mackerel, rhubarb, oats

 

i’ve been watching (and enjoying) the tv series to accompany hugh fearnley-whittingstall’s latest book, three good things, the idea of the book is simple – a lot of great recipes have three ingredients at their heart. in the show three chefs each choose “two good things” to accompany the third, a shared ingredient. they then cook their dishes which are judged and at the end of the week, after 5 shows, a winner is crowned.

each week there is a theme and the fish dishes were some of my favourites. the winning mackerel dish was hugh’s mackerel with rhubarb and oatmeal.

super simple – mackerel fillets are dipped in oatmeal (i used rolled oats as they were all i had) and then fried in a little oil; this is accompanied by rhubarb which has been lightly poached with some sugar and thyme.

thoroughly delicious and well worth a try.

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rhubarb schnapps

rhubarb gin last year, this year i’m reverting to rhubarb schnapps. sadly it’ll be six weeks before it’s ready but in the meantime i’m loving my rhubarb bitters.

rhubarb martini

a mid-week cocktail for you, made using my homemade rhubarb gin. this is wonderful - a hint of ginger, enough rhubarb and plenty of gin to provide a kick - and a perfect way to kick off a sunny (or not so sunny) evening.

roughly slice a half-thumb of ginger and bash it about a bit in the bottom of your cocktail shaker, to release a bit of flavour. add 2 shots gin, 1 shot rhubarb gin, 1/4 shot of dry vermouth and a few drops of orange bitters. stir with ice, strain and serve in a martini glass, garnished with a twist of orange zest.

rhubarb gin & tonic

i know its two drinks in a row but it is the weekend and, having just spent a week in california (in san francisco and then driving down highway 1 to los angeles), i’m struggling to get back into the flow of things.

i started this rhubarb gin off several months ago, adapting the nigella rhubarb schnapps recipe that i made a couple of years ago (just swapping the vodka for gin) and, when we got back i removed the rhubarb and gave it a try.

it’s wonderful. i expect we’ll try it in various other cocktail recipes but keeping it simple, with some ice and tonic is just what i need as i settle back into london life. i can’t decide if a slice of orange would be a good addition or not – any thoughts?

keep it pink

i picked up a great tip last week - if your end-of-season rhubarb is a bit green, add a handful of berries when you stew or roast it and you end up with a dish that is still a beautiful shade of pink. be careful not to add too many berries or you'll overwhelm the rhubarb flavour.

i roasted my rhubarb and berries with a splash or orange juice, grated ginger and a handful of demerara sugar.