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Home Chef
Neven Maguire
Award-winning chef and restaurateur Neven Maguire shows everyday cooks how to achieve kitchen success with his indispensible culinary guide and cookbook.Determined to raise the standards of home cooking, Neven Maguire transfers his expertise from the restaurant to the kitchen, offering expert advice to the novice and experienced cook alike. In his straightforward and friendly way, Neven coaches the reader through essential kitchen skills, reinforcing the fundamentals such as basic equipment and cooking terminology, before moving on to demystify more advanced techniques like mastering knife skills and preparing meat and fish.Accompanying Neven's in-depth knowledge are 130 impeccable recipes derived from his own highly-regarded and award-winning menu, all adapted for the home cook. With recipes ranging from easy to advanced, there are ideas here for every course, including extras such as breads, canapés, condiments and cocktails. Step-by-step instructions and Neven's insightful hints and tips show you how to use your newly-acquired skills and techniques to achieve faultless results.With its clean, user-friendly design and Neven's endless encouragement, this book will give every cook a little bit of know-how and plenty of new-found confidence in their own ability.RECIPES INCLUDE:• Red Onion, Olive & Rosemary Focaccia• Carrot, Ginger & Honey Soup• Chicken Liver Pâté with Fig Jam• Gratin of Hake, Prawns & Basil on a bed of Spinach• Toulouse Sausages with Creamy Apple & Potato Mash, and Red Onion Gravy• Wild Mushroom Strudel• Amaretti Baked Peaches with Mascarpone Cream• White Chocolate Tiramisu• Apple & Mint Vodka• Classic Madeira Sauce
home Chef
Neven Maguire
This book is dedicated to my mother, Vera, who gave meher love and appreciation for food. I’ll be forever grateful.
CONTENTS
Cover (#ub66eaaef-1ed9-52a9-9c56-18e95c128146)
Title Page (#ub706343d-200c-538b-96a4-21af01fb2362)
Introduction (#ulink_30b99b7f-5203-51b4-bebb-d46b6bb6be7d)
Chef’s Skills
Bread
Canapés, Soups & Starters
Main Courses
Desserts & Petit Fours
Drinks
Larder
Index
Acknowledgements
Copyright
About the Publisher
Introduction (#ulink_9ff6b5ee-d340-5c73-8343-6489f30f1e7d)
The work involved in producing a book is always exciting. But this one has been especially important for me. I have now had 32 happy years in this world and have been cooking professionally for half of them. I have enjoyed every minute and cannot imagine any other life except that of being a chef. That is the kernel of this book. The aim of Home Chef is to help give people the confidence to cook at a high level in their own home, from everyday family meals to dishes with a generous helping of the ‘wow’ factor.
When I think back to my early training days, I realise how my cooking has changed over the years and how the knowledge of my customers has developed. There are many people out there who are deeply interested in food and wine and very knowledgeable about what they eat and how it is prepared. Sometimes, diners in the restaurant tell me about meals where they each cooked a different course from my previous books. It is always interesting to hear how people use my books and so it is vital that my recipes are tried and tested to ensure that people get real pleasure from the results. I had these cooks very much in mind when deciding on material for Home Chef and developing recipes that would produce good results for readers. I hope this book will work well for everyone.
I remember my first week in catering college: I cut vegetables for the entire time, forcing me to learn knife skills before cooking a single thing. As a result, I’ve included in this book the bits of information that I think of as the building blocks of good cooking – what to look for when buying knives, what to keep in your larder, and essential skills such as filleting fish. I want Home Chef to be a one-stop resource to help readers know what to request from their butcher, local growers, or at the farmers market. There is also a chapter full of sauces and dressings that you can make, keep, freeze and then use when needed. With so many people cooking at home, this will help them to buy in and prepare ahead.
No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen all day – that’s my job! Guests at the restaurant want a memorable meal. They don’t just want a piece of beef – they want it cooked in four different ways. This is okay for me with nine chefs in the kitchen, but no good for the home cook. I have given the recipes a lot of thought so that you can manage the dishes at home and at the same time flex your culinary muscles. I hope this is a book that you will keep on coming back to and get good use from over the years. What I really want is for everyone to cook something really delicious to eat with family and friends. If Home Chef helps you to do this, I will be well satisfied.
Happy Cooking!
Using This Book
There are recipes in this book for all abilities and I’ve tried to include ways for more confident cooks to stretch their skills a little further. The level of each recipe is shown by the number of chef’s hats beside it:
Straightforward
Intermediate
Stretch your Skills Further
If you’re nervous about trying some of the more advanced recipes, you can always make just the main part of the dish, and save the accompaniments or sauces for when you’ve had a bit more experience. Don’t forget to refer to the glossary on pages 34-6 if there are words or phrases that you’re not familiar with.
Oven Temperatures Timings and temperatures are given for fan ovens. If you’re using a conventional oven, increase the temperature by 10 degrees.
Eggs All recipes were tested using medium-sized eggs (size 3). Try to use free-range or organic eggs wherever possible. Look out for the Bord Bia Quality Assurance mark; in the UK, look out for the Lion Quality mark.
Herbs Unless otherwise stated, all herbs used in the recipes are fresh.
Chef’s Skills (#uc5e0ed0a-ba1b-5501-84c9-6785f822c1ae)
Store Cupboard Essentials
One of the best-kept secrets of the clever cook is a well-stocked larder. From basic essentials such as eggs and milk to handy convenience foods like Mexican flour tortillas, if you keep yourself well organised, you’ll never run short of ideas when it comes to preparing tasty food. Of course, I have many items in my store cupboards, some of which you might not need, so either omit them or swap them for similar items that you prefer – after all, cookery is all about experimentation and personal taste.
Whatever you do decide to put in it, keep your store cupboard tidy -regularly throw out items that are out of date and arrange things logically. I always put little stickers on the tops of my spice jars so that I can find the one I want without having to rifle through every single jar. Try to buy spices in small quantities as ideally they should be replenished every six months or so.
Canned foods
Chopped plum tomatoes
Sweetcorn kernels
Chickpeas
Coconut milk (I buy all my oriental ingredients from a company called Thai Gold. They are available by mail order and in Irish supermarkets)
Tuna
Anchovies
Black olives
Baked beans
Fresh goods
Spring onions
Tomatoes
Garlic
Onions
Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Oranges and lemons
Bread: soft flour tortillas; sliced bread; longer-life part-baked breads such as Italian ciabatta
Bottles and jars
Sunflower oil
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Toasted sesame oil
Duck/goose fat
White wine and red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Soy sauce (light and dark)
Tomato ketchup
Wholegrain and Dijon mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce
Sweet chilli sauce
Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
Sun-dried tomato paste
Tomato purée
Roasted red peppers
Horseradish sauce
Capers
Mayonnaise
Clear honey
Nutella
Toffee sauce
Jam
Vanilla extract (not essence)
Wine: red; white; sherry; port; brandy
In the fridge
Milk
Eggs
Butter
Double cream, crème fraîche and Greek yoghurt
Mascarpone cheese
Parmesan
Mature Cheddar
Smoked streaky bacon
Parma ham Wild rocket
Chilli Jam (for homemade, see page 215)
Red Onion Marmalade (for homemade, see page 209)
Port and Balsamic Syrup (for homemade, see page 214)
In the freezer
As well as buying ready-frozen items, I like to freeze these handy time-savers:
