A Chef For All Seasons
How do you do justice to some of Britain’s finest seasonal
produce? Ask Dorset’s only Michelin starred chef, Russell
Brown, to create a five course menu that uses his favourite
local ingredients. By showing us how to cook them simply, you
can expect the sort of acclaim from family and friends his
award-winning restaurant Sienna attracts from the critics…
i
n this, the first issue of Menu, I wanted to share
some great examples of simple cooking that
highlight the superb produce we get from our key
suppliers at Sienna and which also use some of my
favourite ingredients.
This time of year really is one of crossover for
the cook interested in seasonality, and it can feel a
bit challenging. Much of the game season is coming
to an end, some of the winter greens have finished
but spring really hasn’t kicked in just yet. So for me
it is a real mixture at the moment of new season
and old season produce. The kitchen is being
brightened up by blood oranges and forced
Yorkshire rhubarb, and the cold weather is being
kept at bay with rich soups and hearty stews. I have
even been working on a lamb, caper and cream suet
pudding, which should be really satisfying!
The recipes for this month definitely have a foot
in both camps; wholemeal soda bread, celeriac soup
with cheese and apple muffins, local rose veal rump
with a white bean casserole, spaghetti with crab,
chilli and garlic, and a rhubarb and almond tart.
None of the recipes are complicated and lots of
the elements can be used in different ways or with
different ingredients. So if, for example, there is no
crab available use some prawns instead, especially
if you can get hold of some Weymouth Bay Billy
Winters! Fiddly for sure if you want to peel them,
but such a great taste. This is a key aspect in a lot
of my cooking, whether it is for the restaurant or
at home: buy good ingredients, use recipes that are
adaptable and try to keep it simple!
Words and photography by Russell Brown.
www.menu-dorset.co.uk
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