michelin - ProWare Kitchen

Paul Foster’s Carbonara

October 24, 2023 12:08 pm Comments Off

A few words from Paul…

“Carbonara is one of the dishes that epitomises Italy’s cuisine. It’s simple, beautiful, and pure, but so easy to mess up.

When I was young my understanding of a carbonara was any pasta, sliced ham, mushrooms, double cream, and cheddar cheese. It wasn’t until 2002 when I was 20 years old and picked up a copy of Heston Blumenthal’s Family Food and read his recipe. Whilst it wasn’t 100% authentic it changed the way I thought about this dish, and I wanted to find out more. I fell in love with the technique of creating the rich sauce through the egg, cheese and pasta water. There is skill and discipline in getting it just right. Too much heat and it’s scrambled egg, not enough and it’s thin and raw tasting without the gloss.

The classic recipe calls for guanciale which is a cured pig cheek bacon that has a high ratio of fat. I get mine from Salt Pig Curing who are my favourite English charcutier company. Guanciale is hard to get hold of in this country so don’t guilt yourself if you have to use pancetta just get the best you can afford, and you will still produce a lovely dish.

This dish will be quite tricky for novices, but stick at it as practice makes perfect. For professionals, you will notice a little difference in this dish. Whilst I have full respect for the original, this method is slightly tweaked to get a better sauce.

I had read into this method and was inspired by visit my visit to Lucciano Cucina in Rome. Chef Luciano Monosilio is known as the carbonara king which is a very worthy title in my opinion. He uses the same ingredients apart from switching out some of the pecorino for grana padano, I agree that this gives a better flavour balance.

The key difference is that instead of making a paste of the cheese and egg yolk he makes almost a hollandaise style sauce using the egg yolks and cheese then whisks in them and guanciale fat. It was without doubt the best carbonara I have ever eaten I was so inspired by this I have done a similar technique below. This gives a more of a custardy kind of feel to the sauce. I will never make it another way now.”

We don’t know about you, but Paul Foster’s Carbonara is now our ONLY Carbonara!

Serves: 4 (primi portion)
Medium skill

Ingredients for Paul Foster’s Carbonara

280g dried spaghetti
5 eggs
30g Pecorino Romano (to finish)
30g Grana Padano
200g Guanciale
Black pepper

Equipment

Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 24cm Frying Pan
Knife
Chopping board
Wooden spoon
Sieve
Tongs
Medium sized bowl

Cooking Method for Paul Foster’s Carbonara

Trim the dry exterior off the guanciale, cut into thick lardons around 2cm in width, and then spread them out evenly in a cool dry Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 24cm Frying Pan and heat slowly.
Colour all over and remove from the heat, strain off the fat and keep warm so it doesn’t solidify.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente.
Whilst the pasta is cooking, put the egg yolks into a large bowl with a spoon of the pasta water. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk to a light fluffy sabayon.
Finely grate the cheese and whisk it into to the yolks.
Remove from the heat when the egg yolks are light, airy and leave a whisk trail when you lift it.
Season with a twist of black pepper and slowly whisk in the warm guanciale fat.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the sauce, toss well and add the guanciale. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Twist the pasta in a ladle with large tweezers and spoon into a warm bowl.
Evenly spread out the guanciale and finish the dish with grated pecorino and a twist of black pepper.

Paul Foster’s Valencia Style Paella

October 18, 2023 9:38 am Comments Off

A few words from Paul…

“In the UK we tend to think of paella as a seafood rice dish. As tasty as that version is, the original comes from Valencia in Eastern Spain and contains chicken, rabbit, and snails but no seafood.

I like nothing more than eating a seafood paella full of fresh mussels, langoustines, prawns, and squid with a bottle of white wine by the coast, but as there are so many variations of this dish across Spain, I wanted to develop a recipe that fully respected its origins.

Eastern Spain is one of the most important rice growing regions in the country. 1200 years ago, rice was introduced to the Spanish moors and the farmers would cook rice in a pan over a wood fire to share for lunch.

For this dish its best to use the leg, shoulder and wing cuts as they don’t overcook and have a better texture. There are many stories about where the name paella is said to come from but the most likely is that it came from the name of the pan it is cooked and served in.

Once you have mastered the technique for a paella then you can experiment and adapt the ingredients. The key is the cooking of the rice… don’t be scared of keeping the heat high as that’s what builds the ‘socarrat’ which is the crust that forms on the bottom and sides of the pan, and in my opinion the best part of a good paella.”

Serves: 2
Medium skill

Ingredients for Paul Foster’s Valencia Style Paella

250g rabbit on the bone
250g chicken on the bone
50g extra virgin olive oil
1 ripe tomato
100g of runner beans cut into 2 inch pieces
100g tinned butter beans drained
250g Bomba rice
800g chicken stock
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
saffron, small pinch
Sweet smoked paprika, small pinch
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
Salt

Equipment

Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 24cm Frying Pan
Knife
Chopping board
Tongs

Cooking Method for Paul Foster’s Valencia Style Paella

Cut the rabbit and chicken into evenly sized pieces, around 60g-70g each.
In a paella pan or large frying pan, add the oil and heat on high. Next, add the meat (skin side down) and fry on high heat until golden brown.
Add the runner beans to the pan and then fry with the meat for 1 minute.
Sprinkle in the smoked paprika and stir well.
Chop the garlic finely and add to the pan, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Grate the tomato to a pulp and then add it to the pan. Cook for 1 minute until it starts to catch lightly on the bottom of the pan.
Bring the stock to the boil and add to the pan, keeping it on a high heat, so it comes straight back to the boil. Then sprinkle in the saffron and add the butter beans.
Add the bomba rice and stir in well to ensure it is well incorporated.
Keep the rice on full heat for 10 minutes and don’t stir at all.
After 10 minutes, turn down to a low heat and cook for 5/6 minutes.
Remove from the heat, place 2 sprigs of rosemary on top, and cover with a tea towel. Leave it for 2 minutes so the rice takes on the aroma of the rosemary.
Serve immediately in the middle of the table in the cooking pan.

Hay Smoked Roe Deer, Red Fruits, Vegetables and Leaves by Paul Welburn

September 26, 2022 12:42 pm Comments Off

In honour of British Food Fortnight, we asked Michelin starred chef Paul Welburn, who will soon be opening up his brand new venture The Swan Inn Islip, what his favourite ‘British’ dish is and why.

Paul brought us this game-licous recipe for Hay-Smoked Roe Deer, Red Fruits, Vegetables and Leaves. The smoked roe deer and red fruits have us dreaming of cosy autumnal nights, not to mention using hay to smoke the deer! It really is the epitome of modern British cooking. Paul says:

“this dish is perfect for a several reasons , its flavours come bang into season as we enter autumn here , it elevates great British ingredients such as red cabbage , blackberries and Beetroots and utilising the end of summer Hay crops.

Game is such a great ingredient and we have some of the best in this country , this dish showcases deer but many others can be used instead be it Mallard, wood pigeon or Hare, the use of blackberries can be added after the Elderberry season ends, preserving them when at there best allows for use through the winter.”

Written by Eliza

Two cuts of venison pan frying in butter in a ProWare non-stick frying pan

Ingredients

SMOKED ROE DEER

1 roe deer loin, cut into 4
2 handfuls of hay, dried
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
50g of butter
olive oil

RED CABBAGE GEL AND POWDER

1 red cabbage, juiced to yield 500g juice (pulp reserved for the red cabbage powder)
6g of gellan gum
50ml of red wine vinegar
50ml of apple juice
1/2 tsp mixed spice

SAUCE

8 shallots, sliced
8 black peppercorns, crushed
5 juniper berries, crushed
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
50ml of red wine vinegar
250ml of port
500ml of red wine
1.5l brown chicken stock
1 tsp oil

SALSIFY

2 sticks of salsify root
100ml of port
125ml of red wine
100ml of chicken stock
thyme
salt
pepper

BABY BEETROOTS

500g of baby beetroot
sea salt

PICKLED BEETROOTS

500g of Cheltenham beetroot
100ml of white wine
100ml of port
100ml of raspberry vinegar
100g of brown sugar
2 sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves

MACERATED BLACKBERRIES

1 punnet of blackberries
100ml of water
100g of sugar
25ml of port
1 sprig of thyme

Equipment

Copper Tri-ply 24cm Non-Stick Frying Pan
Knife
Chopping board
Wooden spoon
Sieve
Tongs

Cooking Method

For the red cabbage gel:

To make the red cabbage gel, bring all of the ingredients to the boil in a medium-sized saucepan and allow to set on a tray in the fridge.
Once set, blend the jelly into a liquid gel, season and set aside until ready to plate

To hay-smoke the deer:

Trim the deer loin of any sinew. Place 2 handfuls of dried hay in a deep tray and light with a match. Once burnt out, place the loin on top, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for minimum of 2 hours
Preheat the water bath to 57°C
Remove the deer from the fridge and roll the loin in the burnt hay powder. Roll tightly in cling film and cook in the water bath for 20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the water bath and remove the cling film

For the sauce:

To make the sauce, caramelise the shallots in the oil in a medium-sized saucepan. When golden, add the pepper, juniper and herbs, then deglaze with the vinegar. Reduce until the pan is almost dry, then add the port and reduce by a third
Add the wine, reduce by half, then add the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with cling film and leave to infuse for a further 20 minutes
After this time, pass through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Return to the heat and reduce until a sauce consistency is achieved. Season to taste and set aside

For the vegetables and berries:

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
Wash and trim the baby beetroot then season and wrap in a single layer of foil. Bake for 30–45 minutes until tender. Leave to cool slightly and peel
For the macerated blackberries, bring the water, sugar, port and thyme to the boil in a saucepan and pour over the blackberries. Reserve
For the pickled beetroot, peel the beetroot and slice to a thickness of 2mm. Bring the pickling ingredients to the boil, then remove from the heat and chill. Pour the liquid over the beetroot and place in the fridge to pickle
Now prepare the salsify. Add the port, red wine and chicken stock to a saucepan and place over a medium heat with a pinch of thyme. Peel the salsify and poach in the liquid until tender. Remove the salsify and reduce the liquor by half to create the glaze. When ready to serve, pour the glaze over the salsify

To finish:

Just before serving, heat a frying pan over a high heat with the butter and a dash of oil. Once hot, sear the loin on all sides until caramelised
Finish the sauce with the a dash of liquor from the blackberries just before serving and heat
To plate, slice the deer and give 3 slices per plate. Arrange the beetroot, salsify and pickled beetroot around the deer. Pipe dots of the cabbage gel and arrange pickled blackberries around the plate. Sprinkle the cabbage powder over the top and garnish with the beetroot leaves and puffed brown rice. Serve the warmed sauce on the side

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