COOK'S INSTINCT by @anthonyshock

Swedish 'Flying Jacob' Chicken (Flygande Jakob)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:28:08 GMT

One of Sweden’s most controversial dishes, the ‘Flying Jacob’ was first created in the 1970’s by an air-freight porter called Ove Jacobsson. Having contact with various exotic ingredients during his career, Ove created this dish and found it was extremely well-received despite a questionable mixture of ingredients. Traditionally cooked in the oven as a casserole, ‘Flying Jacob’ combines chicken, bacon and cream with a very strange medley of chilli sauce, diced banana and toasted peanuts. Despite the initial horror, the ingredients actually harmonise extremely well during cooking, producing a creamy, crunchy and slightly spicy dish that’s usually served with white rice in Sweden. I really encourage you to try this, but perhaps don’t tell anyone exactly what’s in it until after the fact! Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2x)

1x tablespoon cooking oil
50g diced bacon/lardons
2x chicken breasts, sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp black pepper
1x banana (not too brown/ripe), diced
100ml double cream
100ml milk
1x chicken stock cube (or 1 tsp chicken stock powder)
2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce
50g of toasted peanuts
To serve: white rice

WALKTHROUGH

Place an oven-proof pan or pot onto medium heat. Add the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil followed by the 50g of diced bacon. Fry the bacon until crisp, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the 2x sliced chicken breasts, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1/4 tsp black pepper and fry for 1-2 minutes on medium heat until sealed.
Add the sliced banana followed by the 100ml of double cream, 100ml of milk, crumbled 1x chicken stock cube (or 1 tsp of chicken stock powder) and the 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce. Stir until combined and bring the liquid to a boil.
Once boiling, transfer the pot to the middle of the oven and bake at 180C/350F for 20 minutes until bubbling.
Remove the pot from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before scattering over 50g of toasted peanuts.
Serve the Flying Jacob with white rice and prepare to tell everybody the secret ingredients - enjoy!

French Crème Fraîche Ice Cream (Glace à la Crème Fraîche)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:19:50 GMT

A traditional product of northern France, ‘crème fraîche’ is widely considered a last-minute creaminess booster for soups and sauces due to its resistance to curdling over heat. However, it has far more to say for itself as a dairy product. Created by the same method as yoghurt, crème fraîche was simple a way of preserving fresh cream by combining it with lactic cultures. The fermentation unlocks a host of new flavours and aromas as well as a refreshing tang. In this recipe, we replace the usual cream in a plain dairy ice cream base with crème fraîche so you can appreciate it’s magic uninterrupted. It’s only a few ingredients, and though an ice cream churner will give you the best texture, you can still enjoy it via a wooden spoon and some elbow grease! Let’s go!

Greek Lamb Yiovetsi (γιουβέτσι)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:07:33 GMT

Like many Greek dishes, this dish is named after the pot it’s traditionally cooked in: the ‘yiovetsi’ claypot. With the pot being the canvas of this dish, there are many regional and family variations in how this is prepared, and true to Greece’s diverse portfolio of hunting, all types of meat, seafood (or vegetables) can be worked into this dish, from beef or rabbit, or octopus to squid. The main bulk of this dish is orzo - rice-shaped pasta - which binds a rich sauce of meat/fish, vegetables and tomatoes along with red wine and traditional Greek stewing spices. It works especially well with strong flavours like lamb or beef, though chicken or seafood wouldn’t be out of place, or even aubergines if you’re not too keen on the hunting! Let’s go!

Tamil Beach-Style Chickpeas (சுண்டல்)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:51:34 GMT

Known as ‘sundal’ in South India, this legume dish can use all sorts of beans and peas with varying degrees of sauce. Along Marina Beach in Chennai, a particular style of ‘sundal’ was born among visi…

Sicilian Tuna Steak with Marsala-Tomato Sauce (Tonno Ammuttunato)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:53:27 GMT

In terms of seafood, the isle of Sicily sits at a highly advantageous part of the Mediterranean as it watches over a lush, blue strait with the mainland of Italy. This strait acts as a bottleneck for various prized seafood including tuna and swordfish, both of which feature prominently in Sicilian cuisine. The name ‘ammuttunato’ essentially means ‘stuffed’, as the piece of fish - tuna or swordfish - is pricked with a knife and stuffed with fresh mint and garlic before cooking. Having a rich history of sugar production, Sicilian cuisine - particularly its sauces - is punctuated with the magic of the ‘agrodolce’, a sweet-sour combination of sugar and wine vinegar which cooks out to a powerfully delicious edge. We will enhance this with one of Sicily’s exports: marsala wine. This fortified wine adds a sweet, bronzed depth to the sauce, though feel free to replace it with dry sherry or white wine or nothing if you prefer. This dish makes the most of tuna steak, though you can adapt it to any other meaty fish for a thunder-crack quick dinner. Let’s go!

English Wild Blackberry Jam

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 10:49:25 GMT

Many years ago, people in the North East of England would celebrate a ‘blackberry week’ in October, when the schools would break up for half-term holidays and the wild blackberries (or ‘brambles’ as …

Korean Strawberry-Gochujang Chicken (딸기 고추장 닭구이)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 10:56:39 GMT

This unique chicken dish from Korea combines two unlikely ingredients: gochujang (Korean chilli paste) and strawberry jam. Though you might not associate strawberries with Asian cuisine, northern regions like Northern China, Korea and Japan are home to native, wild varieties of strawberries and they aren’t considered an alien flavour. This dish, typically known as a ‘yangnyeom’, consists of a battered, fried chicken glazed with a sweet and sour gochujang sauce. When this dish became a popular street food item back in 1980’s Korea, a lot of vendors found the glaze would crystallise while it was held on display. To remedy this, vendors would use a liquid sugar and one particular type of sugar was found to pair exceptionally well with gochujang: strawberry jam. The combination of the two provides a sweet, spicy and fruity dish which is great served with rice or tucked into sandwiches. As for the frying, we’re not quite deep-frying the chicken here. Just a coating of potato starch or cornflour makes a great, crispy coat when pan-fried in a half-inch depth of oil, so you won’t have any oily mess to deal with after. Let’s go!

English Elderberry Cordial

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:19:24 GMT

The elder bush is common throughout Europe and North America, particularly well-known for its fragrant white blooms that blossom at the beginning of the summer. Although many people are familiar with…

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Cake

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 09:25:40 GMT

There’s always a time and a place for a chocolate fudge cake in our lives, but you’d be surprised to know that most chocolate fudge cake out there is not real. Original recipes for chocolate fudge cake boast a rich, sweet coating of real chocolate fudge which would be made by boiling sugar, milk and butter before adding dark chocolate. This recipe simplifies that process by using evaporated milk and brown sugar. The fudge process is much easier than you might imagine; all you need is a thermometer to guide you well. Even if you don’t have a thermometer, I will give you plenty of cues to guide you through it. For just a small detour on a regular chocolate cake, you will be rewarded with the true chocolate fudge cake that truly launched them all - and arguably one of the best manifestations of chocolate cake. Let’s go!

Italian Custard Mousse (Zabaglione)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:58:59 GMT

This dessert is one of the classic dessert preparations of Italian cuisine. Commanding only a few ingredients, this dessert makes an excellent side-kick to fresh, seasonal fruit or freshly made biscu…

Italian Dirty Pasta (Pasta alla Zozzona)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 10:47:19 GMT

This modern pasta dish dates back at least a few decades, created by a Southern Italian cook from Bari called Geromina Cantavazzi. She allegedly fused two classic Italian pasta preparations - an egg-based sauce and a tomato-based sauce - to create a single ‘messy’ clash of properties which gives this dish the its name, ‘zozzona’. The sauce has crisp bacon and sausage at the base. Use Italian sausage/salsiccia if you have it, otherwise a plain pork sausage can suffice too if deskinned and torn into chunks. The dish starts out like an amatriciana sauce, with a nip of wine and a red rush of tomatoes. Once simmered rich, the cooked pasta is introduced to the sauce along with a golden flash of egg yolks and grated cheese, like a carbonara. Stirred well, the sauce combines to form a creamy emulsion and a moreish flavour. qThere’s really nothing like it! Let’s go!

Punjabi Mango Lassi (ਅੰਬ ਦੀ ਲੱਸੀ)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:23:29 GMT

Although well-known across many South Asian cuisines, ‘lassi’ has its home in Punjab. Being the dairy capital of South Asia, yoghurt-based drinks have been enjoyed here for centuries, particularly as…

French Duck Confit with Red Wine Sauce (Confit de Canard)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:32:07 GMT

Perfected in Southwest France, duck confit is one of the classic French preparations that was originally designed as preservation method for meat. Ducks have been cultivated in this region of France for centuries, primarily for one of their most valuable products: fat. Duck fat had a variety of uses in French cuisine and culture, and it was valued as an excellent preserve for meats, particularly the meat the produced it! Duck confit isn’t a quick preparation - the French would buy this in jars or cans in the supermarket - but it can be scaled up and made as a batch and stored for months ahead for a fast French bistro dinner. There are a number of key steps to confit. The first is curing. The duck portions are salted and marinated in aromatics for 24 hours to remove moisture from the meat. The meat is then washed clean for the second step: confit. The duck is cooked low and slow in duck fat for a few hours. The resulting meat is tender and soft, all it needs then is to kiss a searing hot pan or oven to brown it before serving. Confit duck has a variety of seasonal accompaniments, and goes great in salads too. Use any berries that are in season, such as cherries or blackberries, for which I’ll show you how to make a quick red wine pan sauce. If you fancy a much faster process, check out my recipe for ‘Canard à la Bigarade’ [GET THE RECIPE], which is the true duck à l’orange, and uses pan-fried duck breasts instead of the confit process. I implore you to treat yourself to true confit at least one, it most likely will not be your last! Let’s go!

French Madeleines (Madeleines Natures)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:44:04 GMT

One of the core items of any French patisserie showcase, madeleines have a deep and elusive history in French baking. They were first served a sweet finger treat for the king Stanisław Leszczyński of…

Greek Sesame Bread (Κουλούρι Θεσσαλονίκης)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:55:19 GMT

One of Greece’s oldest breads, these seed-encurusted hoops offer a delicious bite and a satisfying sesame flavour. ‘Kolouri’ is a famous product of Greece’s second city, Thessaloniki, but they have a long history dating back to the Byzantine empire. Ring-shaped breads aren’t unusual in the East Mediterranean, but these offer a wonderful addition to a sunny breakfast or served alongside Greek stews and salads. They’re irresistible dipped in honey and eaten with nice feta cheese. Let’s go!

Greek Village Salad (Χωριάτικη Σαλάτα)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:40:14 GMT

Known as ‘horiatiki salata’ or ‘village-style salad’, the world-famous Greek salad has strayed far from its humble origins. Originally using mid-summer produce, you’ll traditionally find a mixture of…

French Yoghurt Cake (Gâteau au Yaourt)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:54:05 GMT

Interestingly, France is not really a country of home bakers. One of the few cakes that French people would attempt at home, instead of paying a visit to the pâtisserie, is the ‘gâteau au yaourt’, or ‘yoghurt cake’. This recipe applies the tendering power of natural yoghurt to make a tender-crumbed loaf cake. The use of oil instead of butter also keeps this keep impeccably moist even for days after baking. Feel free to add any matter of fresh berries too - summer raspberries or blueberries work very well - to add smacks of fruity joy, or keep it plain. A dusting of icing sugar is the only dressing this cake needs, so you can spend more time frolicking in the summer sun! Let’s go!

Provençal Tomato Tart (Galette à la Tomate)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:41:13 GMT

The term ‘galette’ in French is pretty general, meaning any sort of round-shaped pastry, sweet or savoury. This particular style of galette is popular throughout France and is a favourite in home kit…

Northern Irish Biscuit Cake (Fifteens)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 10:59:04 GMT

Although not a very old tradition, ‘fifteens’ have become a modern staple sweet treat of many church events and parties throughout Northern Ireland. ‘Fifteens’ take their name from their ingredient l…

Brazilian Cheese Breads (Pão de Queijo)

Anthony O'Shaughnessy — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:36:10 GMT

These little cheese breads are beloved amongst Brazilians and form an integral part of any traditional feast. Unlike your typical bread, these are naturally gluten-free and are the perfect remedy to Brazil’s lack of wheat production. Instead of wheat, these breads use tapioca flour, made from the cassava, a native vegetable to Brazil. You can buy tapioca flour in any Asian supermarkets or online [BEST BUY]. These cheese breads traditionally use a Brazilian cheese called ‘meia cura’ which is hard to pin down outside of South America, so this recipe uses a combination of parmesan and pecorino to approximate the ‘cured’ flavour of the traditional cheese. Throw all bread-making instincts out of the window, this bread is truly a different creature, and a very delicious one at that. There’s no kneading either. Enjoy them with stew dishes or salads - Brazilians often enjoy them with coffee for breakfast! Let’s go!