YOUR SPECIAL DINING EXPERIENCE
At home with Ricardo Gibbs
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LOCAL PRODUCE
PEN-Y-LAN
Here at The Wild Pheasant, we only use local pork from Pen-y-Lan.
It is a premium product, local and I’m talking directly to the farmer, 'Mike Ford'.
I’ve left his e-mail & phone number here just in case anyone else loves great local produce:
INGREDIENTS
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Pork chops
(May we recommend our butcher Mike Ford Pen Y Lan Pork)
½ bunch of rosemary
1 x clove of garlic
1 x hispi cabbage
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Crushed Root Veg
4 x medium carrots
2 x small swede
3 x small parsnips
1 x small onion
50g un salted butter
½ pint of double cream
Salt & black pepper
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Gravy
1 x large onion
3 x carrots
2 x clove of garlic
1 x table spoon of tomato puree
½ pint of red wine
1 x litre of beef or chicken stock
BRAISED HISPI CABBAGE
Hispi cabbage is the kind of bullet shaped one and that’s the reason I use it for this dish.
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I chop mine into 6 or 8 depending on the size, making sure to cut from top to bottom - length ways as the core will hold it together. Blanch the cabbage wedges in salted boiling water for about 1 minute then drain the water.
Don’t worry if there’s still some water in the cabbage after as this will only help.
Season with sea salt, add the cabbage back to the chop pan on a medium heat and cook with the lid on for about 7 minutes.
COOKING THE PORK
Some people worry about pork but if you’re using this cut,
I wouldn’t worry at all if you have a slight blush to the meat
once rested, especially if you’re using Mike Fords pigs from
Pen-y-Lan.
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I’d recommend charring the sides even if you don’t feel the need. This is to render the fat as the flavour from the fat complements the dish perfectly.
At home I’d simply fry the chop on its side at first to release some of the flavour and also the fat which can be used for the cabbage afterwards.
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Then add a crushed clove of garlic and a little bit of rosemary to the pan.
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Colour both sides until golden and either put a lid on the pan and turn the heat low or roast in the oven at 180 both for about 5 minutes.
Don’t forget to pre-heat the oven first & afterwards rest the chop until the cabbage has had its turn in the pan.
CRUSHED ROOT VEGETABLES
Here I’m using carrots, parsnips & swede. Root veg are amazing at this time of year and this recipe in particular would go great with any meat or perfect on your roast dinner.
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First Peel the swede and chop into same size chunks remembering that the smaller you chop the quicker they will cook. 1cm seems perfect for me.
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Fry them in veg oil on a medium heat until soft then add 100ml of double cream.
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Turn the heat down and let the cream reduce with the soft veg until it thickens up, then add a good pinch of sea salt along with a generous amount of black pepper, root veg and cabbage love black pepper, the cream helps to bind the veg together.
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Crush it all together with a potato masher or hand whisk if you don’t have one at home (like me).
Keep it nice and warm until you plate it up or fridge it for tomorrow if you need to.
GRAVY
Start this before anything else.
For this recipe you’ll need some chicken or beef stock.
At home I use Knorr jelly stock as I find it’s the best one
(short of making a fresh stock which is rather time consuming.)
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I’d Start with the diced carrots.
Cook them until golden brown, most people underestimate the sweetness of carrots,
they only show their sweetness when the natural sugars have had time to come out.
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Patience is definitely a virtue here, let them take their time along with the rough chopped onion and near the end add the diced celery,
leeks, garlic and bay leaf. When all of the veg is soft add the tomato puree and turn the heat up slightly.
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You want the tomato paste to caramelise again extracting the natural sugars.
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When it’s gone a bit sticky, add the red wine to de-glaze the pan and use a wooden spoon to loosen up all that’s stuck to the bottom,
(this is what we call in the trade “gold dust” so full of flavour and kind of the whole point of de-glazing in the first place.)
Reduce it until its almost gone and add your stock.
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Let the stock reduce until the gravy starts to thicken up, usually by half but keep your eye on it.
Don’t be afraid to whisk in a spoon of dry beef granules if you need to get your consistency right before you pass it off.
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Next pass your sauce through a sieve over a clean pan either reduce the sauce further or serve straight away in jugs.
Veloute
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200g chopped shallots
1 x pint of wine
1 x pint fish stock
1 x pint of double cream
2 x bag of baby spinach leaves
1 x bunch of tarragon
1 x bunch of flat leaf parsley
2 x bunch of mint
Special Salmon
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2 x 180g salmon fillets
Nut crumb
100g mixed sesame
50g pistachios
50g pumpkin seeds
200g unsalted butter
1 x bunch of sage
20 ml lemon juice
YOU WILL NEED...
SAGE & NUT BEURRE NOISETTE
The flavour from beurre noisette is simple to achieve from butter but there’s a fine line between nutty and bitter so be ready to add the lemon juice at a moments notice and never turn your back on it!
-I’ve been doing it for years but still get it wrong if I'm even slightly distracted.
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1. Firstly toast your pistachios in a frying pan if not already done then add your pumpkin seeds & add your sesame last for obvious reasons
(there smaller and don’t need much cooking).
When there cooled down enough give them a little crush with your hands but not too much.
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2. Meanwhile your sage stalks and butter are melting on a medium/high flame, just note that your not burning the butter your melting it very quickly.
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3. Just before you reach the bronze bubbling stage carefully but quickly add your lemon juice to cool the butter and pour it into your crushed nuts. The nuts and butter should be shiny but not wet.
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4. Let them cool to room temperature and add your chopped sage.
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5. Spread evenly over greaseproof paper and refrigerate until solid.
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6. Before you start to cook, portion into salmon fillet shaped squares and keep in the fridge until serving.
SPECIAL SALMON
PAN FRIED SALMON FILLET WITH SAGE & NUT BEURRE NOISETTE SAUTED SPINACH & HERB VELOUTE
Salmon is one of my favourite fish to cook both at home and at The Wild Pheasant.
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Amazing flavour, versatile and so easy to get right.
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Here’s how I'm doing it at The Wild Pheasant...
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First thing is to make sure that your fish has been de-scaled as there’s nothing worse than finding out when it’s too late.
I would aim for a 180g portion each.
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Pat your fish dry with a clean cloth as it’s going into a hot pan, not smoking hot but what I like to call “fried egg hot” is perfect, (that sizzle is important.)
Roll the salmon in a few drips of oil on a tray along with some sea salt, this will help to firm up the fish before you cook and don’t be shy as some salt will be lost in the pan.
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Gently put your salmon in the pan skin side down, now take a step back and try not to touch!
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Keep your heat medium and let the skin crisp up.
When you can see the opaque orange on the sides of the fish start to turn pale pink and the grain becomes more visible, it’s time to turn. Most fillets of salmon are tapered due to the shape of the fish, so don’t worry too much about precision temperatures just make sure it’s not over cooked when you take it from the heat.
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Give it at least 5 minutes on the skin and 4 after turning.
It’s not going to stop cooking for several minutes after you take it out of the pan, so now is the perfect time to add the sage beurre noisette, pumpkin seed, pistachio & sesame topping.
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Simply place it on the top and wait for the butter to melt into the fish, the nuts and sesame will tac together nicely.
HERB VELOUTE
This is one of my “go to” techniques in the kitchen, it ticks all the boxes. So simple and could be re-created in a million different ways.
So…
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1. Roughly chop the shallots & soften on a low heat until cooked, no colour no butter just cooked and soft.
2. Add the wine and reduce by 95% you should be left with pretty much the same thing as when you started,
-just a bit wetter.
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Tip: It's important to add and reduce the alcohol first, this will intensify the flavour without the bitterness.
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3. Next add the fish stock, you could use any stock for the same sauce, it just depends what dish your planning.
Also reduce the stock by 95%, then add the cream & slowly reduce by half.
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4. When you blend the sauce she shallots will thicken the sauce up and don’t forget that it will thicken as it cools too.
I'm blending mine with parsley, spinach, mint & tarragon.
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5. Cool the sauce as soon as possible if your not using it straight away.
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The Wild Pheasant Hotel & Spa,
Berwyn Road Llangollen LL20 8AD LL20 8AD
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reception@wildpheasanthotelandspa.com
Tel. 01978 860629
