A thoroughly modern Sunday lunch

Gathering the family around the table for Sunday lunch is a cherished tradition, but according to food stylist Clare Anne O’Keefe, it’s time to reimagine the conventional gatherings of the past. “A modern Sunday lunch should be about forging new traditions while embracing the old ones,” she suggests skipping the traditional roast, which can feel overly formal, opting instead for recipes that are fun, relaxed and interactive, “But it still has that special feel to it because there are lots of roasting and baking things – the Belling Range works so well for my lunch plans”.

Her centrepiece, show-stopping salt-baked salmon, is deceptively simple. She whips up the salt crust, mixing egg whites with over a kilo of salt to create a paste, that she will surround the parcel of salmon in to cook it. “It gives a dramatic focal point to the lunch with everyone looking forward to the moment you chip through of the salt crust and into the fish below,” she explains. ”

She says getting the kids involved adds to the excitement. “They love helping me build it. It’s like making a sandcastle, and it encourages them to enjoy the fish because they’ve been involved in its preparation. It’s not just a party trick either. The fish cooks beautifully inside the salt crust. Surrounding the bake with prawns on the shell at the end gives another wow factor.”

Using a Belling oven allows her to plan each course, cook some in advance, and mix savoury and sweet options within without having any flavour cross-over.

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For starters, she keeps it classic with a soup, French-leaning celeriac soup. It can also be prepped in advance. “I make it on the Belling stovetop and then pop it in the oven to cook. Then I can keep it warm, along with the bowls in the warming oven,” she explains.

Although delicious to eat, it is beige colour, so to give it more visual appeal she recommends adding carrot top pesto to drizzle through the soup. This is made to serve with the roasted carrots for main course and makes use of a part of the vegetable that is usually thrown in the bin. To add more colour and little heat she suggests putting a few options of hot sauce or chilli oil on the table. “In our house, everyone has their own favourite to suit their spice levels, kids included.”

The vegetables and side dishes of the main course, be cooked in both the oven and on the hob, play an important role in amplifying the sense of occasion that Sunday lunch is. “Putting in the extra effort with your vegetables elevates it from the every day,” she says explaining that she likes to serve at least three side dishes.

The carrots, both orange and purple varieties, are covered with tin foil initially. “Then I whip that off towards the end so they caramelise beautifully in the oven. The winter greens are extra special because I add double-crisped sprouts, always such a hit,” she explains. These occupy another oven compartment. She cooks the leeks on the integrated stove top.”

For dessert she serves mini Basque cheesecakes. These she says are a breeze to prepare the night before. The Belling’s quick heating capabilities are ideal for delivering the unctuous blacked top and wobbly middle texture. She serves them the next day on some old-school plates with a squeeze of lime or winter berry syrup.

When dressing and setting the table Clare Anne suggests dusting off seldom-used crockery and glassware to create a sense of theatre “Inherited plates, wedding present glasses – bring them out and use them. It adds a bit more flair to the occasion.

Dressed-up celeriac soup

Ingredients:

• 1 small celeriac (about 800g)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 500ml vegetable stock
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 50ml low-fat crème fraîche
• To serve, carrot top ‘pesto’ and crispy garlic chilli oil

Method:

1. Preheat the tall oven to 180°C. Peel the knobbly skin from the celeriac with a small sharp knife and chop into 3cm cubes.
2. Heat half the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish over a low heat. Gently fry the onion, celery and garlic until softened but not browned. Add the celeriac to the casserole dish and pour over the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for a half-hour until the celeriac is tender when tested with the sharp knife. When removing the casserole dish from the oven be careful to use good quality oven gloves.
3. Remove from the oven, stir in the crème fraîche. Use a hand blender to blitz the soup until smooth. Season to taste using sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with dollops of the carrot top ‘pesto’ and a drizzle of your favourite spicy chilli oil.

Salt baked salmon with roasted shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1kg table salt
• 2 large egg whites
• About 75ml of cold water
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed with a mortar and pestle
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 (280g) skin-on salmon fillets
• 2 small blood oranges, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme
• 10 small shells on uncooked Dublin Bay Prawns
• Ovenproof cotton string

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a medium baking dish with parchment paper.
2. For the salt crust, combine the salt, egg whites, and cold water in a large bowl. Use your fingers or a tablespoon to quickly mix until combined. If the salt mixture is too dry, add a little more water. Spread a thin layer of the salt mixture, roughly the size of one salmon fillet, in the middle of the lined baking dish.
3. Whisk together the crushed black peppercorns and turmeric powder. Rub the mixture into the pink side of each salmon fillet. Spread the blood orange slices, slightly overlapping, on top. Arrange the thyme on top of one salmon fillet and top with the second fillet, so that the skin side of each fillet is on the outside. Tie the salmon fillets together with ovenproof cotton string and arrange on top of the salt mixture in the baking dish. Gently pack the remaining salt mixture over and around the salmon until it’s covered as if making a wee sandcastle.
4. Bake in the oven for 50 minutes then arrange the prawns on the outside of your salt sandcastle and cook for a further 5 minutes. A metal skewer poked through the salt crust into the thickest part of the salmon should be warm to the touch when you pull it out of the salmon.
5. Let the salt crust cool for 2 minutes then carefully break it open with a sharp bread knife. Scrape the salt off the salmon, divide the fillets among plates and serve with the roasted prawns.

Roasted carrots with carrot top pesto

Ingredients:

• 750g young bunched carrots with their carrot tops, different colours if possible
• 50ml olive oil
• Herb or red wine vinegar
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed

For the Pesto:

Ingredients:

• Leafy tops from 1 bunch of carrots, larger stems discarded, feathery leaves chopped
• 50g walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds
• 25g Parmesan, or vegetarian equivalent
• 1 garlic clove
• Approx 100ml Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat your small oven to 200°C. Peel and wash the carrots, cutting the larger ones in half lengthways.
2. Toss your carrots with a good lug of olive oil, a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper, the thyme sprigs, and the crushed garlic cloves. Place in a roasting tray or earthenware dish, cover tightly with tin foil, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until just tender. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes until the carrots have browned and caramelised nicely.
3. While the carrots are roasting, prepare the pesto. In a food processor, combine the carrot tops, nuts, Parmesan, and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. With the processor running, gradually pour in the olive oil until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. Once the carrots are done, transfer them to a serving dish and generously spoon the carrot top pesto over the top.

Giant butter beans with soft leeks and parsley

Ingredients:

• 4 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
• 1 small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 small wineglass white wine
• 500g good-quality tinned butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small handful freshly picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fat-free natural yoghurt
• 50ml extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Put a splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on low heat and gently fry the leeks, thyme and garlic for 20 minutes until they are soft and sweet.
2. Turn up the heat, add the white wine, and let it come to a gentle boil. Then, add the beans and a splash of water, so that the beans are almost covered. Allow to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the beans are creamy.
3. Stir in the parsley, yoghurt, and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Winter greens with double crisped sprouts

Ingredients:

• 400g mix of Irish winter greens
• 500g Brussels sprouts
• 100g Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning mix
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Good drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Remove any tough outer leaves from the sprouts then wash and cut in half. Grate the Parmesan cheese and mix with Italian seasoning.
3. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Brush about 2 tbsp of olive oil over the parchment paper, and sprinkle the Parmesan mixture evenly over the oil. Arrange the halved Brussels sprouts over the cheese, cut side down, pressing them slightly into the cheese as you place them. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese turns a deep, golden brown. Let the sprouts rest for 5 minutes while you dress the leaves with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sea salt. Use a spatula to cut the cheese between the sprouts, then flip them over and serve up over the mixed greens.

Mini Basque cheesecakes

Ingredients:

• 150g cream cheese
• 50g sugar
• ½ tsp cornflour
• ¼ tsp vanilla paste
• 1 large egg
• 60g double cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a cupcake tray with 12 parchment paper squares.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until smooth. Add the sugar, cornflour and vanilla bean paste. Whisk until smooth. Add the egg and mix until completely smooth. Stir in the cream and then pour the mixture into the lined cake tin.
3. Bake for 13 minutes or until set around the edges but a bit wobbly in the middle, they should be blackened on top. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes, then place in the fridge to cool completely overnight.

To find out more about the Belling range and for details of your nearest stockist, visit its website here