Here's a simple simple way with duck legs that I got from a Gordon Ramsay book. It's really just a basic spice rub, but is very low effort and tastes good:4 duck legs 1 tsp each of coriander, mace, and ginger (all ground)Mix the spices together.If they are wet, dry the legs with kitchen paper or cloth. Pierce the skin of the duck legs all over a with sharp implement*: the idea is that you go through the skin but not the meat, so the fat can come out as it renders. Rub the spices all over the legs and leave in the fridge for 2 hours or so. I'd get 'em out a bit early to warm up to room temp before cooking. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Roast starting skin side up for 45-50 mins (I'll normally leave them in longer), turning a couple of times. Be sure to drain the roasting tray of fat when it accumulates (you should get a fair bit) and save it in the fridge for future nefarious purposes. You want the skin to be crisp but not burned and the meat to be very tender but not collapsing. Better to overcook this one than undercook. Leave to rest (10 minutes, say) in a warm place before serving. *I have read that the very best thing to do this with is one of those cat brushes with hundreds of fine needle-like metal tines on a pillow-thingy (be sure to ask the cat's permission before using). I cannot vouch for this skin perforation method.

Fergus Henderson's Red Salad Maybe it's inappropriate to post it now with beetroot going out of season at the moment, but fuck it this is delicious. Serves 62 raw beetroot, peeled and finely grated ¼ raw red cabbage with its core cut out, very finely sliced1 small red onion, peeled, cut in half from top to bottom and finely sliced6 healthy dollops of crème fraîche2 healthy bunches of chervil, pickedFor the DressingHealthy splashes of extra virgin olive oilA little gesture of balsamic vinegarA small handful of extra-fine capersSea salt and black pepperMethodMix everything together for the dressing. Toss all your raw red vegetables in the dressing, then on six plates place a bushel of this red mixture.Next to this, nustle your blob of crème fraîche as if the two ingredients were good friends, not on top of each other as if they were lovers. Finally a clump of the chervil rested next to the other ingredients in the friendly fashion. A very striking salad ready for the eater to mess up.If you can't get chervil, you could try some parsley or tarragon or a mix of both.

Am I the only one still posting here or what?Anyway, this is another Simple Simple one from Simon Hopkinson (his wonderful Vegetarian Option book):Butter beans with sage, olive oil and dried chilliIf you prefer an even spicier flavour, you might like to use half olive oil and half chilli oil.Serves 4, generously300g dried butter beans750ml water or stock1 whole head of garlic, sliced in half across its middle3-4 sage sprigs3-4 small, dried red chillies4-5 tbsp olive oilsaltPut the beans into a large saucepan, cover with plenty of water (not the given amount) and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat, cover and leave for an hour. Drain and rinse under cold running water.Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Put the beans into a lidded, solid pot and cover with the 750ml of water or stock. Slowly bring to a simmer and skim off any scum that forms. Add all the other ingredients except the salt, and stir. Put on the lid and bake in the oven for about an hour, until the beans are tender. Only now should you add salt to taste.Ladle into shallow soup plates and serve warm, rather than piping hot, perhaps with a sprinkling of fine vinegar.Current bean science may dispute the soaking/salting advice but I'm not yet at the point of fiddling with a recipe that works so well. My only advice is to pay attention as the beans may be cooked to your liking sooner than 1 hour.

Pan fried fish.1 lb fish fillets. best to use something with moderate to firm texture, like perch, catfish, bluegill, tilapia, walleye, what-have-you. Tastes good with stuff like cod, but that's got a delicate texture and can fall apart in the pan.1/2 cup cornmeal1/2 cup bread crumbs (can also use flour, crushed cornflakes, panko)1 eggsalt & pepper1 tbsp butter, 1tbsp oilpat the fillets dry & salt each sidewhisk egg in a small bowlmix bread crumbs, cornmeal, & pepper on a plate. You can add other spices too. I'd recommend garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, midyett rub, and/or lemon pepper. Get creative & see what you like.melt butter in a large frying pan, medium heat, & add oil. You can go all-butter or all-oil, I like to mix them up to get the butter flavor & the oil helps keep the butter from smoking.dip one fillet in the whisked egg, let the excess drip off, press each side into the dry mix, shake off excess, place in pan. repeat with the rest of the fish.cook each side 2-4 minutes. shorter time for thinner fish, longer time for thicker fish.add lemon or malt vinegar or whatever if you like & eat up.Note - you can do this in an oven at 375 F (190 C) on a baking sheet w/ cooking spray or oil or butter, 8-12 minutes depending on thickness of the fish. melt an extra tablespoon of butter and pour it on top of the filet before putting in the oven. This is better for delicate fish. Best method is deep frying, but it's not simple dealing with all the oil and everything.Also note - get wild caught fish if you can. Tilapia sold in the states is usually farm-raised in a mud puddle in Vietnam or some shit but it's also usually cheapest - don't know if that's the case in the UK. If so, avoid it unless you're strapped for cash.

Madman Munt wrote:Current bean science Would see.

Here's another wot I dun recently! You'll want a healthy shoulder from a happy pig for this, so go to your preferred pig farmer to get the best quality meat. Ultra-Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder Recipe1 whole bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder, 8 to 12 pounds totalKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 250 °F.2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and set a wire rack inside it. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the wire rack. Season pork on all sides liberally with salt and pepper and place on parchment paper. Transfer to oven and roast until knife or fork inserted into side shows very little resistance when twisted, about 8 hours total. 3. Remove pork from oven and tent with foil. Let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. Increase oven to 500 °F and allow to preheat. Return pork to the oven and roast until skin is blistered and puffed, rotating every 5 minutes, about 20 minutes total. Remove from oven, tent with foil and allow to rest an additional 15 minutes.Full details here: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/ultra-crispy-slow-roasted-pork-shoulder-recipe.html

dosent get more simple than this. no need for hours of simmering and stirring, this is from cutting board to plate in under 15 minutes. fresh and rustic and the peak essence of summer eating.start boiling some water in a pot.meanwhile, you take yourself a big ripe heirloom tomato, ideally one you grew yourself or farmers market will do. some supermarkets now carry them as well from local farms. you have a narrow window to make this dish. now is the time. like this week. you will not get another chance until next summer.you take this tomato and you roughly dice it. i keep the skin and seeds. you heat yourself some extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and add to that a couple cloves of thinly sliced garlic. some red pepper flakes too. do NOT let the garlic burn! just a little bit of heat to soften it up. watch it like a hawk. under a minute.then you throw in that tomato. keep the heat nice and medium high. this is going to start to break down the tomato. this is a good thing. stir it every now and then.your pasta water is boiling, toss a good portion of salt in. then follow it up with whatever you prefer, maybe some bowties, three, four nice big handfuls. start timing it.keep an eye on your tomato sauce, you dont want all of the liquid to evaporate but you do want it to reduce a bit. season with a little salt, maybe throw in some fresh basil leaves as well. this whole thing is going to take 10 minutes max. conveniently, right about the same amount of time it will take your pasta to cook.drain your pasta right before your box says its al dente. with barilla id recommend taking it a little before they say to. dececco is usually right on the money.dump the pasta immediately into the pan with the tomato sauce. toss well. grate some fresh parmigiano-reggiano and dump a couple nice globules of ricotta on top as well.eat like a damn hell ass king.

heres another easy pasta dish.boil your water and get your pasta started. this sauce is even quicker than the one above so a little head start dosent hurt.slice up a clove or two of garlic, a fistful of parsley, grate yourself the zest of a lemon, and chop up some anchovies. maybe half a little tin.heat extra virgin olive oil in a pan. same deal as before, dont let it burn, toss in some pepper flakes as well. add in your chopped anchovies too and briefly stir. now, quickly grab some pasta water from the other pot and dump it into your saucepan. its gonna start to simmer nicely. now throw in your lemon zest and the parsley. season with a little salt and pepper. squeeze some fresh lemon juice in there too. youve got yourself a sauce. keep an eye on it and let it reduce down a little, but keep some extra pasta water on hand in case you need it. when the pasta is al dente, toss it with the sauce and add a little more reserved water as needed. dry is bad, you want lubrication. but not soupy. top with Parmesan.eat like a damn hell ass king.

Hello everybody! I have just found out that the building I'm going to be staying in at college this year is equipped with a student kitchen. This was unexpected! It means I will be able to try out some of the fantastic recipes posted in this thread. Che bello!