Recipe for Norway National’s Day: Trine Hahnemann’s Smørrebrød with Salmon Tartare

Photography by Lars Ranek

Nordic salmon, both marinated and cured, is world-famous, but serving it raw with horseradish is a great combination, providing lots of brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids, protein and minerals. For this treatment it is essential that you have a good supplier to ensure the salmon is very fresh.

SERVES 4

 

400g very fresh salmon fillet,skinned

2 cucumbers, halved and deseeded

2 tbsp grated fresh horseradish

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp white wine vinegar

6 tbsp chopped chervil, plus 4 sprigs to decorate

salt and freshly ground pepper

4 slices of rye bread

8 crisp lettuce leaves

Cut the salmon fillet into small squares and place in a bowl. Cut the cucumbers into cubes. Add to the salmon with the horseradish, lime juice, vinegar and chopped chervil. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.

Place a slice of bread on each plate, place 2 lettuce leaves on each slice of bread, then spoon the salmon salad onto the lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with pepper and top with a sprig of chervil.

This recipe and text have been taken from The Nordic Diet by Trine Hahnemann, published by Quadrille Publishing, £12.99

© Please do not reproduce this material without the permission of the publisher

Recipe of the Day: Tom Kitchin’s Scallops with Roasted Asparagus

Have you been watching Tom Kitchin on the new BBC2 series, The Chef’s Protégé?  Why don’t try one of Tom’s recipes for yourself! 

Photography by Laura Edwards

2 bunches of asparagus, about 900g in total

olive oil for cooking

1/2 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

150ml chicken stock

6-8 large scallops in shells, cleaned - always buy hand-dived scallops if you possibly can!

Serves 4

 

Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. To prepare the asparagus, snap off the woody ends and peel the lower end of the stalks. Divide the asparagus into three equal portions: set aside a third for serving raw, a third for roasting and a third for the purée.

For the purée, finely chop the asparagus. Heat a heavy-based pan over a medium-low heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion and sweat gently for 2–3 minutes. Increase the heat, add the chopped asparagus with some seasoning and sweat for 1–2 minutes. Pour on the chicken stock and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the asparagus is cooked. Tip into a blender and blitz to a smooth purée. Transfer to a bowl and cool quickly over a bowl of iced water to preserve the colour, unless serving straight away.

For the roasted asparagus, heat a non-stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Add the asparagus and sauté for 1–2 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 3–4 minutes until the asparagus is tender.

Meanwhile, thinly slice the raw asparagus spears lengthways and drizzle with olive oil. Once the roasted asparagus is ready, transfer it to a warm plate and set aside.

Halve each scallop horizontally into two discs. Return the frying pan to a high heat and add a good drizzle of olive oil. When hot, place the scallops in the pan, season with salt and pepper and sear them quickly for 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side until golden brown, depending on size. (It is better to leave them slightly underdone than to overcook them, which toughens the flesh.) In the meantime, gently reheat the asparagus purée.

Spoon the asparagus purée onto warm plates and arrange the roasted asparagus and scallops on top. Finish with the raw asparagus and serve at once.

To open scallops, hold with the flatter side uppermost and insert a strong, small knife in between the shells close to the hinge.  Twist the knife to break the hinge and open up the shells.  Cut through the white muscle to release the scallop meat.  Save the coral and skirt to use for sauces; these freeze well, so you can keep them in the freezer until needed.

This recipe and text have been taken from Kitchin Suppers by Tom Kitchin, published by Quadrille Publishing, £20

© Please do not reproduce this material without the permission of the publisher

Recipe of the Day: Sam Stern’s Griddled Lamb Cutlets with Hot Bread and Fresh Herb Salsa

Photography by Chris Terry

Feeds 2-3

INGREDIENTS

3–4 cutlets per person, whatever size you want (at room temperature)

a little olive oil

salt and pepper

4–6 slices of bread (coarse-textured white or sourdough)

Fresh herb salsa

15g mint (leaves only)

15g coriander

1/2 tbsp small capers, drained

5 anchovies

juice of 1/2 a lemon

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

No fancy tricks: it’s simply sweet meat teamed up with a saucy herby concoction. To mix it up a bit, slap on any lamb marinade (see below). Eat your salsa rough or blitz it into a smooth sauce.

PREP

Make the salsa: Wash and dry the mint leaves and coriander. For a rough salsa, chop the herbs pretty finely on a board with a sharp chef ’s knife. Place in a bowl with roughly chopped capers, anchovies and lemon juice, oil and mustard. For a smooth salsa, blitz everything in a food processor or hand-held blender until smooth.

Prep the cutlets: Trim the excess fat if necessary and rub a few drops of oil into the meat with your fingers (or use a pastry brush, if squeamish). Season lightly with pepper and a tiny bit of salt.

COOK

Heat a griddle pan till it’s almost smoking hot. Slap the meat down and cook for 2 minutes without shifting. Flip. Repeat for 2 minutes to colour well and flavour up. Turn each cutlet onto its fatty back with tongs and hold for a few seconds to brown up. For well-done, give the meat another minute per side. Test to see it’s done as you like it. Rest it on a plate and sprinkle with sea salt.

Griddle the bread in the hot pan for 30 seconds per side, or until crisp and marked by the lamb juices.

PLATE

Pile the cutlets and bread on a plate and let people grab. Serve the salsa in a bowl for dipping. Enjoy with tabbouleh or couscous salad, any griddled vegetables and mezze dips such as hummus and yoghurt mixed with crushed garlic.

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TIP

Team the salsa with lamb steaks, roasts or griddled chicken. The smooth one’s good with cheese soufflé (for dipping) or spread in an omelette.

TIME SAVER

Make up the salsa ahead and chill in a covered bowl until ready to use. The smooth version stores for up to 2 weeks.

CHANGE IT UP

Rub a bit of mint sauce and balsamic vinegar into the meat to flavour before oiling the pan and griddling. For sweet griddled cutlets, brush a a mix of honey, mint and lemon juice onto plain cutlets 2 minutes before they’re done. Or try baking your cutlets: marinate for at least 30 minutes, then bake at 180C/Gas 4 for 10 minutes per side.

MARINADES

1) Olive oil, lemon juice or white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and thyme

2) Yoghurt, cumin, garlic, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and lemon

3) Smoked paprika, lime, chilli powder and yoghurt

4) Chinese wine/vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, oyster sauce and coriander

 

This recipe and text have been taken from Virgin to Veteran: How to Get Cooking with Confidence by Sam Stern, published by Quadrille Publishing, £20

© Please do not reproduce this material without the permission of the publisher