Phil Vickery

When wandering around the BBC Good Food Show, there were so many fantastic businesses that offer truly brilliant kitchen utensils and foods. Along with these different companies, there were demonstrations going on throughout the day which we great to watch whilst resting your feet! The first one was with Phil Vickery who entertained us by cooking two dishes that looked utterly delicious!

The first was Fresh Fusilli with Peas & Mozzarella, the second dish was Grilled Asparagus with Olive Mashed Potatoes & Sweet Vinegar Dressing.

Whilst cooking, Phil was interviewed and he was so interesting to listen to. He often says that ‘people tend to forget I had a career before I started cooking on TV’. He talked about his career which has spanded over many years and has been the proud owner of various awards over time including a Michelin Star, British Meat Chef of the Year and Times Restaurant of the Year. He is extremely grateful for the career he has been handed and has been lucky enough to be a part of the This Morning team for over 14 years now. Speaking of his career on Ready Steady Cook we were told he had over 200 appearances on the programme for the 5 years he appeared as a regular chef.

‘All I do now on TV is I simplify what I learnt as a Michelin Star chef and just try and put simple things together properly. What I don’t do is play around with food, I never have done.’

This statement is exactly what we saw in his dishes at the show, they were simple honest meals, but packed with flavour to really enjoy.

So here are the recipes for the two dishes made…

Fresh Fusilli with Peas & Mozzarella

The ingredients you will need…

• 500g of fresh fusilli pasta
• 250g of fresh peas
• 2-4 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 3 tbsp of freshly chopped sage
• 300g of mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• salt and pepper to season

Here is the method…

1. Cook the pasta until tender, drain and keep hot
2. Cook the peas in boiling water for around 2-3 minutes
3. Put half of the cooked peas into a liquidiser with the olive oil and blitz, add the vegetable stock gradually until you have a puree texture
4. Add the sage and the remaining whole peas to the cooked pasta and stir
5. Add the pea puree, stir and season
6. Fold in the pieces if mozzarella
7. Serve

Phil Vickery’s Top Tips

• Choose the pasta depending on the sauce e.g. a thick pea sauce is perfect with fusilli
• Blanch the peas with a small pinch of sugar if they are fresh, this ensures the taste and flavour stays intact
• With pasta and cheese, this is a great way to get children to eat their greens!

 

Grilled Asparagus with Olive Mashed Potatoes & Sweet Vinegar Dressing

The ingredients you will need…

• 20 English asparagus spears
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/2 a small onion, chopped finely
• 3 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp of cold water
• 5 tbsp of sunflower oil
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• 450g of raw, peeled potatoes cooked until soft and mashed
• 75g of melted unsalted butter
• 150mls of warm milk
• A small pinch of ground nutmeg
• 20 pitted black olives chopped
• 2 tbsp of chopped chives

Here is the method…

1. Mash the cooked potates then place into a bowl, add the milk and butter and stir well
2. Add the nutmeg, chopped olives and chives to the mash and fold in until even
3. Chop the onion finely and place in a bowl adding the water, mustard, vinegar and finally the salt and pepper
4. Gradually add the oil until you have the dressing you desire. Stir well again before serving
5. Heat a griddle pan and brush the asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper
6. Place the asparagus in the griddle pan and cook for around 2-3 minutes on each side
7. Spoon the mash onto a plate, lay the asparagus over and drizzle over the dressing
8. Serve

Phil Vickery’s Top Tips

• When cutting asparagus, ensure all the heads are in one line so when chopped, they will all be even
• When making mash, cut potatoes into good chunks. Wash them before peeling, and after to get rid of any starch

Both these dishes are simple to make but taste great, they don’t take long to make at all so are perfect if you are looking for great tasting meals, with fresh ingredients but only have half an hour in an evening.

It was a pleasure listening to Phil Vickery and we learnt so much that we will be taking away to our own kitchens.