Signature Lincolnshire dishes showcased in new cook book

Lincolnshire’s vibrant food and drink scene is being celebrated with the launch of a special cook book, featuring more than 35 recipes from independent restaurants, cafes, pubs, shops, producers and suppliers.

The 128-page full colour cook book features guest recipes from a few well-known local faces such as TV chef Rachel Green and twice Great British Menu winner Colin McGurran of Winteringham Fields.

Inside, the publication offers recipes, stories and anecdotes from well-established businesses, newcomers and the personalities behind some of the most popular county kitchens.

The Lincolnshire Cook Book retails at £14.95 and will be available in all of the businesses featured in the book as well as select local gift shops, book shops including Waterstones and online at Amazon.

Recipes were submitted by restaurants such as Doddington Hall, Lincoln restaurant Jews House, Bunty’s Tearoom and farm shop Uncle Henry’s.

San Pietro, Scunthorpe-based fine dining restaurant, is featured in The Good Food Guide and has produced three recipes for the book, including a liquorice panna cotta.

Producers say the carefully curated recipes are achievable by everyone, from novice cooks to more experienced at-home culinary enthusiasts.

The collection is diverse; from Rachel Green’s venison cutlets, Harrisons Restaurant smoked haddock chowder, Stokes Coffee scones, The Livesey Arms lamb rack and RJ Hirst Butchers Lincolnshire sausage and onion marmalade plait.

Colin McGurran of Winteringham Fields said: “I am more creative in the kitchen because of this special place, and judging from the rest of the dishes in this book, so too are the other chefs, foodies and people of this county.”

Why not get a flavour for some of the recipes featured?

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The following recipe is from Bunty’s Tea Room in Lincoln:

Bunty’s Pimm’s Cake

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 450g caster sugar
• 450g self raising flour
• 450g softened butter
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 8 large eggs
• 8 large strawberries, chopped
• 16 fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 3 tbsp Pimms

For the buttercream:

• 250g softened butter
• 500g icing sugar
• 3tbsp Pimms

For decoration:

• 8 large strawberries
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• ½ cucumber, sliced with peeler
• 3 tbsp strawberry jam

Method:

Heat your oven to 180°C. Lightly grease and line two 10 inch cake tins. Cream the butter and sugar together until light in texture and colour.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour, eggs, baking powder and Pimms and mix until thoroughly combined. Fold in the mint and strawberries, transfer mixture to sandwich tins and bake for 30 minutes.

For the buttercream, mix icing sugar, butter and Pimms and mix until pale. Once the cake has completely cooled spoon the jam onto the top of one sponge.

Spread the buttercream on bottom of second sponge and carefully place one on top of the other. Spread the remaining buttercream onto top of cake (with optional piping). Decorate with cucumber, mint leaves and strawberries.

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The following recipe is from the Doddington Hall restaurant in Lincoln:

Rabbit Scotch Egg with Pickled Carrot, Chard Puree and Black Pudding Soil

Ingredients (serves 4):

Scotch egg:

• 4 large free-range eggs
• 200g Lincolnshire sausage meat
• 200g minced rabbit and/or other game such as Partridge, pheasant or pigeon.
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 125g plain flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 free-range eggs, beaten
• 400g breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Black Pudding Soil:

• 150g black pudding – cooked

Pickled Carrot:

• 6 baby carrots
• 400ml water
• 200ml olive oil
• 200ml white wine vinegar
• 100g sugar
• 2 sprigs thyme

Chard Purée:

• Handful of washed chard
• 20g butter
• 50ml cream

Method:

Place the eggs, still in their shells, in a pan of boiling salted water and simmer for 6 mins. Drain and cool the eggs under cold running water, then peel. Mix the rabbit mince with the black pudding in a bowl and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Divide the mixture into four and flatten each section out on a 40cm x 40cm squared piece of cling film, shaping into ovals which are about 12.5cm long and 7.5cm wide. Place each egg onto a sausage meat oval, then pick the cling film square up by its corners, using it to wrap the sausage meat around each egg.

Make sure the coating is smooth and completely covers the egg. Roll each one in flour, then in the beaten egg, rolling to coat completely before rolling in the breadcrumbs to completely cover.

Repeat this process with each egg. Put all the pickling liquor ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for three minutes. Add carrots to the liquor and simmer for two minutes, then remove and reserve before refrigerating for later.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the chard for one minute; then refresh in cold water. Heat up the butter and cream on a low heat taking care not to boil, then add the chard and cook for two minutes. Use a hand blender and turn into a purée.

Heat the oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pan. Check for the correct temperature by dropping in a breadcrumb to see if it sizzles and turns brown. Carefully place each scotch egg into the hot oil and deep-fry for 7-8 mins, until golden and crisp and sausage meat is completely cooked.

Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Scatter the broken up pieces of black pudding on a plate to resemble soil and place the scotch egg on top of the chard purée with the pickled carrots on top of the soil to garnish.

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The following recipe is from Jews House in Lincoln:

Roast Turbot, Smoked Mussels, Capers, Wild Mushrooms and Yukon Gold Foam

Ingredients:

• 4 150g portions of turbot or cod if preferred
• 600g of fresh Scottish mussels, cleaned
• 100g of risotto rice
• 50g of Earl Grey tea leaves
• 100ml white wine
• Bunch of fresh dill
• 100g of cucumber
• 200g of wild mushrooms
• 1 tsp grape seed oil
• 1 tsp butter

For the Potato Foam:

• 200g of Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
• 100ml potato water
• 100ml of milk
• 100ml of double cream
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 cream whipper, optional

Method:

Start by chopping the potatoes into even sizes and boil in salted water until cooked. Drain and set aside 150ml of the water. Place the potatoes and 100ml of the water back into the pan, and add the milk and double cream.

Bring the ingredients to the boil and blend using a hand blender until the mixture reaches a smooth, velvety texture. Add more water if the mixture appears too thick. Pass the now fully blended mixture through a fine sieve and pour into a cream whipper and charge with two gas chargers.

Keep the mixture warm and set aside. For the mussels, place a deep tray on the stove and add the rice and tea leaves. When the tray starts smoking, place a cooling rack on top of the tray and add the mussels, covering with foil and smoking for around 5 minutes.

Take the tray off the heat and replace with a sauce pan, adding the cooked mussels and white wine. Place a lid on top of the saucepan and cook the mussels for a further 2 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and pour the white wine and mussels into a deep bowl, covering with cling film to keep warm. Begin cooking the fish by placing a non stick pan on the stove.

Add 1 tbsp of grape seed oil and place the turbot into the pan, Season with salt and pepper. After 2 minutes, add a tsp of butter and place into the oven for 4 minutes.

Take the fish out the oven and place on a warm plate. Place the pan back onto the stove and add the wild mushrooms, sautéing for 1 minute before adding in the smoked mussels, cucumber, capers and chopped dill.

Spoon the mixture over the fish. If using the whipper, expel the potato foam and pour over the fish. If you are using a hand-blender, froth the sauce before pouring. Finish with a few leaves of dill and serve.