Review: Pitt Cue Co, Soho, London

It might just be my sources but the word on the meat scene of the capital has been dominated for some time by three words: Pitt Cue Co. For those of you who have been out of the loop, the minuscule Soho-based restaurant has been making (cow-shaped) ripples in the food scene for a while now - the hype about their no reservations policy has been matched only by that of their fabled barbecued offerings. And, of course, the publicity has started a vicious (ever hungry) circle as the eatery gained popularity which created longer queues and in turn fed its cult status among carnivores.

The combination of urban food myth and char-grilled meats made it an ideal place to take The Boy during one of his infrequent visits to London. Having done our research, we arrived 30 minutes before opening and joined the already sizeable queue. I must admit that, having lived in Britain for my entire life, I'm something of a queue-connoisseur; we Brits like to form lines for everything. However this queue was unlike pretty much any queue I'd witnessed before; the queuee's (as I shall call them) were cheerful. Maybe it was the quirky Soho setting or maybe the glorious smell of searing ribs combined with low blood sugar was making everyone delirious but people were waiting patiently and happily. After several months of shoulder-bargy, foot-squashing, tube-cramming, irate-to-the-point-of-evaporating-with-rage London commuters, I started to think I was seeing things.

Around 6pm, the kitsch lace curtains that lined the bar's windows began to twitch and, finally, the doors opened. I half expected the air of patience to dissolve and for us to rush the entrance like eleven year old's at a One Direction album signing but instead the doorway was barred by a friendly gentleman - keeper of the keys, if you will - who organised the tables. The Boy and I only just made it over the threshold; the queue was cut short just behind us. The place was jam packed and we were seated to eat in the bustling bar which was fine for two but probably would've been a pain for a larger group.

We ordered and proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes masking the rumbling of anticipation emitted by our impatient tummies with pleasant conversation while nursing pints of house "Whatever" lager. Dubbed "Whatever" because it's exactly that: any beer that takes their fancy at the time. We got lucky; it was equally moreish and thirst-quenching. Despite the noisy setting, it was quite nice to see the bar staff working away while we waited. They seemed in their element as they churned out cocktails and pulled pints.

Enamelled trays were set down in front of us with a satisfying clink against the wood of the table and I bearly had time to take note of it's contents before instinct took over and I had to start gobbling. I'd chosen brisket with a side of chipotle 'slaw. The meat was so tender; it could have been cut with a spoon. Satisfying for the novelty if nothing else. It was somewhat drowned in barbecue sauce but, to fair, it wasn't your average barbecue sauce. It was seductively smokey and packed full of umami flavours - literally finger licking! The 'slaw was delish and surprisingly refreshing - the creamyness was a delightful contrast to the fragrant sauce on the meat.

The Boy went for pork ribs with burnt end mash and this definitely didn't disappoint. The ribs were mammoth. Literally! Like the gigantic ones that are strapped to the side of Fred's car in the closing titles of the Flintstones. They were juicy and tender too. I found myself feeling rather jealous as The Boy knawed (caveman-style - very apt) on the bones to extract every ounce of flavour. The burnt end mash was much nicer than it sounds - creamy smooth mashed potato covered in a layer of burnt scrag ends from the barbie. Seriously good stuff.

Pickles and a hunk of char-grilled bread were included as standard and worked well. The briny sharpness of the pickles helped to cut through all of the strong flavours while the bread was essential for making the meal finish sociably - I have no doubt that we would've been licking the trays at the end if this hadn't been provided.

All in all, the meal was good value and we thoroughly enjoyed everything (okay, if I'm being picky, they do that annoyingly fashionable thing where they price everything by one decimal place - £1.5 rather than £1.50 - but that can be forgiven). Be prepared to turn up early on a busy night and wear comfortable shoes for the queue. Other than that, if you're in London and you like meat, all I will say is that you must go.

Pitt Cue Co can be found at 1 Newburgh Street, Soho, London W1E 7RB. Open Monday - Saturday for lunch between 12pm and 3pm and for dinner between 6pm and 11pm. Nearest Tube: Oxford Circus.

Bacon and Broad Bean Hash

Having had yet another Mother Hubbard moment, I concocted this dish from the odds and ends that had been frequenting our fridge. One sad and solitary potato, the heart of a sweet heart cabbage and some bits of bacon that were left over from a pasta dish. I quite like the challenge of a near-empty fridge - sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing and an excuse for dithering.

With broad beans coming into season, this is a great way to use these deliciously savoury legumes. Ideally, they'd be fresh from the pod and into the pan but if yours aren't quite ready to eat or if, like me, you don't have a vegetable patch at your disposal then the frozen ones are great. If you're not a fan, substitute with peas though I'd probably go for finely chopped mint instead of parsley.

Super-simple flavours. Incredibly easy cookery! Great for summer - chuck everything in a pan to flash it with a little heat and then enjoy outside on your patio chairs. In our case, we'd be huddled on the back step. We just ate at the dining table but the sun was streaming through the window.

Bacon and Broadbean Hash
Serves 2

1 large potato, cubed
125g (smoked) bacon, sliced
½ onion, sliced
¼ sweet heart cabbage, chopped

100g broad beans

Handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped - with a few whole sprigs reserved to garnish (if you're feeling fancy)

 

 - Par boil the potatoes for three minutes. I like to do this in the microwave because it seems more efficient.

 - Meanwhile, dry fry the bacon in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. The bacon should colour up and expell any fat into the pan.

 - Mop up some of the fat from the pan with kitchen towel, leaving about a tablespoon remaining. Drain the potatoes (reserving the liquid) and add along with the onion and cabbage.

 - Keep everything moving around the pan so that it doesn't stick or burn. Fry for about four minutes or until the potato starts to colour.

 - Add the broad beans and a splash of the cooking liquid. Keep stirring and cook for a minute or two until they're cooked to your liking. If you're using frozen broad beans, cook for four minutes or until piping hot all the way through.

 - Just before serving, stir in the chopped parsley then pile onto your plates.

Hoisin Prawns and Marinated Steak Salad

I don’t know about you but I don’t need a reason to cook a lovely meal however sometimes it’s nice to have an occasion as an excuse. My birthday and the coming together of friends was my excuse this weekend.

With an evening confirmed, I scoured my recipe notebook. It keeps all of my tried, tested and approved hand-written recipes as well as being stuffed with a massive collection of recipes torn from magazines and notes jotted down on paper. I (in true Come Dine with Me style) was in the mood to try something new.

Our starter was based on a Hoisin and Apricot glazed prawn recipe by the Greedy Gourmet. Having made this decision, I then had to find raw, shell-on prawns. Cooked shell-on prawns, no problem. Raw, shelled prawnies, easy-peasy. Eventually, we got them at short notice from Rock Fish in Bristol when we were passing by. I suppose we could've ordered them in from a fishmonger but our dinner was a relatively spontaneous affair. They were absolute monsters! Humungous!!

A quicker, easier and safer way to prepare shell-on prawns

When it came to preparing them, Greedy Gourmet suggested cutting through the back of each prawn with a knife but I found this to be far too fiddly - I couldn't get any grip on the knifes blade and everytime I tried to cut, the knife would slip against the shell which seemed like a recipe for nasty cuts. Instead, I took to cutting them with a pair of poultry scissors before dissecting them with a knife. The original recipe suggested using the grill but I was lucky enough to have The Boy on barbecue duty which was fantastic!

Barbecued Hoisin & Apricot glazed prawns with stir-fry
Serves 6 as a starter

Apologies for the slap-dash photography - this was taken in the seconds before these beauties went to the table with no time to 'style' them up.

12 raw shell-on tiger prawns
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tin of apricot halves in juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
100g bean sprouts
100g cabbage or spring greens, finely chopped
1 bok choi, finely sliced
2 peppers, deseeded and sliced
2 tbsp sesame oil
For the marinade:
2 tbsp olive or ground nut oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
125ml hoisin sauce
125ml apricot jam

 - With scissors, snip down back of each prawn then score through the flesh with a knife. About 5mm down, you'll find a thin, dark digestive tract surrounded by dark cushiony flesh. Remove this carefully with a knife - carefully slice the top near the head and gently pull down to the tail. Rinse the prawns with plenty of running water and pat dry with paper towel. Put the prawns in a large bowl and prepare the marinade.
 - Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the garlic and ginger for 2 minutes. Stir in the apricot jam, soy and hoisin sauce. Bring to a simmer then leave to cool.
 - Once cooled, pour over the prawns and leave to marinate for up to 4 hours.
 - Before serving, prepare your barbecue and bring it up to heat.
 - Drain the apricots and reserve the juice.
 - Scatter the sesame seeds into a saucepan and place them over a medium heat to toast. Keep an eye on them and stir regularly to prevent them burning. When they turn golden brown, they're ready.
 - Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the bean sprouts, cabbage, bok choi and peppers and stir fry for a few minutes. Add the soy and 2 tbsp of the apricot juice.
 - Barbecue for 6 - 8 minutes (ideally get your glamourous assistant - in my case, The Boy - to do this while you're stir frying) until the flesh of the prawns are opaque all the way through and the outside is slightly charred. Pop the apricots on the grill too for a minute or so on each side until caramalised.
 - To serve, place two prawns on each plate on a bed of stir-fry vegetables and apricots, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

What a treat! They were finger-lickingly sticky with the soy and hoisin. Be sure to put paper towels on the table and a finger bowl or two as they can be a bit messy. You'll be wanting a pot to put the discarded prawn shells in too! I found that it was cheaper by volume to buy a little pouch of hoisin which was meant for stirfrys or one-off meals than to buy a bottle of hoisin sauce.

Our main came in the form of an interesting looking steak salad by the lovely Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall. I've been wanting to try it for ages and this seemed like the opportune moment to give it a go as we had a ripe mango and avocado sat in our fruit bowl. The steak was sourced from a fantastic butcher in Weston-super-mare which was very busy even though it was Saturday morning. It's always good to see an independant shop looking busy and is something that I look out for when I'm checking out a new shop - if other people want to buy from there then there's a good chance that it's good quality and worth trying.

Mango, avocado and steak salad

Serves 6 as a main course

Another super-quick snap before serving

For the marinade
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp light muscovado sugar
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
A little black pepper

For the salad
350g sirloin steak
1 large, ripe mango
1 large, ripe avocado (or 2 smaller ones)
250g rocket leaves
250g edamame or soy beans
6 leaves of Chinese leaf, finely sliced
1 bunch of coriander, stalks finely chopped
1 red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
2 spring onions, topped and tailed

For the dressing
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
1 tbsp sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp light muscovado sugar
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 - Whisk together all the ­ingredients for the marinade.
 - Add the steak and rub all over with the marinade until it is well coated. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes to an hour in an air tight box.
 - While the meat is marinating, ­prepare the rest of the salad. Cut the mango away from the stone, lay the flat (cut) side on a chopping board or work surface and peel then cut into long, thin slices.
 - Slice around the avocado until you hit the stone, twist and remove the stone. If your avocado is ripe enough, you should be able to gently remove theflesh from skin in one piece and slice into thin strips.
 - Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.
 - Sear the steak on the barbecue for around four minutes on each side, depending on how well you want it to be cooked. You could also do this in a griddle or frying pan as Hugh suggests but I think that the good ol' bbq lends a lovely smokey flavour. The outside will char a little and ours was nicely pink and juicy inside. Leave to rest for a few minutes while you assemble the salad.
 - Boil the edamame beans for five minutes or until bright green and tender then remove from the water. Add the spring onions to the pan and blanch for a minute then refresh in cold water. Slice thinly.
 - Slice the steak as thinnly as possible and add any resting juices to the salad dressing.
 - Plonk the salad leaves and edamame beans on one large platter. Arrange the steak, mango and avocado on top with trickle on the dressing and scatter over the coriander and chilli.

This went down very well with all of our guests and I think that this marinade could work really well for lots of meats. Delish! Since my foray into dinner parties, I found this awesome article by Rachel at What Rachel Ate. I wish that I'd had her guiding me through! A must-read for anyone who's hosting their first dinner or just wanting to update their table.

Shepherd's Pie

When I changed jobs about ten months ago, I swapped my two hour long train journey for an 16 mile bike ride. I don’t do it every day – if I’d been on my bike today, I would’ve been well and truly soaked in the first mile due to the belated April-style showers we seem to be having – but when I do, I love taking in the landscape as I ride. At the moment, I whizz (okay, trundle) past little woolly lambs and, as of last week, clumps of elderflower blossom.


It’s a lovely way to start and finish the day. The stress of the day melts away as I work up a healthy appetite. Seeing seasonal produce in the fields tends to inspire me when I cook and I’ve been trying to banish any issues with last minute meals or attack of the snacks by being organised with our food. Shepherd’s pie combines two fantastic ingredients which are in season – lamb and jersey royal potatoes – and is easy to prepare in advance. I made one on Sunday night and we’ve been eating it ever since.

Shepherd’s Pie
Serves 4 - 6

500g (lean) minced lamb
150g jersey royal potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
4 stalks of celery, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
1 sprig of rosemary (or 1 tsp of dried rosemary)
2 sprigs of thyme (or 2 tsp of dried thyme)
2 bay leaves
½ tsp ground mace
100ml lamb stock (or whatever stock that you have)

- Put the kettle on with enough water to boil the potatoes and preheat the oven to 180c.
- With a drop of sunflower oil in the pan, brown the lamb in batches over a high heat. The lamb will let out a lot of fat as it cooks so you may need to drain the pan in between batches as it builds up. I pour this into a cup to save for later.
- Remove the meat from the pan, lower the heat and sweat the onion, celery and carrot in the pan for five minutes until they are soft and the onion is translucent.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain them and reserve the water.
- Add the meat back into the pan with the herbs and mace and then stir until combined.
- Pour in the stock and top up with the potato water until the mixture is covered. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then pour into an oven proof dish.
- Slice the potatoes and use them to top the pie. I brushed them with a little of the fat from the lamb and then topped with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the potatoes and nicely crisp. Serve with peas and other seasonal vegetables.

Now I need to find something to do with the elderflowers!

Steak with Samphire

A delicious mix of the land and the sea. Samphire is bang in season right now until September.

Steak with Samphire

2 rump, ribeye or fillet steaks (at room temperature)
130g march samphire, thoroughly rinsed and drained
1/2 clove of garlic, finely chopped
olive oil
butter
salt & pepper

- Put a frying pan on a high heat with a little olive oil in it and heat until very hot with the oil smoking slightly
- Season the steaks with salt and pepper and place into pan. I generally do this one at a time. Cook the steaks to your liking but avoid turning them as much as possible - you'll get a better colour on them if you only flip them once.
- Once cooked, remove the steaks from the pan onto a plate. Rest them on an upturned spoon to hold up up and away from the juices that they'll express while the meat relaxes.
- Turn the heat down to low under the pan and add a knob of butter. As that starts to foam, add the garlic and stir constantly to encourage the flavours of the steak in the pan to combein with the butter and avoid burning the garlic.
- Add the samphire and increase the heat under the pan slightly. Sauté for 30 to 40 seconds until warmed through and tender. Add any juice from the resting meat to the pan and stir.
- Plate up with a generous spoon of samphire topped with the juicy steak. Serve immediately with potatoes and your choice of vegetables.

Hot & Sticky Sausages

Those three lovely syllables. B...B...Q.... The delicious, mouth watering scent of charcoal burning filled the air as soon as the temperature tipped into mildly summery highs. Mmm... barbecues are one of the best things about summer food (apart from, or possibly coupled with, the availability of fresh and fabulous produce). The first few barbie's are often a hurried experience and the food is simple, quick-slap-it-on-the-coals-before-it-tips-down grub. Our later summer fry ups can be more leisurely but by that time, you might be getting a little bored of the usual sausage and burger with some kind of chicken kebab fayre so consider marinades! This is an easy one to try out and is good on the coals or done in the oven if the heavens open.


Sweet, Hot & Sticky Sausages

You will need: (for 2 people or 6 sausages)
2 tsp finely chopped chilli
1 garlic clove, crushed and finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp honey & 2 tbsp tomato sauce or 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp tomato pureé

- Mix all the ingredients together in a mug or jar until combined
- Prick the sausages all over and lay in a bowl or, to keep things simple, pop into a zip-lock bag and pour over the marinade. Seal the bag or top the bowl with a plate or cling film and put in the fridge overnight to marinade or for as long as you can.
- Throw onto the barbecue or bake in a preheated 190C oven for 30 minutes. Be sure to make sure that they are sticky on the outside but perfectly cooked and piping hot all the way through.
- Serve with lots of fresh, zingy summer salads and/or chips!

Toad in the Hole

I have a younger brother. (I used to refer to him as my 'little' brother but this is no longer an accurate description considering he's nine years younger and about six inches taller than me!) Like many teenagers, he watches a lot of TV and the last time I went round to see my family, he was planning to make a recipe that he had seen on the BBC's Junior Masterchef. He had been inspired by the first episode of the series where the contestants had been asked to make a simple toad in the hole.

We modified the recipe a little and I thought we should put it up as the Beeb don't seem to have a recipe listing for Junior Masterchef. A disappointing lack of follow through, in my opinion.

Lil Bro carefully measures out the milk for the batter

Toad in the Hole with onion gravy

You will need: (to serve 6)

18 sausages
2 onions
25g butter
1 tsp flour1 bayleaf
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
300ml stock
a grating of nutmeg
sunflower oil

for the batter
150g plain flour
2 eggs
150ml milk
110ml water

- Preheat oven to 200c
- Place the sausages in a heavy bottomed pan and rub with a little oil then turn on the heat and brown the sausages all over.
- While you're doing that, mix together the flour and eggs then add the milk and water and whisk until smooth. Stir in the wholegrain mustard (you don't have to use the full 2 tbsp if you're not a huge mustard fan) and season with a little salt and pepper. - Lightly grease the ovendish with oil and pop in the oven for 10 minutes to heat up. By now, your sausages should be nicely browned all over so once your dish is warm, spread the sausages out in one layer and pour the batter over the top. Wiggle the dish from side-to-side to disperse the batter.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the onions and soften in the butter with a drizzle of oil until soft "like worms" (bro quote) then sprinkle the sugar and stir until it dissolves completely. - Add the cider vinegar and stir until mostly evaporated. Add flour (optional if you want to thicken your gravy) and stir until the onions are completely coated. Add the bayleaf and nutmeg then add the stock and stir.
- Put the gravy on low heat and continue to stir occasionally until your toad in the hole is ready. It should be pleasantly crisp on top and soft and springy underneath with the sausages cooked all the way through. Serve with your choice of vegetables and gravy (minus the bayleaf). If you're a real mustard fan like I am, add a tbsp or so of mustard to the gravy too!

Our finished gravy

Freezer Stash

We've been filling our freezer. Full of meat! The Boy and I have purchased half a pig (bred and butchered locally by the Boy's boss) which was then shared between my parent's, the "in-love's" (what my parents suggest I should call the Boy's parents seeings as we're not married, hence they are not "in-laws") and our freezers. We now have a rather stuffed ice box and lots of potential for meals for much of the season.

Stroganoff!

You can imagine that, after a hard days work and a long commute (think, finish at 5pm, arrive home at 7pm), the last thing I want to do is to cook a delicious, healthy, nutritionally balanced meal. The trouble is, I don't want to resort to ready meals or anything near that elk either. Now, the Boy is very good, I must admit. He often cooks and has something ready for me when I get home - yes, he is somewhat perfect and no, you can't have him - but alas, my chef is working long hours of late. So my solution has been to prepare things in advance. It takes a little organisation but its well worth it. Tonights concoction was a simple Beef Stroganoff. It can bubble away happily while you get on with life and keeps for ages as well as freezing well.

Simple Strog

Ingredients: (enough for four)
350g stewing beef (as lean as possible)
1 large onion
a tab of butter
275ml red wine
200g mushrooms (sliced)
1tbsp wholegrain mustard
a little grated nutmeg
200ml half fat creme fraíche

Method:
- Melt the butter in a casserole dish or deep saucepan and gently fry the onions until golden
- Trim of any fat and cut the meat into 5mm strips (length, for once, is not important so go with your instincts)
- Remove onions from pan and brown the meat on a high heat
- Put the onions back in the pan with the beef, season and add the wine and mustard
- Allow to simmer gently for around one hour, stirring every so often
- Add the mushrooms and cook on a low heat for another thirty minutes
- Allow to cool slightly* then stir in creme fraíche and a touch of nutmeg

Serve with:
Rice or a jacket potato and fresh veg

Variations:
Delia does something very similar with white wine or, she suggests, dry cider.
*at this point, you can leave it to cool completely if you're going to store it. Simply stir in the creme fraíche before heating very gently then serve when you're ready.