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The Country Bumpkin Recipes
Crayfish Taglietelle ... • 10 good sized crayfish per person. Put your crayfish into the freezer to send them into a hibernation state, alternatively if your other half isnt to keen in a bucket filled with ice. Boil a pan of water large enough to take your crayfish and salt it well, you can also add a sliced lemon to the water. When the water is at a hard rolling boil tip the crayfish in and replace the lid. Bring back to the boil and leave till cooked (between 5 and 8 minutes depending on size). Once cooked, strain them, allow to cool and peel the tail meat and claw meat, cover and put in the fridge. Now thoroughly crush the shells with a rolling pin in another large pan and cover with water, simmer for 30 minutes or longer to extract as much flavour from the shells as possible. Strain through muslin and reduce the liquid to a sauce (watch it doesnt catch!), you wont get much but the flavour will be intense, whilst your reducing the sauce gently fry the shallot and chilli in butter till the shallot is soft and golden. Prepare your pasta and just before it's ready stir the reduced sauce and a splash of cream into the shallot and chilli mixture then add the crayfish meat and heat it through, you then just toss your drained cooked pasta in this mixture to coat every last bit and serve. Haw and Crab Apple Jelly ... • 500g Hawthorn berries. Put the berries, apples, lemon juice & water in a pan, bring to the boil then cover and simmer until the apples and berries are both soft and mushy.Strain through muslin for a clear jelly or a seive for a higher volume but cloudy jelly. Measure the juice and pour into a clean pan, for every pint of juice add a pound of sugar then gently bring to the boil, boil rapidly till a firm setting point is reached, then pour into a warm steralised jar. Note: level of water may need adjustment due to water content of both berries and apples. Bullace Vodka... Weigh the bullaces you've managed to collect and note it down and then prick them all over before putting in a Kilner jar or other similar vessel that will seal water tight! Half the weight of the Bullaces you noted down and weigh it out in caster sugar then add to the Kilner jar. Then slowly fill the jar with cheap Vodka until you are an inch or so over the sugar, depending on how sweet you like it, seal and tip from side to side to mix. Tip the jar daily for 2 weeks to help the sugar dissolve then weekly for 6 months, then strain through muslin and bottle. Leave for another 6 months, then and only then can you try it! The longer you keep it the better it gets. An alternative to pricking the bullaces is to freeze then defrost them, this should split the skins slightly. Elderflower Fritters... • 4 oz. Flour. Mix the flour, soda water, egg and salt together to make the batter. Holding the flowers by the stalk dip them into the batter then deep fry till golden brown, drain on paper, trim off the stalk, drizzle with honey and serve, preferably with Elderflower ice cream. Elderflower Cordial... • A dreaded supermarket bag full of Elderflower heads. Put the elderflowers in a large pan and cover with water, simmer for 1/2 an hour, ensuring water is always covering the flowers. Strain through muslin, squeezing the flowers to extract the maximum liquid. Measure the liquid and pour into a pan, for every Pint add 12oz of sugar and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Simmer to dissolve the sugar and skim off any scum. Cool then pour into sterilized bottles. Dilute to taste with water or use to make sorbet's and ice creams. Olde English Moroccan! Rabbit Stew... • 1 Rabbit preferably Moroccan - Jointed and floured. Put the butter in a large stockpot and brown off the Rabbit. Add all the other ingredients apart from, Potato, Raisins, Almonds, Honey and Cinnamon. Cover with water and bring to the boil, leave boiling for 5 min’s then reduce to a simmer and leave for 3/4 of an hour. Add the potato and top up stockpot with water if necessary, leave again to simmer gently for another 3/4’s of an hour. Now add the remaining ingredients - Raisins, almonds, honey and cinnamon and leave simmering for a further 1/2 an hour before serving up with a good wedge of well buttered crusty bread. Just like your Moroccan grandma used make! Pigeon Baguette... • 2 Pigeon breasts Per Person Slice the baguette in half length ways, butter and set aside. Slice and fry an onion in butter until soft, whilst the onion is frying thinly slice Once the onions are soft set them aside and put the sliced pigeon into the frying pan and cook for 1 minute turning constantly. Return the onion to the pan and cook for a further minute, ideally you want the meat slightly pink. Fill your baguette and then leave to rest for a minute, serve with homemade horseradish sauce or fresh rocket.
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