Darlington’s Food Festival, which was held in Darlington’s Market Square on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th 2008 was hailed as a great success attracting thousands of people through out the weekend.
Lesley Waters, who regularly appears on Ready, Steady, Cook did a number of demonstrations on Sunday whilst the Darlington College, one of the festival sponsors, provided many demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Schools were involved through the Kid’s Kitchen Academy, which taught the importance of healthy eating, this was supported by the Primary Care Trust.
Stallholders rated the event as very good with many selling out of their wares.Lesley Waters Recipes
PEAR, BACON & BLUE CHEESE SALAD
Serves 4
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 rashers, smoked, streaky bacon, chopped
2 ripe dessert pear halved cored and sliced
mixed salad leaves
200g local blue cheese crumbled
2tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
1. In a large wok or frying pan heat ½ tbsp olive oil. Add the bacon and fry until crisp. Add the pears to the pan and cook until lightly golden. Season well with black pepper.
2. To serve, place the remaining olive oil in a large bowl. Gently toss in the salad leaves and blue cheese and pile onto 4 serving plates.
3. Spoon the hot bacon & pears over the salad leaves, finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and serve at once.
SZECHUEN PEPPERED BEEF
Serves 8
900g (2lb) beef fillet
4tbsp szechuen peppercorns, finely ground
4tsp caster sugar
4tbsp wholegrain mustard
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp chopped chives
1. Preheat the oven to 220C, 450F, Gas Mark 7.
2. Mix together the szechuen pepper and sugar and sprinkle on a chopping board. Spread the mustard all over the beef fillet and roll the beef in the seasoning.
3. Heat a large non-stick, oven-proof frying pan until very hot. Add the beef and sear for about 3 minutes, turning regularly until golden brown all over. Transfer the pan to the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Remove beef from the oven and allow to rest. To serve, slice the beef as thinly as you can and arrange on a large platter. Drizzle over the olive oil and finish with a scattering of chives. Serve with the baby baked potatoes and soured cream.
BABY BAKED POTATOES WITH SOURED CREAM
Serves 8
900g (2lb) new potatoes, washed
2tbsp olive oil
2tsp sea salt
194ml pot thick Dorset cream
1 lemon, juice only
1. Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F, Gas Mark 6.
2. Place the potatoes in a bowl and toss with the oil and salt. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and cook for 30-35 minutes.
3. Meanwhile mix the cream and lemon juice together and pour into a serving bowl.
4. To serve, split each baked potato and pile up in a serving dish. Serve with the Carpaccio and soured cream.
CIDER BAKED APPLES WITH A MAIZE CRUST
Serve this mulled pie with thick Dorset cream or ice-cream
Serves 6-8
For the pastry
140g (6oz) plain flour
55g (2oz) instant dried polenta or semonlina
pinch salt
115g (4oz) butter
1 large egg, beaten
cold water
For the filling
6 large dessert apples, peeled, cored and halved
55g (2oz) unsalted butter, melted
150ml (1/4 pint) fruity cider
25g (1oz) soft brown sugar
sprig rosemary
caster sugar for sprinkling
1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/ 200C/400F.
2. Into a large bowl, sieve the flour, salt and polenta. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the egg and water to bind the dough together. Chill the pastry for 30 minutes.
3. Place the apples in a shallow, round oven proof dish approx. 23cm in diameter. Combine the melted butter with the cider and pour over the apples. Sprinkle the apples with the brown sugar and tuck in the sprig of rosemary.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it is large enough to lay as a blanket over the apples. Carefully lift the pastry over the apples and roughly trim the edges and tuck inside the dish. Lightly sprinkle the pastry with the caster sugar.
5. Bake the pie for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to Gas Mark 4/ 170C/ 350F. Bake for a further 30-35 minutes until the apples are softened and cooked.
WALNUT BREAD
Serves 6-8
225g (8oz) strong white flour
225g (8oz) malted granary flour
pinch salt
20g ( ¾ oz) fresh yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
150ml (1/4 pint) warm milk
150ml (1/4 pint) warm water
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
225g (8oz) walnuts
beaten egg to glaze
1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl, cream together the yeast and sugar until liquid. Make a well in the centre of the flour and stir in the yeast liquid, warm milk, beaten egg, olive oil and enough of the water to form a soft, wet dough.
2. On a lightly, floured surface, kneed the dough for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
3. Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for approx. 1 hour until doubled in size.
4. When the dough has risen, kneed it again to 'knock it back' and gradually incorporate the walnuts, until well distributed throughout the dough. Shape the dough into 1 large or 2 smaller rounds, as required. Place on a lightly floured baking tray and slash the top of each loaf.
5. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7/ 220C/ 400F.
6. Cover the loaf (loaves) and return to a warm place until risen to approx. half their size again.
7. Glaze the loaves with beaten egg and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, then reduce the heat to gas mark 5/ 180C/375F, and bake for a further 15 minutes for a smaller loaf or 30 minutes for the larger. The loaves are cooked when they are risen and golden and sound hollow when tapped underneath.
8. Cool on a wire rack.
GARLIC MUSHROOMS WITH SAGE
Serves 3-4 as a starter
450g (1lb) mixed local chestnut and field Mushrooms, thickly sliced or chopped
30g (1 1/8 oz) butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
splash dry sherry
1 tablespoon sage, roughly chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1. In a large frying pan or wok, heat the butter. Add the shallots and gently fry for 2-3 minutes.
2. Turn up the heat (being careful not to burn the butter) and add the mushrooms and garlic. Stir-fry over a high heat for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Season.
3. Add a splash of sherry to the hot pan and stir in the sage. Serve at once with warm, crusty bread.
FLAT HAM PIE
Serves 6-8
675g (1 ½ lb) ready-made shortcrust pastry
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large spanish onions, finely sliced
1 jar (approx. 300g) anti-pasta style artichokes, halved
300mls (1/2 pint) sour cream
2 level tablespoons grainy mustard
1lb good quality local ham
1 egg, beaten
freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas Mark 6.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pastry into a rectangle of about 8” x 12”. Transfer to a baking tray and relax in the fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Prick the base all over with a fork and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan heat the olive oil. Add the onions and gently fry for 15-20 minutes until softened and golden, then set to one side to cool completely. Add the artichokes and toss together.
5. In a small bowl or jug mix together the sour cream and mustard and season with black pepper.
6. To assemble, pile the onion mix onto the cooled pastry base, and spread evenly, leaving a 1cm border around the edge. Roughly tear over the ham and then spoon over the sour cream mix. Brush the pastry border with beaten egg.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the remaining pastry into a blanket, large enough to cover the mixture and the base. Put the blanket over the pie base and gently press around the edges to form a seal. Mark this edge with a fork, if desired, before brushing the whole pie with egg glaze.
8. Return the pie to the oven for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden.
MULLED POACHED PEARS
Serve with thick local cream
SERVES 4-6
3 large ripe dessert pears (like red williams), peeled with the stalks left on, halved and cored
425mls (3/4 pint) red wine
115g (4oz) granulated sugar
2 sticks fresh rosemary
large piece orange peel
1. Place the wine, sugar, rosemary and orange peel in a large shallow pan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved. Lay in the pear halves and simmer for approx. 15-20 minutes until the pears are tender. Using two wooden spoons, turn the pears 2-3 times whilst cooking and frequently baste with the liquid.
2. Remove the cooked pears from the pan and boil the liquid until it has reduced to a slightly sticky, syrupy consistency.