Category: Everyday meals

Steamed mussels, potato rosti and burnt Hispi cabbage quarters

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  • 1 white onion peeled and finely sliced 
  • 3 large Maris Piper potatoes that have been peeled and grated on the course side of a box grater.
  • Pinch of sea salt 
  • Pinch of black pepper 
  • 15 grams of butter 
  1. To begin in a small saucepan add a glug of olive oil and once the oil is warm add your onions along with a pinch of sea salt. You want to cook these till they are soft and little golden.
  2. Once add this stage add your butter and allow to melt as this perfumes the butter but gives the onions another level of luxury. 
  3. Next once you have grated your potatoes squeeze out any excess moisture and liquid, mix these in a large bowl with your warmed onions. Add a pinch of black pepper and pinch of sea salt to finish. 
  4. To colour off your rosti place a large frying pan onto a medium heat, add a little oil once the oil is hot and smoking a little. Add your potato rosti mix to the pan ensure that the rost mix is one thin layer once the rosti is crisp and golden flip and repeat on the other side. 
  5. Add these to a lined baking sheet, and later cook in the oven at gas mark four for 20 minutes to ensure that the potato is cooked through.  

Burnt hispi Cabbage quarters:

  • 1 large washed Hispi cabbage
  • Pinch of Sea Salt 
  • Glug of olive oil
  1. To begin slice your cabbage into quarters, if there are any outer leaves reserve these for the mussels.
  2. Place a pan onto a high heat brush your cabbage with some olive oil and place two pieces into the pan, cook on both sides till golden brown and crisp to avoid oil going everywhere place a saucepan lid over the pan as this always helps to steam the cabbage and gently cook them as they grill. 
  3. Once your cabbage is perfectly crisp if they go a little dark don’t worry they taste beautiful a little burnt. 
  4. Place onto a lined baking tray and place into your pre-heated oven along with your potato Rosti and cook till warm through. You cabbage wont need cooking for long. 

Steamed Mussels:

  • 1 kg of fresh mussels that have been cleaned and de-bearded.
  • 1 large leek finely sliced.
  • 1 banana shallot
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled 
  • Glass of Ned white wine
  • Cabbage outer leaves washed and finely sliced 
  • 200 ml of cold water 
  • 100 ml of double cream or if for less calories single cream works great as well. 
  • Black pepper 
  • Glug of olive oil 
  1. To begin in a large saucepan, cook down your base of garlic, shallot, leek and cabbage leaf till soft a tender you can add a little salt but not much as mussels will release their beautiful saltiness once cooked. 
  2. To create a little steam once your base is cooked and tender, add your water along with your wine, bring the pan up to a high boil and then once at this stage add your mussels place on the lid and allow to steam just as they pop open this will only take a matter of minutes. 
  3. Once your mussels are open any that haven’t opened discard, remove the pan from the heat and add your double cream this works amazingly well with the leeks and gives the whole dish some body and comfort. 
  4. Serve into your chosen pre-heated bottles and serve alongside your cabbage and rosti.
  5. Serve with the wine which you cooked the mussels in, for this dish the featured wine is the Ned Sauvignon Blanc Newzland. 

Serve alongside with some fresh crusty Artisan Sourdough Bread and salted butter, this dish is a real celebration of gathering and good times which everyone is craving so badly at the current moment, or will make a beautiful meal for two.

The GG. 

See my dish on Neptune Weybridge’s feed here:

Aubergine & Celeriac Al Forno with an assortment of cheeses

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For the sauce you will need…

  • 4 large white onions 
  • 1 garlic clove (peeled and finely sliced)
  • Sea salt 
  • Black pepper 
  • 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes washed 
  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes 
  • 1 jar of passata 
  • 1 large red chilli (finely sliced)
  • 1 bulb of roasted garlic freshly squeezed – to be added later
  1. To begin in a large saucepan add a drizzle of olive oil once the oil is warm add your onions you want to cook these with a little colour to add some body and depth to the base of your sauce.
  2. Next add a pinch of seasoning, as this forms your base foundation for the dish, always allowing a little moisture to escape from the onions.
  3. Once the onions are cooked and soft with a little golden hue, deglaze with a touch of water ensure that you boil all of the water away, next add in your fresh tomatoes.
  4. Cover the pan with a lid, as this causes the tomatoes to blister and steam removing any cooked on goodness.
  5. Once the tomatoes are soft and ready to burst, add your garlic and chilli, you can add these in at this point, as you don’t want the garlic to burn but gently cook. 
  6. Add your can of chopped tomatoes, cook out for 10 minutes and then add your passata, allow the sauce to rest a simmer and then turn down low the heat to allow the flavours to develop further. 
  7. Once you are happy with the sauce turn off the heat, adjust the seasoning if needs be and lastly squeeze in your roasted garlic.
  8. Add all of the cooking oil from the roasted garlic as well as this is free flavour stir to incorporate. 

Assortment of cheeses:

To give this vegetable dish a touch of luxury I added some thinly sliced French brie and gorgonzola which will melt and ooze in between the layers of the baked celeriac and aubergines.

Baked celeriac:

  • 2 large celeriac bulbs (peeled back)
  • Pinch of sea salt 
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Drizzle of olive oil 
  1. To begin pre-heat your oven to gas mark 6. In an ovenproof dish place inn your peeled back celeriac bulbs, drizzle them with a little olive oil, then season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  2. Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour to 90 minutes till the celeriac can be pierced with a paring knife, as you want them to hold their shape once they have been sliced to form the bake. 
  3. For added flavour and to use the oven to your advantage, pierce and lightly oil a bulb of garlic and place into a piece of tin foil, bake along side the celeriac till a little golden and soft as this will perfume and enrich the sauce which brings these elements together. 
  4. Once your celeriac is perfectly cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool
  5. Now cooled, slice into big wedges as you want this dish to have a rustic and home like feeling to it. 

Roasted Aubergines:

  1. Wash and slice 4 large aubergines length ways, using a paring knife crisscross the aubergine slices, as this enables them to absorb more flavour and also once charred they have a perfect check board pattern on them. 
  2. Place the slices into a dry hot pan (cut side down) and roast till golden brown, as you want to give the aubergine slices a little nutty flavour which is achieved through dry roasting any vegetable. 
  3. Once the aubergine slices are perfectly charred and cooked place onto a lightly oiled tray and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then cook at gas mark 6 for 20 minutes so that they are perfectly cooked and al dente. 

Time to build your bake…

  1. In an ovenproof dish firstly lay a layer of your rich tomato sauce, then top with a selection of your celeriac and aubergine pieces, evenly spread so that everyone gets a piece of everything. 
  1. Then top with a second layer of your rich tomato sauce, followed by a layer of your cheese repeat this process till you have used up all of the elements. Ensure that the top has enough of everything as this is presentation layer.
  1. Bake in an oven at gas mark 6 till bubbly and golden brown. To test when the bake is ready using a knife each layer should be al dente and tender.
  1. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing into portions enjoy with some artisan sourdough garlic bread. 

Potato & leek soup

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Ingredients:

  • Dash of olive oil
  • 2 large leeks which have been washed and finely sliced
  • 1 kg of peeled Maris piper potatoes
  • 4 white onions peeled and finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 litre of vegetable stock
  • 500 ml of cold water
  • 2 sticks of celery washed and finely sliced
  1. To begin in a heavy based saucepan add a good glug of olive oil, then add your onions and celery and cook out till soft and tender add a little pinch of sea salt to begin the base seasoning of your soup.
  2. Whilst your base cooks down dice your potatoes, place these into some cold water as this stops the potatoes from turning brown and oxidising.
  3. Next add your garlic along with 1 litre of vegetable stock as you want to deglaze the bottom of the pan as this removes any cooked on goodness.
  4. By reducing the stock you help to amplify the flavour, then add your potatoes along with your sliced leeks and allow to poach till the potato’s are la dente.
  5. Add 500 ml of cold water, allow the natural starch which is found in the potatoes to gently thicken the soup.
    You want to keep your soup lumpy, as this is a rustic style leek and potato soup.
  6. To finish off your soup add a good pinch of black pepper and sea salt.

    If you are not eating the soup immediately allow to cool and decant into freezer safe containers or keep in the fridge for a beautiful lunch of healthy dinner.

    To finish off enjoy with a few slices of artisan Gourmet Gent sourdough covered in butter.