This week all roads will lead to Inverurie as the fabulous one day festival, Taste of Grampian, takes place at the Thainstone Centre.
Ahead of the event on Saturday, June 4, you can enjoy some mouth-watering treats from the guest celebrity chefs.
The annual food and drink festival always attracts the country’s top chefs and this year is no exception.
Among the celebrity chefs demonstrating their amazing culinary skills this year are The Incredible Spicemen, aka Tony Singh and Cyrus Todiwala, who have an extraordinary knowledge of spices, and rising star, Michelin starred chef Kevin Love who worked with Heston Blumenthal and is now sharing his talent with Lidl.
Both these dishes include different recipes for Salsa Verde. Have fun deciding which one you like best.
HADDOCK PANCAKES WITH ZINGY SALSA
SERVES 4
From The Incredible Spicemen
FOR THE PANCAKES
100g plain flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
285ml milk at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lightly salted butter, melted, for frying
FOR THE SOURED CREAM
125ml soured cream
1tbsp sweet chilli sauce
25g chopped fresh chives
1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
Quarter of a red onion, finely diced
1tbsp lime juice
FOR THE SALSA VERDI
30g fresh coriander, including stalks
30g each springs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, basil and mint (strip off the leaves and discard the stems)
1 garlic clove
2 anchovies
15g capers
15g small gherkins
Lime juice to taste
40ml extra virgin olive oil,
FOR THE PANCAKE FILLING
1
500g undyed smoked haddock, skinned and de-boned, cut into eight equal pieces
20g lightly salted butter
100g baby spinach, to serve
To make the pancake batter, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, and make a well in the centre. Gradually whisk in the egg and milk, incorporating the flour from the sides, and combine to a smooth batter. Set the mixture aside to rest.
Mix together all the soured cream ingredients except the lime juice. When mixed, add the lime juice to taste, along with salt and paper. Set aside in the fridge.
Put all the salsa verdi ingredients, apart from the lime juice and olive oil, in a food processor. Pulse to create a rough puree, then tip the mix into a bowl and season to taste with lime juice and a little salt and pepper. Mix in olive oil to taste, then add more salt, pepper or lime juice as required. Set aside.
Now make the pancakes. Preheat the oven to minimum. Heat an 18cm pancake pan and add a dot of butter using kitchen paper to smear it around the pan. Measure out about 2tbsp of the pancake mix into a ladle, then pour this into the pan and quickly swirl it around the base – there should be just enough to thinly cover the bottom. Cook for a few seconds until brown, flip over on to the other side for a few seconds until brown, then slide on to a warm plate and keep warm in the oven. Wipe the pan and repeat until you have eight pancakes.
To make the filling, heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed non-stick pan, then add the haddock pieces. Cook without stirring until the bottoms have a nice golden brown colour; turn over, add butter and cook until that side is golden. When the fish is nearly done, add 2tsps of salsa per person and cook for a further minute. Don’t be alarmed if the fish breaks up a little. Divide the fish between the pancakes and roll each one up like a spring roll. Serve on a plate with baby spinach and soured cream.
SPRING LAMB WITH GREEN BEANS, PEAS, CONFIT ONION AND GARLIC
SERVES 4
From Kevin Love
“I love spring lamb and this dish really allows it to sing. It’s so fresh and packed full of spring flavours, give it try, I promise you’ll love it!”
Lamb chops at room temperature (allow 2 per person)
200g green beans
150g peas
100g shallots, chopped
3 cloves, garlic chopped
100g butter
3tbsp veg oil
1tbsp chopped chives
1-2 gem little lettuce cut into quarters (1 quarter per person)
FOR THE SALSA VERDE
Half a clove garlic
3 anchovy fillets
1
1
25g fresh basil
25g fresh parsley
25g fresh mint
4tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Sea salt and black pepper
FOR THE LAMB AND VEGETABLES: Cut off the tops and tails of the green beans and discard, then cut the beans in half. In a pan of boiling water cook the beans for 2 minutes then refresh in cold water for 4 minutes to stop them cooking, do the same process for the little gem lettuce. In the oil over a low heat gently cook the shallots and garlic for around 15 minutes then strain, the oil can be used again as it will have a nice garlic and shallot flavour.
Cook the lamb chops in a little oil from the shallots and garlic for 4 minutes on each side for medium, remove from the pan, cover with foil and allow to rest for 8 minutes. Whilst the lamb is resting cook the little gem lettuce in the same frying pan as the lamb and allow it to get some colour. In a saucepan add the butter, beans, peas and shallot mix, heat and finish with the chopped chives.
FOR THE SALSA: Put the garlic, anchovies, capers and mustard into a blender and blend to a paste. Add the herbs, oil and lemon juice then pulse until incorporated, season to taste.
TO SERVE: Using a slotted spoon, place the beans, peas, shallot and garlic mix into the centre of a warm plate. Arrange the chops on top, spoon the green sauce around the plate and balance the gem lettuce against the lamb.
Taste of Grampian 2016 takes place on Saturday, June 4 from 9.30am-4.30pm at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie. Tickets are priced at £5 person. Under 16s go free and there’s complimentary car parking.