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Cavolo nero with sausage and seared polenta
To Drink: Castello di Ama Chianti Classico 2003
There was a time when cavolo nero would only be seen growing in Tuscan vegetable gardens but happily it is now grown widely and successfully here in England. Although a member of the cabbage family its true to say that no other cabbage looks or tastes anything like it. It grows up to a meter and a half and its dark blueish-green crinkled leaves provide a wonderful bite with a strong and sweet flavour.
To serve 4
- 8 best quality butcher’s coarse pork sausages
- 2 bay leaves
- 1kg cavolo nero, tough centre stalks removed, washed
- 100g quick-cook polenta (maize) flour
- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A good slug or two of best extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Glass medium sweet Marsala
Put 400ml cold water into a saucepan and sprinkle in the polenta, whisking continuously to prevent lumps forming. Season with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg and bring to the boil stirring continuously. When bubbling and beginning to thicken, turn down the heat to minimum and keep stirring for 3-5 minutes. Lightly oil a deep plate or tray and pour in the polenta to a thickness of about 12mm (half inch). Tap on the worktop to flatten the mixture down. Leave to cool completely. This may be done a day in advance and once cool the polenta may be covered and refrigerated. When the polenta is set it may be cut into wedges, squares, diamonds etc., brushed with olive oil and seared in a hot griddle pan.
Put the sausages in a large pan, add the bay leaves and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer gently until all the water has evaporated – this takes half and hour or more. The sausages should then be browned in their own fat.
Cook the cavolo nero and garlic cloves in boiling slightly salted water until tender – 10 minutes or more depending on the thickness of the leaves. Drain and toss in olive oil.
Squeeze the garlic pulp out of the skins into a pan and add the Marsala. Cook quickly to reduce by a half.
Place a mound of cavolo nero on to each warmed plate and top with a couple of sausages. Place a wedge or two of seared polenta alongside and drizzle with the reduced Marsala. Finish with a little grated Parmesan cheese.
Pan roasted sea trout with carrot pakoras and shredded cabbage
To Drink: Yalumba Eden Valley Viognier 2005
To serve 4 people
The fresh, strong flavour of this beautiful oily fish stands up to and compliments the spicy pakoras and crispy cabbage creating a sophisticated dish with a hint of the Indian sub-continent.
 4 x 100g centre fillets of sea trout, skin on- Flour for dusting
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Oil for frying
- Knob unsalted butter
- Squeeze lemon juice
- Fresh coriander leaves
- For the Pakoras
- 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 small onion, finely sliced
- 1 fresh green chilli finely chopped
- 75g gram (chickpea) flour
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried methi (fenugreek) leaves
- Salt
- A little soda water
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 spring cabbage, core removed and finely shredded
- Teaspoon cumin seeds
- Knob of butter
Descale the fish and check for pin bones. Dust the skin side of the fillets with flour and pat away the excess with the palm of your hand. Heat a little oil in a pan and place the fillets in, skin side down. Season the flesh side of the fillets with salt and pepper and without moving them in the pan allow the fillets to cook for 3-4 minutes. Check that the skin is crisp and turn the fillets over. Add a knob of butter to the pan and turn out the heat after one minute. The residual heat in the pan will complete the cooking of the fish.
For the pakoras: Salt the sliced onion and leave in a bowl for 15 minutes. Rinse under running cold water and pat dry. Sift the gram flour and spices into a bowl then add the methi leaves, onion, green chilli and a pinch of salt. Stir in the grated carrot and add a few drops of soda water and mix to a firmish dough. Take dessert spoonfuls of the dough and flatten in the palms of your hands. Fry the pakoras in hot, shallow oil until golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper.
Blanch the shredded cabbage in boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water. Melt the butter in a sauté pan, add a dash of oil and fry the cumin seeds for one minute. Drain the cabbage and toss in the pan with the butter and cumin seeds.
Place two or three carrot pakoras on to a warmed plate with a mound of cabbage in the centre. Present the trout on top, skin side up and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with a twist of lemon and a sprig of fresh coriander.
Mad March Hare with braised red cabbage and apples
To Drink: Chateau de la Negly Coteaux de Languedoc Cuvee la Cote 2004
Hare has become quite hard to find but if you are lucky enough to have a good game dealer, or live on a farm and own a .22 rifle, this is a favourite recipe.
- 1 hare, jointed, blood and liver preserved
- 12-16 baby onions
- 2 rashers streaky bacon cut into lardons
- 2 handfuls of chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed with a little sea salt
- 1 carrot peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stick celery finely chopped
- Flour, salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A bouquet garni – parsley stalks, bay, thyme and celery tops tied up inside the outer leaf of a leek.
- Half a bottle of robust red wine, Minervois or Cahors
- 500ml good strong chicken stock
- Unsalted butter
- 1 red cabbage finely shredded
- 1 red onion finely sliced
- 3 eating apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- A handful of currants
- 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- A good glug of red wine vinegar
- A glass of red wine
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
Toss the hare pieces in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and brown all over in butter. Add the bacon lardons, chopped onion, carrot and celery and cook a little longer. Bury the bouquet garni among the contents of the pan and pour over the wine and stock. Cover, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the hare pieces to a casserole and add the baby onions and mushrooms. Pour the sauce over the hare through a fine sieve, being sure to press the bouquet garni and vegetables down with the back of a spoon to extract all the goodness and flavour. Cover and place the casserole in the oven at 130 for one hour. Finally, remove from the oven and uncover. Stir in the reserved blood and finely chopped liver. Warm through but do not allow to boil.
Sweat the red onion in a little butter until softened, then add the cabbage, apples, currants, salt, sugar and allspice. Stir and cook for a minute then pour over the wine and vinegar. Cover with a paper cartouche and simmer for one hour.
Serve the hare alongside the cabbage and accompany with smooth mashed potatoes or plain boiled pasta like pappardelle or stricchetti.
Halibut and scallops in a cockle broth with wilted leaves
To Drink: Egon Muller Scharzhof Riesling Qba 2003
For 4 servings
- 4 x pieces of halibut fillet 60 – 70g each
- 4 live scallops
- 2 dozen live cockles
- A few leaves each of:
- Little gem lettuce
- Baby spinach
- Watercress
- Sorrel
- Chives
- Stalks of lemongrass
- Finely chopped shallot
- Glass dry white wine - reduced to 1/4
- Glass of Noilly Prat - reduced to 1/2
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Dessert spoon whipped cream
- A few drops of lemon juice
Carefully skin halibut fillets and trim to neat shapes.
Open scallops and remove from shell. Reserve white scallop meat sliced in half horizontally and scallop flanges. Save coral for another dish by freezing
Sweat shallots in a little butter with a pinch of salt. Add scallop flanges and halibut trimmings. Sweat a little more without colouring. Add a teaspoon of crushed and chopped lemongrass together with the reduced alcohols and a tablespoon of water. Simmer for two minutes and allow to rest before passing through a fine chinois.
Place some sliced lemongrass along with the reserved scallop flanges into the braisage. Brush the halibut pieces with melted butter and season with salt and white pepper. Place halibut on top of other ingredients to just raise above the surface of the liquid. Bring up to a boil, cover and simmer for two minutes. Remove halibut to a plate and keep warm.
Meanwhile put some of the braisage into a separate, small saucepan and steam open the cockles. Remove with a slotted spoon to the plate with the halibut. Return the braisage to the heat and quickly poach the leaves in the sequence: watercress, spinach, lettuce, chives and sorrel. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. With the braisage at the boil, poach the scallop discs for 10-15 seconds and immediately remove to a plate. Test the braisage for seasoning, adjust if necessary and whisk in double cream with a stem blender.
Place the leaves in the centre of warmed plates (or bowls) and carefully place the halibut on top. Add the two discs of scallop then two or three drops of lemon juice before drizzling over a tablespoon of the bubbly braisage. |
