Focaccia bread with Tapanade and Rocket & Cashew Pesto

Ingredients

• 1.5kg/3Ib 5oz strong white bread flour
• 1 x 7g/6¼oz sachet dried yeast
• 50ml/2fl oz olive oil, plus a little extra for oiling
• pinch salt
• 570ml/20fl oz/1 pint warm water

For the topping

• sprigs rosemary
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• black olives-optional
• cherry tomatoes-optional

method

1. Combine the flour, yeast, olive oil and salt in a mixer with a dough hook.
2. Add the water to make a soft dough, and knead in the mixer until smooth and shiny.
3. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for about an hour until well risen.
4. Tip the mix out onto a floured surface and knead to knock out any air pockets. Roll the dough into an oval-like shape about 2cm/¾in thick. Transfer to an oiled baking tray.
5. Firmly press your fingers into the surface to 'pit' the surface. For the topping, drizzle with olive oil and lightly grind sea salt over the top.
6. Put a small sprig of rosemary into each pit.
7. Cover with a tea towel and set the loaf aside for another 20 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
9. Transfer the loaf to the middle shelf of the oven and cook for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

10. Serve hot with balsamic vinegar & Olive oil for dipping.

Tapanade

Ingredients:

• 20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Clove of garlic
• 1/2 tsp good quality anchovy fillets (optional)
• Fresh cracked black pepper

Preparation:

Combine Kalamata olives, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy fillets,garlic, and pepper. Mix well. Refrigerate and use within two weeks.

Cashew & Rocket Pesto.

110g fresh basil leaves

50g small Rocket leaves
150ml extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
25g Cashew nuts

50g freshly grated parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
Pinch of salt

Method

Put the basil, olive oil, pine kernels, garlic, salt, and parmesan into a food processor. That's it and will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

To Serve

Serve hot crusty Foccacia bread with both dips and perhaps some cheeses.

Wild Garlic & Nettle Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of nettles
• 1 large bunch of Wild garlic
• 2 medium sized potatoes, diced
• 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
• I stick celery, sliced into small pieces
• 2 cups (1 pint) stock
• 1 cups (½ pint) milk or creamy milk for extra richness.
• Small knob of butter
• Salt and pepper

To garnish

some cream or natural yogurt

& Wild Garlic Flower.

Method

Wash the nettles & wild garlic in cold water and drain. Pat dry with a clean towel.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium temperature and add the onions, nettles, celery and potato. Stir to coat the with the butter and ’sweat’ them in the saucepan for about 5 minutes. Now add the Wild garlic - just one minute before the rest of the ingredients are done. The nettles should be just wilted.

Pour the stock and the milk into the saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Pour into a blender and zap. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with cream or natural yogurt and heads of wild garlic and accompanied by Crusty Sodabread.

Brioche or waffle French Toast with fried Foie Gras

Ingredients

2 small punnets of raspberries

Verbina leaves

Caster sugar

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise pods

6 cloves

1 vanilla pod

1 oz of butter

Brioche bread or Waffles – 1 egg to dip in to make French toast

2 apples

uncooked duck livers or Fresh Foie Gras

Recipe:

Put a bowl on the stove with the raspberries and 4 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, star anise, clove,

and a tiny splash of water. Boil well for 20 minutes until you get a spicy raspberry coulis. Take the

spices from the coulis and leave to the side so that it stays warm.

Peel apple and cut in thin slices. Now put a pan onto heat gently, melt a little

butter and fry the apples with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the seeds scraped from a vanilla pod and the verbena leaves.

Fry the apples until golden.

To make the brioche or waffle French toast, dip the bread of your choice into the egg and cook as for any French toast.

Just before serving, fry some slices of uncooked duck livers in a hot but dry non-stick pan. This has to

be done quite quickly or else the duck livers will over cook.. Fry until nice and brown on both sides and serve

with the vanilla apple, the waffle/ brioche French toast and a spoonful of raspberry coulis.

Poached turbot in a herbed broth with hot foaming foie gras and balsamic glaze.

for 4

4 fillets of turbot. Delicious also with John Dorey/Brill/ Black Sole

For the fish cooking broth.....

herbs- chives, chervil, dill. nasturtium leaves torn.

1 tablesp each of roast pepper cocasse( no skin), tomato concasse (no skin),, finely sliced scallions,chopped fresh herbs as above, finely cubed /concasse celery,

finely cubes/concassee carrot,finely cubed/ concasse courgette.

3 tblsp of pachetta or streaky bacon

3 tablspoons of chorizo cubed

zest of unwaxed lime

250 ml of dry white wine

27 gr of salted butter

seasalt & white pepper.

Poach the seasoned fish in a lightish pan with all the above ingredients in the oven approx 5 mins in a 200 celcius heat.

When fish is translucent remove and rest it will continue to cook so make sure you have not over cooked.

2 x good size slices of fresh foie gras seasoned with

a spray of rosemary, sea salt & pepper

On a preheating hot pan-non stick add & cook foie gras until carmelized approx 20-30 seconds,deglaze with 1 tblsp balsamic syrup & remove from heat.

Broad beans & samphire Salad - blanch, season, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil , black pepper freshly ground & a tiny splash of good quality.white balsamic vinegar & serve warm as a salad under the fish & foe gras.

Drizzle a little of the cooking liquer from the turbot with the concasses & herbs & bacon around the assembled dish to moisten the fish & salad this will look great as it will have a slight paprika colour,

This is a very pretty dish also excellent with any of the the following flash cooked & added to the above salad-Queen scallops, Irish Prawns, Smoked Oysters, or a little white crab meat.