Caponata a la Damien Hirst with inspiration from an Italian chef called Massimo
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time:1 hour
Serves 4
For the Aubergine Imam
200gdiced aubergine
1 teaspoon table salt
Vegetable oil for deep fat frying(use a deep fat fryer)
1 teaspoon olive oil
60gDiced Onion
5gGround Cumin
20g Balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar
100g chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons tomato puree
Aubergine Iman
1)Salt aubergine in a colander to release the water in side them. This takes 30 minutes.
2)Dry off with a clean towel and fry until golden in a deep fat fryer at 170c for 2 minutes
3)Drain off in a colander
4)Sweat off onion in the olive oil
5)Add cumin, sweat off
6)Add vinegar and sugar
7)Add the tomatoes and puree & cook out for 15 minutes
8)Last minute mix in the fried aubergines
For the aubergine puree
15g Caster Sugar
300g Diced Aubergine
Salt & pepper to taste
1)Heat sugar in a pan to make a caramel
2)Add the diced aubergine
3)Stir in before cling filming the pan and leaving to cook in its own steam for 20 minutes
4)Remove the cling film and heat until the aubergines are dry
5)Blitz in a thermo mix, speed 10 for 1 minute until smooth
6)Pass off through a fine sieve
7)Season to taste with salt and pepper
Liliput Capers (as they are)
10g liliput capers
For the roasted celery
2 sticks of celery (peeled & deveined)
10golive oil
1gsalt
1)Blanch the celery in boiling water for 1 minute
2)Put the celery into Iced water
3)After 5 minutes remove from the water and dry with a towel.
4)In a hot non stick pan colour the celery with the oil and salt.
For the Parsley puree
100g flat leaf parsley (picked)
50g butter
50g double cream
50g water
Parsley puree
1)Blanch the parsley for 1 minute in boiling water
2)Bring the butter and double cream and water up to the boil
3)Add the parsley and cook for 4 minutes
4)Add the sauce to the thermo mix
5)Blitz on speed 10 for 2 minutes
For the Tomatoes (on the vine)
1 vine of cherry tomatoes (about 6)
2gsalt
2gsugar caster
Tomatoes (on the vine)
1)Cut tomatoes in to ¼ ‘s
2)Season with salt and sugar
3)Dry out in the oven 100c for 30 minutes
For the Baby Artichokes
4 baby artichokes
1 litre water mixed with 30g lemon juice
500g olive oil
50gcider vinegar
2gsalt
Baby Artichokes
1)Peel the artichokes and store in water and lemon juice
2)Cook in the oil for 4-5 minutes
3)When cooked drain off and season with cider vinegar and salt.
For the artichoke Puree
2 globe artichokes, peeled & turned & cut into 2cm dice
300mlsolive oil
50gdouble cream
Salt to taste
Artichoke puree
1)Cook the artichoke dice in the olive oil until tender. Strain and blitz with the double cream to make a puree.
2)Pass off through a fine sieve and season with salt to taste.
For the black olive crumb
200g pitted black olives
Black olive crumb
- Wash and drain olives
- Cook at 180c for 30 minutes on a tray
- Blitz in a baimix blitzer
For the Noccelara del Belice
6 x green olives
Noccelara del Belice
1)Slice in half and remove the stones
2)Cut in half again, serve
For the toasted Pine Nuts
50g pine nuts
Toasted pine nuts
1)Cook on a tray at 180c for 5 minutes until golden brown
For the red pepper puree
100g olive oil
500gdiced red peppers (seeds and pith removed)
5gSalt
Red pepper pure
1)Heat the oil
2)Add the red peppers and the salt
3)Clingfilm the sauce pan and leave for 10 minutes
4)Remove clingfilm and evaporate all the liquid in the pan
5)When evaporated blitz the peppers in the thermo
6)Speed 10 for 2 minutes
7)Pass off through a fine sieve
Parsley cress for garnish
To plate
1)Plate the artichokes, aubergine imam, capers, pine nuts, black olive crumb and nocellara olives in the middle of the plate randomly assembled
2)From each corner of the assembled middle do a table spoon of the 4 different purees.
3)Flick the puree out toward the edge of the plate with a spoon
4)Do this twice for each puree
5)Finish with parsley cress