How to make Pease Pudding

Makes: 10 portions of garnish. Cooking time: 2 hours. Oven temperature: 150°C.

Ingredients:

— 400 grams yellow split peas
— 1 liter water
— 50 grams whole carrots
— 1 whole onion
— 75 grams bacon trimmings
— 75 grams butter
— seasoning

Method:

(1) Wash the split peas, place them into a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and skim.

(2) Add the remainder of the ingredients, cover with a lid and cook in the oven for the prescribed time.

(3) When cooked, remove and discard the whole vegetables and bacon trimmings.

(4) Pass the peas through a sieve or liquidizer, return to a clean saucepan and mix in the butter with a wooden spatula. Season to taste.

(5) Serve as a garnish to the main item in the shape of a slight dome decorated scroll fashion with a palette knife.

Note:
(1) Pease pudding may be retained in a basin covered with cling film in a refrigerator.

(2) The mixture may be reheated with a little butter in a saucepan on top of the stove and stirred with a wooden spatula to prevent burning.

NOUVELLE CUISINE:
The preparation of vegetables and methods of cooking outlined in our website are also in accord with the Nouvelle Cuisine. There are, however, a number of points to bear in mind:
(a) All vegetables are cooked to order. They are never refreshed and subsequently reheated.

(b) Vegetables are never cooked beyond the crisp or nutty stage.

(c) Any sauce added to or accompanying any vegetables should not be roux or flour based.

(d) Some leaders in the field of Nouvelle Cuisine do not allow gratination to be applied to any dish.

CONVENIENCE VEGETABLES
Vegetables are available in a variety of frozen, dehydrated, canned and other pre-prepared forms, either whole or cut into the required shapes. Frozen and dehydrated vegetables are without doubt the most commonly used convenience forms.

Frozen vegetables
Boiling is the fundamental method of cooking vegetables, whether fresh or frozen. The main difference is that frozen vegetables need to be boiled for less time.

Frozen vegetables should always be placed into boiling salted water in their frozen state. To defrost them before cooking will have an adverse effect in terms of color, texture and flavor. Cooking time depends upon the type of vegetable and the manufacturers’ instructions should always be referred to.

The principles and practices covering testing when cooked, refreshing, retention and re-heating as well as problems encountered during cooking and assessment are exactly the same for frozen as for fresh vegetables. However, it should be borne in mind that, although the two products are similar in many respects, they are not exactly the same because of the processes through which vegetables pass during freezing.

Dehydrated vegetables (Accelerated Freeze Dried (AFD))
The same principles apply to boiling dehydrated vegetables as to frozen and fresh vegetables. One common error is to soak all dehydrated vegetables before boiling. Before cooking always refer to the manufacturers’ instructions.

Dehydrated vegetables should be plunged into boiling salted water. Cooking times are different to those for similar fresh and frozen vegetables and once again the manufacturers’ instructions should always be noted before cooking.