Above image: Hector Browne’s Crispy Chicken Thigh and Cavolo Risotto

Let’s face it, the last few months have taken their toll on the average home cook. Sure, you started out with good intentions – perhaps you even uncovered some latent culinary flair – but those novel efforts at making your own pasta now feel like distant memories and the bleak reality of ready-made tortellini has returned. Go into any UK supermarket right now and you’ll find aisles of bleary-eyed shoppers, wandering listlessly between shelves carrying baskets of totally incongruent ingredients. As a nation, is it possible we’ve ever been this bored of our own cooking?

What about London’s leading chefs? Surely they aren’t crippled by indecision in the chilled section? Surely they know a thing about keeping the wolf from the door with seasonal cooking? A combination of curiosity and genuine need saw us reach out to a selection of our favourite London chefs for guidance, inviting them to share a recipe for something they love to eat (or drink) at this time of year. What returned is both an unofficial guide of highly recommended restaurants and an insight into the fail-safe winter staples of actual cooking professionals. We hope you’re hungry.

By Doug Rolle, head chef at Brawn

I’ve chosen this recipe because it’s a reflection of the kind cooking I enjoy most at this time of year, when it’s cold outside and you can devote yourself to making something really tasty. Cooking with beef shin is a very slow process, but completely worth it. You’ll be amazed how this cheap cut can break down and transform into a rich, glossy sauce that will fill the whole house with mouth-watering flavours.

To get the most out of this recipe, you’ll need to start the marinade a full 2 days before you plan to serve the ragu. This will allow 24 hours for the wine to penetrate into the meat, then 8 hours of overnight slow braising. Even though this may seem excessive, taking the time to do this will create a deep and rich flavour profile. To this you’ll then add a soffritto, a sauce base made from finely chopped vegetables slowly cooked in tomatoes, which will add a sweetness and acidity to balance the heavier flavours of the meat. I’d recommend serving the ragu with a chunky pasta like fresh tagliatelle or pappardelle. Or if it’s dried pasta, choose something like paccheri or rigatoni. Either way you want something that will hold lots of sauce.

Because you’ve done so much of the work in advance, serving up is easy! So you can relax and enjoy the company of whoever you’re eating with, rather than confining yourself to the kitchen worrying about cooking times! 

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the marinade/ braise:

1kg beef shin, split into ‘osso bucco’ slices
1 bottle of red wine
2 tins of good quality tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 star anise
5 dried juniper berries
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni (thyme, rosemary, bay)
1 litre beef or chicken stock

For the soffrito:

2 large onions
2 carrots
4 sticks of celery
5 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tins of good quality tomatoes
250ml red wine
1tsp finely chopped rosemary
2tsp picked thyme leaves

Method

• 2 days before you are planning to eat your ragu, marinade the meat in the red wine, along with the garlic, herbs and spices. Don’t worry if you don’t have the time as this is not essential, but it will give a much greater depth to your finished ragu.
• When ready to cook, drain the meat well and pat dry. 
• Sear the meat in batches in a hot pan and place in a deep casserole dish, along with the garlic, herbs and spices from the marinade. Once you are finished searing the meat, deglaze the pan with some of the wine from the marinade to get every last bit of flavour from the meat.
• Heat the left-over wine from the marinade with the stock until it is simmering well. Skim off the scum which rises to the surface with a spoon and discard, then pour the liquid onto the meat. 
• Add the tomatoes and bring the whole braise to a simmer before cooking overnight (8 to 9 hours) in the oven at 95C with the lid on.
• In the morning, remove from the oven, check that the meat is properly cooked (it should fall apart easily) and leave to cool at room temperature.
• While waiting for the braise to cool, make the soffrito. Finely dice the onion, celery, carrot and garlic, and slice the pancetta into small pieces. Over a medium heat, fry the pancetta in a healthy glug of olive oil until golden, then add the vegetables and a generous pinch of salt. Turn the heat right down and cook very slowly. It’s important that this is done over a long time, as much as an hour, so make sure that the pan is on the lowest heat possible. This will bring out the maximum sweetness in the vegetables.
• -When the soffritto is completely soft and starting to caramelise, add the tomato paste and cook for a further 15 minutes on a low heat. Then add the red wine and tomatoes and continue to cook on a low heat until you have a thick, rich base for the sauce.
• Remove the meat from the braise and set to one side. Pass the braising liquid through a sieve into a pan, and simmer gently over a medium heat until it has reduced in volume by ⅔. Make sure to taste every now and again as the liquid evaporates (you don’t want it to become too salty) and when you are happy with the flavour, pour the liquid into the tomato base and continue to simmer until the sauce is glossy and rich. 
• When the braised meat has cooled slightly, pick it down by hand into chunks. Then place the meat chunks into the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Take the pan off the heat and add salt, black pepper (lots), the chopped rosemary and thyme. Put the lid on the pot and leave for 1-2 hours, to allow the flavours to infuse until you are ready to serve.
• Serve with pasta and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan.

Brawn is at 49 Columbia Rd, London E2 7RG, book a table here and follow them on Instagram here. 

By Robin Gill, head chef at The Zebra Riding Club

This dish is something quite special, it’s one of those dishes that not only looks amazing but to
make is extremely rewarding. It’s kind of a lady and the tramp kind of dish where you have the
pearl of the sea which is the large scallop and then the humble cauliflower that won’t cost you more than a quid. Don’t be put off by the fermented dulse, you can buy the dulse online really easily and if you can’t get hold of it buy some dried nori and just blend that into your butter and use dried wakame to replace the pickle dulse.

Scallops are always at their best this time of year and the toasted cauliflower purée just adds to the indulgence. We have this dish in Zebra Riding Club at Birch as an optional middle course and it totally defines our approach to cooking where we take a couple of the best ingredients we can get our hands on at the peak of the season and work hard to drive the best flavours we can.

Ingredients 

6 large Diver scallops in shell, (cleaned and dried ) shells also cleaned and dried)
1/2 head of cauliflower or romanesco with the florets taken down 

For the dulse butter:

80g fermented dulse (see method below), finely chopped
100g butter (at room temperature)
Mix the dulse into the butter until well dispersed throughout. 

For the pickled dulse: 

50g dried or fresh  dulse
100ml pickling liquor (1:1:1 water, caster sugar, rice wine vinegar)
Bring equal quantities of water sugar and rice vinegar to boil and Pour the boiling pickling liquor over the dulse and allow to cool. Decant into a suitable container and seal. Once open, store in the fridge

For the cauliflower purée:

½ cauliflower (use the outer sides of a cauliflower and reserve the larger, centre part)
100g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
150ml whole milk
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

For the fermented dulse:

500g fresh dulse (washed really well)
Whey (optional)
Fine table salt

Method 

For the fermented dulse:

• Place a 500ml kilner jar on a scales and return the scales to zero. Add the dulse to a jar and cover with a mixture of equal parts whey and water or just water. Add 2% salt to the weight of the contents of the jar. 
• Seal the jar and leave to ferment at a warm room temperature at least 1 week; keep away from direct sunlight. The ferment is ready once the dulse has taken on strong sour and savoury notes similar to anchovies and Parmesan. Once ready, the sealed jar can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 months. Once opened, use within 1 month

For the cauliflower purée:

• Grate the cauliflower through a coarse grater.
• Put the butter into a pan over a high heat and cook until the butter starts to foam, brown and take on a nutty aroma.
• Add the grated cauliflower and salt and cook over high heat, stirring regularly, for up to 8 minutes until cooked/softened.
• Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Check that the cauliflower is cooked by tasting it.
• Drain the cauliflower and tip into a blender or food processor. Add the cultured cream and lemon juice and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. 

The Zebra Riding Club at Birch is at Lieutenant Ellis Way, Goff’s Oak, Waltham Cross EN7 5HW, book a table here and follow them on Instagram here. 

By Sam Kamienko, head chef at Leroy

I cook very differently to what I do at the restaurant, in fact I have been on a weight loss journey over the past 13 months and have really got on top of my health and fitness this year.

Ingredients

500g Lamb mince
3 large or 4 medium sweet potatoes
2 brown onions diced / chopped
4 cloves of crushed garlic
2 stick of celery chopped finely
2 carrots, peeled chopped finely
250g frozen peas
2 bay leaves
2 heaped tablespoons tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce
1 egg yolk
150g Parmesan cheese finely grated
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper
Deepish pie dish

Method

• In a hot oven, bake the sweet potatoes whole on some foil or parchment paper. This will take around 1.5 hours depending how hot your oven is, but once done you should be able to poke a knife straight through without any resistance. The sweet potatoes should be bubbling at the edges. Let them cool down while you prepare the filling.
• Put a pan on the heat and get it really hot. Brown your lamb mince and then strain the fat off. Place your brown lamb mince to the side and in the same pan fry your onions, carrots, celery, garlic till soft and sticky. Add back in the lamb mince, bay leaf, tomato paste and peas, cook out gently for 5 – 10 minutes. Season with Soy and Worcestershire sauce.
• Once your sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, squeeze the flesh out into a bowl. Let this sit for a few minutes to let the steam out of the mixture (the steam is water and can make a really wet mixture which we don’t want), then season with a pinch of salt, pepper and a grate of nutmeg. Mix in the egg yolk and parmesan. The sweet potato should be well combined and smooth.
• Take your favourite pie dish, add the mince and spread the sweet potato mixture over the top. Bake in a hot oven for 35-45 minutes – it should be bubbling away and light colour ‘spots’ on the top of the pie.
• Let cool slightly, serve on its own or whatever you fancy, I love it with Tabasco and steamed veg. This is also great the next day reheated.

Leroy is at 18 Phipp St, Hackney, London EC2A 4NU, book a table here and be sure to follow Sam’s excellent Instagram page @every.body.eat for more recipes.

By Hector Browne, private chef working in Kensington

This is a great dish for this time of year. A wholesome, hearty & warming recipe not only using seasonal ingredients, but championing healthy alternatives that boost your immunity during the colder months. Pearl Barley is much higher in fibre & protein than traditional risotto rice, so its the perfect substitute for this winter dish. Cavolo nero is at the peak of its season towards the beginning of winter. It is bursting with antioxidants, minerals & vitamins which help to fight off the winter sniffles.

I prefer to use the thigh meat here because the darker meat is juicier and holds more flavour than breast meat, however you could happily substitute according to your preferences. This dish would even work very nicely with pan roasted white fish fillet or salmon – whatever most excites you!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

300g pearl barley
1.5L chicken stock (hot)
1 medium onion
150 ml white wine
200g Cavolo Nero leaves (leaf weight after stripping from tough stalks)
5 garlic cloves (peeled)
4 skin on chicken thighs
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
100g Berkswell cheese (Pecorino or Parmesan are suitable substitutes)
50g pine nuts
30g unsalted butter
1 lemon
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

Method

• Preheat oven to 190ºC fan. Get a medium sized saucepan of water on to boil, season heavily with salt. Get your 1.5l of hot chicken stock ready and set aside.
• Rinse 300g pearl barley well with cold water, leave aside to drain, and place another medium sized saucepan on a medium heat. Finely chop or grate your peeled onion – add glug of olive oil to saucepan when hot & add your chopped onion to fry with a pinch of salt – you are looking for caremalisation here so stir regularly and look out for light browning.
• Once the onions are lightly caramelised, grate in one clove of garlic and stir well. Add your pearl barley and fry this off for a good 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Now that you have toasted your barley, add the white wine and stir well. Reduce this down until there is virtually no liquid left before adding 1.5l hot chicken stock. Bring this to a boil, then turn the heat down to low – ensuring the barley is at a nice simmer. Simmer for around 30-35 mins, checking and stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender (slightly al dente), and most of the liquid has been absorbed and evaporated.
• Place your Cavolo nero leaves and 2 cloves of peeled garlic, and sumberge into the boiling water. Blanche for 5 minutes and drain, rinsing the Cavolo and garlic very briefly under cold water before gently squeezing out as much of the water as you with your hands.
• Blend the Cavolo and  garlic  with 150ml olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper until a smooth(ish) paste. If you find it isn’t blending too well, you can add a little more olive oil to loosen. Set to one side.
• Now to de-bone the chicken thighs. With the skin side down on the chopping board, run the tip of your knife along the length of the thigh bone, taking care not to cut yourself, then closely follow the bone either side with your knife, teasing away the flesh. Once you have teased enough away, you should be able to slip your knife horizontally beneath the bone in the middle and cut away from you, detaching the bone from the flesh. Turn the thigh 180 degrees and repeat to release the bone completely away from the meat, leaving behind a boneless chicken thigh. Repeat this process for each thigh.
• Get a frying pan on a high heat with a glug of oil, season the chicken thighs well on both sides, and fry skin side down, pressing down on the chicken at first before turning the heat to medium-low. Leave the chicken skin side down for around 5-6 minutes, or until the skin is a deep golden brown.
• Once the skin is nice and golden, bash the remaining 2 cloves of garlic with the base of your palm and toss them in with the chicken, along with the rosemary. Flip the thighs so they are skin side up (the skin should be crispy) and place your pan in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through (make sure it doesn’t have a plastic handle).
• When the barley is finished, turn off the heat and add 4-5 large tablespoons of the Cavolo puree, half the finely- grated Berkswell cheese and the butter, stirring until fully incorporated. You should be be left with a glossy, bright greet risotto. Season to taste. 
• Remove chicken from the oven and rest for about 5 minutes – do not cover as this will make the skin go soggy. Add the pine nuts back into the chicken pan with all the juices, garlic and rosemary, and return to the oven for 2-3 minutes until golden. Be careful as they burn very easily.
• Drain pine nuts on kitchen towel and mix with the crispy rosemary needles and garlic. Portion the hot risotto into bowls and slice the chicken – placing it on top of the risotto. Sprinkle over the pine nuts, garlic and rosemary, and shave the remaining cheese over with a vegetable peeler. Finish each dish with some fresh lemon zest & a light drizzle of olive oil. Serve with wedges of lemon on the side.

Follow Hector Browne on Instagram here.

By James Mitchell, head chef at Westerns Laundry 

Over Christmas and the cold winter months people naturally lean towards braises and roasts, sometimes forgetting the bounty that our seas have to offer. The cold waters around the UK produce the most amazing fish and shellfish that is at its best this time of year.

For a special treat, you can’t beat a Dover sole. I like to cook it simply, a la meunière – in the way of the miller. Dipped in flour and cooked in foaming butter. It keeps the flesh firm and sweet, contrasting beautifully against the salty nutty brown butter. It’s my death row dish. I like to serve it with boiled pink fir potatoes and a simple salad or some seasonal vegetables. Purple sprouting broccoli is bang in season now and is delicious.

Ingredients 

500g whole Dover sole (ask the fish monger to skin both sides and remove the roe and gills)
100g plain flour
200g salted butter – diced
2 lemons
1/2 bunch parlsey
25g capers
Vegetable oil

Method

• Take your sole out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start to cook (this applies to any meat or fish, it will help the item cook more evenly).
• Drain the capers and squeeze out any excess vinegar. Chop the capers and parsley.
• Remove the zest and pith from one of the lemons and cut out the segments. Keep the other for juice. This is pretty much all your prep done!
• Season the sole with salt and then dredge both sides in flour. Tap off any excess.
• Heat 3 tbsp of veg oil in a large non stick frying pan over a medium high heat. Gently add the sole to the pan and cook on one side for approx 4 minutes until golden brown.
• Carefully flip the sole over and add all of the butter…yes, it’s a lot of the butter!
• Keeping the pan on a medium heat, start to spoon the melting butter over the top of the fish. Keep doing so for around 4 minutes until the butter starts foaming. The milk solids should have caramelised now and turned the butter a beautiful nutty brown. It’s now cooked.
• Turn off the heat and add the capers, lemon segments and juice of half a lemon. Slide the sole onto a large plate, finish the butter with the parsley and pour over the fish.

Westerns Laundry is at 34 Drayton Park, Highbury East, London N5 1PB, book a table here, and follow James Mitchell on Instagram here. 

By Greg Weaver, head chef at The William IV 

I think that dessert might be the most overlooked aspect of home cooking. Most people seem happy to bake bread and cakes as a snack or will cook a Sunday roast for friends and family without batting an eyelid, but a really good dessert seems to be reserved exclusively for eating out. Not anymore. This is the kind of decadent dessert that could have only been dreamt up by Italian chefs, think tiramisu, affogato or a few seriously good cannoli.

The bitter, salty caramel cuts through the rich, sweet butterscotch custard and pairs beautifully with a nice biscotti (or black coffee and a cigarette if you have the same post meal cravings as I do). The recipe might look a bit long at first glance, but it’s a really easy cook that’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week and is ready to eat when cooled; an ideal combo, and perfect for prepping early so you can enjoy a few drinks with the meal yourself.

Ingredients (serves 6 glasses)

For the butterscotch custard:

3tbsp salted butter
200g brown sugar
2tbsp cornflour
220ml double cream
440ml milk
3 egg yolks
2tsp vanilla extract
3 shots of whiskey (optional)

For the salted caramel:

200g caster sugar 
115g butter
2tbsp cornflour
100ml double cream

Method

For the butterscotch custard:

• Melt the butter in a heavy, solid pan, then add the brown sugar and stir until fully combined.
• Stir in the cornflour, then add the milk and double cream. Turn the heat down and cook until
  the mixture happily coats the back of a spoon.
• While this is cooking, grab a mixing bowl and whisk the egg yolks into a kitchen spoon’s worth of the hot milk mixture, then pour it back into the pot
  Bring it to the boil for 2 minutes whilst constantly stirring. Add the vanilla (and whiskey if wanted)
• Pour into whatever glasses or mugs you can find and allow to completely cool in the fridge.

For the salted caramel:

• Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Keep cooking until the mix turns an amber colour, then stir in the double cream and salt.
• Boil for 1 minute then allow to cool a little before layering on top of the custard, and finally
  sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt

The William IV is at 786 Harrow Road, NW10 5JX, London, book a table here and follow Greg Weaver on Instagram here. 

By Max Halley, owner of Max’s Sandwich Shop

At this time of year, and especially with the outside world being the horrible, uncomfortable place it has become, apart from sandwiches, I crave hearty, stew-y things. Ideally I like them to be served with rice, mostly made of chicken, to involve mayonnaise, be utterly delicious and most important, relatively speaking, be a piece of piss to make. So here you go!

I’d love to claim this recipe as my own but it’s not, it is from Judy Rodgers’ estimable Zuni Cafe Cookbook (The Zuni Cafe is one of the greatest of San Francisco’s many great restaurants). Judy is alas no longer with us, but this dish, and her mind blowing roast chicken with bread salad, will be with me forever.

First, make garlic mayonnaise. I don’t care what any cheffy people say, I think the best garlic mayonnaise in the world isn’t that jazzy yellow stuff made yourself with olive oil and blah blah blah… The best garlic mayo is two garlic cloves, grated, crushed with salt into a nice moosh and mixed into a (tea) cup of Hellman’s. Make it in advance, as it is four times stronger after two hours in the fridge than if made and eaten immediately.

Now for some cooking.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 organic, or at the very least free range, chicken drummers and four chicken thighs
2 medium onions skinned, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves sliced, not too thinly
1 HUGE slug of decent olive oil
Salt
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 chicken stock goo pot thing (or a cube) dissolved in 500 ml boiling water
1 small red chili, them cheap supermarket ones are good as they’re never TOO hot
1 small glass of whatever white wine you’ve got on the go (unless it’s really good, in which case use a cheap one from the shop)
1 slug of white wine vinegar
1/2 a tin of tomatoes (best ones you got – San Marzano ideally) broken up in your hands to a nice moosh, and some of the liquid too
1 x big pinch of saffron – this is very important to the final flavour of the dish, if you haven’t got it, don’t cook it – the best saffron is La Mancha (Brindisa sell it)
4 x nice slices of chewy bread, sourdough if you must
That amazing garlic mayo I told you about earlier
Cooked Basmati Rice

Method

• Put a big pan (Le Creuset type thing or a big saucepan) on medium heat. Add the olive oil and warm it up nicely. Add the onions, season them generously with salt and sweat them without browning, stirring regularly, until soft and broken down nicely (15 mins). Don’t rush this bit, this is where the sweet rich base flavours of your dish are born.
• Put the bay leaf, the whole chilli, the thyme and stir them all together. Add the white wine and boil it for a minute or two.
• Add the crushed tinned tomtoes and their juice, the garlic, a big pinch of saffron, the vinegar and the chicken stock and bring it all up to a simmer.
• Put the chicken in, and  push it all under the liquid – get the heat to a relaxed simmer (bloop, bloop) and cook uncovered for one hour, by which time the liquid will have reduced considerably.
• Put the rice on to cook in a pan of its own, cooked by whatever method usually works for you.
• Toast the bread, let it cool and thickly slather the slices in your amazing garlic mayo. Put the mayo’d toast in the bottom of four bowls.
• Boil the shit out of the chicken and sauce for three minutes and put a thigh and drummer on top of each piece of toast. Then spoon the onion-y, saffron-y liquid-y goo all over the chicken. If you think the sauce is still too wet, boil it hard for a few more minutes without the chicken in it, making sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
• Put some rice on the side.
• Put a huge scoop of the garlic mayo right in the middle of everything, pour another glass of that white wine and dive in.
• Congratulate yourself on making something so lovely and comforting and delicious despite THE ENTIRE WORLD HAVING GONE TO SHIT OUTSIDE.

Max’s Sandwich Shop is at 19 Crouch Hill, Stroud Green, London N4 4AP, order one of his exquisite sandwiches here and follow him on Instagram here. 

By Trung Nguyen, head chef at My Neighbours The Dumplings

This dish I feel really symbolises My Neighbours The Dumplings. This is one of Bec’s (Becky Wharton, co-founder) recipes or Bec’s mum’s recipe. Bec’s mum is originally from Hong Kong and I was born in Hong Kong before moving to London at the age of 4. The dish has roots to ‘Siu Yuk’, a Cantonese roasted meat dish (usually crispy chilled suckling pig you get at Chinese weddings).

This dish has that ‘My Neighbours’ twist to it. We use beautiful rare breed pigs from around the south east Yorkshire Dales region to be exact. It has a British yet Cantonese connotation to it from its melt in the mouth tender meat and crispy skin but also those spices which still present nostalgic aromas and can only direct you to those special occasions of being inside enjoying this dish in winter, with many people around.

Usually with the Siu Yuk, you’d have it with a sweet almost hoisin-style of sauce for dipping, but at the restaurants we make a house plum sauce, using fresh plums, sake, mirin and ginger! (Bec’s favourite ingredient) The acidity helps cut through the fattyness of the pork belly and really matches with this special dish. The pork belly dish has been on our menus from day one, and it’s one of those dishes people talk about the most and come back for! It’s such a special dish.

Ingredients

For the pork belly:

(Marinade the pork belly for 12 hours before cooking)
1 whole side of boneless free-range pork belly from Taste Tradition (our British meat supplier)
100g  whole black pepper
100g  whole Sichuan pepper
100g  Five Spice powder
140g  fine salt
80g caster sugar
100g  peeled & minced fresh ginger
150g  water
English maldon sea salt

For the plum sauce (served chilled):

50ml rapeseed oil (can use veg oil)
135g shallots (minced fine in a food processor)
75g fresh ginger (minced fine in a food processor)
1kg ripe purple plums (de stoned & diced small)
135g sake
135g  mirin
135g rice wine vinegar (if plums are not sweet use less vinegar)
68g tamari (so everything is gluten free)
70g caster sugar

Method

For the pork belly:

• First, prepare the spice mix. Toast the whole black & Sichuan pepper corns in a pan until they start releasing their aromas and start smoking slightly. Transfer them to a metal tray and once cool, blend with a spice grinder to a smooth powder consistency.
• Combine the freshly ground black & Sichuan pepper with the Five Spice powder, fine salt, sugar, minced ginger & water. You want to create a thick, smearable paste by adding the water, add a little more if it feels too dry
• Prepare the pork belly by cutting it vertically into 4 pieces (you can ask your butcher to do this also). Flip them skin side over, lightly and evenly spread the pork spice rub all over the flesh (you can use some vinyl gloves) try not to get spice on the skin, if so just wipe it off with a wet cloth. Repeat this same process for the rest of the pork belly pieces, then store the pork belly into a large tray with a lid (or you can cover with cling film) and place it in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight to marinade properly.
• Pre-heat your oven to around 165C. You’ll need a deep baking tray with mesh or rack inserts to create a ‘bain marie’ in the oven.
• Pour water into the tray just before it reaches the rack. place the marinated pork belly onto the tray, measure a piece of baking paper over the skin (this will help prevent the foil from sticking to the skin) then cover the top of the tray completely with foil and seal tightly.
• Place tray into the oven for 3.5 – 4 hours, after which your pork belly should be nice and tender. Remove pork from the over, take off the foil and parchment paper, turn your oven up to 240C.
• With your pork belly on the same tray, create ‘holes’ in the skin by using a small sharp knife. You’ll want to have many holes across the skin, about 2-3 cm apart.
• Lightly and evenly salt the top of the pierced skin and place the seasoned pork belly into the hot oven and roast for about 20 minutes before checking (really depends on your oven). Usually it takes about 35 minutes in a modern electric oven but can take up to an hour in a gas oven. You’re looking for a super crispy slightly puffy skin, perfectly golden brown with bits of sea salt on top. Tap a spoon on the skin, if you can hear a hollow, hard sound then it’s ready.
• Take the tray out of the oven and allow to cool slightly for about 30 minutes. Remove some excess salt off the skin, then place it skin down on a chopping board and cut it into manageable sized squares. Slowly enjoy it while it’s still warm with the homemade plum sauce!

For the plum sauce:

• Start by frying the ginger and shallots on a high heat in rapeseed oil until soften and lightly coloured, then add all other ingredients. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring regularly, preventing the bottom of pan from catching.
• Reduce by around 30%. The plums should be very soft but not disintegrated. If it tastes too sharp add an extra 10g of sugar at a time.
• Remove from the heat and allow the sauce to cool slightly for 30 minutes, then fill a blender jug half at a time and blend for 4 minutes, repeat the process until all the sauce is pureed.
• Place the pureed sauce into a sealable container, allow to cool completely, then cover with a lid and store in the fridge.

My Neighbours The Dumplings is at 178-180 Victoria Park Rd, London E9 7HD, book a table here and follow them on Instagram here. 

By Adejoké Bakare, founder and head chef of Chishuru 

My alternative Christmas recipe is for a fermented rice pancake called Waina / Masa in some regions. It is very common in the Northern part of Nigeria where I grew up. Sometimes the fermentation is aided by using yogurt or using a “sour mix starter “ from the old mix to start a fresh one. We always order ahead to get it delivered.

Ingredients

150g of jasmine rice (soaked overnight)
70g  warm cooked jasmine rice
1 teaspoon yeast
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaped tablespoon chopped scallions
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon cardomom (optional)
140ml water

Method

• Proof the yeast (to make sure it’s still active)
• Blend the cooked and soaked rice together. Add the water, sugar, yeast and salt to the rice mixture. The mixture should have the consistency of pancake mixture.
• Cover and keep in a warm place until it proofs and rises. Mix in the spices, ginger and scallions.
• Fry in a specialised frying pan like a Dutch pancake pan. Heat the pan to a high temperature but lower the heat when the mixture is in the pan. Cook under medium heat until brown and crispy all over. If you don’t have the right pan you can use a muffin tray in the oven.
• Pour spoonfuls of the mixture into the holes in the pan. When the edges get crispy use a skewer to turn the balls.
• It’s ready when it’s light brown all over the outside. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. It should yield 12 balls.

Chishuru is at Unit 9 Market Row, Coldharbour Ln, Brixton, London SW9 8LB, book yourself a table here and follow them on Instagram here.