The Decadent Cookbook (32 page)

6
LARGE
RED
PEPPERS

A
SMALL
GLASS
OF
OLIVE
OIL

1
LEMON

F
RESH
BASIL

Grill the peppers until the skins turn black. This can be done under a hot grill, or else in a direct flame. Either way the peppers have to be turned regularly. It is important to keep the peppers whole so that any juice remains inside. When the skins have blackened, they can be peeled off very easily. Slice the peppers lengthways, taking care to retain any juice. Remove all the seeds and pith, then slice them into strips. Put the strips on a plate or shallow dish and sprinkle the olive oil, pepper juice and a little lemon juice over them. Chop some fresh basil and scatter that over the top. Leave the peppers in a cool place (not the fridge) over night and serve as an hors d’oeuvres the following day.

2
OZ
LEAN
COOKED
HAM,
FINELY
MINCED

2
TEASPOONS
OF
W
ORCESTER
SAUCE

A
PINCH
OF
CAYENNE
PEPPER

½
TABLESPOON
OF
F
RENCH
MUSTARD

½
OZ
BUTTER

4
CIRCLES
OF
WELL-BUTTERED
TOAST
2
INCHES
IN
DIAMETER

1
TABLESPOON
FINELY
CHOPPED
PARSLEY

Thoroughly mix the ham, Worcester sauce, cayenne and mustard. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir the mixture into it. Keep stirring until it is very hot. Pile on to the circles of toast, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Cut up the remains of the bird and rub with mustard. Sprinkle it with a little salt and a lot of cayenne pepper. Chop six shallots and put them in a stewpan with one and a half wine glasses of chilli vinegar, a chopped clove of garlic, two bay leaves and one ounce of glaze. Boil altogether for ten minutes. Add four tablespoons of tomato sauce, a little sugar and ten of gravy or brown sauce. Boil a few minutes longer then add a pat of butter. Pour over the heated turkey and serve.

So named because it is made with the fibrous part of a large ripe pumpkin, preferably kept from the previous season.

For 2kg of jam:

2
LB
OF
PUMPKIN
OR
SQUASH
FIBRES.

2
LB
OF
SUGAR

1¾
PINTS
OF
WATER

1
LEMON

2
STICKS
OF
CINNAMON

You will need a pumpkin of about 2 kg in weight. Peel it and cut it into chunks. Put them into a large saucepan, and boil until it is quite soft. This should take about 20 minutes. Drain it and when cool enough to handle, remove the seeds, separate the fibres and drain it again thoroughly. Put aside 1 kg of the pumpkin fibre. Slice the lemon and add, together with the cinamon sticks and sugar, to the litre of water. This should be simmered until it forms a syrup. At this point, remove the lemon and cinnamon and add the pumpkin fibres. Cook this slowly for an hour giving it an occasional stir. You can test if the angel’s hair has reached the right consistency by putting a few drops on a cold plate. Tilt the plate and if the jam does not run, it is ready. Put into jars and seal.

S
IX
FINGERS
OF
BREAD

2
OZ
BUTTER

6
OYSTERS

3
RASHERS
OF
STREAKY
BACON

LEMON
JUICE

CAYENNE
PEPPER

Fry the bread lightly in the butter and keep hot. Trim the beards from the oysters, sprinkle with lemon juice and cayenne and roll each one in half a rasher of streaky bacon. Fry quickly and carefully in butter for about two minutes. Make sure that the rolls are turned so that the bacon cooks on all sides. It will protect the oyster from being overcooked. Place a roll on each piece of fried bread and serve immediately.

If there’s one creature in which Heaven and Hell seem to do battle, it’s the monkfish, which is as ugly as sin but tastes divine. This may be why it’s known as both the angel fish and the devil fish; it makes an ideal dish, of course, for the Decadent. Here are three ways of preparing it.

4
MONKFISH
TAILS,
SKINNED,
CLEANED
AND
TRIMMED

8
LARGE
POTATOES

BUTTER

OLIVE
OIL

ROSEMARY

P
ARMESAN
CHEESE

Slice the potatoes lengthwise as thinly as you can. Oil the bottom of a roasting pan, then cover it with a third of the potatoes, oiling and buttering between the layers. Put the monkfish on top, bury it in the rest of the potatoes, and sprinkle with oil, butter, rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven for one and a half to two hours, basting from time to time. Add grated Parmesan 10 minutes before the end.