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Celebrity chefs head for Taste of Grampian

SIMON Rimmer spends a lot of his weekend rubbing shoulders with celebrities, and will be getting close to food and drink fans too when he attends this year’s Taste of Grampian in Inverurie.

Simon is the regular chef on hugely popular Sunday morning TV show, Something For The Weekend, where celebrities are given a hands-on cookery demonstration as they chat about their lives and experiences.

His warm personality and ability to make delicious food quickly and easily has seen him appear on a host of TV shows, while his cookery books are devoured by his army of fans, many of whom will be attending Taste of Grampian, held on Saturday, June 4 at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie.

Simon will be there along with fellow TV chef Jean-Christophe Novelli. Each will present two cookery demonstrations before teaming up to take part in a fun celebrity cook-off.

Aside from his hectic filming schedule, Simon is chef patron of two award-winning restaurants in Manchester.

“This will be my second visit to Taste of Grampian,” said Simon.

“Last time was brilliant and genuinely good fun with some great events and of course fabulous produce.

“In this part of the world you have access to magnificent beef and fantastic fresh fish. I’ve been familiar with Scottish produce for a long time thanks to my wife.

“I can always tell whether a celebrity is interested in cooking or not. Those that aren’t stand tentatively at arms length from the counter, while those who are confident, like any of us who enjoy cooking, are happy to come in close and have a go at whatever it is I throw at them.”

Simon’s recipe for Pan Haggerty, shown below, is quick to make yet deliciously filling.

“In times of recession we refer back to comfort food and there’s a great move towards simple dishes which I think will continue for a good few years,” said Simon.

“I’d recommend buying the best quality ingredients you can afford then cooking them simply.

“To me, there’s nothing nicer than a simple piece of grilled fish served with fresh vegetables. It’s the same with meat which should be cooked well and served with a good sauce.

“This summer Scotland’s going to have a bumper crop of soft fruits because of the weather, and I’d imagine Scottish rasps are going to be out of this world.

“It will be the perfect summer to make lots of trifles and jam.”

Joining Simon is Jean-Christophe Novelli, the award-winning French chef who, along with his many television appearances, runs the Novelli Academy Cookery School, regarded as one of the best in the world.

“Scottish people keep me very busy,” said Jean-Christophe.

“Apart from attending food and drink shows, I like to get up there regularly to meet farmers and growers and learn about the latest produce.

“I’ve been as far as Shetland to find out about mussels, but really everywhere around the Scottish coast, the freshness, coldness and strength of the currents helps create wonderful seafood.

“And while people living here may not always like the climate, it is responsible for producing wonderful meat and produce,” said Jean-Christophe, who revealed he’d like to open a restaurant in Stirling.

At Taste of Grampian he will demonstrate several dishes.

“These will be very easy for guests to make at home but are also healthy dishes as it’s important people look after their health.

“I’ll be chatting to guests too – I love hearing the Scottish accent, it’s very sexy.

“Before I came to the UK I was advised that the best place to learn how to speak English was in Scotland.

“I didn’t manage to get a job here but have no regrets as I now get to come here on holiday as often as possible.”

Simon’s Pan Haggerty

Serves 4

“This is a great dish for a lazy Sunday supper.”

50g/2oz butter

1 onion, finely sliced

200g/7oz waxy potatoes, peeled and finely sliced

75g/3oz mature Cheddar cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Heat half the butter in an ovenproof pan and fry the onion until soft, then remove from the pan. Put a layer of potato in the same pan and fry for a few minutes until golden. Now layer up onion, potato, onion, season each layer and finish with potato. Melt the remaining butter and pour over the pan. Cook in the oven for about 40 minutes until soft. Before serving, grate the cheese over the top and put under a hot grill until the cheese bubbles.

Jean-Christophe’s Roast Vanilla Tomatoes

Serves 4-6

“Beef tomatoes are best for this recipe. Keep in the fridge just before roasting to make sure they do no split or burn.”

4-6 large tomatoes on the vine

Olive or rapeseed oil

½tsp ground cumin

4 sprigs thyme

Sprigs of basil

Drizzle of honey

2 bay leaves

1 vanilla pod, cut in half lengthways

4 shallots, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1tsp smoked ground paprika

100g canned chick peas, drained

2 aubergines, trimmed

2-4tbsp cooked long grain rice

50-60g Cumbrian Cheddar cheese

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A pinch of fennel seeds

Chervil

Quick bake the tomatoes (while still on the vine if possible) in a little oil until soft with cumin, thyme, bay leaves and the vanilla pod – split in half lengthways – in a preheated oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes. Leave to rest while still covered to create a lot of juice.

Dry fry the shallots, garlic, smoked paprika, fennel seeds, honey, star anise, chick peas and aubergines (until the aubergine is soft).

Pour the tomato juice into a heavy pan, add the basil, rice and tomato. Bring to the boil, add the cheese and reduce. Pour over the tomatoes. Garnish with chervil.

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