by Andrew Soddy, Executive Head Chef at L'Horizon Beach Hotel & Spa

September is a special month for me as it is when I started at the hotel and this month I am celebrating 5 years of fun and adventures at L’Horizon Beach Hotel & Spa. I fell in love with Jersey in 2014 mainly due to the abundance of fresh, local produce we have surrounding us. You can’t get any more local than our own pear tree right on our doorstep!

It’s also an exciting month because I am sharing more of my recipes with you in the form of a recipe book, before you get excited it’s not mine. The Slice of Jersey book features recipes from all the top Chef’s on the island and you’re definitely in for a treat. It will be sold on Amazon and in WH Smith but if you want a personalised copy you will be able to purchase them at the hotel. I thought I would give you a preview of one of the recipes in the book and it’s from our new Fusion restaurant so the spices and flavours you get from the dish will tantalise your taste buds.

Aloo Gobi

Aromatic spiced crispy cauliflower and potato bonbons with carrot and red cabbage slaw and pomegranate molasses gel

Ingredients

  • 1/2 potatoes, cubed
  • 1 medium size cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 tbsp mustard seeds
  • 1/2 lime leaves 
  • 1 cinnamon stick 
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp garlic, grated
  • 2 red chillies, slit 
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp yoghurt, beaten
  • 1 tbsp gram flour (chickpea & lentil flavour)
  • 1 tbsp corriander leaves, chopped 
  • Salt to taste

Carrot & Red Cabbage Slaw

  • 2 baby red cabbages
  • 1 red lettuce
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed
  • 50ml olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pomegranate Molasses

  • 50g sugar
  • 100ml cranberry juice
  • 25ml maple syrup 
  • 10oz ginger nugget

Method

  1. Put a pan on with a drizzle of oil and add the mustard seeds, lime leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves, and fry until they start to pop and release the flavours. (Be careful the pan and oil isn’t too hot as the pods and seeds will pop and fly).
  2. Add onion, ginger and garlic and sauté until light brown. Now add the cauliflower, potatoes, salt, turmeric powder and green chillies. Mix everything well and cook covered in the oven at 160c until soft for about 1 hour.
  3. Sprinkle water and continue to stir at intervals until done. Now add the yoghurt mix and simmer further until it thickens.
  4. Add chopped coriander leaves, gram flour until the mix is just firm enough to hold a ball shape.
  5. Using a spring loaded ice cream scoop and a jug of hot water, make ball shapes onto a greaseproof sheet, until all mix is used. Place the tray with the aloo balls into a freezer to firm up, but don’t freeze.
  6. Cook Aloo Gobi balls in a shallow pan until golden brown, place on kitchen towel to release excess oil.
  7. For the red cabbage slaw thinly slice the cabbage, lettuce and onion, then mix in a bowl. Thinly slice the trimmed fennel and soak in iced water for about 20 minutes. This will crisp the fennel and soften the aniseed flavour. Drain well and add to the bowl. Pour over the dressing and stir through, mix all the ingredients until combined.
  8. For the pomegranate molasses de-seed two pomegranates and put to one side. In a pan add the sugar, cranberry juice, maple syrup and ginger nugget, boil until it forms a syrup consistency then cool.

  9. Place the cabbage slaw on the base and add the cauliflower aloo balls on top then dress with micro coriander and lemon dressing.