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

dry with kitchen paper and season well. Heat a few knobs of the butter in a pan and sauté the shallots with some seasoning over a medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until soft but not coloured. Increase the heat slightly. Add the livers and fry for 3-4 minutes until evenly browned but still pink inside. Add the brandy and flambé. When the flame dies down, add the rest of the butter to melt, then remove from the heat. Add the thyme leaves.
    Immediately tip the contents of the pan into a food processor or blender and process to a smooth paste. For a very smooth texture, if required, pass through a fine sieve. Divide the pâté between four small ramekins and smooth the tops with a small spatula.
    Gently melt the 175g butter in a small pan over a very low heat. Now carefully pour the golden oily layer on the surface (essentially clarified butter) into a measuring jug and discard the milky whey below. Pour or spoon some clarified butter over the top of each pâté to cover it with a thin layer. (Sealing the pâté in this way will prevent it from oxidizing and discolouring.) Sprinkle with a few thyme leaves, cover with cling film and chill for at least an hour until set.
    Take the pâtés out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Serve them with warm toast triangles and red onion marmalade.
Salad of black pudding with poached egg
SERVES 4
    8-12 medium eggs
    11/2 tbsp cider vinegar, plus a dash
    1 head of oak leaf lettuce
    5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
    sea salt and black pepper
    450g black pudding
    small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
    This lovely salad can be enjoyed at any time of the year—just make sure you use good-quality black pudding. Individually made small black puddings have a much better flavour than those mass-produced ones sold in vacuum packs.
    First, poach the eggs; it is preferable to do this in batches, poaching no more than 3 eggs at a time. Bring a pan of water to a simmer. Add a dash of vinegar and swirl the water with a spoon to create a whirlpool effect in the middle. One at a time, crack the eggs into a small bowl or ramekin and gently slide them into the whirlpool. Poach for 3 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny in the centre. Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon into a bowl of iced water to stop further cooking. Set aside while you poach the rest.
    Wash and separate the lettuce leaves. Tear the larger ones into smaller pieces and divide them between serving plates. For the dressing, whisk together the cider vinegar, olive oil and some seasoning.
    Cut the black pudding into 4 portions, then cut each piece lengthways in half. Heat a wide frying pan until hot. Pour in a thin layer of olive oil, then add the black pudding. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until nicely browned and crisp around the edges. Reheat the eggs in a pan of simmering water for about a minute.
    Carefully crumble the black pudding over the lettuce leaves and scatter over the parsley. Using a slotted spoon, lift out the eggs, drain them well and pat the bases dry with kitchen paper. Arrange two or three on top of each salad. Drizzle over the dressing and grind over some black pepper. Serve at once.
Pressed ox tongue with lamb’s lettuce salad
SERVES 4
    1 unsalted ox tongue, about 1.2kg, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water
    1 large onion, peeled and halved
    1 celery stick, peeled and cut into 3 pieces
    1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 3 pieces
    1 large leek, trimmed and cut into 3 pieces
    1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, few each thyme and parsley sprigs, tied together)
    1 tsp black peppercorns
    1 tsp juniper berries
    sea salt
SALAD
    100g mixed lamb’s lettuce and frisée leaves
    2 tsp cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
    3 tbsp olive oil
TO SERVE
    few handfuls of caper berries
    Ox tongue makes a delicious cold starter. You may need to order one in advance from your butcher—remember that you’ll need to soak it overnight before cooking. Refrigerate any leftover tongue and use as a