Being a judge for the BBC Food & Farming awards has introduced me to a whole new world of food products, from Hebridean smoked fish to Welsh chorizo and cheshire cheese
When I agreed to be a judge for this years BBC Food and Farming Awards, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. For a brief moment, I was under the blissful illusion that all that was required of me was to taste a few delicious ingredients, sift through a few lovely personal stories, meet three finalists and then, rather effortlessly, select a worthy winner.
How wrong I was. What kind of superhuman can pick one producer as the UKs best? Sure, my co-judge, the doyenne of Radio 4s Food Programme, Sheila Dillon, and I got to sample some magnificent products, and learn about some inspiring food entrepreneurs, but, once wed travelled to meet our finalists face to face, picking only one for the top spot was anything but effortless; it was one of the toughest tasks Ive ever undertaken.
Those involved in the three businesses we visited, like hundreds of other nominees in the best food producer category, dedicate their lives to making their product, often in challenging conditions. They all deserve serious recognition for enriching our lives and their communities through their efforts. This coming Thursday in Bristol, Sheila and I will be obliged to announce an overall winner (theres a special Food Programme about the awards at 12.30pm on 1 May, and two follow-up programmes on the next two Sundays about our trips to meet the producers). In the meantime, to redress the balance, this weeks recipes celebrate all three wonderful finalists.
Baked celeriac with smoked trout and caper salsa
The Hebridean Smoke House works magic with fish and seafood caught or farmed around the Outer Hebridean archipelago. The pristine conditions in this remote part of the UK are reflected in the crystal-clear flavour of their products, especially the trout and salmon, smoked with peat cut from moorland reserves on the island of North Uist. This makes a lovely starter or light meal; come to think of it, it would also be a great gluten-free breakfast. Serves four.
1 medium celeriac, skin scrubbed but unpeeled, cut in half lengthways
2 tbsp olive oil
10g thyme sprigs
Flaky sea salt and black pepper
80g creme fraiche
20g fresh horseradish, peeled and finely grated (or bought-in horseradish cream)
150g sliced smoked trout or salmon, each slice cut into 3cm-wide strips
2 tsp lemon juice, to serve
For the salsa
20g small capers (or normal capers, chopped)
15g parsley leaves, finely chopped
5g tarragon leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Put each celeriac half on a separate piece of foil large enough to wrap it in. Dribble a tablespoon of oil over each celeriac half, scatter the thyme and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt on each half, and rub all over. Add a generous grind of pepper, then tightly wrap the celeriac halves in the foil. Bake for an hour, until soft, then unwrap and set aside for half an hour, until they come to room temperature.
Mix the creme fraiche and horseradish with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper, then refrigerate. Mix the salsa ingredients in a bowl.
To serve, cut each celeriac half into four 4-5cm-wide wedges. Put two wedges on each plate, spoon over some horseradish cream, then lay some fish on top and drizzle with salsa. Squeeze half a teaspoon of lemon juice over each portion and take to the table.
Grilled sandwich with cheshire cheese, leek and bacon jam
John Bournes family business, HS Bourne, has been making cheshire since 1750. Now in his 70s, John hand-makes a small selection of cheeses all of them wonderfully sharp yet delicate with the milk from his herd of friesian cows. He also keeps a magnificent pipe organ in an old barn, which he plays beautifully while his cheese matures. You can buy bacon jam in supermarkets (its usually on the shelf near the chutneys), but its well worth making your own, and not at all hard. If you do so, youll have some left over; itll keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. Serves four.
2 tbsp olive oil
20g unsalted butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced
2 tsp thyme leaves, plus 4 sprigs extra
Salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
tsp wholegrain mustard
200g white sourdough, cut on an angle into 4 1.5cm-thick slices
150g cheshire cheese, half cut into 8 thin slices, the rest coarsely grated
For the bacon jam
300g smoked bacon slices, cut into 2cm-wide strips
1 tbsp olive oil (if needed)
2 banana shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
tsp cayenne
tsp ground ginger
60ml bourbon (or scotch)
2 tbsp maple syrup
tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 tbsp light, soft brown sugar
Start with the jam, if making it yourself. Heat a large saute pan on a medium-high heat, then dry-fry the bacon strips for 12 minutes, until golden-brown and starting to crisp. Transfer to a bowl, keeping any fat in the pan: you need a tablespoon of fat for the next stage, so remove any excess or add oil. Return the pan to the heat, fry the shallots, garlic and spices for a minute, then add the bourbon, syrup and mustard. Leave to bubble and reduce for a minute, then turn the heat down low and add the vinegar, sugar and bacon. Cook, stirring, for a minute, until the liquid is thick, glossy and coating the bacon, then tip into the small bowl of a food processor and blitz to a rough paste. Decant into a sterilised jar or container, and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Heat the oil and butter in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the leeks, thyme leaves and half a teaspoon of salt for eight to 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until soft and starting to colour. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and mustard, then take off the heat.
Heat the grill to high. Put the bread slices on an oven tray and grill for up to a minute on each side, until golden-brown. Remove, put two slices of cheese on each piece of toast, and return to the grill until just melted. Spread a thin layer of bacon jam on the cheese (about 30g), then spoon on the leeks. Sprinkle over the grated cheese, pop a sprig of thyme on top of each and grill until the grated cheese starts to bubble and brown (about one to two minutes). Serve piping hot.
Chorizo and fennel bake with giant couscous and cherry tomatoes
Id happily eat Illtud Llyr Dunsford and Liesel Taylors sausages at any time of the day. The pair behind Charcutier Limited in west Wales cure sensational bacons and hams from rare-breed pedigree pigs. Even more remarkable, perhaps, are their continental-style boudin blanc, chorizo and Italian fennel sausage. This meal-in-a-baking-dish is a simple solution for any occasion; plus you can use orzo or bulgur instead of the couscous. Serves four.
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and cut lengthways into 8 wedges about 3cm wide
400g cooking chorizo (ie, about 8 sausages), cut in half lengthways if big
3 banana shallots, peeled and quartered lengthways
5g sprigs fresh thyme
200g giant couscous
1 tsp sweet paprika
tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 strips finely shaved orange skin
180ml water
200ml chicken stock
Salt and black pepper
200g cherry tomatoes on the vine, in 4 separate bunches
For the gremolata
5g tarragon leaves, finely chopped
10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
tsp finely grated orange zest
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
2 tsp olive oil
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame, then fry the fennel for eight minutes, turning occasionally, until dark brown and starting to soften. Transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining oil to the pan, and fry the chorizo, shallots and thyme for five minutes, turning regularly, until dark golden-brown. Add to the fennel bowl and return the pan to the heat.
Cook the couscous, paprika and orange skin for a minute, so the couscous starts to toast, then tip into a 25cm x 30cm ceramic ovenproof dish. Pour on the water, stock, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then top with the fennel mixture. Lay on the four small bunches of tomatoes, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Lift off the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, combine all the gremolata ingredients, spoon the mix all over the bake when it comes out of the oven and serve at once.
Tune in to Radio 4 at 12.30pm on 1 May to listen to The Food Programme about the awards, and at the same time on 8 and 15 May for programmes about Yotams visits to the three finalists; all three shows will be available on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.
Read more: www.theguardian.com
