Archive for November, 2009

Double Bake Asparagus Soufflé recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby

Double Bake Asparagus Soufflé recipe by Nick Buckingham

The spring flavour of asparagus and the delicate texture of a soufflé makes this a really impressive starter for a dinner party. The best thing about the double-bake soufflé is that it can be prepared ahead of time and then re-baked just in time to serve your starters, leaving you free to prepare the main course or welcome your guests. These individual soufflés are given an even greater touch of sophistication and luxury when accompanied by a caviar sauce.

Amount
8 Portions

Ingredients
55g / 2 oz Butter
55g / 2 oz Flour
450g / 1 lb Asparagus
1 pt Milk
8 Eggs
Butter and Parmesan Cheese – Soufflé Moulds
Seasoning

Method
Liquidise the uncooked asparagus with the milk to very fine puree.
Boil the puree for five minutes, then strain it through a chinois or a fine mesh sieve.
Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium high heat until foaming. Add the flour, stir it in and cook it stirring constantly for one minute. Add the cooked asparagus puree a little at a time and mix to a smooth, very thick sauce. This is called the base.
Grease the soufflé moulds generously with butter and sprinkle them with freshly grated parmesan.
Separate the eggs.
Mix the asparagus base with the egg yolks and season with a little salt and pepper, being careful not to overdo it.
Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold them in to the asparagus mix carefully with a metal spoon.
Spoon the mixture to a ½ inch below the rim of the soufflé moulds.
Place the soufflé moulds into a bain-marie (water bath). Bring the water to the boil on top of the stove, then bake in the oven for 9 minutes (until firm to touch) at 180C/350F.
Allow the soufflés to cool. They will fall down (don’t worry).

To Serve
Rebake in the oven for seven minutes. Serve with the Caviar sauce recipe here.

Points to Watch
Ensure the asparagus base is thick and well seasoned
Soufflé moulds should be well buttered and dusted with cheese

View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.

read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes

Bailey’s Creme Brulee recipe

This simple and delicious Bailey’s Creme Brulee recipe has been sent in by Time Out restaurant in Leicester.

Ingredients:
To serve 4 to 6
6 Egg Yolks
600ml of Double Cream
50ml Baileys (or to taste)
50gr Caster Sugar
50g Extra Caster Sugar for topping

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 140 degrees centigrade, or Gas Mark 1

1.    Heat the your 600ml of Cream in a saucepan until just boiling
2.    Beat the 6 Egg Yolks and Sugar together in a bowl until evenly blended
3.    Add your 50ml of Baileys to the Egg and Sugar mix
4.    Slowly pour your hot cream into the Baileys and sugar mix, beating until well combined
5.    Strain the mixture and remove any froth from the whisking
6.    Place your ramekins into a large square baking tray
7.    Pour you mixture into the ramekins, nearly to the top
8.    Pour warm water into your tray in between the ramekins to come halfway up the side of the ramekins
9.    Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes until the mixture is set but still Jelly like
10.    Leave to cool for around 10 minutes before serving then refrigerate if making in advance or just chill before serving
11.    Before  serving sprinkle your extra Caster Sugar over the top of the dessert, covering the mixture all the way around
12.    Place under the grill until the sugar is bubbling and caramelised, alternatively use a blow torch to create the same effect.

Serve Immediately and enjoy this sweet treat with its firm sugar topping and delicious soft centre.

View more about Time Out restaurant in Leicester

Cottage Pie recipe

Home-made cottage pie is one of those comforting nursery foods that are warming and sustaining on cold winter days. Fluffy mashed potato with the top crisp and golden, over savoury beef or lamb mince, tender from slow cooking. Children love it and the chopped up vegetables mixed in with the meat will often get past the most determined of fussy eaters.

Traditionally this is called cottage pie when made with beef mince and shepherds pie with lamb mince; the recipe for both is the same, maybe just adding a touch of rosemary with the lamb version. The dish evolved as a way of using up the leftovers from the Sunday roast. Cooked meat was minced and cooked up again as a potato-topped pie. Nowadays we rarely serve large enough roasts to produce all those leftovers, so cottage pie is more often made with bought raw mince.

Recipe for Cottage Pie

Ingredients
500g / 1lb beef mince
1 medium onion
2 carrots
1 stick celery
2 courgettes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
sprig thyme
80ml / 1/3 cup milk
a dash of wine
½ tin of chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 kg / 2lbs potatoes
butter and milk for mashing
salt and pepper

Chop the onion, carrot, celery and courgettes quite finely. Sauté them all in the vegetable oil in a heavy based pan over a medium low heat until softened.

Raise the heat and add the beef mince stirring it all until it has just lost the raw red colour. It shouldn’t be too well browned as this will toughen the meat. Add the milk and stir in, letting it bubble gently till most of the liquid is gone. This extra step makes the meat more tender.

Add the wine and cook for another minute or so till the alcohol has evaporated. Now add the tomatoes and herbs. Season with the Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Add ½ -1 cup water or stock just enough to keep the meat moist. Cover the pan and simmer gently for at least half an hour, preferably one hour or more.

Peel the potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. Drain them well, allowing the steam to rise off and dry them. Add a generous knob of butter and half a cup of milk. Mash with a potato masher. Add more milk as needed until you get a soft fluffy mash. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Transfer the meat into a roasting tin or baking dish with a slotted spoon to leave most of the excess liquid behind. Top with a thick layer of mashed potato and even it out with a fork. Make patterns as you like with the fork, which will help get those delicious crispy bits on the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the top is golden and the meat sizzling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Hungry for good home-style food now? Why not eat out at The Peacock restaurant in Derby and enjoy their take on the British classics.

Christmas Mincemeat recipe

The mince pie season is almost upon us as all the shops gear up for Christmas and pile tempting boxes of ready made pies at the end of each aisle. But it’s hard to find a shop mince pie that is just right, with perfect crumbly pastry and a rich but not cloying mincemeat filling.

Making your own Christmas mincemeat is the answer. It has a fresher flavour, though is still rich and satisfying, and you can easily leave out the traditional suet to make it suitable for vegetarians without affecting the taste. It keeps well in the fridge for a month or two even without the suet. You can make your own shortcrust pastry or use bought puff pastry to make delicious mince pies that beat shop-bought ones hands down.

Recipe for Home-made Christmas Mincemeat.

5 or 6 medium green apples peeled and coarsely grated
350g / 12oz raisins
225g / 8oz sultanas
225g / 8oz currants
225g / 8oz mixed candied peel chopped finely
35g / 12oz soft brown sugar
zest and juice of 2 oranges
zest and juice of 2 lemons
50g / 2oz almonds chopped fine
4 teaspoons mixed spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ nutmeg grated
6 tablespoons brandy
225g / 8oz shredded suet (optional)

Mix all the ingredients together except the brandy. It works best to grate the apples straight into the orange juice, so that they don’t discolour.

If you are using suet: cover the bowl with foil and leave everything to soak together for at least 12 hours. Then put the bowl in a low oven 120C / 225F for 3 hours to gradually melt the suet and coat all the ingredients. This will prevent fermentation if you are going to be storing the mincemeat for a long time. Allow it to cool, then mix in the brandy and pack into clean dry jars. Seal well if storing.

If you are planning on using the mincemeat over the next few weeks the suet isn’t necessary and you can mix the brandy in straight away. Leave the bowl covered in the fridge overnight and then pack the mincemeat into clean jars and refrigerate until needed. It needs at least a day, preferably a week, for the flavours to meld and develop, so make it in advance.

This will make enough mincemeat for about six dozen mince pies, enough to keep you going over the Christmas season.

Feel like celebrating the Christmas season in style? Book ahead to taste the special Christmas menus at San Carlo restaurant in Leicester.

Up Close with The Lambs at the Market restaurant in Mansfield, Nottingham

Go dine and the Nottinghamshire tourism board had the pleasure of the spending the afternoon with Troy Lamb, the head chef and owner of the fabulous Lambs at the Market restaurant in Mansfield. The plan; to understand just how Troy, with the support of a loving family, has propelled the restaurant into the forefront of the Nottinghamshire restaurant scene, picking up numerous Nottingham Restaurant awards as well as a coveted AA rosette.

Lambs at the Market was launched under stressful circumstances, its Grade II listed building causing plenty of potential heartache, “it just felt like the council wanted to make it difficult for us, the building lay dilapidated for a number of years and all we wanted to was bring it back to life”. Troy and his wife Alison ended up investing more than the budget in updating the facade, fixtures and fittings, and by the time Lambs at the Market opened its doors Alison was 8 months pregnant. An hour before the doors opened tables were still being made up; it just begged the question, “Why put yourself through the stress!?”

Troy’s love for food, like many top-class chefs, started in his early teens. Troy was exposed to a kitchen with a simple ethos of carvery and substance, rather than style cooking. At 15 Troy watched a frustrated chef dictated to with regard to what and how to cook and Troy started to understand what was wrong with this. Thoughts of having his own kitchen and doing things his own way entered the mind of the budding entrepreneur.

“It got to a stage where the idea of opening a restaurant was constantly playing on my mind and with Alison pregnant it was now or never. Part of opening the restaurant was so we could do it our way. Seeing the family isn’t just limited to home time.”

“My daughter spends time in the restaurant and runs around on a Sunday, she comes into the kitchen; not when we’re busy, I must add, when pans are flying everywhere. This restaurant is my livelihood and it’s important to involve her in this. She is extremely well behaved as she has spent a big part of her life either in this restaurant or others when we are dining out.”

Working 18 hour days, father of a new born baby, Troy rolled his sleeves up and with help from life-long friend Martin the dream began. Working so closely together, team work and interaction are a must and watching the two chefs working their wonderful local produce to plate certainly is a pleasure.

Troy spent a week working with Sat Bains and found it to be a privilege, “the way they organise the kitchen, the actual respect they have for the ingredients and the amount of detail that goes into the preparation was something I wanted to emulate”. Troy’s love for local produce can be seen in the way he describes dishes; he aims to make his dishes appealing and accessible to any diner and looks for a relaxed fine dining angle. “I don’t tend to go out into the restaurant, so all I see is what comes back on the plates, most of which are empty!”

Troy’s cuisine is based on unpretentious, honest food and he doesn’t like looking at menus filled with extravagant language that then disappoint when the plate is presented.

“We get quite a lot of people coming in who are celiac and  we are happy to cater for them. We prefer to have some notice, and we can easily tailor dishes especially as we create everything  from scratch in our kitchens. I don’t like to lose my concentration during service so having notice of special dietary requirements is preferred.” – a good indication of a perfectionist.

Troy takes extreme pride in everything that leaves the kitchen. Unless each dish is perfect in presentation and flavour, as well as reflecting the concept and ideology and the reason for putting the ingredients together, the dish simply doesn’t leave the kitchen no matter how busy the service, “it’s my name above the door, Lambs at the Market is just that, my restaurant with my levels of quality.”

It was at this point that Troy passed me over an A5 piece of paper headed ‘Go dine menu’, which put a huge smile on my face. Three dishes described so eloquently with mention of the source of the ingredients brought an amazing blend of flavours to my mind. We walked through the restaurant admiring Alison’s design and entered the kitchen to be greeted by Martin. We stood to one side and watched the dishes being pieced together so intricately but in a flash.

Puff Pastry Tart of Tollerton- Shot pigeon breast with Scottish Girolles.

Assierre of Nottingham Pork- Slow cooked belly, deep fried rillette and mini pork chop with Southwell butternut squash

A taste of Kirklington damsons- Damson jelly, star anise rice pudding and plum “minifeuille” – Wow!

While I had been speaking to Troy and Allison in the reception area of the restaurant, Martin had been preparing the pastry tart and potato fondant for the main course. Troy now joined him and off they went. Troy spent time as he cooked describing the people who make the dishes possible and told us about a good friend of his who shoots the wood pigeon only 10miles east of the restaurant specifically for Lambs at the Market.

Within 2 minutes we were watching Troy apply the final touches to our starter, Tart of Tollerton ready for our delectation. But we had to contain our appetites while the main course got underway, and the three different cuts of pork were lovingly produced. Again Troy spoke in an animated fashion, local produce really is high on the list of priorities.

On went the bed of lentils, potato fondant carefully placed on top, the pork placed on top of that, the pork belly to one side with a large amount of crackling, followed by the mini pork chop that had been hand trimmed and voila, a hearty dish that, as Catherine remarked, “certainly is a man size portion”. Troy takes a huge amount of pride in the presentation of the dish, “I don’t want people walking out of here hungry!”

We then shuffled over towards the other end of the kitchen and watched Martin carefully pull together a delicious take on a British classic, using damson in 3 different fashions. His sentences starting with “well I just do this, and I just place this” made me smile. They don’t just do this or that, the skill by which they create their masterpieces is second nature to these guys, the skills on show and the thought that goes into every step certainly is something I could not emulate quickly!

We took the dishes carefully up the stairs and onto a table in a more light and airy part of the restaurant. Troy sat down opposite Helen and me with a smile on his face. Getting across to Troy what we thought of the food was not as easy as we thought, the pigeon so soft and flavoursome, and the light yet crispy tartlet complemented the pan fried mushrooms.

Second up, the main course and where to start? I went straight for the pork belly and crackling and it took me straight back to my Nan’s crackling, but sorry Nan this was better! The soft pork and the fresh local vegetables were simply amazing and we had to invite our photographer in at this point to taste the fare; the immediate smile on his face spoke volumes.

Lambs at the Market really is an absolute gem in Mansfield: the absolute commitment to local produce, the passion and skill that goes into every element of every dish. Troy truly is a talented young chef and with a loyal and loving family behind him, Lambs at the Market will go from strength to strength. There is no doubt Troy deserves his ‘best use of local produce’ award and his AA rosette and any diner will be guaranteed to be delighted with the flavours, textures and presentation that goes into every dish. Not only that but diners will walk out feeling satisfied with the portions; they will feel that what they just ate was really worth every single penny.

This is not the last time we will hear about Troy; the journey has just begun and for a chef who when asked “who would you most like to cook for?” answered “Gordon Ramsay” just shows the confidence and self belief of a down to earth, kind and welcoming man.

We wish Lambs at the Market the very best of luck, although something tells me they won’t need it!

______________________________

Book Lambs at the Market online for free or call 01623 220 915

How to cook really crispy roast potatoes

Crispy golden roast potatoes with a satisfying crunch and soft fluffy interior to soak up the gravy are one of life’s pleasures. They are the difference between a successful Sunday lunch and a disappointing one. We’ve all had a pub lunch where the potatoes were tough and leathery with little flavour and have been sitting around being kept warm for too long. There is no need for that at home when they can be served straight from the oven, but there are a few important secrets to really good roast potatoes:

First of all roast potatoes don’t like to be kept hanging around. Leave them cooking in the oven until you are ready to serve the meal, they will only keep on getting crispier.

Second, they should be par-boiled for about 5-8 minutes, drained well and then shaken in the pan to rough up their edges. This fluffy texture is what soaks up the oil and produces a crispy finish.

Lastly, the oil should be heated in the roasting tin before you put them in, so they sizzle madly when you tip them into the tin.

This is less a recipe than a guide to producing roast potatoes that will have all your family and friends coming to visit on Sundays.

How to cook really crispy roast potatoes

Allow about 200-300g / 7-10oz of potatoes per person, depending on appetite. Peel the potatoes and cut them into halves or quarters depending on how big they started off.

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F.

Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring them to the boil. When the pan boils, cook them for 5-8 minutes depending on the size you cut them into. Drain the pan well, reserving some of the water for gravy. Let the steam rise so the potatoes dry a little, then put the lid on the pan and shake it vigorously, so the surface of all the potatoes is fluffed up roughly. Leave the lid off so the steam can rise. It doesn’t matter if some of the smaller potatoes have crumbled; these crumbs will make those wonderful crispy, crunchy bits that everyone fishes for in the bowl.

Meanwhile pour a layer of olive oil, or a mixture of olive and sunflower oil into your roasting tin. It should cover the base of the tin easily, but only a couple of mm deep. If you have leftover lamb or beef dripping from a previous Sunday roast, you can use a dollop of that with some olive oil to help with the crispness. Put the tin into the oven to heat while the potatoes are boiling, for about 5 minutes, until just smoking.

Tip the drained and fluffed potatoes into the hot oil and turn them so they are well coated on all sides. They should all fit in one layer. If they don’t, use a second roasting tin and more hot oil.

Roast on the top shelf of the oven for about 1 ½ hours. Turn them about three times during the cooking period. When they are golden on all sides they are done, but if people are not ready to sit at the table leave the potatoes in the oven for a few minutes longer to keep the crispness.

If the potatoes still look a bit pale when you take the meat out of the oven to rest, turn up the heat to maximum and put them on the top shelf for the last ten minutes. A quick short cut is to put them under the grill for 5 minutes to get a golden finish.

Still looking for the ultimate Sunday lunch that you don’t have to cook? Why not try The Old Hall restaurant in Buxton for a classic Sunday roast.

Roast Chicken with Lemon

The enticing fragrance of roast chicken wafting around the house is the essence of a family Sunday; a Sunday roast with roast potatoes and steamed vegetables is one of those classic British meals that can’t be bettered and is actually not hard to cook once you get the timing right. But roast chicken can be more than just a Sunday lunch. It goes just as well with salad and new potatoes for an evening meal or can be cooked ahead of time and served cold as part of a buffet.

Roasting a chicken is simple, but you have to find a way of stopping the breast meat from drying out while the legs cook through. One traditional way is to drape the breast with streaky bacon which bastes the chicken with its fat as it cooks. A very tasty low fat alternative that works brilliantly, is to stuff the chicken with a whole lemon and start the cooking with the chicken breast down in the roasting tin. This results in beautifully moist and tender meat with plenty of lemony juices to make the gravy.

Recipe for Lemon Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 small to medium lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
bay leaf
sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper
1 onion

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Make sure the chicken is clean and dry before you start, patting it dry with kitchen paper after rinsing with cold water. Choose an enamel or other metal roasting tin for best results.

Pierce the lemon skin in several places with a skewer, so that it will release its juice gradually to baste the chicken as it cooks. Put the lemon and clove of garlic into the chicken cavity. If the lemon keeps falling out, tie the drumsticks together with string or wool to keep it in.

Rub the oil all over the chicken and season it with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breast down in the roasting tin. Cut the onion into quarters, leaving the skin on if it is clean, drizzle it with a little more oil and tuck the quarters around the chicken. The onion should caramelize slightly when cooked and adds colour and flavour to the gravy later. Tuck the herbs under the chicken.

Calculate the time needed to cook your chicken according to its weight. The old rule of 20 minutes per pound plus 20 minutes translates to about 40 minutes per kilo plus 20 minutes. Always check if the chicken is cooked by inserting a skewer in the leg meat; the juices should run clear when it is cooked.

Cook the chicken breast down for about 20-30 minutes, then turn it over carefully, trying to avoid tearing the skin and let it finish its cooking the right way up and turn a deep golden colour. The lemon bastes from inside so you don’t have to worry about basting it.

When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a carving dish and cover with foil to keep warm. It should rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile make the gravy.

Pour off as much fat as you can from the top of the juices in the roasting tin. You should be left with intensely flavoured juices and caramelized bits of onion clinging to the tin. Put the roasting tin over a high heat on the hob and pour in a generous slosh of white wine. As it bubbles, scrape off all the residue from the onion, which should colour the gravy a dark brown. Use some of the water that the vegetables or potatoes were cooked in to add to the gravy a little at a time until the intense flavour has been diluted to a tasty jus. Add any juices that come from the chicken as it is carved.

Serve the lemon roast chicken with roast potatoes and steamed vegetables or salad and new potatoes.

Don’t feel like cooking a roast at home yet? Why not try the delicious Sunday lunches at Masa restaurant in Derby.

Salmon Salad recipe

Salmon has a sense of occasion about it. It brings a little bit of luxury to a meal despite the fact that it is a very healthy option, especially when served as part of a main course salad. Its delicious rich meat needs very little added to it, so can be cooked very simply, and it partners well with all the salad leaves, especially iron rich watercress and peppery rocket.

In this recipe the salmon is poached in white wine and water with herbs and seasoning, as the healthiest option, but if you prefer you can quickly pan fry it in butter for an extra bit of crispiness and flavour.

Recipe for Salmon Salad

Ingredients

500g / 1lb approx salmon fillets
half a cup dry white wine
half a cup water
1 shallot or half a small onion thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh parsley
a few sprigs fresh dill or other herbs
salt and pepper
a selection of fresh salad leaves and herbs
lemon wedges to serve

Put the wine, water, parsley, dill, shallot in a pan that will comfortably hold the salmon fillets in one layer. Bring it up to a simmer over a medium heat. Lower the salmon fillets, skin side down, into the liquid and simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the flesh is opaque. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool, while assembling the rest of the salad. (If you will be eating  immediately you can also serve the salmon still warm on the salad leaves with some new potatoes alongside)

Wash and dry all the salad leaves and arrange them on each plate, then top with a slice of the salmon fillet and a wedge of lemon alongside.

Serve some rhick, mustardy French dressing separately for each person to drizzle over the leaves.

Other things to add to your salmon salad:
•    Boiled waxy new potatoes cooled
•    Steamed asparagus
•    A poached egg per person
•    Crunchy slices of fennel
•    Toasted almonds

Want to taste the best wild salmon cooked to perfection? Visit Loch Fyne restaurant in Nottingham to taste their excellent fish dishes.

Crab Cakes recipe

Crab cakes are quick and easy to make and make a great change from fish cakes on the family menu. You can spice them up with some Indian spices or stick to the traditional recipe, just adding a dash of Worcestershire sauce to bring out the flavour. Served with tartare sauce for adults and tomato ketchup for kids, with maybe some new potatoes and salad on the side you have a delcious weekend lunch with very little effort.

If you are cooking your own fresh crab, pick through the meat carefully once cooked, discarding any shell and cartilage before you start. Most good fishmongers and online fish companies will sell it to you ready cooked and picked. Choose white crab meat or a mixture of white and brown for your crab cakes.

Recipe for Crab cakes

Ingredients
450g / 1lb white or mixed crab meat
100g/ 3oz dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Mix together the breadcrumbs, egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, mustard together in a bowl. Add the crab meat to the mixture with some salt and pepper and mix carefully, so as not to break up the flakes of meat too much. You may need a little more mayonnaise or another egg if the mixture is too dry to form easily into patties.

With your hands form the mixture into 6 or more patties. Put them on a plate and cover with clingfilm, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If you’re in a hurry you can skip this stage but the cakes may not keep their shape so well.
Fry the crab cakes in oil or butter for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Serve immediately.

Alternative crab cake recipe
If you don’t have enough crab meat or just like the richness of the crab meat balanced with potato, you can substitute some of the crab meat with mashed potato. Usually two parts crab meat to one part potato is a good guide. Add a little chopped parsley too.

Other good things to add to your crab cakes:
•    A squeeze of lemon juice
•    A few drops Tabasco sauce
•    Substitute the mayonnaise with crème fraiche
•    Finely chopped onion or shallot
•    Chopped fresh herbs

Can’t get hold of fresh crab meat where you live? Why not eat out and savour the delicious crab cakes at The Living Room, Nottingham.

Scallops and Asparagus recipe

Stylish and simple to cook, scallops and asparagus make a really impressive starter for a dinner party and are a perfect pairing in terms of flavour. The sweetness of the scallop goes beautifully with the grassy freshness of the asparagus. Though it looks like a complicated restaurant dish it is actually very quick and easy to cook at home.

If you can get fresh asparagus so early this would make an elegant starter for a romantic Valentine’s Day meal or you can increase the quantities and serve it as a sophisticated main lunch dish. Both the scallops and the asparagus must be fresh and ask your fishmonger to trim the scallops for you to make it even easier.

Recipe for Scallops and Asparagus:

Ingredients
500g / 1lb fresh asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
500g / 1lb fresh sea scallops trimmed
80ml / 1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper

Cut the asparagus into 3 cm /1 inch lengths, discarding the ends if they are tough and woody. Leave the tips whole.
In a heavy non-stick pan, heat one tablespoon of oil and sauté the asparagus for 5-6 minutes until just tender, stirring occasionally. Put the asparagus onto a warm plate leaving all the oil behind.

Pat the scallops dry with kitchen towel, sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In the same pan heat another tablespoon of oil and cook the scallops for 2-3 minutes on each side (depending on size) until just cooked through and browning at the edges.

Transfer onto another warm plate.

Deglaze the pan with the white wine, stirring up any browned bits and let it bubble for a minute or two, then stir in the butter off the heat.

Plate up the scallops and asparagus and drizzle the wine sauce over them.

Other sauces to serve with scallops and asparagus:
•    Salsa verde
•    Hollandaise
•    A drizzle of chilli oil
•    Some chopped fresh parsley and thyme added to the recipe above with the wine.

To make a health conscious version of this dish, you can bake the scallops in the oven for 8-10 minutes with just a small amount of herb butter dotted on top. Steam the asparagus to go alongside and serve with some salad leaves for a tasty and healthy meal.

Don’t have a good fishmonger near you? Head out to Shaw’s restaurant in Hockley, Nottingham and sample their delicious seafood dishes.