MINI PESTLE AND MORTAR RECIPES

Steps:

• This works great as a stand-alone recipe, but also as a component in Jamie’s Celebration Roast from Together – see the full collection of menus here. GET AHEAD Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Try to choose small potatoes, give them a wash, and if you have any larger ones, cut them in half and use the flat side as a base. To make this process as simple as possible, place a potato on a board between the handles of two wooden spoons, so that when you slice down into the potato the spoons stop the blade from going all the way through. Carefully slice at just under ½cm intervals all the way along. Repeat with all the potatoes, placing them in a large roasting tray as you go. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are golden and tender. Remove and leave to cool. Twist each sausage in the middle so you can cut each one in half. Now, for a bit of fun, I like to use a small sharp knife to make an incision into each one, creating a little hole ready to stuff with whatever will elevate your sausages to an even higher level of joy. Cut the bacon rashers in half, then, working one at a time, press the side of your knife across each mini rasher to stretch it out. Place a sausage on each, wrap it up, then skewer with a cocktail stick or a sharpened sprig of rosemary. Nestle the wrapped sausages in among the cool potatoes, then cover and refrigerate overnight. TO SERVE Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Peel the garlic and pound up in a pestle and mortar with a small pinch of salt, then mix in the polenta and finely grate in the walnuts. Sprinkle over the potatoes, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. When the Epic mixed roast comes out, roast the potatoes for 1 hour, or until hot and crisp, and the sausages are golden and cooked through.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Over a high heat, toast the whole chillies on all sides until you can smell them cooking, then remove and set aside. Keep the pan on the heat and toast the peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds until they just start to change colour, then grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder. Mix with the smoked paprika and oregano (this is a standard tex-mex seasoning), then set aside.
• Return the casserole to the heat, add half the oil and heat until shimmering. Fry the beef in batches, adding more oil if you need to, until it’s browned on all sides, then set aside. Fry the onions in the pan over a low heat for about 8 mins until soft and golden, then add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Working fast, add the meat and juices, the spice mix, tomato purée, peanut butter and coffee to the pan and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring to coat the meat until everything is thick and gloopy, then pour in the vinegar and stock.
• Add the toasted chillies back into the casserole, along with the bay leaves, cinnamon and some salt. Bring to a simmer and stir well, then cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 3hrs, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender but not falling apart. Take the casserole out of the oven, put back on the stove and remove the lid. Simmer the sauce for 5 mins, then stir in the semolina flour and simmer for 2-3 mins more. Finely grate over the chocolate, stir through with the beans and simmer for a minute more to heat through. Fish out the chillies, then leave everything to rest for at least 15 mins.
• Bring the pan to the table. Serve with bowls of accompaniments and the chilli paste (see tip below) to add heat.