Recipes

Chosen from Summertime by Galton Blackiston, chef-patron of Morston Hall, he says "Much of this mouth-watering recipe can be made in advance: the hazelnut butter has to be chilled for at least three hours, while the tomato chutney keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Boiled new potatoes and lightly dressed salad leaves go well with this dish."

Serves 6

For the Tomato Chutney

    1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved
    1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
    4 large vine tomatoes
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 large mild red chilli, finely chopped
    1 tsp grated fresh ginger
    A good pinch of crushed cumin seeds
    2 tbsp fresh lime juice
    1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
    1 tbsp red wine vinegar
    3 tbsp chopped coriander

For the Lamb Chops
 
    50g toasted hazelnuts
    75g softened butter
    1 1/2 tbsp chopped mint
    1 1/2 tbsp chopped coriander
    1 garlic clove, crushed
    Olive oil and butter for frying
    18 best end of neck lamb chops
    Seasoning

Method

1. Preheat the grill to high.

2. To make the tomato chutney, place the garlic and chopped shallot onto a small baking tray. Cut a small cross in the top of each tomato then sit them on top of the garlic and shallot.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then place under the pre-heated grill until the tomato skins start to blister. Peel off any charred skin, then place on a chopping board with the garlic and shallot and roughly chop everything.

4. Transfer the chopped tomatoes, garlic and shallot to a sauce[an with all the remaining chutney ingredients, except for the coriander, and mix well. Bring to simmering point and reduce until slightly thickened; season with salt and pepper. When cool, chill until needed. Add the coriander just before serving.

5. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and blitz briefly until finely chopped. Add the butter, herbs and garlic, season wtih salt and pepper and blitz again. Remove the mixture from the food processor and place on a work surface. Gather the mixture into a 'sausage' shape, about 13cm long and about 5cm in diameter. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge to firm up for at least 3 hours.

6. Preheat the oven to 200C/400/Gas 6.

7. Heat a large frying pan until hot, then add a little oil and a knob of butter. Place some of the chops in the hot pan and seal each one, turning them to colour well as you do so (you will need to do this in several batches, as it is important not to overcrowd the frying pan). Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

8. Take the roll of hazelnut butter from the fridge, remove the clingfilm and slice into 18 rounds, each about 3mm thick. Press a disc of the topping firmly onto each chop.

9. Place the chops on a trivet in a roasting tin and roast in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Allow to rest in a warm place for 5 minutes, then serve with the tomato chutney.

Summertime by Galton Blackiston is published by Virgin Books (£18.99) and is available in all good book shops.