3–4 large floury potatoes, all roughly the same size
vegetable or sunflower oil, for deep-frying
sea salt flakes, for sprinkling
Chilli & Lime Garlic Mayo (see recipe, right), to serve
Serves 4 as a side
Peel the potatoes and trim on all sides to get a block. Cut the block into slices about 1-cm/½-inch thick, then cut the slices again to get chips/fries.
Put the potatoes into a bowl of iced water for at least 5 minutes, to remove excess starch and prevent sticking when frying.
Fill a large saucepan one-third full with the oil or, if using a deep-fat fryer, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Heat the oil to 190°C (375°F) or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds.
Drain the potatoes and dry very well. Working in batches, fry about a handful of potatoes at a time. Place the potatoes in a frying basket (or use a slotted metal spoon) and lower into the hot oil carefully. Fry for 4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the potatoes have been fried.
Just before serving, skim any debris off the top of the cooking oil and reheat to the same temperature. Fry as before, working in batches, but only cook until crisp and golden, for about 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all of the potatoes have been fried.
Sprinkle with the sea salt flakes and serve with the Chilli & Lime Garlic Mayo, or other dip of your liking.
250 g/generous 1 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ red chilli/chile, seeded and finely chopped
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Makes 250 g/generous 1 cup
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving.
500 g/3¾ cups strong white/bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon fast-action dried/rapid-rise dry yeast
1½ teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoons sugar
300 ml/1¼ cups hand-hot water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for oiling
75 g/5 tablespoons butter, softened
25 g/1 oz. wild garlic leaves/ramps, rinsed well and finely chopped
Makes 24
For the dough, mix together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Gradually add the water and olive oil, bringing the mixture together to a sticky dough. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea/kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas 7.
Mix together the butter and wild garlic/ramps, and gently heat in a pan until just melted.
Divide the dough into 24 even-sized rounded balls. Place them on two oiled baking sheets, spaced apart. Brush each dough ball generously with the melted wild garlic/ramps butter and bake for 15–20 minutes in the oven until golden brown. Serve at once.
vegetable oil, for frying
10 corn tortillas, cut into 8 wedges
2 tomatoes
5 dried chiles de árbol (or other hot dried red chillies/chiles), seeded and stems removed
1 teaspoon paprika
½ onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
a pinch of sea salt
100 g/scant 1 cup grated/shredded cheddar cheese
Mexican-Style Beans, to serve (optional, see page 14)
Serves 4
Pour some vegetable oil into a deep saucepan until it comes 2 cm/¾ inch up the side of the pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the oil is very hot but not smoking.
Carefully drop the tortilla wedges into the oil, in batches of 10, and fry for about 30 seconds, turning the chips gently and often with tongs to prevent them from burning.
Using the tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the chips from the pan and let drain on paper towels. Repeat the process until all the chips have been fried. Reserve the oil.
Place 500 ml/2 cups water, the tomatoes and chillies/chiles in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer all of it to a food processor with the paprika and whizz for 2 minutes or until smooth. Set aside.
Take 1 tablespoon of the reserved cooking oil and put in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the tortilla chips and onion to the pan, then add the eggs. Using a large spoon, very gently stir the mixture for 1 minute until the egg is cooked, but be careful not to break the fried tortilla chips.
Add the blended sauce, as well as the salt, and cook for 3–5 minutes or until the sauce is heated through – do not overcook it otherwise the tortillas will turn soggy. They need to be mixed well with the sauce but still retain a little of their crunchiness.
Preheat the grill/broiler to medium.
Transfer the fried corn tortillas to an ovenproof dish and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Grill/broil for 1–2 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with Mexican-Style Beans, if you like.
1–2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
90 g/½ cup popcorn kernels
1 teaspoon salt
1–3 small dried bird’s eye chillies/chiles
2 teaspoons caster/superfine sugar
juice of 1 lime
Makes 1 large bowl
Heat the oil in a large lidded saucepan with a few popcorn kernels in the pan. When you hear the kernels pop, carefully tip in the rest of the kernels. Shake the pan over the heat until the popping stops. Take care when lifting the lid, as any unpopped kernels may still pop from the heat of the pan. Tip the popcorn into a bowl, removing any unpopped kernels as you go.
Grind the salt, chillies/chiles and sugar in a mortar and pestle until the chillies/chiles are completely broken down to a fine dust. Sprinkle the chilli/chile mix over the popcorn and squeeze over a little lime juice to bring out the flavour. Stir well so that the popcorn is evenly coated and serve warm or cold.
1–2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
90 g/½ cup popcorn kernels for the caramel sauce
75 g/⅓ cup caster/superfine sugar
40 g/3 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon sea salt
90 ml/⅓ cup double/heavy cream
TO SERVE
100 g/3½ oz. vanilla fudge, chopped into small cubes
40 g/1 cup mini mini marshmallows (see Note)
Makes 1 bowl
Heat the oil in a large lidded saucepan with a few popcorn kernels in the pan. When you hear the kernels pop, carefully tip in the rest of the kernels. Shake the pan over the heat until the popping stops. Take care when lifting the lid, as any unpopped kernels may still pop from the heat of the pan. Tip the popcorn into a bowl, removing any unpopped kernels as you go.
For the caramel sauce, put the sugar and butter in a small saucepan over gentle heat. Simmer until the butter has melted, the sugar has caramelized and you have a thick golden caramel sauce. Add the salt and stir again, taking care that the caramel does not burn. Add the cream gradually and heat, stirring all the time, until the sauce is thick and sticky. Pass through a sieve/strainer to remove any crystallized sugar pieces.
Pour the caramel over the popcorn and stir well so that each kernel is evenly coated. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the fudge and marshmallows and stir through. This popcorn can be served warm or cold.
Note: Mini mini marshmallows are available in supermarkets – they are the tiniest marshmallows you can imagine. If you cannot find them, you can substitute the slightly larger mini marshmallows or chop large marshmallows into small pieces using scissors.
