At Home With Street Food

I mentioned in my first post, a trip to Williams Sanoma, that Mecca of all things cookin’. Amongst my purchases was the fabulous book  Food Trucks by Heather Shouse.  All the delicious recipes, including Bacon Jam, from the new food heroes on wheels.  Fabulous cooks who have either left the ‘big time’ or decided to start small and love it.

There is an element of the cult about following some of the US vendors, who don’t have a license, as they move from pitch to pitch they keep in touch with their customers via Twitter.

Here in the UK there has been plenty of press about Food Trucks.  Whether it’s the new trend for party catering or the fabulous stop off at the summer festival.  Richard Johnson, food writer, set up The British Street Food Awards after touring the country to see what Great Britain had to offer.  Did we match up to the quality and variety of the U.S?  Are we seeing the demise of the dodgy kebab?  Whichever way it goes those Brit vans are also now having their story told in Street Food Revolution.

Take home the take out recipes and give it a blast, Try the Bacon Jam and The Scallops, then, you decide which side of The Pond does the best meals on wheels.

Scallops, Celeriac puree, Bacon and Seashore Vegetables

From Healthy Yummies in Street Food Revolution

• 1 medium celeriac
• 600mls whole milk
• 200mls double cream
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150g seashore vegetables (e.g. sea beet, sea parslane, samphire) samphire alone is fine
• 8 large diver caught scallops, plus cleaned shells
• 2 rashers of Gloucester Old Spot smoked streaky bacon, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon mild olive oil
• 40g good quality butter cut into cubes
• 1 lemon halved

1. Peel the celeriac and cut into 2cm cubes, put into a saucepan with the milk, cream, bay leaf, thyme and nutmeg.  Cook on a medium heat until the celeriac is soft.
2. Take off the heat, remove the herbs and blend the celeriac to a puree with a little of the liquor. You may need to do this in batches.  Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
3. Wash the scallops and dry off with kitchen paper
   
4. Put the bacon in a hot frying pan without oil and toss for 2-3 minutes.  Place on kitchen paper to drain.
5. The dish is very quick to cook, so have all the components ready.
6. Put the celeriac in a pan and gently heat through.
7. Season both sides of the scallop.
8. Put a large frying pan on the heat until very hot and then add the tablespoon of olive oil and the scallops.
9. Do not move around leave to caramelise
10. Whilst the scallops cook, Place one dessert spoonful of celeriac puree on each shell.
11. After about 1 minute the scallops will have browned and caramelised underneath, turn them over and add the bacon.
12. After 30 seconds add the butter to the pan and squeeze with lemon juice (this will brown a little but that’s ok).
13. Once the butter has melted add the sea vegetables and toss
14. Remove from the heat
15. Place one scallop on-top of the celeriac on each shell, drizzle with the browned butter and bacon. Top with the sea vegetables.

 

Bacon Jam Recipe 

From Skillet in Food Trucks 

• 2 pounds good quality bacon diced
• 1 small ( yellow) onion diced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Put the bacon in a large saute pan over a medium low heat ( you’re rendering the bacon down without browning it).
2. Whilst the bacon is rendering spoon off one tablespoon of the fat into another saute pan.
3. Add the onions to the second pan and cook to a deep brown adding a little water if necessary to de-glaze the pan and scrape all the caramelized bits.
4. Once the onions are brown add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, chilli powder, allspice, pepper and salt and cook for a further two minutes.
5. Add the onion mixture to the bacon pan, turn the heat down to low, stirringly occasionally, until most of the moisture has been absorbed. (Josh from Skillet cooks his for 6 hours, I cooked mine for about 5 1/2 hours).
6. Remove from the heat and spoon into airtight sterilised jars and place in the fridge overnight until the mixture has developed a jam-like consistency.
7. Store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks

It really is worth the 6 hours it takes to cook, give it a try.