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May 26, 2010
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Paul Tamburrini will be feeding Scotland's top fashionistas

Hotel du Vin’s One Devonshire Gardens will be packed to the gunnels with fashionistas, models and designers next month when the hotel, a 5pm member, will act as the official style suites for the Scottish Fashion Awards on Sunday 20 June.

Of course, it is a terrible lie that people in the fashion industry never eat anything more fattening than Marlboro Lights. However, I can’t help but feel that the cooking of Paul Tamburrini, the head chef at HdV’s One Dev, might not be fully appreciated by some of the more size-conscious models.

Many of his peers reckon that Tamburrini’s talents in the kitchens deserve to be more widely recognised. Since I still drool over a meal I ate there four years ago, I can only agree with them while wiping my chin.

The Bistro at HdV is currently promoting the fact that their menus stick closely to the seasons. Tamburrini has given 5pm a recipe for a dish which is on the current menu. The recipe looks long but it’s all fairly simple. Alternatively, just book a table and see how the pros do it.

The recipe is for black olive oil poached Dornoch lamb, creamed polenta, aubergine crisps and Ras-el-Hanout sauce. It serves four and this is how it’s done:

For the lamb:

4 x 150g loins of Dornoch lamb

50g good quality olive oil

50g dried black olives

For the crisps:

1 small aubergine

For the sauce:

2 white mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

5g ras-el-hanout (moroccan spice, available at most supermarkets)

200g chicken stock

200g double cream

For the polenta:

55g good quality polenta

200ml full fat milk

100ml double cream

45g aged parmesan, finely grated

Sea salt and pepper

For the lamb:

  1. Blend the olive oil and olives in a food processor until smooth.
  2. Brush the paste evenly over the lamb, and wrap tightly in cling film to shape into parcels. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to rest.
  3. Poach in a large saucepan of barely simmering water (around 53C) for 12 minutes.
  4. Remove the cling film and saute in a hot pan until caramelised. Let rest for 5-6 minutes.

For the crisps:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 160C
  2. Thinly slice the aubergines lengthways.
  3. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil, and lay the aubergine slices neatly.
  4. Place another lightly greased baking sheet on top and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden
  5. Remove from the baking sheet immediately to prevent sticking.

For the sauce:

  1. Saute the mushrooms, garlic and shallot together in a touch of olive oil.
  2. Add the ras-el-hanout and cook out slowly, without colouring the vegetables.
  3. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half
  4. Then add the double cream, again reducing by half.  Season with salt flakes to your taste.

For the polenta:

1. Bring cream and milk to the boil, and add the polenta. Stir for 2-3 minutes on a high heat. Reduce the heat to a minimum, then continue to cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently.

2.  Add the parmesan, some sea salt and pepper and pass through a sieve if needed. Keep warm.

To assemble:

Carefully spoon some polenta onto a warm serving plate, followed by the sliced lamb. Place the crisps around the lamb and drizzle the sauce onto the plate accordingly.