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Poaching is gentle and delicate, and probably not quite as sexy-sounding as, say, grilling or pan-frying.
Those high-heat cooking methods create colour and immediate drama, whereas the one that relies on an aromatic liquid is all about suspense: a coming-together of ingredients as they gently give in to their surroundings.
The patience pays off, though, with a certain clarity and restraint that, for me, are particularly appropriate at this time of the year. It delivers the kind of deep, unadulterated flavours that carry you through winter with ease and warmth.
Butter-poached prawns and celeriac
This is a quick dinner that’s special enough to impress guests, but doesn’t require you to spend too much time at the stove. There’s plenty of saucy, buttery goodness here, so serve it with crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Prep 30 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
150g unsalted butter, fridge cold and cut into 2cm cubes, plus 30g extra for frying
1 medium head celeriac, peeled and cut into 1½cm cubes (500g net weight)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and roughly crushed in a mortar
100ml dry white wine
250ml shellfish stock
Salt and black pepper
400g sustainably sourced extra-large king prawns, peeled and deveined*
2 tbsp lemon juice
5 tbsp chives, roughly chopped
4 tbsp parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
½ shallot, peeled and roughly chopped (30g net weight)
2 tbsp olive oil
Put the 30g butter in a large saute pan for which you have a lid and turn the heat to high. Once the pan is hot and the butter melted, add the celeriac and cook, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, until nicely coloured all over. Add the garlic and half the fennel seeds, cook, stirring occasionally, for 90 seconds, until fragrant, then add the wine, stock, a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Turn down the heat to medium, cover the pan and leave to cook for eight minutes, until the celeriac is tender.
Remove the lid, turn the heat down low, then add a quarter of the refrigerated butter cubes, stirring until they’re incorporated, then repeat with the remaining butter cubes in three more batches – don’t let the sauce boil or it will split.
Stir in the prawns, cover the pan again, and cook for nine minutes, stirring gently halfway, until tender and just cooked through. Stir through a tablespoon of lemon juice and remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, put the chives, parsley, chilli, shallot, oil, the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped.
To serve, transfer the celeriac and prawn mixture to a large serving dish with a lip and top with the herb paste, swirling it through gently to incorporate it in places. Sprinkle over the remaining fennel seeds and serve.
• The Guardian aims to publish recipes for sustainable fish. For ratings in your region, check: UK; Australia; US.
Spicy chicken and cabbage soup
This soup has a real kick, so reduce the amount of chilli if you want to moderate it. I serve it with crisp chicken skin, but that involves a bit of work, so leave it out if you prefer. If you do make the skins, though, bear in mind that some bits will be crispier than others, which is fine; they’ll all taste great.
Prep 30 min
Cook 2 hr 5 min
Serves 6
1 medium chicken (about 1.6kg)
80g ginger, skin on and thinly sliced
2 whole heads garlic, cut in half widthways
2 red chillies, cut in half lengthways, or 1 chilli if you prefer less heat
1 onion, skin on and cut into 4 wedges
8 spring onions, 4 cut in half widthways, the rest thinly sliced at an angle
4 tbsp coriander leaves, plus 20g extra of stalks
5 cinnamon sticks
6 whole star anise
Salt and black pepper
1 small savoy cabbage, cored and thinly shredded (400g net weight)
2 tbsp fish sauce
3-4 limes – 1 cut into 6 wedges, to serve, the rest juiced, to get 3 tbsp
4 tsp white sesame seeds, toasted
1½ tsp chilli flakes, toasted
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Put the chicken breast side up in a large stock pot for which you have a lid, and add the ginger, garlic, chilli, onion, halved spring onions, coriander stalks, whole spices, two teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Pour over 2.5 litres water and bring to a boil on a medium-high heat. Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 80 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender. Lift out the chicken and set it to one side. Strain the broth into a large container or bowl, discard the solids, then pour the broth back into the stock pot.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Carefully remove the skin from the breast, legs and back of the chicken – try to lift it off in largish pieces – then, using a butter knife, gently scrape off any fat or sinew that might be attached to the underside of each piece of skin (don’t worry if you can’t get it all off). Pat dry the skin, lay it skin-side down on a large oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with another piece of greaseproof paper and a tray of similar size, to weigh it down, then roast for 20 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove the top tray and paper and leave to cool for five to 10 minutes, during which time it will crisp up further.
Meanwhile, use your hands to pull apart the chicken meat into large shreds, discarding the bones and cartilage as you go. Stir the meat back into the strained stock and bring to a simmer on a medium-high heat. Add the cabbage and simmer for about three minutes, until cooked through but still with a slight bite. Off the heat, stir in the fish sauce and lime juice. Combine the sesame seeds and chilli flakes in a small bowl.
To serve, divide the soup between six bowls and top with the sliced spring onion and picked coriander. Drizzle each bowl with half a teaspoon of sesame oil, then spoon over the sesame seed mixture. Break the chicken skin into random pieces and divide between the bowls, and serve with the lime wedges alongside.
Clotted cream and ginger mousse with rooibos-poached rhubarb
Rooibos tastes a bit like a mixture of honey, flowers and English breakfast tea, and it pairs wonderfully with rhubarb. Get ahead by making the mousse and rhubarb the night before, so they’re ready to be assembled on the day.
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Chill 4 hr-plus
Serves 6
For the mousse
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
1½ tbsp peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
2 egg whites
¾ tbsp caster sugar
250g clotted cream
50ml double cream
For the poached rhubarb
190g caster sugar
325ml water
500g forced rhubarb, cut into 5cm-long pieces
5 strips finely shaved lemon skin
3 rooibos tea bags
For the topping
60g dried coconut flakes
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 pinch salt
Put all the mousse ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip for 90 seconds, until you get medium-stiff peaks. Spoon into six dessert glasses or bowls, flatten the tops with the back of a spoon, then chill for four hours, or overnight, until set.
For the rhubarb, put the sugar and water in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the rhubarb, lemon peel and tea bags, simmer gently for three minutes, then turn off the heat. Cover the rhubarb with greaseproof paper and leave to poach in the residual heat for an hour or two, until the liquid is cool and the rhubarb is soft but still holds its shape.
Strain the rhubarb over a medium saucepan to collect the syrup, then put the pan on a medium heat and simmer for 12 minutes, until it’s reduced to the consistency of slightly thick maple syrup. Transfer to a heat-proof container, add the poached rhubarb, stir gently, then refrigerate until chilled.
Meanwhile, make the coconut topping. Heat the oven to 170C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Mix the coconut flakes with the maple syrup and spread out on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Roast for 12-15 minutes, until crisp, then sprinkle with salt and set aside to crisp up a little more.
Once the mousses have set and the rhubarb is chilled, divide the rhubarb and syrup between the six glasses, spooning the syrup on top, then finish with a sprinkling of coconut flakes and serve at once.
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