Culinary Explorer

Gorden Ramsay hits the road again in the third season of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted where he explores global cuisines amid frigid temperatures, muddy back roads and stormy waters.

BY NIDA SEAH

If you’ve enjoyed the two earlier seasons of Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, then be prepared for more culinary adventures with the multi-Michelin-starred celebrity chef.

Like previous episodes, season three sees Gordon Ramsay travelling through different countries exploring global cuisines and their unique culinary customs. This time, he travels to places such as Portugal, Croatia, Mexico, Texas, Maine, Puerto Rico, Iceland and America’s Smoky Mountains. He learns about the delicacies and flavours unique to each region, before creating recipes inspired by the harvested ingredients, local dishes and the people he meets. Each episode ends with Ramsay in a final cookout challenge with a food expert and preparing a meal together for the locals.

But let’s face it, the highlight of the show is watching Ramsay swear his way through each “mission” as he attempts to fish, harvest, forage, hunt, kayak and dive to collect the ingredients – and messing up along the way. Season three promises to be bigger and bolder with more adventures and challenges. In Texas, he herds cattle with the help of a helicopter and hunts for venomous rattlesnakes under the stern eyes of tough, gritty characters. In Portugal, he joins local fishermen in the open seas to fish for sardines – a task that turned out to be a lot harder than it looked. Luckily the show pulls back just enough to let each region’s cuisine be the star, whether it’s the Maine lobster, wild Atlantic salmon or Icelandic scallops. It’s a wild ten-part adventure ready to be savoured.

OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER WITH CREAMED SPINACH AND BREAD CRUMBS

Gordon Ramsay’s Maine Oysters Rockfeller, a classic dish with rich greencoloured sauce that’s named after the richest man of the day John D. Rockefeller.

MAKES 12

INGREDIENTS

12 fresh oysters on the half shell 1 lemon

CREAMED SPINACH

3 cups spinach 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 shallot, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg 1/2 cup heavy cream 57g cream cheese, softened 1 lemon, zested 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 tsp kosher salt Pinch of chili flakes

BREAD CRUMBS

1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, finely minced 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs Pinch of kosher salt

OPTIONAL

Rock salt or seaweed To make creamed spinach, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then blanch spinach for about 30 seconds. Remove from water. Once cool enough to handle, drain as much water as possible from the spinach and set aside.

Heat a large high-walled skillet over medium heat. Add butter, then shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, nutmeg and chili flakes, and stir to combine. Add heavy cream and cream cheese, stirring until melted and incorporated.

Let this mixture simmer for a moment to thicken the heavy cream, then add drained spinach back to the pan. Stir to incorporate, then add lemon zest and Parmesan cheese. Add lemon juice or salt as needed, then set aside. To make bread crumbs, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix with your fingers to incorporate everything evenly. Set aside.

Preheat a grill to medium-high or preheat the oven to 232˚C. Place oysters on a small baking tray lined with seaweed or rock salt, or crumple aluminum foil lightly on top of a sheet tray and place the oysters on top so they don’t fall over.

Top each oyster with a heaped tablespoon of creamed spinach, followed by a generous spoonful of breadcrumbs.

Add to the hot grill or oven and cook until spinach is bubbly and breadcrumbs are golden brown and crispy, about 5 to 8 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.