Читать книгу Rogan - Simon Rogan - Страница 19

SWEET CICELY AND RHUBARB PICKLED HERRING

Rhubarb is a versatile ingredient that shouldn’t be kept only for desserts, as its sharp tang works so well with meats and strong-flavoured fish. In order to really absorb the full flavour of the rhubarb, cicely and spices, the herring needs to be marinated in the pickling mixture for 24 hours. Here sweet cicely is in its element, not only lending its aromatic flavour to the dish but also cutting through the oiliness of the herring and adding a natural sweetness to the pickle.

SERVES 4, AS A STARTER

Sweet cicely stalk and rhubarb pickled herring

8 rhubarb stalks, juiced in a juicer (should yield about 500ml)

100g sweet cicely stalks (leaves reserved to use below)

20g caster sugar

50ml white wine vinegar

3 cloves

3 allspice berries

4 fresh herrings, cleaned and filleted

Sweet cicely gel

350ml fresh apple juice (shop-bought is fine)

juice of ½ lemon

1½ tsp agar agar

30g sweet cicely leaves

Frisée lettuce emulsion

230g green frisée leaves from the outer lettuce

2 soft-boiled eggs (cooked for 4 minutes)

300ml grapeseed oil

salt, for seasoning

young, yellow frisée from the lettuce centre, chervil leaves, garlic flowers, pak choi shoots, to serve

To make the pickle liquid, bring the rhubarb juice to the boil in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat and add the sweet cicely stalks, sugar, vinegar, cloves, allspice berries and 2 pinches of salt. Return to the heat and bring to the boil again, then reduce the heat and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse until it has cooled to room temperature. Strain through a fine sieve and chill. When the pickle liquid is cold, add the herring fillets, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.

To make the gel, put the apple juice, lemon juice and agar agar in a small saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Once the mixture has come to the boil, pour it into a heatproof container and leave to cool. Once cold, chill in the fridge until set firm – this will only take a few minutes.

Transfer the firm gel to a blender and blitz with the raw sweet cicely leaves until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and chill until ready to serve.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the frisée leaves for 1 minute 30 seconds. Remove and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Drain and squeeze out the excess water. Blitz the lettuce with the soft-boiled eggs in a clean blender until smooth, then gradually add the oil until the emulsion has a mayonnaise consistency. Pass through a fine sieve for a smoother texture and season with salt.

Divide the pickled herring among plates, add the sweet cicely gel and frisée lettuce emulsion and sprinkle each serving with the leaves, flowers and shoots.