Ingredients...

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

450 g /1 lb. black pudding skinned and chopped

1 bunch spring onions, about 8 trimmed and finely chopped

140 g / 5 oz chicken breast boned and skinned

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

25 g / 1 oz butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

150 ml /1/4 pt whipping cream

A little freshly grated nutmeg

A few leaves fresh basil chopped

1 x 350 g/ 12 oz packet won-ton skins

Vegetable oil for deep frying

 

METHOD

 

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger. When they have softened, add the black pudding and cook for about a minute. Add the spring onions and remove the pan from the heat so that they remain crunchy. Put it to one side to cool.

Take the chicken breast and blend it in a food processor with a teaspoon of salt. Add the butter and blend again. Now add an egg and continue to blend while you pour in the cream. Stop the motor from time to time and scrape the inside of the bowl with a rubber spatula so that everything is evenly combined.

Stir the chicken mousse into the black pudding mixture and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Finally, add the basil.

4. Lay out 6 -9 won ton skins on a clean work surface and place a spoonful of the black pudding mixture in the centre of each. Beat the remaining egg and use it to brush the edges of the won-ton skins. Fold each in half to form a triangle and press the edges firmly together. Repeat until all the mixture has been used.

Heat a deep pan of oil to 180 oc / 350 F. Fry about 6 won-tons at a time until they are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and turn them out on to kitchen paper. Serve hot.

 

Seared Scallops with Black Pudding and Onion and Orange Confiture

 

Onion and orange confiture
3 onions, finely sliced
1 carrot, finely sliced
1 orange
1oz caster sugar
1/4 pt white wine vinegar
splash of olive oil

 

Fish cream sauce
1/4pt Noilly Prat, or any dry vermouth (TIP: white wine can make sauces too acidic)
1/2pt fish stock
1/4pt double cream
Fresh thyme

12 scallops per person
12 1/2" slices of black pudding per person
Splash of olive oil

Serves: 4 People

 

Sweat onions in olive oil until translucent. Meanwhile peel the zest from the orange and slice very finely. ( TIP: be sure to remove the pith from the peel or the confiture will be too bitter.) Add carrot and orange zest. Continue to sweat for two minutes. Add sugar and caramelise. Add vinegar and juice from orange and reduce to almost dry. Season with salt and pepper. (TIP: any left over will keep in the fridge for up to a year. Serve it with cheese or chorizo for a snack.) For the fish cream sauce, heat vermouth in a pan until reduced to almost nothing. Add fish stock and reduce down and reduce again to about a third of its original volume. Add the cream and reduce to a sauce consistency. Season and finish with fresh chopped thyme. Drizzle around edge of each serving plate. Pan fry slices of black pudding in a little olive oil for about 20 to 30 seconds until crispy on outside, but still slightly pink inside. Meanwhile heat a little olive oil in a pan and add scallops on their flat side. Fry for about 40 seconds each side until caramelised. Season. (TIP: Do not season scallops when raw as the salt will draw out their moisture in the pan and prevent them from caramelising.) Arrange three scallops on top of three slices of black pudding topped with a teaspoon of confiture around a handful of rocket. Drizzle sauce around plate and serve.