THIS week’s recipes come from a great book on the Belfast restaurant scene called Belfast on a Plate. The book came out last year and I was lucky enough for it to feature, not one but two, of my restaurants, James St South and Hadskis.
Belfast on a Plate highlights the great food scene we have in Belfast and how lucky we are to have a host of dedicated suppliers within Northern Ireland. I cooked for a group of Brazilian tourists this week at the cookery school and they thought, having travelled around the UK, that our local ingredients were second to none. These guys could not believe the freshness and flavours coming from the ingredients – we are very lucky to have such wonderful things to work with.
We will soon be running cookery classes showcasing the Belfast on a Plate cookery book but in the meantime, why not try these at home?
KILKEEL SCALLOPS, CANNELINI BEANS & ‘NDUJA
12 scallops, removed from the shell and cleaned
250g dried cannellini beans, soaked in cold water overnight
100ml vegetable stock
100g ‘Nduja salame
100g butter, diced
2 tbsps vegetable oil
Salt, pepper and fresh lemon to season
Fried brioche breadcrumbs and gremolata, to serve
Place cannellini beans in a pot with plenty of cold water; bring to the boil and skim. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until very tender, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, season well with salt and allow to cool in the cooking liquor.
To finish the beans, bring the vegetable stock to the boil; add the diced butter and ‘Nduja. Drain the beans from the cooking liquor and add to the hot sauce. Season with salt, pepper and lemon; keep warm while you cook the scallops.
Preheat a non-stick frying pan until very hot; season the scallops with salt and add the vegetable oil to the pan. Carefully place the scallops in the pan and cook for one minute, until nicely caramelised. Turn the scallops and cook for a further 30 seconds; turn off the heat while you dress the plates.
To serve, place a small pile of the beans and the sauce in the middle of shallow bowls; put the scallops on top. Sprinkle over the brioche crumbs and top with gremolata
ROAST STONE BASS, HAM HOCK, GREEN LENTILS AND SALSA VERDE
6 pieces of stone bass fillet, approx 160g each
1 unsmoked ham hock, soaked in cold water overnight
LENTILS
300g green lentils
2 shallots, finely diced
2 carrots finely diced
1 small head of celeriac finely diced
2 cloves of garlic finely sliced
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
2L vegetable stock
100g diced butter
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
SALSA VERDE
4 good quality anchovies, finely chopped
1 gherkin, finely chopped
1 tbsp of capers, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely grated
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
50g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
20g chives, finely chopped
10g dill, finely chopped
10g mint, finely chopped
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
100ml of extra virgin olive oil
The day before, soak the ham hock in cold water overnight, changing water two or three times. To cook the ham hock, place in a pot with cold water; bring to the boil and skim; reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2-3 hours until tender. Remove the ham from the cooking liquor and allow to cool slightly; pick all the meat off the bone, discarding any fat, skin and bone. Reserve the meat until required.
In a large saucepan, sweat diced vegetables in olive oil for 2-3 mins. Add the lentils, garlic, thyme and bay; cover with vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 10-15 mins until the lentils are tender. For the salsa verde, combine all the ingredients, mix well and taste for seasoning.
When the lentils are cooked, drain through a colander, reserving 200ml of the cooking liquor to reheat the lentils later. To cook the fish, heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, season the fish with salt and pepper. Place the fish into the pan skin side down and fry for 2 minutes, then place the pan into a hot oven for 3-4 minutes.
Reheat the lentils in the cooking liquor; add the ham hock and the diced butter; cook until the butter has melted and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
To serve, place the lentil into warmed bowls, top with the fish and plenty of salsa verde.