I urge you all to go to this site: Eat The Seasons (UK)
It’s invaluable when you’re thinking about what you should be cooking. Forgive me for harping on about something cooks harp on about all the time…but seasonal food tastes better, is cheaper and has much less of an impact on the environment.
Eat Peruvian asparagus in November if you don’t believe me 
| Serves | 3-4 |
| Prep time | 25 minutes |
| Cook time | 1 hour, 20 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour, 45 minutes |
| Allergy | Wheat |
| 1. | To make the sauce, first fry the bacon and chopped shallot in a little vegetable oil, in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for 4 or so minutes until the bacon has a little colour. |
| 2. | Add the whole shallots and mushrooms and stir well. |
| 3. | Turn up the heat and deglaze the pan with the wine and stock. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly for 1 hour. |
| 4. | Strain the sauce through a sieve and reserve the solids. Return the liquid to the pan. |
| 5. | At this point, season the steaks well and cook them on a high heat in oil and butter for about 2-3 minutes per side for rare. Remove the steaks and rest well while you finish the sauce. |
| 6. | Finish the sauce by whisking in the beurre manié over a medium heat until you reach the desired thickness. It should be glossy and rich but not too thick. At this point, readd the solids to the sauce and heat through. |
| 7. | To serve, slice the steaks in half horizontally and layer the meat on the sauce. I served this with mustard mash and seasonal vegetables. Enjoy! |
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 10 minutes |
| Total time | 30 minutes |
| Allergy | Fish, Shellfish, Wheat |
It's likely that you won't have a pan big enough for all the fillets (if you're cooking for four). If that's the case, cook in batches and keep the fish warm in a *low heat* oven - you don't want it to dry out.
| 1. | Dust brill fillets lightly with flour and season well. |
| 2. | Add a little olive oil to a saucepan and heat to low-medium. |
| 3. | Add shallots, garlic and thyme to the saucepan and fry gently until soft. |
| 4. | When soft, turn the heat up to full and add the wine, lemon juice and parsley. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large frying pan to a medium high heat. Add the clams to the saucepan and cover. |
| 5. | Add fillets skin side down and press down lightly with your hands for a few seconds to keep the fish flat and prevent curling. After 2 minutes, turn the fish and reduce heat. Turn the heat off on the clams. |
| 6. | Cook for a further minute and remove from the heat to rest. |
| 7. | Cook spinach until just wilted in the pan used for the fish. |
| 8. | Serve with the spinach on the bottom, spoon over the clams and sauce and top with the fish. Enjoy! |
I’m very pleased to announce my inaugural supper club!
It will be happening at my home address in East London, where we can gather, eat, drink and be damn happy about it.
I’ll confirm the menu on here soon – matching wines will be provided by and Tom will be kindly talking us through his matches…
Please feel free to contact me directly for further details, as always.
| Serves | 2-4 |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 10 minutes |
| Total time | 30 minutes |
| Allergy | Fish, Shellfish, Soy |
This is an impressive but simple scallops recipe, ideal for a starter for 4 or a main dish for 2.
Don't overcook the scallops! They're cooked when they're just opaque - but if you make sure they're very fresh (ask your fishmonger) you're far better off leaving them under than over.
| 1. | Prepare the dressing by shaking the ingredients together well. |
| 2. | Season the scallops well with salt and pepper. |
| 3. | Bring some oil in a large frying pan to a medium heat and add the garlic, chilli, ginger and spring onions. Cook for a minute or two, stirring lots and ensuring that the ingredients don't brown or burn. |
| 4. | Remove ingredients from pan and reserve. |
| 5. | Add a little more oil if necessary and turn the heat up a little. |
| 6. | When the oil is hot, add the scallops and cook for about a minute a side. |
| 7. | Layer up watercress and radish, making a tower for each scallop, and place a little of the spring onion mixture between each one. |
| 8. | Drizzle over the dressing and serve immediately. |
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