On the Side by Ed Smith
February 13, 2018 by Jenny
Do not let the unassuming
cover fool you, On the Side: A Sourcebook of Inspiring Side
Dishes is a stunningly photographed cookbook packed with
tempting recipes that we all want to cook and eat. This title also
made the top ten best of the best cookbooks of
2017 from information gathered from UK sources and I now
know why!
Smith left his career as a lawyer to train as a chef in 2012. There seems to be a great deal of that type of thing happening (business professionals turning toward food careers). Presently, he is a food writer and Creative Director of British cured meat wholesalers and retailers, Cannon & Cannon, based in London’s Borough Market. Smith also authors the food blog Rocket & Squash.
In On the Side, the humble side dish is brought
front and center, where it should be. How many of us would be happy
with just turkey or ham on the table during the holidays with no
bowls of steaming potatoes or roasted vegetables? Not me. I want
Sweet potato, celeriac and porcini bake, Curry leaf, cashew and
coconut rice, or Spiced roast carrots on my plate.
140 plus recipes are spread out over four chapters: Greens, leaves
and herbs; Vegetables, fruit, flowers and bulbs; Roots,
squash and potatoes; and Grains, pulses, pasta and rice. A recipe
directory entitled What’s your main dish? takes the guess
work out of which side would best complement your main dish.
Where is the side dish prepared is another directory
that specifies: counter, hob, oven, or hob and in the oven. Big
family meal and the oven is full? Check out that directory for a
side that can be made on the counter (no cooking) or on the hob
(stove top). Lastly, How long does it take to
make? indexes the recipes by time committment from less
than 15 minutes through more than an hour.
This is a book I will turn to time and again. I just received the title on Saturday and knew I wanted to make something straight away. The Roman rosemary polenta was my choice to serve my Steak pizziaola and what a perfect choice it was. I used an additional 1/4 cup of milk and two tablespoons of butter (warmed together) to loosen the polenta before serving. The essence of rosemary was subtle and truly magical in the polenta. My husband and son were crazy about the dish but I cannot use the words Andrew used to describe it (if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen his declaration). It was rated NSFEYB (Not suitable for Eat Your Books).
Special thanks to the publisher, Bloomsbury, for providing the original version of this fantastic recipe to share with our readers. Next time I will follow through and make the polenta cakes, if I can stop myself from eating the polenta right out of the pot.
Roman rosemary polenta
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These rosemary-infused squares
of set-then-baked polenta are, to me, more satisfying than polenta
‘chips’, which never live up to their name. I’d serve them with
almost any tomato sauce-based dish, but also next to chargrilled
lamb chops, chicken thighs in a cheesy sauce or as part of a
meat-free medley. There’s a bit of work involved, but the first two
steps can be done in advance of eating. Also: it’s worth it.
The instructions below are to suit polenta that hasn’t been pre-cooked. If you have the instant or quick-cook type, follow the instructions on the packet, replacing the water with milk, then pick up the method when the cheese and butter are added.
INGREDIENTS
- 800 ml milk
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 150g polenta
- light olive oil, for greasing
- 70g butter, cubed
- 80g parmesan, grated
- sea salt
Method
Put the milk and 2 of the rosemary sprigs in a large saucepan, bring to a rapid simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 25 minutes, then discard the rosemary.
Sprinkle the polenta into the pan in a slow, steady stream, stirring continuously. At first it will seem as though there’s far too much milk, but after 3-5 minutes the polenta will swell and thicken. Continue to stir vigorously, almost without interruption, for 10-15 minutes over a low heat. Once the grains are less visible and the polenta starts to become smooth, reduce the heat to very low and cook for 10 minutes more, beating it frequently. Add some extra water to loosen the mixture if necessary.
Meanwhile, line an approximately 20 x 20cm baking tray with baking parchment and grease the paper with 1 tablespoon oil. When the polenta is cooked, smooth and slick, add 40g of the butter and 60g of the Parmesan and beat well, season with salt, then pour it into the lined tray. Use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to push and smooth the polenta into the corners to an even depth of around 3cm. Leave to cool, then put in the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Once the polenta has cooled and set, turn it out onto a clean work surface and cut into 5cm squares. Place these smooth-side up on a larger lightly oiled baking tray (or two), leaving a little space around them. Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Strip the leaves from the remaining rosemary and chop them very finely. Melt the remaining butter and pour or brush this over the polenta squares. Sprinkle the rosemary over the top, then finish with the remaining Parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool and firm up for 5 minutes before serving.
Roman rosemary polenta recipe excerpted from On the Side by Ed Smith, Bloomsbury Publishing 2017© and used with permission. Photos here by Jenny Hartin.
The publisher is offering two copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and UK. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you try first?
Please note that you must be logged
into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be
counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure
to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications.
Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you
are not already a Member, you can
join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on March
22nd, 2018.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Steak pizzaiola
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button).
To the left is the polenta with my version of Steak pizziaola. A few of you asked for my recipe and I’m sharing it here for you.
3 lb. beef chuck roast
2 gloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
2 large cans (28 oz each) of crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning mix
1 teaspoon of salt *or more to
taste
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Depending on the acidity of the tomatoes – 1/2 tsp of sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper to season the meat before searing
Preheat the oven to 325F
Fifteen minutes before searing the meat, take the roast out and pat both sides with a paper towel to remove any moisture (so that you get a nice sear)
In a large shallow dutch oven add the olive oil and two tablespoons of butter and turn the temperature to medium high. Salt and pepper both sides of the meat generously. When the butter is melted and the oil is hot, sear the meat. Five minutes on each side. Don’t peek – I set the timer and walk away because I have been found guilty of peeking.
Once seared, scoot the meat over a
bit. Add a little more olive oil, if needed, and toss in the
garlic, onions and Italian seasoning and cook for a minute or
two. Add the two cans of crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper,
sugar and stir. Let come to a simmer and watch out for that
bubbling sauce so you don’t get splattered.
Cover the pot and place in the oven to cook for anywhere from 2
1/2 to 3 1/2 hours. This always changes for me – after 2 hours I
check the meat with a fork for tenderness and to see if the pot
needs more liquid. Yesterday the roast took the full 3 1/2 hours to
become fall apart tender and I needed to add 1/2 cup of water (or
1/2 cup of beef broth if you have it) to loosen as it thickened as
it cooked down. Serve over pasta or over this delicious
polenta.
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