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00:01Cook, Eat, Repeat is frankly the story of my life.
00:06Food is more than just sustenance.
00:09It brings such joy and it has the power to make a real difference every single day.
00:17We all know that cooking can be a balm in troubled times.
00:21But more, I believe that the kitchen can be both a sanctuary and a pleasure palace.
00:27And that's something I am more than happy to celebrate repeatedly.
00:59There are some people who take the view that you should never meddle with a classic.
01:05And up to a point, I'd agree.
01:08But the thing is, if you love cooking, it's just impossible not to want to play with ideas and flavours.
01:15And besides, mac and cheese, and yes, I have learned to call it that, no longer macaroni cheese, lends itself
01:22to so many sumptuous versions.
01:25And I'm sorry to sound immodest, but my crab mac and cheese is the most sumptuous of all.
01:33And it is the perfect treat when you want to splurge on something special.
01:40A cheese sauce starts with a flour and butter roux.
01:44And I bring extra oomph by adding spices directly to the flour.
01:50First, a quarter teaspoon of ground mace.
01:54The same amount of sweet smoked paprika.
01:58And half that of Aleppo pepper.
02:11And I flavour the milk for the sauce too.
02:13By stirring in a tablespoon of rich tomato puree, which I just forked to mix.
02:27I'm ready to go on the cheese and crab sauce.
02:29And it's so fast.
02:31I'm going to put the pasta in now.
02:38I've got 200 grams of pasta shells conquille.
02:43I mean, I know that that's hardly traditional pasta for mac and cheese, but this is a crab mac and
02:50cheese.
02:50So I'm sticking to a marine theme.
02:54I've got a couple of tablespoons worth of butter here, melting gently.
02:58I'm going to grate in a fat clove of garlic.
03:10I'm going to stir that into the butter as it melts.
03:15This is a fabulous start to a sauce, but it's a fabulous start to anything.
03:22Butter and garlic.
03:27And now I've got a tablespoon and a half of flour, plain flour here.
03:33Tinted pink.
03:35Tinted pink.
03:35By the spices.
03:41Just want to cook it until it's a loose paste.
03:47I mean, right now it is looking wonderfully volcanic.
03:55Before I add the milk, I'm going to turn the heat off.
04:00And just as the flour was tinted pink with spice, my milk is tinted pink with tomato puree.
04:16Let's go gently now.
04:19Adding it very gradually.
04:21Don't want lumps.
04:33So, all in.
04:35All smooth.
04:37So I can turn the heat back on.
04:39But I'm keeping it fairly low at first.
04:44I just need to cook this until it's thickened and any taste of flouriness is gone.
04:51And that won't take long.
04:52I mean, there's hardly any flour in it.
04:56I'm going to turn the heat off again.
04:59Because I think it's so much better to add the cheese without the flame under a pan.
05:05I've got 100 grams of grated gruyere here.
05:10And I've chosen it for the crab mac and cheese.
05:14Because its rich sweet nuttiness is absolutely perfect with the spices and the crab.
05:25So you look at that.
05:26It starts having that smooth elastic texture.
05:35But I want a bit of saltiness and sharpness too, which calls for parmesan.
05:42Not so much.
05:43Just about two tablespoonfuls.
05:54I mean, look at this texture.
05:58Isn't that heavenly?
06:01I could get lost in it.
06:03But it's crab mac and cheese.
06:05I need crab.
06:06And I use this, which is 50% white meat with its briny sweetness and tender flakes.
06:18And 50% brown meat, which is like the richest imaginable instant seafood pate.
06:29We just need to make sure the crab is hot all the way through.
06:43Mmm.
06:44I know what that needs.
06:48Just a splosh or two of whiskey sauce.
07:10Mmm.
07:12It tastes like the most fabulous dream of seafood fondue.
07:19It is a good idea.
07:21And actually, I think this would make a wonderful hot cheese dip.
07:24The sort they have in the American South.
07:26And it would be remiss of me anyway not to tell you that if you add more milk to it,
07:31it is a pretty divine sauce for nachos.
07:36Now let's see how we're doing over this side.
07:40We're raring to go.
07:43Let's bring this over.
07:48I shall cast my net in for the shells.
07:53Adding them directly to the sauce so the starchy water clinging to them helps the thick, rich,
08:02velvety smooth sauce glide over the pasta.
08:16My bowl is ready and so am I.
08:29Time is on my side.
08:31Yes it is.
08:34If I am making normal mac and cheese, I'd be putting this in a hot oven to blister it now.
08:39Yes it is.
08:40But this is too special and too delicate for such coarse treatment.
08:45So all I need to add is a freckling of Aleppo pepper.
08:53And I am ready to dive in.
08:57This is the most luscious of treats.
09:13Time is on my side.
09:18I know that you're searching for times.
09:23But just wait and see.
09:27One of these things, baby.
09:29I was faced with a particular conundrum.
09:33What do you do when you crave the balm that only a freshly baked biscuit can provide,
09:38and yet you just don't have it in you to make, or frankly wait for, a full batch?
09:45I solved this by coming up with a cookie that answered all my deepest needs.
09:53It's intensely chocolatey, sweet but not too sweet, and spikily enlivened by sea salt flakes.
10:03Now the recipe makes just two biscuits, which is why I call them mine all mine sweet and salty chocolate
10:12cookies.
10:15Now I start by mixing the dry ingredients together in a little bowl.
10:21And they are 50 grams of plain flour, 10 grams of cocoa, followed by an eighth of a teaspoon each
10:32of baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and fine sea salt.
10:38These just need to be mixed together.
10:46In another bowl, I measure in 50 grams of soft unsalted butter, 15 grams of soft dark brown sugar, gloriously
10:58treacly, and 25 grams of caster sugar.
11:04Finally, I add a quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract and cream it all together.
11:10When the mixture is the texture of soft, smooth peanut butter, I gently beat in the dry ingredients.
11:20And when the dough starts clumping together, I clatter in 25 grams of dark chocolate chips.
11:30Stir them in, and with my hands, form two fat patties.
11:36I sit these on a baking sheet, giving them space to spread out in the oven.
11:41Sprinkle them with sea salt flakes, and bake them for just 12 minutes in a 180 degrees Celsius oven, or
11:50160 with a fan on.
11:53They're ready when they're covered with cracks on top.
11:57And there's only one way to eat them, which is hot from the oven, so that the edges are crisp,
12:04and the centre meltingly tender, and riven with gooey nuggets of melted chocolate.
12:11I got sunshine on my mind.
12:14I got sunshine all the time.
12:16I got sunshine everywhere.
12:19I'm going now, I want you to know.
12:21I got sunshine when it hurts, and when nothing seems to work.
12:26My chicken in a pot with lemon and orzo is one of the mainstays of my life.
12:32It's proper, cosy, family food.
12:37Everything goes into one big casserole, and when the chook's cooked, you just pull apart the soft, soft meat and
12:44ladle up.
12:45Bowl food at its best.
12:47I got sunshine on my mind.
12:49I got sunshine all the time.
12:52I got sunshine everywhere.
12:54I'm going now, I want you to know.
12:58I'm sizzling so resoundingly for a reason.
13:02I want to get the chicken skin good and brown, and that doesn't happen by being timid.
13:07Let's give it a turn.
13:10Ah, golden joy.
13:14I'm going to take the pan off the heat while I add everything else.
13:21And starting with the lemon.
13:28I just love this sort of food.
13:31It's essence of home cooking.
13:33In this simple, full of flavour, and just very easy going.
13:42Everything in one pot.
13:44You can alter ingredients to suit your mood or what you've got in the kitchen.
13:51I mean, of course it's a recipe, but it's really more of a framework.
13:57I like it really lemony.
13:59So I am going in strong on the citrus.
14:03Two lemons.
14:07I also like a lot of garlic.
14:10A lot, a lot of garlic.
14:14I think it's a mistake to think of food that's comforting as food that's bland.
14:20I think flavour is essential.
14:27This is dried tarragon, which really was made for chicken.
14:34But I just as often use dried thyme.
14:37And sometimes a pinch of dried mint as well.
14:43Add my leeks and carrots.
14:48Cut the leeks small, because I eat it with a spoon and fork and really no knives.
14:58And so I want each leek to be able to nestle comfortably in the bowl of the spoon.
15:07And likewise the carrots.
15:10I have been quite open about my prejudices over the years.
15:14But let me just say again that I find carrots cut into rounds infinitely depressing.
15:21So it's always batons for me.
15:26Now for some chilli, not a lot.
15:29Just enough to create some warmth and spice.
15:37You need to have a generous hand with the salt.
15:42It's salt that allows the flavours of the chicken, the vegetables and the broth to come through so clearly.
15:51And besides, there's going to be a lot of water in here.
15:54But first, I need to juice my boiled lemons.
16:02Leeks and carrots are both very sweet vegetables.
16:07So the lemoniness offers sort of a sprightly balance.
16:15Lemon juice over.
16:18And what makes the chicken so soft is that it's poached rather than roasted.
16:27And I really want the chicken covered all but the very top of the breast.
16:36Let's get the fire under.
16:41So all I have to do now is wait for the water to come to the boil.
16:46Then I can clamp on the lid and take this to the oven.
16:50Moderate oven, 180 Celsius or 160 if you're using the fan.
16:55And cook it for an hour and a quarter.
16:59And then I can add the orzo which will absorb all the lemony, chickeny juices as it cooks.
17:25When the chicken is all but cooked through and the carrots soft, it's time to add the orzo pasta.
17:40I tamp it down so that it's fully submerged, then put the dish back in the oven for another 15
17:48minutes.
17:50Once out of the oven, I let the chicken stand while I chop a generous amount of parsley to sprinkle
17:58over and stir in before serving.
18:06I love to eat this just with a spoon once I've pulled the tender poached chicken into succulent pieces and
18:15stirred them into the broth bolstered orzo in a bowl.
18:18Your love has brought me around
18:21Every time I was feeling down
18:26And I'm so glad
18:31You gave everything you had
18:34Now it's my time, baby
18:37Let me
18:39Be good to you
18:42When I lived in Italy a very long time ago
18:45I used to go to a cafe around the corner from where I lived every morning for breakfast
18:50And what this often meant was a slice of torte di riso fragrant with lemon and vanilla
18:57And you know, this just means rice cake in Italian
19:00But I think about it often
19:02And I really wanted to come up with my own version
19:05That evoked rather the traditional rice pudding of my childhood
19:11And this is the happy result
19:14My rice pudding cake definitely more Anglo than Italian
19:23First I need to cook the rice
19:26So into my pan goes 150 grams of Arborio rice
19:31Followed by 700 mils of full fat milk
19:34A quarter teaspoon of salt
19:36And the finely grated zest of a lemon
19:41Then I stir everything together
19:44Letting it come almost to the boil
19:46Then simmer until the rice is cooked
19:49And the milk absorbed
19:53To help it cool quickly
19:56I spoon this into a large bowl
19:58And I enrich it
20:00By stirring in 75 grams of unsalted butter
20:15The rice and milk mixture has cooled
20:17And I am turning it into a cake
20:20No flour is involved
20:23Just three eggs
20:25At room temperature
20:26And I'm dealing with the yolks first
20:30To the yolks
20:31I'm going to add 75 grams of caster sugar
20:36And get a whisking
20:38And you can, you know, use an electric mixer
20:42But really it's quite easy
20:44Just whisk away
20:46To make them just lighter
20:48And slightly fluffier
20:55Very good for the triceps
20:57Or at least the right one
21:04And to this slightly moussey yolk mixture
21:08I am adding two teaspoons of lemon juice
21:13You know, from the lemon
21:16That I zested and put in
21:18With the rice and milk
21:20And two teaspoons of vanilla
21:24There is something
21:25For me
21:28Intrinsically Italian
21:30About the mixture of lemon
21:32And vanilla together
21:40Right, here is the rice
21:46Okay, little by little
21:49Beautiful
21:53Let's fold it all in together
22:06It is looking a bit like tin rice pudding now
22:09Not that that's a bad thing, of course
22:14It's a process-heavy cake, you could say
22:18But each process is undemanding
22:23And pleasurable
22:26Last bit
22:32So that's the yolks
22:33And of course I could whisk the whites by hand
22:37But I'm not going to
22:39Do
22:40I want them properly stiff
22:45The air whisked into the oaks and the whites
22:49Make this fabulously light
22:54Nearly there
23:07And that's perfect
23:12After the midsummer sun of the oaks, the midwinter snow of the whites
23:20I stir in the first dollop of whites briskly to lighten the mixture
23:27And then gently and gradually fold in the rest
23:39So that was very straightforward
23:43This mixture goes into the tin
23:45The tin goes into the oven
23:48And our rice pudding cake is made
23:52It is so creamy
23:54It is so creamy
23:57It has a certain soft solidity
24:02And I know that solidity may not be your aim when making cakes
24:07But this is just perfect
24:11Perfect
24:17There's something I have to do to it
24:19Which really makes it very unlike any Italian rice cake
24:23Which is
24:25Add grated nutmeg
24:30Absolutely
24:30The scent of rice pudding
24:38Although it needs only 45 minutes in a low oven
24:41And by low I mean 160 celsius
24:44Or 140 if you've got the fan on
24:46It really does need to sit once it's out of the oven
24:50And in fact I leave it for an hour
24:51It's still got the warm breath of the oven on it
24:54But it is the perfect temperature
24:58Although having said that
24:59Any leftovers
25:02Are sensational for breakfast
25:04Eaten cold the next morning
25:08Right
25:09To the oven
25:16Italian torta di riso
25:18Meets old-fashioned British rice pudding
25:22No complaints here
25:24And I like to eat it with a sauce
25:27That's made simply by heating up some seedless raspberry jam
25:32With lemon juice for sharpness
25:34And the thing about this
25:35Is that it's so infinitely comforting
25:38And yet elegant with it
26:06You may remember that I said the sauce for the crab mac and cheese
26:11Could have another life draped over nachos
26:17Well
26:19Well
26:21I warm unsalted tortilla chips in the oven
26:24And spoon over the paprika spiked cheese rich velvety crab sauce
26:41For added firiness
26:42For added firiness I scatter over red hot chillies
26:46And sprinkle over finely chopped chives
26:59The perfect midnight feast
27:02The perfect midnight feast
27:22I'm beginning to get smoother as I do it
27:23Just ten seconds
27:25And then
27:28Make me stop
27:29Make me stop
27:30Kish
27:31In
27:35How are you
27:36So
27:37So
27:40No
27:42So
27:52So
28:02lid off off the heat just to carry on cooking in the residual heat which will mean it stays
28:09wonderfully juicy and there's no panic you just leave it there until you're ready to put it in
28:14your bowl and for god's sake okay
28:33by the time oh sorry got my garlic
28:57i can't say anything i'm talking eating so much my god it's so good