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Roast pork fillet, truffle mash, grilled baby leeks and white raisin jus

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With the prices of meat soaring at the minute, pork fillet is a still very affordable meat.  Pork lends itself to strong flavours. In this recipe I have used very seasonal ingredients red cabbage and apples; I have also added a touch of luxury to the mash with a little truffle oil.
This is a very straight forward recipe and easy to reproduce in the domestic kitchen and one that will impress your dinner guest.

Serve 4;
Ingredients;

For the truffle mash;

500g potatoes (Maris piper), peeled and quartered
100ml double cream
2tblsp truffle oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the red cabbage;

1 large red cabbage, shredded
1tblsp sea salt
1bottle of red wine
250ml red wine vinegar
50g brown sugar
50g red currant jelly
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 juniper berries
2 sprigs of thyme, chopped
Seasoning

For the raisin jus;

1 sprigs of thyme
1 green apple peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove
50ml calvados
100ml white wine
200ml chicken stock
500ml beef jus
50g golden raisins

To serve;

2 pork fillet approx 500g each, trimmed of all fat and sinew
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 baby leeks, cut in half lengthways and browned in olive oil

Method;

For the truffle mash;

Place the potatoes into a large saucepan, cover with cold water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat and cook until the potatoes are tender.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and return the hot pan to the stove. Place the double cream into a small pot and bring to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the potatoes and mash together until very smooth. Add the truffle oil and mix well. Season to taste and keep hot.

For the red cabbage;

Toss the cabbage in the sea salt, cover with cling film and leave to go limp in the fridge over night. Rinse well and drain. Place the remaining ingredients into a large pot and bring to the boil, add the cabbage and turn down the heat to a simmer, leave to simmer for 1 hour, stirring all the time, remove from the heat and strain of any excess liquid. Place the cabbage into a container and pour over a little of the liquid, cool and store in the fridge for a couple of days to allow the flavours to develop.

For the raisin jus;

Place thyme, garlic, apples and calvados in a pan and flame. Add white wine and reduce by ¾. Add chicken stock and reduce by ½. Add the beef stock and simmer until the sauce is reduced to the perfect consistency and taste. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and season to taste and add raisins. Keep hot.

To serve;

Pre heat the oven to 190c.
Place a large pan over high heat and add a little oil. Add the pork fillet and sear on all sides until evenly golden brown all over. Remove from the pan a place on a tray. Place the pork fillets into the pre heated oven and cook for 5-6mins or until just cooked through and no more. The pork fillet eats at its best cooked to medium, but if this does not suit continue to cook for a further 3mins or so. Be very careful as the pork fillet will dry out very quickly.
Remove the pork from the oven and allow to rest for 5mins.

Re heat the red cabbage and the baby leeks.
Place 3 spoonfuls of the truffle mash neatly onto each plate, spoon the red cabbage in front of the mash. Carve each pork fillet into 8 slices and place 4 per plate on top of the cabbage. Arrange 3 baby leeks per plate and pour over the sauce.

Seafood chowder

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I love classic seafood chowder it’s a great way of showing of all of our local fish that we have on our doorstep. At the Portaferry hotel Gary Bell loves to serve this dish in a very dramatic fashion and bring a little of the seaside to our customers table.  Serve on a big board draped with seaweed and netting for two people to share with fresh wheaten bread and crispy fish skin seasoned with salt and vinegar.
I know this is quite excessive at home but it works equally as well served in individual bowls with plenty of wheaten or crusty bread.


Ingredients;

1tbsp olive
500g mussels
500g cockles
300ml white wine
50g butter
6 slices of streaky bacon, rind removed, cut into 5mm dice
4 onions finely diced
50g flour
500ml fish stock
500ml milk
3 large potatoes cut into 5mm dice.
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
500g smoked haddock
500g gurnard
250ml single cream

To serve;

Freshly chopped parsley, scallions and chives

Method;

Heat 1tblsp of olive in a large pan, when hot add the mussels and the white wine, cover and bring to the boil, cook for 1min, add the cockles and cover again. Cook over high heat for a further 2-3mins or until all of the cockles and mussels have opened and are cooked through.
Place a sieve over a large bowl. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the cockles and mussel. Place them onto a tray and reserve the liquid.

Heat the butter in large saucepan and brown the bacon well until it is crisp and golden.
Add the onion, cover and sweat for a few minutes over a low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the fish stock and the reserved mussel liquid gradually. Add the milk and potatoes. Season well with salt, pepper and cayenne.
Cover and simmer until the potatoes are almost cooked, approximately 5-6 minutes.
Cut the fish into small cubes. Add to the pot as soon as the tip of a knife will go through a potato.
Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, stir in the cream and add the shelled mussels and cockles, bring to the boil and when boiling, remove from the heat.
Taste, correct the seasoning, sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley, scallions and chives.
Serve in a deep dish with plenty of bread and butter.

Beef Wellington

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Beef Wellington is a preparation of fillet steak coated with pate (often pâté de foie gras) and duxelles, which is then wrapped in puff pastry and baked. In this recipe I wrap the coated meat in a crepe to retain the moisture and prevent it making the pastry soggy.
A whole tenderloin may be wrapped and baked, and then sliced for serving, or as in this recipe, the fillet may be sliced into individual portions prior to wrapping and baking.
This is a classic dish and one that I have made with many different fillings, Venison, Pork and black pudding, Mini quail (as a starter) or even a vegetarian. The list is endless, but I do find that the classic beef Wellington is my personal favourite.

Serves 4

Ingredients;

For the beef ;

800g beef fillet 
1tbsp olive oil

For the mushroom farce;

2-3 tbsp olive oil 
1kg wild mushrooms, cleaned thoroughly of any grit    
500g button, finely chopped    
3 shallots peeled and finely chopped  
1 head of garlic peeled and finely chopped 
1 bunch fresh tarragon      
1 tbsp reduced beef stock

For the chicken mousse;

3 chicken breasts skins removed, and chopped  
12 free-range egg whites   
500ml double cream            
500ml whipping cream    
salt and freshly ground white pepper

For the crêpes;

125g plain flour       
pinch salt 
1 free-range egg   
150ml milk      
150ml water   
1 tbsp butter, melted                                                              
olive oil for frying

To build the wellington;

4 x 50g pieces foie gras
3 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry   
2 free-range eggs beaten    
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Madeira sauce;

1 shallot, finely diced
200ml Madeira
500ml beef stock
100g cold butter
1tblsp parsley chopped

Method;

For the beef;

Preheat the oven to 230c.
Tightly wrap the beef fillet in cling film and chill in the fridge for 24 hours.
Remove the cling film from the beef and cut into 4 individual 200g steaks. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan until smoking, then sear the beef for 2-3 minutes on all sides, or until golden-brown all over. Allow to cool, then tightly wrap up again in cling film and set aside.

For the mushroom farce;

Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over a low heat and gently fry the wild mushrooms for 30 minutes, or until very tender. Set aside to cool, and then finely chop.
Return the pan to the heat without the wild mushrooms, adding more olive oil if needed. Add the button mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes, and then add the cooked wild mushrooms, shallots, garlic, tarragon and tablespoon of the beef stock. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is quite dry, stirring well, then set aside to cool. When cool chop the mushroom mix quite finely with a large cooks knife.

For the chicken mousse;

Place the chopped chicken breasts into a food processor with the egg whites and blend until smooth. Pass the chicken mixture through a fine sieve, pushing the mixture through with the back of a ladle, then stir in the double cream and whipping cream and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the cooked mushrooms, then spoon the mousse into a piping bag with a wide nozzle and set aside.

For the crêpes;

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl, then crack in the egg and mix well.
Add the milk and water and stir well, then add the melted butter and beat well until smooth and combined.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, pour in a ladleful of batter and swirl around until it thinly covers the base of the pan. Fry for about 30 seconds until the underside is set and beginning to turn golden-brown, turn over with a spatula and cook on the other side

To build the wellingtons;

Lay out 4 crêpes onto a large tray, then pipe over and spread out the chicken and mushroom mousse, place a piece of foie gras on each and cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for one hour, or until set. When set remove from the fridge and place the seared beef on top of the chicken mousse, then roll the crêpes over the top to completely enclose the beef fillet. Wrap tightly in cling film and chill in the fridge for one hour to set.

For the Wellington pastry;

Preheat the oven to 180c
Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 8 disks, brush 4 with the beaten egg and place the beef parcels on top, then wrap the other pastry over the beef and press the edges together, sealing the edges. Brush the pastry all over with more beaten egg and rest for one hour. Brush again with the beaten egg, then season all over with sea salt.
Place the beef Wellington on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 14minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown all over. Remove from the oven and rest for 10mins. This will produce a perfectly medium to rare wellington.

For the Madeira sauce;

Place a small pan over high heat and add a little olive oil, add the shallots and cook until soft. Add the Madeira and reduce until almost evaporated. Add the beef stock and bring to the boil, turn the heat to a simmer and reduce the stock until it starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and whisk in the diced cold butter, swirling around until it has all been incorporated. Make sure this is done of the heat, because if it becomes too hot the butter will split. Add the parsley and adjust seasoning.

To serve;

Cut each wellington in half and place onto warm serving plates, pour over the sauce.
I find it best to eat this dish with roast root vegetables and champ, but will go with a great selection of veg and potatoes, you just choose!!!


Pecan pie

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Ingredients;

For the pastry;

200g plain flour
50g icing sugar
100g cold butter, diced
1 egg, beaten
1tsp water
Pinch of salt
1 egg yolk

For the filling;

110g unsalted butter
110g golden syrup
1tsp vanilla extract
225g soft brown sugar
3 free-range eggs beaten
285g pecan nuts, halved

Method;

For the pastry;

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg, water and salt and mix together, turn out onto a flour surface and knead until soft, smooth dough is achieved. Wrap in cling film and rest for 1 hour in the fridge. Remove from the fridge and roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface, enough to line a 23cm tart tin. Line with grease proof paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake like this for 20mins at 180c then remove the paper. Brush the base all over, evenly with the egg yolk and bake for a further 5mins. Remove from the oven. Brushing with the egg yolk over the base of the tart case will help to prevent any leaking when you add the wet lemon mixture.

For the filling;

Preheat the oven to 180c.
Place the butter, golden syrup, vanilla extract and sugar into a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat.
When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Add the beaten eggs to the mixture and stir well.
Pour the syrup mixture into the blind baked pastry case and arrange the pecan nuts, neatly on top.
Place into the preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes - the pie will be golden-brown, but the filling should still be slightly soft.
Leave the pie to cool on a wire tray.
Serve in slices.

Buttered turbot, wild mushroom and truffle tortellini and Jerusalem artichoke puree

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Turbot is highly prized for its delicate flavour, and is known by some as the king of the sea. Turbot has a bright white flesh that retains this appearance when cooked.
Like all flatfish, turbot yields four fillets with meatier topside portions, the meat from the turbot is quite a robust meat which allows it to be matched with strong flavours, such as the wild mushrooms in the recipe.
This is a very complex dish and one for the more advanced cook, but it is a fantastic dish and one well worth the effort.
This dish can be made without the tortellini’s but they do make a big impression for a special dinner party. This dish will also make a perfect vegetarian starter without the turbot and substituting vegetable stock for the fish stock.


Ingredients;

For the pasta;

550g ‘00’ flour
4 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
1tblsp olive oil
Salt to taste

For the tortellini;

2-3 tbsp olive oil       
250g wild mushrooms, cleaned thoroughly of any grit                                       
50g button, finely chopped
1 shallot peeled and finely chopped                       
1 clove of garlic peeled and finely chopped                                                         
1tsp fresh tarragon
1tblsp butter
1tblsp truffle oil                                                                                                                                                                            

For the Jerusalem artichoke puree;

400g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and chopped
Water, to cover
75g butter
50ml double cream
½ lemon, juice only
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mushroom sauce;

1tblsp olive oil
1 finely chopped shallot
170g button mushrooms
140g mixed wild mushrooms
150ml white wine
2 crushed garlic cloves
200ml crème fraiche
½tsp of thyme leaves
Salt and pepper

For the fish and to serve;

1tsp truffle oil
8 x 80-100g portion of turbot fillets
Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
2tblsp olive oil
50g butter
200g girolles
1pkt baby spinach
Parsley cress

Method;

For the pasta;

Place the flour on a board or in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork until smooth. Using the tips of your fingers, mix the eggs with the flour, incorporating a little at a time, until everything is combined. Knead the pieces of dough together – with a bit of work and some love and attention they’ll all bind together to give you one big, smooth lump of dough!
You can also make your dough in a food processor if you’ve got one. Just place everything in, blend until the flour looks like breadcrumbs, then tip the mixture on to your work surface and bring the dough together into one lump, using your hands.
Once you’ve made your dough you need to knead and work it with your hands to develop the gluten in the flour, otherwise your pasta will be flabby and soft when you cook it, instead of springy and al dente.
There’s no secret to kneading. You just have to work the dough hard with your hands, squashing it into the table, reshaping it, pulling it, stretching it, squashing it again. It’s quite hard work, and after a few minutes it’s easy to see why the average Italian grandmother has arms like Mike tyson! When your pasta starts to feel smooth and silky instead of rough and floury, then the dough is ready. When ready wrap in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour before you use it. Make sure the cling film covers it well or it will dry out and go crusty round the edges.

For the tortellini;

Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over a low heat and gently fry the wild mushrooms for 30 minutes, or until very tender. Set aside to cool, and then finely chop.
Return the pan to the heat without the wild mushrooms, adding more olive oil if needed. Add the button mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes, and then add the cooked wild mushrooms, shallots, garlic, tarragon and tablespoon of butter. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring well, then set aside to cool. Pulse the mixture lightly in a blender and add the truffle oil, season to taste and set aside.
Make sure you do not puree the mixture, leave a bit of texture in the mixture.

Make sure your pasta machine is clamped firmly to a clean work surface before you start (use the longest available work surface you have). Make sure your work surface is completely free, from kitchen objects, as you will need plenty of working space once you start making the pasta, and starting with a clear space to work in will make things much easier.

Dust your work surface with some ‘00’ flour, cut the pasta into 4 and press the first quarter out flat with your fingertips. Set the pasta machine at its widest setting - and roll the pasta dough through it. Lightly dust the pasta with flour if it sticks at all. Click the machine down a setting and roll the pasta dough through again. Fold the pasta in half, click the pasta machine back up to the widest setting and roll the dough through again. Repeat this process five or six times. It might seem like you're getting nowhere, but in fact you're working the dough, and once you've folded it and fed it through the rollers a few times, you'll feel the difference. It'll be smooth as silk.

Now it's time to roll the dough out properly, working it through all the settings on the machine, from the widest down to around the narrowest. Lightly dust both sides of the pasta with a little flour every time you run it through. When you've got down to the narrowest setting, to give yourself a tidy sheet of pasta, fold the pasta in half lengthways, then in half again, then in half again once more until you've got a square piece of dough. Turn it 90 degrees and feed it through the machine at the widest setting. As you roll it down through the settings for the last time, you should end up with a lovely rectangular silky sheet of dough with straight sides. If your dough is a little cracked at the edges, fold it in half just once, click the machine back two settings and feed it through again. Roll it down to the thinnest point where you can clearly see your hand or lines of newsprint through it.

Lay the sheets out flat and cut out 8 large circles with a pastry cutter. Place a tea spoonful of the cooled mushroom mixture onto each disk, brush the rim of the disks with a little egg wash and fold in half over the mixture to form a half moon. Press down gently so the pasta sticks together. Now roll the pasta around your finger to form small tortellini’s. place the tortellini’s onto a floured tray and leave ready for cooking.

For the Jerusalem artichoke puree;

Place the Jerusalem artichokes into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until tender, then drain. Cool. Place the Jerusalem artichokes into a food processor with the butter, cream and lemon juice and blend to make a smooth purée.
Place the purée into a saucepan, season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and heat gently to warm through.

For the mushroom sauce;

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, add the chopped onion and fry over a gently heat for 7 - 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Whilst the onions are cooking, slice the mushrooms to your desired thickness. Add the mushrooms to the onions, together with the crushed garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Pour in the white wine and bring the mixture to the boil.
Reduce the heat slightly and cook until the sauce has reduced and is almost completely evoparated.
Stir in the crème fraiche.
Bring the sauce to the boil once again and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Add the thyme, salt and pepper and taste.
Blend the sauce and pass through a fine sieve. Set aside ready for later

For the fish and to serve;

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the tortellini’s and cook for 3mins or until the pasta is cooked through but still retains a little bit. Remove from the pan and drain. Season to taste and toss in a teaspoon of truffle oil. Keep warm.

Place the sauce into a small pan and bring to the boil, adjust seasoning and remove from the heat. Add the butter and blend with a stick blender to produce light foam. Set aside and keep warm.

Cook the girolles and the spinach in a little butter and season to taste. Keep warm.

Season the turbot fillets all over with the Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place a large pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot add the turbot fillets and cook for a minute or 2 depending on the thickness of the fillets. Make sure there is a beautiful golden crust on the fish, then flip the fillets over, add the butter and remove the pan from the heat.  Spoon the foaming butter over the fish and allow to sit in the hot pan for 2-3mins or until the fish is just cooked through. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen roll.

Place 2 mounds of spinach on each plate. Place a fillet of turbot on each mound of spinach.
Place 2 tortellini’s on the plate and scatter over the cooked girolle mushrooms.
Spoon the sauce over the plate and scatter with parsley cress.
Serve at once and enjoy!!!!!