Seared cod with chowder sauce

Ingredients 10 portions Preparation time 1hr cooking 30 minutes

100g of butter  

5 small shallots, finely chopped

4 tbsp. vegetable oil

400ml white wine

4 large waxy potato , cut into small chunks

400g clams

chives , finely chopped

200g lardons or 2 smoked streaky bacon rashers, finely sliced

400g sweet corn 200ml double cream

10 x 150g thick-cut cod fillets

 

Method

1. Melt the butter in a pan. Cook the shallot and lardons or bacon for about 5 mins until softened. Add the wine, potato and 50ml water. Cover, then cook for 10 mins, stirring often, until nearly softened. Tip in the clams, cover, then cook for 5 mins until they have opened - discard any that don't. Stir through the sweet corn and cream, and keep warm.
2. Heat a non-stick frying pan until smoking. Add the oil, swirl it around, then put the fillets in, skin-side down. Season, then cook for 3-5 mins until the skin is crisp. Carefully turn over, then cook for 2 mins more until just cooked through. Spoon the creamy potato mixture into shallow bowls. Place a cod fillet in each and sprinkle with chives.

Pork Wellington

Ingredients 4 portions – 1hour prep time and 40 minutes cooking

500g button mushrooms , stalks removed and finely chopped

 Olive Oil

1 sprig thyme, leaves stripped off

600g Pork fillet

1 tbsp. English mustard

500g pack all-butter puff pastry

3 slices Parma ham

1 egg yolk , beaten

Crepes

50g plain flour

½ egg

125ml milk

1 tbsp. chopped mixed herbs , such as chervil, chives and tarragon

½ tbsp. melted butter

Method

To make the crêpes, whizz the flour, egg and milk with a pinch of salt in a blender or processor until smooth. Pour into a jug and stir in the herbs and some seasoning. Leave to rest.

Fry the mushrooms in a little oil until they give up all their moisture and it has evaporated, leaving you with a thick paste. Add the thyme leaves and some seasoning and keep cooking for a few minutes. Cool.

Stir the melted butter into the crêpe batter, heat a 15cm crêpe pan and oil it lightly. Pour in enough batter to make a thin layer on the base of the pan, cook until the top surface sets and then turn over and cook briefly. Remove and repeat with the rest of the batter. This will make a couple more than you need so choose the thinnest ones for the recipe.

Sear the pork all over in a little oil in a very hot pan. Brush with the mustard, season and allow to cool.

Lay a large sheet of cling film on a kitchen surface and put two crêpes down on it, overlapping a little. Lay over the Parma ham. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham and put the beef in the centre. Roll the cling film up, taking the crêpe with it, to wrap the pork completely into a nice neat log. Chill for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 4. Roll out the pastry, remove the cling film and wrap the pork in the pastry like a parcel, with the ends tucked under. Trim to keep it nice and neat. Brush with egg, score with shallow lines across the top and chill for 20 minutes.

Cook for 40 minutes. The best way to test if the meat is done to your liking is to neatly and carefully stick a skewer into the pork, count to three and then test it against your inner wrist. If it is cold the beef will be raw, if it is warm then the beef will be rare and if it's hot, it'll be cooked through. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.