With the world in lockdown due to covid19. Times are unpredictable but to keep my mind sane whilst staying in isolation, I’ve decided to do a series of recipes from foodie films starting with something easy but just mouthwatering from the movie “Chef”
Mollys ( Scarlettt Johansson) Pasta
“Aglio e Olio “ made with just a few ingredients it’s just sex on a plate!
Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen — and zest for life and love.
Serves 2
PREP TIME 15Mins
COOK TIME 15 Mins
TOTAL TIME 30 Mins
INGREDIENTS
• 350g dried spaghetti
• 250ml extra virgin olive oil
• 12 large garlic cloves, thin slivers
• 1 tbl crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 handful fresh parsley, minced
• 1 handful Parmesan cheese, grated
• sea salt
• ground black pepper
• 2 lemons
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the spaghetti, cooking until al dente 8-10 minutes.
2. Reserve some pasta water, then drain pasta.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
4. Add garlic and stir frequently until the garlic is golden brown.
5. Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
6. Add the drained spaghetti directly to the pan.
7. Toss until spaghetti is thoroughly coated with the
garlic oil (add reserved pasta water if necessary).
8. Remove pan from heat. Add the parsley, Parmesan and toss well.
9. Check for flavor and adjust the salt if necessary.
10. Squeeze lemons to taste, garnish with more Parmesan, and enjoy
Spring is in the air and wild garlic is a truly idyllic culinary treat – a wild ingredient that, when in season, grows in abundance, nestled among bluebells, attracted by the moist soil and shady woodland environment. Wild garlic has enjoyed a culinary boom in recent times, taking its place alongside rhubarb and asparagus as a pillar of spring’s bounty. It has a short season, usually first appearing in mid-March and lasting until early May.
Wild garlic can be identified by its distinctive smell, long pointed leaves and white flowers, which bloom at the end of the season. Don’t pick wild garlic that has large amounts of white flowers, as this indicates older leaves which are likely to be slightly woody and bitter in flavour.
Although the pungent smell of garlic makes it easy to identify, always take care when foraging your own ingredients – there have been cases of people mistaking poisonous plants (such as Lily of the Valley) for wild garlic. That said, it is certainly one of the easiest things to forage for, as wild garlic smells particularly strong.
Wild garlic doesn’t have to be foraged. It’s a frequent staple of food markets at the peak of the season. As with all vegetables, choose wild garlic with bright, fresh leaves and avoid specimens that have wilted.
A member of the Allium the plant has the same pleasing combination of sweetness and astringency that make leeks, onions, spring onions, chives and bulb garlic so useful in the kitchen.Although edible, the bulbs of the wild garlic plant are usually too small to be of much use and if you ever buy a bunch you’re unlikely to see any bulb at all (digging the bulbs out means no foliage for next year). The characteristic white flowers however, are perfectly edible – and pretty too – although the plant is at its best before too many flowers appear, signalling tougher leaves and a more bitter flavour. In April, when wild garlic is at its peak, you are more likely to find delicious tight buds than open flowers, but clever cooks call upon many different preserving techniques such as pickling, fermenting and freezing in a flavoured butter
Served with jersey royals and asparagus alongside roast chicken or spring lamb they’re a seasonal dream.Eggs are also a natural bedfellow – in an omelette or frittata or woven into a plate of buttery scrambled eggs. Soothing spring risottos tame the wild leaf and it makes an excellent pesto. And in a soup adding a delicate flavour.
Wild garlic flowers will give any dish a touch of cheffy presentation and their delicate floral garlic flavour is not to be missed. If you manage to catch the flowers in their buds just before they have bloomed, try pickling them. This is also a good way of reducing the amount of seeding the plant will do if your wild garlic patch is getting out of control!
Once the flowers are starting to go, you will be left with the three-cornered nobbly little seed pods. These can be picked, salted and pickled to create zingy little garlic capers. A lovely way to preserve wild garlic long after the season ends
Butter poached Cod with wild garlic miso and grilled asparagus
1 Place the cod fillet in a dish or baking tray and sprinkle over the rock salt to cover. Leave to salt for 7 minutes
2Meanwhile, place the miso, wild garlic leaves and water in a blender and blitz together until smooth. Gradually add the oil while continuing to blend and allow the mixture to emulsify (as if making a mayonnaise). When fully combined, season to taste with a little lemon juice and salt
3 After 7 minutes rinse the salt from the cod under cold water and pat the fish dry with kitchen paper. Cut into 4 equal portions and set aside
4 Preheat to high a griddle pan.
5 To cook the cod, place the butter in a pan and cook over a high heat to create a brown butter (beurre noisette). As soon as the butter starts to foam and is lightly golden with a nutty aroma, remove from the heat and cool quickly to stop it from burning
6 Pour the butter into a wide pan (large enough to fit all 4 pieces of cod) and warm through gently to 60°C. Add the cod and gently poach for 5 minutes on each side, being careful to keep the temperature low
7 While poaching, griddle the asparagus spears for 2 minutes until tender, turning regularly. Thinly slice the cooked spears into 2mm thick rounds and season with a little lemon juice, salt and some of the butter from cooking the cod
8 To serve, spoon a generous amount of the wild garlic miso into each serving dish. Drain the cod from the butter and pull apart into large flakes. Dress these with a little more salt, lemon juice and butter and add to the dishes
9 Scatter over the asparagus slices and garnish with the reserved wild garlic flowers and a pinch of bonito flakes.
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