BEAVERBROOK: CHICORY, TOASTED SEEDS AND SMOKED PECORINO
I am already well on my way to eating only warming and cooked food now that we’re firmly heading into the coldest and darkest time of the year and since I’m expecting, so my digestion is *eeeek* to say the least. But! There are no hard rules in Ayurveda and I wanted to share a little recipe that totally delighted me on a short stay at Beaverbrook House, a late Victorian mansion reconceived as a playfully glamorous country hotel estate in Surrey, in September.
This simple dish is a signature at The Garden House Restaurant run by Barret Jones, Kiwi chef resident for almost three years or as long as the establishment has been open to the public. We ventured over to the earliest seating on a beautiful sunny evening to catch the sunset and this recipe caught my eye.
I am a big fan of the bitter sweetness of chicory, also known as endive although they’re slightly different botanically speaking, and using chicory hearts — where the leaves are crisp and sturdy and tightly packed — a delight when you need a quick crudité that doesn't need chopping to get them finger food-ready. Even more conveniently the curved leaves make the perfect “boat” for carrying other delicious ingredients like we have here as well as making a brilliant scoop for dips and sauces.
Tasty toasted seeds, the sweetness of honey, the tang of sherry vinegar and the smokiness of pecorino were enough to make my mouth water on finding this on the menu and neither Nick or I was disappointed when this simpler starter arrived. It was crunchy and completely moreish — we ended up ordering it the next day as part of a picnic on the lawn in the sunshine. I caught chef Barret before I left and begged for the recipe. I knew I’d be able to recreate it loosely but the flavours were so perfectly balanced I didn't want anything but the original. “It’s all about the sherry vinegar,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. So I got some.
Chicory hearts come in a pale green yellow as pictured or purple red varieties. This bitter leaf is related to lettuce and is seasonal in the autumn into early spring. It’s a popular winter veg in Italy where it is eaten cooked — sautéed or braised, which brings out their sweetness — a great idea if you wanted to adapt this recipe for something a bit more cold weather-friendly. You could also cut the chicory into wedges and tuck them into an oven-proof dish, sprinkle with the seeds and pecorino and grill before adding the dressing. Mmm…
INGREDIENTS
20g sunflower seeds
20g pumpkin seeds
5g poppy seeds
5g sesame seeds
7g honey (I would use raw)
7g sherry vinegar
30g extra virgin olive oil
30g smoked pecorino
10g spring onion
3g chives
Maldon sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 heads/hearts of chicory
METHOD
Toast seeds at 160 degrees for 12 minutes.
Finely slice spring onions and chives and set aside.
Cut pecorino into small cubes and add to the herb mix.
Once the seeds are toasted, place into a mixing bowl and add the honey, sherry vinegar and olive oil and mix well.
Toss through the chives, spring onion and smoked pecorino and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Slice off the bottom of the chicory and carefully separate the leaves.
To serve as a salad: toss the seed mix with the chicory leaves and pile onto a serving plate. As a nibble, starter or canapé: arrange the chicory leaves on a serving platter and place a heaped teaspoonful of the mixture into each leaf.
East by West tip: For a cooked version, double the amount of chicory (it will reduce as it cooks) and braise in a pan with ghee or other cooking oil until it starts to wilt while still retaining some bite. Toss through the seeds, dressing and seeds and pecorino and serving immediately. Alternatively, and if you can’t find chicory, use your favourite winter greens, sauté in a pan in ghee until well cooked and again toss or top with the additional ingredients.
If you like this, check out the braised gem lettuce with fennel and sesame gomashio.