Recipes from Moy Cookery Theatre 2024
AGA Venison Dopiaza Curry
Serves 6
Venison neck or shoulder works well in this rich slow cooked curry.
Ingredients
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorn
1 tsp cardamom seeds - from 1 tbsp cardamom pods, either black or green
1/2 tsp salt
1 kg venison, diced 3cm pieces
100g natural yogurt plus more to serve
4 cloves garlic or garlic puree
5cms ginger or ginger puree
9 onions - 6 peeled and thinly sliced and 3 peeled and roughly sliced
4 fresh chillies - red or green, finely sliced, remove the seeds if the chillis are particularly hot.
1 tbsp garam masala
50g butter or ghee
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped or a small tin of chopped tomatoes.
A bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Method
Toast the cumin, coriander, black peppercorn and cardamom seeds in a dry pan on the AGA simmering plate for a 2 - 3 minutes just until they smell fragrant. This can also be done just on a piece of bake o glide. Tip into a pestle and mortar or spice/coffee grinder and grind until fine.
Dice the venison if necessary and place in a large bowl. Add the ground toasted spices, 1/2 tsp salt, 100g natural yogurt then grate in 4 cloves of garlic and the 5cms piece of ginger. Stir well. Leave to marinate while you cook the onions or overnight in the fridge if you wish.
Put half the butter in a large pan and melt on the simmering plate. Add the thickly sliced onions along with 1 tbsp garam masala and cook for 10 mins or until well softened. This can also be done on the floor of the AGA roasting oven. Spoon these cooked onions in to a separate dish.
Put the remaining butter in the pan, add the finely sliced onions and chillis and cook again for 5 - 10 mins.
Turn up the heat or move the pan to the AGA boiling plate. Add the venison and the marinade and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, stir, cover with a lid and cook in the AGA simmering oven or AGA oven set to B1 for 4 hours.
To finish, stir in the reserved onions and coriander then serve with rice extra yogurt, naan and poppadum
Quick AGA Flatbreads
Makes 10 - 12
Cook these flatbreads directly on the AGA top plates
Ingredients
195g water
1 1/2 tsp dried yeast
30g olive oil
1 tsp salt
435g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Method
Mix the water and yeast in place on the back of the aga for 10 minutes until warm.
Add the olive oil and yogurt.
Put the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and add the yeast mixture. Mix and form into a ball then knead for 2 - 3 minutes until smooth. The dough will be quite sticky. Oil a large bowl and put the dough in then cover and leave to rise for an hour or so until doubled in size.
To cook on the AGA boiling plate, turned down for a few minutes if possible (AGA eR3, eR7, R7, R3, AGA 60, Dual Control and Total Control models) or for traditional AGA cookers, leave the boiling plate lid up for a few minutes to cool the top plate a little.
Alternatively cook on the AGA simmering plate.
Divide the dough into 10 - 12 pieces; roll them out one at a time into a triangle shape until quite thin (12 - 15cms long). Pick up and place carefully directly on to the boiling plate or simmering plate. Keep the lid up. They will cook very quickly on boiling plate, be ready with some tongs to turn them over as soon as you see them start to bubble a little. On the AGA simmering plate the breads will cook more slowly, cook with the lid down.
Wrap the breads in foil to keep warm as they are cooked. They can be chilled or frozen wrapped like this and defrosted in their parcel in the warming or simmering oven.
Clean off any pieces of bread or flour carefully from the top plates by using the AGA wire brush. If possible turn off the top plates and clean once cool.
Perfect Fluffy Rice
Serves 2 - allow 50g dry rice per person
Perfect rice, everytime. Brown basmati cooks in the same way but may take 30 - 40 minutes. Follow the same timings for bigger quantities of rice and water.
Ingredients
1 cup (approx 100g) basmati rice
2 cups water
salt, to taste
Method
Place the rice in a pan that has a tight fitting lid. Pour on the water and place on AGA boiling plate or induction hob and heat until if comes to the boil.
Put on the lid and reduce the heat to low, or, even better, place in a low oven (150C or AGA simmering oven) for 20 minutes.
Don’t be tempted to lift the lid during the 20 minutes cooking time.
Fork through the rice to check there is no water left in the pan. Cook for a further minute or two if there is.
Serve immediately or replace the lid and keep warm to up to 30 minutes
AGA Venison Shawarma with Yogurt Sauce
Serves 6
GF, (DF with yogurt substitution)
Don’t be put off by the long list of spices, missing out a few won’t be the end of the world!
Ingredients
A small venison haunch, approx 1kg bone in, or part of a bigger one. Allow 150g bone out weight of venison per person.
Spice mix:
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds, from 1 or 2 pods
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
Marinade:
75g olive oil
30g lemon juice
1/2 tbsp sumac
2 tsp salt
A thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
20g chopped coriander
Spice mix as above, roasted and ground
For the yogurt sauce:
150g natural yogurt
A pinch of two of salt
A clove of garlic crushed
1 tsp cumin
A squeeze of lemon juice
Method
First roast the spices. Put a small pan on the boiling plate, dry roast the whole spices for just a few minutes until they start to release their aromas. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ground spices. Grind this roasted spice mixture until fairly fine in a pastel and mortar or spice grinder. Make the marinade by mixing together all the ingredients and adding the ground roasted spice mix.
Pour the marinade over the venison and chill for a few hours or overnight. To cook, roast in the AGA roasting oven, on the 2nd set of runners, for 40 mins or so. A large haunch can be slow roasted for several hours or even over night in the low heat of the AGA simmering oven.
Alternatively, thinly slice the boned venison in to strips and marinate as above. To cook, thread on to pairs of long parallel skewers and press together. Cook in the roasting oven, on a baking tray, on the 1st set of runners for 15 - 20 mins. Alternatively, cook on a griddle, starting on the boiling plate then continuing to cook on the floor of the roasting oven for 15 - 20 mins.
While the venison is cooking, make the yogurt sauce. Mix together all the ingredients. Once the venison is cooked, rest for a few minutes then slide off the skewers and serve as part of a mezze platter or in a wrap or pitta bread with the yogurt sauce and crunchy salad.
Caramelised Plum Cake
Serves 12 - 16
This cakes bakes well with plums of any ripeness so is good at any time of year.
Ingredients
250g granulated sugar
150ml water
150g soft butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
200g self raising flour
12 plums (approx 1.2kg), halved and stoned.
You will need an ovenproof shallow pan, approx 24 - 26cms wide and a large plate for turning out
- with a lip as there will be juices. The AGA Stainless Steel 24cm Saute Casserole Pan is ideal.
Method
Bake this cake in the AGA baking oven. If necessary, set the AGA baking oven to B4 or baking
oven setting or a conventional oven to 180C/160 fan.
Place the granulated sugar and water in the pan and heat on the boiling plate. Stir a little while
the sugar dissolves then continue to heat WITHOUT STIRRING until the sugar and mixture
caramelises. Cook until it becomes a light chestnut colour. This will take 5 - 10 minutes, watch it
closely once it starts to change colour. Remove carefully from the heat and stand for a moment
or two.
Taking great care as the caramel is very hot and sticky, place the halved plums, cut side down, on
to the caramel mixture, tucking them in close together.
Mix the butter, sugar, eggs and flour together until smooth. Spoon this sponge mixture on top of
the plums. Don't worry about spreading it out evenly, it will sort itself out in the oven.
Bake on the grid shelf on the floor of the AGA baking oven or in a conventional oven for 45 mins
or until the cake feels firm but but bouncy when pressed. Cool for a moment or two.
Place a large plate on top and carefully turn the pan and plate over together. Set the plate down .
and remove the pan.
Serve warm or cold with softly whipped cream.
Tips
Clean the pan by filling with water and gently heating until the remaining caramel dissolves.
To make in advance, bake as above and leave in the pan. To turnout and serve, reheat the pan on
the simmering plate briefly to allow the caramel to soften again then turn out as above. There will
be less free juices like as they will been absorbed into the cake.
Suitable for freezing, I often cut into slices first then freeze so that individual portions can be
defrosted separately. Defrost and warm in the simmering or warming oven for 15 - 20 mins.