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Tenderstem® Brunch Recipes with Donal Skehan

Ah BRUNCH! Our favourite meal of the day. It turns out the lovely Irish cheeky chappy Donal Skehan agrees with us too! He also just so happens to be the face of Tenderstem®, so we caught up with him, whilst he was over from LA LA Land to create two of his favourite Tenderstem® brunch recipes at L’atelier de Chefs.

Full of glorious nutrients, blimmin delicious and super versatile, Tenderstem® is actually a cross between Chinese Kale and regular ol’ broccoli. For this reason you’re probably most familiar with it in Asian style stir-fry’s (which are delicious!) but there’s no reason to stop there.

Both of the recipes below show how by simply roasting or frying the brassica, you’ll get a completely new flavour in just a few minutes! It goes without saying but there’s also zero waste because you can eat the entire stem (duh, it’s super Tender(stem!) With a consistency more like that of asparagus, and with just a 100g portion containing your full quota of Vitamin C, this is one snappy superfood we can seriously get on board with.

So what are you waiting for? Get the gang around and share your creations with us on Instagram!

Tenderstem Sweetcorn Fritters

Tenderstem® Sweetcorn Fritters

A delicious way to start the day, these take just 20 minutes to rustle up and can be made from nearly all store cupboard ingredients.

Servings: 4

Cooking time: 20 minutes

You’ll need:

  • 200g Tenderstem®
  • 270g of fresh cherry tomatoes on the vine
  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 150g plain flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 125ml whole milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 350g sweetcorn kernels (from approximately 3 corn cobs)
  • 4 spring onions, finely sliced
  • Small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 90g smoked pancetta slices

 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4
  2. Put the Tenderstem® and the tomatoes on the vine on an ovenproof tray, in a single layer. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
  3. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander, ground cumin and paprika in a bowl and stir to combine.
  4. Whisk in the milk, beaten egg and lemon juice. Add the sweetcorn kernels, spring onions and chopped fresh coriander and mix until just combined.
  5. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat, adding the rest of the olive oil. Add 4 tablespoon size dollops of the sweetcorn batter to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes either side until golden. Keep the cooked fritters warm on an ovenproof plate in the oven while you cook the next batch.
  6. At the same time gently fry the pancetta slices in a small frying pan, adding a little olive oil if necessary until crispy.
  7. To serve, divide the fritters between four plates and top with the roasted Tenderstem®, cherry tomatoes and crispy pancetta.

 

Donal Skehan's Charred Tenderstem and Romesco

Donal Skehan’s Charred Tenderstem® with Smoky Romesco Sauce & Toasted Almonds

This recipe by Donal Skehan is the perfect option for an extra-special weekend brunch (and would also make a fab canape)!

The romesco sauce recipe makes a generous amount – save leftovers in a jar in the fridge with some extra virgin olive oil on top of the sauce to seal its freshness. Seek out the best quality ricotta and sourdough bread you can find for this simple dish; it will make all the difference.

 

You’ll need:

  • 500g Tenderstem®
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
  • 250g ricotta
  • 4-6 slices sourdough bread, toasted
  • Sea salt

 

For the Romesco Sauce:

  • 50g blanched almonds, toasted
  • 50g skinless hazelnuts, toasted
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 slice of stale white bread, torn up (crusts are perfect)
  • ½ red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 large tomato, peeled, deseeded and chopped
  • 90g roasted red peppers from a jar
  • Good handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

 

Method:

  1. Prepare the romesco sauce by placing all the ingredients in a food processor and blitzing until they are combined but still have texture. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper.
  1. Heat a large griddle pan over a medium heat. Brush the Tenderstem® with oil and butter and arrange across the base of the pan. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and allow to char for approximately 4 minutes either side until tender and each piece has deep char marks. If you would prefer your Tenderstem even more tender, add a splash of water to the pan and cover with a lid for 1-2 minutes.
  1. Spread each slice of sourdough toast with ricotta and top with charred Tenderstem®, romesco sauce and toasted almonds.
  1. Serve while the Tenderstem® is still warm.

https://www.tenderstem.co.uk

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