The Hour

Sam Carswell, the head chef at MacSorley’s in Glasgow, is creating a banquet  this Sunday (May 29) entirely made of food foraged from Scotland's natural larder to raise funds for Maggie’s Cancer Centres charity.

Here is one of his recipes if you fancy trying a dish out for yourself:

1. Panna cotta

Ingredients
• 100ml milk
• 400ml double cream
• 2g powdered agar-agar
• 200g jack-by-the-hedge, chopped

Method:
1. Bring the milk and the double cream to the boil, whisk in the agar-agar and add the chopped jack-by-the-hedge
2.  Liquidise and pass through a fine sieve- you need to do this quickly to retain the colour. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pour into 6 moulds. Chill till set

2. Pea cream
• 250g fresh peas
• A little milk

Method:
1. Blanch the peas in boiling salted water for 10-15 seconds
2. Drain and refresh in cold water, then drain again. liquidise till smooth, adding a little milk to thin
3. Push through a fine sieve, season to taste, and leave to cool

3. The garnish
• 12 asparagus spears, trimmed
• 200g fresh peas
• 3 slices of air-dried Ayrshire ham
• 100g pea shoots
• 18 cleaver tips
• 50g oxalis

Method:
1. Cook the asparagus spears in boiling salted water for 1 ½ minutes, then drain
2. Refresh in cold water to keep the colour, and drain again
3. Blanch 100g peas in the same way as the pea cream, then drain and set aside(the remaining peas are left raw for contrast of textures)
4. Place the ham on a baking tray, lined with baking parchment, and top with another baking tray
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180oc/ gas 4, until crisp, checking from time to time. Remove from the oven, and leave to cool.

4. Jack-by-the-hedge froth (optional)
• 75ml white chicken stock
• 75ml milk
• 1g powdered lecithin
• 125g jack-by-the-hedge, chopped

Method:
1. Bring the stock and milk to the boil, and whisk in the lecithin, and add the chopped jack-by-the-hedge, simmer for 1-2 minutes
2. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes
3. Strain the infused liquid through a fine sieve, and set aside

5. The dressing
• 50ml hazelnut oil
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ teaspoon sugar

Method:
1. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together
2. Place all the vegetables for the garnish in a bowl, toss with the dressing, and season to taste

To serve:
1. Gently re-heat the jack-by-the-hedge froth- do not let it boil
2. Place a little pea cream on each plate. Turn out the panna cottas and place on the plate, then arrange the cooked and raw peas, asparagus, cleavers, oxalis and pea shoots around them
3. Break the ham into pieces, and arrange on the plates. Whiz the froth with a stick blender and spoon just a little around the plate.