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 (All wines mentioned are in our - Easter Special - Wine Case)
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To Drink: Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 2003
Cockle arancini di riso with sweet chilli sauce
We rarely get to see fresh live cockles these days, mostly they’ve already been cooked, shelled and bottled in brine or vinegar, but now we are into April if you give your fishmonger a few days warning he should be able to get some in for you. These crispy, golden risotto balls stuffed with cockle meat are redolent of Italy, sunshine, seafood and all that’s good about the arrival of Spring.
- 1kg live cockles
- 1 wineglass Noilly Prat
- Half pint (300ml) dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)
- 8 oz (200g) Carnaroli or Arborio rice
- 2 or 3 shallots finely chopped
- 1 oz (25g) unsalted butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 handfuls of lightly toasted breadcrumbs
- Deep olive oil for frying
For the sweet chilli sauce
- 50g caster sugar
- 75ml white wine vinegar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 or 3 red chillies, deseeded and very finely chopped
Wash and scrub the cockles in a colander under running water. Discard any with chipped or cracked shells or any that remain open after being given a sharp tap.
Place a large saucepan over a high heat and tip in the cockles, pour over the Noilly Prat and about ½ of the wine, cover with a lid and keep over a high heat for a few minutes. Shake the pan frequently and check to see when the shells have opened. When all the cockles have opened drain through a colander over a bowl to collect the cooking liquid. Remove the cockles from their shells and set aside to cool down.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chopped shallots. Sweat down for a few minutes to soften without colouring. Add the rice and stir until every grain is coated. Pour in the remaining wine and stir constantly over a high heat until the wine has evaporated. Now begin to add the shellfish cooking liquid a ladle at a time, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and keep stirring. As the liquid is absorbed by the rice keep adding more. When most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender but retains a little bite stir in the remaining butter, season to taste and set aside to cool.
When completely cool take small spoonfuls of the rice and form into balls. Stick your finger into each ball to make a hole then fill with cooked cockles and reform the rice around the cockle meat. Rolls the balls first in beaten egg than in breadcrumbs and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Serve with the sweet chilli dipping sauce.
To make the sauce, place the sugar, salt and vinegar into a saucepan and heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the chopped chilli, turn off the heat and allow the chilli to infuse the syrup as it cools.
If you can find them, whole finger-sized sweet red, green or orange peppers may be fried whole in the hot olive oil and served as an accompaniment.
Plat principale:
To Drink: Louis Latour Beaune Vignes Franches 2004
Breast and leg of spring chicken stuffed with morels served with souffle potatoes and wilted spinach.
- 2 whole free range chickens approx 1.25kg each
- 2 lemons
- A few sprigs of rosemary (if you grow your own it will be in flower now – save the little blue flowers to use as a garnish for the finished dish.)
- 250g morels
- 2 large shallots finely chopped
- Handful of breadcrumbs
- 40g unsalted butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soufflé potatoes
- 1 kg medium sized Maris piper or Desiree potatoes
- Deep vegetable fat for frying
- Sea salt flakes
For the Spinach
- 1kg fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
For the sauce
- Half ltr chicken stock
- 250g shallots, peeled and cut to fine dice (brunoise)
- 2 teaspoons cornflour dissolved in a little water
Method
Cut the legs and wings away from each of the chickens and bone out the legs. Use the wings and leg bones to make the stock.
Melt a little butter in a sauté pan and add a handful of finely chopped shallots and half the morels, also finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper and a little finely chopped rosemary. Cook for a few minutes then stir in the breadcrumbs. Flatten the filleted legs, skin side down, place a little stuffing onto each, roll up and secure with string. Stuff the chicken bodies with two halves of lemon, a sprig of rosemary, salt and pepper. Smear the bodies and the stuffed, rolled legs with softened butter, place all into a roasting pan and season again. Roast at 180 °C for 45 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Peel the potatoes and cut into slices about 5mm thick. Wash under cold water, drain and pat dry and put them into oil that is not too hot – they should not sizzle, only gently bubble. When they are cooked they will rise to the surface. Remove the potatoes and re-heat the oil to very hot. Plunge the potatoes back into the oil and the sudden contact with very hot oil will cause them to swell. Drain well and sprinkle with plenty of sea salt flakes.
Heat a sauté pan to very hot and ‘dry fry’ the spinach – no oil or water should be added. Keep stir-frying until the spinach has wilted and most of the moisture evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and a good grating of nutmeg.
Place the shallot brunoise into a pan, strain over the chicken stock (see below), bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Finally stir in a little cornflour dissolved in water to thicken the sauce to the desired consistency.
In another pan, quickly sauté the remaining morels, season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Carve off the chicken breasts whole, then slice each in half lengthways. Cut the stuffed leg in half across. Pour a little of the sauce onto each warmed serving plate. Place a half breast and half leg of chicken on top. Put a mound of spinach alongside with a few soufflé potatoes and decorate with the whole morels and rosemary flowers.
For the Chicken Stock
- Chicken leg bones and wings
- 2 rashers smoked streaky bacon cut into lardons
- 1 onion – including skin
- 1 clove garlic – including skin
- 2 carrots
- 1 stalk of celery
- Splash vegetable oil
- A slug of white wine vinegar
- Half a bottle of Pinot Grigio (or similar crisp, dry white wine)
- 2 Bay leaves
- Sprig of thyme
- 1 ltr. Water
Method
First roughly chop the chicken wings and leg bones, plus the onion, garlic and carrots, (in addition to their skins) and the stick of celery. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large saucepan until smoking hot then throw in the chopped chicken bones and wings. Cook over a high heat for a few minutes constantly shaking the pan, until the meaty bones have taken on plenty of colour. Add the chopped vegetables and lardons and again cook until they also are well coloured. Pour in a good slug of white wine vinegar and cook until completely evaporated. Then pour over half a bottle of Pinot Grigio, add the bay leaves and thyme and cook until reduced to about a third. Pour in a litre of boiling water and leave to cook uncovered at a rolling boil for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down and simmer the stock all morning long.
 Dessert
To Drink: De Bortoli Show Liqueur Muscat NV
Peppered strawberries with a sabayon glaze served with orange and almond tuiles.
- 1kg strawberries, washed and hulled (large ones may be cut in half)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Splash red wine
For the Sabayon
- 6 egg yolks
- 200g caster sugar
- 4 glasses sparkling wine
For the Tuiles
- 2 egg whites
- 100g caster sugar
- 50g unsalted butter
- 25g flour
- 25g ground almonds
- Finely grated rind of an orange
Reserve one whole strawberry for each serving. Gently turn the remaining strawberries in a little red wine, season with black pepper and set aside.
For the sabayon, whisk together the egg yolks and caster sugar. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick enough to leave a trail. Add the sparkling wine and whisk until thick and frothy.
Divide the mascerated strawberries among the serving dishes, coat with sabayon and glaze under a hot grill or with a blowtorch. Garnish with a whole strawberry and serve the tuiles separately.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff then whisk in the sugar. Melt the butter and add slowly to the meringue mixture along with the sifted flour. Finally fold in the ground almonds and orange zest. Spread teaspoonfuls of the mixture out onto a baking sheet covered with baking parchment and bake in the oven at 180°C until golden brown (approx 5 minutes). Take off at once and curl over a rolling pin. |
