Some modern British pubs offer menus that rival French restaurants, but old-time places will not have more than a few packets of crunchy snacks and a big jar of pickled eggs. These pickled eggs are refrigerator pickles; there's no canning involved.
Some thoughts on the ingredients:
Cheese. The perfect candidate is a wedge of artisanal farmhouse cheddar. Try for something English, and serve it at room temperature. No cheese is so good that it's palatable in a congealed, frigid block.
Cold meat. Pubs often serve a single thick slice of cooked ham or rare roast beef. At its best, the ham is neither soggy nor gelatinous. Look for consistent pink color and a bit of fat around the edges. The roast beef could easily be left over, or it may be cooked for the occasion. Either way, it should be rosy in the center and deep brown at the edges. You can leave a bit of fat around it. According to the logic of a ploughman's lunch, it's canceled out by the salad next to it.
Salad. Fresh mixed baby greens will do the trick well. Add a bit of arugula to give it a base of strong flavor. Wedges of tomato, slices of cucumber, a bit of shredded carrot, perhaps a few small gherkins, and a garnish of fruit can all be added. The dressing is usually on the side.
Chutney. If you are buying a prepared version, look for Major Grey's. This is a flavor variety, not a brand.
Bread. Try to find some really crusty rolls. Mini baguettes are popular, but round or oval roll shapes are seen, too. Make sure there's nothing soft or cottony about the bread. In Britain, bread always comes with butter.
Arrange the items in separate piles on a large plate and serve. Needless to say, a ploughman cries for a pint of beer or hard cider (in Britain, cider always means hard cider) alongside.
6. Salmagundi
Makes 4 main-course servings
The ploughman's lunch is not the only salad platter in the British repertoire. Not by a long shot. Salmagundi is another classic, a platter of cold dressed meats and vegetables that goes perfectly with a great beer. It's a good way to use one of those rotisserie chickens from the supermarket or take-out store. And the name? It's a corruption of the French word salmigondis, which means "hodgepodge."
1 whole roast chicken, cut into serving pieces
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and halved lengthwise
4 ounces cooked ham, cut into strips (about 1 cup)
10 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup grapes
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ cup sliced radishes
¼ cup chopped scallion (green part only)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup pitted olives (optional)
½ cup pickled onions (optional)
Chutney, for serving (Fruit Chutney is perfect)
Rolls, for serving
- Arrange the chicken pieces and egg halves in a ring around the edge of a large serving platter.
- Toss together the ham, anchovies, celery, parsley, grapes, tomatoes, radishes, olive oil, lemon juice, and, if you like, the olives and pickled onions, in a large bowl. Make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Mound the ham mixture in the center of the platter. Serve with chutney and rolls on the side.
7. Staffordshire Oatcakes
Makes 8 oatcakes, to serve 4
While I prefer my oatcakes plain, almost anything that can go into a full breakfast can be stuffed into an oatcake: bacon, sausage, mushroom, and onion are all fine. Whatever you choose, it will taste best with melted cheddar cheese. You'll find oat flour in health food stores, and you can also order it online.
2 cups oat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet instant yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons)
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
3 cups of water
FILLINGS
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 slices cooked British bacon (see sidebar, [>])
1 cup cooked sausage
1 cup sliced sauteed mushroom
1 cup chopped onion
- Sift the oat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and instant yeast together into a large bowl. Add the milk and water and stir to make a thin, smooth batter with no lumps. If the batter is too thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have an easily poured liquid batter, rather than a dough. Set the batter aside at room temperature for 1 hour. If it is going to stand longer, refrigerate it, covered, for up to 24 hours.
- Put a well-oiled skillet or flat griddle on high heat. Ladle about ½ cup of batter into the skillet so it forms a thin pancake. Let the batter cook undisturbed until bubbles form on the surface and the bottom is browned about 2 minutes, and then flip the oatcake with a spatula. Cook until the oatcake is browned on the other side, about 2 minutes more.
- Remove the oatcake from the pan and put it on a plate. Place your choice of fillings on one side of the oatcake and fold the other end over like a soft taco. If you are using shredded cheese and move quickly, there should be enough heat to start it melting; otherwise, a few seconds in the microwave should take care of it. Serve it right away.
- Repeat with the remaining batter and filling. If you're making a batch of oatcakes for a large group, hold them for up to 30 minutes in a warm oven. Store leftover oatcakes in the refrigerator. (Oatcake fanatics will eat them cold; the rest of us reheat them.)
8. Salmon and Cucumber Sandwich
Makes 4 sandwiches, to serve 4
"What could be so difficult about making a sandwich?" you ask. Well, if they're so easy to make, how come they often seem to ooze salty, watery, yucky stuff? There's room for improvement, isn't there? To get the cucumber slices quite thin, use a mandoline if you have one. The slices should be so thin that they are not crunchy to the bite.
Should you cut the crusts off? It makes for a more elegant presentation, but if your bread is good, you're throwing something delicious away.
1 cup thinly sliced seedless cucumber
1 teaspoon salt
1 (7½-ounce) can red salmon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
8 slices fine-grained white or whole-wheat bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Put the cucumber slices in a colander and sprinkle them with the salt. Let them drain for at least 30 minutes.
- Combine the salmon, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in a bowl. Mash the salmon with a fork, and toss until the lemon and oil are evenly distributed.
- Spread 4 of the bread slices with the butter. Top with a thin layer of the dressed salmon, and cover with cucumber slices. Put the remaining slices of bread on top to make sandwiches, and then cut the sandwiches in half diagonally. Serve quickly; the salting and draining help, but any delay courts trouble.
9. Cock-a-leekie: Chicken, Leek, and Prune Soup
Makes 6 servings
To really understand this dish, you have to imagine a time centuries ago when dried fruits were exotic ingredients and a badge of wealth and sophistication. If you're wondering if there's anything in the name, well, not really. It's just a jumble of Old English and Scottish Gaelic a reminder that the original ingredients were a cock ready for the soup pot and some leeks.
2 pounds chicken thighs
2 cups chopped leek
½ cup chopped carrot
½ cup chopped celery
¼ cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
2 cups whole milk
8 cups of water
1 cup halved pitted prunes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Combine the chicken, leek, carrot, celery, barley, bay leaf, cloves, milk, and water in a large soup pot over medium heat. Bring the broth to a simmer and let the broth cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked all the way through, about 1½ hours. Remove the chicken from the pot and let the meat cool. Keep the soup at a simmer.
- Remove the chicken meat from the bones and return the meat to the soup. Discard the bones.
- Add the prunes, salt, and pepper and continue to simmer the soup until the liquid has reduced by a third and the flavors are well combined, about 1 hour more. Remove the bay leaf and serve hot.
10. Scotch Oatmeal Soup
Makes 4 servings
We're so used to eating oatmeal as a morning cereal that we kind of forget that it has other uses. How about in a soup, so it can warm you up in the evening the same way it does at breakfast?
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped leek
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups ½-inch-wide green cabbage strips
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
½ cup rolled oats (not instant)
½ teaspoon salt
- Put the oil, carrot, leek, onion, and cabbage in a large soup pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the cabbage and onion are translucent and beginning to brown at the edges, about 20 minutes.
- Mix in the tomato, broth, milk, oats, and salt; reduce the heat so the soup is simmering; and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats and vegetables are completely cooked and the liquid has reduced by a quarter, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.
11. Salmon Broth
Makes 4 servings
Sometimes I wonder if there's a bit of irony in the custom of calling some hearty Scottish soups broths. In no way could this be reconstituted from a cube or poured out of a carton. Salmon broth is really a meal in itself. In fine restaurants, it's the first course, but in a local pub, it might be served as the main dish.
1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch squares
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
4 cups water
1 cup peeled pearl onions
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped potato
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons salt
- Combine the salmon, thyme, parsley, chives, and water in a large soup pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and let boil, uncovered, for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the salmon is opaque.
- Add the onions, carrot, potato, butter, and cream and simmer, uncovered until the potatoes and carrots are tender and the liquid has reduced by about a quarter, about 40 minutes.
- Taste the soup and, if it needs salt, first add just 1 teaspoon. Then taste again to see if it needs more. It's all too easy to make soups like this one too salty.
- Remove the sprigs of thyme and parsley. Garnish with the chopped parsley, and serve hot.
12. Beef Wellington
Makes 6 servings
Beef Wellington, a roast beef wrapped in a pastry crust, is named for the First Duke of Wellington. It's an old-school classic, an elegant dish that the British consumed before the phrase "fine dining" was heard everywhere. Today it seems almost corny, but it became a legend for a reason.
1 (2- to 2½-pound) piece beef tenderloin fillet
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups chopped mushrooms
1 (17½-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Sprinkle the beef tenderloin with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Pour the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beef tenderloin and brown it on all sides. (Make sure it is really browned, and not just gray.) Remove the beef to a platter and set it aside to cool. Reserve the drippings and juices in the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter and onion to the same skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is translucent and has absorbed much of the fat that was rendered when the tenderloin was browned about 15 minutes.
- Mix in the mushrooms and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have completely cooked and the liquid in the pan has thickened into a sauce-like consistency, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, set aside, and let cool.
- Lay a puff pastry sheet down on a flat surface and cut out a rectangle large enough to cover the entire beef tenderloin. Put the beef on the pastry sheet and spread the mushrooms out over the beef. Wrap the pastry around the beef and mushrooms and pinch the dough seam to seal it tightly all the way around. Oil a baking sheet well, transfer the wrapped beef to the sheet, and brush the pastry with the beaten egg.
- Roast the beef for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 130°F and the pastry is browned. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Slice the beef into 1-inch-thick slices, and serve warm. Or chill in the refrigerator and serve cold
13. Classic Roast Beef with Gravy
Makes 4 servings
What could be a better British meal than a Sunday lunch of roast beef at a friendly rural pub? With a few slices of beef, some well-made brown gravy on the plate, and some Yorkshire Pudding, this is as good as it gets. If it's not Sunday, or you're not in Britain, don't fret. The recipe is right here.
3 pounds boneless prime rib, rump, or top sirloin beef roast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
Yorkshire Pudding (optional), for serving
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Use a chef's knife to score the fat cap of the roast. You don't want to trim it off; just slice into it a bit, so that it renders easily and bastes the meat. Sprinkle the roast with the salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the roast over as much of its surface as possible, turning it every 3 or 4 minutes to keep things even. Remember, this step is called browning, not graying! Give it the 30 or so minutes it deserves, and you'll be rewarded with an extra shot of deliciousness.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the heat, cover it with a tent of aluminum foil, and place in the preheated oven. (Don't use the pot lid, or you will end up with braised beef.) Roast for about 1 hour, until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the roast reads 140°F. Transfer the beef to a serving plate, but keep the pan drippings in the pot.
- Put the pot over medium heat on the stove top. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the flour is well browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the beef broth 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring continuously. Taste the gravy, which should be well seasoned from the pan drippings. If it's not, add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, slice the roast beef, place on individual plates, and cover with the gravy. If you like, add a Yorkshire Pudding or two to each plate.
14. Cawl: Welsh Lamb Stew
Makes 4 servings
Like chili and gumbo, cawl has its world champion (actually "champion of the world and elsewhere"—even bigger than chili), chosen each year in Saundersfoot, Wales. If a dish has its own championship, you know that it must be important. Indeed, cawl is often said to be the Welsh national dish, and it is worth seeking out.
1 pound lamb stew meat, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 cups coarsely chopped potato
2 cups coarsely chopped turnip
1 cup chopped parsnip
1 cup chopped carrot
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups water
1¼cups thinly sliced leek (about ¾ cup white part and ½ cup green part)
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Bread and butter, for serving
Cheddar cheese, for serving
- Combine the lamb, potato, turnip, parsnip, carrot, salt, and pepper in a heavy soup pot and add the water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and continue simmering the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is tender, about 1½ hours. Skim the fat and foam from the liquid if necessary.
- Add the leeks and parsley to the pot and simmer until the leeks are translucent, about 30 minutes more.
- Serve the stew warm with bread, butter, and a piece of good cheddar cheese.
15. Chicken and Leek Casserole
Makes 4 servings
Chicken and leeks seem to be an inspired combination, in Great Britain as elsewhere. Here we include them in a chicken casserole, a British cousin to an American chicken pie. You can also find the pair in a soup, Cock-a-leekie.
¼ cup chopped British or Canadian bacon (see sidebar, [>])
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups chopped leek (white part only)
1 cup chopped carrot
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup beer or ale
¼ cup dried, unflavored bread crumbs
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Combine the bacon, chicken, leek, carrot, salt, pepper, broth, and beer in a Dutch oven or casserole and mix well so that the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Bake the casserole, covered until the chicken is fully cooked, about 1 hour.
- Remove the cover, return the casserole to the oven, and bake until about a third of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes more.
- Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and return the casserole to the oven. Bake, uncovered until the bread crumbs are nicely browned, about 30 minutes more. Serve warm.
16. Lancashire Hindle Wakes: Chicken with Prune and Almond Stuffing
Makes 4 servings
This was something served at wakes in a long-lost place called Hindle, in Lancashire. With prunes and almonds, the dish seems a bit medieval, and it is. It's also unique; I mean, how many boiled, stuffed whole chickens with a rich lemon sauce have you eaten lately?
1 cup chopped pitted prunes, plus 1 cup whole pitted prunes
½ cup fresh, unflavored bread crumbs
¼ cup chopped almonds
2 tablespoons shredded beef suet or shortening
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- Soak the chopped prunes in cold water for at least 1 hour and drain them. In a large bowl, combine the chopped prunes with the bread crumbs, almonds, suet, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, the sage and marjoram, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Mix well, making sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Rinse the chicken inside and out, pat it dry, and stuff it with the prune mixture. Use skewers or twine to close the chicken.
- Combine the brown sugar and the remaining ½ cup of vinegar in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Put the stuffed chicken in the pot and add just enough water to cover the bird. Bring the liquid to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook the chicken, covered, until it is very tender and cooked all the way through, about 3 hours. Remove from the heat and leave the chicken in its cooking liquid, covered.
- Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat. Mix in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is a thick paste. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the paste begins to brown, about 5 minutes more.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the chicken stock to the flour and butter mixture and stir until the liquid is completely absorbed. Add the remaining chicken stock, 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring frequently, until you have a thick sauce in the pan. Remove from the heat.
- Pour the beaten eggs in a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of the warm sauce, whisking constantly, to the beaten eggs. Repeat this step several times until the eggs are warmed but not scrambling. Then return the egg mixture to the sauce in the pan, whisking constantly. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper, give the sauce a few more stirs and set it aside.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the cooking liquid and put it on a serving platter. Garnish with the whole prunes and the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley. To serve, cut the chicken into pieces and then cover with the sauce. Although many people say this can be served cold or at room temperature, I find it's best served warm.
17. Howtowdie: Scottish Roast Chicken
Makes 4 servings
In Scotland, oats are everywhere, in oatcakes, oatmeal soup, and here, in a hearty stuffing for chicken.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 medium-size onions, 1 chopped (about 1 cup) and 4 quartered
1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
½ teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
1½teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 (2½- to 3½-pound) whole chicken
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the chopped onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned at the edges, about 15 minutes.
- Mix in the oats, sage, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and ½ teaspoon of the pepper and cook the mixture until the oats begin to brown, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Carefully wash the chicken inside and out, pat it dry, and stuff the cavity with the onion-oat mixture. Because the stuffing expands while it cooks, do not overfill the cavity. Close the cavity with one of those clips made for that purpose.
- Put the chicken in a roasting pan and surround it with the onion quarters. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and the rosemary. Roast until a meat thermometer inserted between the thigh and breast reads 180°F, about 1½ hours. Let rest 10 minutes and serve.
18. Fish Cakes
Makes 8 cakes, to serve 4
Don't have access to, or a budget for, the fanciest fillets? Are you cooking fish for people who are not the biggest fish fans? These fish cakes offer a solution. With any inexpensive white, flaky fish and just a few other ingredients, you can serve satisfying and tasty fish without breaking the bank. Do you want your kids to eat more fish? Call them fish burgers, serve them in buns, and you're all set.
1½pounds flaky white fish fillets, such as whiting, flounder, haddock, or tilapia
4 fresh or canned anchovy fillets
1 teaspoon hot mustard
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
3 cups cooked potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Tartar sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or Liquor, for serving
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Combine the fish fillets, anchovies, mustard, and eggs in a food processor and pulse until all the ingredients are broken up and well blended.
- Combine the fish mixture, dill, parsley, pepper, cooked potato, and salt in a large bowl and mix with your hands or a large spoon until well blended.
- Oil a baking sheet. Form the fish-potato mixture into 8 patties. Bake the fish cakes until the tops have just begun to brown, about 30 minutes. Turn them over and bake them until the other side has browned, about 20 minutes more. Serve warm with tartar sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or Liquor.
19. Fried Smelts
Makes 4 servings
These days when people go to their local fishmonger, they tend to start with the most expensive items and work their way down. Some people will give up if the tuna, swordfish, and wild-caught salmon aren't up to snuff. I'd like to suggest a different strategy: Start at the bottom. There you'll find smelts, that old British classic. These tiny fish are inexpensive and loaded with flavor.
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
2 pounds cleaned and gutted smelts
¼ cup capers, rinsed and drained
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, taking care not to let the butter burn. Add the smelts and stir gently, making sure they are not breaking apart. Cook, stirring occasionally until they are well coated with butter and just about cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Mix in the capers and parsley and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the smelts begin to brown, about 5 minutes more. Taste a smelt, and, if it needs it, add the salt and pepper. Give the smelts a few more stirs and remove them from the heat. Serve warm.
20. Faggots
Makes 16 meatballs, to serve 4
There are certain people in Great Britain who will see the word faggot on a pub menu and simply forget that anything else is available. It's that powerfully tempting to some, and just as powerfully repulsive to others. For us speakers of American English, the name of the dish is one of the most baffling we have ever encountered. Yes, there's some relief when a plate of what looks like meatballs in brown gravy is set in front of you, but their taste is much more intense and unusual than what we normally find on top of spaghetti. The traditional way to serve faggots is alongside mashed potatoes or chips and gravy.
4 ounces American ("streaky") bacon
8 ounces beef liver or calf liver
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup dried, unflavored bread crumbs
1 pound ground pork
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Mashed potatoes and gravy (optional), for serving
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Combine the bacon, liver, and onion in a food processor and pulse until you have a coarse paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the bread crumbs, pork, parsley, sage, salt, and pepper and mix well—your hands are great for this until all the ingredients are well combined. Form the meat into balls about 2 inches in diameter and place them on a well-oiled cookie sheet.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the outsides are browned. Cut one open to make sure the faggots are cooked all the way through. Serve with mashed potatoes and gravy if you like.
21. Lamb's Tongue with Raisin Sauce
Makes 4 servings
Have you seen a sauce like this before? When I first encountered it in Britain, it reminded me of the sauces for ham that turn up in the American South. Lamb's tongue is as British as it gets, though. Substitute a veal tongue, if you wish, or if your butcher says that is easier to get. Whether you are using lamb or veal tongue, don't forget to peel it right after it comes out of the pot.
3 pounds lamb's tongue (about 6 to 8 tongues)
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon salt
3 quarts water
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon powdered mustard
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons malt vinegar
½ cup raisins
1 lemon, peel on, sliced crosswise
- Put the tongue, carrot, celery, onion, parsley, and 1 tablespoon of the salt in a large soup pot and pour in the water. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue boiling for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, or until the tongue is tender. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: Put the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and the brown sugar, cornstarch, and mustard in a saucepan. Over low heat, add the broth and vinegar, a little at a time, stirring constantly, until all the liquid has been added and the dry ingredients have dissolved.
- Add the raisins and lemon slices to the sauce mixture, increase the heat to medium, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until the raisins are plump and the sauce has thickened about 15 minutes.
- To assemble the dish for serving, remove the tongue from the cooking liquid, cut it into thin slices, and arrange the slices on a plate. (You can discard the cooking vegetables.) Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve warm.
22. Rag Pudding
Makes 4 servings
There comes a point when you have enough experience with British food to know that the name of a dish doesn't necessarily tell you what's inside. So when I first saw rag pudding on a café menu a few years ago, I didn't think for even a second that I would be eating rags. The rag refers to the cheesecloth in which the dish is cooked. Will it wind up on your plate? It doesn't have to, but it could.
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup shredded beef suet or shortening
6 quarts plus 1 cup water, plus more if needed
1 pound beef chuck steak, diced
8 ounces lamb kidneys, cleaned, deveined, and diced
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and suet in a large bowl. Use a pinching motion with your fingers to combine them into something that feels like bread crumbs.
- Add 1 cup of the water to the flour and stir together with a wooden spoon to form a dough. If it's too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have the right texture. If it's too soft or soggy, add flour, again, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you have a dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll it out into an 8 × 16-inch rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Fold the cheesecloth into an 18 × 24-inch rectangle with 4 or 5 layers of thickness. Lay it out on a flat surface, and put the dough on it.
- Put the steak, kidneys, and onion on half the dough, leaving a border so it can be sealed, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Then fold the dough over the filling to form a package. Pinch the seams to seal it shut so that no water can enter. Wrap the cheesecloth around the package (rolling works best for me), pull it tight, and secure it with safety pins. No dough should be exposed; it should all be covered with cheesecloth.
- Pour 6 quarts of water into a large soup pot and put in the wrapped pudding. Bring the water to a boil over high heat and let it boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the pudding simmer, covered, until the meats are completely cooked and tender about 2 hours.
- Use tongs or a very large slotted spoon to remove the pudding from the pot. Drain in a colander, and let it cool for about 10 minutes. To serve, transfer to a platter and unwrap the warm pudding at the table.
23. Tripe and Onions
Makes 4 servings
For too many people, tripe is a test of sorts. Eat it, and you're somehow "authentic." Cook it well, and you're more than someone who just throws burgers on the grill. It shouldn't be this way. Tripe is inexpensive, and when cooked properly, it's delicious. Not long ago, British towns of any size had a tripe shop—or at least a tripe vendor with a stall at the local market. Tripe was sold either cooked or ready to throw into the pot, and tripe sandwiches were a favorite. These days tripe is making a comeback as an ingredient favored by such British luminaries as Gordon Ramsay, Fergus Henderson, and Rick Stein. Perhaps those little shops will come back.
The 3 pounds of tripe may seem like a huge amount, but it will shrink considerably as it is cooked.
4 quarts water
3 pounds honeycomb tripe, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sliced onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat in a large pot. Add the tripe and 1 tablespoon of the salt. Let the tripe boil for 3 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer, covered, until it starts to become tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat, drain off the water, and return the tripe to the pot.
- Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the milk, bay leaf, nutmeg, and onion. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced by a third and the tripe is tender, about 1 hour. Remove the tripe and reserve the remaining liquid.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring frequently, until there are no lumps and the flour begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved cooking liquid to the butter and flour mixture, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly. You will soon have a thick sauce.
- Stir in the cooked tripe and bring the liquid to a boil. The sauce will thicken even more within a minute or two. When that happens, remove it from the heat and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve warm.
