“Brill is a delicious flatfish with a sweet taste and a firm texture, which makes it quite ‘meaty’ and means it carries flavours very well,” says Josh. “It’s similar in taste and texture to turbot, and is therefore a highly sought after fish; for this reason it is overfished, so make sure to buy yours from a sustainable source. If you can’t get hold of brill or turbot, or want to use a more sustainable fish, you could substitute it with fillets of sole or plaice, or use farmed turbot or flounder. “This dish is essentially quite autumnal, though I think it lends itself to the winter months very well. It has lots of earthy notes from the mushrooms and walnuts, which perfectly complement the sweetness and richness from the brill and Jerusalem artichoke purée. The tarragon oil adds a nice bit of colour and fragrant anise flavour as a finishing touch. “Something to bear in mind with this recipe is that the tarragon oil and walnut crumb can both be made a few days in advance. Similarly, if you have any of these parts left they would be great accompaniments to other dishes, such as salads. “You will find this dish on the Christmas menu at The Spotted Cow this year.”
BRILL WITH MUSHROOMS, JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, WALNUT AND TARRAGON SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS 10g tarragon, picked 100ml rapeseed oil 150g chestnut mushrooms 3 garlic cloves, crushed 250g unsalted butter bunch of thyme 100g walnuts 50g panko breadcrumbs 600g Jerusalem artichokes 400ml whole milk 100ml double cream 2 bay leaves 4 x 160g brill fillets 180g shiitake mushrooms, sliced 120g samphire METHOD 1 Start by making the tarragon oil. Blanch the tarragon leaves in a pan of simmering water and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Pat dry using kitchen roll and place in a blender. Process until the leaves are broken down, while slowly adding the rapeseed oil. Then place a muslin cloth in a sieve and pass the mix through so you are left with a green oil. 2 Next, make the walnut crumb. Put the chestnut mushrooms in a blender and pulse until they are the consistency of breadcrumbs, being careful not to break them down too much. Then tip into a hot frying pan with 1 crushed garlic clove, a knob of butter and the thyme. Cook until softened. 3 Toast the walnuts under a grill or in the oven, then add to a food processor along with the panko breadcrumbs, cooked mushrooms, 1 tbsp butter, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz, then place this on a tray, ready for later.
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4 Next, peel the artichokes and place in a saucepan with the milk, cream and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes or until nice and soft, topping up with water if need be. Then remove the bay leaves and pour into a colander over a bowl, retaining the liquid. 5 Place the artichokes in a food processor, along with half of the liquid, and blitz to a purée, adding more of the liquid if required. Remove from the blender and push through a sieve using the back of a spoon or ladle, so you are left with a lovely smooth purée. Season with salt and pepper and place in a saucepan over a very low heat to keep warm. 6 Now it’s time to cook the brill, so place the walnut crumb under a low grill (or in a warm oven) at this point and flour the skin side of the fish. 7 Put two large non-stick frying pans over a medium heat, adding some oil, and bring a saucepan of water to a simmer. 8 Place the brill, skin side down, in one of the hot pans. Add 1 tbsp butter and season with salt and pepper. Then, place the samphire in the pan of water, and the shiitake mushrooms in the other frying pan, with 1 tbsp butter and the remaining 2 crushed garlic cloves. Fry until golden and slightly caramelized all over, then add the samphire into this pan and remove from the heat. 9 Once the skin side of the fish is golden brown and crisp, flip the fillets carefully and remove from the pan after 1 minute. 10 To serve, place 2 tbsp of the artichoke purée on each plate, and drag across the plate in a line with the back of a spoon. Add the samphire and shiitake mushrooms, then place the brill on top and sprinkle the walnut crumb around the plate. Drizzle a little of the tarragon oil over the food and around the plate.
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Brusco dei Barbi 2015 £12.95, Great Western Wine “This is a great autumnal dish, redolent with the rich, seasonal flavours of mushrooms and Jerusalem artichoke,” says Angela Mount. “I like to break the rules, especially by pairing red wine with fish, and this fits the theme. Its silky soft texture is rich enough to cope with the intensity of the creamy, earthy flavours, yet fresh enough, with its bright cherry and herb flavours, to lift and enhance the rich, truffley character of the dish.”
The Spotted Cow, 139 North Street, Bristol BS3 1EZ; 0117 963 4433; thespottedcowbristol.com
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