If you’ve had a boozie bank holiday, come Monday you’ll fall into one of two camps: either you’ll be making a beeline for the nearest McDonald’s or greasy fast food equivalent, or you’ll be staring, disheartened, into the depths of the fridge in search of something – anything – to settle your stomach and ease your headache.
But what do professional chefs – who have to cook food, write about food and think about food all day regardless of a hangover – turn to in times like these? We asked some of our favourite chefs to divulge their morning-after pick-me-ups.
Anyone who feels like their hangovers are getting worse with age are in good company. “It’s definitely getting the better of me,” admits Ben Tish, chef-director of Cubitt House, who swears by a solution from his younger self. “A can of Coke (always full fat), two Nurofen and a sausage sandwich is the best cure I’ve found.”
And when he’s feeling bouji, “I like to fry my sausages and add some n’duja at the last minute. The spreadable spicy sausage breaks down in the pan and coats the sausages in a glossy, spicy glaze. That fiery kick will bust any hangover!”
If you’re Robin Gill (chef-director/patron of Zebra Riding Club, Bermondsey Larder and Bottle & Rye), you’ll be on the hunt for something else. Three specific things, actually. “When I was working for Don Alfonso 1890 on the Amalfi Coast, every week on our day off we always used to enjoy a boat trip where more than enough alcohol was consumed,” he tells The Independent. “Over time I learnt a knack that had me back on track at work the next day. Start off with a pint of water, followed by a double espresso, and then a shot of Limoncello. It never let me down.”
After a night of “one” too many, Richard Corrigan also turns to hair of the dog: “A Bloody Mary is all I need,” he tells me. “I use all the classic ingredients: a good glug of vodka, tomato juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and a lot of ice.
“I like to give mine a grating of fresh horeradish for an added kick – that’ll clear your foggy head in no time.”
For a classy way to clear said foggy head, there’s no better authority than David Moore, owner of Pied à Terre. “I always opt for a smoothie the morning after,” he says. “Blend together apple juice, oat milk, ½ cucumber, 1 beetroot (I get those easy vacuum-packed ones), 1 stick celery, 1 avocado, some frozen fruit, ½ tsp turmeric, 2 twists black pepper, and 2 milk thistle capsules. Your body will love you!”
If you want to get over your hangover like a professional chef, give these recipes a whirl this bank holiday Monday – or save them for a rainy day!
Smoked haddock kichri
By: Will Bowlby, Kricket
“Kedgeree, or what we know it to be, was inspired by the Indian staple of kichri, which is a mixture of rice and lentils. Here we take the humble kichri and familiarise it with smoked haddock and egg. The pickled cauliflower helps to provide a sharp contrast to the richness of the kichri, as well as added texture and crunch (the recipe makes more than you’ll need but you can store the rest in an airtight jar and use it within a few weeks). If you prefer, you can serve the kichri with a poached egg rather than a raw egg.”
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
About 350 ml (12 fl oz/scant 1½ cups) full fat (whole) milk
2 fresh Indian bay leaves
A few black peppercorns
300g undyed smoked haddock
4 large free range egg yolks, to serve
A handful of coriander cress, to garnish freshly ground black pepper, to garnish
For the pickled cauliflower:
1 small cauliflower
200ml pickling liquor (recipe below)
For the kichri:
200g yellow moong dal (lentils)
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger root
400g cooked and cooled basmati rice
100g unsalted butter, diced
Sea salt, to taste
A little fish stock or water (if required)
Method:
1. Start by pickling the cauliflower. Finely slice the cauliflower and add it to the pickling liquor. Steep for 1-2 hours then store in a sterilised jar, in the refrigerator.
2. To slow poach the haddock, pour the milk into to a heavy-based saucepan, along with the bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer over a low heat and then add the haddock, skin-side down. Poach for about 10 minutes. Strain off the liquid and spices, cool and flake the flesh, discarding any bones and skin.
3. To make the kichri, put the moong dal in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add the turmeric, bring to the boil then simmer for about 10 minutes until the lentils have completely cooked down and all the water has been absorbed. Leave to cool, then purée in a food processor.
4. Heat the oil in another saucepan, add the onion and cook over a medium heat until soft and translucent. Add the cumin, garlic, green chillies and ginger and stir before adding the lentil purée, cooked rice, poached haddock and butter. Mix gently, until everything is combined. Don’t over-stir, as the fish will break. Add a little stock or water and more butter, if required – it should be creamy and luxurious. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt. Spoon into bowls, top with a raw egg yolk and serve with the pickled cauliflower, coriander and black pepper.
Kudu’s braaibroodjie (AKA South African grilled cheese toastie)
By: Patrick Williams, Kudu Collective
Ingredients:
Cheddar cheese
1 tomato
1 red onion
2 slices of sourdough
Butter, for spreading
Salt
A sprinkle of coriander seeds
To serve:
Your favourite chutney. We use a South African chutney called Blatjang
Method:
1. Cut the onions and tomatoes. If you have a mandolin at home that will work perfectly to finely slice the onion. Cut nice thick slices of the tomato.
2. Butter the bread. The staler the bread the better.
3. Build the sandwich. Now layer the sandwich. Cheese first, then the onions and tomatoes. Add some salt. Mix coriander seeds with black pepper and use this to season the tomatoes. Now tie it with string into a bow so it doesn’t all move around.
4. Put it on the BBQ. Make sure your BBQ or grill pan isn’t too hot so it doesn’t burn – you want it just toasty. Once the cheese is melted, the tomatoes are hot and the onions are still a bit crunchy, take it off the BBQ. Cut the string, cut the sandwich in half and plate it up.
French toast and smoked bacon
By: Paul Ainsworth, Caffè Rojano
Ingredients:
For the French toast:
4 St Ewe free range eggs
200ml whole milk
30g vanilla sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
1 loaf of brioche bread
A few thyme leaves, to garnish
For the smoked bacon:
500g smoked pork belly
1 star anise
Rosemary
Thyme
1 stick of cinnamon
Half head of garlic
1 carrot
1 onion cut into quarters
1 stick of celery cut in half
½ a white part of the leek cut into three
For the bacon glaze:
50g soy
50g maple syrup
50g clear honey
20g sherry vinegar
1 star anise
2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1 blade of mace
Method:
For the French toast, place all ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk. Slice your loaf into 1cm thick slices and soak for 2 minutes in the mix. In a non-stick melt a little butter until brown and place your spiced eggy bread into the pan until lightly caramelized (3-4 minutes).
For the bacon, soak the cured and smoked pork belly for 3 hours in cold water. Pat dry with a cloth before placing into a pan with the vegetables, spices and aromatics, and covering with cold water. Bring to a simmer, then place a sheet of greaseproof paper on the top and cover with a lid. Simmer for 3 hours and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool in the cooking liquor.
Once the bacon is cool, transfer to a fridge and let the bacon fully chill and set, this will make it much easier to cut and portion into lovely thick rashers.
For the bacon glaze, place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring up to the boil reduce for 2-3 minutes.
Allow to cool. To finish the belly, place in a pan and lightly colour then transfer to a baking tray and brush with the glaze. Finish in a hot oven for 2-3 minutes until the glaze caramelises and sticks to the bacon.
Place the bacon on top of the caramelised French toast and dust with cinnamon icing sugar and garnish with a few thyme leaves.
Dutch baby pancakes with mascarpone, raspberry compote and honeycomb
By: Lucy Carr-Ellison, Wild by Tart
Ingredients:
60g plain flour
2 eggs
120ml whole milk
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
30g butter, melted
Pinch of salt
150g raspberries
½ lemon
1 tsp icing sugar
To serve:
Icing sugar
1 tbsp mascarpone
Honeycomb
Use a 26cm ovenproof heavy based frying pan or 2 x 14cm pans
Method:
Heat the oven to 220C.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, sugar and a tablespoon of the melted butter. Tip the flour into a bowl and make a well. Slowly pour in the egg mix, whisking as you go, slowly incorporating the flour till you have a smoother batter. Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
Place the raspberries in a pan over a medium heat, squeeze in half and lemon and add the icing sugar. The raspberries will start to collapse, bring to a simmer for 2 mins and take off the heat.
Place your pan over a very high heat till smoking, add the butter and swirl around the edges, immediately add your pancake mix and place in the oven for about 15 minutes till all puffed up and golden.
Take out the oven and dust with icing sugar. To serve, dollop on the mascarpone and then spoon over the raspberry and finish with a drizzle of honey, or honeycomb.
