Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course by Gordon Ramsay Read Free Book Online Page A

remaining lemon zest and serve immediately.
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    HOW TO CUT JULIENNE STRIPS
    Julienne are fine strips about the size of matchsticks. To make them, peel and core your ingredient, as necessary, then cut in half or into quarters. Place flat side down on a work surface and cut into slices about 5mm thick. Cut these slices into matchstick-sized pieces.



CHILLI AND SPICE
WHITEBAIT
    SERVES 4
    Fresh whitebait, dusted in seasoned flour, quickly fried in oil and sprinkled with lemon juice is very quick and simple but makes a great starter on a summer’s evening. If you can’t find whitebait, try raw tiger prawns, squid or even crab claws.
    1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
    1 tsp coriander seeds
    1 tsp dried chilli flakes
    600g whitebait, defrosted if frozen
    Flavourless oil, e.g. groundnut, for deep-frying
    4 tbsp plain flour
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    Lemon wedges, to serve
    1 . Toast the Sichuan peppercorns and the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan for 1–2 minutes until aromatic. Transfer to a mortar, add the chilli flakes and pound with a pestle until powdered, then set to one side.
    2 . Gently wash the whitebait and pat dry with kitchen paper. Pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer and heat to 170°C, or fill a large saucepan one-third full of oil and heat until a cube of bread dropped into the hot oil sizzles and turns golden after 30 seconds.
    3 . Season the flour with salt and pepper and mix with the ground spices. Dust the whitebait in the spiced flour, shaking off any excess, and deep-fry in batches for 1–2 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through.
    4 . Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary. Repeat with the remaining batches.
    5 . Serve while still warm with wedges of lemon.
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    HOW TO SHALLOW-FRY WHITEBAIT
    You can shallow-fry the whitebait if you prefer. Just cook smaller batches at a time in less oil.



GRILLED SEAFOOD WITH
SWEET PEPPER SAUCE
    SERVES 4
    I’m always happy eating grilled seafood with a garlicky mayonnaise, but sometimes it’s good to ring the changes. The sauce, sometimes called romesco, originated in Catalonia in Spain, and is a blend of roasted peppers, tomatoes, nuts, vinegar and olive oil. You can use it straight away but it benefits from a night in the fridge for the flavours to develop.
    4 medium to large squid, prepared and cleaned
    12 king prawns, shell on
    2 tbsp chopped parsley, to garnish
    FOR THE SWEET PEPPER SAUCE
    2 red peppers
    1 thick slice of ciabatta or farmhouse white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks
    Olive oil
    3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
    3 ripe tomatoes, e.g. plum, on the vine
    1 tsp smoked paprika
    1 tsp dried chilli flakes
    60g blanched almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
    Juice of ½ lemon
    1–2 tbsp sherry vinegar
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 . First make the sauce. Heat a grill until very hot. Put the peppers on a foil-lined baking tray and place under the grill. Cook for 5 minutes, turning regularly until the skin is blackened and blistered all over. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to cool.
    2 . Cook the bread chunks for 2 minutes in a small frying pan with a dash of oil, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute until the garlic is tender and the bread toasted. By this stage the peppers should have cooled and it will be easy to peel and rub off the charred skins. Peel, deseed and roughly chop them, then place in a blender. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the peppers with the bread and garlic. Blitz to form a rough paste.
    3 . Add the smoked paprika, chilli flakes, almonds, lemon juice, vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper to the blender and blitz until well mixed. Taste and adjust the seasoning. With the motor running, slowly pour in 100ml olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning again if necessary. Allow to come to room temperature and stir well before serving.
    4 . Prepare the seafood. Heat a griddle pan over a high