FLOWER POT KITCHEN: JAPANESE SOY CHILLI SCALLOPS AND TEMPURA OYSTERS, SCALLOPS, PRAWNS, AUBERGINE

14 Jun 2012

JAPANESE SOY CHILLI SCALLOPS AND TEMPURA OYSTERS, SCALLOPS, PRAWNS, AUBERGINE

FANTASTIC FRESH ROCK OYSTERS, SO FRESH, CLEAN AND A BEAUTIFUL TASTE

SEARED SCALLOPS SERVED IN A LIGHT SOY SAUCE WITH FRESH

GREEN CHILLI'S, GINGER, LEMONGRASS AND FLAT PARSLEY

INGREDIENTS

Fresh scallops on the shell

100ml light soy sauce

1 drop of sesame oil

5 ml mirin (Japanese)

1 inch fresh ginger fine chopped

1 red chilli fine diced

1 clove garlic fine chopped

1 tsp flat leaf parsley chopped

1 tsp ooil and a tiny pinch butter

Add to the soy sauce, the ginger, chilli and garlic, place in a pan and very gently warm through.

Heat a non stick pan really hot, add the ooil and butter, as soon as it's bubbling place the scallops in the pan, sear for one minute and then turn, and sear the other side for approx one minute or until you feel a nice springy bounce when you touch the scallop, take off the heat immediately. Meanwhile place the soy sauce in a pan and warm through. Place the scallops in the shells and pour over the warmed soy sauce and infused ginger, chilli and garlic.

SUCCULENT TEMPURA AUBERGINE

INGREDIENTS
TEMPURA BATTER

1/2 egg beaten

125ml cold beer

pinch of bicarbonate soda

salt and white pepper

50g plain flour

1 aubergine sliced

1 ltr veg oil for frying

Heat the oil in a pan to 190 degrees, mean while slice the aubergine. To make the tempura batter take the flour, bicarbonate, seasoning and mix together with the egg, then add the ice cold beer and mix roughly with chopsticks, leaving lumps, this is the way to perfect tempura, the lumps of flour will burst in the oil creating crusty off spurs, fantastic.

Once the oil is up to heat, dip you aubergine in the batter and drop into the oil and fry for approx 2-3minutes until crispy golden, drain on paper roll and serve immediately.

SUMPTUOUS JUICY FRESH PRAWNS IN TEMPURA BATTER

INGREDIENTS

6 large fresh raw prawns

1 portion of tempura beer batter

(see above for recipe)

Prepare the raw prawns by taking the tail end and peel the shell off the body only, leave the tiny tail fins on and the head, for presentation and for great flavour if you like to suck the juices from this.

Bring your pan of vegetable oil up to heat approx 190 degrees and dip the prawns one at a time into the tempura batter and then lower gently into the hot oil, holding on for just a second before letting go, this just helps seal the first touch of tempura so that it won't sink to the bottom of a shallow pan and stick.

Fry for couple of minutes and drain on paper roll before serving with the dipping sauces above.

SUCCULENT TEMPURA SCALLOPS

INGREDIENTS

6 fresh scallops with shells preferably

1 portion of tempura batter (above)

To prepare the scallops, gently take the scallop in your hand and pull off the roe in the direction of the membrane it is attached to the scallop with, you will then find that the thin little slightly

discoloured membrane is also attached to the foot, this is the little extra white flap of scallop meat on a scallop that anchors it to it's shell, peel this off with the membrane and discard, (or cook for the cat)

pat each scallop dry with paper roll and leave to one side. When the tempura is up to temperature dip each scallop in the tempura batter and drop into the hot oil,holding on for just a second to seal. Fry for a couple of minutes and then drain on paper roll and serve immediately.

FRESH TEMPURA OYSTERS

INGREDIENTS

12 fresh rock oysters shucked

1 portion of tempura batter

To shuck the oysters take a tea towel and place the oyster dish side in the palm of your hand and with the tip of a strong thin tipped knife, pry the top flat lid off, as soon as you have got the tip of the knife in a gap twist the knife this will generally pop open the lid, run the blade around the rest of the oyster and pull off the lid. Take the knife and gently run under the oyster to loosen and free the oyster from is foot that is anchored on the shell. Once the oil is to up to temperature, gently dip the oysters, one at time into the tempura batter and drop gently into the hot oil holding onto the oyster for a few seconds before letting go, fry for approx 1-2 minutes, drain on kitchen roll and served immediately.

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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.