T h e P loughm a n’s Luncha n d t h e Miser’s Fe ast

Brian Yarvin

Authentic Pub Food, Restaurant Fare, and Home Cookingfrom Small Towns, Big Cities, and Country Villages Across the British Isles

2 The Ploughman’s Lunch and the Miser’s Feast

Salmon BrothMakes 4 servings

Sometimes I wonder if there’s a bit of irony in the way some

Scottish soups are called “broths.” In no way could this be

reconstituted from a cube or poured out of a carton. Salmon

Broth is one of those Scottish “broths” that’s really a meal in

itself. In fine restaurants, it’s a first course, but in a local pub, it

might be served as the main dish.

1 pound salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch squares2 sprigs fresh thyme2 sprigs fresh parsley, plus 1 teaspoon chopped

fresh parsley, for garnish1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives1 cup peeled pearl onions1 cup peeled and chopped carrot1 cup peeled and chopped potato2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 cup heavy cream2 teaspoons salt

1. Combine the salmon, thyme, parsley, and chives in a

large soup pot with 1 quart of water over high heat. Bring to a

boil and let boil, uncovered, for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to

medium-low and simmer the soup, covered, stirring occasion-

ally, for 5 minutes, or until the salmon is opaque.

2. Add the onions, carrot, potato, butter, and cream and

simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes and carrots are tender

and the liquid has reduced by about 1/4, about 40 minutes.

3. Taste the soup, and if it needs salt, first add just 1 teaspoon.

Then taste again to see if it needs more. It’s all too easy to make

soups like this one too salty.

4. Remove the sprigs of thyme and parsley. Garnish with the

chopped parsley. Serve hot.

The Soup Pot 3

Beef WellingtonMakes 6 servings

Beef Wellington, a roast beef wrapped in a pastry crust and

named for the First Duke of Wellington, is an old-school classic.

It was the elegant dish that people in Britain knew before “fine

dining” was a buzzword. Today it seems corny, but it became a

legend for a reason.

1 beef tenderloin, 2 to 21⁄2 pounds2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 tablespoons vegetable oil1 tablespoon unsalted butter1 cup chopped onion3 cups chopped fresh mushrooms1 (171⁄2–ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed1 large egg, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Sprinkle the beef tenderloin

with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Pour

the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beef tenderloin

and brown it on all sides. (Make sure it is really browned, and

not just gray.) Remove the beef to a platter and set it aside to

cool. Reserve the skillet and its drippings and juices.

2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter and

onions to the same skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the

onions are translucent and have absorbed much of what was

rendered when the tenderloin was browned, about 15 minutes.

3. Mix in the mushrooms and the remaining salt and pepper

and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have com-

pletely cooked and the liquid in the pan has thickened into a

saucelike consistency, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat,

set aside, and let cool.

4. Lay a puff pastry sheet down on a flat surface and cut out

a sheet large enough to cover the entire beef tenderloin. Put the

beef on the pastry sheet and spread the mushrooms out over

the beef. Wrap the pastry around the beef and mushrooms and

pinch the dough seam to seal it tightly. Oil a baking sheet well,

transfer the wrapped beef to the sheet, and brush the pastry

with the beaten egg.

5. Roast the beef for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer

reads 130°F and the pastry is browned. Remove from the oven

and let cool for 15 minutes. Slice the beef in 1-inch-thick slices,

and serve warm. Or chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.

4 The Ploughman’s Lunch and the Miser’s Feast

The Main Course 5

6 The Ploughman’s Lunch and the Miser’s Feast

Fat RascalsMakes 6 to 8 large cookies

I heard about Fat Rascals long before I tasted them. In the

interim, I tried to imagine what would go into a cookie by that

name. My mind raced with images of cream, chocolate, caramel,

and other rich dessert ingredients. But when the time came to

bake them, eat them, and write a recipe, I learned that fat turned

out to mean lard. And lard is what you want for the flakiest

texture. You can, however, use shortening if you prefer.

2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1 cup packed dark brown sugar 3⁄4 cup currants1⁄4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves1 cup lard or shortening1⁄2 cup whole milk1⁄4 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Mix the flour, baking

powder, brown sugar, currants, salt, cinnamon, and cloves

in a large bowl.

2. Combine the flour mixture with the lard or shortening,

using your hands to pinch the ingredients together until a

dough begins to form. Add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time

until the dough has the consistency of modeling clay.

3. Sprinkle your work surface with some additional flour

and roll the dough out into a sheet 1⁄2 inch thick. (Yes, these are

fat cookies.) Then use a 2- or 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut

out disks.

4. Grease a baking sheet with butter, lard, or shortening.

Place the cookies 2 inches apart on the sheet and bake them

until they are golden-brown, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle them

with the sugar and return them to the oven for 5 minutes more.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and serve.

The Sweet Side 7

T h e P l oughm a n’s Lunch a n d t h e M iser’s Fe a st

Within Britain, pub and country-inn chefs, food writers, and everyday home cooks are taking a renewed interest in their own traditional cuisine, approaching it now more with pride than with prejudice. Here the American food and travel writer and photographer Brian Yarvin brings these newly rediscovered pleasures to the attention of home cooks on this side of the Atlantic.

TABLe OF COnTenTS

• A Full Breakfast

• Sandwiches, Salads, and Small Plates

• The Soup Pot

• The Main Course

• The Curry Shop

• On the Side

• Savory Pies and Baked Goods

• The Sweet Side

• The Ploughman’s Cupboard

Brian Yarvin, a native new Yorker, has been a photographer for almost 35 years. He teaches food a nd com me rc i a l photog r aphy a t t he Washington School of Photography in Bethesda, Maryland, and is also a food writer and restaurant

reviewer. He lives with his family in edison, new Jersey.

978-1-55832-413-8 • $26.95 • Color photographs throughoutFEBRUARY • Cookbook • 320 pages • CL • 9 x 8

• Author website: www.brianyarvin.com• Friend Brian Yarvin on Facebook at:

www.harvardcommonpress.com/byarvin• Follow Brian Yarvin’s photo collection at byarvin.zenfolio.com

PUBLiCitY ContACt: nancy Grant Mahoney (617) 423-5803 or (888) 657-3755the Harvard Common Press • www.harvardcommonpress.com

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