Turbot, English asparagus, peas, Cox's apples
Fish Salmon prices aren't dropping, but at least they've stopped going up. On other farmed fish, sea bass from Greece will start to be a bit erratic as the Orthodox Easter holidays begin. Turbot from Northern Spain are also available for good prices. There are good supplies of native lemon sole, while Dovers, gurnard and plaice are becoming more plentiful. The season on swordfish has just started in Chile and the Seychelles, and there have been good landings.
Source: M&J Seafood 01296 333848 www.mjseafoods.com
Meat Meat is still getting more expensive and more difficult to source. New-season lamb is still some way off, and so proving hard to track down. Even old-season lamb is becoming expensive. Imported beef is still getting dearer, with some catering butchers unable to sustain the tightly squeezed margins. Premium British pork remains very good value. There has also still been no discernible drop in demand for poultry.
Source: Aubrey Allen 024 7642 2222 www.aubreyallenwholesale.co.uk
Fresh produce English asparagus begins this week in earnest, although it will become more abundant in the next few weeks as the weather gets warmer. At the same time, expect curly kale and purple sprouting broccoli to go to seed, and wild garlic to flower and finish. Italian peas and broad beans are now more plentiful. Button onions can, however, be scarce at this time of year. Stored stocks respond to the warmer weather and start sprouting, while the new-season crop is still a few weeks away. Parsnips are now past their best. Loquats are now in abundance, while Cox's apples from New Zealand are eating very well. New-crop Spanish watermelons are expensive, as are cherries, although the price will fall soon.
Source: Chef's Connection 020 7627 4809 www.chefs-connection.com
Seasonal recipe
Steamed cod on prawn gnocchi with a pea and bacon foam
Ingredients (Serves four)
4 x 150g skinned cod middle fillet portions
75g shelled prawns
2 litres court bouillon
10g finely chopped chives
150g fresh peas
50g smoked streaky bacon cut in strips
150ml chicken stock
75ml double cream
1kg whole Bintje potatoes, skin on
375g 00 flour
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
90g melted butter
1 frozen part-baked demi-baguette
2g approx Spanish smoked paprika
Sea salt and black pepper
Method Cover the cod in sea salt for at least one hour to firm up flesh. Wash off excess salt. At service, place fish on a steamer tray over a pan of simmering court bouillon for seven to eight minutes.
For the prawn gnocchi, pan-fry the prawns in a little butter until the prawns are nicely caramelised. Season with salt. Add remaining butter and remove from heat. Blitz in food processor for a couple of seconds until consistency is coarse.
Bake the potatoes in their skins until soft. Remove skin and finely mash, cool. Add eggs, prawn butter mixture, chives, seasoning and the 00 flour. Mix until you get a smooth dough. Place mixture into piping bag with 5mm hole cut in the bag. Pipe on to floured surface, in 20cm lines. Cut 3cm long pieces and place into a large pan filled with salted boiling water. They are cooked when they float. Remove and coat in olive oil. At service, place back in boiling water for two minutes.
For the pea and bacon foam, place bacon into a very hot frying pan (no fat required). Cook until nicely caramelised. Add chicken stock. When it boils, add cream, then peas. Cook for at least 30 seconds, then remove from heat and place mixture in food processor. Blitz until smooth, remove and pass sauce through a chinois. Chill very quickly.
At service, place sauce into small pan and gently heat to 90° C. Do not boil, or the sauce will not foam. Foam using a stick blender.
For the garnish, cut frozen demi-baguette on to a meat slicer on the finest setting. You are looking for very fine slices like net curtains. Place the slices on to a silicone-lined baking tray. Dust with paprika and dry on a very low heat (with no colour) for about one hour.
To plate, place five pieces of gnocchi at the centre of a plate. Place cod on top of gnocchi with foamed sauce. You are looking to create a support for the cod with the gnocchi, so all you see is the cod floating on the foam. Place paprika bread on top of the cod for height and texture.
Ross Pike, executive development chef, Holroyd Howe
