Kitchen Press is a new, independent publisher specialising in food writing. It aims, through lovingly crafted bespoke cookbooks, to connect innovative chefs, expert food writers and independent restauranteurs with customers and others around the world who love food.

We believe that the whole experience of reading about food and cooking should be as pleasurable and inspiring as eating it, and we want to help promote the people and places doing that best.

Our News

Cheesy Scallops

cheesy scallops in the shell
Cheesy scallops topped with melted cheese
Photo by Clair Irwin

From The Seafood Shack – Food & Tales from Ullapool

by Kirsty Scobie & Fenella Renwick

Honestly, if you love scallops and you love cheese this is a must-do recipe! It is also a great crowd pleaser so perfect if you’ve got pals over
for dinner.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 16 scallops, shucked
  • glug of vegetable oil
  • a small handful of parsley, chopped
  • 4 lemon wedges
  • salt and black pepper
For the cheese sauce:
  • 50g butter
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1/2 vegetable stock cube
  • 300ml whole milk
  • 200g cheese, grated, plus extra for the top (we use a mix of Parmesan and Gruyère)

Also, 8 curved scallop shells, cleaned

How to make your Cheesy Scallops

Make your cheese sauce first. Melt your butter in a pan on a medium heat, then stir in your plain flour and the crumbled stock cube. Cook this off for a few minutes, stirring constantly so the flour doesn’t burn. Slowly pour in the milk, constantly whisking until you have a thick, smooth white sauce. There are no rules so add more or less milk depending on how thick you like your cheese sauce. Now stir in your cheese and keep on a low heat until it has melted.

Set your grill to a high heat. Dry the scallops well on kitchen roll to stop them spitting when you add them to the pan. Put the frying pan on a high heat and add the oil. When it’s good and hot, put in the scallops. You want to hear them sizzle – if they don’t, your oil isn’t hot enough. Don’t move them around in the pan, just let them fry for a minute and get a nice caramel colour. Season, then flip them over, season again and cook for a minute on the other side.

Now place two scallops in each shell and pour over some of the cheese sauce. Finish with some grated Parmesan, then put under the hot grill on a baking tray until the cheese starts to brown and caramelise. Serve with some chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon.

Buy The Seafood Shack – Food & Tales from Ullapool here

CHICKEN KORMA

Street view of Brick Lane Market

Picture of a bowl of Chicken Korma and a plate of pilau rice with peas.

From Brick Lane Cookbook

by Dina Begum

Chicken korma cooked at home is unlike any restaurant version (which I would never eat). Originating from Mughlai cuisine, a real korma is rich, decadent and very special. It’s usually made with a mixture of whole spices, yoghurt and ghee, and cooked slowly to create a depth of flavour you really can’t get in a hurry. There are none of the colourings or sugar you get when you order the curry house version. Sometimes a little nut paste is added which makes the dish even more opulent and perfect for feasting. There are many variations of korma across the Indian subcontinent and I’ve based mine on the ones I’ve grown up eating. I use Greek yoghurt for a mellow, creamy flavour, less tangy than natural yoghurt. Whole green chillies are used for fragrance instead of heat so don’t be tempted to cut them as korma is meant to be mild. I find that a mixture of thigh and breast meat gives the best result, but you can use one or the other if you prefer.

  • 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 5cm piece ginger, roughly chopped
  • 100ml oil
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp panch phoron
  • 3 medium onions, finely sliced
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 dried red chillies
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 cardamom pods
  • 4 cloves
  • 6 black peppercorns
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 1/3 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/3 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
  • 800g skinless chicken breast and thigh meat, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 300g Greek yoghurt
  • 6 whole green chillies

To make your chicken korma

Crush the garlic and ginger together in a mortar and pestle. Heat the oil and ghee in a large pan on medium-high heat and add the garlic, ginger and panch phoron. After a minute add the onions, salt, dried red chillies, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, black pep- percorns, cinnamon sticks and star anise and sauté until golden – around ten minutes. Add 200ml water, cover and simmer on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the onions have broken up and the oil has separated.

Keep checking regularly and if the mixture gets too dry or catches at the bottom of the pan add a dash of water and continue cooking.

At this point stir in the cumin, coriander, chilli powder and turmeric and turn up the heat to medium. Cook for two to three minutes until the spices are fragrant and have separated from the oil. If the mixture gets too dry, add a dash of water so the spices don’t burn then cover and cook for a few minutes. Now take the chicken pieces and add them to the pan. Stir this around for a couple of minutes to seal the meat, then cover and cook for ten minutes, checking now and then to make sure nothing’s burning. Towards the end of the ten minutes you’ll notice the chicken releasing moisture – which indicates that it’s almost fully cooked.

Take the pan off the heat, wait for a minute and then gradually add the yoghurt, a little at a time so it doesn’t curdle. Finally, toss in the green chillies, return the pan to a very low heat and simmer for another eight to ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and the gravy is thick and silky. Serve with my easy pilau rice with peas.

Cook’s tip – to ensure the very best chicken korma it is absolutely essential that you take your time over the onions. They should slowly soften, until they almost caramelise and disintegrate. Add a dash of water now and then if they brown too quickly and be patient!

Kev’s Bean Soup

A delicious bowl of vegan bean soup

 

Recipe by Kirsten Gilmour from The Mountain Cafe Cookbook

Another beast of a recipe from big Kev, Kirsten’s favourite vegan hippy mountain-biking chef! Perfect as the nights draw in…

A delicious bowl of vegan bean soup
  • I use a mixture of adzuki, pinto and cannellini beans in this soup but it’s up to you what you use. Tinned beans are also fine – just drain and rinse them, then add them into the soup once it’s three-quarters cooked so they don’t turn to mush. 
  • Always check packets of dried beans to see if they need to be soaked overnight, rinsed or hardboiled before using. Here are general rules for the beans I use: for cannellini, kidney or black-eye beans, soak overnight, rinse and hard boil for ten minutes; for adzuki or pinto beans, just rinse.
  • Much to Kev’s horror, this soup is awesome with crispy pancetta and Parmesan shavings on top. 

Vegan, Wheat free, Gluten Free

Serves 4

  • 140g mixed dried beans, soaked and preboiled as needed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 1 small pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 small courgette, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 handful basil, chopped
  • 1 handful parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 litre vegetable stock (or 2 stock cubes dissolved in 1 litre hot water)
  • ½ x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Wash your prepared beans well with fresh water and leave to drain in a sieve while you prepare your veggies. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, pepper, courgette, garlic, chilli, basil and parsley and sauté until everything is glossy and starting to soften but not taking on any colour. Stir in the paprika and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for another couple of minutes. Mix in the drained beans, then pour over your stock and the tinned tomatoes. Bring up to a light boil for 30 to 40 minutes until the beans are absolutely tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and some more chopped fresh herbs if you want. I sometimes stir in a spoon of tomato purée at the end to add depth and richness to the soup.

©2011-2021 Kitchen Press. All rights reserved.