Simply Raymond Blanc episode 5

Simply Raymond Blanc episode 5: Raymond Blanc pays culinary homage to his Maman Blanc by sharing nostalgic dishes from his childhood – Vegetable Soup Three Ways, and a special Assiette of Salads.

The chef pays culinary homage to his mother’s cooking by preparing some childhood favourites, including vegetable soup three ways and an assiette of salads made with produce fresh from his gardens. He is joined by Nathan Outlaw, who serves up a dish of fish and chips with mushy peas.

It’s been a while since the Michelin-starred chef patron of Le Manoir has been on TV but he returns this morning to share what he describes as delicious, unfussy recipes made from easily available ingredients and using basic equipment. So, no cheffy flourishes, sous vide baths or aerators. Although he does have the advantage of being able to utilise Le Manoir’s fabulous kitchen garden instead of relying on the local supermarket.

The chef shares a collection of simple, rustic recipes that can be put together easily, as well as revealing the workings of the world-famous Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons where he is Chef Patron and which provides much of the fruit and vegetables that go into his dishes. In the first episode, he is joined by Angela Hartnett, who will be cooking cep tagliatelle. Other recipes include meringue with blackcurrant coulis and a heritage salad with beetroot straight from Raymond’s gardens.

Simply Raymond Blanc episode 5

Tomato Salad with Mozzarella & Tomato Soup

Slice all the tomatoes into bite sized wedges and mix together in a large bowl. Add the sliced onions, garlic and basil and toss together in the bowl. Season the tomatoes and onions with a pinch of salt, pepper, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Leave for 5 minutes to marinade and exchange flavours.

Arrange the tomatoes on a large serving plate, finish by scattering over the mozzarella cheese and dried kalamata olives.

Finely dice the onion and coarsely chop the peeled garlic. Coarsely chop the large tomatoes. Simply remove the stems of the cherry tomatoes and leave the tomatoes whole. Coarsely chop the basil and sage, and put
all of these to one side. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic, sage and rosemary (and marjoram, if using). Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato purée, stir, cover with the lid and continue to cook for 3–4 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the chopped tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil and water. Cover with the lid again and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

Pass the liquid through a moulin-légumes or food mill (or purée in a liquidiser) into a clean saucepan. Stir in the extra-virgin olive oil. At this stage you can either chill the soup and serve it within a couple of days or freeze it. Or serve it straight away, adding the optional garnish – a spoonful of crème fraîche or cream for richness and croutons or a drizzle of olive oil and a few basil leaves.

Pea Soup

Bring the water to the boil in a pan. Finely chop the garlic and coarsely chop the mint leaves. Heat about a quarter of the olive oil in a large-sized saucepan over a medium heat add the garlic and sweat it for 1–2 minutes.
Add the peas (still frozen if you wish) and chopped mint leaves and season with a few pinches of salt and a few turns of pepper. Pour in the boiling water. Bring to the boil for 2–3 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour in the rest of the extra-virgin olive oil. With a stick blender, purée the soup to the finest consistency.

Taste, taste, taste. Divide the hot pea soup into four bowls and serve.