Tarte tatin de légumes
(Roast vegetable tart)
This is a wonderful stand-alone starter or main course and also makes a good accompaniment to a plain roast. Apple tarte tatin is a classic dessert but this sweet savoury take on the original is just as enjoyable. It can be made in a suitably sized ovenproof frying pan or in individual pans if you prefer. Vary the vegetables according to your taste and what’s in season.
Serves 4
2 Belgian endives, trimmed
1 carrot, peeled
1 small parsnip, peeled
1 medium turnip, peeled
1 large onion, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 red chilli, sliced
leaves from 1 sprig of thyme
200g all-butter puff pastry
salt
black pepper
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Cut the vegetables into 3–4cm pieces and spread them on a baking sheet. Season and drizzle them with olive oil, then roast in the hot oven for 8–10 minutes. The vegetables should be partly cooked and have a little colour. Leave the oven on.
Melt the butter in an ovenproof pan, then sprinkle on the sugar. Put the cooked vegetables, sliced chilli (deseeded if you like) and thyme leaves on top, making sure to pack the vegetables tightly.
Roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick and place it over the vegetables, taking care to tuck it under them around the edges. Make a few holes in the pastry with the point of a knife, then bake the tart in the oven – still at 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7 – for 20 minutes. Leave the tart to cool a little before turning out and serving.
Recipe from THE FRENCH KITCHEN by Michel Roux Jr, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, hardback £25.
Green Tomato Chutney
The team at TheTomatoStallhave been selling out of their boxes of Green Tomatoes fast this autumn. The reason why? Because gourmets across the nation can’t wait to get their hands on their tomatoes which are all sourced from the Isle of Wight due it it’s unique ideal growing conditions to make greentomatochutney! Aside from being incredibly simple to make, green tomato chutney is also very versatile: serve it with cheese or cold meats, add to a delicious winter stew, enjoy with curries, make an amazing cheese on toast, stir through cous cous or rice…. The uses are endless. Use unripegreentomatoesor ripegreenvarieties, or a mixture of both.
Makes 4 jars
1 kggreentomatoes
500ml malt vinegar
250g sultanas
1 red onion
2 teaspoons salt
400g light muscavado sugar
Roughly chop thetomatoes
Peel and chop the onion
Place all the ingredients in a large heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil
Stir and simmer for about 1 hour until the mixture has gone thick
Allow to cool a little then put into sterilised jars
Cool, store and enjoy!
Mediterranean Fish Soup with Rouille and Croutons
1.1kg mixed Mediterranean fish, such as red mullet, gurnard and rascasse, cleaned
a pinch of saffron strands
a pinch of cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
90g carrot, chopped
20g celery, chopped
80g onion, chopped
20g fennel, chopped
1/2 garlic clove, lightly crushed
25g leek, chopped
40ml Pernod
20ml Armagnac
100g plum tomatoes, halved and deseeded
60g tomato purée
1 small waxy potato, about 60g, diced
2 litres Chicken Stock (see page 44)
lemon juice
salt
For the rouille
1 free-range egg yolk
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon harissa paste
a pinch of saffron strands
85ml pomace oil (or vegetable oil)
50g cooked mashed potato
85ml vegetable oil
For the croûtons
1/4 baguette
1 tablespoon olive oil
Drain the fish in a colander, then mix with the saffron, cayenne pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight. The next day, place a colander over a bowl and pour the marinated fish in to drain, keeping the liquid that drains through. Heat a large frying pan, add a tablespoon of the remaining olive oil and fry the fish until golden on both sides.
Take a large, heavy-based saucepan and get it very hot on the hob. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and fry the carrot, celery, onion, fennel, garlic and leek until golden brown. Add the Pernod and Armagnac and set them alight with a match, making sure your face is well away from the pan.
Next, add the tomatoes and tomato purée and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Lastly add the fried fish, juice from the marinade, the potato and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Blend the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth and then pass it through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Season with lemon juice and salt.
For the rouille, blend the egg yolk, garlic, harissa and saffron with a pinch of salt in a mini food processor or using a pestle and mortar. Slowly add the pomace oil, as if making mayonnaise. Add the mashed potato and blend until smooth, then gradually mix in the vegetable oil. The rouille should be quite thick but if it becomes too thick to blend, thin it down slightly with a little warm water. Adjust the seasoning with salt and a little lemon juice.
For the croûtons, cut the baguette into 2mm-thick slices with a serrated knife. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and bake in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 7 minutes or until golden. Reheat the soup, if necessary, and serve in bowls, accompanied by the rouille and croûtons.