The real food trend

Ray McVinnie

Chef and food writer

As we spring forward this Sunday we asked Ray McVinnie what food trends lay ahead.

It seems fewer people are dragging their knuckles into the kitchen to make Paleo meals (perhaps they have realised it’s not about what cavemen ate but just about restricting calories like any diet), the scientific evidence to support the health claims of kombucha is at best sketchy, the slick of coconut oil in everything seems to be receding, the clever hardworking people in food trucks seem to be doing well, molecular gastronomy as done by non-Spanish chefs has finally become the joke it always deserved to be (all that clunky accessorising with foams and spheres is not what Mr Adria had in mind I’m sure).

I haven’t heard anyone mention removing toxins from their body for ages (maybe they have realised they have two kidneys and a liver to do the job) and the “worried well” (which doesn’t include coeliacs) are still whining about gluten and just about everything else.

So what new spring trends are in store for us? Or rather what new trends do marketers want us to think are trends?

Fads come and go and I remain cynical of the whole idea of food trends. Food trends are usually associated with marketing a product, or are a bandwagon to jump on for people who think food is all about social capital.

When it comes to food the choice of what to cook is so vast and delightful that I have always urged people to cook what they feel like rather than what is said to be fashionable. Nothing wrong with getting new ideas for meals but who wants to be a slave to any rhythm.

The one trend I have noticed is that more and more people seem to have woken up to the fact that a diet of processed food is bad for you and this is increasingly becoming a public discussion. The industrialisation of the food supply is the biggest change in our diet.

Before that you had to make everything yourself, that is, cook it from scratch using natural ingredients. Over the centuries a healthy human diet was predicated on this sort of food being eaten. Eating real food cooked from scratch was a way of rationing it, it encouraged moderation, and it was done at the shared table which encouraged socialisation. (The shared table is where you learn to behave.)

The new availability of any food any time, as a result of industrialisation of the food supply, had sabotaged the benefits of a traditional diet based on cooking. While experts on obesity haven’t grasped the importance of cooking in the health equation at least they are up front about processed food technology not suiting our biology.

It would be foolish to think we could turn back the clock but an awareness of how home cooking can keep you healthy and sociable is an important part in understanding a healthy diet (ie: eat the largest variety of real food you can, be moderate, get some exercise and stop worrying).

So make whatever you feel like without feeling gauche or geekily unfashionable, because food isn’t really about fashion, it’s about eating well and living well, just like it says on the front of this magazine. Eat well with the following.

Baked fish with a crunchy dijon mustard crust on braised potatoes and leeks

Any combo of fish and potatoes does it for me and this is a good one. Baking the fish in between the vegetables and the crumbs means that the fish stays moist and even reheats well without drying out.

Serves 4

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large leek, thinly sliced
2 large sprigs thyme
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
150ml dry white wine
900g agria potatoes, peeled, sliced 1cm thick
250ml fish or vegetable stock
600g firm white fish fillets
75g panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp chopped parsley, plus extra for serving
60g butter, melted

Heat the oven to 220C.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over moderate heat and add the onion, leek, thyme, garlic and zest. Fry gently without browning for 10 minutes or until the onion is soft.
Add the wine and let it bubble for 30 seconds.
Put this mixture into an ovenproof dish and place the potatoes in one layer on top. Season and pour the stock over everything.
Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven and place the fish pieces side by side on top of the potatoes.
Put the breadcrumbs, mustard, parsley and butter into a bowl and mix well. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Spread the crumb mixture over the top of the fish. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the crumbs browned and crisp.

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Braised chicken with preserved lemon and green olives

This way of cooking a chicken is based on a recipe from Ghillie Basan's book Flavours of Morocco and results in a tender moist bird that is packed with flavour. It is good hot or cold.

Serves 4-6

1 large onion, grated, save the juice
6 cloves garlic, crushed
50g ginger, peeled and grated
Large pinch saffron threads, soaked in ¼ cup hot water for 10 minutes
Juice of 1 large lemon
3 Tbsp chopped coriander stalks and leaves, plus extra leaves for serving
30ml extra virgin olive oil
Size 14 free range chicken
Peel of 1½ preserved lemons, thinly sliced
100g green olives
1 Tbsp dried wild oregano
250ml vegetable stock
Steamed long grain rice for serving (Watch this video on how to create perfect white rice)

Heat the oven to 200C.
Put the onion and its juice, garlic, ginger, saffron and water, lemon juice, coriander and oil into a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Rub this mixture all over the chicken, inside and out, and place the chicken in a deep ovenproof casserole. Pour in any extra of the onion mixture. Add the preserved lemon, olives, oregano and stock.
Cover and place in the oven for 1½ hours or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the chicken thighs is pierced with a skewer.
Remove from the oven and lift the chicken onto a warm serving platter.
Pour the sauce from the dish into a bowl and skim off some of the fat.
Carve the chicken and serve it sprinkled with coriander on steamed rice.

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Tamarillo sponge puddings with homemade custard

These puddings are simply sugar-macerated slices of peeled tamarillo with a simple sponge mixture baked on top, like the sponge in my video (see below) but with almonds added. These are great warm as a pudding with the custard, or if there are any leftovers, when cold they turn into little cakes which are great sliced with a cup of coffee. I used to avoid tamarillos as I didn't like their sour, slightly metallic flavour. That was until I rediscovered that old fashioned Kiwi way of preparing them which takes time (you need to plan ahead as you do for all good food) but is worth it. Macerating them in sugar for 12 hours transforms tamarillos, giving them a rich complex earthy but sweet flavour.

Custard

The French call this custard “crème anglaise”, it is real custard made with egg yolks. Once you have tasted this there is no going back to packet custard.

Makes about 500ml

5 egg yolks
300ml full cream milk
100ml cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp caster sugar

Put the egg yolks into a heatproof bowl and beat lightly.
Put the milk, cream, vanilla and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Pour a little of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking continuously, then add the rest of the mixture, stirring continuously.
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until the custard coats the back of a spoon ( it really only needs to do this, if you get the custard too hot it will curdle). Strain, cool and chill.

Puddings

Start this the day before.

Serves 6

5 large tamarillos, pointed ends knicked with a sharp knife tip
170g caster sugar
3 large eggs
75g sliced almonds, roasted until lightly browned in a 200C oven
100g flour, sifted

Put the tamarillos into a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over them until submerged. Wait 2 minutes then drain and cool under cold running water. Drain then peel off the skins and slice the tamarillos about 1cm thick.
Place in a bowl and add 70g of the sugar. Mix well, cover and reserve in the fridge for 12 hours.
Strain the tamarillos and reserve the juice.
Put a sixth of the tamarillo slices into the bottom of six cups or ramekins.
Heat the oven to 200C.
Beat the remaining 100g of sugar and the eggs for about 4 minutes or until very thick, pale in colour and tripled in bulk. Fold in the almonds and flour.
Put a sixth of this mixture on top of the tamarillo slices.
Place the ramekins or cups on an oven tray and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the sponge comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool a little before running a small knife around the edge of each pudding and unmoulding them onto plates.
Serve with the custard and the reserved tamarillo juices in a jug for pouring.