Andrew McConnell's autumn vegie recipes
As much as I enjoy cooking and eating meat and seafood I enjoy most the challenge of creating standalone vegetable dishes. In recent years I have found that some of our most popular dishes in the restaurant are vegetarian. Vegetables now influence the structure and seasonality of our menus more than any other element. The beetroot dish is a recipe that could be served as an entree or accompaniment to a few slices of smoked or baked salmon, while the roasted jerusalem artichokes would work alongside roast chicken or pork.
Red endive, beetroot, juniper and horseradish cream
Beetroot has become an indispensable vegetable in my kitchen, raw or cooked. I like to use medium to small beetroot – large older beetroots can become a bit too earthy and bitter in flavour for my liking. Many heirloom varieties such as golden or chioggia (candy stripe) bring colour and in some cases a subtle and almost sweet flavour. To make the dressing for this salad you will need a quarter of a cup of beetroot juice. This is best extracted using a juice extractor. If you don't have one, your local juice shop should be able to sell you a small cup of fresh beetroot juice.
INGREDIENTS
2 medium or 1 large beetroot
2 heads of red endive
Beetroot juice dressing
¼ cup beetroot juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
4 juniper berries, crushed
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tsp walnut oil
Horseradish cream
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp creme fraiche
½ tbsp freshly grated horseradish (or substitute 1/2 tbsp prepared horseradish from a jar)
pinch salt and white pepper to taste
METHOD
1. Place the whole beetroots in a small saucepan of cold water. Place on a high heat and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to a low simmer and cook for 15-25 minutes or until tender. Test by piercing with a skewer.
2. To make the beetroot juice dressing, take a small stainless steel saucepan, add the beetroot juice, vinegar, juniper berries and sugar and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for a few minutes or until the beetroot juice is reduced to 2 tablespoons of liquid. Strain the beetroot juice and transfer to a small bowl. Add the grapeseed oil and walnut oil, season with a little salt and set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.
3. To make the horseradish cream, whisk together the mayonnaise, creme fraiche and horseradish, season with a little salt and pepper. Reserve the horseradish cream in the fridge until ready to serve. Cut the base of the endive from the bunch and remove all the individual leaves. Wash the leaves in cold water, dry in a salad spinner, then pat dry with a clean tea towel and place in a small bowl.
4. When the beetroot is cooked, remove from the water and cool on a plate for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel and slice the beetroot into 1-centimetre discs or wedges. Arrange the beetroot pieces on a plate and season with a little salt and black pepper.
5. Spoon the horseradish cream over the beetroot. Dress the endive leaves with 1 tablespoon of the beetroot juice dressing. Stack the endive pieces on the beetroot and drizzle the remaining beetroot dressing over the leaves. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Roast jerusalem artichokes with honey and rosemary
This recipe is a great standalone dish. The comte cheese custard, which serves as a sauce in this arrangement, is one of my favourite recipes of all time. But if pressed for time, the artichokes, simply roasted this way, are a great accompaniment to roast chicken or pork.
INGREDIENTS
8 jerusalem artichokes (about 350g)
1 tbsp honey
1½ tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
pinch of salt and black pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Prepare a roasting tray by lining with baking paper.
2. Peel the jerusalem artichokes and slice into 1 centimetre discs. Leave the artichoke pieces in water until you plan to cook them. To cook, remove from the water and pat dry. Place the pieces on the prepared tray, spreading evenly without any overlapping.
3. Combine the honey and rosemary with the melted butter in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, douse each slice of artichoke with the honey and butter mixture. When each piece is coated, drizzle any remaining liquid over the artichokes and season with a good pinch of sea salt.
4. Roast the artichoke for 12 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven. Leave the artichokes to cool on the hot tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a serving platter.
5. Spoon the comte custard alongside the roast artichokes, or serve in a small bowl for people to help themselves.
Serves 4
Comte cheese custard
This comte cheese custard is also great served with blanched asparagus or sauteed cauliflower florets.
250ml cream
5 egg yolks
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
70g comte, grated
salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp white balsamic vinegar
METHOD
1. Bring the cream to a simmer in a stainless steel saucepan. Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and nutmeg in a bowl. When the cream has come to the boil pour the hot cream over the yolks, whisking all the while.
2. Return the cream and egg mixture to the saucepan. Cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring with a spatula. In a few minutes the cream with start to thicken. When it is the consistency of a thick custard remove from the heat and add the cheese. Continue to stir the custard as the cheese melts and leave to cool, stirring from time to time.
3. When cool, season with salt, pepper and white balsamic vinegar. Strain the sauce and store in the fridge to set. When cool it should be the consistency of whipped cream.