The Birmingham Cook Book *Sample*

The

BIRMINGHAM Cook Book

A celebration of the amazing food & drink in Birmingham and Warwickshire.

Featuring over 35 stunning recipes.

CONTENTS Editorial

Foreword by Glynn Purnell

Insider Knowledge - Dine Birmingham The directory

Credits & acknowledgements

4 6

158 160

Guest recipes Ali Imdad

Matcha layer cake slice

12

Alison Hammond

Salt and pepper squid

14

Chef recipes Adams Restaurant

Uniquely modern

Lime and coriander marinated mussels

8 10

Anderson & Hill

Deli delights

16

Becketts Farm

Family, food & farming

Pork and apple Scotch egg

18 20

Berryfields

Fresh from the farm 22

Pork tenderloin with apricots and sage and onion

stuffing, wrapped in streaky bacon 24 ChangeKitchen CIC

A recipe for change

Spinach & mushroom lasagne

26 28

Cherry Reds

Proudly independent

American-style pancakes with fresh berries

30 32

Colmore Business District

There’s more to Colmore

Colmore food festival

34 36

The Cross at Kenilworth

Fuss-free fine dining 38

Belly of free-range pork, smoked onions, pickled

apple, mash, lovage 40 The Deli in Boldmere

Deli delights doubled Albondingas

42 44

Edmunds Fine Dining

Flavours of France 46

Isle of Skye king scallops, girolle mushrooms, white

asparagus, smoked duck, roasted hazelnuts 48 Henry Wong Harborne

Cocktails, Champagne and Cantonese

stuffed crispy tofu and prawn puffs with

sweet and sour sauce

Wasabi tiger prawns with crispy potato

50 52 54

Hilltop Farm

The view from The Hilltop

Lamb and apricot casserole

56 58

Imrans

Balti brilliance

Nihari (braised lamb shanks)

60 62

The Karczma

Polish hospitality

Traditional gołąbki The King’s Head

The charm of the country inn

Pan-fried fillet of mackerel with beetroot

and horseradish mash

64 66 68 70

The Kitchen Garden Café & Fletcher’s Bar & Eatery

Dining all day long Tabo

72 74

Kitchen School

Back to school

Slow-cooked lamb in hay

76 76

Leverton & Halls

Feeding Bournville

Chorizo salad

78 80

Lil’s Parlour

Tea and cake

Best ever chocolate celebration cake

82 84

Loaf Bakery and Cookery School

Use your loaf

Kung pow pastrami bao

Making a sourdough starter

Sourdough bread

86 88 90 92

The Lord Clifden & The Red Lion

Birmingham’s best beer garden 94

Guinness roast ham hock 96

Lambs liver and smoked bacon with black pudding

mash and red onion gravy 98 Miss Macaroon

World-changing macaroons

Blueberry and white chocolate

French macaroons Original Patty Men

Pimpin’ your patties

Cheese burger with chorizo jam

and garlic mayo

100 102 104 106

Purnell’s

Birmingham’s shining star 108

Beetroot mousse with escabeche of vegetables 110

Rossiters Organic Butchers

Certified organic

Braised hogget pie Sabai Sabai

Time for Thai

Choo chee seabass with

wilted baby spinach leaves Simpsons

Quality is timeless

Roast veal sweetbreads, button mushroom,

Wye Valley asparagus, bone marrow The Smoke Haus

Where there’s smoke...

New Orleans burger

Lamb ribs

Blue crystal cocktail Spice Kitchen

All things spice

Butternut squash, sweet potato

and chickpea tagine

Chickpea curry with kale The Tame Hare

Creative cooking in Leamington

Torched Cornish mackerel, dashi, avocado,

nasturtium and green strawberry

Salted caramel delice, marshmallow

ice cream, chocolate tuile

112 114 116 118 120 122 124 126 128 128 130 132 134 136 138 140

The Wellington

Giving it some welly

142

Walter Smith

Award-winning butchers

Chicken chasseur

How to select and cook the perfect steak

144 146 148

Connolly’s Fine Wine & Spirit Merchants

A fine vintage

Wine recommendations

150 152

Use your

LOAF An innovative and inspirational food-based social enterprise, Loaf Bakery and Cookery School is bringing back real food and forgotten cooking skills to Birmingham.

Established in 2009 by Tom Baker, Loaf began life in the somewhat unlikely location of Tom’s south Birmingham

garden, where he built a wood-fired pizza oven and began baking for his neighbours. It was actually a love of sourdough

that inspired him to begin. Back then, he couldn’t find anywhere in Birmingham that made real sourdough, so when

he began making it in his wood-fired oven, word soon spread across social media and he began receiving lots of orders for his hand-made loaves.

For two years, Tom ran the bakery from his home, where he

also began teaching forgotten cookery skills in his kitchen.

He ran a ‘bread club’, where people would pay for their bread

up front so that he always knew every loaf would be enjoyed.

When he decided it was time to move to larger premises, he found the perfect spot on Stirchley High Street – the only

problem was he needed £25,000 to buy the equipment he

the Stirchley residents had taken Loaf Bakery and Cookery School to their hearts.

For Tom, whose previous career as an NHS nutritionist goes

some way to explain his passion for good food, the manifesto for Loaf encompasses how sharing real food can promote

health and happiness within the community. “Healthy food

is more than just a sum of its ingredients,” explains Tom. “It’s about realistic cooking, supporting small producers, sitting down at a table and sharing food together, benefitting the community, making ethical choices and connecting with the earth by growing and foraging your own food.”

The values of Loaf extend to everything the company does – it is run as a co-operative, organised democratically and any

profits are put back into promoting the values of real food in Birmingham.

would need to put his plan into action. The community had

And despite the name, there is much more happening at Loaf

Stirchley were equally supportive of getting his community

to the cookery school – his popular bao and dumplings class is

already supported his ‘bread club’ formula and the people of

than bread – Lap-fai Lee is one of the teachers who is integral

bakery onto the high street, too.

one of the favourites at Loaf, which is why one of his delicious

With investment from 25 people of £1000 each, Tom had the

capital he needed to put his community bakery and cookery school into action. After three years, each investor was repaid

(with interest paid in loaves throughout the three years!) and 4 | The Birmingham Cook Book

recipes has been included in this book. Give it a try in your own kitchen or pop down to Loaf and let Lap-fai Lee show you how it’s done!

Loaf Bakery and Cookery School

Loaf Bakery and Cookery School

SOURDOUGH BREAD

Start this recipe about 24 hours before you want your finished loaf. You will need to use the sourdough starter from the previous page. Makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients

Method

For the starter:

First feed your starter… Stir everything thoroughly in a mixing bowl, then cover with a plastic bag and leave it for 6-12 hours. When your starter looks bubbly all over the surface, you are ready to mix the final dough. Reserve 150g of it, and put it straight into the fridge as the starter for next week’s bake.

150g sourdough starter (from the fridge, see previous page) 140g strong white flour

175g warm water (40-45°C) For the dough:

300g ripe sourdough starter 450g strong white flour

240g tepid water (about 30°C) 10g salt

Rice flour, for dusting Semolina, for dusting

Then to make the dough… Mix all the dough ingredients together in a bowl using a dough scraper or spatula. Scrape out onto a work surface and knead with your favourite kneading technique for 5-8 minutes or use a mixer with a dough hook for 5 minutes on slow and 2 minutes on medium speed. Adding extra flour is cheating – the dough should be sticky, and we find the French-style slap-and-fold technique works really well with a wetter dough. The dough should look 75% developed – starting to be smooth and elastic but a little roughness is fine. Put the dough back into a wet or oiled mixing bowl and cover.

After 30 minutes, scrape the dough out onto a wet work surface and use your fingers to stretch it out into a rectangle. Fold it in thirds like you’d fold a piece of paper for an envelope, and then turn it a quarter turn and fold it in thirds again. Return to the wet or oiled bowl, smoothest side up, and cover. Repeat the ‘envelope’ fold after another 30 minutes. Leave the dough for its first rise until it has roughly doubled in volume. This should take 4-6 hours at normal room temperature but you can pop it in the fridge at this point and leave it for 10-14 hours.

On a lightly floured work surface, gently tease and stretch out the dough to a rough square, about 20cm across. Fold the four corners of this square into the middle, pressing them down into the centre and sealing the seams you create, leaving a diamond shape. Do the same with the corners of the diamond. Then flip it over, and start to bring it to a taut ballshape with your hands cupped around the dough in a turning and tucking motion. When you’re happy with its shape, pop it into a rice-flour-dusted proving basket and cover it with a plastic bag or damp tea towel. Leave it at room temperature for 2-3 hours to prove (or up to 10 hours in the fridge).

Preheat the oven to 230°C for 30 minutes before you think it is ready to go in, and put a baking stone or a baking tray in the oven to preheat too. When the dough has risen appreciably, turn the loaf gently out of the basket onto a semolina-dusted peel or the back of another baking tray, and slide it carefully onto the preheated tray or stone. Bake for 35-45 minutes until you get the colour you desire (make it dark!) and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped with your fingernail.

The Birmingham Cook Book | 7

Becketts Farm

PORK AND APPLE SCOTCH EGG A classic Scotch egg is given a twist with some freshly grated apple and herbs in the sausage meat. Makes 2.

Ingredients

Method

3 eggs

Put the first two eggs into a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes, and then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, carefully peel them.

100g sausage meat 1 dessert apple

A little freshly chopped sage

A little freshly chopped parsley 1 tsp English mustard

A small handful of plain flour 100g white bread crumbs Oil, for deep-frying Salt and pepper

Put the sausage meat into another bowl and grate in the apple (don’t worry about the skin). Add the herbs, mustard and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Give it all a good mix together then divide into two.

Have three plates ready – put the small handful of flour on one, beat the remaining egg and place on the second plate and put the breadcrumbs on the third plate.

To make the Scotch eggs, start by flouring your hands. In the palm of one hand, flatten one of the sausage balls into an oval-shaped patty. Roll a peeled egg in flour, then pop it in the middle of the patty. Gently shape the meat evenly around the egg, moulding it with your hands.

Roll the meat-wrapped egg in the flour, shake off any excess, and then dip into the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs. Roll in the egg and breadcrumbs again for a really good coating.

Heat the oil in a deep pan or deep fat fryer to about 150°C. Carefully lower the eggs into the pan and cook for about 4 minutes, turning them every so often, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

The Birmingham Cook Book | 9

Back to

SCHOOL

Established to bring a new dimension to the food scene in Birmingham, Kitchen School immerses the diner and food enthusiast in a memorable experience of cooking and eating, combined with holistic seed-to-plate learning through its sister project Edible Eastside, an urban food garden.

Are you ready to release your inner chef ? Kitchen School aims to help the people of Birmingham do just that. They offer a wide range of cookery classes, suitable for beginners to advanced cooks, together with seasonal supper clubs where people can share their culinary enthusiasm with like-minded foodies.

The aim is to pass on skills and develop your palate. Director Jayne Bradley Ghosh asks, why else would you want to know more about cookery than to make your home-cooked food taste so much better? She is passionate about good, healthy food, which is ethically sourced and seasonal.

Kitchen School CIC is a not for profit company. Jayne has a background in teaching sustainable food systems. She soon realised that improving people’s diets required a shift in food culture, putting cooking skills at the centre, making cooking and eating healthily much easier.

Classes and events are booked online. The garden and school are on the move in 2016 so check their website for more details.

Kitchen School

SLOW-COOKED LAMB IN HAY Serves 4.

Ingredients

Method

1.6 kg belly of lamb, bones removed and untied

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Season the lamb well and rub with the oil. Put a handful of hay into a suitably sized casserole dish and put the lamb flat on top. Cover with more hay and top with a lid, ensuring none is sticking out as it may catch alight in the oven.

Cook in the preheated oven for 2½–3 hours. Allow to rest for 30 minutes and then carefully remove from the casserole, discarding the hay and fat. Using a fork, shred the soft lamb belly into long strands and keep warm.

Serve shredded with an anchovy mayonnaise and a tangy gooseberry pickle. Dress with peppery watercress and radish to make a delicious starter or brunch dish.

2 tbsp English rapeseed oil

2 big handfuls of hay (from a pet shop, not bedding hay)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

10 | The Birmingham Cook Book

Kitchen School

Ali Imdad's

MATCHA LAYER CAKE SLICE Since appearing in The Great British Bake Off in 2013, Ali Imdad has opened a dessert parlour in Birmingham and is now wowing the city’s sweet-lovers with gorgeous cakes, pastries and desserts. Here he shares one of his impressive recipes – a luscious layer cake slice with beautiful pink and green colours from the raspberries and matcha powder. You can eat the cake as it is, or you can serve it with some raspberries, chocolate sauce and Chantilly cream. Serves 6-7.

Ingredients

Method

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

230g margarine

230g caster sugar

2 tbsp matcha powder 4 medium eggs

200g self-raising flour 40g ground almonds For the filling:

600ml double cream 5 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste 200g raspberries

1 tsp freeze-dried raspberries For the decoration:

1 tsp matcha powder

50g white chocolate (optional)

Add the margarine, sugar and matcha powder to a mixing bowl. Beat together by hand using a wooden spoon, or use an electric whisk to speed up the process. Once these ingredients are creamed, add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Fold in the self-raising flour and the ground almonds.

Grease and line a large baking sheet, and then spoon your cake batter on top. Using a spatula or the back of your spoon, flatten the cake batter so that you have a thin, even out the layer all over, you may not need to use all the mixture, just enough to form a thin layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Pour the double cream into a mixing bowl along with the icing sugar and the vanilla paste. Using an electric whisk, whisk the cream until you reach soft peaks. Don’t be tempted to over-whip. Put the raspberries and freeze-dried raspberries in a small bowl, then lightly press them with the back of a fork. You don’t want to make a mush out of them, you just want to add a little texture, so don’t go overboard with the crushing. Fold this into the cream mixture.

Once the cake has been fully baked, turn it out of the baking sheet and transfer onto a cooling rack. Once fully cooled, place the cake lengthways in front of you (one of the long sides closest to you) and cut the cake into three equal lengths. Use a ruler if you want precision.

Take one piece of cake and place onto a baking sheet, and then spoon on some of the cream mixture. You want it relatively thick, but no too thick that your final cake resembles more of a tower than a slice. Using a small spatula, spread the cream so you have an even layer. Repeat this process until you have the final cake slice on top. Add the matcha powder to a sieve and sprinkle it over the entire cake. This will give a boost of matcha flavour.

If you want to add some extra decoration, you can melt some white chocolate, place it into a piping bag and pipe some simple but elegant designs on top.

Place this cake into the fridge for at least an hour to set. This will make it much easier to slice. Once the cake is cold and firm, using a sharp knife, slice the cake into 6-7 equal sized slices.

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Balti

BRILLIANCE A well-established presence on Ladypool Road for 39 years, Imrans is a muchloved part of the community thanks to the commitment of the hard-working family behind the scenes.

Mohammed Afzal Butt arrived in Birmingham in 1970 and

The restaurant has always been renowned for its warm

restaurant and sweet centre in 1977. His love of food and his

welcomed people from all walks of life, including celebrities

worked with his brother until he opened his own business, a hard-working demeanour saw him move to bigger premises

on Ladypool Road after just four years, and Imrans restaurant was born.

Sadly, Mohammed passed away in 2016, leaving his beloved restaurant in the care of his three sons, Imran, Usman and

welcome and friendly service, and over the years it has and politicians. Situated at the heart of the Birmingham balti

triangle, there must be something that sets this long-standing

favourite apart from its many neighbours – for Usman, it’s all about people knowing that they will always get the best quality food and service in Imrans.

Irfan. It goes without saying that their father was a great

The restaurant is usually packed with regulars who come

been a favourite destination for locals for nearly four decades

into huge sharing naans, succulent lamb, fresh fish, aromatic

influence in the success of this family-run business, which has now. Usman will remember his father as a humble, hard-

working and deeply religious man, who managed to expand

his restaurant from 50 to 250 covers, catered Asian weddings for up to 2000 people and was also a dedicated philanthropist

who set up a charity in Pakistan and a food programme for homeless and hungry people in the UK.

time and time again to eat their favourite dishes. Diners tuck curries, and plenty of other speciality dishes. The on-site

sweet shop and bakery is also a tempting sight – the counter displays stunning fresh cakes which make a lovely dessert for those who leave a little bit of room after their main course.

For Imran, Usman and Irfan, knowing how much hard work

their father had put into the family business is inspirational, and they will ensure that the restaurant remains an integral part of the Birmingham food scene for many years to come.

14 | The Birmingham Cook Book

Imrans

Imran's

NIHARI (BRAISED LAMB SHANKS) Don’t be put off by the long list of spices, the end result is so full of flavour it is well worth the time it takes to prepare. It’s one of Imran’s favourite recipes.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Method

For the nihari:

Place the lamb shanks on a plate and rub with about half a teaspoon of salt and a little of the oil. Set aside. Now put the ginger in a blender with five teaspoons of water and process to a fine paste. Set aside separately. Place the nutmeg, mace, fennel seeds, cassia leaves, cassia bark, ground ginger, peppercorns, nigella, cloves and cumin seeds in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Set this aside, too.

4 lamb shanks (about 2 kg)

120ml olive or sunflower oil

15cm piece of root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 whole nutmeg, crushed into smaller pieces 1 tbsp mace blades 2 tbsp fennel seeds

3 cassia leaves or bay leaves, shredded 2.5 cm piece of cassia bark or cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces 1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp black peppercorns 1 tsp nigella seeds 1 tsp cloves

2 tsp cumin seeds

45g unsalted butter

1 medium onion, sliced into rings 1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp hot chilli powder

2 tbsp wholemeal flour or chapati flour

Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3. Put a large flameproof casserole dish with a tight fitting lid, about 30cm in diameter, over a medium heat and add the butter. When it has melted, sprinkle in the onion and fry for about 5 minutes, until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon.

Now pour the remaining oil into the pan. When it’s hot, add two of the shanks and, turning with a pair of tongs, brown each side for 2 minutes. Remove. Repeat with the other two shanks.

Working quickly, reduce the heat to low and add the ginger paste. Stir continuously for 4-5 minutes until light brown. Then add the paprika and chilli powder and stir for 1 minute, followed by the ground spice mixture and one and a half teaspoons salt. Mix well to infuse the oil. Add the browned onions, stir, and then pour in 1.2 litres warm water.

Mix well, then arrange the shanks in the pan. Cover and place the casserole in the centre of the oven. Leave to cook for 3 hours, basting and turning the shanks every 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and uncover. Carefully lift out the shanks into a large, warmed serving bowl. Spoon off as much excess oil from the cooking liquid as possible.

Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Set the casserole over a low heat.

Mix the flour slowly with four tablespoons of water to achieve a thin paste. Stir the paste into the sauce, cooking for 5-6 minutes to thicken, then pour it over the meat in the serving bowl. Serve all four garnishes in little bowls on the table for diners to add as they like.

Salt

To garnish:

4 tbsp root ginger, peeled and cut into fine julienne 2-3 hot green chillies, finely sliced A handful of coriander leaves Lemon wedges

The Birmingham Cook Book | 17

Pimpin´ your

PATTIES Describing themselves as “patty pimps and purveyors of filth”, the burgerobsessed duo behind the Original Patty Men don’t take anything lightly when it comes to creating the most mouth-watering patties in the Midlands.

It all began with frustration about not being able to

After stealing the show at some of the biggest food festivals

expectations. Sick of disappointing beef, lack-lustre toppings

Burger, it was time for the pair to move to a permanent

get a burger in Birmingham that quite lived up to their

and uninspiring buns, Tom Maher and Scott O’Byrne set

their sights on creating their own burgers that would be a little bit different. Cue the Krispy Kreme burger (which is

exactly as it sounds – a burger in a doughnut bun!) and the start of an epic beefy adventure.

After mastering their patty-cooking skills by serving up their

trials to hungry friends and family, they embarked on a street

food venture, taking their burgers to Birmingham’s hippest street food spots and building up a well-earned reputation for

their deliciously dirty burgers among the city’s trendy foodies.

And it’s easy to see why their burgers became so popular –

crafted from 35-day-aged Longhorn beef and served up in

fresh buttermilk and yoghurt buns, the pair have taken each element of the classic burger and given it its deserved care and attention. These burgers are a far cry from the chain burger joints that pepper the city.

18 | The Birmingham Cook Book

in the UK and winning a British Street Food award for Best location where diners could sit down and get stuck in to their

‘filthy burgers’ with an accompanying beer and a plenty of napkins.

The premises are tucked under a converted railway arch in Digbeth, a two minute walk from the city centre, and

the setting couldn’t be more perfect for the independent

restaurant to make its mark. Working in collaboration with

Siren Craft Brew, there is no better place to enjoy a beer and a burger in Birmingham.

This is just the eatery that the city has been waiting for and

it’s exactly what Tom and Scott envisaged when they bravely

packed in their day jobs for the love of a good burger. It’s

time to sit back with a Siren craft beer, tuck into a Big Vern’s Krispy Ring and speculate on what exciting prospects are to come for Birmingham’s Original Patty Men.

Original Patty Men

Miss Macaroon

BLUEBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE FRENCH MACAROONS Miss Macaroon shares one of her favourite recipes for pretty macaroons filled with homemade white chocolate ganache and blueberry compote. You will need a sugar thermometer to make the macaroon shells. Makes 35.

Ingredients

Method

For the shells:

Line a heavy baking tray with baking parchment. To make the shells, mix the water and granulated sugar in a pan and set over full heat. Add a sugar thermometer to the pan once it comes to the boil – this recipe won’t work without an exact measurement of the temperature so this is a must.

While the sugar is boiling, mix the ground almonds and icing sugar. We use a Thermomix to get our almond meal super fine but you can sieve the larger pieces out for a less refined finish.

Once the sugar gets to 109°C, whip 40g of the egg whites on full speed. We used to use a seven litre KitchenAid called Red, but now we use a twenty litre called Bette the Beast to make our batches of 900 macaroons at a time! Once the sugar boils to 113°C and the egg whites are at stiff peaks, pour the sugar onto the egg whites while continuing to mix. Turn the speed down while the Italian meringue cools to about 40°C. If you want coloured macaroon shells then add the food colouring at this stage.

Lightly fold the almond meal into the shell mix while gradually adding the whipped egg whites, being careful not to over mix and beat out too much air.

Place the mix in a piping bag fitted with a plain 7mm piping nozzle and pipe perfect circles on to the lined baking tray. Leave for 20 minutes to form a skin, although the duration will depend on what time of year it is due to the room temperature and humidity.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C. Bake the macaroons for 11 minutes. This works for me, but every oven is different with its own ticks tricks and cold spots, so you’ll have to find your own perfect time and temperature.

Make the ganache by boiling the cream in a small pan, while gently stirring to avoid it catching on the pan. Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream on to the white chocolate and mix quickly to melt the chocolate. Add the compound and mix until incorporated. Cool in the fridge until it is of piping consistency.

To make the compote, put the sugar in a pan and enough water to dissolve it. Heat this on high heat until it comes to a rolling boil, then add the blueberries. Cook these until they are fully broken down, this should take about 10 minutes. Cool in the fridge.

To assemble the macaroons, match two half shells for shape and size, and pipe a 5p-sized amount of white chocolate ganache onto the flat side of one of them. In the middle, pipe some of the blueberry compote. Top with the other half shell and leave to set in the fridge for a short while. Repeat with the remaining shells and filling.

30ml water

110g granulated sugar 110g ground almonds 110g icing sugar 80g egg whites

For the ganache:

80ml double cream

115g white chocolate

1 tsp blueberry compound For the compote:

25g granulated sugar

250g fresh blueberries

The Birmingham Cook Book | 21

Alison Hammond SALT AND PEPPER SQUID

Alison Hammond is one of Birmingham’s best-loved TV personalities. After shooting to fame following her stint in the Big Brother house in 2002, Alison has since become one of the country’s favourite TV presenters. As well as appearing as a contestant in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Alison also competed in Celebrity MasterChef. Although she loves to cook at home, she also enjoys sampling the amazing restaurants in Birmingham, and this is one of her favourite dishes from Chi Kitchen. She is a fan of their flavoursome Asian dishes and can never decide between this lovely spicy squid recipe and the stunning sushi they serve. Serves 1.

Ingredients

Method

120g baby squid, cleaned and prepared

Cut the cleaned, prepared squid into approximately 8 rings of equal size. Place the squid into a mixing bowl, adding a pinch of salt and pepper and the beaten egg. Mix well.

½ egg, beaten

15g potato flour

200ml vegetable oil, for frying 5g spring onion, chopped 5g red chilli, chopped

10g garlic, chopped and fried

Remove the squid from the bowl, and coat evenly with potato flour.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 180°C. Fry the squid for approximately 30-40 seconds, or until crispy. Place the fried squid rings into a dry, empty bowl and add chopped spring onions, red chillies, fried garlic and mixed spice seasoning.

Mix well.

Serve with sweet chilli sauce and a smile!

5g mixed spice seasoning 5ml sweet chilli sauce Salt and pepper

The Birmingham Cook Book | 23

Birmingham's

SHINING STAR For bold and innovative cooking, Glynn Purnell’s critically acclaimed Michelinstarred restaurant, Purnell’s, is Birmingham’s ultimate gourmet destination.

A Brummie through and through, Glynn Purnell has

From the 3-course lunch to the 9-course menu with optional

most celebrated chefs. Awards and accolades are plentiful

reflecting the finest seasonal produce available. For something

become Birmingham’s culinary icon and one of Britiain’s

for Glynn, whose food career began at the age of 14 with an after-school job working in the kitchens at the Metropole Hotel at the NEC.

Today he is a familiar face on British cookery programmes,

matching wines, the cooking is innovative and creative, a little different, they also offer the wonderfully named ‘Brummie Tapas in Purnell’s Living Room’ – a selection of

dishes that reflect Purnell’s vision of cooking, served in the relaxing setting of the lounge.

but he has always remained firmly rooted in his home city

The lounge and bar area is also the ideal place for guests to

an ambition to win the city’s first Michelin star – which

in the relaxed ambience – the bar and lounge area is only

thanks to a lifelong passion for Birmingham City FC and he achieved in January 2005 while head chef at Jessica’s Restaurant, along with myriad other awards. In 2007, Glynn opened Purnell’s and he was awarded a coveted Michelin star here in 2009, which he retains today.

enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail, after-dinner coffee or digestif

available to dinner guests so the atmosphere is the perfect

place to extend your dining experience that little bit longer.

The restaurant also has a private dining room available for up to 12 diners.

The chic interior is the perfect setting for this contemporary

For modern luxury, it’s no surprise that this elegant restaurant

conservation areas, close to Colmore Row and St Phillips

dining scene. Retaining its refined style while continually

fine dining restaurant. Set in one of the city’s finest Cathedral, the characterful Victorian building has large

windows providing natural light in the day time – a simply stunning place to enjoy lunch. In the evening the atmosphere

exudes effortless elegance due to its stylish modern simplicity.

24 | The Birmingham Cook Book

prevails as the shining star at the heart of Birmingham’s fine pushing boundaries, Purnell’s remains at the forefront of contemporary British cooking.

Purnell’s

Purnell's

BEETROOT MOUSSE WITH ESCABECHE OF VEGETABLES A show-stopper from Glynn Purnell’s famous kitchen. Serves 4.

Ingredients

Method

For the beetroot mousse:

For the beetroot mousse

75g unsalted butter

1kg beetroot, washed, peeled, chopped and pre-boiled until soft 50ml red wine vinegar 2 tbsp red currant jelly

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the beetroot, red wine vinegar and red currant jelly.

Cook out for 2 minutes. Add the red wine and cook until reduced by half. Blend until smooth to produce a purée.

Take 250g of the purée and add to it the olive oil, Parmesan cheese and horseradish. Blend the mixture and then place into a 5cm deep tub. Put the tub into the freezer.

600ml red wine

The mousse should be taken out of the freezer 1 hour before serving. Scoop, quenelle or cut to size depending on your desired presentation.

18g Parmesan cheese, grated

For the escabeche of vegetables

33ml olive oil

18g creamed horseradish (from a jar) For the escabeche of vegetables: 1 medium red beetroot

1 medium golden beetroot

1 medium candied beetroot 1 large carrot

1 medium turnip

170g sunflower oil

Wash and thinly slice the beetroots, carrot and turnip and put to one side. Mix together the oil, vinegar, garlic and thyme in a pan. Heat slowly on the stove to room temperature, then add half of the mixed sliced beetroots, carrot and turnip and stir.

Leave to cool completely and then add the remaining beetroots, carrot and turnip. Season with three to four turns of black pepper and salt.

To serve

Present the mousse in bowls and dress with the escabeche of vegetables. Watercress or rocket can be added to presentation if required.

75g white wine vinegar 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 sprig of thyme

Salt and black pepper To serve:

Watercress or rocket (optional)

The Birmingham Cook Book | 27

Wine

MATCHING The team at Connolly’s Wine Merchants have recommended wines to match all the delicious dishes in this book.

ADAMS RESTAURANT

ALISON HAMMOND’S

Lime and coriander marinated mussels

Chi Kitchen’s salt and pepper squid

I’ve opted for a glass of bubbly to accompany this dish but I’ve gone for one of my favourite vintage Champagnes, Gardet’s Prestige Charles Millésimée 2004. A perfect accompaniment to natural and flavoursome dishes. A crisp and generous Champagne with zingy citrus character to complement the lime in the dish, whilst a pleasing and intense minerality will work wonders with the mussels. Recommendation by Adam.

Gewurztraminer is a grape variety loved by sommeliers for its intensity and floral aromatics. Whilst its Germanic name betrays its origins, it has proved itself highly adaptable and a real favourite amongst many New World winemakers. This particular offering is from the highly regarded Chilean estate of Emiliana. This wine has plenty of oriental spice flavours to enhance the mixed-spice, chilli and pepper in the recipe, but with a slightly sweet, ripe finish to go with the sauce.

Recommendation by Francis.

Champagne Charles Gardet 2004

ALI IMDAD

Matcha layer cake

Nyetimber Demi-Sec

Sometimes you deserve a treat and here is the perfect opportunity. Pair this delicious cake with Nyetimber’s Demi-Sec NV and you’ve got just that. This cracking English sparkler is complex and full flavoured, with just the right amount of honeyed sweetness to go with the cake, and a lemony freshness to lighten the richness of the filling and convince you that you have room for another slice.

Recommendation by Mark.

Gewurztraminer, Adobe 2015

BECKETTS FARM

Pork and apple Scotch eggs

Ch de Hauteville Poire Granit

Why stick with wine? I’d actually go for a good cider or perry with this to pick out the apple flavours. Now, as you all should know, proper cider should be cloudy, acquired from a barely comprehensible man with no teeth, and involve a least two rats during production; so for something a little more highbrow (and less likely to cause blindness) I recommend the Ch de Hauteville Poire Granit. A sparkling perry from biodynamic pear trees over 300 years old, this is Eric Bordelet’s sumptuous result of simply putting as much effort into making a Poire as winemakers would when making their finest wines – incredibly rich, it coats the mouth and feels more like eating a pear tart than drinking liquid. Recommendation by Ed.

Connolly’s Fine Wine & Spirt Merchants

BERRYFIELDS FARM SHOP

EDMUNDS

Pork tenderloin

Isle of Skye king scallops

In the normal course of events a delicate meat like pork tenderloin is a strong candidate for a white wine, but here, with the stuffing, the apricots (and let’s not forget the bacon) something a bit heartier but not too big is called for. The Morgon from Chateau de Pizay hits the spot perfectly. It is packed full of juicy cherry and plum fruit that’s just right with this dish and, because it is made from Gamay, it is low in tannin so doesn’t overpower the delicate tenderloin.

Recommendation by Mark.

With an ingredient as good as hand-dived Isle of Skye king scallops you are looking for a wine that plays a supporting role, enhancing and complementing without trying to grab centre stage. Here, with the sweetness of the scallops accentuated by the apple, the Vouvray Les Bosquets from Domaine Sauvion plays that role to perfection. With its dash of sweetness, flavours of ripe apple and pear, and chenin blanc’s natural acidity the Vouvray will really let the scallops shine. Recommendation by Mark.

Morgon, Chateau de Pizay

CHANGE KITCHEN

Vouvray Les Bosquets, Domaine Sauvion

HENRY WONG

Spinach and mushroom lasagne

Wasabi tiger prawn with crispy potato

Liberty School Chardonnay 2014 is my pick for this lasagne dish. The wine comes to you all the way from the hills of Paso Robles, located in California’s central coast, where it is produced by the Hope family. The wine’s creamy texture will complement the mushrooms and lasagne sheets while the rich flavours of green apple, tropical fruits and toasted almonds will stand up to the tomato layer and spinach sauce.

The wine’s exuberant acidity will leave the palate feeling clean and refreshed. NB: In past vintages (2009 & 2010) the wine has been certified as vegan friendly but at the time of writing I was unable to ascertain whether this applied to the 2014 vintage. Recommendation by Adam.

With this dish the key variation will be how generous you are with the wasabi, the more you add, the more aromatic the wine will have to be. If you follow the recipe directly the wasabi mellows out to a deliciously restrained zip, and so a lightly aromatic wine that doesn’t overwhelm the prawn is best – I recommend the Turckheim Vieilles Vignes Sylvaner If you chose to up the heat, go for a richer, more intensely flavoured white, so the Sables & Galets Gewurztraminer will more than match increased wasabi. Recommendation by Ed.

Liberty School Chardonnay 2014

CHERRY REDS

American-style pancakes with fresh berries

Blauer Zweigelt/St Laurent Eiswein, Gsellmann & Hans

To go with Cherry Red’s American-style pancakes with fresh berries, I’ve opted for an Austrian eiswein made from a 50/50 blend of the red varietals Zweigelt and St. Laurent.

The freshness of the eiswein will complement the fresh mixed berry topping, whilst the wine’s dried fruit and cherry biscuit notes will pair with the pancake. If however you’re more prone to the idea of just pancakes with maple syrup I would heartedly advise a Stanton & Killeen Rutherglen Topaque, simply delicious! Recommendation by Adam.

Turckheim Vieilles Vignes Sylvaner

HENRY WONG

Stuffed crisp tofu prawn puffs Philip Shaw Edinburgh Sparkling

With something this light and small, go sparkling. So I would plump for the Phillip Shaw Edinburgh Sparkling NV from Orange in New South Wales. A classic pinot noir/chardonnay blend this has vibrant white fruit flavours complementing the prawn paste, and rich creamy autolysis notes working with the tofu. Oh and as a final note, don’t be scared by the crown cap: “High quality sparkling wine producers go through crown seals in their millions. They’re mostly hidden from the public eye, but while a sparkling is going through its bottle fermentation in the ancient cellars of Reims in France, you can bet it’s nearly always stored in a bottle with a crown seal on top,” Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age. Recommendation by Ed.

Birmingham is well-known for its miles of canals, acres of parks and clusters of barmy yet beautiful buildings. But these days, it’s also home to an award-winning food scene; eating out here is like a gastronomic tour of the globe, representing a huge array of cultures and nationalities.

We all have a little piece of Birmingham in our kitchen – classic cupboard staples such as Bird’s custard, Cadbury chocolate and HP Sauce all started life in this city.

It also boasts more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other UK city outside of London, with stars such as Glynn Purnell, Luke Tipping, Adam Bennett and Adam Stokes all flying the flag for fine dining.

The Birmingham Cook Book is your definitive guide to the finest foodie hotspots in the region, sharing stories and recipes from the people behind this exciting culinary community. With chapters from The Cross at Kenilworth, Beckett’s Farm and the Original Patty Men; there’s something to suit everyone’s palate.

Roll up your sleeves and get stuck in.

www.mezepublishing.co.uk

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