National Vegetarian Week: Matt Gillan's Cylinder of Red Onion

Despite heading a three AA Rosette meat-friendly restaurant, Matt Gillan of The Pass at South Lodge Hotel firmly believes vegetarians should be given the same culinary experience as their carnivorous counterparts.

Having devised a rather impressive vegetarian tasting menu, Gillan was keen to share with BigH readers a recipe for one of his more popular dishes, Cylinder of Red Onion with Cheese Beignet, Parsnip Puree and Carrot Emulsion.

Cylinder of Red Onion with Cheese Beignet, Parsnip Puree and Carrot Emulsion

“This recipe might seem a bit daunting, but I wanted to show off what we do and what can be done for a vegetarian if you get creative. Always work with seasonal vegetables, because even if your dish is simple, the flavours will give it that wow factor.” – Matt Gillan.

Ingredients​

Petit onions
Chantanay carrots
Spinach
Shimiji mushrooms

Red onion marmalade

2 onions
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
300ml red wine
50ml Madeira
50ml brandy
50ml Armagnac
25ml cassis
25g sugar

Cheese beignet

125g milk
125g water
10g white wine
30g butter
160g flour
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
75g grated mature cheddar cheese
3 tbls chopped chives

Parsnip puree

2 parsnips
100g butter
100g water

Pastry cylinder

2 Sheets feuille de brique pastry
Clarified butter

Carrot emulsion

1 egg yolk
20g white wine
3 tbls carrot puree (made by cooking carrot in carrot juice)
Pomace oil

Method​

To make the red onion marmalade, sweat the onion in olive oil with the garlic and add the bay leaves and sugar to caramelize. Add all the liquid and reduce to a jam.

Meanwhile, line the outside of a small metal ring with greaseproof paper. Brush one sheet of pastry with butter and place the second sheet on top before cutting into strips the same height as your ring. Loosely wrap the pastry around the ring and place in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes at 175C. Allow to cool and remove from ring.

For the cheese beignet, boil milk, water, wine and butter before adding flour. Once cooked, remove from pan and allow to cool. Put the mixture into a kitchen aid and beat with the paddle attachment. Beat the egg and yolk together and slowly add to the roux until fully incorporated. Add the cheese and chives before making small balls and frying at 170C until golden.

Make a parsnip puree by peeling and coring the parsnips, before cutting into even sized pieces and lightly frying in butter for one minute. Add the water, cover and cook until soft before blending.

To make the carrot emulsion, put the yolk and wine into a bowl and place on top of a pan with a little water. Whisk until it becomes light and fluffy and then remove from the pan. Add carrot puree and slowly add oil until the mix thickens, as if you were making mayonnaise. Cling film until required.

To serve, fill the pastry cylinder with the red onion marmalade and spinach, and top with a cheese beignet. Spread the parsnip puree onto the plate along with the carrot emulsion, and scatter a few remaining beignets, the petit onions, chantanay carrots and shimiji mushrooms around the plate.