My Kitchen - James Martin

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with green beans and almonds

       Serves 4

       4 fresh trout, gutted but with the heads left on

       150g (5oz) butter, melted

       75g (3oz) whole, shelled almonds

       300g (11oz) French beans, topped and tailed

       Salt and black pepper

       With trendy new varieties of fish arriving from all over the world, we tend to forget how good our own locally-sourced species can be. Trout is a prime example – it’s available all year round and, served with almonds, it’s a classic fish dish.

      Place each trout on its back and open up the ribcage with a knife. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut the backbone in two places – at the highest point near the head and the lowest point by the tail. If you prefer, you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you.

      

      Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas 6. Brush each fish, inside and out, with half the butter and season with salt and pepper. Butter a roasting tin and place the fish in the tin, pressing each one down with its ribcage pointing up.

      

      Bake in the oven for 6 minutes and then add the almonds to the tin. Cook for a further 5–6 minutes, then remove from the oven. You can tell when the fish is cooked when you can pull out the backbone easily. Do this for all four fish.

      

      While the fish is cooking, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the beans and place in a warmed bowl.

      

      Place the fish on plates and add the remaining butter to the hot roasting tin. Remove the almonds from the tin and add to the beans. Season well with salt and pepper. To serve, place the beans and almonds into the cavity of each trout and spoon over the hot butter from the tin.

       Wok-fried chicken with ginger, chilli and wild garlic

       Serves 4

       4 × 175g (6oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

       4 tbsp cornflour

       1 tbsp corn oil

       2 tbsp finely chopped root ginger

       6 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal into 2cm (¾in) pieces

       1 red chilli, finely chopped

       2 bunches of wild garlic leaves or 225g bag of baby spinach

       1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped

       4 tbsp dark soy sauce

       Salt

       Steamed rice, to serve

       The chicken in this recipe is coated in cornflour and poached in water, a cooking method known as ‘velveting’. Pork can be done in the same way. It’s great for a stir-fry, in which the meat is cooked quite quickly, because it really does help to give it a softer texture.

      Place a large wok or non-stick frying pan and a large saucepan of salted water on the hob, both set over a high heat. While they are heating, slice the chicken breasts thinly.

      

      Coat the chicken pieces in the cornflour, then place in the water, once it has come to the boil, and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water and set aside.

      

      Add the corn oil to the wok or frying pan, followed by the chicken, ginger, spring onions and chilli, mixing well together. Cook for 1 minute, then add the remaining ingredients and season with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the wild garlic or spinach leaves wilt down.

      

      Serve in bowls with helpings of steamed rice.

       Sautéed chicken livers and mushrooms on toast

       Serves 4

       4 slices from a white bloomer

       30g (1¼oz) butter

       6 rashers of back bacon, cut into lardons

       400g (14oz) chicken livers

       200g (7oz) brown cap mushrooms, cut in half

       50ml (2fl oz) white wine

       110ml (4fl oz) double cream

       3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

       Salt and black pepper

       Chicken livers are one of the few remaining inexpensive meats and we should use them in cooking a lot more than we do. Make sure the green parts of the livers are removed and don’t overcook them or they will become bitter-tasting and grainy. Mushrooms and double cream make this dish smooth and rich, a perfect opposite to the crunchy toast.

      Toast the bread either in a toaster or under the grill, preheated to medium–high, and set aside.

      

      Melt half the butter in a frying pan set over a high heat, add the bacon and fry until it starts to crisp. Add the livers and mushrooms and saute for 1 minute.

      

      Pour over the wine and cream and stir all the ingredients together for 2–3 minutes, but no more, to ensure the livers stay pink in the middle, then remove the pan from the heat.

      

      Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve with slices of toast, plain or buttered with the remaining butter.

       Rack of lamb with vegetable broth

       Serves 4

       20g (¾oz) shelled hazelnuts

       4 large, floury potatoes, peeled and quartered

       4 racks of Frenchtrimmed lamb (ask your butcher to prepare these)

       1 tbsp olive oil

       12 baby onions, peeled but left whole

       800ml (29fl oz) beef stock

       200g (7oz) broad beans

       250g (9oz) asparagus tips

      

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