Great British Food Christmas 2024

Recipes extracted from For the Love of Food by Paul’s Ainsworth, published by Pavilion Books. Photography by Issy Croker until it is steaming hot, but not boiling. Now add the stock to the rice, a little bit at a time and stirring continuously, until the rice has absorbed all the hot stock and you have a thick, glossy, risotto-like consistency. 3. Turn down the heat, add the cheeses and stir until they have melted into the rice. Now add the spring onions, chives and lemon juice. Check the seasoning and adjust with the sea salt and black pepper. Leave the risotto mixture to cool in the pan, then place in the fridge to fully chill the rice. 4. Preheat a deep-fat fryer or a pan with the oil to 180°C, using a food thermometer to check the temperature. Also preheat the oven to 180°C fan. 5. Take the chilled rice and roll it into 30g balls. Dip each one into the egg white and then the breadcrumbs to thoroughly coat, and arrange on a tray. Once you’ve rolled the balls, deep-fry them in the fryer or pan of oil for 2½–3 minutes. 6. Carefully lift the balls out of the fryer or pan, drain on kitchen paper and season with a little sea salt. Place the arancini on a tray and cook in the oven for 2–3 minutes, just to finish them off. When cooked, set aside to rest for a final 2–3 minutes, to allow all the flavours to come out. RedOnionTarteTatin withGoat’s Cheese, Watercress&Hazelnuts While working for Gary Rhodes, onmy day off I didwhat we call ‘a stage’, and spent the day at Marco PierreWhite’s restaurant, Mirabelle. One of the dishes that caught my eye there was this red onion tarte tatinwith goat’s cheese. This became the very first vegetarian dish I put on the first menu I ever wrote for No6. I finished it with some roasted hazelnuts and crisp, freshwatercress. It was a winner, evenwith guests who weren’t vegetarian. It also works with small white onions and large shallots. You can get creative with carrots, parsnips, turnips and celeriac, too. Serves: 4 Prepare: 40minutes Cook: 1 hour 20minutes 3 large red onions, peeled and cut into 2cmpieces with the root left on 4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked 100g sheet of ready-made puff pastry 15g unsalted butter 40g hazelnuts, peeled 8 slices of goat’s cheese (my favourite is Dorstone) 20gwatercress, picked andwashed Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling Balsamic vinegar, for drizzling Sea salt Cracked black pepper For the balsamic caramel: 60g caster sugar 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 25g cold unsalted butter, diced 1. To make the balsamic caramel, take a small ovenproof frying pan (around 20cm) and melt the sugar over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. This is called a direct caramel; the temperature will reach 160°C if using a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat and, with extreme care, add the balsamic vinegar, which will bubble. Stir to cool, then add the diced, cold butter, bit by bit, to form a velvety butterscotch. Set aside. 2. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. 3. In a bowl, season the sliced red onions with sea salt, a pinch of black pepper and the thyme leaves. Now place the red onions on top of the balsamic caramel, until the pan is completely full. 4. Take a plate, slightly bigger than the tarte frying pan, and place it on top of the sheet of puff pastry, then cut around the plate to create a circle of pastry. Carefully place the pastry circle on top of the red onions and gently press all the way around to seal, tucking in the red onions. Make a small hole in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during baking. 5. Bake for 55 minutes, checking every 15 minutes or so, until the pastry is crisp. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a rack to cool for at least 20 minutes. 6. Take a small frying pan and place over a medium–high heat. Add the butter and melt until foaming, then add the hazelnuts and keep them moving in the butter until they are glistening and golden. Season with sea salt. Drain onto kitchen paper, then roughly chop them, leaving them chunky and funky. 7. Before serving, place the roasted red onion tarte tatin back in the oven for a few minutes to loosen the caramel and warm through. Turn out onto a board or plate. Place the slices of goat’s cheese on top, followed by the chopped hazelnuts and crisp watercress. Finish with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. “This tart also works with small white onions and large shallots. You can get creative with carrots, parsnips, turnips and celeriac, too” RECI PES | PAUL AINSWORTH 83 greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com