Menu

At Apicius all the students not in the masters class have to turn in a menu proposal with a theme. The winner will be head chef for a day in the schools new restaurant, Ganzo, with our menu being served. Here is mine.


Sean Walklin

King Chef Menu





Antipasti
Grilled squid stuffed with tomato
swiss chard envelopes with fontina
prawns with fresh borlotti beans

Primmi
Quail Risotto
Chestnut Tagliatelle with Wild Mushrooms
Gnocchi with Black Pepper and Goat Cheese sauce

Secondo
Grilled Lamb with Peppers and Aubergine Puree
Monkfish with Walknut and Agro Dolce
Poached Capon stuffed with black truffle, with boiled vegetables and salsa verde

Dolci
Mango and Strawberry “Lasagne” with caramel Sponge and Vanilla bean Gelato
Carnaroli Rice and Lemon Souffle
Chocolate Parfait and Chocolate Foam






















The reason that I put these particular recipes together was because of my experience at Ganzo. Although I only worked there one day so far and had only one meal I feel like I have a good sense of what Ganzo is trying to be. Not just a restaurant and not just a learning opportunity Ganzo is a place where the people are the most important. The main goal off the excellent food, wine and atmosphere at ganzo is to stimulate people. Stimulate conversation, relationships and new understandings. What I tried to do is put together an interesting menu that would stimulate people. I tried to find recipes that were familiar and new or different at the same time. I did that because Ganzo is the same. New and different but at the same time comfortable and welcoming. When I went to gonzo with my Friends we all ordered different things and were surprised and pleased to see more than we expected, everytime. I want people to share and interact because of what they are eating. My theme is Ganzo.

Sean Walklin’s Menu

Antipasti

Grilled stuffed squid with tomato.


16 whole squid,
2 squid for stuffing
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large ripe tomatoes
basil
sale pepe

for stuffing:
2 anchovy fillets 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves
flat leaf parsely
breadcrumbs equal to anchovy and squid in stuffing
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

to serve: ciabatta bread, olive oil, basil leaves

make stuffing by putting anchovies, oil garlic and herbs into a food processor until finely chopped, add squid , bread crumbs and cheese and blend.
Stuff squid pockets with mixture (not too full) close with toothpicks.
Put olive oil, diced tomatoes and basil in pan and warm without boiling, season to taste.
Brush squid with oil and quickly grill for about a minute on each side on a hot pan. Remove toothpicks and move squid to the pan of sauce move gently in the sauce for a minute or two. Grill chiabatta bread and rub with garlic clove and drizzle with oil. Serve in bowls with sauce and garnish with the bread and basil leaves.

Swiss chard envelopes with Fontina

2 large swiss chard stalks
2 slices fontina
100g plain flour
2 eggs
3 tablespoons grated parmesan
100g breadcrumbs
500ml oil for frying
3 tablespoons shallot viniagrette
small bunch chives but into batons
salt pepper

Remove chard leaves from stalks blanch stalks in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes until tender then drain and pat dry. Put chard leaves into boiling wate for about a minute then drain and pat dry.
Chard stalks will be pointed at tom where leaf was atatched. Trim off pointed part and cut into thin batons and set aside. Cut rest of stalk into an equal number about 7-8 cm long. Then slice these in half so you have identical pairs.
Cut cheese into slices just a little smaller than pieces of swiss chard. Keep chard slices in their pairs cut side up. Place a slice of fontina on one of the slices then put the other piece on top, cut side down. If chard is dry the cheese and chard will stay together like a sandwich. Place eggs in a bowl and whip. Put flour on large plate. On another plate mis 1 tablespoon parmesan and bread crumbs. dip in flour, egg and breadcrumbs at least twice. Mix remaining chard batons with leaves, salt pepper and remaining parmesan, tos with shallot vinaigrette and arrange on serving plate.
Heat oil and fry the “sandwiches” for about 2 minutes. Season with salt and arrange on top sprinkle with parmesan and chives.

Prawns with fresh borlotti beans

250 g fresh borlotti beans
1/2 head garlic, unpeeled and 3 cloves, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
bunch of sage
10 tablespoons olive oil
12 large fresh prawns (whole)
2 teaspoons sliced sweat chili pepper
1/2 glass white wine
2 tablespoons tomato passata
sale pepe

Cook beans in large pot with 1/2 head of garlic, celery, sage and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover with cold water and put a lid on and bring to a boil, skimming off foam. Cook until sof then leave to cool in cooking water.
When beans are almost ready peel the prawns, leaving the heads. Cut along back and clean. Open up as much as possible (make a stock from the shells also) Cook prawns with olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and sliced chili. Cook over medium heat, not searing. Season, then sear with the backs down. Saute until cooked. With a slotted spoon remove the beans from the liquid into the pan you cooked prawns in. Season and bring to a boil. Add tomato passata and stock to create some sauce. Add prawns and mix everything together.Crush remaining garlic into a paste and chop parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and black pepper. Garnish with parsley and garlic.






Primmi

Quail Risotto

2.5 litres chicken stock
50g butter
1 onion chopped very finely
400g superfino carnaroli rice
125ml dry white wine
12 sage leaves, fried in olive oil
sale pepe

for mantecatura
75g cold butter, diced
100g grated parmesan or grada oadano

for quail stew
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped shallot
1 carrot chopped
1 celery chopped
50 g pancetta chopped
rosemary, sage, bayleaf in bouquet garni
4 quail, breast and legs taken off and separated and carcasse kept for stock
1 teaspoon tomato paste

Put quail carcass in chicken stock, bring to a boil and then turn down the head and simmer for about 20 minutes. To make quail stew heat half olive oil in large pan, add the vegetables, pancetta and bouquet garni and cook slowly until vegetables soften.(about 4-5 min)
In separate pan heat the rest of the oil ad put in quail breast and legs, skin side down and cook 3-4 min until golden, seasoning also. Add to pan of vegetables and toss around for 3-4 min. Add tomato paste, cover with stock and simmer for 30 minutes, adding stock as needed. When quail is cooked, let it cool and pull meat off bones and flake it with your fingers. Put meat back in cooking juices and set aside.

Make risotto by adding butter then adding onion. Add rice and stir around to coat in the butter and toast the grains. Add wine and let evaporate. Add stock as needed and keep stirring. After about 10 min and flaked quail meat and juices. Cook another 7-8 min but make sure risotto will still be al-dente. Turn down heat and add montecatura. Garnish with fried sage leaves.





Chestnut Tagliatelle with wild mushrooms.

400g 00 flour
100g chestnut flour
1tblspns olive oil
15 egg yolks
pinch of salt

for mushroom sauce
300g mixed wild mushrooms
100g diced butter
2 garlic cloves
1/2 glass white wine
handful of parsley, chopped
chives cut in short lengths
30-40g grated parmesan
sale pepe

Make pasta by sieving the flours together and making a well for yolks.

Mushroom sauce: clean mushrooms, trim stalks and tear into even pieces, with stalks on. Heat half the butter in a pan and add garlic. Add mushrooms for 2 min and then the win. Season and take off heat. Boil pasta in salted water. Add pasta to sauce and toss. Add in rest of butter and chopped parsley and chives.

Gnocchi with black pepper and goats cheese sauce.

Gnocchi dough
1 kg potatoes
2 small eggs
about 320g flour
sale

2 tbspn black pepper
3 tblspn milk
160g soft goats cheese broken into pieces
small bunch of chives, some chopped some in batons
2 tblspn grated parmesan

make the gnocchi dough the normal way but with the black pepper added into the dough. Shape the gnocchi.
Warm the milk in saute pan, add goats cheese and let it melt gently to form a thick sauce, grind in black pepper to taste.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook gnocchi. Lift them into to sauce and sprinkle on chopped chives and toss gnocchi carefully. Add parmesan and water if needed. Garnish with batons.

Secondo

Grilled lamb with peppers and aubergine puree

2 aubergines
2 garlic cloves
rosemary
150ml olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 re pepper, deseeded and diced
1 yelllow pepper, diced
3 spring onions
1 tablespoon tomato paste
basil
1 tablespoon tomato passata
4 lamb filets each about 180g
8 tablespoons lamb sauce
2 handfuls mixed leaves
2 tablespoons vinaigrette
sale pepe

Preheat oven to 220c. Halve aubergines lengthwise then set aside. Using a sharp knife cut flesh in angles to make a diamond pattern. Slice garlic and insert into cuts, along with rosemary. Place the aubergine back together and wrap in foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Heat a saucepan add 2 tblspns oil and cook onions without allowing them to color. Add peppers and season. Cook 10-15 min until soft but not mushy.
Remove aubergines from foil and remove garlic and rosemary from the cuts. Spoon out the flesh and set aside to cool and dry, then chop finely. Heat oil in a saucepan and cook spring onions. Add aubergine flesh and tomato paste and cook for about 5 min. Add pan of peppers back to the heat, adding basil and tomato passata and simmer, adding 2 tblspns oil. Heat a pan on high and season lamb. Brush with oil and cook for 2 min on each side. Warm lamb sauce and toss salad leaves with the vinaigrette. Spoon aubergine puree on side of plate put peppers in middle and salad on other side. Slice lamb and place on peppers. Spoon on lamb sauce and drizzle olive oil.










Poached Capon stuffed with black truffle, with boiled vegetables and salsa verde

4 capon breast
10g black truffle, thinly sliced
200ml chicken stock
1 carrot sliced
1 celery chopped
8 baby new potatoes
salsa verde
sale pepe

Insert a knife into capon breast and make a pocket, slide in black truffly
season and wrap in cling film. Poach in simmering water.
cook celery, carrot and potatoes in chicken stock. slice capon and arange on plate with salsa verde on the side


Monkfish with walnut and agrodolce

2tblspns walnut paste
2tblspns white wine vinegar
4tblspns olive oil
2 swiss chard stalks with leaves
2tblspns vegetable oil
12 caper berries
4 monkfish tails about 220g each
4tblspns vinaigrette
2 handfulls rocket
sale pepe

for agrodolce sauce
5tblspns white wine vinegar
70 caster sugar
100g capers in brine, drained washed and dried
100ml olive oil

Make agrodolce by putting vinegar and sugar in small pan and reducing. Hand blend capers, slowly adding syrup then blend in oil slowly until creamy. Transfer to small pan and keep on low heat without boiling for about 15-20 min. Leave to cool. Mix 1 1/2 tblspns agrodolce sauce with walnut paste then slowly mix in the vinegar and half the oil the sauce will become paler. Separate chard stalks from leaves. Cut stalks into batons 5mm wide. Blanch in boiling salted water for a couple minutes. then so the same with the leaves. Mix together in a bowl. Put pan on to heat and add vegetable oil. Season fish and cook for 3-4 min on each side then turn heat down and let it relax. Season chard and toss in half the vinaigrette. Mix caper berries with rocket and toss with other half of vinaigrette. Spoon sauce on plates and arrange chard on top. Place fish on that, spoon on pan juices and top with rocket and caper.



Dolci

Strawberry and mango “lasagne” and vanilla bean gelato with caramel sponge

4 ripe mangoes
400g strawberries
for sponge
300ml condensed milk
140g beaten egg
90g flour
5g baking powder
100g butter
2 tblspns golden syrup
pinch of spices (cinnamon, cloves)

Day before serving peel mangoes and slice very thinly. Wash, hull and dry strawberrys and slice lengthwise, just thicker than the mangoes. Keep trimmings from mango and lend to a puree, place in fridge. Line a container in cling film. Line base with mango slices with no gaps. Next layer strawberries. Repeat 3 more times and finish with mango slices. Cover with cling film. Put another container on top then flip so extra juices will run out. Place in fridge for 12 hours.
For sponge, make a caramel then preheat oven to 150 and prepar a baking dish. Wisk caramel and all other ingredients and pour into baking tish and bake for 25 min. When ready to serve cut lasagne into slices. Garnish with sugar and glaze with a blowtorch. Place caramel sponge next to slice and top with vanilla bean gelato. Garnish with mango puree.


Carnaroli rice and lemon souffle

200g carnaroli rice
2 litres milk
1/2 vanilla pod, cut sideways
25g orange juice
50g castor sugar
50g unsalted butter
3 big lemons, preferably sorrento, or oranges
65g cornflour
3 gelatine leaves soaked in water and squeezed
for meringue
250g egg whites
190g castor sugar

Put a tray in fridge. Heat over to 200c
put 80g of rice in a pan with half the mild and bring to a boil. Simmer and overcook until rice is really soft. Blend with a hand mixer anf put through a sieve. Put rest of milk in a pan with the vanilla pod, scraping in seeds and bringing to a boil. Add remaining rice and cool al dente. Drain through a sieve and take out vanilla pod and spread rice on chilled tray. Set aside. Warm orange juice and sugar in a pan, when dissolved take off heat and add butter and whisk. Set aside. Trim edges of fruit and cut in half. Scoop out flesh and discard. Put halves in fridge for about an hour. Brush insides of fruit with orange juice mix. Lay upside down and place back in fridge for 5 min. Chop cooled rice into smaller pieced. Take ricemilk mix and heat, except about 4tblspns. When heated add cornflour and add gelatine. Pour mixture over rice grains. Make the meringue by whisking egg whites and add sugar. Fold meringue with rice mix. Spoon mix into empty fruit and bake about 8 min. Top with sugar.

chocolate parfait and foam

225ml whipping cream
170g amedei chuaco at least 70% cocoa
75g egg whites
70g castor sugar
30g dextrose

for foam
225g amedei toscano at least 70% cocoa
20g castor sugar
250g still mineral water

Whisk cream until firm and holds peaks. Put in fridge.
Melt chocolate. Put eggwhites and sugars in a separate bowl over simmering water, whisking until sugar is melted and mixture is hot to touch. Take off heat and whisk until it is cold and firm.Fold in meringue to chocolate. in slowly and add the cream. Line a tray with cling film and spoon in mixture. Freeze for at least 3 hours.
For foam
melt chocolate. Put sugar and mineral water into a pan and bring to a boil. Take off heat and whisk in chocolate a little at a time. Put through a sieve then into the soda siphon. Close and charge with gas, while liquid is still hot. Shake and put in fridge. Serve parfait sliced with foam next to it