Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food by Gordon Ramsay Read Free Book Online

mussels, removing their beards and discarding any that are open and do not close when tapped. Set aside.
    Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan. When hot, add the bacon and fry, turning, for 4-5 minutes until it has released most of its fat and is golden brown all over. Add the garlic and thyme and fry for another minute.
    Tip in the mussels and pour in the cider. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and give the pan a gentle shake. Steam the mussels over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until they have opened.
    Remove the pan from the heat and grind over some black pepper. Taste the juices for seasoning; you probably won’t need to add extra salt as the bacon and mussels should provide enough. Pick out and throw away any mussels that have not opened.
    Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately, remembering to provide spare bowls for the discarded mussel shells.
Beetroot salad with grapefruit and goat’s cheese
SERVES 4
    900g raw beetroot (roughly the same size)
    rock salt
    handful of thyme sprigs
    1 large ruby grapefruit
    few lemon thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
    2 tbsp olive oil
    2 tbsp hazelnut oil
    sea salt and black pepper
    pinch of caster sugar
    115g goat’s cheese, crumbled
    handful of hazelnuts, toasted and lightly crushed
    We love the balance of contrasting flavours and textures in this salad—sweet roasted beetroot, tangy grapefruit, creamy goat’s cheese and crunchy hazelnuts. Roasting the beetroot on a layer of salt intensifies their earthy flavour.
    Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Wash the beetroot, then trim the tops and roots, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Scatter a thin layer of rock salt over a large piece of foil. Sprinkle with the thyme sprigs, then arrange the beetroot in the middle. Bring up the edges of the foil and fold them together to seal the parcel. Place on a baking tray and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the beetroot are tender when pierced with a small knife. (Larger beetroot may need an extra 15-20 minutes.)
    Unwrap the parcel, transfer the beetroot to a plate and leave to cool slightly. Wearing a pair of rubber gloves (to avoid staining your hands), peel the beetroot while they are still warm, using a small knife. Cut into wedges and divide between individual serving plates.
    To segment the grapefruit, slice off the top and bottom to expose the flesh. Stand on a board and cut along the curve of the fruit to remove the peel and white pith. Now, holding the fruit over a sieve set on top of a bowl, cut along the membranes to release each segment. Finally, squeeze the core to extract the juices, before discarding it.
    Divide the grapefruit segments between the plates. To make the dressing, add the lemon thyme leaves to the reserved grapefruit juice and whisk in the olive and hazelnut oils. Season well with salt and pepper, adding a pinch of sugar if the dressing is too tart.
    Scatter goat’s cheese and hazelnuts over each serving and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.
Prawn cocktail
SERVES 4
    500g large raw prawns
    1.5 litres court bouillon (see page 244)
    1/4 head of iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
    few pinches of paprika
COCKTAIL SAUCE
    100ml mayonnaise (see page 246)
    2 tbsp tomato ketchup
    1 tbsp brandy or cognac
    1 tsp lemon juice
    dash of Worcestershire sauce, to taste
    dash of Tabasco, to taste
    sea salt and white pepper
    This was a very popular starter in the seventies and it has become fashionable again. You must, of course, use very fresh prawns. They can be poached simply in boiling salted water, but if you cook them in a court bouillon they will take on more flavour. Don’t discard the stock after cooking; it can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and used to poach other seafood.
    Peel the prawns, leaving the tail shells on. Make a slit along the back of each prawn and prise out the dark vein with the tip of a knife.
    Pour the court bouillon into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the prawns and poach gently for 2-3 minutes until they are