Recipe ideas for Earth Hour

ETX Daily Up

A recipe for baked fish with parsnip and lentils has been chosen as the dish to represent Earth Hour this year.

After putting out an open call for earth-friendly recipe ideas and taking the contest to a public vote, a fish dish garnished with parsnip purée on a bed of lentils took 37 percent of the online vote, beating out other contenders like butternut squash and goat cheese salad, a Puy lentil plate, and an apple crumble.

It was a controversial decision to make a fish dish the Earth Hour recipe of the year, organizers said, given that more than half of the world's fisheries are currently fully exploited.

But as long as the fish is labeled MSC certified (Marine Stewardship Council), consumers can rest assured they're eating sustainably, organizers say.

Baked Plaice with Parsnip Textures and Puy lentils, by recipe contest winner Paul Robinson

  • 1 whole plaice (msc certified)

  • 3 organic parsnips

  • 100g Puy lentils

  • 1 courgette (zucchini)

  • 2 leaves of frisée lettuce leaves (to garnish)

  • 1/2 organic lemon (grate the rind and put to one side)

  • 1 liter vegetable stock

  • olive oil (for frying)

1. Fillet the plaice and put the smallest fillet with the largest fillet by rolling them up, this will give you the two portions. Now put them in the fridge until required -- wrap them in cling film.
2. Peel the three parsnips and keep the skins (put to one side), chop the parsnip and put into a pan with half the stock and simmer until soft.
3.  Place the strips of parsnip peeling side by side on the chopping board and thinly slice into strips.
4.  While the parsnips cook, put the remaining stock in a pan with the Puy lentils and simmer for 25 minutes until cooked, drain the water then leave them in the pan for 5 minutes with half a squeezed lemon (the juice and the lemon).
5.  Heat up a frying pan with the oil, add the parsnip peelings and when golden brown remove them from the pan and allow them to rest on absorbent paper to soak up any excess grease/oil, sprinkle with a small amount of lemon rind.
6.  Once the parsnips are cooked, drain the water and blend onto a puree (season if required)
7.  Put the plaice on a lightly oiled tray and put them in a preheated oven for 9 minutes at 180°c or gas mark
8.  Peel the courgette straight through one side to gain white strips with the green outside showing on both sides of each strip, plunge them into boiling water for 30 seconds and remove.
9.   Take the plaice from out of the oven and put a lettuce leaf on one side of the plaice then wrap a strip of courgette around the plaice holding the leaf into position.
10.  Put the lentils on the heat then place a generous amount of lentils on a warm plate then top with the parsnip puree.
11.  Sprinkle a large amount of parsnip straw chips onto the puree and sit the plaice on top of that.
12.  Although the dish has all the correct balance of textures and flavor you can use the plaice bones to make a stock (by using the parsnip water after it has been drained) and simmering for 20 minutes. Once strained reduce the liquid and add a splash of crème fresh to thicken the sauce.

Here are a few Earth Hour recipes from chef food ambassadors around the world:

Grilled Mackerel with Broad Beans and Chorizo, by Welsh chef Bryn Williams
Williams shot to fame after wnning the public's vote to cook for the Queen's 80th birthday on the British TV series Great British Menu.

Serves 4

  • 4 fillets of mackerel, cut in half

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 50g cooking chorizo, diced

  • 1 shallot, peeled and very finely chopped

  • 60g broad beans (if using frozen, make sure they're thawed out first)

  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

  • olive oil

  • 200ml chicken stock

Instructions

Oil a baking try and season it generously with salt and pepper. Place the mackerel fillets on it flesh side down and pop it under a hot grill until cooked. Try and keep the mackerel still pink. You should be able to see this happening under the grill.
If you haven't got an overhead grill, you can pan-fry the fish instead. Heat the pan over a medium flame and then add the oil.
When it's hot, add the mackerel fillets, skin side down, and season the flesh with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then turn over for another minute to finish.
Now place the diced chorizo into a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the reddish oils have been released from the chorizo. Add the shallot and cook until soft.
Pour on the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for another 3-4 minutes. Add the broad beans and bring back to the boil. Add the chopped parsley and finally season to taste adding salt and pepper.
To serve
Pour the chorizo and broad beans into a bowl and place the crisp mackerel fillets on top.

Other recipe ideas include:

Baked fig with chicory leaf, truffled honey and toasted sourdough, by Irish chef Niall McKenna, finalist in the TV series Great British Menu and owner of the James Street South Restaurant in Belfast.
Rolling-pin ravioli with roast butternut squash and sage, by cookbook writer Rachel de Tample, of Less Meat, More Veg
Veggie mama-mother of all stir-fries Mother Nature, by BBC TV presenter Ching-He Huang

Earth Hour starts at 8:30pm, March 31. For more recipe ideas, visit http://bit.ly/GDXmCZ.