Meat may be the subject of Tom Parker Bowles’ new cookery book, Let’s Eat Meat. but less is more where carnivorous feasts are concerned.
The food writer, and son of Camilla Parker Bowles, knows that writing a book called Let’s Eat Meat and then encouraging people to eat less of the stuff – but instead spend more on more ethically-produced meat – might sound counter-intuitive.
He also is conscious that with his “privileged background”, it could seem grating when he implores others, from his “ivory food-writer tower”, to pay more for better quality grub. But when it comes to food, he is not one to be easily deterred.
“I do believe that if you eat a little less meat, it means you can afford to buy better and use more of the cuts that are cheaper,” said Tom. The point of this book, if there is any point, is eat meat, love it, worship it, but eat less of it and eat better meat,” he summarises, smiling.
The book includes a meat-free chapter, as well as one which shows how to use meat as a seasoning, and is also packed with recipes where traditional cuts and offal are the stars. Here’s a couple of recipes from the book for you to try at home.
GRATIN OF CHICORY AND BACON
SERVES 6
50g butter
6 heads of chicory (white, red or a combination), discoloured outer leaves removed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g Parmesan, finely grated
100g coarse fresh white breadcrumbs
3tbsp chopped fresh parsley
100g lean unsmoked bacon rashers, cut into 1cm pieces
300ml double cream
Lemon quarters, to serve
Preheat the oven to fan 210C/415F/Gas 8. Generously butter a large gratin dish. Split the chicory in two, lengthwise. Pack it into the gratin dish in a tight single layer, split side down, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Mix together the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley and bacon, and scatter evenly over the surface.
Place the dish in the oven and, after a few minutes, turn the temperature down to fan 170C/340F/Gas 5. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and trickle the cream around the sides of the gratin.
Bake for another 30 minutes or so, trickling in more cream if it didn’t all fit in first time, until bubbling and golden. Serve with lemon quarters.
CORNISH PASTY
MAKES 2
FOR THE PASTRY
225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
Pinch of salt
50g lard, chilled and diced
50g hard margarine, chilled and cut into cubes
FOR THE FILLING
1 potato, peeled and thinly sliced
50g swede, peeled and thinly sliced
115g beef skirt or chuck steak, finely diced
Small onion, thinly sliced
Salt and ground white pepper
Milk or beaten egg to glaze
To make the pastry, mix together the flour and salt, and rub in the fats. Gradually stir in two to three tablespoons of water and bring everything together with your hands to form a smooth, pliable dough. Divide the dough into two balls.
Preheat the oven to fan 180C/350F/Gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. On a floured work surface, roll out one ball of dough to form a circle about 20cm across. Slightly off centre of the circle, place a layer of potato, then a layer of swede.
Add half the beef, then half the onion, then a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper. Finally, add another thin layer of potato, to stop the meat from drying out. Carefully fold the pastry over and crimp the edges together. Place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat to make the second pasty.
Glaze with a little milk or egg, and make a small hole in the top. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot or cold.
Let’s Eat Meat: Recipes For Prime Cuts, Cheap Bits And Glorious Scraps Of Meat by Tom Parker Bowles, is published in hardback by Pavilion, priced £25.