FLOWER POT KITCHEN: CRISPY FIVE SPICED SZECHUAN PEPPERED DUCK & VEGETABLE SPRING ROLLS

12 Feb 2012

CRISPY FIVE SPICED SZECHUAN PEPPERED DUCK & VEGETABLE SPRING ROLLS

STUFFED SPRING ROLLS READY TO EAT NOW OR TO BE LIGHTLY FRIED

FIVE SPICE SZECHUAN PEPPER RUB

FAST ROASTED CRISPY SPICED DUCK

FINE SLICED VEGETABLES FOR THE SPRING ROLL

RICE PANCAKES SOAKED AND READY FOR STUFFING

LAYERED ALL THE INGREDIENTS READY TO ROLL

INGREDIENTS

1 carrot finely sliced

1 spring onion finely sliced

1 scallion fine sliced

1 red chilli fine sliced

1/4 cucumber peeled and fine sliced

1/4 cabbage fine sliced

4 rice pancakes

1 duck

Dash ooil

FIVE SPICE INGREDIENTS

1 tsp szechuan peppercorns

1 tsp star anise

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp white peppercorns

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

50ml soy sauce

Dash sesame oil

Pea size wasabi

1/2 sliced red chilli

Drop of rice wine vinegar

Drop of of mirin

FIVE SPICED SZECHAUN PEPPER RUB

Take all the ingredients except the salt and place in a non stick pan, gently toast the spices and then place in a pestle and mortar, add the sea salt and grind to a powder.

SEASONING & ROASTING THE DUCK

De-bone the duck and cut in half or ask your local farm shop or butcher to do it for you. Lay skin side up in a shallow roasting tin. Drizzle the ooil over the ducks & sprinkle the spices liberally over the duck and rub in well, turn over the duck and rub in the spices into the under side of the bird, returning the duck skin side up and cook in a hot oven 220 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Leave to cool then slice finely.

VEGETABLE PREPARATION

Slice all the vegetables into equal thickness and length, fine slice the spring onion & chillies.

THE DIPPING SAUCE

Mix the wasabi with the soy sauce, pour in the mirin and rice wine vinegar, swirl to mix and dash over the sesame oil, finish off sprinkling the red chilli slices in the centre.

Take one rice pancake and soak in a bowl of warm water for 1 minute, place on a board and pat dry with kitchen roll. Take a little of each vegetable and place in the centre of the pancake, top with roasted duck.

To roll the pancake take the top and fold it over the filling, pushing back in on itself slightly under the filling, take each side of the pancake and bring them in to the centre, like a envelope, now just roll the pancake up to finish, check that the ends have tucked in. The spring rolls are ready to eat now or ready to deep fry in nut oil for a light crispy finish.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.