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Dating from 1640. the Greenbank Hotel is Falmouth's oldest hotel and
is a fascinating collection of seafront facing rooms. It boasts one
of the most sensational panoramic waterfront views in England. Hours
can literally pass by as you follow the yachts slipping quietly out
to sea. Even storm clouds gathering over the bay are dramatic. Once
home to Packet ship captains, Greenbank today is an eclectic balance
of stunning views and home to Chef Sanjay Kumar.
Born into a traditional Indian family, food was always the focal
point of Sanjay's life who was enthralled by the frequent trips to
the local fish market with his Father to see fresh river water fish
being gutted .A fascination about the chemistry of cooking and how
his mother could turn ordinary meat and vegetables into delectable
curries, drew him into being a Chef for the rest of his life.
After working in various parts of India and Saudi Arabia, he got the
unique chance to be a part of the Raymond Blanc kitchens in Oxford.
Food had never been such an enlightening experience than being
trained under the deft eyes of Monsieur Blanc himself. While French
classical food was the base, the training instilled in Sanjay the
concept of modern English food using fresh, seasonal local produce.
To further his quest towards his hunger to learn more about the
marriage of fine food and wine, his next stop was Hotel du vin, Tunb
ridge wells. Working for Hotel Du Vin, gave me an opportunity to
discover food in the perspective of a meal complemented with wine and
cigars, while being trained in various managerial disciplines from
people development to cost contro
His next step in the wonderful journey of cooking was Greenbank Hotel
Falmouth. With a vast coastline, and a unique landscape, Cornwall has
a great potential to offer. Nothing can compare to having a bowl of
steamed mussels with a glass of Chardonnay, knowing that the fish has
just been plucked a few moments ago out of the water metres away.
Sanjay's role there is to produce a sustainable organic and nature
friendly menu, by sourcing produce meticulously farmed by hard
working fishermen ,farmers and butchers of the region while training
the chefs of the next generation to enjoy the joys of cooking.
Stargazy pie according to Sanjay Kumar
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Scallop shell....02 boiled
Puff pastry sheet....01
Sardine <gutted>...04
Dry scallop with roe...04
Boiled egg......01
Native fal bay oysters...02
Monkfish tail.....200gms
Onion....01 large chopped
Garlic....01 clove, peeled and chopped
Tomato...02 chopped
Turmeric.<powder>.....1 tsp
Coriander....<powder>....1 tsp
Cumin powder....<powder>...1 tsp
Chilli powder.....<powder>...1 tsp
Eggs wash....10ml
Saffron strands...few strands
Milk...15ml..
Vegetable oil..20ml
Cornish sea salt...5gm
Peppercorn&ldots;.2 g
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Heat a sauce pan, with vegetable oil, and soften the
onion, garlic and tomatoes, with spices.
Neatly arrange the scallops <sliced into half>,
oyster meat, monkfish tail, and boiled egg in the base of a scallop
shell.
Season the fish with Crushed Cornish sea salt and
freshly crushed pepper
Spread the tomato and onion mixture on top of the fish
mix, and lay the sardines on top, <arranged in the form
of the spokes of a bicycle wheel> with their heads
facing skywards.
Cover the scallop shells with the puff pastry sheets,
leaving the heads of sardines looking out of the pastry and
seal the edges with egg wash.
Brush the surface of the pastry with saffron soaked in milk
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes
Sanjay says,
Serve garnished with curly parsley, on a bed of local seaweed with
some coriander tossed boiled pink fir apple potatoes from across the
Flushing. www.sanjayskitchen.co.uk
Jerk seasoned Cornish Tuna Niscoise With poached Ducks egg, and
kalamata olives
Ingredients:
1 Cornish Tuna steak 10ml olive oil
1 Duck egg 1 /4 lemon wedge
A handful of lizard leaf salad 20ml white wine vinegar
30 Gms Sugar snap peas 25Gms Jerk seasoning*
80 Gms Cornish earlies 5 Kalamata olives Pitted
3 Cherry tomatoes Slices of French bread
Fresh Coriander leaves to garnish
Preparation:
Place the duck eggs in simmering water with white wine
vinegar and poach for 5 minutes.
Top and tail the green beans, boil for 2-3 minutes and
refresh under cold water.
Method:
Cure the Cornish Tuna in Jerk seasoning for 15
minutes; Grill the steaks for 1 minute on each side.
Boil the Cornish Earlies in salted water and slice
them into roundels. Pan fry the roundels in Olive oil and
keep warm.
Put the lizard leaves in the bowl and top with the
green beans and kalamata olives.
Place the cooked Tuna steak on top of the salad.
Arrange the poached ducks egg around the tuna.
Put the hot sautéed potatoes and cherry
tomatoes around the salad
Finish with a lemon wedge and, fresh coriander leaves.
Sanjay Says Food has always played an important
role in unifying the world.
I like to cook this dish, as it promotes diversity
through the unity of flavours,
A perfect compliment to the present day British society.
Each element in this dish, has a unique geographic
origin flavour and identity, yet, carefully arranged in a plate, it
offers a feast to the eyes and tongue alike.
TO SERVE&ldots;&ldots;&ldots;&ldots; Serve the salad
warm, with plenty of French bread to mop the silky egg yolk,
Locally sourced Mackerel or Sea bass can be a good
alternative to Cornish tuna.
Yummy! |
