Recipe: Scallops, sobrasada, Jerusalem artichokes, yellow peppers - with Bacchus.

A fairly simple summer lunch that goes really well with the Bacchus. Note that the yellow pepper sauce is really the makings of the famous Cibreo yellow pepper soup. I had some left over, reheated it and added some herbs. It works really well as the sauce with this dish. This cotswold sobrasada was from the Salt Pig Curing Company - but I guess you could use other spicy salami or even nduja.

A pescatarian version might replace the sobrasada with Romesco sauce or harissa.

Ingredients for 4.

16 - 20 medium scallops, 12 if larger (or even 4 as an ‘amuse’)

3 or 4 medium Jerusalem artichokes

Some sobrasada (40g) - ours from the Salt Pig Curing Company.

Butter and light oil for cooking.

For the sauce: 2 yellow peppers, carrot, onion, celery, small white potato, veg stock, seasoning (this is the soup base). Chives / parsley / celery leaves. Olive oil, white wine vinegar. (Ideally make double this quantity to serve as a soup with croutons and olive oil, keep a little aside for the sauce for this dish).

Method.

Sauce. Sauté cut-up veg in a little olive oil for 10 mins, add a 200ml (or something like) stock. Simmer for 45 mins. Blend, season and sieve. Reduce to a velouté consistency, stir in chopped herbs, tablespoon olive oil, tea spoon vinegar, keep warm.

Artichokes. Slice to 3 mm discs, saute in butter for about 15 mins until golden and soft. Set aside, keep warm

Scallops. Sauté in butter and a little olive oil over fairly high heat, briefly (a minute or two per side depending on size) until golden.

Sobrasada. Slice thinly, briefly fry on dry pan.

Assemble: sauce on plate, and a disk of artichoke under each scallop, a small portion of soprasada on top.

And don’t forget the Bacchus.