Cocktail capers
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I AM so cold at this moment of writing I yearn for hot comforting winter dishes which I shall indulge in below.
The dry martini cocktail, though very delicious, is a pernicious lethal drink but the ingredients of gin and dry vermouth produce an excellent flavour in stews, casseroles and the like.
Daube de boeuf a la Provencale
3 lbs of good stewing steak 8 thick slices of streaky fresh pork 14 oz of chopped tomatoes (fresh or tinned) 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms beef stock olive oil 12 oz dry vermouth, 3 oz gin thyme, bay leaf, 4 fat cloves of garlic 1 lb thinly sliced carrots 1 lb thinly sliced onions salt, pepper, plain flour dijon mustard capers, parsley
Cut the meat into 21/2 inch squares, one inch thick. Place in a roomy bowl. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, the gin and ver- mouth, two crushed cloves of garlic, the bay leaf and thyme, the sliced carrots and onions, two teaspoons of malden salt and a goodly grinding of black pepper. Mix this marinade with the meat for six hours or overnight turning and basting at intervals. Put about 3 oz of flour into a plastic bag, season with salt and pepper, remove beef from the marinade and toss in the flour, about five pieces at a time, lay them on some greaseproof paper. Put the mushrooms and drained tomatoes into the marinade. Lay half the pork slices on the bottom of a suitably sized casserole, cover with a third of the vegetable mixture then alternate with layers of meat and veget- ables. Place the remaining pork slices on top and any marinade that is left. Heat on top of the stove to simmering point, cook for 20 minutes covered. Have a look to see if the meat is now just covered by liquid, if not top up with beef stock. Pre-heat the oven to Gas 2, F325, C163; put the casserole in the lower part and simmer slowly for three to four hours until the meat is tender when pierced. Bring to the top of the stove and taste for seasoning. If you want to thicken the liquid, scoop about half a pint out and mix with a dessert spoon of cornflour into a smooth consistency, boil for two minutes then stir back into the daube: but it shouldn't be necessary. While the meat has been cooking crush the remaining two cloves of garlic into a mortar with three tablespoons of drained capers, pound into a paste then beat in three tablespoons of strong dijon mustard and gradually three tablespoons of olive oil as you would for mayonnaise. Mix in a good handful of chopped parsley. Stir into the finished daube just before serving.
Another use for the martini mixture is with pork chops. Gin is always good with pork on account of the juniper flavouring.
Gin and French pork chops
4 pork chops 2 oz of gin 2 oz of dry vermouth lemon juice olive oil 10 cloves of garlic, thyme, bay leaf 2 oz concentrated butter salt and pepper capers
Get good thick chops with some fat and rind on them. Place in shallow dish. Cut one of the cloves of garlic into tiny slithers and press into the chops near the bone. Sprinkle with lemon juice, gin and ver- mouth; crumble the bay leaf and some thyme over them, season with ground salt and pepper, libate with about two tables- poons of olive oil. Leave to marinate for at least two hours tossing and turning at will. Throw the rest of the garlic into boiling water for two minutes, drain, cool, peel and chop roughly. Melt the butter in a thick heavy frying pan. Scrape the mari- nade off the chops (reserving every drop) pat them dryish and brown quickly on each side to seal them. Lower the heat, add the chopped garlic, cover the pan and cook very gently for half an hour turning over at half time or you could put them into a moderate oven if it suited you. When tender transfer to a warm dish. Pour the marinade into the juices of the pan, let them bubble, taste for seasoning, add two tablespoons of capers, pour over the chops. Serve with mashed potatoes and endive salad.
In answer to doubting Jill Simmons (Letters, 22 August) of course I wouldn't serve coley as salmon, they are different colours, although I have had folk think my egg mousse flavoured with paprika was salmon mousse so who knows? However, many thanks for the interest.
Jennifer Paterson
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