Pan-fried cod with minted peas, broad beans and pancetta

Ingredients

Process

For the minted peas

500ml/18fl oz chicken stock

300g/10½oz frozen peas

1 tbsp crème fraîche

5 sprigs fresh mint, leaves finely chopped

5 sprigs fresh dill, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the broad beans and pancetta

100g/3½oz broad beans, pods removed

75g/2¾oz pancetta, thinly sliced into strips

For the cod

4 x 125g/4oz cod fillets

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

50g/2oz butter

For the minted peas, bring the chicken stock to the boil in a saucepan and boil until the volume of liquid has reduced by half.

Add the peas and boil for 3 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and return the peas to the pan (with the pan removed from the heat). Lightly mash the peas with a fork.

Stir through the crème fraîche, chopped mint and dill until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Crush the peas using a potato masher and keep warm until needed.

For the broad beans and pancetta, blanch the podded broad beans in a pan of salted, boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water. Peel off the inner membranes.

Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat. Add the strips of pancetta and fry until the fat is released and the pancetta is crisp.

Add the peeled broad beans and fry, stirring well, until tender. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed.

For the cod, season the cod fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To a hot pan, add a splash of olive oil and fry the cod fillets, skin-side down, for 3-4 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and golden-brown.

Turn the cod fillets over, add the butter to the pan and continue to fry the cod fillets for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through, basting them in the butter as it melts. (The cod is cooked through when the flesh flakes easily with a fork.)

To serve, using a chefs’ ring, place a ring of minted peas in the centre of a plate. Repeat the process with the remaining plates and peas. Place one cod fillet, skin-side up, on top of each mound of peas. Scatter the broad beans and pancetta around the edge of each plate.

Sea bream with romesco sauce, broad beans and ibérico ham  (serves 4)

Ingredients

Process

For the romesco sauce

fish heads and bones from 4 whole sea breams (see above)

1 tbsp olive oil

150g/5oz blanched almonds, sliced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 small white bread loaf, crust removed, sliced and cubed

1 bunch fresh flatleaf parsley

dash sherry vinegar

For the broad beans and ibérico ham

200g/7oz broad beans, pods removed

75g/3oz ibérico ham, finely diced

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

For the sea bream

1 tbsp olive oil

8 sea bream fillets (see above)

To serve

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp sea salt

few sprigs flatleaf parsley

Fillet, trim and pin-bone the whole sea breams. Set the 8 fillets aside.

For the romesco sauce, place the fish heads and bones into a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat until the water is simmering and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, strain the stock into a separate pan and discard the fish heads and bones. Bring the stock to the boil, then reduce the heat until the stock is simmering. Continue to simmer until the stock has reduced in volume by two-thirds. Set aside until needed.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the sliced almonds and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the almonds are toasted and the garlic softened.

Transfer the almond and garlic mixture to a food processor.

In the same pan, fry the onion for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown. Add the dried chilli flakes, chopped tomatoes and bay leaves and continue to cook, stirring well, for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Transfer the mixture to the food processor.

Add one handful of the bread cubes and one handful of parsley to the food processor. Blend the mixture until well combined but not completely smooth.

Add a dash of sherry vinegar, to taste, and a small amount of the fish stock to the mixture. The aim is to loosen the romesco sauce until it resembles a thick bread sauce. Once the sauce has reached the desired consistency, set aside.

For the broad beans and ibérico ham, boil the podded broad beans in a pan of salted water for 2 minutes, then drain and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Remove the skins.

Fry the ham, onion and garlic in a frying pan over a medium heat until the fat from the ham has melted and the onions are golden-brown. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the skinned broad beans. Set aside and keep warm.

For the sea bream, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fish fillets, skin-side down, and fry for 2 minutes, or until more than half of the fillets have turned opaque.

Turn the fish fillets over and remove the pan from the heat. Allow the fish to continue cooking on the residual heat from the pan for a further 1-2 minutes, or until just cooked through.

Broad bean and courgette pilaf (serves 4)

Ingredients

Process

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil

1 onion, peeled, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp ground turmeric

10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

2 cloves

225g/8oz basmati rice, soaked in water for 20 minutes and drained

200g/7oz broad beans, out of their pods, inner membranes removed

400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock

4 courgettes, cut into 3cm/1in rounds

olive oil, for brushing

salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g/2oz butter

Heat a dry frying pan and add the cumin and coriander seeds. Fry over a medium heat, moving the spices around the pan frequently to prevent them from burning, for 2-3 minutes, or until aromatic and lightly browned. Transfer to a mortar and grind with a pestle.

In a pan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the onion and garlic over a medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes, or until softened. Add the ground toasted spices, the cinnamon stick, ground turmeric, cardamom pods and cloves and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add the rice, broad beans and stock, cover the pan with a lid and cook over a low heat for 12-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan until smoking. Brush the courgettes with the olive oil, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then cook on the griddle for 2-3 minutes on both sides, or until charred and softened. Set aside.

To serve, stir the butter into the pilaf until melted, then spoon into serving bowls and top with the griddled courgette pieces. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and a dollop of yoghurt.

Fresh pea, broad bean and ham hock salad (serves 4)

Ingredients

Process

750g/1lb 10oz broad beans, podded

750g/1lb 10oz fresh peas, podded

200g/7oz mangetout, trimmed

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1 mild red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

180g/6oz pack pulled ham hock

70g/2½oz pea shoots (optional)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the broad beans and cook for two minutes. Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of iced water to refresh.

Re-boil the water, add the peas and mangetout, cook for one minute then drain well and refresh in another bowl of iced water.

Drain all the vegetables, pat dry with kitchen paper then place them in a large bowl and stir in the olive oil and vinegar.

Just before serving, stir the chilli, spring onions, parsley, mint and ham hock into the peas and beans and add the pea shoots, if using. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

Chilled broad bean soup with black olive oil and goats’ cheese

Ingredients

Process

For the black olive oil

250g/9oz black olives, pits removed

200ml/7fl oz extra virgin olive oil

For the vegetable stock

5 carrots, peeled, chopped

2 onions, peeled, chopped

2 sticks celery, chopped

1 leek, chopped

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 head of garlic

3 bay leaves

6 sprigs fresh thyme

3 litres/5 pints 5½fl oz water

2 star anise

2 sprigs fresh tarragon

2 sprigs fresh dill

4 sprigs fresh chervil

6 slices lemon

300ml/10½fl oz white wine

For the soup

500ml/17fl oz vegetable stock (from above)

100ml/3½fl oz double cream

450g/1lb broad beans, out of their pods, inner membrane removed, blanched

½ bunch fresh chervil, chopped

2 lemons, juice only

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the goats’ cheese emulsion

50g/2oz soft goats’ cheese

1 lemon, zest and juice

100ml/3½fl oz extra virgin olive oil

For the garnish

50g/2oz broad beans, out of their pods, inner membranes removed, blanched, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

½ lemon, zest and juice

1 tbsp chopped fresh chervil

sea salt, to taste

50g/2oz soft goats’ cheese, crumbled

50g/2oz broad bean shoots and flowers

Preheat the oven to 80C/175F, or to its lowest setting.

For the black olive oil, place the black olives onto a wire rack in the oven and allow to dry out for 24 hours, or until the olives are firm. Place into a food processor along with the olive oil and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl and set aside.

For the vegetable stock, place all of the chopped vegetables, the garlic, the bay leaves and the thyme into a large pan, cover with the water and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 7-8 minutes, then add the remaining herbs, lemon slices and the white wine. Cook for a further 6-7 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, strain the stock through a fine sieve and measure out 500ml/17fl oz for the soup.

For the broad bean soup, heat the vegetable stock together with the double cream, then stir in the blanched broad beans and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chopped chervil, then blend with a stick blender until smooth. Pass the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Season the soup with the lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until needed.

For the goats’ cheese emulsion, place the goats’ cheese into a bowl and add the lemon juice and zest. Using a stick blender, blend the cheese and lemon juice and zest together until smooth, then slowly add the extra virgin olive oil, blending until smooth and emulsified.