Guinea fowl

Serves 4
guinea fowl 1 whole, brined overnight and rinsed
chicken stock 2-3 litres

For the brine
sugar 400g
sea salt 600g
juniper berries 12
cloves 12
black peppercorns 12
bay leaves 3
water 4 litres

For the stock
carrots 2, peeled
leeks 2, cleaned
onions 2, peeled and halved
garlic 1 head
celery 2 sticks
a bundle of joy parsley stalks, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves tied together tightly
black peppercorns 10

For the summer veg
grelot onions 1 bunch, washed, trimmed and left whole
small carrots 1 bunch, vigorously scrubbed and with greens trimmed to leave 1cm
baby turnips 1 bunch, greens separated, washed and retained
English breakfast radishes 1 bunch, with happy leaves, washed thoroughly
fresh broad beans a handful
fresh peas a handful
sea salt and black pepper
aioli (see below)

For the aioli
garlic 40 cloves
sea salt and black pepper
egg yolks 5
olive oil 700ml
lemon juice of 1
water as necessary

Some people use muscovado sugar to make a brine, but we find that too rich. We believe in a dour brine, to allow the essential nature to shine. You can have too much going on.

One thing that should be made clear is that saltpetre in a brine is a mistake. It has an industrial feeling, you start itching as soon as the stuff comes into the kitchen, and since it works at speed it belies the very intention of a brine.

Bring all the brine ingredients to the boil in a large stainless steel pot, making sure that the sugar and salt are thoroughly dissolved. Pour this into a container which will happily fit into your fridge, and allow to cool. When the liquid is cool, place the guinea fowl in it and leave overnight. Rinse before continuing with the recipe.

It is noted in Nose to Tail that this recipe for aioli is not for purists, for whom our methods might seem crude. For them there are other aioli recipes, and we will not be hurt if they use those instead. But this is how we make our aioli: with eggs, and in a food processor rather than a pestle and mortar. It stands us in good stead.

Still more brazen: aioli’s role in life is to be unapologetically strong. Invariably when our new chefs make this aioli for the first time there is a timid query: “Sorry to ask, Chef, are you sure the recipe is right?” It is indeed right. It may be a little terrifying in isolation, but it will make perfect sense alongside its companion.

To make approximately 1 litre of aioli – an excellent thing to have in the fridge – put the garlic into a blender with a pinch of salt to get things going and blitz until fine. Add the yolks and blend again to incorporate with the garlic and, while the blender whizzes, slowly trickle in the olive oil until it is emulsified. At this point add half the lemon juice and a pinch of black pepper. Taste, and adjust with salt, more lemon juice and pepper, and a little water to let it back, if needed.

To cook the guinea fowl, place the bird and all the stock ingredients in a pot, cover with the chicken stock and bring gently to the boil. As soon as it boils, cover it with a lid, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Strain the stock and return it to a clean pot, keeping back enough of the fortified broth to cook your summer vegetables. Immerse the guinea fowl and heat through gently but thoroughly, which should take around 30 minutes on a gentle heat. You may worry that this gentle method will not be sufficient to cook the bird through, but be brave. You will have a bird which is moist, without falling apart or toughening up.

Bring the stock for the vegetables to the boil and drop in the grelots (a whole shallot will suffice, if grelots are not forthcoming). Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and add the carrots and turnips, cooking them until just tender. Now in with the radishes, broad beans and peas for the merest of moments, then stir in your turnip greens. Remove from the heat immediately, pull the bird from the broth and joint it roughly. Season the broth, being mindful that the bird was already brined, then spoon the broth and vegetables into bowls and top each with a piece of jointed guinea fowl and a dollop of aioli.

If you have any broth left over, then you have the most beautiful stock to use as you please.

Ham, marrow and parsley sauce

There is no more comforting way of eating a hot ham, and no better way of eating a sadly overlooked vegetable. Marrows are serene. There they sit in the vegetable patch, not bothering anyone. A friendly nature, the marrow.

Serves 8
cooked ham 1, with its stock (see below)
English marrows 2, peeled, halved lengthways and with seeds removed (a teaspoon is the perfect marrow gutter)

For the parsley sauce
whole milk 800ml
bay leaves 3
onions 2, peeled and quartered, each quarter studded with a clove
unsalted butter 80g
plain white flour 80g
ham stock
sea salt and black pepper
dijon mustard 1 tbsp
curly parsley 1 large bunch, picked and finely chopped

For the cooked ham (to serve 8 – bear in mind that it is always good to cook enough to keep in the fridge for later)
ham leg 1, boned and rolled, or a 4kg piece of rolled collar
celery 4 sticks
onions 4, peeled and halved
leeks 4, cleaned
carrots 4, peeled
garlic 1 whole head, split in half widthways
a bundle of joy parsley stalks, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves tied together tightly
black peppercorns 10
chicken stock 3–4 litres

To cook the ham, place everything together in a large pan and, if the ham is not submerged by the stock, add water to cover. Bear in mind that, at a pinch, water alone would work, so do not be nervous if it does need a top-up. Bring gently to the boil, skim, then reduce to a simmer for 2½ to 3 hours.

Check with a knife or skewer; you are looking for a degree of give but you do not want your ham falling apart. Having said this, if you find that this is the case do not worry – there are many good uses for slightly-falling-apart ham. Strain and discard the vegetables, which will have given up their goodness, and reserve the stock.

To make the parsley sauce, bring the milk, bay leaves and clove-studded onions to a gentle simmer in a heavy-bottomed pan, then remove from the heat and allow everything to infuse for an hour or so.

Melt the butter, add the flour and stir over a gentle heat; you do not want it to colour but you are looking for the biscuity aroma which indicates that it is ready for the milk, which you should whisk into the mixture with confidence until it is firm and creamy. Then begin to add ladles of ham stock until a silky, velvety consistency has been reached – it should pool, but not run away. Test for seasoning and whisk in the dijon mustard, then stir the chopped parsley through the comforting sauce just before serving.

Chop your marrow halves widthways into 5–7½cm chunks. Simmer them in the rest of the ham stock, bearing in mind marrow has a tendency to take on moisture and implode. When it is just shy of tender, lift from the stock and serve next to the ham: the residual heat will take the marrows to where they need to be, while still retaining their dignity.

Be generous with your parsley sauce, serve it in jugs and allow your companions to express themselves with the pouring.

Carrots, broad beans or peas, dropped into the cooking liquor at the appropriate time, are admirable substitutions for the gentle marrow.

Smoked cod’s roe, egg and potato cake

To serve 6
eggs 6 large
duck fat potato cake 18 fingers, well-seasoned, still hot (see below)
mustard cress a good handful

For the duck fat potatoes
maris piper potatoes 6 large, peeled and sliced wafer thin (use a mandoline)
sea salt
duck fat 200g

vegetable oil or more duck fat for deep frying

For the roe
milk 600ml
lemon juice of 1
garlic 2 cloves, grated
white bread 200g, without crusts,
cut into cubes
smoked cod’s roe 700g
extra virgin olive oil 600ml
vegetable oil 500ml

To make the duck fat potato cake, rinse the sliced potatoes in a colander to wash off any excess starch, allow them to drip dry for 30 minutes, shaking every so often to help them along, then place them in a large mixing bowl and season with salt. Gently melt the duck fat until warm and liquid and pour over the potatoes, gently mixing with your hands to ensure that they are coated evenly but being careful not to damage the slices.

In a roasting tray at least 2½cm deep and lined with greaseproof paper, start layering the potatoes evenly and methodically, building up layer by layer. Depth is important in this step. Cover your finished strata with tin foil and bake in a medium oven (180C/gas mark 4) for 2 hours, or until a knife easily goes through the cooked potato. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes, then take out of the oven and allow to cool. Find a tray of a similar surface area which will fit on top of the potato dish. Add some weight from tins or bottles and allow to press in the fridge overnight. The next day, turn it out and cut into fingers roughly 2½cm high, 6½cm wide and 5mm deep. Deep fry until golden brown.

Prepare the roe. Combine the milk, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl, then add the bread and leave to soak until it has taken up all the liquid. When ready, pour it into the bowl of a blender along with the smoked cod’s roe and blend until smooth. Slowly add the oil little by little as you blend to emulsify.

Boil the eggs according to your preferred soft-boiling method: we favour plunging them into boiling water and cooking for 6 minutes, then removing from the heat and plunging immediately into iced water. Peel the eggs when they are cool, treating them tenderly so as not to break the soft yolks.

Dollop the cod’s roe on to the platter, scatter the potato cake fingers around, and place the boiled eggs carefully among them, cutting them in half to allow the yolk to run. Nestle clusters of mustard cress next to the eggs.

Tomato, little gem and anchovy – ‘the salad which saved my life’

Here the juices of the soft, sweet tomatoes mix with the vinaigrette to create a wonderful, rich tomato dressing.

Some 20 years ago I went to visit my sister in Barcelona and we had to have five lunches in one day. At that time much of the city shut over the weekend so we had to take in every restaurant she wanted to show me on the Friday of my arrival. The pace continued, fuelled by the icy cold, rough version of marc they serve in those parts. So on Saturday morning I truly thought I was dying. We went to a very ancient restaurant, whose name escapes me but which laid some claim to being the oldest or thereabouts, and I ordered this salad. I lived! Here I am to prove it! I am alive thanks to this salad.

Serves 4
tomatoes 6
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
curly parsley a handful, finely chopped
good anchovy fillets in oil 16, separated but kept whole – we like Ortiz
little gem lettuce 2 heads, washed and dismantled but with the leaves left whole
vinaigrette a splash (see below)

For the vinaigrette (makes approximately 800ml)
dijon mustard 125g
white wine vinegar 125ml
extra virgin olive oil 525ml
lemon juice of ½
garlic 1 large clove, finely minced
sea salt and black pepper

To make the vinaigrette, mix the mustard and vinegar together and, once they are combined, begin to whisk as you slowly trickle in the extra virgin olive oil. The mixture should emulsify. Finally, add the lemon juice, minced garlic and seasoning.

Slice the tomatoes in half, dress with the olive oil, and salt and pepper and roast them in a medium oven (180C/gas mark 4) for 20 minutes. They will soften slightly and dry a little, intensifying and sweetening their flavour. Allow them to cool, then mix all the ingredients in a bowl and eat immediately.

The Observer aims to publish recipes for fish rated as sustainable by the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide

Salted chocolate and caramel tart

This is a very rich tart, you will not need very much.

Serves at least 16

For the tart case

plain flour 200g

cocoa powder 45g

bicarbonate of soda 7g

demerara sugar 180g

caster sugar 25g

Maldon sea salt 5g

unsalted butter 225g, softened

dark chocolate 225g, chopped finely – the pieces should be smaller than a chocolate chip

For the caramel

caster sugar 225g

unsalted butter 70g, cut into chunks

double cream 80ml

For the chocolate filling

double cream 500g

glucose 40g

dark chocolate 400g, broken into pieces

butter 40g

sea salt for sprinkling

First make the tart case. It is easiest by far to use a machine for this. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, bicarb of soda, both sugars and the salt, place in a food processor with the butter, and whizz until a loose dough forms. At this point add the chocolate and mix again. Wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for half an hour or so.

If you are making the pastry any further in advance, take it out of the fridge in good time – you need the softness of room-temperature dough for it to work. When ready, butter and flour a tart case and roll the pastry between two sheets of baking parchment – the shards of chocolate would tear clingfilm, but the dough is too sticky to be rolled loose. Line the case with the pastry, rolled to around 4mm thick, line the pastry with foil or ovenproof clingfilm, fill with baking beans and bake in a medium oven (180C/gas mark 4) for 25 to 30 minutes.

When you remove the case from the oven, wait 10 minutes before removing the beans, otherwise the hot, soft pastry may tear. Once you have done so, press the base and sides all over with the back of a spoon while it is still warm – the aim here is to smooth it ready for the caramel, pushing down the inside corners which may have risen and rounded a little in the baking.

Once the case is cool, make your caramel. It is essential to move quickly when the caramel is ready, so ensure that all your ducks are in a row before you start. Place the sugar in a scrupulously dry pan and melt over a medium high heat. Do not stir! Stirring will result in a crystallised disaster. Swirling the pan a little is allowed. By the time the sugar has dissolved you should have a good colour, trusting that it can be quite dark and still be comfortable. Throw the butter in first and follow with the cream, whisk them together quickly and, at the very moment that they are smoothly incorporated, pour it into the case immediately. With speed, pick up your tart case and move it around, tilting it to ensure that the caramel covers the entire base. Leave aside to cool.

Finally, for the chocolate filling, heat the cream with the glucose and take it just shy of a simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl and pour the hot cream over the chunks in three stages, stirring gently to incorporate – the first will melt the chocolate, the second will loosen the mixture and the third will make the smooth ganache. Then pour the mixture into the tart and leave to cool and solidify. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve with creme fraiche.

Fig and almond tart

The sweet pastry case can be used for bakewell tarts, custard tarts and any number of tart possibilities. This recipe is enough to line 2 x 25cm tart cases – it is handy to have a lined case or two in the freezer for inevitable moments of immediate tart need.

Serves 12

figs a couple of handfuls, cut in half

flaked almonds a handful

For the pastry (enough for 2 tarts)
plain flour 500g
caster sugar 180g
ground almonds 60g
lemon zest of ½
cold butter 300g
egg yolks 6

For the frangipane (enough for 2 tarts)
unsalted butter 225g, softened
caster sugar 225g
eggs 4
plain flour 2 level tbsp
ground almonds 150g
amaretto 1 tbsp
nibbed almonds 75g

First make the tart cases. Mix the dry ingredients and lemon zest together in a bowl, then add the butter, cut into small chunks, and rub between your fingers to form breadcrumbs. This can be done very satisfactorily and with less bother in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Pour in the egg yolks and mix again until a dough forms, then wrap in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Lightly butter and flour your tart cases. Roll out each pastry ball on a floured surface to 4mm thick and line the tart cases, pushing the pastry down carefully to fill each crevice, then place in the freezer for 3 hours to bake from frozen. Line the cases with foil or oven-safe clingfilm, fill with baking beans and bake for 25 minutes in a medium oven. When the edges are pale golden, remove the baking beans – you may find that the bottom still looks a little raw; if so, pop it back into the oven for 5 minutes without the baking beans, just to wipe the sweat from its brow.

Now for the frangipane, as the tart cases cool. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy, then take 2 of the eggs and add them one at a time, beating well after adding each one. At this point add the flour, beating again, and then the remaining 2 eggs. When the mixture is loose and smooth, add the amaretto and the almonds.

Set aside half the frangipane if you are not using it – it also freezes excellently. Pipe or spoon the remaining half into the cool pastry, smooth, then lay on the figs, cut side up, in your desired configuration. There is no need to press them in as the frangipane will rise around them. Bake the tart for 30 minutes then carefully remove from the oven, scatter the flaked almonds on the wobbling surface, and bake for a further 15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Serve hot or cold, with creme fraiche or cream.

This is a tart for any season, being an equally accommodating host for apricots, pears, plums, berries, or whatever fruit you have to hand.

The Book of St John by Fergus Henderson & Trevor Gulliver (Ebury Press, £30). Order a copy for £26.40 at guardianbookshop.com or call 0330 333 6846. The Pivotal Pig: 25 Years of British Food Through the Eyes of St John is at the Abergavenny Food Festival on 22 September