Darts Farm

Topsham, Devon
EX3 0QH
Tel: 01392 878 200
Email: [email protected]

September on the farm

September on the farm

Speak to most people & they'll agree we've just lived through the hottest, driest Summer in memory. That is, until you ask the old boy in the moth-eaten flat cap, slumped on a barstool in the corner of your village pub. He'll tell you "this ain't nothin' on the Summer of '76", then reminisce about a year so dry that farmers downed tools & spent it splashing about on Exmouth beach. Our team may have been tempted by a dip in the Exe, but we didn't quite reach that - perhaps because we now have iced lattes & gelato to keep them cool.

This heat wave has caused a few agricultural headaches. We've never seen such small brassicas, with heads of broccoli & romanesque the size of a fist. But while some crops withered, others thrived - anything under glass has gone berserk, and stone fruit & berries arrived early with exceptional flavour from all that natural sugar. Our vines enjoyed it too; we'll be harvesting earlier than ever, so keep an eye out for our Community Harvest days.

With Pumpkin Fest on the horizon, we're keeping a keen eye on the tens of thousands of pumpkins growing away - so far, so good.

September always feels transitionary, but this year it's more than a change in season - it's a new chapter. We're finally unveiling 'Darts 2.0', our new home & lifestyle hub, with partners Indigenous & Cycen (and more to come!). Do pop over & see for yourself.

Difficulty:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves: 2
Pan fried hake fillet with a warm salad of roasted pumpkin and lentils and a red pepper hollandaise Image 1

Ingredients

  • 2x 200g fillets of hake
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 80g unsalted butter
  • 1x small pumpkin, any type
  • 100-150g Hodmedod's brown lentils
  • 1x banana shallot
  • 1x tablespoon red pepper paste (or a few roasted peppers, blended)
  • 2x egg yolks (40-50g)
  • 180g unsalted butter, clarified (this will leave you with around 120-140g of oil from the butter)
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • A few sprigs of thyme and rosemary
  • Rapeseed oil, for roasting and frying
  • 30ml white wine vinegar
  • 60ml olive oil
  • A small teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 30g parsley, chopped

Method

  1. Start with the pumpkin: peel, deseed, and chop the flesh into 2-3cm cubes. Roast with the crushed garlic, a dash of rapeseed oil, thyme, rosemary, and salt at 180°C for around 30 minutes, until soft with a little colour. Remove the garlic and herbs after cooking.
  2. Wash the lentils in cold water, then place in a medium-large saucepan and cover with cold, unseasoned water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft but not overcooked. Strain and set aside.
  3. Finely dice the shallot and set aside. Mix the Dijon, white wine vinegar, and olive oil together to form a dressing, and set aside ready to build the warm salad.
  4. For the hollandaise: make sure your clarified butter is still warm, around 50°C. Over a pan of simmering water (the lentil water, if you're organised), whisk the egg yolks, a pinch of salt, and half the lemon juice together until the mix looks pale and has doubled in size - similar to soft-peak meringue. Remove the bowl from the heat and place on a tea towel for stability. Slowly whisk in the warm clarified butter, just like making a mayonnaise. If the mixture starts to look loose or oily, add a little hot water to bring it back together. Once thick, stir in the red pepper paste, check for seasoning, then set aside somewhere warm - if it cools down, it may split. (In the restaurant, we add a little hot water to the sauce just before serving.)
  5. To cook the hake: wash in cold water and pat dry, then lightly salt the skin and flesh. Heat a little rapeseed or cooking oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the fish skin-side down - it should sizzle gently. Leave until the flesh has turned opaque two-thirds to three-quarters of the way up, then add the butter, followed by the remaining lemon juice (to stop the butter browning too much). Spoon the foaming butter over the fish for 20-30 seconds, then remove onto a plate lined with a little kitchen towel.
  6. To build the salad: combine the warm roasted pumpkin, lentils, shallot, and parsley in a bowl with a good amount of the dressing. Mix and season to taste.
  7. To serve: plate the salad, place the fish alongside, then spoon over as much red pepper sauce as you like.

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