A grow your own food renaissance

It was his beautiful food, that made Jim Tynan such a well loved public figure. Many of his favourite recipes he shared with readers in this very column. In tribute and to honour Jim we will publish one final ‘Delicious Dishes’ from September 2011. In these recipes, Jim turns GIY basics into Michellin starred meals.

We don’t appreciate something until it’s nearly gone and that’s what brings about a Renaissance, and that’s what happening now with everybody growing their own vegetables and a turn back to home baking is great.

Cos lettuce with

cashel blue and a cream dressing

1tsp French mustard

1tsp sugar

2tsp tarragon vinegar

1 clove of crushed garlic

1 hard boiled egg white and yolk separated

8fl oz cream

2tbsp chives, chopped

4-6oz Cashel Blue

2 heads of cos lettuce

2oz walnuts, chopped and toasted

Stir the first four ingredients together in a bowl with the egg yolk, then stir in the cream. Arrange the washed lettuce on a large platter or divide onto 4 serving plates. Then crumble the Blue cheese over the lettuce, sprinkle on the chopped egg white along with the toasted walnuts then drizzle the dressing over and lastly scatter the chives on top.

Salmon in a green sauce

6 fillets of salmon

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the sauce

4 tbsp parsley, flat leave has a better flavor

2tbsp mint, chopped

1tbsp of dill, chopped

1tbsp chervil, chopped

6 cloves garlic, crushed

12 salted anchovies

2tbsp capers, chopped in oil olive

6-7 cornichons, chopped (Gerkins)

1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

Olive oil and black pepper

Preheat oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas Mark 6. Place all the finely chopped herbs in a large bowl, add the garlic, anchovies, capers and black pepper to the herbs. Then drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil until well mixed, but not oily or too thick. Stir in the egg and cornichons and taste. Heat some olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, ovenproof frying pan or gratin dish, and when hot put the pieces of fish in for a minute on each side just to seal and turn opaque. Turn carefully so they don’t flake. Transfer the pan to the top of the hot oven for 6-8 minutes, test with skewer, and the fish should not resist. Put a steak on each plate, and pass round the sauce for everyone to dollop on. Serve with a green salad and nice creamy mashed potatoes.

Vanilla castle puddings with raspberry jam

175g/6oz butter/margarine

150g/5oz vanilla caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

175g/6oz plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

A jar of the best raspberry jam you can find

Set the oven at 170°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease the dariole moulds. Cream together butter and sugar with the vanilla extract until soft and pale. Beat in the eggs one by one. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder until amalgamated. Fill the moulds three-quarters full, any more and you will witness an eruption. Place the mould on a baking tray and bake for about 25 minutes until gloriously golden and risen. Turn them out with a palette knife, and pour over some hot raspberry jam. (Heat 3-4tbsp of raspberry jam in a sauce pan with 2tbsp of water). Then serve with some custard.