SPRING DINING Recipes and top tips from Exeter chefs

JP HEDGE is excited about 17 April

SPRING GREENS

The warmer months herald colourful plates teeming with fresh, local produce. We chatted to a couple of Exeter foodies to find out what is on their spring menus…

MATTHEW MASON Chef at The Jack in the Green, London Road, Exeter; www.jackinthegreen.uk.com

What local produce are you looking forward to using this spring? “April hath put the spirit of youth in everything.” Shakespeare is a man after my own heart and spring is always welcomed in our kitchen. The signs of warmer weather, longer days and the promise of the new season’s produce are guaranteed to lift any chef ’s winter blues! Together with the first of the peas in their pods, the tiniest of fresh asparagus

“New season garlic makes a delightful sweet purée when slow roasted with local honey”

34 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk spears are beginning togrow just down the road. Stunning morel mushrooms also have a very short season and we snap these beauties up in a heartbeat when they’re offered!

The usual wild garlic will soon be available and on many a kitchen menu but should be used with caution as it is dangerously pungent and can easily overpower a dish. I also enjoy the new season garlic which comes first from the mountains in northern Italy – this makes a delightful sweet purée when slow roasted with local honey. Personally, I avoid the early flurry of spring lamb as I find it a little expensive and prefer to wait until it’s a little older and has a fuller flavour. Perhaps try making a wonderful spring pea soup at home with a little pancetta and flakes of ham hock and a crispy hen’s egg – this takes something so simple to a whole new level.

What’s on your spring menu? Right now you’ll find some beautiful line caught Cornish cod, our own home cured bresaola, miso glazed creedy carver duck breast from Crediton and a decadent chocolate and orange mousse cake with Grand Marnier and mascarpone cream. It’s also the start of the pub’s 28th year and my 26th year as head chef!

Hugely popular at the Jack, this lemon sole dish has become a menu staple and is our version of a classic. It may sound obvious but for your end product to taste great it is imperative that you begin with wonderfully fresh fish and preferably from a day boat. Look for bright and clear eyes, rich red gills and a healthy slime – fresh fish smells only of the sea. If buying whole lemon soles ask your fishmonger to remove the head, skin both sides and trim the fins and tail so you end up with an oval shape. These are simply fabulous plainly grilled with brown butter, capers, shrimps and some finely chopped dill. With so much of the work done beforehand and taking only minutes to finish, this is a great dinner party dish. Ingredients Olive oil A knob of unsalted butter 2 large lemon sole, filleted and skinned (450g - 500g fish minimum) per person 50g white seedless grapes 50g samphire, stalks removed 50g fresh peas 50g broad beans 4 spears of West Country asparagus Ingredients for your sauce A drizzle of olive oil A knob of butter ½ an onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped LEMON SOLE VERONIQUE FROM THE JACK IN THE GREEN 3 sprigs of fresh tarragon, finely chopped 90ml glass of sweet white wine 100ml double cream 250ml fish stock 1 lemon Method for your fish 1. First peel the grapes by blanching them in rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds. Immediately refresh in iced water. The skins should now slip off and be easy to peel. Following the natural line, divide each lemon sole fillet in half lengthways and remove the cartilage. Refrigerate until needed. 2. When ready to cook, season the fish on both sides with a pinch of salt and a few twists of freshly ground white pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan then add a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter. 3. Place the fillets in the pan and cook over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes before turning and cooking for a further 1-2 minutes (depending on the thickness). Remove from the heat and finish by squeezing a little lemon juice over the fillets once cooked. (If you are low in confidence when cooking fish then you can simply grill your fillets of sole). Method for your sauce (This can be made ahead of time and re-heated when required). 1. Heat a heavy based pan over a medium heat. Sweat off the finely chopped onion and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter without colour for 1 minute before adding 90ml of sweet white wine. Reduce the volume by half and then add 250ml of fish stock. 2. Continue to reduce the fish stock by approximately half. Finish by adding 100ml of double cream and bring to the boil. Pass the remaining liquid through a sieve. 3. If necessary, reduce the remaining liquid to a sauce like consistency then emulsify with a hand blender or whisk until light and frothy. Finally add a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Method for your vegetables Blanch the peas, broad beans and asparagus in a pan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Then immediately immerse in iced water to stop the cooking process. Set aside the vegetables until needed. The broad beans (once cooled) can now be popped out of their jackets. Other seasonal alternatives would work just as well. To plate: When ready to plate, drop the blanched vegetables along with the samphire back into a pan of boiling salted water. Re-heat for 1 minute until al dente. Then toss in a little salted butter and sprinkle around the fish along with the grapes.

Re-heat the required amount of sauce, whisk in the finely chopped tarragon and spoon over and around. Edible flowers can be added to the dish not only for the presentation but also the fresh summery flavours that they can add. Serves 2

Life of pie

JON SIMON, OWNER, PIEMINISTER Pieminister, Queen Street, Right next to Exeter Central Station; www.pieminister.co.uk

What’s on your menu this spring? Later this month (March) we’re launching a brand newpiecalled Evergreen. It’s a plant-based celebration of leafy green and beans; kale, spinach and edamame beans lightly cooked in garlic, ginger and lemon zest. We love it.

Who’s doing the cooking? We make all of ourpies ourselves in-house and Tristan (my brother-in-law and co-founder is the chef in the partnership – I’m in charge of the marketing and designing side of things.)

We’re a family business and we want our love and passion forpies to shine through for everyone who walks through the door. Whether you’re dashing in for a quick piestop on the wa y to or from Exeter Central or you want to stay for a while, enjoying our nibbles and pies to our soft-serve pie-inspired sundaes – we’re here to make you feel relaxed and welcome.

Any events coming up this spring? We’re really hoping to launch our Bottomless Brunch on Queen Street soon. It’ll be every Saturday and it’s the stuff dreams are made of. Think everything you love about breakfast– in apie!

What else should we try? Have you had our Mothership yet? If not, why not! It’s the ultimatepiefeast and we invented it when we first started out, at Glastonbury in 2004. Also av ailable as a vegan version, it’s your favourite piepiled high with mash, gravy, peas, cheese and crisp shallots.

36 I EXETER LIVING I www.mediaclash.co.uk The smiling pair: Tristan Hogg and Jon Simon

‘THE FREE RANGER’ CHICKEN, CIDER & LEEK PIE FROM PIEMINSTER Serves 6

Ingredients 1 free-range British chicken, about 1.5kg 1 carrot, peeled and cut into quarters 2 celery sticks, cut into quarters 2 onions, cut in half 1 whole bulb of garlic, top sliced off 6 sprigs of tarragon 1 large knob of butter 3 chunky leeks, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced 200ml dry or medium cider, preferably Orchard Pig 2 tbsp plain flour 150ml single or whipping cream grated zest of ½ lemon 3 tbsp chopped chives 1 quantity of shortcrust pastry for the base or cheat with 660g of ready-made shortcrust pastry 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten, to glaze 1 quantity of rough puff pastry for the top or cheat with 375g ready-made puff pastry sea salt and black pepper

Method 1. Put the chicken in a large pot with the carrot, celery, ½ an onion, the garlic bulb, 2 of the tarragon sprigs and a little salt. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken. Cover the pan, bring to a simmer and cook very gently for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Leave until cool enough to handle, then remove the chicken from the pot. 2. Strain the chicken stock into a clean pan (discard all the vegetables except the garlic) and boil until reduced by half – the flavour should become concentrated. Meanwhile, take the skin off the chicken and discard. Tear the meat into shreds. 3. Cut the rest of the onions into medium dice. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the leeks and cook until softened. Pour in the cider and simmer until reduced by about half. Stir in the flour, cook for a few seconds, then add 400ml of the hot chicken stock, plus the cream and the lemon zest. Bring to a simmer – the mixture should have a nice, creamy pouring consistency. Add a little more of the hot stock if necessary. 4. Chop the remaining tarragon and add to the sauce, then remove from the heat. Squeeze in the flesh from the garlic bulb and stir in the chives and chicken. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool. 5. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick and use to line a large ovenproof dish, such as a baking tin or lasagne dish. Fill with the chicken mixture and then brush the pastry edges with a little beaten egg. 6. Roll out the rough puff pastry to about 3mm thick and use to cover the pie, trimming off the excess and pressing the edges together to seal. Brush with egg glaze and make a couple of small holes in the centre of the pie to let out steam. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. This pie is great served with new potatoes and spring greens.

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