Liam Charles’ recipe for deep-fried mince pies

There is a certain fast-food purveyor of legendary apple pies. Why are they so good? They’re fried, with a super-crisp pastry and a piping hot filling. Here’s my take on them and, hey, since it’s Christmas, I thought I’d introduce some festive flavours. My friends, I bring you deep-fried mince pies.

Deep-fried mince pies

You will need a deep-fat fryer or a deep pan and a cooking thermometer.

Prep 30 min
Chill 30 min
Cook 5-6 min a pie
Makes 12
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600g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp ground mixed spice
Zest of 1 large orange
375g butter, frozen (pop it in the freezer for two hours or so)
2 litres sunflower oil, for deep-frying 600g mincemeat (homemade or shop-bought)
1 egg, beaten, for brushing

For the brandy glaze
250g icing sugar, sieved
75ml milk
75ml double cream
1 tbsp brandy

Start with the pastry: put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt, mixed spice and orange zest. Grate half of the butter into the flour and give it a quick toss. Repeat with the rest of the butter and mix through the flour mixture with a table or palette knife – you want to make sure all the butter is well coated in the flour.

Slowly pour 190-200ml cold water into the mixture, constantly stirring, until it comes together into a light dough. Divide the dough into two squares, wrap in clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a large saucepan – you need it to come up to 180C/350F. Roll out the pastry to about 3mm. Using the base of a 15cm springform cake tin, or anything flat and round of that size, cut out as many pastry circles as you can; gently knead together offcuts to make more circles.

Now spoon a couple of heaped tablespoons of the mincemeat on to one half of each pastry circle. Brush around the edges lightly with the beaten egg. Fold the pastry over the filling to make a crescent shape and press together the edges with a fork.

Fry the pies a few at a time for two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown. Carefully remove the pies with a slotted spoon, to drain off the excess oil, then pop them on to paper towels to absorb any remaining oil.

Put all the fried pies on a wire rack with a baking tray underneath. Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a bowl.

While the pies are still warm, coat them with the glaze, one side at a time, using a pastry brush. If you fancy a little extra sweetness, go for two coatings.

Wait for the icing to harden and … Merry Christmas!

Tamal Ray’s clementine and lemon syrup cake recipe

I see this sort of cake as the antidote to those towering sponge-beasts, slathered in buttercream, that you see in bakery windows. This is delicate and moist, showing off its caramelised fruits with pride. The bulgur wheat is an ingredient you may not have baked with before; I tend to use it instead of polenta, as it provides texture but also a pleasing, nutty flavour that complements the citrus.
Clementine and lemon syrup cake

Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 8

100g double cream
50g fine bulgur wheat
6 clementines, washed and dried
2 lemons
150g unsalted butter, plus extra, melted, for greasing
60g sugar
125g caster sugar, plus 100g for the syrup and 60g for scattering
2 large eggs
150g ground almonds
1½ tsp baking powder

If you’re short on time, you can skip the poaching of the citrus rounds and just lay them straight into the tin with the sugar. The extra poaching, however, ensures that they will perfectly tender.

Pour the cream into a bowl and warm in a microwave (about 30-40 seconds). Stir in the bulgur wheat, then cover with a plate and leave for a few minutes. Start by givingGive the clementines and lemons a good wash, scrubbing them under warm water. Pat dry, then zest one of the clementines and one of the lemons. Set the zest aside in a small bowl.

With a sharp knife, slice the remaining clementines and lemon as thinly as you can: you will only be able to get about three slices from each clementine; save the rest for juicing later. I find they start to fall apart after you’ve got about three slices from one, so once you’re finding it difficult to slice evenly, set the remainder of the clementine aside and move on to another. Put the slices in a small saucepan and pour in enough hot water to just cover them (roughly 100-150ml). Put a lid on the pan and set it to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, by which point the peel should be soft and translucent, but still holding their shape.

Heat the oven to 150C (140C fan)/325F/gas 3 and line the base of a 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper, then brush the base and sides with melted butter. Scatter with 30g sugar, then carefully remove the slices of peel from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and arrange over the base. Scatter over another 30g sugar.

To make the cake batter, beat together the butter and caster sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Stir in the eggs, cream, citrus zest, bulgur wheat, ground almonds and baking powder. Carefully spread the batter into the cake tin, taking care not to disturb your tessellation of citrus. Bake for 30-35 minutes – a skewer poked into the centre should emerge clean with no batter on.

Meanwhile, prepare the citrus syrup: add the juice from the remaining fruit to the saucepan of poaching water, along with 100g sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until reduced and thickened slightly.

Once the cake is ready, poke holes all over with a skewer and pour over three-quarters of the syrup. Leave to absorb the syrup, then and it from the sides of the tin by running a knife along its edge. Put a large plate over the cake then, holding the plate tightly to the top of the tin, flip the whole thing over on to a plate. Remove the cake tin and brush the revealed citrus top with the rest of the syrup.

Joe Wright’s recipe for mackerel with aubergine, fennel and orange salad

Salted, charred mackerel skin reminds me of childhood family holidays in Portugal – every restaurant had the amazing smell of barbecuing fish. This quick, tasty recipe can also be easily be cooked using a griddle pan, or under a hot grill, if you prefer. The aubergine has a delicious smoky flavour and soaks up all the juices, which cut right through the oiliness of fish.

Serves: 2
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

1 aubergine
2 fennel bulbs
½ garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for cooking
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp capers
1 orange
2 whole mackerel, gutted

For the yoghurt:
200g Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp sumac
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
Pinch of salt

Slice the aubergine into 1cm discs and cut the fennel lengthways in 1cm slices (keeping the root attached to hold it together).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, parsley and capers. Cut the skin and white pith away from the orange, slice into rounds and add to the bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the yoghurt.

Drizzle a little olive oil and salt and pepper over the aubergine and fennel slices, place on the hot barbecue, pan or grill and cook for two to three minutes each side, until tender and lightly charred. Add to the large mixing bowl and toss in the dressing.

Dry the mackerel skin using paper towels (this will help prevent it sticking to the grill), drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with plenty of sea salt. Grill for about five minutes each side, until just cooked through.

Once cooked, place the fish in the middle of the plates, spoon out the aubergine, fennel and orange salad and pour over any remaining dressing. Serve with a dollop of the sumac yoghurt.

Joe Wright is the chef and owner of Joseph Benjamin and Porta in Chester.

The Guardian and Observer aim to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US.

Jack Monroe’s lentil, bean and kale salad recipe

Move over kale pesto, there’s a new kid in town. It is worth making plenty of this great little salad as the leftovers are perfect for taking to work to scoff at your desk – it is best at room temperature, so it doesn’t matter if you forget to take it out of your bag or fridge space is at a premium. Warm the dressing before tossing it through the salad to further soften the kale and ensure it clings to the beans. Then eat hot, cold or somewhere in between.

(Serves 4 for lunch)

100g dried brown or green lentils

100g dried black-eyed or haricot beans

8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

A handful of black olives, chopped

A fistful of parsley, torn

80g kale, chopped

For the dressing:

1 fat clove of garlic, minced

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

130ml olive oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Soak the lentils and beans for at least eight hours, and preferably overnight.

Meanwhile, make your dressing – a good steeping in oil and acid will calm the chilli and garlic and meld the flavours. Put the garlic and chilli into a lidded jar and pour over the oil and some of the lemon zest and juice. Screw on the lid tightly and shake vigorously to emulsify. Unscrew, taste and adjust with more lemon, if needed.

When you’re ready to make the salad, thoroughly rinse the lentils and beans and put them in a pan of unsalted cold water. Bring to the boil, scrape off any scum and boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, warm the dressing in a small saucepan over a low heat.

Toss the other salad ingredients together with the pulses – there is no need to cook the kale. Add the dressing to taste and serve.

Green beans with anchovies recipes

Serves 2-3

green beans 200g
anchovies 6 large fillets
an egg yolk
olive oil 4 tbsp
red wine vinegar 2 tbsp

Trim the beans. Bring a deep pan of water to the boil, then salt it lightly.

Lower the beans into the boiling water and cook for 6 minutes, no longer. Mash the anchovies to a paste with a mortar and pestle, then mix in the egg yolk. Adding the oil a little at a time, mix thoroughly in a repetitive clockwise motion until you have a loose, mayonnaise-like dressing. Then mix in the vinegar.

Drain the beans in a colander then, while they are still hot, toss them in the dressing and serve with the steak.

Wichet Khongphoon’s vegan laab aubergine recipe

You can make most of the elements of this dish ahead of time and reheat them as needed.

Serves 5
aubergines 5
mint leaves 20
red shallots 2, thinly sliced
cooked sticky or jasmine rice to serve
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For the sauce
palm sugar 40g
soy sauce 75ml (preferably gluten-free)
water 50ml
tamarind water 100ml (see note)
lime juice 15ml

For the roasted aromatic ground rice
sticky rice 25g, uncooked
jasmine rice 25g, uncooked
galangal 1 tsp finely sliced
kaffir lime leaves 2
lemongrass 1 tsp, finely sliced

For the crispy shallots
vegetable oil 500g
shallots 100g, thinly sliced
dried bird’s eye chillies 10

Run the tip of a sharp knife all the way from top to bottom of the aubergines. Grill the aubergines till they are soft – do not worry if the skins are burnt, this will add smoky flavour. Once they are ready, remove the aubergines from the grill and place them in a deep bowl and cover with clingfilm for 10 minutes. When the skin has softened and they’re cool enough to handle, peel off the skin.

For the sauce, heat the palm sugar, soy sauce, water and tamarind water on medium heat. Bring the mixture to boil, then remove it from the heat to cool a little and add the lime juice. The sauce should taste sour, salty and a little sweet.

For the roasted ground rice, dry fry the sticky rice and jasmine rice on a very low heat for 10 minutes then add the galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass. Keep stirring till all the herbs and rice turn golden. Leave to cool then grind to fine powder.

For the crispy shallots and chillies, heat the oil to a medium heat. To test if the oil is ready, drop a small piece of shallot into the oil. If it floats and does not burn immediately, that means it’s ready. Gently sprinkle the sliced shallots into the heated oil, add a pinch of salt, and keep stirring until it all becomes golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove the shallots from the oil and spread them on kitchen roll to drain. In the same oil, add the bird’s eye chillies and keep stirring. It will take just 30 seconds to crisp the chillies, then remove them to the kitchen roll.

To serve, if you prepared the aubergines and sauce in advance, reheat the aubergines under the grill and reheat the sauce. Cut each aubergine into 6 chunks, place them on a shallow plate and dress with all the tamarind sauce. Crush half of the crispy chillies, then sprinkle on top of aubergines. Tear the mint and sprinkle over aubergines. Sprinkle with the raw sliced red shallot. Sprinkle over all the ground rice powder, then top with the crispy fried shallots and remaining fried chilli. Serve with sticky rice or jasmine rice.

Note To make tamarind water, combine 100g tamarind pods with 500ml water and boil for 5 minutes. Leave to cool, then squeeze the tamarind for 5 minutes to extract the flavour. Strain the water, discard the tamarind seed and fibre, and freeze any juice you don’t use.
Wichet Khongphoon is the chef-owner of Supawan, London N1

Giorgio Locatelli’s chargrilled quail with apple, frisee and lamb’s lettuce

This is a really fresh salad with some nice acidity and sharpness from the apple. You can grill the quail on the barbecue.

Serves 8
quails 6 large
garlic 1 clove, sliced
mild red chilli 1, sliced
fresh rosemary 1 sprig
extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp
lamb’s lettuce 600g
frisee leaves from 2 heads
granny smith apples 2, peeled, cored and sliced
Giorgio’s dressing 4 tbsp (see below)
apple balsamic (or balsamic) vinegar 3 tbsp

For Giorgio’s dressing (makes about 375ml)
sea salt ½ tsp
red wine vinegar 3 tbsp
white wine vinegar 2 tbsp
extra virgin olive oil 300ml, preferably a fruity southern Italian one

To make Giorgio’s dressing, put the salt into a bowl. Add the vinegars and leave for a minute to allow the salt to dissolve. Whisk in the olive oil, with 2 tablespoons of water, until the liquids emulsify. Now you can pour the vinaigrette into a clean squeezy bottle and keep it in the fridge for up to a month. It will separate, so just give it a good shake before you use it.

With kitchen scissors, cut each quail in half. Put into a large dish or container and scatter with the garlic and chilli, add the rosemary and drizzle with half the olive oil. Leave in the fridge to marinate for 12 hours, or overnight.

When ready to cook, lift the quail from the marinade and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Heat a griddle pan or sauté pan that will transfer to the oven and cook the halves of quail, skin side down, until the skin is crispy. Transfer the pan to the oven for 3-4 minutes, until the quail meat is cooked through. To check, insert a sharp knife into the thighs and the juices should run clear.

In a large bowl mix the lamb’s lettuce, frisee and apple and toss with Giorgio’s dressing, then transfer to a serving dish, place the quail on top, and finish with the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.
From Made at Home by Giorgio Locatelli (Fourth Estate, £26)

Smokestak’s favourite barbecue extras – recipes

Pickles

Rich and salty smoked meat calls for something sharp to cut through it. Pickles allow you to play around with different vinegars, aromatics and vegetables, which often lend a bit of texture, too. This is our favourite pickle brine.

Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Pickle 4-5 days
Makes 1 litre

1 litre white wine vinegar
300g caster sugar
20g coriander seeds
20g cumin seeds
20g mustard seeds
20g pink peppercorns
1kg vegetables such as cucumber, radishes, fennel or chilli, sliced as thinly as possible (about 1-2mm thick) on the diagonal

 
Bring all the brine ingredients to a boil then turn off the heat. To pickle more robust vegetables such as fennel or chillies, add them to the brine while it is still hot so they soften a bit. For other, more delicate, vegetables such as cucumber or radishes, chill the brine right down (to around 4C) to maintain the texture and colour of the vegetables. Put in a sterilised jar and refrigerate for four to five days, although the pickles will last for weeks.

Wild garlic and mint chimichurri

This south American sauce is especially good with beef and lamb. When wild garlic goes out of season, substitute with two to three garlic cloves and 500g spinach or rocket leaves.

Prep 20 min
Makes 20 portions

500g wild garlic
300g mint
100g parsley
150ml red-wine vinegar
50ml sugar syrup, or honey or maple syrup, to balance sweetness
Maldon salt, to taste

Simply blitz all the ingredients together.
Classic barbecue sauce

This is an all-purpose barbecue sauce that can be served with any grilled or smoked meat. We also use it as a marinade for pork and beef ribs before glazing them with the sauce while they are cooking over a direct heat, turning every couple of minutes repeatedly so they caramelise nicely. This is made possible by the sauce’s high sugar content, building depth of flavour and charring. What barbecue is all about!

Prep 5 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Makes 1 litre

250g onions, peeled and chopped
25g garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
250ml cider vinegar
375ml apple juice
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
40g sugar
40ml Worcestershire sauce
750ml ketchup

Sweat the onions until translucent – about 10 minutes – then add the garlic, and cook for two to three minutes. Add the cider vinegar and reduce to a syrup – about 20 minutes – then add the apple juice and reduce the mixture by half its volume.

In a separate, dry pan, toast the red chilli flakes and cumin, then add to the mixture and stir in. Add the sugar and cook for 20 minutes, or until the sugar caramelises with the other ingredients, then add the Worcestershire sauce. Finally, add the ketchup and cook for another 30 minutes on a medium-low heat.

Use to marinate, glaze or to serve alongside cooked meat.

Jack Monroe’s lentil, bean and kale salad recipe

Move over kale pesto, there’s a new kid in town. It is worth making plenty of this great little salad as the leftovers are perfect for taking to work to scoff at your desk – it is best at room temperature, so it doesn’t matter if you forget to take it out of your bag or fridge space is at a premium. Warm the dressing before tossing it through the salad to further soften the kale and ensure it clings to the beans. Then eat hot, cold or somewhere in between.

(Serves 4 for lunch)

100g dried brown or green lentils

100g dried black-eyed or haricot beans

8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

A handful of black olives, chopped

A fistful of parsley, torn

80g kale, chopped

For the dressing:

1 fat clove of garlic, minced

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

130ml olive oil

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Soak the lentils and beans for at least eight hours, and preferably overnight.

Meanwhile, make your dressing – a good steeping in oil and acid will calm the chilli and garlic and meld the flavours. Put the garlic and chilli into a lidded jar and pour over the oil and some of the lemon zest and juice. Screw on the lid tightly and shake vigorously to emulsify. Unscrew, taste and adjust with more lemon, if needed.

When you’re ready to make the salad, thoroughly rinse the lentils and beans and put them in a pan of unsalted cold water. Bring to the boil, scrape off any scum and boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, warm the dressing in a small saucepan over a low heat.

Toss the other salad ingredients together with the pulses – there is no need to cook the kale. Add the dressing to taste and serve.

Pistachio palmiers recipes

I like to mix pistachio and marzipan to make them a little sweeter and add moisture. Palmiers are so versatile you could add almost anything to them.

Makes about 24
shelled pistachios 100g
marzipan 100g
caster sugar for sprinkling
frozen puff pastry 1 sheet (about 300g)

Heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment

In a food processor, blitz the pistachios and marzipan into a crumbly powder. Sprinkle a work surface liberally with caster sugar and lay the rolled puff pastry on top of that. Sprinkle again with sugar. Scatter ¾ of the nut filling over the pastry and then roll with a rolling pin to embed it into the dough a bit, without rolling the pastry any thinner really.

With the short side of the rectangle facing you, fold in each of the long sides of dough to meet in the middle. Sprinkle with another layer of caster sugar, cover with the remaining nut mixture and roll again to imbed. Fold the outer edges into the middle again to meet and then fold a final time, giving you a long log of filled dough.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Cut the log into 1cm thick slices and place cut side down onto your prepared baking tray about 8cm apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Pasta with kale pesto and crispy garlic greens

Two textures from one favourite winter green in this speedy weeknight pasta: a bright-green kale sauce and a kale and garlic crunch. The sauce comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. This is my go-to sort of cooking: quick to bring together, but interesting and complex to eat.

Prep 5 min
Cooking 20 min
Serves 4
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800g kale (or cavolo nero), leaves stripped off the stalks and torn into bite-size pieces
Salt and black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinch dried chilli flakes, or to taste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
400g dried pasta – I use rigatoni
100g parmesan (I use a vegetarian one), grated

Put a third of the kale in a bowl, add a little salt and olive oil, and scrunch it all up with your fingers. Add the dried chilli and a good grind of black pepper, then leave it to sit.

Fill a large pan with very well salted water – it should be salty like the sea – and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, put four tablespoons of oil and the garlic in a small frying pan. Put on a medium heat, cook until the edges of the garlic begin to sizzle and turn light golden, then take the pan off the heat.

Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for a minute less than the packet instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, put the fried garlic in a food processor with the remaining unseasoned kale, 60ml extra-virgin olive oil, a good pinch each of salt and pepper, and a little splash of the pasta cooking water, then blitz to a smooth, bright-green paste.

Put the frying pan back on the heat and add a glug of oil. Once it’s really hot, add the scrunched kale and fry, stirring, until it’s crisp and a little crunchy.

When the pasta is ready, drain it, reserving a mugful of the cooking water, then return the pasta to the pot and stir in the kale sauce and parmesan. Add the reserved pasta water little by little and toss until you have a smooth, silky sauce coating all the pasta.