The tendency with salads is to focus on the solid components. While this is important, it is the liquid components – the dressings – that can offer the solution to producing a really fine salad. I would almost go so far as to say that sometimes the solids merely act as a vehicle for the flavour and lubricating properties of the liquids. The simplest of all salads can be the most delicious, but a great green salad will be noted for the quality of its dressing as much as for its leaves. This is, of course, not always the case. A few slices of tomato seasoned with sea salt and drizzled with a top-quality olive oil can be magnificent, and here I would have to argue that the tomato plays the leading role – although still confirming the importance of liquids, in this case the juices of the tomato.
Having acknowledged that simplicity can yield fantastic results, it has to be said that rather more time needs to be invested to deliver a salad that is truly spectacular. The salads in this chapter are relatively complex in their preparation. They are all wonderful assemblies of seasonal produce. In each one, a protein takes the lead role and as such is supported by vegetables that not only have an affinity with it, but also provide a variety of textures and flavours to accentuate it. Whilst virtually all the salads do have leaves in the cast, it is quite often the case that the crisp green, verdant vegetables play the roll of bringing lightness and freshness to the salad in their place. Whatever the case, a great salad should sing and dance in the mouth. Chewing should reveal soft, succulent components, crisp, zingy ones, rich ones, acidic ones, mellow ones. Some should shock the taste buds, others comfort them, but they should come together as a vibrant, harmonious whole.
One last word on dressings: it may well be that two are required. One may be the natural juices from the cooking of the protein, but the second is likely to be a light emulsion, a thin, mayonnaise-like creation that will enrich, lubricate and lift a salad to new heights.
Although some of us may possess palates that are ‘better’ at tasting than others, we are all equally qualified to assess food. After all, we spend a huge part of our life eating and as a result are experienced consumers. A cookbook will by definition contain recipes, but the truth is, a recipe is of no real use unless the cook is prepared to add his or her own judgement to the proceedings. Cooking is a process, and although we may endeavour to account for all the variables there are so many that, once they start to interact with one another, a detailed recipe is rendered not much more than a guideline.
When shopping for food, I feel and smell everything. When cooking, I taste continuously. Everything has the potential to be delicious but you have to make it that way, and only by gaining confidence and tasting continually will you improve your judgement and develop the ability to speculate and project the outcome of adding flavours to a recipe. Ultimately you are tasting for two factors: flavour and texture. Allow your tongue and stomach to play a larger part in tasting than your brain. Don’t think about it too hard, but do consider what you are trying to achieve, what flavour it should have, what consistency it should be and whether or not it is delicious. Do not taste anything hot – allow it to cool so you can savour it. All the flavour combinations in this book are classical and therefore should, in the most part, be familiar. If flavours seem flat, add a pinch of salt and taste again. If they improve, add a touch more. Sweated onions should be soft and sweet. If they have a residual crunch when you taste them, cook them further. You will never achieve identical results to those at The Square. They will be similar, perhaps better, but the key question is, ‘Are the results of your work delicious?’ If your instinct or palate is imploring you to adjust something, just do it, but do it carefully, gradually and, most importantly, tasting as you go.
2nd January 1992. As fresh as the day it was printed, the press release to signal the launch of The Square. Longer lasting than the Titanic – some 15,000 services ago. No wonder I am fraying at the edges now.
SADDLE OF RABBIT WITH SPRING VEGETABLES, PEA SHOOTS AND TARRAGON
SERVES 8
In general, I do not get excited about rabbit. This salad, however, is a fantastic assembly of delicious, delicate, new season’s spring vegetables that work very well with the gentle flavour of rabbit. It is lifted with a tarragon cream.
OVERVIEW
The rabbit legs are simply roasted on the bone, left to rest, and the meat, once carved from the bone, gently tossed with all the spring vegetables and the roasting juices. The salad is enriched with a light tarragon cream.
FOCUS ON
Obtaining farmed rabbit legs. Wild rabbit is too tough and dry to roast. While the farmed variety has a milder taste, their back legs offer the perfect compromise of tenderness and flavour.
Ensure you use the freshest vegetables you can find. The verdant flavours of spring’s young vegetables sing true when, and only when, they are in prime condition, then cooked with care and seasoned accurately.
As with all salads, the dressing plays a crucial role. The juices from the rabbit should be full of flavour; use every last drop.
Ensure all the components are between room temperature and warm when finishing the salad.
KEY COMPONENTS
Rabbit
Vegetables
Tarragon cream
TIMING
Although none of the preparatory work needs to be done at the last minute, it is critical that nothing finds its way into the fridge once cooked. Cold temperatures kill flavours such as these forever, and no amount of love or skill will be able to return them to their pre-chilled glory. Do all the preparation in advance, but leave the cooking until a few hours before serving and then keep everything out at room temperature until you are ready to serve.
RABBIT
8 farmed rabbit legs, aitch bone removed (ask your butcher to do this)
100ml grapeseed oil
4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
VEGETABLES
16 spears of fresh English asparagus, preferably from Cambridgeshire
8 baby spring leeks, less than 1cm in diameter
16 baby carrots
8 baby turnips
150g small morel mushrooms
200g shelled peas
200g shelled broad beans
16 small Jersey Royal potatoes, scrubbed to remove the skin
4 sprigs of mint
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
4 spring onions, finely sliced
4 radishes
4 punnets of pea shoots
TARRAGON CREAM
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
200ml grapeseed oil
35g tarragon leaves
OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
METHOD
RABBIT
Place a heavy-based ovenproof frying pan on the stove over a medium heat. When it is hot, season the rabbit legs generously with salt and pepper, add the oil to the pan and then the legs. Colour them all over, but do not over-brown; they should turn a light golden colour. Transfer to an oven preheated to 150°C/Gas Mark 2 and roast for 7–8 minutes. Remove from the oven, add the garlic, swirl it around in the pan and leave to rest for half an hour.
Drain all the juices into a small container and set the rabbit and juices aside at room temperature.
VEGETABLES
Place a large pan of water on to boil and season generously with salt – 7g per litre and at least 2 litres of water in total. Using a peeler with a very fine gauge, peel the asparagus from just below the tip to the base. If your peeler removes more than the bare minimum, do not peel. Cut the bottom 2cm from the ends.
Trim any dark green tops from the leeks and remove the outer layer if tough or damaged. Again using a fine peeler, peel the carrots and turnips. Trim the base of the morel stalks and wash them in a large bowl of cold water. Dry in a salad spinner.
Add the asparagus to the pan of boiling water and cook for a minute or two, until it is just tender, keeping the pan over a high heat. Using tongs, lift a piece out after 1 minute, cut a small piece from the end and taste it: it must be cooked but al dente. Lift the asparagus out and plunge it into iced water for 30 seconds. Remove, drain in a colander, cut into 2cm lengths and place on a tray lined with a kitchen cloth. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside at room temperature.
Similarly cook and refresh the leeks, carrots and turnips, cutting them into bite-sized pieces. Keep covered with a damp cloth at room temperature.
Blanch the peas until just cooked. Refresh in iced water and store in a bowl lined with kitchen paper. Blanch the broad beans for 2 minutes, refresh in iced water for 1 minute, then drain in a colander. Pop the beans out of their skins and reserve, covered, at room temperature.
With all these vegetables, refreshing them in iced water is important, but do it for no longer than necessary – just enough time to arrest the cooking process. Around 15–30 seconds should be sufficient. Leaving them longer will render them waterlogged and their flavour will leach out into the water.
Place the Jersey Royals in a pan of salted water, set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Turn down and cook for about 15 minutes, until tender. Remove from the heat, add the mint and leave to cool in the water.
Heat the grapeseed oil in a small frying pan, add the morels and a pinch of salt and sauté over a medium heat for 1 minute. Trim and finely slice the spring onions, then cover and set aside. Slice the radishes as finely as possible, preferably using a mandoline, then cover and set aside. Pick the top 3cm off the pea shoots, wash briefly in cold water and then dry in a salad spinner. Set aside, covered with a damp cloth.
TARRAGON CREAM
Cook the eggs in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Peel the eggs and place them in a blender with the white wine vinegar and several twists of the pepper mill. Blend on medium speed until smooth, then gradually add the oil. You will have a thick, mayonnaise-like emulsion. Now add the tarragon leaves and blend again. When smooth, add about 25ml of the potato water – you need enough to thin it down to a creamy consistency. Check the seasoning; eggs and oil are bland and it will need careful seasoning to bring it to life. Transfer to a plastic squeezy bottle or a small bowl, cover and set aside in the fridge.
TO SERVE
Drain the potatoes and cut in half. Carve the rabbit meat off the bone and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and add the roasting juices, the teaspoon of sherry vinegar and all the vegetables except the radishes and pea shoots. Toss gently to coat thoroughly. Taste a piece or two and season it if necessary.
Arrange a flat layer of salad on 8 plates. Gently drizzle some of the tarragon cream over the salad – enough to lubricate and enrich, not to swamp. Garnish with the sliced radishes and pea shoots.
SALAD OF ROAST GUINEA FOWL, MORELS, WHITE ASPARAGUS AND PEA SHOOTS WITH SPRING WHITE TRUFFLE AND PARMESAN
SERVES 8
Served warm, this salad is a delicious and harmonious combination of flavours and textures, which makes the most of three wonderful spring ingredients: morels, spring white truffles and white asparagus.
OVERVIEW
Guinea fowl thighs are boned, stuffed with a guinea fowl mousse spiked with morels, then rolled, poached and roasted. They are then thinly sliced and dressed with sautéed morels, white asparagus, pea shoots and a little light truffle cream. The salad is finished with deep-fried shallots, potato crisps, spring white truffle and Parmesan.
FOCUS ON
Boning, stuffing and rolling the guinea fowl legs is not complicated, but requires a methodical approach for success. Read the entire method for this before starting.
Sourcing small, new season’s morels – there should be no mustiness at all.
Source firm, medium-sized white asparagus. A spear should snap when bent.
KEY COMPONENTS
Guinea fowl mousse
Guinea fowl ballotines
Truffle cream
TIMING
The mousse and ballotines should be made and poached the day before so they have time to set in the fridge. The white asparagus can be cooked up to 2 hours before serving. The ballotines should be cooked 1 hour before serving and the morels sautéed at the last minute.
GUINEA FOWL MOUSSE
150g guinea fowl breast
150ml double cream
½ large egg
GUINEA FOWL BALLOTINES
12 guinea fowl legs
100g large morel mushrooms
15g unsalted butter
1 white onion, finely chopped
10 tarragon leaves, chopped
TRUFFLE CREAM
1 egg yolk
10ml sherry vinegar
50ml truffle juice
2–3 drops of truffle oil
200ml grapeseed oil
8g spring truffle
OTHER INGREDIENTS
150g small morel mushrooms
24 white asparagus spears
3 tablespoons plain flour
150g pea shoots
8 small Ratte potatoes
25g unsalted butter
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
4 shallots
1 tablespoon Vinaigrette (see Vinaigrette)
50g hazelnuts, roasted and crushed
50g piece of aged Parmesan cheese, grated
1 spring white truffle (about 40g)
METHOD
GUINEA FOWL MOUSSE
Follow the method for Chicken Mousse.
GUINEA FOWL BALLOTINES
Lay a guinea fowl leg skin-side down on a chopping board and use a sharp boning knife to cut down either side of the thighbone and around the joint with the drumstick. Once the bone is clearly exposed, run the knife under the bone to free it. Bend the bone backwards, against the direction of the joint, to snap it off. Run your knife through the joint to separate the drumstick from the thigh. Place the thigh between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper and lightly baton it out to just over 5mm thick. Place on a tray and set aside in the fridge. Repeat with the remaining legs.
Trim the base of the morel stalks, briefly wash the mushrooms in plenty of cold water, then spin dry in a salad spinner and cut into 1cm dice. Place a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the butter, allow it to melt, then add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent. Add the morels, a further pinch of salt and some pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 2–3 minutes. Stir in the tarragon, transfer the mixture to a small dish and allow to cool completely.
Combine the guinea fowl mousse and morel mix and transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm nozzle. Lay out a piece of cling film 50cm long, running away from you, and season it with salt and pepper. Place 3 guinea fowl thighs at the near end, running crossways, and season them with salt and pepper. Pipe a generous line of mousse where the bones were. Fold the end of the cling film over, rolling the thighs up in the process, and, by continuing to roll it forward, form a nice tight roulade/ballotine. Secure each end with a tightly knotted piece of string (it is important to ensure these ballotines are tight and free of air pockets to prevent uneven cooking). Now roll this up in a 50cm length of foil and carefully twist the ends to secure. Place in the fridge and repeat with the remaining thighs so you have 4 ballotines altogether.
Bring a large pan of water to 70°C. Lower the ballotines into the water, cover with a kitchen cloth and poach for 1 hour, rolling them over every 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool to room temperature. Leave in the fridge overnight.
TRUFFLE CREAM
Place the egg yolk, sherry vinegar and truffle juice in a blender, add a generous pinch of salt and 10 turns of the pepper mill and blend for 10 seconds. Add the truffle oil and, with the blender running, pour in the grapeseed oil in a steady stream to give a rich, creamy truffle mayonnaise. Check the seasoning, add the truffle and blend for a further 20 seconds. The truffle cream should be fragrant, mellow and rich, but it should also have a quietly sharp edge to it. It should be the consistency of cream, so let it down with water or more truffle juice if necessary. Transfer to a squeezy bottle and set aside in the fridge.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Trim and wash the morels as before and set aside. Cut the bottom 3cm off the asparagus spears and peel each stem. The asparagus is to be cooked in a ‘blanc’ – boiling water with added flour (the bleach in the flour will keep it white). Put 2 tablespoons of the flour into a bowl and whisk in 300ml cold water. Transfer to a large pan and add 1.5 litres of water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, whisking occasionally. Add the asparagus, return to the boil and cook until tender – the time will vary according to size, but 3–5 minutes should do. Check by lifting a spear out with a fork to see if it bends. Remove the asparagus, refresh in iced water for 30 seconds, then drain. Transfer to a tray lined with absorbent paper and set aside.
Pick any tough stems off the pea shoots, wash in plenty of cold water, dry in a salad spinner and set aside in the fridge. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices 1mm thick on a mandoline. Place in a large bowl and set aside under a trickling tap for 20 minutes to remove excess starch.
TO SERVE
Unwrap the guinea fowl ballotines, pat dry with kitchen paper (this will reduce the chance of them spitting), then season lightly with salt and pepper. Place 2 non-stick pans over a medium heat, divide the butter between them and allow it to melt. Once sizzling, add the ballotines and gently colour until golden on all sides. Transfer to an oven preheated to 150°C/Gas Mark 2 and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a tray and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Return one of the pans, with the fat still in it, to the heat, add the morels, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Drain and set aside on kitchen paper. Cut the asparagus into 3cm lengths.
Heat the vegetable oil to 180°C in a deep-fat fryer or a deep-sided pan. Peel and finely slice the shallots, separate them into rings, toss with the remaining tablespoon of flour and deep-fry until golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside. Drain the potato discs, pat dry and deep-fry in batches until golden. Season with salt and set aside on kitchen paper.
Carve each guinea fowl ballotine into about 10 slices and lay on 8 warm plates. Dress the asparagus with half the vinaigrette and lay it over the guinea fowl. Add the morels. Toss the pea shoots with the remaining dressing and strew over the plates. Drizzle each salad with about 1 tablespoon of the truffle cream and scatter over the chopped hazelnuts, deep-fried shallots, potato crisps and grated Parmesan. Shave the truffle over the top as finely as possible.
Salad of Roast Guinea Fowl, Morels, White Asparagus and Pea Shoots with Spring White Truffle and Parmesan
SALAD NIÇOISE WITH CORNISH MACKEREL AND GULL’S EGGS
SERVES 8
The majority of salads at The Square are layered, abstract affairs, with all the components dressed together. This salad niçoise, though mostly classical in its ingredients, is deconstructed into its component parts to allow each and every flavour and texture to sing clearly.
OVERVIEW
All the elements of this salad are treated independently and it is simply a case of working through the 10 or so components, giving each equal attention.
FOCUS ON
Keep organised and work methodically, or this will take longer than necessary.
The ingredients are served in a very clean and simple way and must, therefore, be of exceptional quality. Buy mackerel that are as fresh and as large as possible, the best marinated black olives you can find, and sun-ripened, golf-ball-sized tomatoes. Make sure the red peppers are Italian, not the Dutch, mass-produced poor relation.
Gull’s eggs are available from specialist outlets in spring and early summer and are worth the money. Hen’s eggs make a perfectly good alternative but lack that depth of flavour.
Smoked anchovies are outstanding and a delicious take on the salted variety.
KEY COMPONENTS
Gremolata dressing
Garlic dressing
Squid ink tarama
Red pepper jelly
Tapenade
Pickled white radish
TIMING
The following components can be done up to 12 hours in advance: both dressings, squid ink tarama, red pepper jelly, tapenade and pickled white radish. The potatoes, gull’s eggs and tomatoes should be dealt with within an hour of serving and the mackerel at the last minute.
RED PEPPER JELLY
4 large, deep-red Italian peppers, deseeded and chopped
3 gelatine leaves
SQUID INK TARAMA
50g white bread, crusts off
50ml milk
100g smoked cod’s roe
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
30g squid ink
30ml lemon juice
½ garlic clove
250ml grapeseed oil
GREMOLATA DRESSING
grated zest of ½ lemon
½ garlic clove, grated on a microplane
½ tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
GARLIC DRESSING
½ garlic clove
1 teaspoon mustard
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
PICKLED WHITE RADISH
1 white radish (mouli)
TAPENADE
120g pitted black olives
½ garlic clove
20g capers
1 anchovy fillet
40ml extra virgin olive oil
OTHER INGREDIENTS
2 large mackerel (about 350–375g each)
8 small Ratte potatoes
250g fine green beans
8 golf-ball-sized, sun-ripened tomatoes
8 gull’s eggs
2 tins of smoked anchovies
32 wild rocket leaves
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons lemon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato powder (see Suppliers)
1 tablespoon olive oil
METHOD
RED PEPPER JELLY
Place the chopped peppers in a blender or food processor with a generous pinch of salt and blend until completely puréed. Pass through a fine sieve, ensuring you squeeze out all the juice, and discard the solids. Transfer the juice to a pan, place on a high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 minute, then pour into a measuring jug. Return 350ml to the pan.
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes, until soft. Taste the juice and season with salt and a pinch of sugar, if necessary. Bring back to near boiling point, remove from the heat, add the gelatine and whisk thoroughly until dissolved. Transfer to a bowl set over ice and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring frequently. Now pour the mixture into 8 small timbale moulds and place in the fridge to set.
Soak the bread in the milk for 1 hour. Cut open the cod’s roe, scrape out the interior and transfer to a food processor. Add the soaked bread, mustard, squid ink, three-quarters of the lemon juice and the garlic and blend for 1 minute, scraping down the sides if necessary. With the machine running, add the oil in a steady stream to give a thick, rich emulsion. Taste and add the remaining lemon juice and the salt, then season with pepper. Blend again, transfer to a bowl and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
GREMOLATA DRESSING
This is to glaze the mackerel. Simply combine the lemon zest, garlic and parsley in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and the olive oil and stir to combine. Set aside, covered, in the fridge.
GARLIC DRESSING
Squash the garlic clove with the side of a heavy-bladed knife. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and carefully ‘chop’ it, with the wrong side of the knife, until you have a paste. Place this in a small bowl. Add the mustard, white wine vinegar and sugar and whisk together. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking all the time. Season with pepper and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
PICKLED WHITE RADISH
Peel and top and tail the radish. Cut out a prime section measuring 15cm long. Place this piece on a board and, by methodically dragging a peeler along the length of it, peel off long, thin ribbons. Discard the first few and keep 16 perfect strips. Place in a large bowl, season gently with salt, carefully toss them, so they are evenly seasoned, then leave to soften for 15 minutes. Add ½ tablespoon of the garlic dressing and toss carefully to coat. Lay the strips one on top of another on a small plate and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
TAPENADE
Place the olives, garlic, capers and anchovy in a small food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides, blend for a further 30 seconds, then scrape down the sides again. Blend for 30 seconds longer, adding the oil in a steady stream. This should give a medium-textured tapenade. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Fillet the mackerel, or have your fishmonger fillet them for you. There is a line of bones running down the centre of each fillet. Run the blade of a sharp knife down the centre of the fillet, leaving the bones just to one side. This will yield 8 long half fillets, 4 with and 4 without bones. To remove these bones, carefully run the blade of the knife along the fillet, cutting away the line of bones, as you go. Trim 2–3cm of the tail end off each fillet and set the fillets aside, covered, in the fridge.
Place the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook at a simmer until just tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool in the water. Once cool, carefully lift off the skins with a paring knife. Top and tail the potatoes, return them to the water, then set aside at room temperature. Top and tail the green beans and refresh in a bowl of cold water with ice for 15 minutes. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the beans, return to the boil and cook for 3–4 minutes, until tender. Briefly refresh in iced water, then drain on kitchen paper and set aside, covered, at room temperature. Bring the bean water back to the boil, add the tomatoes and blanch for 10 seconds. Refresh in iced water for 30 seconds, then drain and peel with a paring knife. Set aside at room temperature.
Boil the gull’s eggs for 4½ minutes. Refresh in iced water for 2 minutes and then peel carefully. They can be tricky, but perseverance will pay. Open the tins of smoked anchovies and lift out 16 fillets. Set the eggs and anchovies aside at room temperature.
Pick the tough stem off the rocket leaves, wash the leaves in cold water, dry in a salad spinner and then set aside, covered, in the fridge.
TO SERVE
Remove everything except the mackerel and red pepper jellies from the fridge an hour before serving. Half an hour before serving, season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and brush with garlic dressing. Lay out the 16 strips of white radish on a work surface – running away from you. Cut all the green beans in half and place a little bundle at the bottom of each strip, laying them across the radish. Fold the anchovy fillets in half and lay one on each pile of beans. Roll up each radish strip to enclose the beans and make little roulades. Trim each end to remove any untidy beans sticking out. Set aside. Carefully trim the bottom off each egg so it will stand on the plate. Cut off the top to reveal the yolk and season with celery salt and pepper. Remove the potatoes from the water, place in a bowl and carefully roll them in ½ tablespoon of garlic dressing. Set aside. Heat a pan of water to near boiling. Remove the jellies from the fridge and, one by one, dip them in the water to loosen them. Carefully turn out on to a chilled plate and return to the fridge.
Lay out 8 large plates. Using a pastry brush, paint a stripe of lemon oil across the centre of each plate. Using a small sieve, dust the tomato powder over the lemon oil, then lift up the plate and gently shake off any excess powder.
Lay all the plates with the stripe running away from you. Place a teaspoonful of the squid ink tarama to the right of the top of the stripe. Now pull the teaspoon through the tarama towards you to make a ‘swipe’ on the plate.
Place a non-stick pan over a high heat and leave for 2 minutes. Season the mackerel with salt and pepper. Add a splash of olive oil to the pan and cook the mackerel, skin-side down, for about a minute, until crisp. Turn the mackerel over, turn off the heat and leave to finish cooking in the residual heat for a minute longer.
Return to dressing the plates. Place an egg at the top of the tomato stripe. Working towards you, next add a green bean roulade, then a potato, then a red pepper jelly, then a tomato, another green bean roulade, a small quantity of tapenade and finally, running across the plate, a piece of warm mackerel. Anoint the mackerel fillets with some gremolata dressing and top each potato with a bit more. Dress the rocket leaves in a teaspoon of garlic dressing and carefully place 4 on each plate.
ROULADE OF OCTOPUS WITH A CITRUS VINAIGRETTE, MUSSEL AND SALT COD BEIGNETS AND WHITEBAIT
SERVES 8
In general, I do not get satisfaction from technical wizardry, but I do derive great pleasure from taking a wild and unwieldy ingredient and preparing it in a way that transforms it into something refined, beautiful and delicious. This recipe falls firmly into that category.
OVERVIEW
The octopuses are braised until tender and the juices are then liaised with gelatine and used to roll the octopus tentacles into roulades. The dish is brought to life with a citrus vinaigrette, enriched with a squid ink tarama and completed with texturally contrasting beignets and whitebait.
FOCUS ON
Obtaining the correct octopuses. The only ingredient we buy frozen at The Square is the large Portuguese octopus required for this recipe. Any other kind simply doesn’t achieve the required tenderness, but a good fishmonger should be able to order Portuguese ones for you.
The seasoning and balance of the vinaigrette – it must be briny, citrussy and clean.
The last-minute deep-frying of the beignets to ensure they are crisp.
KEY COMPONENTS
Octopus roulades
Squid ink tarama
Citrus vinaigrette
Salt cod beignets
TIMING
The roulades, tarama, vinaigrette and salt cod mix can all be done the day before, leaving the beignets as the only last-minute task.
OCTOPUS ROULADES
150ml olive oil
1 onion, roughly diced
2 carrots, roughly diced
1 fennel bulb, roughly diced
1 leek, roughly diced
1 head of garlic, cut in half
1 star anise
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 frozen Portuguese octopuses, thawed
3 gelatine leaves
SQUID INK TARAMA
100g smoked cod’s roe
50g white bread, crusts removed, soaked in 50ml milk
½ garlic clove
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
250ml grapeseed oil
30g squid ink
30ml lemon juice
7g salt
CITRUS VINAIGRETTE
2kg mussels, cleaned in cold water
50ml extra virgin olive oil
150g fennel, very finely chopped
150g shallots, very finely chopped
500ml orange juice
zest of 1 lemon
½ bunch of chives
SALT COD BEIGNETS
300g baking potatoes
100ml double cream
2 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ teaspoon thyme leaves
25g white onion, finely diced
25g white of leek, finely sliced
70ml olive oil
80g salt cod, soaked in cold water for 12–24 hours, changing the water twice
juice of ½ lemon
100g plain flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
200g panko breadcrumbs (or other dried breadcrumbs)
SQUID INK BATTER
250g plain flour
a pinch of sugar
12g fresh yeast
330ml bottle of lager
20g squid ink
WHITEBAIT
100g plain flour
100g cornflour
20g salt
5g white pepper
7g cayenne pepper
7g paprika
24 whitebait
2 eggs, lightly beaten
OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
plain flour for dusting the mussels
24 sprigs of chervil
24 sprigs of fennel tops, preferably bronze fennel
OCTOPUS ROULADES
There are two possible cooking methods for the octopus, the slow one being marginally better, but both require the following stock and octopus preparation.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the vegetables and cook until lightly coloured. Add the garlic, a generous pinch of salt and the star anise, fennel seeds and coriander seeds. Cook for 3–4 minutes, then cover with 4 litres of water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, season fully with salt and allow to tick over for 20 minutes. Strain through a colander, then through a fine sieve, and set aside.
Remove the head of each octopus by cutting cleanly at the ‘neck’ – the narrow section between the bulbous head and the tentacles. There may be part of its ‘beak’ left in the hole in the centre of the tentacles, in which case remove it by squeezing it out. Cut this clump of tentacles in half.
COOKING METHOD 1: WATER BATH
If you have a water bath, take 1 litre of the stock and pour it into a large sous-vide bag. Add the octopus tentacles, seal the bag and cook for 10 hours (they are as tough as old boots, hence the long cooking time) at 82°C. Remove from the bath, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then carefully open the bag and drain the tentacles in a colander, reserving the liquid.
COOKING METHOD 2: OVEN
The more traditional option – add the tentacles to the pan of stock, return to the boil, then cover with a lid and place in the oven at 120°C/Gas Mark ½. Cook for 1½–2 hours, then remove from the oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes. Drain the tentacles in a colander, reserving the liquid.
Take 200ml of the stock and warm it through. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for about 5 minutes, until softened. Lift them out, squeeze out the excess water and then dissolve the gelatine in the octopus stock. Place all the tentacles (which might look bedraggled and the purple membrane a bit tatty) in a large bowl, add the gelatine mix and gently roll the tentacles in this liquor until thoroughly coated. Leave for 5 minutes.
Lay a 45cm-long strip of cling film running away from you on the work surface. Lay another one, overlapping by a third, alongside. Repeat this process to produce a double-width, double-thickness cling film sheet. Take half the tentacles out of the bowl and arrange the 2 pieces on the cling film with the tentacles pointing towards and overlapping each other. You are simply trying to ensure that when you roll it, the roulade will have a consistent width. Folding the cling film over and away from you, carefully roll the tentacles into a tight roulade. Gather the excess cling film at each end and tie a knot at one end. Then, holding the roulade up by the untied end, twist it round to create pressure and tighten itself up. Now tie a knot in this end. Repeat this process with the other tentacles.
Place the roulades in a bowl of iced water for 1 hour and then in the fridge.
SQUID INK TARAMA
Place the smoked cod’s roe in a blender or food processor along with the soaked bread and milk, garlic and mustard. Blend to a smooth paste and then gradually add the oil until you get a thick emulsion. Add the squid ink, lemon juice and salt and blend again. Taste for salt and lemon; it should be rich, smoky and fishy, but add enough lemon juice to give it a lift.
CITRUS VINAIGRETTE
Put a large pan over a high heat. When it is hot, throw the mussels in, add a splash of water, cover with a tight-fitting lid and give the pan a good shake. Cook for 2 minutes, by which time the mussels should have just opened. Drain them immediately, reserving the cooking juices. Pick the mussels from the shells and keep in the fridge.
Heat half the olive oil in a small pan, add the fennel, shallots and a pinch of salt and cook briskly for a minute or so, just to take the rawness of the vegetables away. Add the mussel juices and orange juice and simmer until reduced to 2 tablespoons. Remove from the heat, add the lemon zest and the remaining olive oil and leave to cool.
SALT COD BEIGNETS
Bake the potatoes in the oven at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for about 1¼ hours, until completely soft. Cut in half, scoop out the flesh and pass through a fine ricer or a drum sieve into a bowl.
Bring the cream to the boil, add the garlic and thyme leaves and leave to infuse for 2 minutes. In a separate pan, sweat the onion and leek in 25ml of the olive oil and then add to the cream. Drain the cod, fry briefly in 25ml of the remaining olive oil and add to the cream. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave it to cook gently in the residual heat while it cools.
Now add the cod and most of the cream to the potato and mix gently. It should just about drop off the spoon; add more cream if necessary. Beat in the remaining 20ml olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Check the seasoning, but it is unlikely to require any salt. Chill until firm.
Roll the mixture into 24 little balls, then return them to the fridge for half an hour to firm up. Coat these in the breadcrumbs by first dusting them in the flour, then coating in beaten egg and finally tossing in the crumbs. Return to the fridge.
SQUID INK BATTER
Put the flour, sugar and yeast into a bowl and gradually whisk in the lager and squid ink to form a smooth batter. Set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes.
WHITEBAIT
Mix the flour, cornflour, salt, white pepper, cayenne and paprika together. This is to coat the whitebait.
TO SERVE
Using a long, sharp carving knife, cut the roulade into 2mm-thick slices. Lay one in the centre of each plate and surround it with 5 more. Place dots of the tarama randomly in amongst the slices. Add the chives to the vinaigrette and spoon a small amount on to each slice and a bit more around the plate.
Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or a deep pan to 180°C. Dust 24 mussels with flour, then lightly coat in the squid ink batter. Deep-fry until crisp. Drain and keep warm. Deep-fry the salt cod balls until golden, then drain and keep warm.
Lightly coat the whitebait in the seasoned flour, then in the beaten eggs and again in the flour. Deep-fry until golden, then drain and keep warm.
Garnish the octopus roulade with 3 beignets, 3 mussels and 3 pieces of whitebait, plus 3 sprigs each of chervil and fennel.
WARM SALAD OF WILD DUCK AND CARAMELISED VEGETABLES WITH PORT-DRESSED CURRANTS, ELDERBERRIES AND FOIE GRAS
SERVES 8
This is a harmonious and luxurious assembly of autumnal ingredients, giving rise to a wonderful warm salad full of flavour and texture. The gaminess and fruitiness are perfectly cut by the elderberries.
OVERVIEW
The mallard legs are lightly salted, rinsed and confited in duck fat, while the breasts are simply roasted on the bone and the juices reserved for the dressing. A variety of autumnal root vegetables are roasted in duck fat, seasoned with sugar and finished with vinegar to give a sweet and sour result. The salad is dressed with the roasting juices, the currant marinade and a little sherry vinegar, then finished with currants soaked in port, elderberries and a piece of fried foie gras.
FOCUS ON
Mallards can be scrawny. Try to find birds with a full breast, preferably ones that have been head shot.
Buy a top-quality sherry vinegar; it will be smoother than a cheap, harsh one, which would simply clash with the mellow, sweet vegetables.
Caramelise the vegetables carefully. We all know how delicious a soft, chewy parsnip is but they can be so unexciting if neglected.
Elderberries are one of the great English seasonal ingredients and can be found growing wild almost anywhere in the UK in early autumn.
KEY COMPONENTS
Caramelised vegetables
Wild duck
Dressing
TIMING
Everything bar roasting the duck can be done several hours in advance. The duck breasts, however, should be roasted no more than an hour before serving, to ensure the meat is still juicy and vibrant.
WILD DUCK
4 mallards, weighing 700–750g each
200g rock salt
½ teaspoon peppercorns, crushed
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
2 sprigs of thyme, chopped
500g duck fat, melted
CARAMELISED VEGETABLES
4 small parsnips
8 small carrots
4 small parsley roots
3 tablespoons duck fat
a dusting of icing sugar
4 small red onions
25ml grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
DRESSING
1 tablespoon currants, soaked in 3 tablespoons port for 24 hours
zest of ¼ orange
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon elderberries
OTHER INGREDIENTS
100g trompettes de la mort mushrooms, trimmed
1 beetroot, peeled
1/8 celeriac, peeled
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
200g foie gras, cut into 8 slices
300g mixed autumnal baby leaves, such as ruby chard and beetroot
METHOD
WILD DUCK
Remove the legs from the mallards. Mix the salt, peppercorns, garlic and thyme together and sprinkle a quarter over the base of a small dish. Press both sides of the legs into the remaining salt mixture and place in the dish. Sprinkle any leftover mixture over the top and leave for 3 hours.
Rinse the salt mixture off the legs and leave to soak under running water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Place in a small casserole, cover with the duck fat and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan, transfer to an oven preheated to 110°C/Gas Mark ¼ and cook for 1½ hours. Remove the pan from the oven, lift the legs out and gently press the meat; it should come away from the bone. If not, replace in the oven and keep cooking until it does, checking every 10 minutes or so. Once cooked, leave the duck legs to cool in the fat. Remove them, lift off the skin, flake the meat off the bone and set aside on kitchen paper.
CARAMELISED VEGETABLES
Peel the parsnips, carrots and parsley roots, trim off the top and bottom, cut them all in half lengthways and then in half lengthways again. Now cut the tough core out. Cut the vegetable pieces in half lengthways once more. Keep the vegetables separate.
Take 3 ovenproof frying pans that will accommodate each type of vegetable in a single layer and place over a high heat. Add a tablespoon of duck fat to each pan, then add the vegetables, one type in each. Season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until they just start to colour. Transfer, still in their pans, to an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and cook, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. The vegetables should be golden and chewy. Remove from the oven, dust with a single coating of icing sugar through a sieve, then return to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven again and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside on kitchen paper at room temperature.
Peel the red onions without damaging the underlying layers, then cut them into slices 3mm thick. Place a pan large enough to hold the slices in one layer over a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the grapeseed oil, sprinkle the pan with a generous pinch of salt and add the onions, ensuring the slices stay intact. Turn up the heat and fry the onions for 3–4 minutes, until almost blackened. Turn them carefully, trying to keep them intact, and colour the second side. Drain in a colander, then add the sherry vinegar. Run a fork through the onions to loosen all the rings and set aside on kitchen paper.
DRESSING
Warm through the port-soaked currants, then take 1 tablespoon of the port and put it in a bowl with the orange zest, grapeseed oil and sherry vinegar. Whisk vigorously and season with salt and pepper. Add the currants and elderberries and set aside at room temperature.
TO FINISH
Wash the trompettes in a generous quantity of cold water, dry in a salad spinner and leave them on a kitchen cloth for 20 minutes. Using a slicer or a mandoline, slice the beetroot and celeriac as thinly as possible. Heat the vegetable oil to 160°C in a deep-fat fryer or a deep pan. Spread the vegetables out on a kitchen cloth, place another cloth on top and press down firmly to remove excess moisture. Now, a few slices at a time, place the beetroot in the oil and deep-fry until no moisture is left, at which point the sizzling will stop. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly on kitchen paper. Repeat with the celeriac.
Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the hazelnut oil, followed by the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Drain and set aside on kitchen paper.
TO SERVE
An hour before serving, cook the mallard breasts, still on the carcass: season the skin, then lightly brown the birds in a frying pan in 1 tablespoon of the duck fat. Transfer to a roasting tray and cook for 8–12 minutes in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3. Wild birds vary in fat content and size, so cooking times will vary also, but a 575g mallard crown should take approximately 10 minutes to cook medium rare. Remove from the oven and allow to rest, reserving any juices. Whisk a tablespoon of the juices from cooking the duck into the dressing. Remove the mallard breasts from the bone, season the flesh side with salt and pepper and carve into long, thin strips. Place the roasted root vegetables, onions and the duck breast and leg meat in a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss. Place the bowl in an oven preheated to 110°C/Gas Mark ¼ for 5 minutes. Remove and mix thoroughly again.
At the last moment, heat a large, heavy-based pan over a high heat for 2 minutes. Season the slices of foie gras and fry for 30 seconds on each side. They should feel soft in the centre when cooked. Remove immediately from the pan and set aside on kitchen paper.
Place the salad leaves in a large bowl and dress with ½ tablespoon of the dressing. Place three-quarters of the leaves in the centre of 8 plates, divide the duck mix between them and tease it out over the leaves, ensuring that it looks attractive. Tuck the remaining leaves here and there over the top of the salad. Garnish with the trompettes de la mort and the foie gras, then finish with the deep-fried vegetables and a drizzle of the remaining vinaigrette.
Warm Salad of Wild Duck and Caramelised Vegetables with Port-Dressed Currants, Elderberries and Foie Gras
SALAD OF SKATE, SWISS CHARD, SALSIFY AND SPROUTING BROCCOLI WITH CLAM BEIGNETS AND A RED WINE, ANCHOVY AND GARLIC DRESSING
SERVES 8
In the depths of winter, salads are not often what we want to eat and, to make matters worse, there is a shortage of seasonal ingredients to work with. This is an assembly of delicate flavours and textures, all acting as a vehicle for a powerful and delicious dressing.
OVERVIEW
The skate wing is steamed and the unique strands of flesh lifted off the bone. The vegetables are cooked until tender and the two are served warm with an emulsified dressing made from red wine, anchovies and garlic. The dish is garnished with a clam mayonnaise, clam beignets and baby ruby chard leaves.
FOCUS ON
Skate can be very disappointing. Buy the freshest of wings, skinned on both sides.
Source young, fresh vegetables – chard with bright green tops, firm salsify and crisp green sprouting broccoli.
Small palourdes are the right clams for this dish. They yield a fantastic-flavoured cooking liquor for the mayonnaise and are tender when deep-fried.
The dressing requires judgement. Follow the recipe but taste it carefully to ensure it is balanced.
KEY COMPONENTS
Red wine, anchovy and garlic dressing
Clam mayonnaise
Vegetables
Beer batter
Skate
TIMING
As with all salads, vitality is the key. Everything but the clam mayonnaise must be done within 2 hours of serving to avoid having to store anything in the fridge. The only last-minute tasks, however, are cooking the skate and deep-frying the clam beignets.
CLAM MAYONNAISE
80 palourde clams (about 3kg)
100ml dry white wine
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
juice of ½ lemon
225ml grapeseed oil
RED WINE, ANCHOVY AND GARLIC DRESSING
185ml Barolo or similar red wine
5 garlic cloves, cut in half and any green sprout removed
5 anchovies
½ bay leaf
25ml extra virgin olive oil
25ml oil from the anchovies
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
VEGETABLES
1 tablespoon plain flour
2 large stalks of Swiss chard
4 x 20cm pieces of salsify
juice of 1 lemon
16 slim heads of sprouting broccoli
4 celery sticks
8 Ratte potatoes
BEER BATTER
330ml beer
250g plain flour
12g fresh yeast
a pinch of sugar
THE SKATE
4 x 300g skate wings, skinned on both sides – ask your fishmonger to trim the cartilaginous bone running around the top and two sides of the wings.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 punnet of baby ruby chard leaves, any tough stems removed
½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a squeeze of lemon juice
METHOD
CLAM MAYONNAISE
Place a large, heavy-based pan over a high heat and leave for 1 minute. Add the clams, followed by the white wine, and cover with a lid. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until all the clams have opened. Remove from the heat and drain through a colander, reserving the cooking liquor. Once cool enough to handle, pick the clams out of the shell and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
Pass the clam cooking liquor through a fine sieve into a pan. Boil until reduced to 50ml, then transfer to a blender and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and several twists of a pepper mill. Blend briefly to homogenise. With the blender on, add the grapeseed oil in a slow, steady stream to give a rich clam mayonnaise. Check and adjust the seasoning, then transfer to a squeezy bottle or a bowl and set aside in the fridge.
RED WINE, ANCHOVY AND GARLIC DRESSING
Place the red wine, garlic, anchovies and bay leaf in a heavy-based pan and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer until the red wine has reduced to the level of the garlic. Add the olive oil and the oil from the anchovies, return to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend to a rich, velvety purée. Add the butter and blend for a minute longer to ensure it is completely emulsified. Taste the dressing. Whilst it should taste heavily of red wine, it should be in balance with the anchovies, garlic, olive oil and butter. If it lacks clout, either add a raw anchovy or two or reduce some more red wine and add that. The final dressing should have immense flavour and should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, covered, in a warm place.
VEGETABLES
Whisk the flour into 100ml cold water until smooth. Place a large pan of well-salted water over a high heat. Add the flour mix, whisk to incorporate and bring to the boil. This ‘blanc’ will keep the salsify and chard white while they cook.
Snap the top of the Swiss chard – i.e. the green, leafy part and the narrower part of the stalk – and draw it away, removing any strings with it. Snap the other end off, drawing it similarly down the other side. Cut the chard into 10cm lengths and cook in the boiling blanc until just tender – this will vary according to thickness but may take 4–5 minutes. Remove from the blanc with a slotted spoon, refresh in iced water for 10 seconds, then drain and set aside, covered, on kitchen paper at room temperature.
Peel the salsify and place immediately in a bowl of water with the lemon juice added. Cut each salsify piece in half. Transfer to the boiling blanc, turn down the heat and cook gently until just tender. The time for this will also depend on the thickness of the salsify. Drain, refresh in iced water for 30 seconds and set aside as for the chard.
Trim any leaves off the stems of the broccoli. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the broccoli and cook until just tender. Remove and refresh in iced water for 1 minute, then set aside as above. Top and tail the celery sticks and peel – ensuring you don't remove too much of the stem. Cut them into 10cm lengths and cut each length in half down the middle. Blanch for 30 seconds, refresh in iced water for 15 seconds and set aside with the other vegetables.
Place the potatoes in a pan, cover with water, season with salt and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and cook at a bare simmer until just tender. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool in the cooking water. With a paring knife, lift the skins off the potatoes, top and tail them, then return them to the water and set aside at room temperature.
BEER BATTER
Whisk 100ml of the beer into the flour until smooth. Crumble in the yeast and whisk again until smooth. Gradually whisk in the remaining beer. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt and set aside, covered, in a warm place for 30 minutes.
TO SERVE
Season the skate with salt and cook in a steamer (or poach just below boiling point in a large pan of salted water) for 8 minutes. Remove from the steamer and use a palette knife to scrape off the gelatinous membrane by gently scraping from the thick to the thin side of the wing. Similarly, but scraping in the opposite direction, remove any dark surface meat from each wing. Now, with a carving knife, remove the meat from both sides of the wing by cutting horizontally from the thin side to the thick. Transfer the skate to a tray and cover with cling film.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop the Swiss chard in for 5 seconds, then remove and transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the red wine dressing and toss gently. Repeat this for the salsify and celery. Warm the potatoes through in their cooking water, drain and cut into slices 5mm thick. Transfer to a bowl and toss gently with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Plunge the broccoli into the boiling water for 5 seconds, drain and set aside.
Heat the oil to 200°C in a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-based pan. Add all the clams to the beer batter, lift out again with a fork and deep-fry in batches until golden and crisp. Season with salt and set aside on kitchen paper.
Lay out 8 plates and divide three-quarters of the vegetables between them. Teasing the skate into strands, arrange it over the vegetables. Finish with the remaining vegetables. Shake the bottle of clam mayonnaise to ensure it is fluid and squeeze little dots of this over the skate and around the salad. Dress the ruby chard leaves with the olive oil and lemon juice and place 10 or so leaves on each salad. Drizzle with a final bit of red wine dressing and garnish with the clam beignets.
Salad of Skate, Swiss Chard, Salsify and Sprouting Broccoli with Clam Beignets and a Red Wine, Anchovy and Garlic Dressing
WARM SALAD OF SMOKED HADDOCK WITH A SOFT POACHED EGG, SEA KALE AND A LIGHT CURRY CREAM
SERVES 8
If I had to list my top ten indulgent pairings, very near the top would be smoked haddock with a soft poached egg. Partnered here with sea kale, winter vegetables and curry, it constitutes one of the finest dishes we serve at The Square.
OVERVIEW
The smoked haddock is cooked very gently at 65°C. It is then broken into succulent pieces and served with a soft poached egg, blanched sea kale, leek hearts, Ratte potatoes, Swiss chard and celery. The salad is finished with a light curry mayonnaise, raw apple, coriander cress and shards of onion bhaji.
FOCUS ON
Source some undyed smoked haddock, the larger the fillets, the better.
A perfect soft egg.
Immaculately cooked vegetables are crucial to the success of this salad.
Make sure the curry powder is fresh – old, stale powder is no use at all.
Sea kale can be difficult to find but it is in season for about 6 weeks from the end of December. Celery, prepared in the same way, makes a suitable substitute.
KEY COMPONENTS
Curry mayonnaise
The vegetables
Onion bhaji
TIMING
The curry mayonnaise can be made the day before but all the rest must be done on the day of serving. The eggs can be poached in the morning and the vegetables cooked then, too – all but the sea kale, which requires last-minute treatment. The onion bhaji and apple are also done just before serving.
CURRY MAYONNAISE
200ml grapeseed oil
½ white onion, finely sliced
3 teaspoons ras el hanout or mellow curry powder
50g apple, peeled, cored and diced
50g parsnip, peeled and diced
300ml apple juice
2 egg yolks
juice of ½ lime
VEGETABLES
4 long, slim leeks
8 small Ratte potatoes
2 stalks of Swiss chard
juice of ½ lemon
4 celery sticks
32 stalks of fresh, crisp sea kale
ONION BHAJIS
150g gram (chickpea) flour
1 egg
1 large red onion, very finely sliced
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
20 coriander leaves, chopped
10g coriander seeds, crushed
10g salt
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
juice of ½ lime
OTHER INGREDIENTS
250ml white wine vinegar
8 small, fresh eggs
8 x 150g pieces of undyed smoked haddock, skinned
milk for cooking the haddock (optional)
2 Granny Smith apples
lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon olive oil
1 lemon wedge
1 punnet of coriander cress
METHOD
CURRY MAYONNAISE
Put a tablespoon of the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sweat for 7–8 minutes, until softened. Add the ras el hanout or curry powder and sweat for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the apple and parsnip and cook until soft, then add 250ml of the apple juice. Simmer until all but a tablespoon of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a blender, add the egg yolks and the remaining apple juice and blend to a purée. Gradually add the remaining oil in a slow, steady stream to give a smooth, glossy mayonnaise.
Transfer to a bowl and adjust the seasoning, adding the lime juice if necessary. Thin down with more apple juice if necessary, to give the consistency of double cream, then transfer to a squeezy bottle and chill.
VEGETABLES
To contribute positively to the salad, all the vegetables must be cooked briefly, seasoned accurately and stored carefully.
Trim the outer layers of the leeks, until each leek is 1cm in diameter. Now cut each leek into six 4cm lengths. If, towards the top of the leek, they start to fall apart, tie gently with string. Bring a pan of generously salted water to the boil, add the leeks and blanch until they are just tender – about 1½–2 minutes. Remove from the pan, place on a plate on a layer of kitchen paper and chill in the fridge. Do not refresh them in cold water after cooking or they will get waterlogged. Reserve the water in the pan.
Place the potatoes in a separate pan, cover with water, season with salt and bring to the boil. Simmer until just tender, then remove from the heat and leave to cool in the cooking water. With a small knife, lift off the delicate skin. Return to the pan of water and set aside at room temperature.
Snap the leafy part off the Swiss chard, drawing with it any strings running down the length of the stem. Peel the stems if necessary, then cut them into 10cm lengths and place in a bowl of water with the lemon juice added. Bring the leek cooking water back to the boil, plunge in the chard and cook until just tender. Follow the same procedure as for the leeks.
Peel the celery and cut it on the diagonal into slices 3mm thick. Blanch for 15 seconds in the vegetable water, then drain and refresh in iced water for 15 seconds. Drain again and store in the fridge on a plate lined with kitchen paper.
ONION BHAJIS
Put the flour and egg into a bowl and whisk to a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in 300ml water, then stir in all the remaining ingredients except the lime juice. Leave to rest for 1 hour.
You should have a slurry of onions in a loose batter.
In order to test the mix, heat a small pan of oil to 180°C. Using a fork, lift out some of the onion mix, allowing excess batter to drip off, then deep-fry until golden. It should not clump into a mass; rather it should spread out, giving rise to crisp shards of onion. If it clumps, the batter is too thick. Thin it down with a splash of water and test again.
TO POACH THE EGGS
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the white wine vinegar and a generous pinch of salt. Crack 4 eggs into ramekins. Stir the pan of water to create a central vortex, then quickly but carefully tip the eggs into the centre of the pan one at a time. Do not let the water boil, but keep it over the heat. Gently lift the eggs out after 4 minutes, at which point, the yolks should still be soft. Trim off any excess egg white with scissors and set the eggs aside on a kitchen cloth to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining eggs. Set all the eggs aside in the fridge.
TO SERVE
Remove all the vegetables, the curry mayonnaise and the poached eggs from the fridge an hour before serving. Cut the chard into batons 5mm wide. Slice the potatoes in 5mm-thick discs. Heat the vegetable oil to 200°C in a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-based saucepan.
Peel the apples, cut them into matchstick-sized batons and add them to a bowl of water acidulated with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Place a large pan of well-salted water on to boil. To reheat the eggs, place them in a separate pan of water and heat to 40°C. Cut the sea kale stalks into 3 and blanch for 30 seconds in the boiling water. Remove from the water and drain on kitchen paper.
You can cook the haddock either in a pan of milk at 65°C for 6 minutes or each piece individually vacuum packed with a teaspoon of grapeseed oil in a water bath set to 65°C for the same cooking time. Remove, take out of the vacuum bag, if using, and keep warm.
Place all the vegetables except the kale in a bowl and dress with the lemon oil and the juice from the lemon wedge. Deep-fry the onion bhajis as before, then drain well. Season with a few drops of lime juice.
Drain the apples thoroughly. Lay out 8 plates and distribute the vegetables evenly amongst them. A portion at a time, break the haddock into 3 or 4 succulent pieces and place over the vegetables. Add an egg to the centre of each plate and season with sea salt. Generously drizzle each plate with the curry mayonnaise. Finish with the sea kale, apple, coriander cress and onion bhajis, trying to make abstract but attractive-looking salads.
SALAD OF MARINATED BEETROOT AND BAKED ROOT VEGETABLES WITH BALSAMIC CREAM AND EISWEIN VINEGAR
SERVES 8
In the depths of winter, finding a seasonal, light and flavourful salad can be taxing. Beetroot is a magnificent yet humble vegetable. This salad transforms it into something elegant and truly delicious.
OVERVIEW
Large purple, candy, golden and Cheltenham beetroots are baked and finely sliced, then marinated and laid on a plate. They are garnished with a vegetable tartare (finely diced seasonal vegetables bound with apple juice and vinaigrette), marinated baby beetroots, goat’s curd, a balsamic cream, batons of apple and ruby chard leaves. The salad is finished with a vinaigrette of aged eiswein vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.
FOCUS ON
Find a good variety of large and small beetroots, as specified, preferably organic. They must be raw.
The goat’s curd adds richness to this dish. If you cannot find any, use the freshest, softest goat’s cheese you can get.
The quality of the vinegar and oil used in this dressing is important. If you cannot obtain an aged eiswein vinegar, replace it with an aged balsamic vinegar, at least 12 years old. We use a new season’s Tuscan olive oil for this dish – what is required is a verdant, strong, grassy extra virgin olive oil.
To give elegance and a textural contrast, the large beetroot must be sliced no thicker than 1mm. Ask your local deli if you don’t have a slicer!
KEY COMPONENTS
Marinated beetroot
Baby beetroot salad
Baked root vegetables
Tartare of vegetables
Balsamic cream
TIMING
In the interests of freshness and clarity of flavour, everything should be done on the day. There are, however, no last-minute tasks other than assembling the salads on the plates.
MARINATED BEETROOT
250ml olive oil
1 large purple beetroot
1 large candy beetroot
1 large golden beetroot
1 large Cheltenham beetroot
2 shallots, very finely chopped
150ml aged eiswein vinegar
BABY BEETROOT SALAD
16 mixed baby beetroots, 2–3cm in diameter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon eiswein vinegar
BAKED ROOT VEGETABLES
2 organic carrots
4 dessertspoons grapeseed oil
¼ piece of celeriac, in a single wedge
TARTARE OF VEGETABLES
½ carrot
¼ celery stick
a small piece of celeriac
1 shallot
¼ small leek
½ teaspoon Sosa gelespessa (optional – see Suppliers)
½ tablespoon apple juice
½ tablespoon Vinaigrette (see Vinaigrette)
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
BALSAMIC CREAM
110ml double cream
30ml aged balsamic vinegar
OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon sugar
50ml white wine vinegar
2 sticks of salsify
2 Granny Smith apples
½ lemon
100ml new season’s extra virgin olive oil
20ml aged eiswein vinegar
200g fresh goat’s curd
1 punnet of baby ruby chard leaves or similar
METHOD
MARINATED BEETROOT
Using 100ml of the olive oil, rub each of the large beetroots until they are thoroughly coated. Sprinkle them generously with salt, season with pepper and wrap them individually in aluminium foil. Place on a baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 for approximately 1 hour, until they are tender to the core. Take out of the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature. Remove them from the foil and carefully rub off the skins.
Using a slicer, a mandoline or a long, sharp carving knife, slice the beetroot into 1mm-thick slices. You will need 32 slices from each beetroot. Lay them out, slightly overlapping, on a large tray and sprinkle the shallots on top. Mix the remaining oil and the vinegar together and brush them over the beetroot with a pastry brush. Cover with cling film and set aside at room temperature.
BABY BEETROOT SALAD
Toss all the beetroots with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. If necessary, grade the beetroots into different sizes. Wrap each size in a foil pouch. Place on a baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 for 30 minutes or until tender. If there are varying sizes, the cooking times will vary too. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature, still wrapped in the foil.
Carefully rub the skins off the beetroots. Cut them into quarters, place in a large bowl and add the remaining olive oil, the vinegar, a pinch of salt and a few twists of a pepper mill. Taste the beetroot and adjust the seasoning if necessary; add a pinch of sugar if they taste too sharp. Cover with cling film and set aside at room temperature.
BAKED ROOT VEGETABLES
Peel the carrots, top and tail them and season with salt and pepper. Then rub with half the oil and seal in a foil pouch. Cut the celeriac into 2 thinner wedges and peel away the angled edges to give a more natural shape. Season, oil and wrap as for the carrots. Place the vegetables in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and bake for 25 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove from the foil, cut into 1.5cm pieces and set aside, covered, at room temperature.
TARTARE OF VEGETABLES
Cut the carrot lengthwise into slices no more than 2mm thick. Cut these slices into long matchsticks and finally, cut across these to yield a tiny dice of carrot. Repeat for the celery and celeriac. Cut the shallot in half and, holding the root end in one hand, cut through each piece at 2mm intervals, leaving the root end intact. Holding the knife horizontally, now cut 3 or 4 slices through the shallot towards, but not through, the root. Finally, chop the shallot into a tiny dice by cutting across the preceding incisions. Cut the piece of leek in half. Separate into layers and cut these into long strips, no more than 2mm wide. Cut across these to yield small dice.
Mix all of the vegetables together, season with salt and pepper and set aside. If you have access to Sosa gelespessa, thicken the apple juice by blending ½ teaspoon with it. If not, don’t worry, just add the apple juice to the vegetables along with the vinaigrette and the chives. Mix thoroughly and set aside, covered, at room temperature.
BALSAMIC CREAM
Place the cream in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk vigorously until almost forming peaks. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir it in using the whisk. The mixture will thicken quickly. Set aside, covered, in the fridge.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
Dissolve the sugar in the white wine vinegar by warming and whisking over a low heat. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Peel the salsify and then, using the peeler, peel off long ribbons of salsify. You will need 16. Place these ribbons in the vinegar pickle, cover and set aside at room temperature.
Peel the apples, cut them into thin slices and then into matchstick-sized batons. Place these in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice added. Combine the olive oil and eiswein vinegar.
TO SERVE
Almost completely cover each of 8 plates with randomly placed slices of the 4 types of beetroot. Place 8 pieces of the baby beetroot on these – put contrasting colours together – then evenly distribute the carrot and celeriac slices between the plates. Put 2 small teaspoonfuls of the vegetable tartare on each plate, 6 of the fresh goat’s curd and finally, using a hot teaspoon, 2 scoops of balsamic cream. Garnish with the batons of apple, ribbons of salsify and ruby chard leaves and finish the dish by mixing and spooning over the eiswein dressing.
SALAD OF SPRING VEGETABLES WITH WATERCRESS MOUSSE, GOAT’S MILK PUREE, HAZELNUT AND TRUFFLE
SERVES 8
The arrival of spring brings myriad fresh flavours to the kitchen. There is something very special about spring’s young ingredients – yes, they carry clean, pure flavours and there is a richness of texture, but there is also an underlying sense of nutritiousness that defies their size. Just at a time when we are all feeling a little bit jaded, nature seems to produce a collection of ingredients to revitalise our stale winter systems. Yet another clear indicator that seasonality is the key – where nature, the kitchen and us humans all seem to dovetail so well.
OVERVIEW
A collection of vibrant young vegetables are cooked gently in a variety of ways to suit their individual needs. Some are blanched, some are baked or cooked sous vide and others are pickled. The vegetables are lightly dressed in hazelnut oil and served with a purée of goat’s milk – a goat’s-cheese-enriched goat’s milk, set with agar agar and then blended. The dish is finished with a watercress mousse, truffle cream, crushed hazelnuts, pea shoots and deep-fried quail’s eggs.
FOCUS ON
This is a salad whose strength lies almost entirely in the vitality of its vegetable components. Freshness is paramount so buy as locally as possible.
Texture plays an important part too. Source large, plump spears of asparagus and decent-sized broad beans. Use organic carrots: their flavour is so superior.
Whilst the cooked components must be just that, cooked, they should remain verdant and al dente. Taste and check everything and ensure that your pans of boiling water are large and generously salted.
The mousse, purée and cream, the lubricants of the dish, which also serve to enrich it, have delicate flavours, and attention must be given to their seasoning. Taste, adjust and taste again.
Pea shoots seem to range from the delicate shoots that they should be to wiry, fibrous tendrils taken from older plants. Check you are buying the former.
KEY COMPONENTS
Watercress mousse
Goat’s milk purée
Truffle cream
Vegetables
Pickled asparagus
Quail’s eggs
TIMING
The truffle cream can be made the day before. The goat’s milk purée and watercress mousse can be made up to 12 hours in advance and in any event must be started no fewer than 4 hours before serving. The quail’s eggs can be boiled and the hazelnut crumbs prepared then too. The vegetables should be cooked no more than 3 hours in advance and should be kept at room temperature thereafter. The pickled asparagus should be done an hour before serving. This leaves just deep-frying the quail’s eggs and dressing the salads as last-minute tasks.
WATERCRESS MOUSSE
200g watercress leaves, picked from their stalks
½ gelatine leaf
150ml whipping cream
200ml double cream
GOAT’S MILK PURÉE
300g goat’s milk
3g agar agar
25g Charolais or other dry, crumbly goat’s cheese
TRUFFLE CREAM
1 egg yolk
10ml sherry vinegar
50ml truffle juice
200ml grapeseed oil
2 drops of truffle oil
10g Périgord truffle
VEGETABLES
½ small, dense celeriac
8 small organic carrots
4 golf-ball-sized beetroots
½ small, dense cauliflower
8 large green asparagus spears
8 large white asparagus spears
100g shelled fresh peas
200g shelled fresh broad beans
PICKLED ASPARAGUS
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
a pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
4 large green asparagus spears
4 large white asparagus spears
QUAIL’S EGGS
8 quail’s eggs
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
50g breadcrumbs
OTHER INGREDIENTS
50g blanched hazelnuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin hazelnut oil
1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
8 radishes, cut into slivers
1 punnet of pea shoots
100g Charolais cheese or other firm goat’s cheese
METHOD
WATERCRESS MOUSSE
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Plunge in the watercress leaves, cook for 30 seconds, then remove and refresh immediately in iced water. Drain the leaves, squeeze out any excess moisture and set aside.
Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes, until softened. Put the whipping cream and a pinch of salt in a small, heavy-based pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Stir in the watercress and cook for 2 minutes. Tip the watercress mixture into a blender and blend to a smooth purée. Lift the gelatine out of the water, squeeze out the excess, then add the gelatine to the purée and blend briefly.
Pass the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl set over ice and leave to cool, stirring from time to time. At the point where it starts to set, lift the bowl out of the ice. Put the double cream in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk until peaks form. Fold into the watercress purée, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside, covered, in the fridge.
Place the goat’s milk and agar agar in a heavy-based pan, add a generous pinch of salt and whisk briefly but vigorously. Set the pan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the goat’s cheese, tip the mixture into a shallow dish and set aside to cool and set. This will take only a matter of minutes. Transfer the set milk to a blender and blend to a smooth purée. Transfer to a fresh bowl and set aside, covered, in the fridge.
TRUFFLE CREAM
Place the egg yolk, sherry vinegar, truffle juice and a generous pinch of salt in a blender and blend for 10 seconds on medium speed. With the machine still running, gradually add the grapeseed oil and truffle oil to give a glossy emulsion. Add the truffle and blend just until the emulsion looks peppered with black specks, not until it loses its presence and blends completely into a purée. Check the seasoning, add a few twists of pepper and transfer to a plastic squeezy bottle. Set aside in the fridge.
VEGETABLES
Peel the celeriac and cut it into 8 equal wedges. Use a peeler to remove the angled edges so you create a more rounded and natural crescent shape. Peel the carrots. If you have a sous-vide machine and a water bath, season and vacuum pack the celeriac and carrots separately and cook at 85°C for 2 hours. Otherwise, wrap both the carrot and celeriac pieces in foil pouches with a tablespoon of olive oil and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes, then set aside at room temperature. Similarly, wrap the beetroot in foil with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil and bake for 1 hour or until tender. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then unwrap and peel the beetroot. Set aside at room temperature.
Bring a small pan of well-salted water to the boil. Use a paring knife to trim the cauliflower into small florets, add them to the boiling water and cook for 4–5 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
Place a large pan of generously salted water on to boil. Cut off and discard the bottom 2cm of both the green and the white asparagus and carefully peel from just below the tip to the base. Try to use a peeler that removes as thin a layer as possible. Plunge the green asparagus into the boiling water for 1½ minutes or until al dente. Remove from the water, refresh in iced water for 1½ minutes, then drain. Lay out on a kitchen cloth and set aside at room temperature. If you have a sousvide machine and a water bath, vacuum pack the white asparagus with a pinch of salt, seal in a bag and cook at 85°C for 45 minutes, then leave to cool to room temperature. If not, simply cook as for the green asparagus but the cooking time will be several minutes longer.
Plunge the peas into the boiling water and cook for 2–3 minutes, until tender and sweet. Refresh in iced water for 1 minute. Finally cook and refresh the broad beans similarly, pop them from their thin inner skins and set aside at room temperature.
PICKLED ASPARAGUS
Mix together the vinegar, sugar and oil. Using a peeler, peel long strips of both green and white asparagus by running it down the full length of the spears. Peel as many strips as you can from each spear, lay them on a tray and brush them with the vinegar mixture. Sprinkle with salt and set aside, covered, at room temperature.
QUAIL’S EGGS
Place the quail’s eggs in a pan of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running water, peel them and leave to cool. Toss the eggs gently in the flour, coat them in the beaten egg and finally roll them in the breadcrumbs. Set aside in the fridge.
Place the hazelnuts on a small tray and roast in an oven preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 for 10–15 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool and then crush to coarse crumbs.
TO SERVE
Remove the watercress mousse, truffle cream and goat’s milk purée from the fridge 20 minutes before serving. Cut the cooked asparagus spears, celeriac wedges and carrots into 3 pieces each and, keeping them separate, dress each vegetable type in a teaspoon of hazelnut oil. Cut the beetroots in half, cut each half into 4 wedges and dress with the remaining hazelnut oil.
Put the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer or a deep, heavy-based pan and heat to 180°C. Lower the quail’s eggs into the oil and deep fry for 1½ minutes or until pale golden brown. Lift out and place on kitchen paper to drain.
Bring a small pan of water to the boil. Lay out 8 large plates. Place a tablespoon of milk purée on each plate and smear it across the surface. Arrange all the dressed vegetables attractively in the centre of the plate. Dip a teaspoon into the boiling water and use this hot spoon to lift a spoonful of watercress mousse from the bowl. Drop a spoonful of the mousse into the centre of each plate of vegetables. Cut the quail’s eggs in half, season with salt and pepper and tuck them into the salad. Divide the broad beans and peas equally between the plates. Twist 2 strands of the pickled white and green asparagus over the surface of the salad. Sprinkle a teaspoon of crushed hazelnuts over the salad and then add a few cauliflower florets, some slivers of radish and the pea shoots. Finish by grating a small quantity of Charolais over each salad.
