The Gourmet Gent

For my last collaboration where I have been sharing dishes with Busi-Jacobsohn’s selection of outstanding English Sparkling wines, I paired their Blanc de Blanc 2018 with a selection of seafood…

Pan seared Orkney Scallops, Native Maldon oysters with Sicilian lemon, shaved fennel bulb, lemon and rubbed dill salad, Newlyn white and brown crab

Busi-Jacobsohn 2019 Rose English Sparkling wine pairs perfectly with this trio of dishes…

Sockeye Leap naturally smoked wild salmon, sprinkled with Maldon salt and a squeeze of Sicilian lemon
Italian bitter winter lead salad, with grapefruit and extra virgin olive oil
Roasted English beetroot with heather honey labneh and topped with toasted almonds

Featuring all things British; pan seared duck breast, sautéed wild mushrooms, creamy polenta, crispy garden sage, chiffonade of radicchio, winter bitter leaves with wild heather honey and orange dressing. Perfectly paired with Busi Jacobsohn’s Sparkling Trophy winning Blanc de Noirs 2018.

This is the first of a collaboration series with Busi Jacobsohn wine estate, a family owned award winning vineyard in Eridge East Sussex.

Roasted pumpkin, courgette, purple sprouting broccoli and garden kale curry, served with fluffy rice.

The base:

• 3 large white onions – peeled and finely sliced
• 4 garlic cloves – peeled and finely sliced
• 2 large fennel bulbs – finely sliced
• Good quality olive oil
• 2 small chillies – finely sliced

1. To begin this beautiful curry, in a large heavy based saucepan add a good glug of good quality olive oil.
2. Next add your finely sliced onions and fennel bulb along with a good pinch of Maldon sea salt.
3. You want your onion base to be a lovely golden brown colour, once at this stage, add a little of water to stop the frying, then it will go to light steaming, at this point add your sliced garlic along with the sliced chillies.
4. Next add a little more olive oil.

Spices:

• 2 teaspoons of Coriander seeds lightly toasted and crushed
• 2 teaspoons of Garam Masala
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons of golden turmeric
• 2 teaspoons of mild curry powder
• 8 large cloves lightly toasted and crushed
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon (you can also use a whole cinnamon stick just ensure you remove before eating)
• 2 bruised bay leaves

1. Next add your spice mix into the onion base, place onto a low to medium heat (as you don’t want to burn your spices, but instead, just lightly toast them which will add both richness and balance to the base of your curry)
2. Add a pinch of Maldon as it is key to season all of the way through.

Roasted element of the curry:

• Locally grown pumpkins
• Locally grown courgette

1. To begin pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees (you can also do this in an outside wood fired oven, as this will give a beautiful smoky depth to the roasted courgette and Pumpkins).
2. Wash and peel your pumpkin, to prep remove the peel and seeds slice into 2 cm pieces (that will ensure for even cooking)
3. For the courgette wash and slice into 2 cm slices.
4. Place each item onto a separate baking tray add a good pinch of Maldon sea salt followed by a good glug of olive oil.
5. Put into the oven and roast till a little golden and Al Dente.

The Main sauce of the curry:

• 2 large organic tomatoes washed and sliced
• 300 grams of split red lentils
• 500 grams of washed and prepared kale
• Bunch of green beans, which have been washed and topped
• Maldon sea salt
• Extra water to loosen if needed

1. Whilst your vegetables are roasting, take your base from earlier, add two large organic tomatoes that have been sliced, increase the heat add 100 ml of cold water followed by 300 grams of red split lentils, the beauty of split lentils is that they will cook in the sauce offering both texture, body and a great source of protein.
2. At this point taste again and if needed adjust the seasoning of the curry base.
3. Place a lid onto the curry base and leave to cook you may need to stir every now and then as the lentils can stick to the base of the pan.
4. Once your lentils are cooked through and Al Dente, add your roasted pumpkin along with your roasted courgette also add any additional olive oil, which may have been left over from the cooking.
5. At this point add your kale, turn off the heat and allow the kale to naturally wilt.
6. Next place a small pan of salted water onto the heat to blanch the green beans and PSB (purple sprouting broc) once the vegetables are blanched add to a lightly oiled dish along with a pinch of Maldon sea salt.
7. At the same time add two large glasses of basmati rice along with two cups of boiling water to a saucepan, add a pinch of Maldon sea salt, along with cloves and cardamom pods, place a lid onto the pan and leave to cook this method is called the absorption method which will result in perfectly fluffy rice.  

To plate, take a bowl and a spoonful of rice to the left of the bowl, next add your curry. To finish, top with your steamed veggies, this dish is the perfect recovery dish to eat after a long workout, or equally perfectly matched for a long lazy Sunday after a winters walk.

Enjoy with a cold beer or glass of refreshing sparkling ginger infused water.

Welcome back to recipe of the week something simple, tasty and super seasonal. This dish amplifies what the small holding has to offer at this time of year. Preparation time roughly around 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect dish for lunch or dinner, best enjoyed outside with a chilled bottle of white wine.

For this dish you will need…
Roasted cabbage with burnt butter and anchovies
Pink Fir potatoes (add salted butter and a selection of soft herbs)
Cavolo Nero pesto
Blanched garden green beans
Finely sliced chives
Roasted fennel bulb
1 courgette
Juice of a lemon
6 minute soft boiled egg (peeled and sliced in half)

Pan seared trout fillet, new potatoes, aspargus, wild garlic pesto and flowers, finished with cold pressed oil.