GERMAN RIESLING SUMMER RECIPES

 whitebait and herb mayonnaise –

Feeds 4-6 as an appetiser

Preparation time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 10 minutes

Ingredients –

350ml of vegetable oil

400g whitebait – the freshest quality you can find

2 heaped tbsp plain flour

1 lemon – zested and cut into wedges

sprinkle of sea salt flakes

herb mayonnaise –

1 sweet gherkin – finely diced

small bunch of dill

zest of ¼ lemon

pinch of sea salt flakes + freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp heaped with good quality mayonnaise

Instructions –

Begin by placing the oil over a medium to high heat- you want it at around 200 degrees Celsius.

Combine the flour, salt and lemon zest then throw in the whitebait and evenly coat in the flour. Once the oil is hot enough (you can test it with one of the whitebait, it should immediately fizz when hitting the oil) add your whitebait in batches so not to overfill your saucepan. Next using a slotted spoon transfer the whitebait after around 3 minutes or until slightly golden. Place on paper towel, sprinkle with a little sea salt and lemon zest and serve while warm.

For the mayo you can either muddle all ingredients together then add in the mayonnaise or  simply blitz the ingredients together.

confit tomato and garlic crostini

makes 1 large jar

Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cooking time – 35-40 minutes

450ml olive oil

1 bulb garlic – cloves peeled

5 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme

2 fresh bay leaves

generous sprinkle of sea salt flakes

3tsp black peppercorns

rind of ½ lemon – peeled into strips

5–6 large vines of cherry tomatoes

Serve with charred slices of sourdough.

Instructions –

Begin by pouring the oil into a medium heavy based saucepan or casserole dish. Place over a low heat.

Next place your garlic, herbs, lemon zest and pepper in the oil.

Once the oil is hot, but not boiling, add the cherry tomatoes, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 25–30 minutes until the tomato skins are wrinkled and soft. Remove from the heat, allow to cool and transfer all the ingredients to a sterilised jar.

Tip – Any leftover oil from the jars can also be used in salads and cooking.

Asparagus, brown butter, burrata and blackberries

Feeds 4-6

Preparation time – 10 minutes

Cooking time – 10 minutes

Ingredients –

1 bunch of fresh asparagus – ends trimmed or snapped off

1 ball of burrata or buffalo mozzarella

3 tbsp of butter

several turns of freshly ground black pepper

a fine grating of hard cheese – Grana Padano

sprinkle of sea salt flakes

handful of blackberries -halved

Instructions –

Begin by melting your butter in a medium sized frying pan- large enough to fit your asparagus in.

Trim the end of your asparagus or peel the last inch or two off the stem.  Add to your frying pan of melted butter, cook over a medium heat for around 5-6 minutes depending on how thick they are. The larger they are the longer they’ll need. Once cooked transfer them immediately to your serving platter and if the butter hasn’t already turned a gorgeous golden brown simply increase the heat and cook for another minute or until you achieve that nutty aroma and caramel colour. Pour over asparagus, then add on the burrata a sprinkle of seasoning, a fine shaving of Grana Padano and finish by garnishing with blackberries.

Serve warm and enjoy.