Read Online Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course by Gordon Ramsay - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gordon Ramsay
Ads: Link
farming.
BUYING
CHICKEN
is far and away the most popular meat in this country, the staple of countless fast-food takeaways, sandwich fillings and Saturday night curry houses. As a result, it is one of the most open to abuse. At its best it can be the Rolls-Royce of meats – rich, dense and versatile – but equally it can be produced as cheap protein fodder devoid of all flavour. That’s why of all meats, I think the difference here between free-range and intensively reared is the most obvious in both appearance and flavour. A battery bird killed at six to seven weeks, with its pumped-up breasts and legs weedy from all that sitting around, is never going to have the personality of one that’s lived a little. Naturally reared birds aren’t killed until they are about 12 weeks old. That means an extra six weeks scratching in the dirt, pecking at seeds and grains, and working those leg muscles to build up a rich depth of flavour. We use poulets de Bresse in the restaurants – they’re imported from France because we need them in such quantities, but there are plenty of good suppliers in Britain now. Do check out farmer’s markets and farm shops.
If you are struggling to find a bird with real depth of flavour, look out for guinea fowl instead, which has a slightly gamier taste but can be cooked in exactly the same way. A lot of people say it tastes the way they remember chicken used to taste in the old days.
PORK
has also had a bad time of it recently, with many pigs kept in atrocious conditions on the Continent – hemmed into concrete-floored pens too small for them to turn around in. British standards are much higher and we owe it to our farmers to support them. As ever, happy animals make for happier eating, and slow-growing rare breeds that have been allowed to do what pigs do best, rooting around in the mud, are what we should be buying. Whatever recipe you are making, be it a spiced slow-roast belly, a rack of chops or smoked back bacon, you’ll always notice the difference. I’m a particular fan of Berkshires (first bred for Queen Victoria), Gloucester Old Spots and Tamworths.
LAMB
is a less controversial meat because sheep are naturally less intensively reared as they are happy grazing on scraggy hillsides that can’t be put to any other agricultural use. Lamb from the harshest, most exposed countryside, such as the Black Mountains in Wales or the Yorkshire Dales, is among the best because the animals have to lay on extra layers of fat to protect themselves from the weather, and this translates as extra moistness and flavour when they are cooked. I’m also a fan of salt marsh lamb from Romney in Kent. The sheep feed on the salty grasses and samphire that grow on the coastal plains and take on a sweetly delicate flavour.
Spring lamb (from animals born before Christmas but slaughtered in March or April) is the most prized, but the flavour’s better later in the summer, once it’s had time to mature and be fed not just on its mother’s milk but on that mineral-rich grass as well. A lamb that’s lived through to a second summer is called a hogget, and by its third summer it’s known as mutton. These older animals need slower cooking as they will be tougher, but they can be more rewarding in terms of flavour.
We use a lot of the presentation cuts in the restaurants, such as loin, saddle and best end (or rack), which cook very quickly. At home, I love things like leg, shoulder and shanks, from the lower rear legs, which all need longer in the oven. Breast is another lovely cut, but is quite fatty, so benefits from slow roasting.
BEEF
is the meat that throws up the biggest divide in opinion, mainly because the same cut can taste so different depending on how it has been produced. Again, I favour slow-growing rare breeds, such as Aberdeen Angus, Longhorn, Dexter, or White Park, which have a good marbling of fat throughout their meat. People are scared of fat these days, but it is so important to
BUYING
CHICKEN
is far and away the most popular meat in this country, the staple of countless fast-food takeaways, sandwich fillings and Saturday night curry houses. As a result, it is one of the most open to abuse. At its best it can be the Rolls-Royce of meats – rich, dense and versatile – but equally it can be produced as cheap protein fodder devoid of all flavour. That’s why of all meats, I think the difference here between free-range and intensively reared is the most obvious in both appearance and flavour. A battery bird killed at six to seven weeks, with its pumped-up breasts and legs weedy from all that sitting around, is never going to have the personality of one that’s lived a little. Naturally reared birds aren’t killed until they are about 12 weeks old. That means an extra six weeks scratching in the dirt, pecking at seeds and grains, and working those leg muscles to build up a rich depth of flavour. We use poulets de Bresse in the restaurants – they’re imported from France because we need them in such quantities, but there are plenty of good suppliers in Britain now. Do check out farmer’s markets and farm shops.
If you are struggling to find a bird with real depth of flavour, look out for guinea fowl instead, which has a slightly gamier taste but can be cooked in exactly the same way. A lot of people say it tastes the way they remember chicken used to taste in the old days.
PORK
has also had a bad time of it recently, with many pigs kept in atrocious conditions on the Continent – hemmed into concrete-floored pens too small for them to turn around in. British standards are much higher and we owe it to our farmers to support them. As ever, happy animals make for happier eating, and slow-growing rare breeds that have been allowed to do what pigs do best, rooting around in the mud, are what we should be buying. Whatever recipe you are making, be it a spiced slow-roast belly, a rack of chops or smoked back bacon, you’ll always notice the difference. I’m a particular fan of Berkshires (first bred for Queen Victoria), Gloucester Old Spots and Tamworths.
LAMB
is a less controversial meat because sheep are naturally less intensively reared as they are happy grazing on scraggy hillsides that can’t be put to any other agricultural use. Lamb from the harshest, most exposed countryside, such as the Black Mountains in Wales or the Yorkshire Dales, is among the best because the animals have to lay on extra layers of fat to protect themselves from the weather, and this translates as extra moistness and flavour when they are cooked. I’m also a fan of salt marsh lamb from Romney in Kent. The sheep feed on the salty grasses and samphire that grow on the coastal plains and take on a sweetly delicate flavour.
Spring lamb (from animals born before Christmas but slaughtered in March or April) is the most prized, but the flavour’s better later in the summer, once it’s had time to mature and be fed not just on its mother’s milk but on that mineral-rich grass as well. A lamb that’s lived through to a second summer is called a hogget, and by its third summer it’s known as mutton. These older animals need slower cooking as they will be tougher, but they can be more rewarding in terms of flavour.
We use a lot of the presentation cuts in the restaurants, such as loin, saddle and best end (or rack), which cook very quickly. At home, I love things like leg, shoulder and shanks, from the lower rear legs, which all need longer in the oven. Breast is another lovely cut, but is quite fatty, so benefits from slow roasting.
BEEF
is the meat that throws up the biggest divide in opinion, mainly because the same cut can taste so different depending on how it has been produced. Again, I favour slow-growing rare breeds, such as Aberdeen Angus, Longhorn, Dexter, or White Park, which have a good marbling of fat throughout their meat. People are scared of fat these days, but it is so important to
Similar Books
![Bind Me [Pact of Seduction 1]](/res/dh/book4.jpg)
