First few days

After arriving late last night and slathering Hellman’s mayonnaise all over some thick slices of toast with ham and cheese – courtesy of a late night Paphos kiosk. The first port of call today were the shops for some serious food buying.

After the relative vegetable drought of a week at my Nan’s we were looking forward to a good vegetable and salad purge which was just as well. The shelves were bursting with aubergines, beetroot, cauliflower and beautifully unwashed lettuce, radish and spring onions – all still wearing that instantly recognisable dusty coat of red Cypriot soil.

From the meat counter I took a shine to a leg of mutton which I pictured served in a rich ragu sauce with lots of diced vegetables and warm middle-eastern spices to help cut through the rich, fatty meat. To add a sharp contrast to the warming fennel, cinnamon and cumin a salad of cauliflower, finely sliced red onion, a handful of toasted pine nuts, crumbled feta and a punchy acidic dressing made with lots of black kalamata olives, mustard and balsamic vinegar.

Ragu of mutton

1kg leg of mutton, bone removed but saved to make a little stock with the vegetable trimmings and a couple extra cloves of garlic.

2 small onions diced

4 cloves of garlic finely sliced

2 tins of tomatoes

Bottle of red wine minus a glass for the chef

1 small tin of tomato paste

2 sticks of celery, peeled and diced

4 – 5 large carrots cut however you like

Half a finger of cinnamon

1 tbsp each of fennel and cumin seeds – lightly toasted and ground

A big handful of flat leaf parsley

·         Trim any excess fat from the mutton and chop into rough chunks. In small batches brown all over in a dribble of olive oil, remove and set aside.

·         Lower the heat and soften the onions with the spices, celery, carrots and garlic. Season at this point too or you will never get it right at the end.  

·         When the vegetables are soft and the warm spices fill the air, add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to release the good bits and let it all reduce by half.

·         Add the tomatoes, paste and the now reduced mutton stock, bring to the boil, season and braise in the oven @ 180oc for 1 ½ - 2 hrs or until reduced, sticky and rich.    

·         Serve with bucatini and a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley.

  

Cauliflower, red onion, feta and olives

First make the vinaigrette by blitzing a clove of garlic with 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar, a spoon of mustard – I like English here, seasoning and oil of your choice. I use half extra virgin/ rapeseed, about 5 tbsp till thick and creamy.

Floret the cauliflower, finely slice the red onions and crumble some feta into a bowl and douse in vinaigrette. Exact quantities go out the window here, just add as much of each as takes your fancy. Sprinkle with chopped kalamata olives and a handful of toasted pine nuts. 

Pangasius seems to be quite popular on the fish counters here. It’s a large boneless fillet with the texture of ling from the catfish family. The Americans call it basa fish and in the U.K it is known as Vietnamiese river cobbler. From what I can gather it’s a freshwater fish intensively farmed in south East Asia and imported all over the world in whatever guise importers and supermarkets can get away with. Hugh won’t be championing it any time soon and like all farmed and fed on crap fish, it’s dull as dishwater flavour wise but treat it like sole or Pollack and give it some good gutsy accompaniments.

Pangasius, burnt butter, lemon, capers & parsley  

2 x pangasius fillets (skinned) – it’s worth curing with a little salt for a couple of hours if you are that way inclined. I think white fish benefits from a little firming up.

100g unsalted butter

50g capers

Small handful of parsley – briefly chopped

A little fish or light chicken stock

The zest and juice of 2 un-waxed if possible lemons

·         First make a lemon puree with the peeled skin of the lemons. Try not to get too much pith attached to the skin otherwise it will be bitter. Blanch in boiling water for a minute, refresh and repeat the process four times with fresh water each time. Blend the blanched skin with the squeezed juice for a couple of minutes until smooth and pass through a fine sieve.

·         Get an oven proof pan nice and hot with a dribble of oil. Lay the seasoned fillets in the pan skin side down for two minutes and then pop them in a hot oven for three – five minutes. When the fish feels firm to the touch take it out the oven, flip it over and leave it to finish cooking in the residue heat.

·         While the fish finishes cooking, melt the butter in a small saucepan until it takes on that lovely nutty brown colour and aroma, but be careful not to let it burn. Add the stock, capers and parsley with a dash of seasoning and leave them all to get acquainted while you plate up the fish.  

·         Drizzle the plate with the pureed lemon and top with the cooked fish. Spoon the sauce all over and around, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with a crisp green salad.