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A Recipe for the Captain's Table from Chef Neamtu
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Winstar Cruises Windstar Cruises’ Chef Daryl Neamtu has won the 2nd Annual BACARDI Bartender & Chef Cruise Competition. His winning vegetarian recipe is served on board all three Windstar ships.
Beluga Lentil and Basmati rice cake, served with a sautéed Spinach, Citrus poached Carrots and a Bombay Sapphire Gin Butter sauce.
Ingredients:
For the cakes:
1 cup (250ml) of Beluga lentils
1 cup (250ml) of basmati rice
? of a medium sized carrot (cleaned and diced)
1 medium sized onion (cleaned and diced)
1 stalk of celery (cleaned and diced)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
? cup of bread crumbs.
3 tbsp of thyme diced
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Carrots:
1 cup (250ml) of orange juice
1 carrot cleaned and cut in batons (sticks).
For the Spinach:
1 cup of baby spinach (cleaned)
For the butter sauce:
1 oz of Bombay Sapphire Gin
5 tbsp of orange juice concentrate
2 tbsp of 35% cream
6 tbsp of cold butter (in small cubes)
For the garnish:
? cup thinly cut leeks
salt
Or
2 inches chopped chives
Procedure:
Preheat the oven to 350
Boil the lentils in salted water for 20 minutes or until soft, cool them down and set aside till later. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil add ? of a tea spoon of salt and a dash of vegetable oil, add rice then cover with a lid. Let rice boil for 1 minute then remove from the heat. Let rice sit for 15 minutes with the lid on. Set aside till later. Sautee the carrot, onion, and celery together for 5 minutes in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, thyme and sauté for another two minutes. Take vegetables off the heat and mix with lentils, rice, breadcrumbs and the egg. Make sure to season the mixture. To make sure the cake is well seasoned, sauté a small piece of the mixture and taste it. If it is well seasoned make into a patty like cake. Coat with breadcrumbs and cook the cake on the stovetop in a pan with some vegetable oil. Once it is golden brown, transfer to the oven and cook for another 5 minutes. Sauté the spinach in a frying pan until soft, season with salt and pepper. Make sure to squeeze all of the liquid out after it has cooled.
For the carrots, boil in the orange juice until tender, (approx 12 minutes).
Place the Bombay Sapphire Gin in a small saucepot, heat up slowly, add the orange concentrate. Once it comes to a boil take off the heat immediately, start whisking in pieces of butter one at a time. Once they have all been incorporated, whisk in the cream, salt and pepper.
For the garnish, take thinly cut leeks (aprox. ? of a cup) and toss in flour. Deep fry them quickly until crispy and brown. Sprinkle with a dash of salt. Or take, 2” chopped chives and place them on top of the cake.
Assemble the dish by placing the spinach on the bottom of the plate, top with four pieces of carrot. On top of the carrot place the cooked lentil rice cake. Pour the sauce around the spinach and garnish the top of the cake with the crispy leeks.
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