Home Cook Liverpool 7: More recipes from the city you can cook at home

We’re all still looking forward to the day when we can get back out and pull up a chair at a favourite restaurant. Oh the joy!!

Until then, re-creating our go-to dishes on their menus is the next best thing.

Each week we have been getting Liverpool’s best chefs to send us the recipes to the dishes that we all know and love! Check out over 40 different recipes from Liverpool restaurants in our full Home Cook Liverpool series here.

Don’t forget you can also tuck into our Delivery Directory which now has over 650 local restaurants, bars and more featured with 90% of them delivering to your door. Choose your next meal here.

Speke Hall (National Trust) Café – Wet Nelly

Wet Nelly is a local Liverpool favourite, according to Speke Hall, who say it’s a moist version of Nelson Cake, a Lancashire fruit cake, hence the name Wet Nelly. And they add: “Our delicious version has been a firm favourite for many years.”

Ingredients:

Loaf of white bread (day-old bread is fine)

100g butter

140g brown sugar

3/4 litre warm milk

2 tsp mixed spice

3 medium eggs

500g mixed fruit 

Method: Cut the crusts off the bread and slice into chunky squares. Soak bread in milk for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When fully soaked, add all other ingredients, mix together well and pour into a greased deep-sided roasting tin.

Bake at 180°C / 160°C (fan) / Gas Mark 4 for approximately 1 – 1 ¼ hours until soft but springy to touch.

Delicious served hot with custard or cold with a cup of tea.

Gino D’Acampo – Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Italian chef Gino has become a favourite in the UK and his Castle Street Restaurant is one to bank on since it took over the old HSBC branch. So, how about cooking some fantastico food, Gino style, with this pasta recipe.

(And you can find even more on his website HERE.)

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

250g diced pancetta

4 eggs

6 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino cheese

4 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

500g spaghetti

to taste salt and black pepper

Method: Heat the oil and butter in large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the pancetta for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs and half the cheese in a bowl. Add the parsley and plenty of black pepper. Set aside.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain well and tip it back into the same pan.

Tip the contents of the pancetta pan into the pasta, then pour in the egg mixture. Mix everything together for 30 seconds with a wooden spoon.

The heat from the pasta will be sufficient to cook the egg to a creamy coating.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top.

The Interesting Eating Company – American Style Pancakes

Makes 12 American style pancakes

(Serves 4)

Ingredients: 600g Plain Flour

5 Large Eggs

600ml of milk – we recommend blue top.

35g of baking powder

60g of granulated sugar

30 grams of melted butter.

Small pinch of salt.

Method: In a large bowl whisk the eggs and milk together. Sieve the flour for light and fluffy pancakes. Add to the wet ingredients

Add the sugar and baking powder, continuing to mix using an electric whisk. Add the butter, and a pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth – lumps mean dry bubbles of flour.

Heat your pan to a medium temperature – too hot and the pancakes will burn before the middle cooks. Lightly grease your pan with a small amount of oil.

Add 2 tablespoons of pancake mixture to the pan for each pancake. The mix will spread so make sure you leave space.

Wait for approximately 3 minutes and resist all temptation to mess with the pancakes. They should bubble and then stop when they’re ready to be turned. If you can slide your spatula under the pancake with ease, it’s ready.
Flip them quickly, and with as much confidence as you can. Leave them to cook again for another 2 minutes. When they’re ready they should sound hollow when you lift them with the spatula and let them drop. Now they’re ready to be smothered in your favourite toppings.

Top recommendations are any fruit and chocolate spread of your choice, or sausages & bacon, nice and crispy with maple syrup.

Sticky Cauli – Tusk

Ingredients: Cauliflower

1 cup gluten -free flour or cornflour

1 cup  oat milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sepper

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

Sauce:

1/3 cup Sweet chilli
1 tsp sriracha

1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp lime juice

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Garnish – sprinkle of sesame seeds, spring Onions and chillies

Method: Break Cauliflower into florets.

Mix the flour, oat milk, salt and pepper together in a bowl until smooth.

Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter.

Bake for 22-25 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Then, mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, and toss the cauliflower and sauce together.

Garnish and serve with white rice.

Salt and Pepper Chicken – 52 Rose Lane

Ingredients:

Chicken breast, cut into strips

Milk

Cornflour

Salt and pepper seasoning

Sweet chilli sauce

Peppers, cut into strips

Onion, sliced

Spring onion and sliced chillies to serve

Oil for deep frying

Method: Marinade the chicken in milk and a touch of salt and pepper seasoning.

Coat marinaded chicken in cornflour.

Deep fry chicken until golden.

Stir fry onions and peppers in wok and add a good slug of sweet chilli sauce.

Add cooked chicken into wok and thoroughly coat with the sauce.

Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper seasoning and toss to coat

Serve sprinkled with chopped spring onions and chillies.

Home-made Fritatta – Delifonseca

“We are known for fritattas at breakfast time and it is a dish customers can really play with at home,” says Delifonseca’s Candice. “You need a suitable frying pan or cake tin. We used an 8” frying pan – the key thing is that it is going in your oven so it cannot have plastic handle! Remember this is an idea… use up the veg and cheese in the fridge’ dish! You can substitute at will. DO NOT GET TOO HUNG UP ON THE QUANTITIES!”

Ingredients:

½ Red Pepper

½ Butternut squash

½ bag of spinach

1 x leek

1 x courgette

1 x shallot

Pinch of sea salt

pinch of ground white pepper

Splash of olive oil

6 eggs

75ml double cream

150 grams feta (or other grated cheese)

Method: With the exception of the spinach or any fresh herbs you fancy using – cut up the vegetables, season and tumble in the olive oil. Place on a baking tray in an hot oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 mins.

Meanwhile beat up your eggs, cream and cheese. If you are using a different cheese to feta, grate it first.

Line your pan with 5 layers of cling film with the long ends either side as you will be folding these ends over the top of the frittata to cover it. REMEMBER the pan/tin you use is going in the oven so do not use a plastic handled pan.

Once the vegetables are roasted off fold them into your egg mixture along with any fresh spinach or herbs.

Fold over the cling film so the top is covered and then place in the oven for 35 mins at 170 degrees Celsius.

Lovely hot this also lasts well in the fridge and is delicious served cold. It takes longer a standard omelette but the above feeds four people generously and since it can be eaten cold can be made ahead. We feel it is an ideal lockdown food. Play with the contents, change up your vegetables, your cheese, your herbs and if you can also put in diced bacon, chorizo or njuda if you want!

Check out over 40 different recipes from Liverpool restaurants in our full Home Cook Liverpool series here.

Our Delivery Directory has over 650 local restaurants, bars and more featured with 90% of them delivering to your door. Choose your next meal here.