Ingredients:

• 1 to 2 kg Chicken with bone and skinless, stew cut
• 300 gm Plum tomato whole, in can
• 1 tbps Parsley, chopped
• 2 tbps Basil, sliced
• 5 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 2 nos White onion or Holland onion, chopped
• 3 pcs Bay leaf
• 300 gm Tri color capsicum or bell pepper, cut coarsely
• 150 ml Chicken stock or water
• Flour for dusting
• Olive oil for cooking
• Salt and freshly crack black pepper

Method:

1. In a bowl, season the chicken with salt, black pepper and paprika powder, dust with flour.
2. Pre heat a pan with olive oil, sear the chicken until all its surface is brown.
3. Then remove the chicken, deglaze the pan with chicken stock and water & place the deglazing liquid aside.
4. Then add the olive oil & sauté the chopped garlic and onion until fragrant, add in the capsicum & sauté for a few minutes before adding the chicken, deglazing liquid and tomato.
5. Add all the herbs and seasoning, cover the pan, let it braise for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

Simple Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 no French loaf
• 250 gm Butter, unsalted
• 2 tbsp Lea & Perrins Sauce
• 10 cloves Garlic, chopped
• Parmesan Cheese – optional

Method:

1. In a bowl, add in the soft butter, garlic, salt, freshly cracked black pepper, L&P Sauce & mix well.
2. Spread over the French loaf, sprinkle with parmesan, then bake in an oven until golden brown.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkt Cannelloni, cylindrical shaped pasta
• 150 gm Pine nuts, toasted
• Parmesan cheese

Spinach and Ricotta Cheese filling:

• 600 gm Baby spinach
• 300 gm Ricotta cheese
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 no Onions, chopped
• 2 pcs Bay leaves
• 1 sprig Fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 150 ml Fresh cream (cooking)
• A pinch of nutmeg powder
• Fine sea salt and a pinch of black pepper

Method:

1. Pre heat the sauce pan with medium heat, melt the butter, then sauté the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, but not brown.
2. Transfer the mixture into a small container & place to one side.
3. In the same pan, pre heat the pan with high a heat, once the pan is smoking, add the olive oil and spinach, quickly sautéing the spinach until the spinach is cooked.
4. Then add the sautéed onion and garlic, mix well.
5. Pour in the cream, ricotta cheese, nutmeg and herbs.
6. Mix well, once the mixture is thickened adjust the seasoning.

Creamy mushrooms:

• 150 gm White button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Flat parsley, chopped
• 250 ml Fresh cooking cream
• 2 clove Garlic, chopped
• Fine sea salt and a pinch of black pepper

Method:

1. Pre heat the sauce pan on a high heat, melt the butter and olive oil, then sauté the garlic and mushrooms until they are slightly browned.
2. Then add the cooking cream, mix well, adjust the seasoning once it’s thickened.
3. Just before serving mix in the fresh chopped flat parsley.

Assembly:

1. Blanch the cannelloni (half cooked) in salted water, then soak the blanched cannelloni in cold ice water afterwards.
2. Then using a piping bag, pipe into the cannelloni the spinach filling & then arrange the cannelloni on your choice of plate or platter.
3. Pour the creamy mushroom sauce on top of the cannelloni, sprinkle it with parmesan cheese, then bake in an oven until golden brown.
4. Sprinkle with warm toasted pine nuts, just before serving.

Notes:

Chef Kasdi has served his cannelloni topped with whole roasted pine nuts which offer a great taste combination with the hot and sticky cheese topping. It is important to ensure that the Cannelloni sits on a small bed of sauce before it goes under the grill or in the oven for browning purposes, without the sauce it will burn and the cannelloni will stick to the bottom of the cooking receptacle of choice.

Happy Cooking!

Pesto:

• ¾ cup Grape seed oil
• ½ cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves Roasted garlic
• 2 clove Garlic
• 3 cup Fresh basil leaf
• ½ cup Pine nut, lightly roasted
• ½ cup Freshly grated parmagiano reggiano cheese or any kind parmesan cheese
• Fine sea salt and a pinch of black pepper.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor; let it rest for at least 4 hours at room temperature before serving.

Garlic Butter:

• 250 gm Butter, unsalted
• 10 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Flat parsley, chopped
• A few drops of L&P Sauce
• Fine sea salt and a pinch of black pepper
• Your choice of bread although farmer loaf or any kind of crusty rustic bread is best.

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients; spread over the bread, and toast in an oven until golden brown, then serve with pesto as a dip.

Notes:

Chef Kasdi has rubbed his bread chunks with the pesto before toasting, when doing this you must ensure not to burn the topping when grilling, you can toast the bread first and rub the toast with the pesto if you desire to do this, the choice is yours.

Happy Toasting!

Gleneagles has brought together talented chefs and purveyors of fine food
for a Culinary Fest weekend from Friday 5 – Sunday 7 March 2010.

Afternoon tea on Friday afternoon is elevated by marrying the flavours with
whisky, followed by a malts and whisky blending masterclass.

On Saturday morning guests can either attend a VIP tour of nearby Glenturret
Distillery, or Perthshire smokehouse and fishmongers, George Campbell &
Sons.

Or back at Gleneagles, watch the skills of award-winning Scottish butcher
Simon Howie and the innovative cooking of Executive Chef Alan Gibb come
together in a ‘Nose to Tail’ cooking demonstration and listen as Head Pastry
Chef Neil Mugg, reveals his secrets for creating indulgent treats with 18
carat gold and Valrohna chocolate.

Following a showcase lunch in Deseo, the afternoon tastings are hosted by
Pommery Champagne and Le Dome.

The highlight of the weekend is a spectacular banquet in the Ballroom
prepared by Alan Gibb and Michelin Star chef Nigel Howarth of Northcote
Manor in Lancashire, with fine wines presented by Veronique Drouhin, head
winemaker of Maison Joseph Drouhin.  The evening closes with Scottish
artisan cheeses and classic malt truffles and an opportunity to meet the
chefs, winemakers and suppliers.

Prices per Estate room based on two adults sharing, including overnight
accommodation, full Scottish breakfast, VAT and the culinary events are:

Friday 5 March: £219
Saturday 6 March: £599
Sunday 7 March: £219

For full information or reservations, please call 0800 704705, email
resort.sales@gleneagles.com or visit www.gleneagles.com.

All you need is a simple, small and shallow non stick frying pan, a wooden spoon and the ingredients and away you go.

Let’s talk about the omelet pan first shall we;

If the cooking surface is too large the eggs will be spread too thin and cook too quickly, if the surface is too small the eggs will be spread too thick and take forever to cook. The ideal size with regards to the cooking surface of the pan should be approximately 6-8 inches in width. It should be non stick, rather sturdy and easy to wipe clean with a kitchen cloth after the omelet is finished.

The wooden spoon should have a smallish head which would be about 3 inches in length, it does not really matter if it is flat or with a dimple inside, but it should be round in shape to move inside the pan easily. A square shaped wooden spoon will make it difficult to collect the eggs as you stir the eggs in a round shaped pan, leaving eggs here and there to then over cook.

Now let’s talk about the ingredients;

All you need is 2 eggs (some people like to use 3, but with the ongoing cholesterol issue 2 will suffice. Also if you make the mixture too much, then you go back to the pan and cooking surface being the incorrect size for the amount of mixture you are cooking), salt & pepper and a small touch of milk (cream if you would like to be decadent).

Now to making the actual omelet;

Place the omelet pan on your stove; add a little clarified butter or low cholesterol oil in the pan. We should not use fresh butter as the butter may burn and discolour the finished omelet surface and spoil the presentation.

When the clarified butter is hot and almost starting to smoke, you add the eggs, immediately stirring vigorously and not allowing the eggs to stand still for a second.

When the eggs are almost cooked and there is a little wet egg left, you should then stop and take the pan off the stove.

You then take this opportunity to use your spoon and move around the liquid egg that is left, thereby filling any holes left behind from the stirring wooden spoon. The entire surface of the pan should be covered now with moist eggs.

You then use the wooden spoon to roll the eggs as you would roll a swiss roll cake after baking. Whilst holding the spoon in your hand, you start from one end and slowly roll the eggs tightly moving in to the middle of the omelet and then to the far end.

When the eggs are rolled and resemble an omelet you then turn the pan upside down tipping the omelet on to a clean warm plate. You can then use a clean towel to cup the omelet in your hands and shape the omelet for presentation purposes.

Notes:

If you would like to have something a little different and special (showing your loved ones you have a couple of tricks up your sleeves) you could add another single egg white to the two egg mixture. You then need to whip the mixture vigorously to trap as much air as possible. Making the omelet in the way I have shown you, after the finished omelet is on the plate you can place it under a hot grill for a second and watch it rise like a soufflé.

The air you have trapped inside during the whipping process will now expand and rise taking the egg mixture with it. Although omelet purists will tell you that this method is not actually an omelet, the nice colour from the grill, the almost double in size omelet will definitely impress the people for whom you are cooking.

The only problem is, is that as it is kind of like a soufflé in its cooking process these kind of omelets need to be served straight away as if they are not they will sink rather quickly.

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen Fresh live oysters
• 1 can/163 ml Tomato juice
• 2 nos Juice from ripe roma tomatoes
• 5 tbsp Lemon grass juice from 3 stalks, ground with water
• 50 ml Freshly squeezed pineapple juice
• 1 tsp Finely chopped red chili
• 1 tsp Finely chopped coriander leaf or Chinese parsley
• A few drops of Tabasco
• Fine sea salt and a pinch of cracked black pepper

Method:

Mix all the ingredients; let them chill at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish with celery stick.

Notes:

Chef Kasdi has presented his shooters in shot glasses on a bed of crushed ice for effect. When we do this, the ice will ensure that the oysters stay very chilled and will taste fresh.

Happy Slurping!

I have done this many times personally and this is how they do it:

When I was conducting my training there was no such thing as non stick pans and they would use cast iron, very heavy and durable pans which needed to be “seasoned” for them to be able to be non stick.

On receiving a new, straight from the supplier, cast iron frying pan or sautéing pan, we used to first place it on a solid top stove, empty with absolutely nothing inside and get it so hot that it would be smoking.

We would then place enough course sea salt in the smoking hot pan to cover its entire cooking surface until it was about 2cm thick. We would leave the hot pot on the stove with the salt and slowly burn and cook the pot with the salt inside. The salt will very slowly “cook” by smoking, burning and turning the salt very slowly to a dark brown colour.

We would then discard the salt in a bin, get a piece of cloth (a towel cloth like an old bath towel or face cloth) dip it in oil and wipe or rub the pot until the hot metal would absorb the oil making the pan shiny.

When the pan is smoking hot, we would them wipe the pan clean with another piece of kitchen towel and then proceed with the whole process all over again from the beginning.

After doing this 2 or 3 times the metal will have absorbed the oil making the metal very shiny, “seasoned” and have a homemade non stick effect. When you have done this you need to try out the pan by making an omelet, if the eggs stick, you have to start all over again until the pan cooks an omelet without the eggs sticking.

The act of “seasoning” the pan may take a few days, a week on more than a week, but it is definitely a loving care process.

It is VERY important to know that this kind of pan, once seasoned can never be washed in water; they are just wiped clean with a dry kitchen cloth or paper towel. Water and this type of non stick pan are worst enemies, washing the pan with soapy water will ensure that you have to start the whole process again from the very beginning.

Once any metal which includes a barbecue grill, pots and pans or skillets absorb enough oil and become seasoned, nothing will ever stick to them again if you take care of them.

Even when you are using a barbecuing grill, you must rub the grill irons with an oily cloth enough times to ensure the metal has absorbed it. The metal will look moist and shiny and no food will stick to this metal. If the bars are hot, very dry and dull, anything you add to this grill will immediately stick and when you pull away the food half of it will still be stuck to the grill bars and then burn.

Metal which is used for cooking needs to be seasoned with oil and this takes patience, time, tender loving care and lots of effort, but once you get the pan the way you want it, protect it with your life as you will be the envy of the chef community.

Happy Pan Seasoning!!

• 1 Whole duck
• 250 g Peanut oil or corn oil
• 60 g Sesame oil
• 60 g Shao xing wine
• 400 ml Chicken stock
• 250 g Dark soya sauce or thick soya sauce
• 40 g Rock sugar, crushed
• 5 g Star anise
• 40 g Dried chili, chopped
• 20 g Spring onion, white part only chopped
• 40 g Ginger, fine slice
• 10 g Garlic, fine slice
• Sea salt

Preparation:

1. Cut the duck into 8 large pieces.
2. Score the skin and fat of each piece in a diamond pattern with a sharp tipped knife.
3. Toss the duck in sea salt, heat the oil and fry the duck pieces until golden brown on all sides, remove and keep warm.
4. Heat the sesame oil, add the star anise, dried chillies, spring onions, ginger, garlic and fry them until they smoke.
5. Add the duck and sauté all the ingredients together, add the wine and flambé.
6. Add the stock, soy and bring to the boil, skim and simmer for 1 hour.
7. The meat is ready when it pulls away from the bones easily – the jus/cooking liquid should be reduced by 2/3 from the original amount.
8. Finish the dish with rock sugar and cook until the meat is glazed/caramalized.

Notes:

The recipe is donated by Chef Bob who is currently the Executive Chef of the Kanpei Restaurant and Bar in Kuala Lumpur which is the capital of Malaysia.

Sincere thanks to Chef Bob and Happy Cooking!