Sharpham Park, owned by Mulberry founder Roger Saul, is raising awareness of the charity Bowel Cancer UK by collating delicious recipes from the best British chefs, using the key ingredient of spelt. Spelt is one of the healthiest grains and is rich in fibre, which can in turn help prevent bowel cancer.
Sharpham Park has the only dedicated organic spelt mill in the UK, not far from Mulberry’s home in Chilcompton, in the English countryside.
Great British Spelt Recipes were donated by over 30 chefs, including Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Heston Blumenthal, Rachel Green, Mark Hix and Sophie Dahl. London-based chef and restauranteur Tom Aikens was also among those who gave a spelt-based recipe. Tom was the chef in residence for an exclusive dinner we hosted at London Fashion Week in February 2012, and we are delighted to share another recipe from him, all in aid of this good cause.
Great British Spelt Recipes >
Tom Aiken’s Spelt Risotto with Cepes and Walnuts
Risotto ingredients:
400g Pearled Spelt washed
2 Carrots peeled and split in half
2 Onions quartered
3 Shallots peeled and quartered
6 Cloves garlic split
6g Sprigs thyme
20g parsley stalks
3 bay leaves
Wash the spelt under cold water and place into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to a simmer, drain wash and rinse in cold water. Place back into a clean pan with the split carrots, onions, shallots, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves then bring it back to a simmer. This will need to simmer for approx 45 minutes till tender, leave this too cool in the liquor so they take on more flavour and add 2g salt, its best if the veg is left in for a day as the pearled spelt will take on more flavour.
Brown butter ingredients (for dressing)
500g butter diced
15g thyme
4 bay leaves
8 cloves garlic bashed
Place the butter onto heat with the garlic and turn to a nut brown, then add all the herbs and leave to infuse for 8 hours in a warm place, then pass keeping all the sediment. Leave in a warm place.
To finish the spelt:
400g Shallots peeled and finely diced
2g Chopped parsley
2g cepe powder
2g chopped chervil
30g Crème fraiche
30g grated Parmesan
50ml truffle oil
50g Butter
2g salt + 8 turns of milled pepper
50ml lemon juice
Place a small pan onto a medium heat adding the butter, add the chopped shallots and cook for a couple of minutes till just tender with the seasoning, add the cooked pearled spelt and 300ml of the cooking liquor and reduce by 2/3rds. Add the crème fraiche to the spelt with the cepe powder, grated Parmesan, lemon juice and the fresh herbs, check the seasoning.
Cepes ingredients: (Can use Portabello mushrooms as an alternative)
Picked thyme leaves
Maldon salt
Cepe dressing
Milled pepper
Olive oil
Butter
These are thinly sliced then cooked in a hot pan in olive oil then butter, add seasoning, then the thyme leaves at the end, then drain in a colander, then once they are all cooked then mix enough dressing through the cepes to keep them moist.
For toasted walnuts:
Place the walnuts into a oven at 180c and toast till golden brown then chop roughly, this is used for garnish.
To assemble:
3 sorrel leaves stalk cut out
Pearled Spelt Risotto
Cooked cepes
Toasted walnuts
Brown butter
Place the raw sorrel leaves into the bottom of the plate and then the risotto on top, and on top the cepes, walnuts and brown butter.
Thank you to Tom Aikens and Sharpham Park for the recipe.
