THIS week's recipes are all about using great produce which is available at your local butcher or fishmonger. At our restaurants in Belfast we are extremely lucky to be able to work directly with producers, including an incredible organic lamb farmer, so it is a real pleasure and treat for us to have lamb on all our menus.
This month, I am really pleased to be going into my 13th year since opening my first restaurant in James Street South. Also this month we are taking on 12 new apprentices, and I am hoping that I can help train a few more rising stars in the coming years.
If you want to help us celebrate, pop in for lunch or dinner and tell us you read this article and enjoy a glass of wine on the house with your lamb or fish! Hope you enjoy and thanks for your continued support.
COD, WHITE AND RED COMBER POTATO AND SAMPHIRE
4 x 250g portions of cod
16 Comber potatoes
2 plum tomatoes
100g samphire
25g flat leaf parsley, removed from stalk and chopped
2 tblsp pine nuts, chopped
1 lemon, juice only
2 tblsp rapeseed oil
2 knobs butter
Salt and pepper to season
Start by boiling the Comber potatoes in salted water until al dente and drain – you don't want them fully cooked as you are pan frying them next. Once cooled, cut in half lengthways.
Next, you want to take the skin off your tomato. Cross the top and take the eye out. Place in a pot of boiling water and cook for 30 seconds, then refresh in iced water – this makes it easy to peel the skin off. Remove the skin, cut into quarters lengthways, discard the seeds and finely chop.
Next cook your samphire in a pot of unseasoned boiling water until soft. Remove, refresh in cold water and drain.
Next heat the oil in a large pan and, once hot, place your seasoned cod fillet skin-side down. When three quarters of the flesh has changed in colour from translucent to white, turn over.
At this point add the potatoes, flat side down; add the butter and cook until bubbling. Then add the samphire, tomatoes and, at the last second, the flat leaf parsley. Cover in lemon juice and add in pine nuts. At this point check for seasoning, if required add salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and serve.
LAMB WITH BABY GEM, FREGULA AND PEAS
(Serves 6)
3 rumps of lamb
3 baby gem, halved
100g fresh peas (frozen are OK)
100g fregula pasta
12 button onions, skin on
5 mint leaves
10g butter
2 tblsp rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
Start by cooking off the pasta in salted boiling water. Cook until al dente, a maximum of FIVE minutes. Remove from water, refresh under cooled water and drain, sprinkling with a little olive oil. Leave to side.
Pre heat oven to 200C. Place the onions in a roasting tray and place in oven for 20 minutes until soft but not mushy. Remove from oven, and once cooled, remove skin. Then turn the oven up to 220C.
If the lamb is too fatty, trim off any excess. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a hot pan and colour on all sides, rendering the fat. Place in roasting tray and cook for 12 minutes at 220C. Remove and cover in tin foil and let the meat rest for five minutes. Cut the baby gem in half, leaving the core intact. Wash gently but do not separate. Any leaves that do drop off, remove and slice thinly to add to the peas later.
In your lamb pan, remove any excess lamb juices and cook your baby gem by adding half the butter, and, when melted, place the baby gem cut side down until gently coloured. Remove from pan and leave to the side.
Now add the peas, pasta and onions to the pan with the mint leaves and remaining butter and cook until warm, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Carve the lamb into half-inch slices. Place a spoonful of the pea and pasta mix on the bottom of the plate, place the lamb on top, and add half of the cooked baby gem. If there is any juice in the roasting tray spoon this over.
Chris Pollock
Account Manager
chris@lkcommunications.co.uk
+44 2890 427004 / +44 7506 884213
www.lkcommunications.co.uk
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