Post by avalon on Apr 2, 2007 21:16:15 GMT 9.5
A taste of my life BBC 
A rich variety of roles have made Miranda Richardson a household name, from villainous turns in Sleepy Hollow and Chicken Run, to her enduring and much adored performance as Queenie in Blackadder II. Nigel Slater discovers the dishes that identify Miranda's character and hold the key to her past.
Friends join Nigel and Miranda to share the secrets of her famous game pie and Simon Russell Beale challenges her to recreate the stunning Moroccan lamb tagine with prunes that she once made for him. Then Miranda hits the kitchen to serve up her 'final feast' of favourite flavours and recipes that rock her world.
Recipes from the show
who likes to cook for Miranda
;)Chicken in white wine sauce
by Miranda Richardson
from Taste of My Life
Serves 4
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
30g/1oz butter
30g/1oz plain flour
140ml/5fl oz white wine
1 free-range egg yolk
2-3 tbsp double cream
squeeze lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Method
1. Place the chicken breasts in a pan with the vegetables and peppercorns and cover with water.
2. Bring gradually to the boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through - about 30 minutes.
3. Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the cooking liquid and keep them warm.
4. Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pan, discarding the cooked vegetables. Reserve about 450ml/16fl oz of the liquid.
5. Melt the butter in a separate pan and add the flour. Cook until the mixture forms a smooth paste which leaves the sides and base of pan cleanly.
6. Gradually add the reserved cooking liquid to the mixture, a ladle at a time, allowing to boil after each addition before beating well. Stir until the mixture blends smoothly.
7. Pour the white wine into the sauce and reduce the heat to low.
8. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with the double cream. Stir the egg and cream into the sauce.
9. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
10. Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into the sauce.
12. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve at once.
Pomegranate molasses salad dressing
by Miranda Richardson
from Taste of My Life
Makes 8 tbsp
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time no cooking required
Ingredients
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Place the pomegranate molasses, olive oil and white wine vinegar in a clean jam jar.
2. Put the lid on the jar and shake well. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and use the dressing on your favourite salad.
Find out more about these ingredients and techniques:
Olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
Panna cotta with lavender
by Miranda Richardson
from Taste of My Life
Serves 6
Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins
Ingredients
For the lavender flowers
225ml/8fl oz water
100g/3½oz caster sugar
handful lavender flowers
For the panna cotta
600ml/1 pint 1½fl oz double cream
50g/1¾oz vanilla sugar
1 orange, zest only
2 tsp gelatine
Method
1. For the lavender flowers, heat the water and caster sugar together in a pan.
2. Stir until the sugar melts and then boil steadily, so that the liquid can reduce a little.
3. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
4. When the sugar has cooled, add the lavender flowers to the pan.
5. For the panna cotta, line six ramekins with cling film and place on a tray. Warm three quarters of the cream with the vanilla sugar and orange zest in a pan, taking care not to boil the cream.
6. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a mixing bowl.
7. Sprinkle the gelatine over two tablespoons of water until it becomes spongy. Heat very gently in a clean pan over a low heat until it dissolves.
9. Add the cream mixture to the gelatine and take off the heat. Leave to cool.
10. Softly whip the remaining cream and add the cream to the mixture.
11. Pour the mixture into the lined ramekins and transfer to the fridge to chill.
12. Chill for at least two hours until set.
13. Turn the panna cotta out onto individual serving plates and drizzle the lavender syrup over them. Decorate with the sugary lavender flowers.
A TASTE OF MY LIFE BY MIRANDA RICHARDSON
ranch-style eggs/HUEVOS RACHEROS MEXICAN FOOD
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins
Ingredients
For the salsa
3 kale leaves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 small bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150ml/5fl oz tomato passata
1 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
8 free-range eggs (2 eggs per person)
To serve
handful fresh coriander leaves
2 soft flour / corn tortillas, warmed in the oven
hot chilli sauce
Method
1. To make the salsa, place the kale, onion, peppers, chilli, courgette, garlic and passata into a bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
2. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan with a lid over a medium heat and add a quarter of the salsa. Stir to warm through, then make a whole in the middle of the salsa. Place the butter in the clear area in the middle of the pan, then break two eggs into this space.
3. Place the lid onto the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. The dish is ready when the eggs are cooked into the salsa and the whites are firm. Slide the eggs and salsa onto a large plate and keep warm as you repeat this process three more times.
4. To serve, sprinkle each dish with coriander leaves and serve the warm tortillas and chilli sauce alongside.
Show me more egg recipes
Show me more Simon Rimmer recipes
Find out more about these ingredients and techniques:
Chilli
Coriander
Tortilla
Garlic
Eggs
Bird's eye chillies
A rich variety of roles have made Miranda Richardson a household name, from villainous turns in Sleepy Hollow and Chicken Run, to her enduring and much adored performance as Queenie in Blackadder II. Nigel Slater discovers the dishes that identify Miranda's character and hold the key to her past.
Friends join Nigel and Miranda to share the secrets of her famous game pie and Simon Russell Beale challenges her to recreate the stunning Moroccan lamb tagine with prunes that she once made for him. Then Miranda hits the kitchen to serve up her 'final feast' of favourite flavours and recipes that rock her world.
Recipes from the show
who likes to cook for Miranda
;)Chicken in white wine sauce
by Miranda Richardson
from Taste of My Life
Serves 4
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stick celery
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
30g/1oz butter
30g/1oz plain flour
140ml/5fl oz white wine
1 free-range egg yolk
2-3 tbsp double cream
squeeze lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
Method
1. Place the chicken breasts in a pan with the vegetables and peppercorns and cover with water.
2. Bring gradually to the boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked all the way through - about 30 minutes.
3. Carefully remove the chicken breasts from the cooking liquid and keep them warm.
4. Strain the cooking liquid into a clean pan, discarding the cooked vegetables. Reserve about 450ml/16fl oz of the liquid.
5. Melt the butter in a separate pan and add the flour. Cook until the mixture forms a smooth paste which leaves the sides and base of pan cleanly.
6. Gradually add the reserved cooking liquid to the mixture, a ladle at a time, allowing to boil after each addition before beating well. Stir until the mixture blends smoothly.
7. Pour the white wine into the sauce and reduce the heat to low.
8. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with the double cream. Stir the egg and cream into the sauce.
9. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
10. Cut the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and stir into the sauce.
12. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve at once.
Pomegranate molasses salad dressing
by Miranda Richardson
from Taste of My Life
Makes 8 tbsp
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time no cooking required
Ingredients
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Place the pomegranate molasses, olive oil and white wine vinegar in a clean jam jar.
2. Put the lid on the jar and shake well. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and use the dressing on your favourite salad.
Find out more about these ingredients and techniques:
Olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
Panna cotta with lavender
by Miranda Richardson
from Taste of My Life
Serves 6
Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins
Ingredients
For the lavender flowers
225ml/8fl oz water
100g/3½oz caster sugar
handful lavender flowers
For the panna cotta
600ml/1 pint 1½fl oz double cream
50g/1¾oz vanilla sugar
1 orange, zest only
2 tsp gelatine
Method
1. For the lavender flowers, heat the water and caster sugar together in a pan.
2. Stir until the sugar melts and then boil steadily, so that the liquid can reduce a little.
3. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.
4. When the sugar has cooled, add the lavender flowers to the pan.
5. For the panna cotta, line six ramekins with cling film and place on a tray. Warm three quarters of the cream with the vanilla sugar and orange zest in a pan, taking care not to boil the cream.
6. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a mixing bowl.
7. Sprinkle the gelatine over two tablespoons of water until it becomes spongy. Heat very gently in a clean pan over a low heat until it dissolves.
9. Add the cream mixture to the gelatine and take off the heat. Leave to cool.
10. Softly whip the remaining cream and add the cream to the mixture.
11. Pour the mixture into the lined ramekins and transfer to the fridge to chill.
12. Chill for at least two hours until set.
13. Turn the panna cotta out onto individual serving plates and drizzle the lavender syrup over them. Decorate with the sugary lavender flowers.
A TASTE OF MY LIFE BY MIRANDA RICHARDSON
ranch-style eggs/HUEVOS RACHEROS MEXICAN FOOD
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins
Ingredients
For the salsa
3 kale leaves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 small bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150ml/5fl oz tomato passata
1 tbsp olive oil
knob of butter
8 free-range eggs (2 eggs per person)
To serve
handful fresh coriander leaves
2 soft flour / corn tortillas, warmed in the oven
hot chilli sauce
Method
1. To make the salsa, place the kale, onion, peppers, chilli, courgette, garlic and passata into a bowl. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
2. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan with a lid over a medium heat and add a quarter of the salsa. Stir to warm through, then make a whole in the middle of the salsa. Place the butter in the clear area in the middle of the pan, then break two eggs into this space.
3. Place the lid onto the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes. The dish is ready when the eggs are cooked into the salsa and the whites are firm. Slide the eggs and salsa onto a large plate and keep warm as you repeat this process three more times.
4. To serve, sprinkle each dish with coriander leaves and serve the warm tortillas and chilli sauce alongside.
Show me more egg recipes
Show me more Simon Rimmer recipes
Find out more about these ingredients and techniques:
Chilli
Coriander
Tortilla
Garlic
Eggs
Bird's eye chillies
) and make it. *g*
