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Jack Stein’s Lamb Shoulder with White Miso Cream and Chicory

Jack says: “Braised chicory is one of the first things I was taught to cook in a traditional French way by section chef Ben Towill at The Seafood Restaurant. He had just come from Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons and was a real influence on me at the start of my career. When it comes to chicory, you cut and trim them and then fry them in a little oil and butter to colour and then finally braise them in stock; this prevents the leaves from oxidising and changes the bitter note to a sweet one. The white miso cream in this recipe is addictive and simple; it complements the lamb and chicory perfectly. And the lovely pink pickled onions make the dish look so appealing.”

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2kg lamb shoulder
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
• 6 sprigs of thyme, cut in half
• 6 anchovies, cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 chicory
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 60g butter
• 500ml chicken stock
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Sea salt

For the white miso cream:

• 300ml double cream
• 300ml chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• 50g butter

To serve:

• 1 red onion, pickled

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200^oc Fan (220^oc/ Gas Mark 7)
2. Make about 10 cuts in the lamb shoulder and push the garlic, thyme and anchovies into the cuts. Season with 20g salt, rub with the olive oil, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 140^oc Fan (160^oc/ Gas Mark 3) and cook for another 2½ hours.
3. Cut the chicory in half lengthways and remove the core (which is bitter). Brown them, cut side down, in a pot with the vegetable oil for 5 minutes. Add the butter and cook for 1 more minute. Now add the stock, lemon juice and salt, and turn the chicory halves over. Put a lid on and braise over a low heat until soft (20 minutes).
4. Now make the miso cream. Pour the double cream and stock into a pot; add the miso paste and whisk together. Cook over a medium-high heat, whisking occasionally. Keep on the heat until reduced by half, then remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Pour into a serving dish.
5. Serve the lamb shoulder on the bone and carve at the table.
6. Place the chicory alongside each serving, topped with slices of pickled red onion and pass round the dish of miso cream.

Jack Stein, World On A Plate, published by Bloomsbury Cooks and Absolute Press, 2018

Jack Stein’s Hake with Winter Salad

Jack says: “We were filming a Christmas special for the BBC and a winter fish salad was urgently needed. Under pressure the creative juices began to flow, and I figured that a take on a Christmas wreath would go down well. So, I picked my colours – the reds and dark greens – and looked towards beetroots, pomegranates and dark green winter leaves. This recipe is the result. I think it looks spectacular and makes a great first course at Christmas.”

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 6 medium-sized beetroots, peeled
• A pinch of caster sugar
• 1 strip of lime zest
• 1 strip of lemon zest
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5cm piece of cinnamon stick
• 100g red cabbage, finely shredded
• 100g white cabbage, finely shredded
• 50g kale or cavolo nero, finely shredded
• A small bunch of chives, chopped
• A small handful of fennel fronds
• 1 tablespoon sea purslane leaves (optional)
• A small bunch of sea beet leaves, finely shredded (optional)
• 4 (100g) pieces of hake fillet
• 25g butter
• 50ml dry white wine
• 100ml fish stock
• Sea salt flakes

For the dressing:

• 3 tablespoons beetroot juice (from the cooked beetroots)
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil
• ½ pomegranate, seeds only
• Salt

Method:

1. Place 2 of the beetroots in a small pan with the sugar, a good pinch of salt, the lime and lemon zest, and the cloves and cinnamon. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, lower the heat and leave to simmer very gently for 1 hour or until tender when pierced through to the centre with a fine skewer. Remove the cooked beetroots and set them aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop the 4 remaining beetroots and blend in a food processor to a smooth purée. Tip the purée into a sieve set over a bowl and press out all the liquid with the back of a spoon or a spatula. This should yield about 75ml of liquid. Set this aside for the dressing.
3. Cut 1 of the beetroots into thin slices, then cut these into fine matchsticks. Mix the shredded cabbages, chives, fennel fronds, beetroot matchsticks and the sea purslane and sea beet (if using) together in a large bowl. Set this aside.
4. Season the hake on both sides with salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, for the dressing, whisk the beetroot juice with the vinegar, oil and some salt to taste. Set aside.
6. To cook the hake, first melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan large enough to hold the fish comfortably side by side. Pat the hake dry with kitchen paper, add to the pan, skin side down, and cook over a medium-high heat until pale golden brown (1-2 minutes). Turn the pieces over, add the white wine and fish stock to the pan, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Keep warm.
7. To finish the dressing, whisk 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid from the fish pan into the beetroot dressing and season to taste with salt. Add 4 tablespoons of the dressing to the cabbage salad and mix until well combined. Stir the pomegranate seeds into the remaining dressing.
8. To serve, thinly slice the remaining cooked beetroot and overlap the slices to form a disc in the centre of each serving plate. Place a 10-12cm cooking ring in the centre of a beetroot disc and fill with the salad mixture. Carefully lift the ring off and repeat for each of the remaining plates. Place a piece of fish on top of the salad and spoon the dressing and pomegranate seeds around to finish.

Jack Stein, World On A Plate, published by Bloomsbury Cooks and Absolute Press, 2018

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