Born and Bred Nigel Slater's Simple Cooking

I'm Nigel Slater.

Being a good cook isn't about mastering difficult recipes.

Sometimes the simplest combinations are the best.

That's what this series is all about.

Think soft and crisp, surf and turf

or sugar and spice.

So this is how I like my ribs.

Very sweet and very spicy.

'I'll be reinventing some of my favourite recipes, and trying out some new ones, too.'

It's crisp and it's fresh and it's hot and it's cold and it's all sorts of things going on which I love.

'And once you understand how ingredients work together, I hope you'll be inspired.'

It's truly, truly gorgeous.

'Today, it's all about combinations made by Mother Nature.'

Flavours that belong together. They were born and bred to me on a plate at the same time.

'Whether it's ingredients that share the landscape, or which are at their best in the same season,

'what grows together, goes together.

'So I want to explore born and bred at home in the kitchen and down on the farm.'

A wonderful piece of meat.

Ingredients tend to end up in recipes for different reasons.

Sometimes it's because they come from the same part of the world maybe, so peppers, tomatoes.

Things that grow in the same space, they share the same soil.

It's like they were always meant to share a pot or a pan.

Today, I'm making a gorgeous supper dish inspired by Mediterranean flavours.

I'm going to roast some peppers and tomatoes and transform a simple plate of pasta.

I'm using long sweet peppers.

Take a slice off the side so they'll end up like little boats that will catch the juices as they roast.

Next, some small tomatoes.

I do like inventive cooking.

The idea of exploring new tastes and new flavours.

If something works, then I'm going to make the most of it.

Alongside the tomatoes, chop up the leftover bits of pepper and add them, too.

And I have to have garlic.

The peppers and tomatoes get a thorough coating in olive oil.

I want them to soften as they cook, but also I want the edges to be scorched and sweet.

So that gets some salt. Season well and put into a hot oven.

This dish is all about the Mediterranean flavours of peppers and tomatoes,

so I want the herb that's born to go with them and that's basil. I'm making a quick and easy dressing.

Just basil, salt and olive oil.

You can just smell that basil filling the kitchen.

I'm being I know it a little devil-may-care about where the basil dressing ends up,

and it doesn't matter that it's going in the roasting tin.

In fact, it's actually all to the good.

I'm going to be serving the roasted Mediterranean vegetables with pasta.

I'm going to put quite a bit of salt in there.

There are some very clever people about.

Somebody worked out that you can make pasta with little dips in it that will hold the sauce.

Just brilliant.

These are orecchiette.

You could use any pasta with hollows, twists or curves which will catch the basil dressing.

The peppers are really soft and luscious.

They smell of basil and tomato and garlic.

When the peppers and tomatoes are soft and just catching around the edges, put them to one side.

Now in the roasting tin, I've got olive oil, I've got garlic,

I got a little bit of basil and I'm not going to waste a tiny drop of that

and all the wonderful sweet, sour sugary bits

from the peppers that have stuck on to the pan will all come off into the pasta and flavour it.

Just a few more leaves of basil.

Flavours that belong together.

They were born and bred to be on a plate at the same time.

And there they are.

Peppers, tomatoes, basil and olive oil

and a little bit of pasta.

Just a perfect, perfect unity.

These roasted tomatoes and peppers would make a lovely light lunch on their own,

but add them to a plate of pasta

and they make something so simple yet so delicious.

One of the things I love about my garden is picking the ripe fruit and veg.

If nature's delivering things at the same time, we should take the hint.

At the moment, two very different fruits are ready to eat...

heavy juicy figs and tart sweet blackberries.

It's not a traditional combination but as they've ripened to perfection

at the same time, I think they'll make a perfect pairing for a pie too.

I'm going to start by making the sweet shortcrust pastry.

It's a little bit more than half butter to flour.

I want it to be really crumbly and the more butter you put into that flour,

the more soft and crumbly your pastry will be.

You can do this in a food processor in seconds - press the button and you've got pastry -

but on a rainy afternoon, I like to make it myself.

For the best results it's important that everything's really cold.

Fridge-cold butter and really cool hands.

In fact, if it's a hot day, I'll just run my hands under the cold tap before I start

so that the butter doesn't melt when I try to rub it into the flour.

When the flour and butter feel like coarse breadcrumbs, add the sugar.

I'm using icing sugar.

To make it extra rich, use a couple of egg yolks.

A little water will bring it all together.

This is my idea of heaven,

baking on a rainy afternoon.

One of those wonderful warm kitchen moments.

'Knead the pastry briefly and gently.'

Then put it to rest in the fridge. It's really important because if you don't, it will shrink

and when you take it out of the oven,

you'll end up with pastry that's come away from the sides of the tin.

Now for the filling.

I've picked these figs at just the right moment.

They're so ripe and juicy and they don't need peeling.

I'm going to add some redcurrant jelly. Any fruit jam would do.

Just warmed until it's runny.

Next, the blackberries.

There's something so lovely about putting perfectly ripe fruits into the same dish.

To bring everything together, I'm adding some ground almonds.

And that is my pie filling.

Once the pastry's had a good 20 minutes in the fridge, it's time to put the pie together.

I could roll the pastry out but when it's very high in butter, it's very fragile.

It's sometimes easier not to actually roll it out but to just cut very

fine discs of pastry and simply lay them round the tart tin, then push them into shape with your fingers.

You can spend hours making pastry work look like something

you buy from a shop, something incredibly professional and perfect but you know what, I like

anything made of pastry to look a little bit wobbly and home-made.

It's got a charm to it, it actually makes me want to eat it.

Dot leftover pastry here and there.

Any gaps will let the steam out.

It's quite a deep pie so it will need a good hour in the oven.

There are times for a piece of perfectly-formed French patisserie and there's time for pie.

The only way I can improve that

is with just a trickle of cream.

I don't care if it's a novel combination - figs and blackberries

were born to go together, and the proof is in the pudding.

Tastes of blackberries from the hedge and figs from the tree.

It's incredibly juicy and the pastry is really soft.

If you think pastry is a bit daunting, this easy method could be just what you're after.

Try matching any fruit that ripens at the same time.

Just let your imagination run free.

My search for the best that Mother Nature has to offer

has brought me to a farm in Devon.

We've been farming Dartmoor for generations, just back and back.

We always have and probably what we always will do.

It's just a great Dartmoor farm. Pretty bleak in the winter but great in summer.

Brothers Matt and Neil Cole raise cattle and sheep that are born and bred on Dartmoor.

Meat isn't just meat.

Where it comes from can make all the difference to the flavour.

And it's the grass these animals eat that makes their meat taste unique.

The land up here is very high.

The main farm's on about 450 feet.

That means you get short summers, very long winters, hence the pastureland is quite poor.

So we need traditional hardy breeds like the Galloway.

Because they are tough, they can utilise the moorland grasses and herbage

which gives them that unique flavour and taste.

The taste you get, it's retained that piece of Dartmoor within its flavour.

Neil and Matt have invited me to one of their farmyard barbeques.

Rumps on first?

We'll put some minute steaks on. These will be a bit quicker.

'So that I can really taste the flavour of the meat, it's going straight on the grill as it is.'

Because the traditional old fashioned English breeds will put on fat in the summer to get that marbling effect

which helps keep them through the winter, that's when we cook it, it comes out in the meat.

That will sizzle when it goes on the barbecue and that's the fat coming out

of the meat, helping baste the meat, which makes it very tender and juicy.

Look at that! Look at that!

We get the flavour from the fat and at the end of it you won't

get any fat, you get the meat which is a lot juicier and tastier.

Got another plate? Taking these off?

'They've got two cuts on the go.

'There are the thick rump steaks

'but I'm starting with a thin minute steak.'

Try a slice of that.

Isn't that juicy? Isn't that juicy?

'Next, the rump.'

Such good colour, isn't it?

You go to the supermarket and it's that bright red, that's not as it should be,

it should be that dark flavoursome colour, it's lovely.

If you let the meat hang a few weeks in a chiller as it should be, how it used to be done,

the meat will become more tasty.

-That gives it a slightly darker look.

-Which of course will put the price up a little bit.

Yeah. More cost.

Wow. That must be nearly ready.

I've always got a plate.

Now I would let that sit

for a couple of minutes to relax before I cut into it.

Would you?

Yes, as long as my family's not here because normally ...

they would be grabbing it.

Here they come.

Looks nice anyway.

This was mine! I thought that was going to disappear!

Let me get some knives and forks.

So much flavour there.

They say the key to most barbecues is the sauce but we don't believe in sauces.

-No.

-We don't need them.

-You don't need them.

A wonderful piece of meat.

Glad you enjoyed it.

This is my kind of cooking. When something's this good, you don't even need a recipe.

There's all sorts of reasons why ingredients work together.

Sometimes it's because they evoke a certain time of year.

With anything to do with mushrooms, it always makes me think of autumn.

Earthy mushrooms always remind me of long walks in the woods which is

why I think they are perfect stuffed with that other woodland offering... chestnuts.

I start by preparing the mushrooms.

I put a little butter in each cup and give them a good trickle of olive oil.

Then some salt and pepper.

You just want as much flavour in there as you possibly can.

Because it should be delicious

and not just a case to carry the stuffing.

And I want herbs.

Thyme works particularly well with mushrooms.

I want these to be really, really juicy,

so as well as the butter, I'm going to put a little bit of Madeira.

Any warming fortified wine would do.

Sherry, marsala or port, they all work with mushrooms.

They soak up everything you throw at them,

so you might as well throw something utterly delicious.

And then they go in a good, hot oven for about 15, 20 minutes.

Next, the stuffing.

Finely chop a couple of small onions and fry them gently in some butter.

I'm going to leave those with an occasional stir

until they're soft and golden.

Juicy baked mushrooms are incredibly versatile.

Stuff them with spinach, couscous or cheese for a light vegetarian supper.

But today, I'm making a hearty filling with sausage meat.

Now, I can never find tasty sausage meat by the pound.

So, I tend to buy

my butcher's breakfast sausages

and just take the skins off.

It takes seconds.

I end up with sausage meat that I know is really delicious.

When the onions are soft and golden,

add woody herbs like thyme and rosemary.

The mushrooms have had 20 minutes in the oven.

Already, they're really juicy and you can smell the Madeira,

you can smell the thyme, smell the mushrooms.

Now put the stuffing together. Break up the sausage meat.

And then add some breadcrumbs.

What's really going to make the mushrooms sing is chestnuts.

You can get them fresh in the autumn, but the easy option is to use canned.

It's that thing of mushrooms and chestnuts,

the sort of thing you find together in the autumn.

They're around at the same time of year.

This evokes those darker evenings,

when the weather's getting a little bit cooler.

And there's that sort of mellow, almost mushroomy smell in the air.

And that's what this dish brings to mind.

Now, if there's too much stuffing, I just make up some little balls

and pop them into the pan.

So that some lucky person can have a little extra bit of baked stuffing.

And that's all there is to it.

I pop them back in the oven for about an hour.

And they smell utterly wonderful.

And in the pan, some of the little bits of spare stuffing.

And the odd chestnut has toasted really nicely too.

I wouldn't normally use the word scrumptious, but it is.

It's the best word to describe that.

It's sausagey, it's chestnutty and it's mushroomy.

That's all the flavours of the season.

A simple stuffed mushroom can make a stunning supper.

Matching its dark flavours with its woodland partner, the chestnut,

brings out the best of both.

Ingredients that were just meant to be together.

I'm in Devon, visiting a farm which produces the most outstanding meat.

Now I'm searching for some locally grown vegetables to go with it

in a hearty winter salad with cold roast beef.

Neil and Matt are two hungry farmers,

'so this dish had better be quick.'

I'm just going to knock up a little dressing first.

Grain mustard, white wine vinegar,

olive oil and a pinch of salt

all mixed together.

Nobody uses swede anymore.

It's one of those vegs that I'm quite fond of.

I'm actually going to grate this and have it raw.

When it's fresh out the ground and you skin it with your pocket knife, have a bit then.

It is cracking.

It's incredibly sweet. You know, it almost tastes like an apple. It's so sweet.

Then I add some roughly shredded cabbage.

So I'm going to put a bit of grated beetroot in.

Not a lot. Put a little bit of that in.

And I'm going to pop in some of these.

I've got a tiny bit of raw kale.

Yeah, those middle bits you've got there are tip-top.

'This is a take on a classic crunchy coleslaw.

'You could try any combination of winter veg.

'Carrot or celeriac would also have been good.

'Isn't that beautiful?'

Shouldn't we just try it before you put it on there, make sure it's OK?

-I think we should, don't you?

-Oh, I think so. Top hole.

Oh, a bit tight with your portions, but it'll be all right.

Yes, I've met your portions down here.

LAUGHTER

That's enough for me, anyway.

-Is it?

-I don't know what you lot are eating!

Sorry, I've got to do this. I couldn't resist them.

-I love nasturtiums.

-You can eat flowers, can you?

-Yeah.

And they're peppery.

-A lovely beef salad.

-Can you knock up two of them?

This was just for me, actually.

Thank you, yeah. Rock on.

That is tip-top.

-It is sweet.

-Yeah.

You'll have to excuse me, but I've got to have another one.

Yeah, I'm not quite as good as serving it as you,

but it'll go down the same way.

It is an extraordinary thing, eating something

that is so close to the landscape.

-And it just feels right somehow.

-Oh, yeah.

I was inspired to make this fabulous beef salad by the ingredients

found right here on these moors.

And if it's inspired you to get creative too,'

you'll find lots more ideas if you go to the website.

'My garden is my greatest inspiration.

'Even at the end of the season, when the best of the harvest is over,

'a closer look reveals hidden treasure.'

Oh, look!

Lovely!

'Don't be scared of mixing any vegetables.

'They really will just work together.'

This recipe doesn't have a set list of ingredients.

It's about taking whatever I can lay my hands on

and simply transforming them into a delicious supper.

I've got chard with its rainbow stalks.

The last of the courgettes which has grown bigger than I normally like.

And these courgette flowers have blossomed too late to grow.

These tomatoes aren't going to ripen now.

I can either make green tomato chutney,

which will thrill all my friends,

or I can actually cook them as green tomatoes.

'I've also collected the last of the summer's basil

'and I'll pick a little thyme, oregano and chives.'

Anything with a very tender leaf isn't going to last through the cold weather,

so you might as well pick it now.

And just maybe the odd little herb flower that's left.

Well, I've got supper.

I could make a stew but I want to see

if I can keep the various flavours distinct and fresh.

I'm going to start by steaming some of them.

It's always a help when you steam anything to keep it roughly

the same size, so it all cooks at the same time.

Now, I've got some chard and the leaves are very tender.

The stalks just need that little bit longer cooking,

so I'm just going to steam these.

A few thyme and oregano leaves

and I'll leave the vegetables to steam for ten minutes.

This is a courgette that has seen better days.

I try to pick them when they're really small,

but they hide under the leaves.

It doesn't mean they can go to waste.

The secret is to fry them slowly in olive oil and butter.

Any veg that looks like it's going to be tough, give it time.

Nothing will come from trying to quickly cook a vegetable

that's past its best.

Add a few basil leaves and sprigs of thyme.

A couple more bits of treasure - some courgette flowers.

You don't need them, I just don't want to waste them.

Next, slice the green tomatoes and add them to the pan.

These steamed vegetables have been on for about ten minutes or so.

And they're looking very tender to me.

Yeah, the knife just goes straight in, so they're done.

I need a sauce to bring everything together.

So melt some butter with some creme fraiche.

Add those last few little herbs that I've got.

The little leaves of thyme.

And finally, the shredded chard leaves go in.

And then the steamed vegetables.

I'm not going to waste these little herb flowers.

Everything I found in the garden's made it to the dish.

it could be the ultimate test of born and bred.

There's something else to bring the flavours out,

just something, er...

Just a tiny bit of lemon.

Just a few drops.

You could have put maybe a bit of garlic in there,

a little bit of chopped chilli.

I was tempted, but I want them to taste of themselves.

This is a celebration of my kitchen garden

and all the wonderful things I've grown in it this year.

You'd never guess that was a bit of a desperate supper.

A last minute trip round the garden to see what was left.

It tastes good.

Like so many things I make,

this dish was inspired by what I had in front of me.

With just a little thought, I made what was leftover in the garden

into a sensational supper.

Born and bred.

Ingredients that are naturally meant to be together.

Just because they are familiar combinations, doesn't mean

they can't be exciting and fresh.

Just let the flavours inspire you.

Next time,

I'll be exploring the importance of hot and cold.

Think sizzling lamb with a trickle of yoghurt

or blistering caramelized apples with homemade ice-cream.

It's very hot, it's chillingly cold, all at once.

Everything I want a mouthful of food to be.

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