cured

Just a handful of ingredients makes a fantastic carbonara and, done properly, it’s a thing of beauty. 

Gennaro's classic spaghetti carbonara

g Parmesan cheese

x 150 g piece of higher-welfare pancetta

spaghetti

garlic

extra virgin olive oil

There are a number of ways to smoke salmon. You may be familiar with the fully cured smoked salmon, like lox, that you find on bagels or cured platters. It’s dense, often salty and fully cured and safe to eat without cooking with heat. There is also the option of hot smoking fresh salmon with little more than seasoning on the surface of the fish to affect the final product. This recipe, however, lives somewhere in between. By giving the the salmon a quick cure, you can force flavors into the flesh while pulling some of the water out and concentrating the flavors. The fish is not fully cured, so we finish it on the grill, which imparts smoke flavor and makes the fish safe to eat. The end product is flavorful, tender, juicy and quite versatile. Partially cured Hot Smoked Salmon is great served hot off the grill or cooled and eaten on salads, sandwiches or as a snack.

Hot Smoked Salmon

(1.5 salmon

brown sugar

maple syrup

salt

Orlando Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Cattleman's Grill California Tri-tip Seasoning

House of Q Slow Smoke Gold Mustard Sauce

Noble Saltworks Flaked Smoked Finishing Salt,

Combine the cure ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Place the salmon fillet skin side down in a shallow nonreactive container, like a baking/casserole dish. Pour the cure over the salmon. Place in the refrigerator. After two hours, turn the fish, flesh side down. Refrigerate for two more hours.

Remove the salmon from the dish and rinse with cool water. Rinse out the baking/casserole dish  and dry with a towel. Return the salmon to the dish and place in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours, to form the pellicle.

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill to 250ºF, set up for smoking.

Place the salmon on the second shelf of the smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 120ºF. At this time, combine the ingredients for the glaze and brush the glaze onto the flesh of the salmon. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 140ºF. Remove from the grill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmSsOiG919E

Chef Tom hot smokes some beautiful, quick-cured, wild Sockeye salmon on the Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill!

Similar to beef jerky in the USA, biltong is, without a doubt, the most popular meat snack in South Africa. Although its preparation method might seem simple or even primitive at first sight, it is actually a m&eacute;lange of culinary knowledge and ingredients gathered across three continents &mdash; Africa, Europe, and Asia. The first step is to prepare the meat. Unlike the modern versions, which are most commonly based on quality cuts of beef, such as silverside or topside, the classic approach calls for game meat, while extravagant versions include ostrich or crocodile meat. The meat is cut into thin and long strips along the grain and seasoned with salt. After one hour, the salt is scraped off, and the meat is brushed with, or dipped into, vinegar whose purpose is to kill the potentially life-threatening bacteria. Sometimes, Worcestershire sauce and sugar are combined with the vinegar to achieve a richer flavor. Next, the meat is rubbed with a combination of spices &mdash; coriander and pepper are mandatory, while additional options include cloves, garlic, paprika, chili flakes, or a specialized store-bought blend simply called biltong spice. Hanging the meat and drying it is the next and final step &mdash; it can be done in a well-ventilated room, in an oven at low temperature, in a specialized homemade biltong box heated by a light bulb, or in more sophisticated biltong drying machines. The length of drying can vary from 3 to up to 7 days, depending on the desired texture &mdash; dry, moist, or in-between. After drying, biltong is kept in a refrigerator, or in a vacuum-sealed plastic wrap. As for serving, biltong is typically cut in thin slices or diced and offered as a snack, but it can become an ingredient of almost any dish, ranging from spreads, p&acirc;t&eacute;s, salads, soups, and stews, to quiches and even pizza.

Biltong

beef (preferably silverside)

black pepper

coriander

vinegar

A firm favourite from my travels, this beautiful, delicate dish sums up everything I love about Swedish food: it’s elegant, clean and fresh, it looks incredible and is a doddle to make. You’ll be so proud when you see the finished result.

Gravadlax

beets

g rock salt

sugar

vodka

dill (60 grams)

lemon

g horseradish

My darkly decadent red cabbage is truly delicious with bold flavours that people are going to go nuts for. This sweet and sour combination is all about maximum impact with minimal effort. An absolute gem of a dish to bring colour to your table.

Chorizo & pear red cabbage

chorizo

fennel seeds

red onion

red cabbage (1kg)

pears

Tomato, red wine & chorizo risotto

olive oil

shallots

½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15 grams)

750 milliliters–1 litre of organic chicken or vegetable stock

x plum tomatoes

300 g risotto rice

ml red wine

Parmesan cheese

The spicy sausage really fires up the light carbonara sauce – a great combo with the zesty salad! 

Chorizo carbonara

pine nuts

red chicory

green chicory

clementines

100 g baby spinach

mint

45 g Manchego cheese

sherry vinegar

runny honey

320 g dried penne

70 g Iberico chorizo

red chilli

rosemary

fat-free natural yoghurt

Potato & chorizo breakfast hash

onion

potatoes

parsley

eggs

These simple, salted egg yolks are a great garnish for salads, pastas or avocado on toast. Forget Parmesan and get grating these unusual umami yolks

Salted egg yolks

fine salt

Cover the base of a container about 2cm deep in fine salt (crunchy won&rsquo;t work).

Use the back of a tablespoon to make as many dents in the salt as there are yolks to cure.

Separate the yolks well so there is no white at all attached, then carefully sit them in the dents.

Completely cover the eggs with more salt. Leave in the fridge for eight hours, or overnight.

The next day, remove the yolks &ndash; they will have hardened to the texture of a sticky gummy sweet.

Wash them under cold water, dry them carefully on kitchen paper and marvel at how much they resemble dried apricots.

Heat your oven to its lowest setting (60C/fan 40C/gas 1 /4 is ideal) and dry the yolks on an oiled cooling rack for three hours until dry and hard.

Once they have cooled, the yolks are ready to finely grate. Amazingly, they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

This is a celebration of delicious, sweet peas and is proper comfort food. It’s super-simple and quick to put together, and the beautiful sweetness of the peas is contrasted brilliantly by the salty depth of flavour from the guanciale. Pecorino is the Roman cheese of choice, made with sheep’s milk, and worth hunting out.

Tortiglioni

peas

80 g piece of higher-welfare guanciale (cured pig’s cheek) or smoked pancetta

½ a bunch of fresh mint (15 grams)

g pecorino cheese

pea shoots to serve (optional)

This dish will change fish suppers forever! What I love about this recipe is it’s a really foolproof way to cook fish perfectly, every time. And with just five ingredients and a total cook time of about 15 minutes, this one is about beautiful flavour, fast.

Smoky pancetta cod

rashers of higher-welfare smoked pancetta

fish

x 250 g sachet of cooked lentils

spinach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEYSq5x1RNI

If you want to try curing your own meat, this salted duck breast is easy, flavourful and will make you feel like a true kitchen pro

Duck Ham

thyme

tsp black peppercorns

cloves

bay leaf

flaky sea salt

golden caster sugar

duck breast (about 250 grams)

Using a pestle and mortar, roughly crush the thyme, peppercorns, cloves, garlic and bay. Tip into a bowl with the salt and sugar, and mix everything together thoroughly. Lightly score the skin on the breast in a criss-cross pattern.

Scatter about a third of the salt mixture into a container that will hold the duck breast snugly. Lay the duck, flesh-side down, on the salt and cover with the remaining mixture. Cover tightly with cling film or a lid and leave in the fridge for 3 days.

Remove the duck from the mixture, rinse under cold water, then dry well with kitchen paper. The ham is now ready to thinly slice and serve on its own or in a salad. Wrapped in cling film, it will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Green tomato relish

kgs Green tomatoes, chopped (Main)

kg Onions, chopped

Salt

½ kgs Sugar

tsp Allspice, ground

tsp Ground black pepper

Malt vinegar, use enough to almost cover vegetables

Tbsp Ground turmeric

g mustard

Tbsp Cornflour

Cayenne pepper

Mix chopped vegetables with salt and leave overnight in fridge, or for at least 8 hours.

Drain off brine. Put vegetables, sugar, allspice and pepper in saucepan. Pour in enough vinegar to almost cover. Boil for 30 minutes.

Mix turmeric, mustard, cornflour and cayenne pepper to a paste with a little water and stir into mixture to thicken. Boil another 5 minutes. Bottle in hot sterilised jars.

Smoky chorizo salmon

salmon

300 g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes

basil

black olives (stone in)

g higher-welfare chorizo

This super-speedy soup utilizes freezer staples peas and spinach, both of which give us vitamin C, helping us to absorb the all-important iron contained in the pasta.

Cheat's pea soup

spring onions

300 g frozen peas

300 g frozen chopped spinach

g higher-welfare smoked ham

300 g dried wholewheat fusilli

feta cheese

Corned beef is made from brisket that is cured over multiple days in a salt and sugar mixture seasoned with pickling spices like peppercorns, cloves, coriander etc.

Reuben Sandwich

pink curing salt

garlic, (smashed)

bay leaves

mustard seeds

coriander seeds

peppercorns

allspice

(3½-pound) beef brisket, fat

yellow onion, (quartered)

(12-ounce) bottles lager beer

mayonnaise

ketchup

cornichons

garlic, (minced)

white vinegar

worcestershire

Slices rye, dark rye or marble rye bread

deli-sliced Swiss cheese

sauerkraut, (drained)

To brine the brisket bring a large pot of water over medium heat and stir in both salts, sugar, garlic, bay leaves, cloves, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and allspice, stirring until the mixture is warm and the salt and sugar is completely dissolved.

Let the brine come to room temperature then add to a container large enough to fit the brine and the brisket. Add the brisket and weight the meat down with something heavy like a plate. Cover and refrigerate for 5 days, turning once a day.

When ready to cook the brisket, remove it from the brine and rinse it completely.

Heat oven to 300ºF (150ºC). Place brisket in a baking dish large enough to hold the brisket. Arrange onion around the side and pour the beer over the top. Add just enough water until the brisket is covered.

Tightly cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Let cook until the tender enough that a fork can easily be inserted into the meat, about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Let cool then remove to a cutting board and thinly slice. Keep the meat in the cooking liquid until ready to use, for up to 3 days.

For the corned beef brisket:

Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made up to a week in advance.

For the Russian dressing:

Heat oven to broil. Toast the slices of bread then spread 2 tablespoons of the Russian dressing over each of the bottom slices of bread followed by slices of corned beef, topped with two slices of Swiss cheese.

Add to an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the cheese is melted. Top with ¼ cup of sauerkraut and spread an additional 2 tablespoons of Russian dressing on the top slices of bread. Close the sandwiches and slice in half. Serve immediately with a side of pickles

For assembly:

I’ve made a few paellas in my time. The biggest one was for about 800 people in a village in Spain and it was hard work, but an incredible experience. The Spanish can be quite protective about what is and what isn’t a paella, but at the same time, the spirit of their cooking has always been flexible to whatever meat, fish, seafood or game can be found. I’ve eaten and enjoyed many paellas, and I hope you like my humble, great-value expression of one.

Chicken & chorizo paella

carrot

free-range chicken thighs skin off, bone out

sweet smoked paprika

red pepper

tomato purée

chicken stock cube

300 g paella rice

g frozen peas

200 g frozen peeled cooked prawns from sustainable sources

This is a great way to use up chicken you’ve been poaching for a stock (see Fresh Tomato Broth). Otherwise, use any leftover chicken you have and scale down the other ingredients accordingly. 

Leftover chicken with tomatoes & crispy chorizo

yellow pepper

orange pepper

kg ripe mixed-colour tomatoes

oregano

sweet paprika

kg free-range poached chicken

chicken stock

chorizo sausages (roughly 250 grams)

crème fraîche

balsamic vinegar

Zingy and fresh, these barbecue prawns are an absolute joy to eat. Watermelon is just so refreshing in summer, and the hum of onion, crunch of cucumber and sprinkling of tangy feta make this salad the perfect accompaniment.

Butterflied prawn skewers

Top 20 cured recipes from across the web

The most viewed cured recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Gennaro's classic spaghetti carbona...

Hot Smoked Salmon

Biltong

Gravadlax

Chorizo & pear red cabbage

Tomato, red wine & chorizo risotto

Chorizo carbonara

Potato & chorizo breakfast hash

Salted egg yolks

Tortiglioni

Smoky pancetta cod

Duck Ham

Green tomato relish

Smoky chorizo salmon

Cheat's pea soup

Reuben Sandwich

Chicken & chorizo paella

Leftover chicken with tomatoes & cr...

Butterflied prawn skewers

One-pan huevos rancheros

Top 20 cured recipes from across the web

The most viewed cured recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Gennaro's classic spaghetti carbona...

Hot Smoked Salmon

Biltong

Gravadlax

Chorizo & pear red cabbage

Tomato, red wine & chorizo risotto

Chorizo carbonara

Potato & chorizo breakfast hash

Salted egg yolks

Tortiglioni

Smoky pancetta cod

Duck Ham

Green tomato relish

Smoky chorizo salmon

Cheat's pea soup

Reuben Sandwich

Chicken & chorizo paella

Leftover chicken with tomatoes & cr...

Butterflied prawn skewers

One-pan huevos rancheros

The most viewed cured recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine