TOM KERRIDGE'S gastro pub classics

03/09/2023

Tom Kerridge’s gastro pub classics: His Buckinghamshire boozer boasts two Michelin stars, so who better than Tom Kerridge to share the secrets of perfect pub food in his new book

FRIED CHICKEN BURGERS WITH BLUE CHEESE MAYONNAISE

Fried buttermilk chicken makes for classic basket pub food, so why not use the concept in a burger?

Here I’m briefly marinating succulent chicken thighs in a Cajun-flavoured buttermilk, then coating and frying them to crispy perfection.

Flavoured with a blue cheese mayo, these burgers are lush!

Serves 2

2 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
200ml (7fl oz) buttermilk
2tsp Cajun spice mix
2tsp garlic powder
Salt and ground white pepper
200g (7oz) plain flour
75g (2¾oz) cornflour
Vegetable oil, to fry

For the blue cheese mayonnaise

2tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
2tbsp soured cream
50g (1¾oz) blue cheese, crumbled
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp American mustard
2tbsp finely chopped chives

To assemble

2 burger buns
6 Little Gem lettuce leaves

On a board, gently bash each chicken thigh with a rolling pin to flatten it out to an even thickness.

Place the chicken in a dish and spoon over the buttermilk, Cajun spice mix, garlic powder and some salt and pepper.

Mix well with your hands until the chicken is well coated and then leave to marinate for 30 minutes.

For the blue cheese mayonnaise, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until smoothly blended.

Mix the flour and cornflour together in a shallow dish and season well with salt and pepper.

Dip one of the chicken thighs into the flour and scrunch the chicken into the flour on both sides, to give the coating some texture.

Put the chicken back in the marinade and coat lightly, then return to the dry mix and scrunch again for an extra layer of texture.

Lay the coated chicken on a tray. Repeat with the other thigh.

Heat a 3-4cm depth of oil in a medium sauté pan to 170°C (check with a thermometer).

Shandy Shack Rhubarb Lager (2.5%, 330ml) £1.75, Sainsbury’s

When the oil is hot, carefully lower in the chicken fillets and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

To assemble, halve and toast the burger buns. Spread both cut surfaces with the mayonnaise. Lay a fried chicken fillet on each bun base and top with the lettuce.

Place the bun lids on top and tuck in.

Olly Smith’s drinks pairing: Brilliant with burgers

Shandy Shack Rhubarb Lager (2.5%, 330ml) £1.75, Sainsbury’s

Low in booze but with a compellingly fruity rhubarb streak, this is superb with Tom’s Fried Chicken Burgers.

COD WITH ROASTED CHILLI BUTTER

I’m using aromatic Espelette pepper and roasted chillies to flavour the butter, which smothers a modest dish of fish, new potatoes and cherry tomatoes. An impressively easy midweek meal.

Serves 4

500g (1lb 2oz) new potatoes
4 strings of cherry tomatoes on the vine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, pin-boned cod fillets, 180g (6¼oz) each

For the roasted chilli butter

3 long red chillies
150g (5½oz) butter, softened
1tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½tsp Espelette pepper powder (available online, or use paprika instead)

First, make the roasted chilli butter. Using tongs, hold the chillies one at a time over the flame of a gas hob, turning until blistered and blackened all over. (If you do not have a gas hob, grill under a high heat to blacken, turning as necessary.)

Peel away the skin and remove the seeds from the chillies, then finely dice the flesh.

In a bowl, mix the softened butter with the diced chillies, chopped flat-leaf parsley and Espelette pepper powder (or paprika). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the flavoured butter onto a piece of baking paper and roll the paper around the butter to form a log shape. Place in the freezer to firm up.

Add the new potatoes to a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender, around 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/gas 6.

Drain the potatoes well, lightly smash each one and then divide them between 4 individual ovenproof dishes.

Lay a string of cherry tomatoes on top of each and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Cut 4 thick slices from the roasted chilli butter and lay a slice over each string of tomatoes. Bake on a high shelf of the oven for 10 minutes.

Hunts Crowman Sussex Cider (6%, 500ml) £3.25, battlebrewery.com

Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper.

Take the dishes out of the oven, add a cod portion to each and place another slice of chilli butter on top of each piece of fish. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and baste the fish and potatoes with the butter.

Cut the remaining chilli butter into 4 thin slices and place a slice on each portion of fish. Serve at once.

Tom says: Flavouring butter is a great way to lift even the simplest of dishes, giving extra kick and depth of flavour.

Olly’s drinks choice: Adorably autumnal

Hunts Crowman Sussex Cider (6%, 500ml) £3.25, battlebrewery.com

Organic excellence with zero chemical input, this superb cider’s early autumn flavours would go brilliantly with gammon.

PRAWN CAKES WITH DILL MAYONNAISE

For these impressive little prawn cakes, I retain some texture by chopping half the prawns and folding them through the smoothly blitzed other half.

Packed with capers, herbs and zingy lime, these cakes are fried until crispy and will really hit the spot when dipped into the easy dill mayonnaise.

Makes 12

400g (14oz) peeled raw prawns
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
2tbsp baby capers
3tbsp plain flour
2tbsp chopped dill
2tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g (3½oz) fresh breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, to fry

For the Dill mayonnaise

1 banana shallot, finely chopped
150ml (5fl oz) good-quality mayonnaise
1tsp Dijon mustard
4 cornichons, finely chopped
1tbsp finely chopped dill
A squeeze of lime juice

To serve

Lemon or lime wedges

Chop 250g of the prawns into small pieces and place in a bowl. Put the rest of the prawns into a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Scrape the prawn paste into the bowl of chopped prawns and add the spring onions, lime zest, capers, flour and herbs. Season with salt and pepper and stir well.

Tip the breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl. Divide the prawn mixture into 12 even pieces and shape into patties.

Crocodile Diamanté Rosé 2022 (12%) £10, reduced to £9 until Tuesday, Morrisons

One at a time, dip the patties into the breadcrumbs, turn to coat evenly all over, then place on a plate. Chill until ready to cook.

For the dill mayonnaise, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan 130°C/gas 2. Heat 5cm oil in a sauté pan to 170°C (check with a thermometer).

Add 4-6 prawn cakes to the hot oil (see tip, below), fry for 2-3 minutes on each side and then lift out with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack over a baking tray to drain.

Keep the prawn cakes warm in the low oven while you cook the rest.

Sprinkle with a little extra salt and serve with the dill mayonnaise and lemon or lime wedges on the side.

Tom says: You will need to cook the prawn cakes in two or three batches, depending on the size of your pan.

Olly’s drinks pairing: Prawn perfection

Crocodile Diamanté Rosé 2022 (12%) £10, reduced to £9 until Tuesday, Morrisons

With its orange-peel freshness, this rosé is ideal for keeping that summer feeling going – especially when sipped with the Prawn Cakes.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE BAKE

Boasting loads of fresh, summery flavours, this vibrant and satisfying veggie bake will have you thinking you are in the Med.

Don’t skip the basil garnish – it brings all the flavours together.

Serves 2

3 baby aubergines
2 shallots, halved
4 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs of oregano, leaves picked and roughly chopped
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
3 baby courgettes, halved lengthways
6 Padrón peppers (available in larger supermarkets)
12 pitted kalamata olives
50g (1¾oz) feta cheese, crumbled
2tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

For the Tomato sauce

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
8 sunblush tomatoes, roughly chopped
60ml (2¼fl oz) passata
½tsp dried herbes de Provence
2tbsp white balsamic vinegar

To finish

Extra virgin olive oil
Basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Halve the baby aubergines lengthways and score the cut surfaces.

Fabulously fruity Cantina Del Garda Bardolino 2022 (12%) £7.99 in a Mix Six, Majestic

Divide the aubergines, shallots and garlic cloves between 2 individual ovenproof dishes. Drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat.

Toss in the cherry tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the sunblush tomatoes, passata, dried herbs and 100ml water.

Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat and stir through the white balsamic vinegar.

Take the dishes from the oven, spoon in the tomato sauce and stir through the fresh herbs.

Tuck in the courgettes and Padrón peppers and bake for 20 minutes. Take out the dishes again and scatter with the olives, feta and Parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, trickle over some extra virgin olive oil and finish with a scattering of fresh basil leaves.

Tom says: I like to serve this Mediterranean bake with olive rolls to mop up the tasty sauce, but any crusty bread will do.

Pub Kitchen by Tom Kerridge is published by Bloomsbury on 14 September 2023, £27

Olly’s drinks pairing: Fabulously fruity

Cantina Del Garda Bardolino 2022 (12%) £7.99 in a Mix Six, Majestic

This light red drinks like a high-voltage rosé – serve cool to enhance its fruitiness and structure for the Mediterranean Vegetable Bake.

Pub Kitchen by Tom Kerridge is published by Bloomsbury on 14 September 2023, £27.
To order a copy for £21.60 go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937.

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