The real food problem

I'VE got a friend who many must think has more money than sense. Tradesmen see him a mile off and make a beeline for his door. It’s not as if he’s stupid; in fact he’s actually very successful at what he does and has made quite a lot of money.

However, when it comes to the practicalities of life, that’s where he’s sadly lacking. I used to say that he didn't know which end of a screwdriver to use to knock a nail in. Now it seems a local builder got wind because it appears he’s been taken for a ride by an apprentice from Rogue Traders with whom he’s signed up for more work than he needs, in a way that could be done so much better, so much quicker and so much cheaper.

I'm lucky when it comes to things like this. I may not have had the success in business that he’s had but, thanks to my engineering background, when I employ a builder, I have some idea about what’s going on and therefore I'm not at his mercy. I'm not an expert, but I know my ridge tile from my rafter, whereas my mate thinks the former is found in the bathroom and the latter designs lifeboats.

I've also got something else over my mate because, while watching the job being done and when standing back once it’s finished, I can gain a certain pleasure from appreciating the level of workmanship because, after all, I might have been able to have a go myself.

Musicians must be the same. While most of us like listening to a bit of music and find it a very important part of life, someone who’s been professionally trained, or at least knows a bit about the subject, will be able to get that extra bit of pleasure from understanding the technique and appreciating the skill used.

And so to food. Eating’s an even more important part of life than listening to music and yet fewer and fewer people seem to have an understanding about what they’re eating. Content to nod acceptance to our government’s ever-changing missives about eating less fat/sugar/salt and consuming our five a day, we rarely seem to question such supposed wisdom and its origins. But could you imagine our reaction if our leaders told us what sort of music we should be listening to – even if we’re not musicians?

As a restaurateur, if I'm not careful it can become irritating when a customer questions the way we cook or source something. But I have to remind myself that that customer is actually taking an interest in the subject and may know something about it – maybe more than we do. That’s a good thing.

A bad thing is people stuffing food into their mouths that’s been grabbed off the shelf, maybe being passed through some sort of domestic oven along the way, with little regard to any list of ingredients or their method of processing. And as if to exemplify such lack of thinking, I recently had a letter from someone disputing our interpretation of a traditional dish and suggesting that to get the correct recipe, we visit a particular national fast food chain of takeaways. Which is a bit rich when you realise there’s little chance of their knowing the provenance, make-up and constituent parts of food from such a place.

It’s obvious that we, as a nation of eaters, do need help. But instead of hearing simplistic messages about fruit and veg and fat that promise an easy solution to long life, perhaps if there were a political party that promised they’d make GCSEs in cookery mandatory for every school child – and make the law retrospective by 30 years - they’d get my vote.

Pearl barley and beetroot risotto with cauliflower cheese

Serves two

This is a complete vegetarian dish and, even though I’ve done another recipe for barley risotto before, I make no excuse because it’s such an underused food. I’m also a fan of beetroot and, I’m reliably informed, its consumption can have an almost instant reducing effect on high blood pressure. So there’s more than one reason for using this other much underutilised foodstuff.

You could cook this dish without the cauliflower cheese and serve the risotto on its own or with something else. But this really is a tasty and complete vegetarian dish.

One small head of cauliflower – leaves removed and florets divided

50g butter

50g plain flour

200ml milk

100g mature cheddar - grated

200g pearl barley

One carrot – peeled

½ an onion – peeled

Two cloves of garlic – peeled

A little extra virgin rape seed or olive oil

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

One whole beetroot – fresh or pre-cooked and vacuum-packed

Method: If you’ve got an uncooked beetroot, wash it, trim the root and the leaves but don’t cut into the skin in any way. Place in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 to 90 minutes until it’s tender when you insert a pointed knife. Drain, allow to cool a little and then rub the peel off with a cloth. The cooked beetroot then needs pureeing in a food processor or pushing through a sieve.

To make the cauliflower cheese, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the cauliflower florets in it for two to three minutes. Drain and cool under running water.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and stir, allowing it to cook for a couple of minutes over a low heat. Add the milk bit by bit, stirring all the time to avoid lumps and then bring to a simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, add the cheese and then taste before seasoning with salt and pepper.

To make the risotto, blend the carrot, onion and garlic together in a food processor or chop all very finely. Place in a largish pan, add a slug of oil, the barley and enough water to cover plus another centimetre. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until tender – topping up the water if it appears dry but the aim is to end up with no liquid left.

To serve, place the blanched cauliflower into a heatproof dish, pour the cheese sauce over the top and place in a hot oven for five to ten minutes until beginning to bubble and colour. Stir the pureed beetroot into the risotto (standing back to observe the incredible colour) and spoon onto warmed plates serving the cauliflower cheese on top or alongside.

For more recipes, go to billoldfield.com

Oldfields Pantry ready meals are available from Fenwick in Newcastle or direct from the restaurant on Claypath in Durham on 0191-370-9595 or go to oldfieldspantry.co.uk for delivery by mail order.