Matthew Pennington The Ethicurean Cookbook
If you like a challenge and want to get to grips with some new flavours and combinations, learn some new techniques and freshen up on some cult classics, then I would seriously recommend ‘The Ethicurean Cookbook’ or as the book jacket says; ‘recipes, foods and spirituous liquors, from our bounteous walled garden in the several seasons of the year.’
But before getting on line, I would really recommend getting in the car and visiting the restaurant over at Barley Wood, Wrington, just south of Bristol, which brothers Matthew and Iain Pennington set up in 2010. It’s an old glasshouse lean-to in a massive walled garden which overlooks the Mendips. The window sills are lined with jars of pickling and fermenting beetroot, chutney, carrots and kimchi. There’s a very warm Somerset welcome and you can dip into Beef brisket, slow roasted in coffee sauce with valour mash, Strawberry and rose lemonade pudding with saffron and cider brandy custard, or try out some Fennel sherbet or Lovage broth.
Back to the book, I cooked pigeon breast with beetroot pearl barley and bordelaise sauce, served with blanched kale, cooked for 45 seconds, I like that kind of detail. Seared pigeon breast, 15 seconds either side, then into a hot oven for 3 minutes. It’s a great, quick, winter lunchtime dish, really packed with flavours. The bordelaise sauce is the most time consuming bit, so I would make a batch in advance and freeze it in small portions, it’s great with beef and the recipe (see page 294) is reassuringly expensive. I haven’t included it here, but there are a plethora of alternatives on line, or just go out and buy the book, you can get it on their website.
The photography is wonderful with some delightful ‘plates’ showing elegant ways of plating up your dishes to make them visually mouth-watering and to my mind, taste better. It’s a very satisfying book in a way, informative, educational, passionate and like the recipes, intoxicating.
PIGEON BREASTS WITH BEETROOT PEARL
BARLEY AND BORDELAISE SAUCE
Serves 4
• 4 wood pigeon breasts, removed and skinned,
save the carcasses to use for stock, if you like
a little oil
• 4 large handfuls of kale, large stalks removed
• A knob of butter
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Smoked salt to serve, optional
For the beetroot pearl barley:
• 300g pearl barley
• 1 medium beetroot, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
• 200ml brown chicken stock (see page 296)
For the Bordelaise sauce:
• 400ml red wine
• 35g shallots, finely chopped
• 60g carrots, finely chopped
• 40g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 500ml beef stock
METHOD
Rinse the pearl barley in a sieve under cold running
water for a few minutes to remove excess starch.
Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water and
bring to the boil. Drain and rinse under cold
running water again. Return the barley to the pan
and cover generously with water
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer
for 15 minutes. Add the beetroot and cook for 20
to 30 minutes, until the beetroot is al dente and
the barley tender. Drain and return the barley and
beetroot to the pan. Add the chicken stock and cook
over a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring
regularly, until the barley has absorbed the stock
and is glazed in appearance. Season with salt
to taste. Meanwhile, make the Bordelaise sauce
Put all the ingredients except the beef stock in
a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until
the liquid has reduced to about two tablespoons.
Add the stock and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes,
then strain into a pan. Cook over a medium heat
until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon.
Season with salt to taste
Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Lightly oil
the pigeon breasts and season on both sides. Place
a large, ovenproof frying pan over a high heat.
Once the pan is smoking hot, add a thin film of
oil. Place the pigeon breasts in the pan, skinned
side down. Leave for 15 seconds or until lightly
browned underneath, then turn them over. Gently
press down with a fish slice and transfer the pan to
the oven for about three minutes; the meat should
still give a little when you press with a finger
Remove and transfer to a warm plate to rest
for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the kale in a large pan of
boiling salted water until tender – no more than
45 seconds. Drain well, being sure to strain off as
much liquid as possible, and toss with the knob of
butter. Spoon the barley on to four serving plates
and arrange the kale around it. Slice each pigeon
breast into three and place on top.
Pour the sauce over and sprinkle with a little
salt or smoked salt.