by Samantha Yardley
Illustrious chef Marco Pierre White is famed across the globe for swanky, decadent dishes to tantalize every palette. Dubbed the very first celebrity chef, Marco is famed for training the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal and became both the youngest and the first British chef to receive the highly coveted three Michelin star status.
In a Muscle and Health exclusive, he turns his hand to vegan recipes. Uncharacteristically forgoing his usual love affair with all things cream and butter, to provide you with three dishes that not only deliver on taste but score high on health-boosting nutrition too.
TRADITIONAL BRUSCHETTA
For the bruschetta-
Ingredients:
- Sourdough loaf – 1 per person
- Micro basil – Pinch
- Bruschetta mix – 2.5oz
- Avocado – 1/2
- Lime wedge – 1/4 wedge
- Maldon sea salt – Pinch
For the topping-
Ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil – 0.5fl oz
- Shallots, diced – 1oz
- Piccolo cherry tomatoes – 2oz
- Maldon sea salt – Pinch
- Cracked black pepper – Pinch
- Garlic, crushed – 1
- Basil, chopped – Pinch
- Balsamic vinegar, 10-year-old – Splash
Method:
1. Slice the sourdough and toast under the grill.
2. Using a fork or the back of a spoon, crush the avocado with the lime juice and salt to taste.
3. Top the toast with the bruschetta mix, crushed avocado and micro basil.
MR WHITE’S CHICKPEA AND MANGO CURRY
For the curry sauce-
- Eating apples – 3.5oz
- Banana – 2.5oz
- Pineapple – 12.5oz
- Onion – 1oz
- All-purpose flour – 1oz
- Mild curry powder – 0.5oz
- Madras curry powder – o.5oz
- Turmeric – o.5oz
- Coconut, desiccated – 1oz
- Vegetable stock pot – 1
- Boiling water – 1.75pints
- Bay leaves – 1
- Thyme – Pinch
- Cloves – 2
- Maldon sea salt – Pinch
- Olive oil – Splash
Method:
1. Wash and core the apples and cut into very fine slices. Peel the banana and cut into rounds. Remove the leaves from the pineapple, peel and core it and then cut the flesh into very fine slices. Peel, wash and chop the onion finely.
2. Add a little oil to a pan set over a low heat. Add the onion and sweat until soft. Put in the fruit and cook gently for ten minutes. Lightly brown the flour in a hot oven and sprinkle the mixture in the pan, add the curry powder, turmeric and coconut and mix well with a spatula.
3. Combine the vegetable stock with the boiling water. Pour in the stock and lower the heat and simmer gently for one hour, skimming the surface as often as necessary. Add bay leaves, thyme and cloves after ten minutes cooking time. Season to taste with salt.
4. Pass the cooked sauce through a sieve into a bowl to remove bay leaves and cloves. Store until ready to use.
For the curry-
Ingredients:
- Spinach – 14fl oz
- Chickpeas – 21fl oz
- Olive oil – 1fl oz
- Maldon sea salt – Pinch
- Cracked black pepper – pinch
- Long grain rice – 1 packet
- Root ginger – 0.5oz
- Micro cilantro – Pinch
- Mango – 4 oz
Method:
1. Drain and wash the chickpeas.
2. Heat the curry sauce in a pan and add the chickpeas and spinach. Finely slice root ginger into thin matchsticks, blanche in 1fl oz of water until soft (approx. 30 seconds), then remove ginger and add cooking water to curry with diced mango.
3. Cook rice according to packet instructions.
4. Plate rice, top with the curry and garnish with ginger batons and micro cilantro.
STUFFED EGGPLANT À LA MAROCAINE
For the eggplant-
Ingredients:
- Eggplant – Half per person
- Crispy celery leaves – 6 leaves
- Olive oil – 0.5fl oz
- Maldon sea salt – Pinch
- Micro parsley (flat leaf parsley works fine too) – Pinch
- Vegetable oil – o,5fl oz
Method:
1. Deep fry celery leaves in clean oil.
2. Cut one eggplant in half, scoop out inside and dice.
3. Quickly fry the flesh and bake the skins for 10 minutes at 340F until tender.
4. Combine the fried flesh with the Imam bayildi and spoon into the eggplant.
5. Garnish with celery leaves and micro parsley.
For the filling-
Ingredients:
- Eggplant – 1
- Tomatoes, concassed – 2oz
- Red onions, diced – 5.5oz
- Ground cumin – pinch
- Ground all spice – pinch
- Cayenne pepper – pinch
- Paprika – pinch
- Golden raisins – 0.5oz
- Passata, bottle – 5fl oz
- Garlic clove – 1
- Olive oil – 0.5fl oz
- Mint – fine chiffonade – 0.5oz
- Cilantro. – o.5oz
Method:
1. Neatly dice the eggplant to about 1.5”, sprinkle with a good amount of salt and leave for ten minutes, then rinse. Pat dry and fry until golden brown in olive oil.
2. Dice the onion to the same size and sweat slowly in olive oil, then add the spices and gently fry; do not color.
3. Blanche the tomatoes in boiling water for one minute and refresh in ice water. eel the skin and remove the seeds. Finely dice the flesh.
4. Add the golden raisins, tomato passata and cook gently for 20-30 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, chopped herbs and more olive oil to the prepared eggplant, and season.
For more power-packed recipes to help keep you in top shape, check out the
FOOD section of the Muscle and Health website.