Chef'S Knife Store

Turkey Tonnato By food writer Blanche Vaughan
I am always being asked for inventive ways with leftover turkey at Christmas and this Italian inspired dish is one of my favourites. Originally a recipe for leftover cooked cold veal, I find turkey can be an excellent substitute as a foil for the anchovy-tuna mayonnaise dressing. All you need is a good knife to slice the meat finely and a few store cupboard ingredients to make a very tasty cold lunch dish. Perfect for Boxing Day!
... Serves 4 (double quantities as necessary)
400g cooked turkey meat, finely sliced 1 free range egg yolk 100ml olive oil juice of ½ lemon 100g tinned tuna (I use the Ortiz brand) 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped sea salt and ground black pepper 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped 1 handful of rocket or watercress leaves lemon wedges to serve
1. Lay the slices of turkey on a serving plate. 2. Make a mayonnaise dressing: Put the egg yolk in a bowl and add the oil, drop by drop, whisking constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and emulsify. 3. Stir in the lemon juice and then the anchovies and tuna. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary. 4. Spread the sauce over the turkey slices and sprinkle with the capers and rocket leaves. Serve with lemon wedges around the plate.
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Game and chestnut pie By food writer Blanche Vaughan
This one-pot pie is an excellent way to cook seasonal game birds (I like to cook pheasants and partridges in this way) but you could also substitute the meat with guinea fowl. The razor sharp D67 Boning knife is my choice for jointing the birds and I find the Santoku is my favourite for chopping vegetables and herbs neatly.
... Serves 6
2tbsp olive oil 2 pheasant or 4 partridges or a mixture of the two, jointed into 6 pieces on the bone 150g smoked streaky bacon, diced 1 onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 4 celery stalks, chopped A few sprigs of rosemary, sage and thyme, chopped 200g cooked, peeled chestnuts 200ml red wine 500ml chicken stock 2 bay leaves ½ tsp juniper berries, lightly crushed 100g puff pastry plain flour for dusting 1 egg, lightly beaten sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 2. Place a large, low-sided casserole over a medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the pheasant pieces and brown well on all sides. When they are well coloured, remove to a plate. 3. Fry the bacon pieces in the pan, increasing the heat as necessary so they become crisp and browned. Then lower the heat and add the onions, garlic and celery, cooking gently for 10-15 minutes so they become soft and sweet. 4. Add the chopped herbs, chestnuts and wine, bring to the boil to burn off some of the alcohol flavour of the wine, then add the stock, bay leaves and juniper berries. Tuck the pheasant pieces back into the pan and cover with a piece of parchment paper and a lid. 5. Cook in the oven for 30-45 minutes or until the meat is completely cooked and starting to fall off the bone. Remove the meat from the casserole and allow to cool slightly before shredding, discard the bones and return to the casserole. 6. Roll out the pastry to a slightly larger size than the casserole lid and about 5mm thick. Lay the pastry on the surface of the pie mixture, tucking it around the edges to make a neat lid. Brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp. 7. Serve immediately with a bowl of buttered cabbage and mash potato.
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APPLE AND BLACKBERRY GALETTE by cook and food writer Blanche Vaughan
The fruit to be eating at this time of year are British apples and what better to pair them with than blackberries? If you can’t get hold of blackberries, you could substitute raspberries instead, or just use apples on their own. A good sharp utility chef knife, like the Naifu 5” Utility knife is the perfect tool for cutting apples into thin slices for the tart. The apples, once sliced, need to be doused in ...
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VEGETABLES À LA GRECQUE WITH� EGG AND HERB SAUCE� by chef and food writer Blanche Vaughan
A perfect summer dish to cook in advance, making life easier which is how it should be at this time of year. Another way to make cooking easier is to always use a sharp, well balanced knife. I favour the Naifu 8” Chef knife for this task. Serve at room temperature or chilled on a large serving plate from which everyone can help themselves.... For the vegetables and poaching liquor: 12 baby leeks, well washed 3 carrots, peeled 6 sticks celery Small bunch asparagus 1/2 cauliflower �Juice of 1/2 lemon 100ml white wine 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns 1 fresh bayleaf Sprig of thyme� For the sauce: 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard� 1/2 tablespoon mild red-winevinegar (I use Volpaia)  20g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped  20g basil, finely chopped  5 tablespoons extra-virgin oliveoil, plus extra to serve  4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled 1 For the vegetables and poaching liquor, prepare the vegetables so they are roughly the same size: cut the leeks into short lengths, the carrots into sticks and the celery and asparagus into similar lengths; break the cauliflower into small florets. 2 Put the lemon juice, wine, spices, bay leaf and thyme into a large saucepan and add 1 litre of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then add the leeks. After 1 minute, add the other vegetables and simmer for 3–4 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender with a little bite. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving dish, reserving the poaching liquor. Pour a spoonful of this over the vegetables and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. 3 For the sauce, roughly chop the capers and put them in a bowl with the mustard, vinegar, herbs and oil. Finely chop the eggs and add to the bowl with a couple of spoonfuls of poaching liq- uor. Stir to make a loose sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground black pep- per. Serve the vegetables, warm or cold, with the sauce spooned over.
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Skate wings with sauce gribiche By cook and food writer Blanche Vaughan
Eggs make wonderful sauces. I have learnt to use the protein rich yolks to whisk into thick emulsions like mayonnaise and hollandaise, and to cook into creamy custards both sweet and savoury. Sauce gribiche is an interesting variation on this theme, where cooked, rather than raw yolks, are used as an emulsifying ingredient (which makes it the perfect option for anyone avoiding raw eggs). ... This mayonnaise-style, cold sauce has capers, cornichons and herbs added to give it a tangy freshness. It tastes excellent with cold chicken or simply cooked fish.
Serves 4
For the sauce gribiche 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled 200ml olive oil 1-2tbsp good quality red wine vinegar 2tbsp salted capers, rinsed and roughly chopped 2tbsp cornichons, finely chopped 2tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley 1tbsp finely chopped chervil A few tarragon leaves, finely chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small or 2 medium skate wings, skinned and cut in half (about 200g per portion) 2tbsp olive oil Small knob of butter Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the sauce: remove the yolks from the eggs and pound to a smooth paste. Using a professional Naifu chef knife, finely chop the whites and reserve for later. Put the yolks into a bowl and slowly add the oil, stirring continuously to form an emulsion. As it starts to thicken, add the vinegar to loosen the mixture, then continue adding the rest of the oil. When all the oil has been added, stir in the capers, cornichons, chopped herbs, chopped egg whites and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7
Season the skate wings well on both sides.
Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof frying pan, large enough to fit the skate wings lying flat. When the oil is sizzling, lay the fish in the pan and fry for about 5 minutes on one side, shaking the pan gently so the fish doesn’t stick.
Without turning the fish, put the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish). To test when it is cooked, pierce the thickest part with a skewer, which should slide easily through the flesh, otherwise, cook for a little longer.
Serve with a generous dollop of the sauce, lemon to squeeze and buttered greens and new potatoes.
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Lamb tagine with Jerusalem artichokes, preserved lemons and olives By chef and food writer Blanche Vaughan
This recipe is inspired by a recent trip to Marrakech, where I was searching out new ideas for cooking with lamb. Much of the best food we ate was in roadside cafes or market stalls where individual tagines bubbled temptingly over a stove, the lids lifted to show cleverly layered ingredients slowly cooking in their earthenware pots, flavours and spices seeping together. ...The tagine pot works like an oven in itself, allowing steam to condense in the conical shaped lid and the moisture to remain inside. It is the perfect transportable oven and can be placed to cook directly on coals. I used a domed pot to create a similar effect and layered the spiced lamb, sliced Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes with preserved lemons and olives to make a delicious and exotic tasting meal.
Recipe serves 4-6
Utensils required: Tagine pot or lidded earthenware or cast iron casserole about 8” diameter. Grater Chefs knives 6” or 8”, Utility chefs knife 5”
1kg lamb shoulder, cut into chunks 1 tsp ras al hanout (a North African spice mix available from Ocado) ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground turmeric pinch of saffron 1tsp salt and ½ tsp ground pepper light olive oil for frying 1 shallot, grated or finely chopped 1 small bunch of fresh coriander, stalks and leaves chopped 500ml lamb stock or water 500g Jerusalem artichokes, sliced 300g small waxy potatoes, sliced 2 preserved lemons, thinly sliced a handful of green olives fresh coriander to serve
Choose a pot to cook the tagine in, preferably a low sided casserole with a good solid base and a lid. Toss the lamb pieces in the spices, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the pot and brown the pieces of lamb. Add the grated shallot and coriander and cook together for a moment. Pour over the stock or water and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook, uncovered for an hour or so or until the meat is soft and the liquid reduced slightly. Lay the sliced artichokes and potatoes over the top of the cooked meat. Depending on the size of your pot, this may become two or three layers. Between each layer lay slices of preserved lemon and olives and season well. Put on the lid and cook slowly for an hour or until the potatoes are soft. Serve with fresh coriander sprinkled on top.
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Skate wings with sauce gribiche By cook and food writer Blanche Vaughan
Eggs make wonderful sauces. I have learnt to use the protein rich yolks to whisk into thick emulsions like mayonnaise and hollandaise, and to cook into creamy custards both sweet and savoury. Sauce gribiche is an interesting variation on this theme, where cooked, rather than raw yolks, are used as an emulsifying ingredient (which makes it the perfect option for anyone avoiding raw eggs). ... This mayonnaise-style, cold sauce has capers, cornichons and herbs added to give it a tangy freshness. It tastes excellent with cold chicken or simply cooked fish.
Serves 4
For the sauce gribiche (A Naifu Chefs Knife is perfect for preparing this) 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled 200ml olive oil 1-2tbsp good quality red wine vinegar 2tbsp salted capers, rinsed and roughly chopped 2tbsp cornichons, finely chopped 2tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley 1tbsp finely chopped chervil A few tarragon leaves, finely chopped Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small or 2 medium skate wings, skinned and cut in half (about 200g per portion) 2tbsp olive oil Small knob of butter Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the sauce: remove the yolks from the eggs and pound to a smooth paste. Finely chop the whites and reserve for later. Put the yolks into a bowl and slowly add the oil, stirring continuously to form an emulsion. As it starts to thicken, add the vinegar to loosen the mixture, then continue adding the rest of the oil. When all the oil has been added, stir in the capers, cornichons, chopped herbs, chopped egg whites and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7
Season the skate wings well on both sides.
Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof frying pan, large enough to fit the skate wings lying flat. When the oil is sizzling, lay the fish in the pan and fry for about 5 minutes on one side, shaking the pan gently so the fish doesn’t stick.
Without turning the fish, put the pan in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish). To test when it is cooked, pierce the thickest part with a skewer, which should slide easily through the flesh, otherwise, cook for a little longer.
Serve with a generous dollop of the sauce, lemon to squeeze and buttered greens and new potatoes.
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Roast chicken with celeriac and potatoes By cook and food writer Blanche Vaughan
Roast chicken epitomises winter comfort food for me. It also provides invaluable leftovers to make stock with; you can get two good meals out of one ingredient. This is a good reason to search out the best quality birds, ones which have lived for longer, in better conditions and been allowed to wander around outside, pecking at grubs. Of course they cost more, because every day an animal lives, ...the farmer needs to house and feed it. However, the benefit is that the bones, muscles and fat all have time to develop, giving the bird much more succulence and flavour. It’s easy to source these birds at farmers’ markets or a good butcher – Fosse Meadows Farm, Creedy Carver and Label Anglais have all produced excellent cooking chickens and seem to be available around the country. While the days are still short, I turn to recipes that require me to spend less time in the kitchen: one-pot meals that cook slowly, can be served in their cooking vessel (less washing up) and require little accompaniment. This dish looks beautiful as it emerges from the oven – a golden roast bird sitting on layers of creamy celeriac and potatoes. The juices from the chicken seep into the vegetables as it cooks. A green salad with a mustardy dressing and a good Naifu carving knife is all that you need for a comforting and easy winter feast.
Serves 4-6 1 chicken, weighing approx.. 2kg 800g potatoes, peeled and sliced 1cm thick 800g celeriac, peeled and sliced 1cm thick 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1tbsp olive oil 200ml single cream a small bunch of thyme, leaves picked nutmeg 50g butter, cut into small pieces 100ml white wine salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 170°C/350°F/Gas 3 ½
Season the chicken well with salt and pepper, inside and out. Choose a large baking dish and put the potatoes, celeriac, garlic, oil, cream and half of the thyme into it. Season generously with a few grates of nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix everything together well. Smooth out the slices so that they lie more or less flat, giving an even base for the chicken to lie on. Slide your fingers under the skin of each chicken breast and tuck a piece of butter and the rest of the thyme in each. Rest the bird on the potatoes, breast side down. Pour over the wine and put into the oven to roast for 50 minutes. After this time, turn the chicken over so it can continue to cook, breast up for a further 30-40 minutes. Check it is cooked by inserting a skewer into the flesh just above the leg, the juices that seep out should be clear, without a hint of pink. Cover loosely with foil and rest in a warm place for up to 30 minutes before carving – this gives you any time you need to lay the table and make a green salad.
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GAME TERRINE
By Blanche Vaughan – chef and cookery writer
A good terrine can be one of the greatest pleasures of the kitchen, both in the making and the eating. It may take a bit of time to prepare, but it lasts well too; if you don’t eat it all in the first sitting, it is a welcome dish to discover in the fridge; an instant and satisfying lunch. It also makes an impressive and hassle free starter if you’re entertaining. ...
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Glorious Grouse By chef and food writer Blanche Vaughan
The arrival of the first grouse following the season’s opening on the ‘Glorious 12th’ of August is an exciting time for cooks and game lovers. Game dealers demand top dollar for this most prized wild, heather eating bird. However, by September the prices have fallen dramatically and now is the time to think about serving this British delicacy at home.
... These nimble birds contain little fat and benefit from being cooked on the bone. This keeps the complex, gamey flavoured flesh juicier, and allows you to devour every morsel. A Naifu steak knife is a crucial tool to allow your guests to get stuck in with ease at the table.
My favourite way to eat this king of birds is inspired by how I learnt to cook them at the River Café Restaurant – simply roasted, sitting on a piece of tomato topped bruschetta, with a splash of good red wine and served with early Autumn vegetables. The tomato and bread roast under the bird, absorbing the wine and juices. Serve the rest of the bottle with dinner and you’ll have a meal fit for a king.
Roast Grouse for 4
4 plucked grouse A small bunch of thyme 4 cloves of garlic 20g butter Olive oil 4 pieces of good white bread 4 very ripe tomatoes, sliced Sea salt and freshly ground pepper A few splashes of good red wine (serve the rest of the bottle with dinner) 25g butter 100ml stock or water
1. Make sure the guts are removed from the birds; if your butcher has kindly left the livers inside, quickly fry these in oil, then chop roughly and set aside. 2. Put a sprig of thyme, a clove of peeled garlic and a knob of butter inside the cavity of each bird. 3. Preheat the oven to 220°C. 4. In a large frying pan, heat 1tbsp olive oil and lightly brown the birds all over. Set aside in a roasting tray. 5. Add more oil to the frying pan and cook the slices of bread on each side, just to colour. Remove to the roasting tray. 6. Lay the slices of tomato over each piece of bread, top with the fried liver (if using) and season well with salt and pepper. 7. Season the skin and cavity of the birds and place on top of each bruschetta. Splash some of your drinking wine over each bird and add the remaining butter to the roasting tray, this will make the beginnings of a gravy. 8. Roast for 15-25 minutes, depending on how rare you like your birds. Remove the birds and bruschetta to a warming plate to rest for 10 minutes while you make the gravy. 9. Put the roasting tray on the heat and add another splash of wine, scraping with a spatula to loosen any particles and deglaze the pan. Add the stock (or water) and bring to boil to reduce slightly. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. 10. Serve the birds sitting on the bruschetta with seasonal vegetables on the side and the sauce in a warm jug on the table.
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Summer eating
Blanche Vaughan chef and cookery writer
Vegetables ‘a la Grecque’
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STEAK AND GAME KNIVES By Blanche Vaughan, chef and food writer blanchevaughan.wordpress.com
If you’re serious about cooking game or like to settle down to a superior steak at home, choosing which knife to use when you eat it should be an important part of the process. Despite decorating our dining tables with pretty tableware and flowers, sometimes the crucial tools are overlooked. Most cutleries may look attractive, but the average table knife is only sharp enough to cut thr...
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NAIFU OFFERS AN EDGE IN THE KITCHEN By Blanche Vaughan, food writer and chef
It’s a popular concern that old skills and working methods are dying out. The mechanized hands of machines, factories and large production units are replacing the job of the artisan craftsman. There is truth in this, but the mindset that insists that anything made in a factory (as opposed to a workshop) cannot be ‘crafted’, fails to consider some of the products that successfully combine the best mat...
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In the Times today, Clare Smyth chef patron of Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, which has just received a perfect 10 score in The Good Food Guide says "Buy an 8in to 10in knife with a clean blade. Japanese steel is softer and more likely to stay sharp." A NAIFU chefs knife from chefsknifestore.co.uk fits this recommendation perfectly. It is a real joy to cook with a knife this sharp.

This 'Jambon Persille' is a NAIFU favourite and very easy and inexpensive to make. See more pictures and recipe on our website - chefsknifestore.co.uk. Click BLOG on the home page.