IN SEASON
Seasonal Seasoning: A fl avour masterclass with Kit Davies
Boscastle, for some 'seasonal seasoning' tips on how to get the best fl avours out of the food, not only at Christmas but throughout the year.
W
I fi nd one of the best ways to get great fl avour into your dishes is to use the same pan throughout the cooking and to season as you go. For instance, if I was making a chorizo and mussel chowder, I would fry the chorizo in the same pan that I will serve the dish in, adding ingredients as I go. I use salt and lemon for seasoning. Pepper is
not a seasoning tool for me, rather it is a spice and fl avours the dish. If pepper works in the dish, then fi ne. When using salt and lemon, just
ith the Christmas season fast approaching, we asked Kit Davies, Head Chef at The Wellington Hotel in
keep in mind that you are liſt ing the fl avours that are already there. You don’t want the food to taste of lemon any more than you want the dish to taste of salt. When cooking meat, you should season
before you cook it as cooked salt has a diff erent fl avour to uncooked. Some chefs don’t season their meat because they believe that it draws out the moisture. Salting food is a great way to preserve it because it does indeed draw out the moisture, but it takes a long time to do this – so you shouldn’t worry too much about pre-salting. A great way of impressing the crowd
throughout the winter and particularly over Christmas is to roast a mix of seasonal vegetables together – celeriac, turnips, carrots, parsnips, red onions, potatoes, garlic. T ere’s your garnish for a dish right there and to achieve the wow factor it can be as simple
as roasting them in a fl avoured oil such as hazelnut, vanilla, garlic, or thyme - any good deli will stock these. Make sure the vegetables are roasted enough to release their sugars and begin to caramelise. A great tasting sauce to accompany your
seasoned meat and roasted vegetables is very important. In an ideal world, you would source some veal bones from the fi nest butcher to make your own stock. However, I realise that most people don’t have the time for this - so stock cubes are fi ne. T is does not mean that you can’t fl avour the base. Fry off some meat trimmings, garlic, rosemary, thyme, leek tops, celery or anything you may have knocking around that could add depth to the sauce. Deglaze with wine, balsamic, cider, Pernod or whatever works for the dish you are making. Don’t forget to drop a knob of butter in at the end to add a little richness and to thicken it.
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