Polenta Slice with Burnt Pineapple, Pancetta and Blue Sauce

Photo courtesy of Photography by Sadiq

Polenta is traditionally an Italian dish but I've tweaked around with the flavours a little. The sweetness and the caramelising of pineapple bounces nicely with salty pancetta and creamy blue sauce over a set polenta. A fun alternative for a dinner main.

Polenta:
250g coarse polenta
675ml water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
25g butter
50g grated parmesan

1 pineapple
24 slices of pancetta
2 red chillies, diced
1 small bunch torn coriander leaves

Blue Sauce:
200g gorgonzola
75ml double cream
100ml buttermilk
1 teaspoon dijon mustard

METHOD:
Start by making the polenta, place water in a large heavy-based pot and put over high heat and bring to the boil. Add the polenta and salt, turn down the heat to medium and stir with a wooden spoon. After about 4-5 minutes the polenta will thicken and will resemble mashed potatoes. Remove from heat then stir in butter and parmesan until well incorporated. Line a 30x20cm (3cm high) tray with parchment paper and pour in the polenta and evenly smooth out. Leave the polenta to cool for about 2 hours before cutting.
To make the cheese sauce place the gorgonzola and cream in a saucepan, put over a medium heat, stir the sauce until the cheese is almost melted. Remove sauce from heat and pour in a food processor with buttermilk and dijon, blend together until smooth.
Lay pancetta on a baking tray and cook at 180ºC for 4 to 5 minutes. Top and tail the pineapple then slice off the skin by sliding a sharp knife round the edges. Slice the pineapple into quarters lengthways then remove the core. Cut each quarter into 1cm thick slices lengthwise place a fry pan over high heat. Once the frying pan is hot and smoking a little grill each slice of pineapple on both sides until it starts to brown and go a little black.
To construct slice the polenta into 8 pieces and lay on a serving platter or individual plates. Layer each polenta slice with 2 slices of pineapple, a good spoonful of blue sauce, 3 pieces of pancetta and finally garnish with a sprinkling of chillies and coriander.

Brunch Salad

In terms of salads this is kind of a naughty one. Salty and sweet but full of different and interesting textures. In fact I may have invented the first new breakfast salad since 5 types of fruit were mixed together. Perfect for a weekend brunch!

200g sliced pancetta
100g baby spinach
50g hazel nuts
100ml maple syrup

Banana Fritter:
450g plain four
2 banana
100g butter
2 eggs
150ml milk
100ml buttermilk
100g grated cheddar
50g caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt


Pickled Onion:
2 large red onions
2 red chillies
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
8 peppercorns
100ml white wine vinegar
250ml water
100g sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Method:
First make the banana fritters, melt the butter and put aside to cool slightly. Then mash the bananas, in a large bowl add the flour, cheddar, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and roughly mix together. Beat eggs and mashed banana into the butter then pour into the dry mix along with the buttermilk and milk. Using a spoon mix together till just combined, line a baking tray 30x20cm (3cm deep) with parchment paper. Pour the banana mixture into baking tray and even out, bake in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 45-50 minutes.  Once cooked leave to cool.
To make the picked onions peel the onions and slice into rings, peel garlic and slice along with the chillies. Place all pickle onion ingredients into a small pot and put over a high heat, bring to the boil then remove from heat and leave to cool.
Lay pancetta and hazelnuts on separate baking trays and cook at 180oC for 7 minutes.
Once banana fritter has cooled slice into 2cm cubes, place a fry pan over medium-high heat and spray with oil. Gently toast the banana fritters on all sides in several batches.
To construct the salad you can either make 4-6 individual portions or one large patter. First lay down the spinach followed by slices of onion and chilli. Then evenly distribute the banana fritter and tear pancetta over top. Lastly sprinkle over hazelnuts and drizzle with desired amount of maple syrup.   

Kiwi Corn and Sweet Potato Canape

The first of a series of canapes to come. Last week I had to cater for 3 evening functions and presented with the challenge of designing New Zealand inspired canapes for a kiwi Olympic gold medalist.
Usually I'd use kumara which is a type of sweet potato with purple skin and white flesh from New Zealand. However its just sooooo gosh darn difficult to get in the UK. Sometimes I'm lucky and I come across a Indian or Caribbean vegetable stand that sells something similar. But for the sake of my sanity and to make things easier I've used regular sweet potato this time.
When I was very young one the first things my mum let me cook on the stove top was pikelets from the Edmond's Cook Book, a cooking bible for kiwi's. Usually served with butter and strawberry jam but works just as well with sweet corn. I've based this canape on a typical New Zealand brunch of sweet corn fritters with chilli sauce and bacon. Essentially all the same components but in one bite sized piece! 

150g pancetta

SWEET CORN PIKELETS:
150g plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
200ml milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
150g corn kennels

SWEET POTATO CHEESE:
2 large sweet potatoes
200g buffalo mozzarella ball
1 brown onion
1 teaspoon sea salt

SWEET CHILLI:
4 red peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 long red chillies
1 green apple
1 tablespoon grated ginger
200g sugar
75ml white wine vinegar
1 lime

METHOD:
To make the sweet chilli cut pepper's in half and remove seeds. Lay peppers on baking tray with whole garlic cloves and sprinkle with salt and olive oil, place in oven set at 200oC for 15minutes. Roughly slice chillies, peel and quarter apple then add to pot with ginger, sugar, vinegar and juice of lime. Place sauce pan over high heat and bring to the boil, once apple is soft remove from heat and put in food processor with roasted peppers. Blend together for 2 minutes then place aside to cool.

Peel the sweet potato and cut into quarters, dice onion and add both to a pot and cover with cold water. Place pot over a high heat and bring to the boil, once boiling add salt. Cook the potatoes till tender then drain and place in food processor with broken up mozzarella ball. Blend together till super smooth.

For the pikelets sift flour and baking powder together, then add salt and sugar. In a separate bowl beat the egg and corn together then add half the milk and half the dry ingredients and beat together till combined. Beat in the remainder milk and dry ingredients till smooth and lastly stir in the butter.
Place a fry pan over medium heat and using oil spray lightly grease pan. Using a tablespoon place 4 little amounts of pikelet mixture around the pan and cook till bubbles start forming on top, then flip and cook the other side till golden brown. Repeat with remainder pikelet batter.

Once pikelets are cooked gently fry the pancetta in the pan till just crispy.
To construct each canape spoon or pipe a tablespoon amount of sweet potato cheese on each pikelet followed by a teaspoon of sweet chilli and 2 torn piece's of pancetta. 

Boisterous Salad

The summer tease is well and truly over and it seems winter is here for at least another week. Forget the diet and open a bottle of port or red and make my new boisterous salty, creamy and bitter salad! 

200g puy lentils
150g pancetta
150g gorgozola
2 white chicory
2 wet garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
Sea salt and cracked pepper

METHOD:
Wash puy lentils under cold running water, place in large pot and fill with water. Add bay leaves and a good pinch of salt, place over a high heat to simmer for 30 minutes till tender.
Cut the pancetta into 5mm strips and cut stalk tops off the wet garlic and place both ingredients on a baking tray. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over garlic and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, cover tray with foil and place in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 30 minutes.
Cut chicory in half remove the core and pull leaves apart, wash chicory under cold water and gently pat dry. Once lentils are cooked drain and cool with cold running water and place in a mixing bowl, season lentils with a pinch of salt and a good crackling of pepper and drizzle over olive oil, mix together.
When the pancetta and garlic has finished cooking  remove foil and leave to cook for 10 minutes before handling.
Cut pancetta into 5mm cubes and peel off the outer skin of wet garlic and pick off the whole clove segments of garlic.
Now its time to construct the salad, roughly tear half the chicory leaves over a large platter and sprinkle a couple handfuls of lentils over chicory. Evenly distribute half the garlic and pancetta over lentils and lastly break small piece's of gorgonzola over top, repeat layer and serve with in 2 hours.