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9/6/2016 0 Comments

VEGETABLE PERFECTION IN WAITROSE WEEKEND

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VEGETABLE PERFECTION

by Mat Follas, Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99
Aimed at: adventurous carnivores, flexitarians

As a Kiwi prone to understatement, he doesn't want to say it, but writing this book may have changed Mat Follas's life.
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​'That's such a MasterChef thing to say,' he groans (he won the show in 2009). 'But yes, it's certainly changed the way I cook and the way I eat. Actually, it has for the whole family. My third favourite meat is aubergine,' he explains.
'I began writing it thinking most good dishes could be improved with the addition of some meat. Now, I'm certain that's not true. I am pretty sure that vegetables are the real jewels. You can tell from the kids, they either don't notice or they ask for certain dishes. There's a tomato and fennel lasagne in the book that we eat an awful lot of.'
Follas (right) had tried being a vegetarian ​when he was a teenager but it didn't stick because he soon tired of bean
burgers and unexciting risottos. But it's clear that, nowadays, quality of produce means that more is possible and so there's a definite air of the born-again about Follas when he gets on a roll. He's someone who is passionate enough to convert people - even if he makes statements which could sound like sacrilege to dedicated flesh eaters.
'Chorizo is irrelevant,' he proclaims. 'Well, almost. I've not found a good vegetarian chorizo but I do think you can recreate the effects in a cassoulet. That's been a big step for me.
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It takes some time. I think you have to admit that if you're cooking vegetarian, it might take you a bit more prep but the results are worth it.' The book covers a lot of bases, from straightforward cauliflower cheese (albeit with four different cheeses) to the spectacular looking carrot and beetroot terrine, or a nettle and wild garlic soup with a poached egg. There's a lot of show-off, dinner-party stuff as well as everyday favourites.
​Recipes can be complex but are explained in intricate detail - the chopping sizes of almost everything is included. This is a book for people who find comfort in precision but it is also filled with enough ideas to make it extremely useful for those of us who like throwing in handfuls of ingredients.
It's just a very solid, good cookbook and is an excellent place to start if you want to begin cooking with less meat.
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30/4/2016 0 Comments

Recipe from 'Fish' book in The Telegraph

​The Telegraph
30 April 2016
​The best fish recipes
It's healthy, quick to cook, versatile and most importantly, delicious - no wonder so many chefs say that fish is their favourite food to serve up. ​Here, we've gathered the very best fish recipes, whether you're in the mood for a quick midweek salad or an indulgent Saturday night curry. Buy the freshest you can, and always try to make sure your fish is sustainable. ​​Happy eating.


​​Fish Pie with Parsley & Plaice


​​​INGREDIENTS
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8 rashers smoked streaky bacon (optional), sliced into squares
1 brown onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
50g butter
1l fish stock
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 5mm cubes
100ml double cream
50g grated Gruyère cheese
Large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp cornflour
600g plaice fillet, skinned, boned and roughly chopped
350g readymade puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
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METHOD
Put the bacon, onion and garlic in a large saucepan with a little butter (or use all of the butter if you decide not to use bacon). Fry over a gentle heat until the onion and garlic are translucent and the bacon is cooked and just starting to brown.

Add the stock and simmer until the stock has reduced by half.  Add the potatoes and simmer for five minutes, then add the cream, cheese and parsley and simmer for another five minutes. Stir and taste.

Add a pinch of salt, if needed, and the white pepper.  Mix the cornflour with a spoonful or two of the sauce, then add this back to the sauce and stir through to thicken it.
 Allow to cool completely, then add the plaice and chill.  

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.  Roll out 200g of the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm and use it to cover the bottom and sides of a deep 30cm round casserole dish.

Prick the base all over with a fork. Cover the base with foil and fill with baking beans, then bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, remove the beans and foil, then glaze with beaten egg and bake for a second time, for two minutes, to seal the pastry.

Reduce the heat to 160C/320F/Gas 3.  Roll out the remaining pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thickness.

Fill the pie base with the chilled mixture, then cover with the pastry.  Using leftover pastry, make fish and seafood shapes to decorate the top.
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Glaze with beaten egg and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Serve while hot with salad or new potatoes, if desired.

Recipe from 'Fish' by Mat Follas (RPS, £19.99)
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14/4/2016 0 Comments

Vegetable Perfection is published

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'Move over Meat' was the headline in the NY Times Weekend

"More than ever before modern chefs use interesting new cooking techniques and ingredients to boost texture, add depth of flavour and make so much more of humble carrots, kale and cauliflower. 

Vegetable dishes are now storming the menus at some of the world s best restaurants where chefs are treating fresh vegetable produce with the reverence it deserves and turning ingredients that used to be reserved for side dishes into centrepieces. MasterChef winner Mat Follas uses his considerable culinary skills and understanding of flavour to create a collection of wow-factor vegetable recipes for vegans, vegetarians and non-veggies alike.

Organized by type of produce, there are recipes for root veg, green veg, alliums and bulbs, potatoes and squash, legumes and pods, sweet vegetables, shoots and stems, mushroom and funghi, as well as basic recipes for a well-stocked chef's storecupboard. 

Choose from Smoked Parsnips with Pear & Blue Cheese, Cauliflower & Truffle Pate, Red Cabbage & Burnt Aubergine Baba Ganoush, Kale Gnocchi, Kimchi, Spring Pistou Soup, Nettle & Wild Garlic Soup with Gruyere Toasts, Red Onion Tarte Tatin, Warm Salad of Samphire, Chilli & Shallots, Pea Panna Cotta, Pizza Bianca, BBQ Sweetcorn with Gochujang Sauce, Spaghetti Puttanesca, Artichoke Frittata, Champagne Mushrooms, Fennel & Roast Tomato Lasagne or a selection of versatile sauces, ketchups, chutneys, pickles, pestos and oils. 
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Whether you want a revitalizing juice to start the day, a quick summer salad, a slow-roasted winter bake or a new way to preserve an abundance of seasonal produce, you'll find plenty of fresh inspiration here."

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6/4/2016 0 Comments

On the telly tonight ... BBC MASTERCHEF

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17/3/2016 0 Comments

We're open !

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Celebrating Poundbury Magazine
It's a great week for the Buttermarket in Poundbury. Today Mat Follas, his wife Amanda and Kate, officially open the doors to Bramble Cafe & Deli in the beautiful Pediment building by Morrish Builders. We've seen the menu and it looks delicious - we'll certainly be in for the mac 'n' cheese. It is open 8.30-4.30 daily for breakfast, lunch and snacks. Good luck for your first week‬.
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