To eat well, everyone should care where their food comes from – that’s the vision of Chichester lifestyle venue, The Barn. That’s why they use hyper local ingredients and serve dishes which celebrate slow food, community and wellness.
The self-proclaimed ‘Narnia of Chichester’ who have a ‘secret courtyard of individual chalets for a unique dining experience’ in East Street also use small bath ingredients to cut down on food waste.
‘Eating more seasonally and locally has so many health and societal benefits,’ The Barn’s ethos insists. Plus it tastes good, too so why not whip up one their dishes to enjoy with loved ones at home?
The Barn’s Kedgeree recipe
Serves 4
30ml olive oil
200g onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
30ml ginger, grated
2 bay leaves
10ml ground turmeric
2.5ml ground cinnamon
200g brown rice
400g vegetable stock
4 courgettes
100g caster sugar
100g white wine vinegar
Rind of 2 lemons
Salt to season
240g hot smoked trout
Poached egg, fresh dill, and wedge of lemon to serve
In a large saucepan, add the olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, and bay leaves and sweat, over a low heat, without browning.
Once soft, add the spices and cook for 5 minutes before adding the rice and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, place the lid on and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
For the courgette – dissolve the sugar in the vinegar with the lemon rind. Slice the courgettes thinly lengthways (preferably on a mandolin) and season with salt. Pour the vinegar mixture over the courgette to coat. Put aside for 30 minutes.
Mix the hot smoked trout into the rice mixture and spoon onto serving plates. Top with pickled courgette, poached eggs, fresh dill, and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Hispi Cabbage Moilee recipe
Serves 4
30ml olive oil
1 onion, diced
3cm piece fresh ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 dried curry leaves
1 red bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped
7.5ml mustard seeds
5ml ground turmeric
400ml tin coconut milk
100g creamed coconut, grated
5ml salt
30ml butter (or plant based equivalent)
1 large or 2 small Hisbi cabbages, quartered lengthways
Freshly ground black pepper
Toasted cashew nuts, fresh coriander, and lime wedges to serve.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and curry leaves. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until softened, stirring regularly.
Stir in the chilli, mustard seeds, and turmeric, and cook for 1 minute then add the coconut milk, creamed coconut, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes until the coconut cream has completely dissolved.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cabbage quarters and cook for 4 minutes on one cut side, then turn and cook on the other cut side for another 4 minutes. Add a splash of boiling water to the pan and cover with a lid; once all the water is evaporated and the cabbage is tender, season to taste.
Place the cabbage in a deep serving dish and pour over the moilee sauce. Scatter over the toasted cashew nuts and fresh coriander. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
Aubergine Shawarma recipe
Serves 4
For the aubergine
2 aubergines, cut in half lengthways
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5ml ground coriander
5ml ground turmeric
5ml paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
10g garlic
10g ginger
5ml brown sugar
100g olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200*C/180*C fan. Score the aubergine flesh with a knife to make a criss-cross pattern, and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat, and place the aubergine, flesh side down, and caramelise until golden brown. Turnover and repeat.
In a food processor, blend to make a paste with the spices, garlic, ginger, garlic, sugar, and oil.
Place aubergine in roasting tray and brush the flesh with the spice paste. Roast for 30 minutes, remove from oven and put aside.
For the Shawarma mix
150g raw green lentils
50g tomato paste
1 medium tomato
1 red pepper
5ml ground cumin
5ml ground paprika
20g harissa paste
1.5ml ground nutmeg
5ml marmite
15ml fresh coriander, chopped
50g olive oil
Cook the lentils in a large pan of salted water, over a medium heat, until soft. Drain and then leave on a tray to cool.
In a food processor, add the remaining ingredients and cooled lentils, and blend to make the shawarma lentil paste. Season to taste.
To assemble
4 flatbreads
60ml lentil shawarma paste
4 cooked aubergine halves
60ml tahini yoghurt (mix 40ml plain yoghurt with 20ml tahini)
20 slices pickled courgette
20 pieces pickled rhubarb
20ml pomegranate seeds
20ml pomegranate molasses
Fresh mint and coriander, chopped, and wedge of lemon to serve.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/160*C fan. Spread the lentil paste over the flatbreads and top with the baked aubergine. Place in the oven to warm for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, place the flatbreads onto serving dishes/board and top with tahini yoghurt, pickled courgette, pickled rhubarb, herbs, pomegranate seeds and drizzle of molasses, and serve with mint and a wedge of lemon.
The Barn, 40 East Street, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1HX
www.thebarnlittlelondon.com
