This week was my favourite Leiths lesson so far. We made chilli squid salad for our savoury dish and individual amaretti pavlovas for dessert. They were both amazing and very photogenic, as you can see. I took my camera along for the first time and I’m almost tempted to just let the pictures speak for themselves. Instead I’ve given you pictures and words – including a primer on how to clean a squid.
Individual amaretto pavlovas
We made the pavlova cases first. It’s very similar to a meringue with a base of whisked egg whites and sugar but pavlova mix also includes cornflour, vanilla essence and vinegar (or lemon juice). This gives it a chewy consistency that is slightly different to the brittleness of old-fashioned meringues. We also put in a pinch of salt, which is good for very fresh eggs as it mimics albumen and makes the egg whites stronger. The trick with meringues or pavlova is to be patient and add the sugar in a little at a time, whisking the whites back into stiff peaks each time. We divided our mix into four blobs and created an indentation in the middle with the back of a spoon. We baked on silica paper as it will stick to greaseproof paper and left them in the oven for about 45 minutes. We waited until they were completely cool before attempting to remove them from the paper, if they are still warm the pavlova can break and half stays on the paper.
We came back to the pavlovas after the squid. Our teachers filled and decorated a couple as a demonstration to us, while we took home the filling: whipped, sweetened cream; raspberries; rasberries coulis; chocolate cake soaked in amaretto; and crumbled amaretti biscuits. (Other suggestions included mint and chocolate shapes made from melting chocolate and piping it through a paper cone – which the teachers demonstrated but we didn’t get the chance to attempt). The pavlovas should be filled just before serving otherwise the cream can make the meringue soggy – though apparently if you fill the pavlova case with a chocolate lining, this makes it impervious to cream. My fiance and I had a pavlova each for dessert the following night and I have stored the other two cases in an airtight container in the cupboard – apparently they’ll keep for weeks.
Chilli salt squid with feta, rocket and black olives
To prepare the squid, we started by cleaning the squid. I done this before and I actually really enjoy it. Although I get some strange looks when I tell people I like it, I’ve also found that I’m definitely not the only one. It’s very tactile and sensual and because it’s utterly alien and nothing like a mammal, it’s not gruesome at all. It sounds gruesome but in real life it’s fine – nothing like the chicken livers. The best bit is pulling out the quill – it looks like a plastic feather and is delightfully odd.
Here’s a quick lesson on squid if you have never prepared it before. You can usually get your fishmonger to do this if you prefer, but I recommend trying this at least once – it’s not that hard.
- * The edible bits are the wings, the head and the tentacles and you want to throw away the internal organs, the eyes and beak and the quill.
- * You can basically pull the wings off, or cut them if you prefer, and this is edible; slightly tougher than the rest of the squid because it’s what they use to swim but still very good.
- * Then you cut off the tentacles under the eyes and put the tentacles aside to use. If the beak stayed with the eyes then fine, but if it came with the tentacles then you will have to pick it out and discard it.
- * Then you pull the eyes and organs (which are yellow and gooey) out from inside the head (it will come apart easily) and discard.
- * You are now left with the tentacles, head and wings. Use a piece of kitchen towel to rub off the membranes.
- * You might want to cut the tentacles to standardise the length. The head can either be sliced into rings like calamari, or you can slice it open, score it and cut small chunks for cooking.
- * Don’t worry if there is black ink everywhere – this is edible. You can wash it if you like but make sure you dry it completely if you are deep-frying to avoid vicious oil spitting.
I have cooked squid previously and my usual method is to marinate it in lemon and black pepper and then cook it on the barbecue or lightly fry it. I cook it for just enough time for it to turn white and then it’s done; over-cooked squid is rubbery and nasty.
At Leiths we followed a cracking recipe for chilli salt squid with feta, rocket and black olives by Marianne Lumb. It’s deep fried so it’s not as healthy but it’s incredibly tasty and would make a lovely starter at a dinner party or a light supper. We coated the pieces of squid in a little flour mixed with sea salt and chilli powder (cayenne pepper is also an option). We were warned not to use too much flour as otherwise it can go gluggy. We had a pot full of cooking oil that we brought the boil and we could judge the oil was hot enough when it took 15 seconds for a piece of bread to go brown. If it takes less time, the oil is too hot; if it takes more time, it’s not hot enough and the bread/squid will simply soak up excess oil. Then we cooked the squid in batches, taking care to lower it into the oil with a slotted spoon to avoid splashing. It took about 20 seconds (slightly longer than the bread) for the squid to go golden brown, at which point we removed it from the oil and left it to drain on kitchen towel with a little salt sprinkled over the squid to help absorb oil.
The squid was amazingly good – tender and crisp around the outside with a lovely tangy flavour. Even better when served in a salad with rocket, black olives, feta and lime juice. Yum! We ate the squid salad in class since it doesn’t keep well.
Next week: Wood pigeon and black pudding salad; apple strudel. Don’t forget to subscribe.
[...] You need to make the meringue cases in advance – I had them left over from my Leiths course. [...]