Alan Stewart's seasonal samplers

Here are three of the seasonal dishes cooked by Alan Stewart at Parson's Green farmers' market.
First up...

Mussels with Brussels sprouts and smoked bacon          

Ingredients
550g mussels
50ml cider
50ml cream
5 Brussels sprouts
3 rashers smoked bacon
1 Braeburn apple

• Chop the bacon into small rectangular pieces and crisp in a pan.
• Finely slice the sprouts and season with salt and black pepper.
• Dice the apple and cook in the cider until tender.
• Remove the apple and keep the cider to one side.
• Place the mussels and cider into a pan over a medium heat.
• Cover with a lid and allow the mussels to steam open.
• Once they are open, add the cream, bacon and raw sprouts and apple.
• Bring to the boil and serve.

Next

Venison with pickled beetroot and Jerusalem artichoke             

Ingredients
200g venison loin
1 large purple beetroot
2 Jerusalem artichokes
100g sugar
175ml white wine vinegar
75g sherry vinegar
2 juniper berries
1 sprig of thyme
100g butter
250ml chicken stock

To pickle the beetroot

• Grate the beetroot into a bowl (use rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands).
• Mix the vinegar, sugar, juniper berries and thyme. Bring to the boil, pour over the beetroot and set to one side.

For the artichokes

• Peel the artichokes. Spread the butter over the base of a pan and season with a little salt.
• Slice the artichokes in half and add to the butter. Cook very gently on their flat side over a low heat for about 10 minutes.
• Turn the artichokes over and add the chicken stock to the pan.
• Boil until the stock is reduced to a smooth, thick consistency and the artichoke is cooked.

For the venison

• Season with salt, brown on all sides and pan-fry on the hob, basting with butter.
• Remove when cooked to medium rare and rest for 5 to 6 minutes.

To serve

• Dry the beetroot in a towel and place on a plate.
• Carve the venison loin and place on top of the beetroot.

Arrange the artichoke around the plate and use the cooking liquor for your sauce.

 

And finally (sorry no pic).

Oak smoked mackerel with winter coleslaw

Ingredients
1 fresh mackerel
  10g oak smoking chips
1 head of chicory
1 Braeburn apple
10g raisins
1 carrot
50g red cabbage
25ml white wine vinegar
100ml extra virgin rapeseed oil  

For the coleslaw 

• Finely slice the red cabbage, lightly salt and place in a colander to draw out the water and tenderise the cabbage.
• Finely chop the carrot and chicory and dice the apple.
• Rinse the cabbage after half an hour.
• Mix all the vegetables with the raisins and dress with the vinegar and rapeseed oil.

To smoke the mackerel

• Add all the smoking chips to the bottom of your wok.
• Place a round rack that fits into the bottom of the wok over the chips.
• Oil the skin on the mackerel and place it skin-side down on the rack.
• Cover the top of the wok with foil and put the wok over a medium heat for 8 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool, by which time the mackerel will be smoked.
• Place the mackerel on top of the coleslaw and serve.

Note

If you'd like the recipe for the glazed apples with cinammon, rum-soaked raisins and cinder toffee, let me know and I'll post it.