FORGET the Ulster Fry: the north will soon have a New Signature Dish combining restaurant-quality cooking with locally sourced ingredients.
Part of the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 celebrations, it will be up to the public to select their favourite recipe from three contenders for Northern Ireland's New Signature Dish put forward by a team of top chefs assembled by Tourism NI: Irish News columnist Niall McKenna of James Street South in Belfast, Ian Orr from Browns Restaurant and Ardtara House in Derry, Kelan McMichael from Bull and Ram in Ballynahinch and Chris McGowan from Wine and Brine in Co Armagh.
"The three dishes prepared by the ‘cooking collective’ are completely new to the dining scene in Northern Ireland and are made from only the best of our local produce," explains Naomi Waite, director of marketing with Tourism NI.
"While they are of restaurant quality, the recipes can easily be cooked, adapted and enjoyed at the dinner table at home."
Check out the recipes below – and maybe even have a go at recreating them yourself, before picking a winner at Discovernorthernireland.com.
Voting closes on December 8 and the winning dish will be announced at a special event at St George’s Market on December 10 following a live cookery demo with the four chefs.
BORN AND BRAISED
(Shin of Northern Irish beef served with beetroot and bone marrow gremolata. Serves 4-6)
The brine:
4 litres water; 400g salt; 150g sugar;
400ml black treacle; 3 bay leaves; 4 cloves garlic;
25g pickling spices; 250g honey
The beef:
3-4kg Peter Hannan’s shin of beef (bone in)
3 carrots; 1 onion; 2 celery sticks; 1 leek;
2 bulbs garlic cut in half; 500ml Northern Irish artisan Dark Ale such as Belfast Black; 300ml Comber honey; 250ml red wine vinegar; 50g salt
Beetroots:
8 beetroots; 200ml red wine vinegar; 40g sugar;
20g salt; 2 litres water
Bone marrow gremolata:
Zest of 2 lemons; 40g grated horseradish
20g table celery or fresh parsley chopped finely
400g Peter Hannan’s bone marrow, cooked and diced
400g croutons; 4 cloves chopped garlic
20ml Broighter Gold rapeseed oil
For the brine: Bring the water, salt, sugar, black treacle, bay leaves, garlic, pickling spices and honey to the boil and then leave to cool.
For the beef: Add the shin of beef to the brine and leave for 24 hours. Remove the beef from the brine and discard the brine. Seal the beef all over on the hob and then place it in a deep roasting dish. Slice the carrots, onion, celery, leek and sauté the vegetables along with the 2 bulbs of garlic until caramelised. Once caramelised, add to the roasting dish with the beef. Pour the ale, honey, red wine vinegar and salt over the beef. Cover the beef with water, place greaseproof paper on top and then cover with tin foil. Cook in a pre-heated oven (140C) for 4 hours.
After cooking, remove the beef. Pass the remaining stock from the roasting dish through a sieve into a pan. Heat this stock on the hob until syrupy. Season as required and pour over the beef shin.
For the beetroots: Clean the beetroots under cold water, then place into a pot. Add the red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and water and boil for 15 minutes. Leave the beetroots to cool in the water. When cool, peel the beetroots and set aside.
For the bone marrow gremolata: Mix the lemon zest, grated horseradish, table celery, cooked and diced bone marrow, croutons, diced garlic and rapeseed oil together.
To finish the dish, place the beef onto a serving dish. Add the beetroots and put into the oven (180C) for 10minutes to glaze. Add the bone marrow to the serving dish and serve.
Perfect with: A glass of craft beer such as Hilden Halt or one of the Farmageddon range of craft beers
BUTTERMILKED LAMB & WILD GARLIC
Lamb leg, 2kg; rosemary, 1/2 bunch;
garlic, 3 cloves peeled and crushed; buttermilk, 1pt;
salt/pepper; wild garlic
Chop the rosemary and place in a bowl with the garlic salt/pepper. Shred the wild garlic and add to the bowl. Pour over the buttermilk and rub the mixture into the lamb. Place in a container and cover with cling film. Leave in the fridge for 24hrs. Bring the lamb out of the fridge 2hrs before cooking. Preheat your oven to 180C.
Carmelize the lamb in a heavy base pan, on all sides forapprox. 6 mins and place in the oven on a preheated tray and cook for 14 mins then remove and leave to rest for 15 mins and serve. This joint works well on the barbecue in the summer.
Wild garlic purée:
wild garlic, 1 bunch; mustard, 1tsp;
mint, 1/2 bunch; salt/pepper; rapeseed, 150mls
Blanch the wild garlic in boiling salted water then refresh in ice water. Drain and squeeze out excess water and place in a blender with the mustard and mint then gradually add the oil. Season to taste then serve alongside the Lamb.
Perfect with: Steamed Comber Early potatoes, seaweed butter, a glass of cider from Northern Ireland cider makers like Kilmeggan and Armagh Cider Company.
JOWELED EEL
150g smoked eel; 300g pork cheek; 1 litre chicken stock;
200g chicken wings; 1 large sliced onion;
1 chopped garlic clove; 1 no sliced leek;
2 sticks of celery, saving any celery leaf for garnish;
1tsp thyme; 50 grms seaweed /kelp/dulse;
1 bunch spring onions; 50g butter; salt/pepper
METHOD
In a roasting pan, caramelise the chicken wings until golden brown in the oven at 180c. Then in a heavy-base pan, season and caramelise the pork cheek; remove and leave to one side. In the same pan caramelise the onion with the garlic, leek, celery, thyme, parsley; add the chicken wings and chicken stock; bring to the boil; reduce the heat. Cook for 1hr then pass through a sieve and pour over the cheeks. Braise for 1hr then leave to cool in the stock.
To serve, place 1 cheek in each warm serving bowl, dice the smoked eel into 2cm dice and lace in the bowls. Add the trimmings to the braising liquor, slice the spring onions and place on top. Heat the braising liquid, pour over the eel and cheek and serve. You can use pork belly if you can't get cheek.
Buttermilk bun:
(approx 12 buns/50grms)
350grms strong flour; 15 grams yeast, dried;
250mls buttermilk; 20g sugar; 25g salt;
1tsp baking powder; 1tbsp rapeseed oil
METHOD
Combine all dry ingredients except the baking powder into a mixing bowl and gradually add the buttermilk to make a bread-like dough. Cover with cling film and prove for 1 hr or until it is double in size then knock back by hand. Add the baking powder and knead for 2/3 mins. Roll by hand roughly 50 gram balllsand place on an oiled baking sheet cover and prove for 40mins. Line a bamboo steamer with parchment paper and steam the buns for 7 mins and serve straight away. Note: they freeze really well.
Perfect with: A glass of pale ale from a craft beer maker such as Farmageddon.
