthem slightly. Dust with a little flour as you go, and pat and slapthe dough from the palm of one hand to the top of the other. Turnand twist the dough about in a circular movement as you go andkeep slapping from hand to hand – each flatbread should beabout 1cm thick. You’ll probably mess up a few, but practicemakes perfect.

Normally the flatbreads are cooked as you’re making them. Youcan do this on a barbecue or in a non-stick frying pan on a mediumheat. Cook them for a few minutes on each side and check theunderside – you want them to puff up with a nice bit of goldencolour. Keep them warm in a basket covered with a tea towel untilyou’re ready to serve them.

Serve them while they’re lovely and warm, or you can reheat themwith anything from burgers, to stews and soups, to salads.


165

This green chilli is so delicious, simple to make and a totalpleasure to eat. In England, we’re sort of brainwashed intothinking of chilli as just being chilli con carne, but this iscompletely different and I absolutely love it. I think it’s cleaner,braver and fresher than your average chilli. You can make yourown flatbreads (see page 139) or use tortillas, or you can evenserve with chapattis or naans instead.

Serves 4

olive oil800g pork mince, the bestquality you can afford1 teaspoon dried sagesea salt and freshly ground black pepper2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced2 green peppers, deseededand roughly chopped6 small green chillies, roughly chopped4 large ripe red tomatoes,chopped into small chunks1 romaine lettuce, leaveswashed and spun drya small bunch of fresh mint4 spring onions1 packet of flour tortillasoptional: 1 limesoured cream or natural yoghurt, to serve

Put a large pan on a high heat and add a little olive oil. Add the porkmince, dried sage and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Use a woodenspoon to break the meat up a bit and stir it about, then cook for a fewminutes, stirring occasionally. Add your onions, garlic, peppers andchillies, stir everything together, then fry for 15 minutes on a high heatuntil any liquid from the pork has evaporated and everything is startingto turn golden. When it looks good, stir in your chopped tomatoes andhalf a glass of water. Remember that it’s supposed to be quite dry (ina really wholesome and nice way), not stewy and wet, so don’t addtoo much water.

Turn the heat down to medium and let it tick away for 10 minutes or sowhile you wash and roughly chop up the lettuce. Pick the leaves fromthe bunch of mint and roughly chop them. Trim and finely slice yourspring onions.

When you’re ready to serve your chilli, warm your tortillas in the oven at180°C/350°F/gas 4 for a few minutes or in a dry pan for 30 seconds.Taste your dense chilli. More than likely it will need another good pinchof salt and pepper. If you want to give it a nice fresh edge, you cansqueeze in the juice of a lime. Stir in half your chopped mint.

Push a warm tortilla or flatbread into each of your little bowls and spoonsome delicious green chilli on top of each one. Top with your choppedlettuce and a dollop of yoghurt. Sprinkle over the rest of your mint andspring onions and serve right away with some cold beers.


173

At a fantastic out-of-the-way Mexican restaurant called ElMetate in Gallup, New Mexico, the very sweet owner, Rebecca,taught me how to make proper Mexican tamales. To see herteaching me how to make these, go to www.jamieoliver.com/how-to. Tamales can be sweet, like these, or savoury. They arebasically filled Mexican dumplings – I think they’re brilliant. Thecornhusks they’re wrapped in are used throughout Mexico. Ifyou buy corn in season it often comes in husks, but the driedhusks I’m using here work a treat. You can pick them uponline or at Whole Foods Market stores. Otherwise, things likegreaseproof or wax paper will also do the trick.

Makes about 16 tamales

32 dried cornhusks or 16 x A5 sizedpieces of greaseproof or wax paper(try www.coolchile.co.uk orwww.mexgrocer.co.uk)

For the tamales200g fine cornmeal1 heaped tablespoon plain flourpinch of sea salt½ teaspoon baking powder50g golden caster sugar50g unsweetened desiccated coconut½ a pineapple (approx 150g), peeled, coreremoved, halved and really finely dicedzest and juice of 1 lime

For the chocolate sauce200ml double cream100g good-quality dark chocolate (70%cocoa solids), broken into small pieces25g unsalted butter, cubeda pinch of sea salt

Soak your cornhusks in a bowl of warm water or, if you’re usinggreaseproof paper, cut yourself 16 pieces about half the size of apage in this book. In a separate bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, salt,baking powder, sugar, coconut and chopped pineapple. Add thelime zest and juice and pour in 200ml of water to bring everythingtogether. Mix well, until you’ve got a thick spoonable paste.

Put a large pan of water on to boil – the pan needs to be big enough to fita colander on top. Take a soaked cornhusk or piece of greaseproof paperand spoon a heaped tablespoon of your pineapple mixture into the middleof the husk or paper; if the husks are thin you might have to layer two ontop of each other. Fold the sides in to cover the filling, then twist the endsand use string to tie them so they look like Christmas crackers.

Lay your prepared tamales in a large colander or steamer, makingsure they’re all in one layer and not overlapping. Cover the top ofthe colander with tin foil and seal it nice and tightly. If you don’t havea colander large enough you can always steam the tamales in 2batches. Pop the colander on top of your pan of boiling water andsteam for about 20 to 25 minutes. About 5 minutes before they’redue to be ready, start making your chocolate sauce.

Gently bring the cream to the boil in a pan on a medium heat. As soonas it starts to boil, take the pan off the heat and stir in your chocolatepieces until they’re perfectly melted and combined. Add the cubes ofbutter and a pinch of salt and stir well until the butter is melted.

Open one of the tamales to check that it’s perfectly cooked – itshould be solid and the wrapping should peel away from it easily.Take them off the heat and let them cool down slightly so they’recool enough to handle but still warm and delicious. Lay them on aplatter next to a jug of your warm chocolate sauce and let everyoneget involved and unwrap their own.


jamies america

www.jamieoliver.com/bookson sale now

http://www.jamieoliver.com/jme/books/info/jamies-america/100371.html?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=flip&utm_campaign=america

Jamie's America - Sneak Peek

Documents

Transcript of Jamie's America - Sneak Peek