Ginger Jar Food
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Warm salad of smoked mackerel, tomatoes, sour dough bread & fresh herbs
Using bread in a salad is a great way of making it more hearty, but also adding different textures to the dish to create interest as you eat your way through it. Here the combination of hot, grilled mackerel, the juices from the tomatoes and the herby dressing make for a filling winter dish.
Time to table: 15 minutes
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
Warm salad of smoked mackerel, tomatoes, cucumber, crusty bread & fresh herbs250g smoked mackerel fillets
200g sour dough bread, cut into inch cubes
200g baby plum tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, sliced in half, seeded scraped out and cut into half moons
For the dressing
A couple of handfuls of mixed fresh herbs such as basil, mint & flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1/2 clove of garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Sherry (or red wine) vinegar
A pinch of sugar
Salt & pepper
METHOD
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients except the herbs until nicely emulsified and pour 3/4 of it over the tomatoes & cucumber. Set aside to allow the flavours to develop.
- Heat the mackeral fillets skin side up under a grill until thoroughly warmed through then remove the skins and break into large chunks.
- Mix the most of the herbs through the tomato/cucumber mixture, add the bread cubes and pile onto plates. top with the chunks of mackerel, the extra dressing and the rest of the herbs and serve.
ENJOY! GJ x
To find out more about cooking your favourite food, why not book a Ginger Jar Cookery Lesson?
60g pancetta diced into lardons, plus 4 full strips
600ml chicken stock
2 large shallots, finely diced
500g pumpkin flesh, cut into a 1cm dice
200g risotto rice
200ml dry white wine
2 tablespoons mascarpone
25g grated Parmesan
Sea salt & pepperMethod1. First make 4 pancetta shards. Set the oven to 170C, place 4 strips of pancetta between two sheets of grease proof then sandwich flat between two baking sheets. Place in the oven for around 10 mins, checking constantly, until they are nicely crisp. Set aside.
2. Heat a large sauté pan with a touch of oil and fry the pancetta lardons until crispy, drain from the pan and set aside on kitchen roll.
3. In the same pan heat a little more oil and fry the shallots until softened, now increase the heat slightly and add the cubed pumpkin and fry until caramelized.
4. Heat the stock gently on a back burner.
5. Add the rice to the pan and allow the grains to become coated in oil, fry for around 2 minutes and then pour in the wine. Allow it to be absorbed by the rice.
6. Now add the stock, ladle by ladle, until the rice is almost cooked. Stir in the pancetta lardons, mascarpone and parmesan and allow the rice to finish cooked. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as required.
7. Place a portion of risotto in the middle of the plates and top with a pancetta shard.