Daniel Patterson's recipe for fall, pastoral young carrots roasted on a bed of hay, powdered radish and shaved pecorino was featured at the Identita Golose conference in Milan in February 2010. See our article on the chef conference here.
INGREDIENTS
(serves four)
- 300g red radish
- 60g Californian hay, soaked and drained
- 25g Californian hay, lightly charred
- 1 litre water
- 2.5g agar
- 24 young carrots, cleaned
- 30g pure olive oil
- 20g daikon radish sprouts
- 20g clover sprouts
- 40 each daikon radish shoots
- Champagne vinegar
- Pecorino for shaving
- Salt
Hay stock
Cryovac 40g of soaked and drained hay and 25g of lightly charred hay with one litre of water and steam at 95e_SDgrC for one hour. Remove the contents from the bag and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and cool.
Hay gel
Combine 500ml of the seasoned hay stock and agar in a pot and bring to a hard boil for 10 seconds. Pour into a container and refrigerate until firm.
Roasted carrots
Toss the carrots in pure olive oil, and season with a generous amount of salt. Combine 20g of hay with 80ml of hay stock in a heavy enamelled cast-iron pot. Place the carrots on the hay, cover and roast in 200e_SDgrC oven for about 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
Radish powder
Mince the radishes in food processor. Spread the minced radishes on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and place in 75⁰C dehydrator until completely dry. Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder.
To assemble
Sprinkle radish powder lightly over the entire plate and then place eight to nine small pieces of hay gel in the centre of the plate. Season the radish and clover sprouts with Champagne vinegar and salt and spread over the hay.
Place carrots on top of the sprouts. Season radish shoots with Champagne vinegar and salt and place on and around the carrots. Shave a small amount of Pecorino over each plate and serve.