Beetroot, cardamom and sour cream soup
Serves 8
1 head of celery, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
125g butter
3kg red beetroot, washed and diced into large pieces
2 pods cardamom
sea salt and cracked pepper
450ml vodka
200ml red-wine vinegar
2.5 litres vegetable stock, warm
500ml sour cream
Gently fry the onion, celery and garlic in the butter until just coloured. Add the cubed beetroot, cardamon and seasoning, stir and cook on a high heat until the ingredients start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add 3/4 of the vodka and 100ml of the vinegar and allow to steam off the bottom of the pan. When all the liquid has evaporated, add the warm stock and bring everything to the boil. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the beetroot is soft if you prod it with a knife. Blitz the mixture in batches in a blender, adding a spoonful of sour cream, a tablespoon of the remaining vinegar and vodka each time. Pass the whole lot through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Check the seasoning then add the rest of the cream. Serve either hot or cold. Spring salad of fresh crab, sea kale and dandelion
Serves 6
1 large cock crab, cooked and picked over for shell
1 lemon for squeezing
extra virgin olive oil
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
50g rocket, picked and washed
30g bull's blood salad leaves, washed
50g yellow dandelion, trimmed and washed
2 bunches sea kale, trimmed, bunched and blanched for 3 minutes
chives and chervil to garnish
Dress the crabmeat in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice, olive oil the red chilli, and some salt and pepper. Put the salad leaves, dandelion and the sea kale in a large bowl and toss together with a little more olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning. Put some of the leaves on a plate and then a little of the crab and repeat three times to create a layered salad. Finish with some chopped chives and a sprig or two of chervil. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Smoked mackerel, salsify, celeriac and horseradish salad
Serves 4
4 fillets smoked mackerel, cleaned and sliced
500g fresh cooked salsify at room temperature
250g celeriac, thinly sliced into disks and blanched for two minutes
50g fresh horseradish
100ml olive oil
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 large lemon, juiced
1 tbs red wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper
4 tbs fresh basil, chervil and chive tips
Arrange the smoked mackerel, cooked salsify and celeriac on a plate. Finely grate the horseradish over the salad and make a dressing with the olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, vinegar and salt and pepper. Pour over the salad, sprinkle over the herbs and serve.
Roast English guinea fowl stuffed with prosciutto, mascarpone and sage
Serves 2
4 tbs mascarpone
juice and zest of 1 lemon
sea salt and cracked pepper
2 slices prosciutto
1 guinea fowl, boned, leg bones removed and cut in half (you can ask your butcher to do this for you)
8 sage leaves
Season the mascarpone with a little lemon juice, half of the lemon zest and some salt and pepper.
Place the slices of prosciutto on a flat surface and spoon the mascarpone mix onto the widest part of the prosciutto slice, then roll into a thumb-sized shape. Slide your thumb between the breast and skin of the guinea fowl to create a cavity and carefully slide in a sage leaf and the prosciutto parcel. Cover over with the skin and repeat with the other side of guinea fowl. Pan fry with a little splash of olive oil, skin-side down, on a medium heat for at least 12 minutes before turning over and cooking for a further five minutes. Add the remaining sage leaves to the pan.
When the guinea fowl is cooked through (treat it just like chicken), put the remaining mascarpone into the pan with the rest of the lemon juice and allow the mascarpone to melt before serving. Arrange the guinea fowl halves on a plate and drizzle the pan juices over. Serve with lightly cooked broad beans and melted butter.
Ravioli of summer herbs and ricotta
Serves 6
250g young summer herbs - mint, parsley and basil
nutmeg
500g ricotta cheese
250g parmesan, plus extra for serving
sea salt and pepper
1kg fresh pasta dough, rolled into thin sheets
100g chopped parsley
200g butter, melted
Wash the herbs, chop finely and place them in a bowl. Grate in some nutmeg, add the ricotta and parmesan to the mixture and season well. Keep this mixture in the fridge until ready to use.
Place a pasta sheet flat on a board. Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture at 3cm intervals onto the rolled pasta sheets and brush the gaps with a little water, then cover with second sheet of pasta. Seal the edges carefully with your fingers and cut into squares.
Seal each of the mini parcels with your finger and thumb and reserve on a floured tray while you prepare the rest. Place into simmering water for 3 minutes, drain, and serve with melted butter, and grated nutmeg and parmesan.
Artichoke and parsley risotto
Serves 6
8 young artichokes
1 tbs fresh chopped parsley, stalks reserved
1.5 litres good chicken stock
good glug virgin olive oil
100g butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
white of 1 medium leek, finely diced
1 head of celery, finely diced
400g vialoni risotto rice
500ml medium dry white wine
freshly grated parmesan
sea salt and cracked pepper
1 lemon, for squeezing
Prepare the artichokes by removing the stalks at the base, then using a sharp knife cut the base flat and remove the tough outer leaves. Trim the outside leaves of the artichokes, removing any tough leaf tips or slightly loose, large leaves which may be covering the smaller tender leaves at the top. Cut away the clump of tender leaves (this can be cooked with the rest of the artichoke). Pull or scoop out the hairy 'choke' inside, which is inedible. Rub each one with lemon to stop them going black.
Slice the artichokes thinly and place, with the stalks from the parsley, in a bowl full of water. Heat the chicken stock. In a heavy-based saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the onion, leek and celery then fry until soft and with a touch of colour. Add the rice and fry gently, stirring until the rice becomes slightly opaque. Then pour in the wine and stir until the liquid has disappeared. Add hot stock just to cover and as the liquid disappears keep adding the stock.
After 15 minutes' cooking, add the parsley and artichokes, stirring, and cook for 8 more minutes or until the rice is to your liking. Finish with parmesan and a little more chopped parsley.
Spinach, goats' cheese and curly kale frittata
Serves 1
2 large organic eggs
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs freshly grated parmesan
10ml double cream
sea salt and cracked pepper
olive oil
40g goats' cheese, cubed
40g cooked, chopped green curly kale
20g cooked, chopped spinach
seasonal salad to serve
handful of chervil, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Break the eggs into a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk together with the parsley, parmesan, cream and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and pour in a teaspoon of olive oil. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and reduce the heat slightly. Place the goats' cheese cubes, the curly kale and spinach into the mixture and grate a little parmesan over the top.
Place the pan in the oven for 8 minutes - the top of the frittata should be light golden. Working quickly, take out the frittata with a spatula and place it on a plate of salad. Dress with some parmesan shavings and a little chervil to cover the top. Serve straight away.
Celery, ruby chard and pancetta salad
Serves 4
20g baby ruby chard
1 head young, tender yellow celery leaves
100g smoked pancetta, prepared by boiling once to take out the saltiness
2 slices chunky white bread, cubed
olive oil
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
Wash and dry the ruby chard and celery leaves and arrange on a large serving plate.
Cut the pancetta into little-finger-size lardons and fry in their own oil until golden, then fry the bread in the same oil until golden, too. To serve, crumble the croutons over the top of the salad with the lardons and dress all to taste with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
