Bounce Magazine April 2018

HOME & GARDEN
APRIL 2018 APRIL | ISSUE 2018 #66 | ISSUE | HOME #66 & GARDEN
To Café Jungle...
Café Manager Joe talks us through his dish...
“I’m a big advocate of using antiquated ‘cooking’
methods, such as pickling, curing and fermenting.
The health benefits of natural fermentation have
been rigorously explored in recent years. As a
bonus it also reduces food waste, and allows us
to eat ‘out of season’ in a responsible fashion.
My inspiration for the dish happened all at once
when Niamh arrived, beaming, with the first
crop of our produce. As luck would have it blood
oranges are in season too. Fennel and citrus is like
Rock and Roll. Salmon came to mind instantly. It’s
a fish with a bad rep’ of late, the safe bet.
The flavour is subsequently milder than other
winter radicchios. It’s a favourite of mine and
incredibly easy to grow. The mature heads
featured in the new Café dish were sown in seed
trays in August and transplanted in October. It’s
not fussy, happy in semi-shade or full sun which
is helpful, as these were used as under-planting
between taller crops such as kale and chard in the
Edible Jungle.
The fennel being pickled by Café Manager Joe
was grown inside the Edible Jungle polytunnel
over the winter months. Autumn sown, bulking
fennel is my preference for this crop as it has a
tendency to bolt in the summer months”.
Well, when cured with sumac and Suffolk sea
salt, the salmon becomes a wonderfully textured,
aromatic piece of fish. The home made buttermilk
adds some acidity and helps with the rich salmon
flavour. Finally the pea shoots and micro mustard
bring tiny pops of fresh flavour, helping to
balance the bold radicchio. The salmon sits on the
plate with a sense of uniformity and purpose. The
fennel and oranges have been fermenting for 12
days in a salt-brine, offering a wonderful umami
tang to the crisp veggie.
For me, this dish epitomises everything Niamh
and I are trying to achieve for Café Jungle. Fresh,
organically-grown produce, full of flavour and
provenance, with zero food miles.
The ‘field-to-fork’ collaboration sits proudly on
the menu as a sign of things to come, a glimmer
of spring and the
bountiful harvests
we’ll be enjoying in
the months ahead”.
Niamh has grown the above pea shoots inside
the polytunnel, in a container without light.
This method produces long tender pale stems
that resemble bean sprouts but actually have a
delicious strong pea flavour. A real delicacy and a
favourite with every Chef.
For more details
see www.
urbanjungle.
uk.com or call
01502 219110
91 91