Scallops with Bacon, Black Pudding and ColcannonServes 4

Colcannon

750g medium potatoes, preferably Maris Piper or King Edward

50g butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

100g curly kale, washed and roughly shredded

200ml double cream

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp sunflower oil

8 rindless rashers smoked streaky bacon

16 medium-sized shelled scallops without coral, shelled and cleaned (thawed if frozen)

200g good quality black pudding, cut into 12 thick slices

25g butter

100ml chicken stock (ideally fresh)

3 tbsp Marsala

flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

fresh flat leaf parsley, to garnish

FOOD FACTS The finest scallops are caught

by diving. Dredging for them is now considered unsustainable. They are best cooked simply and quickly. Overcooking makes them rubbery and bland.

In France scallops are called Coquilles St Jacques. Their shells are the symbol of the annual Christian pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where tradition claims the apostle Saint James is buried. A large scallop shell also features in the “Birth of Venus” (circa 1486) by Sandro Botticelli, an Italian Early Renaissance painter.

Historical facts provided by Monica Askay, Cook and Food Historian

①To make the colcannon, peel the potatoes and cut into evenly-sized chunks. Put in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for about 15 minutes or until very tender. Test with the tip of a knife.

②While the potatoes are cooking, heat 25g of the butter in a large non-stick frying pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the kale and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Preheat the oven to 160C/fan oven 140C/Gas 3. Put a heatproof dish in the oven to warm.

③Drain the potatoes in a large colander and return to the saucepan. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes. Warm the cream and remaining 25g butter in a small pan. Mash the cooked potatoes with the cream and milk until smooth and season to taste. Use a set of electric beaters if you want your mash to be really fluffy and light.

④Tip the softened kale into the same pan and stir together until lightly combined. Transfer to the warmed dish and cover with foil. Pop into the oven and leave until ready to serve.

⑤To prepare the bacon, black pudding and scallops, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Fry the bacon rashers over a medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes until the fat crisps, turning once. If lots of liquid comes out of the bacon, drain it away and return the pan to the heat. While the bacon is frying, pat the scallops dry with kitchen roll and season on each side. Put to one side. Transfer the bacon to a baking tray and place in the oven above the potatoes.

⑥Return the pan to the heat and add 1 more tablespoon of oil and a small knob of butter. When the butter has melted, add the black pudding and cook for about 2 minutes on each side until it darkens and becomes crisp around the edges. Transfer to the baking tray with the bacon, tip out most of the buttery liquid and return the pan to the hob.

⑦Cook the scallops for just 1-2 minutes on each side, depending on size, until golden on the outside but tender within. Take the baking tray out of the oven and pop the scallops on it alongside the bacon and black pudding. (The residual heat should keep them warm.)

⑧Return the frying pan to the heat once more and add the chicken stock and Marsala. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Drop the remaining butter in small pieces into the liquid, stirring constantly until the butter melts and the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.

⑨Working quickly, spoon the colcannon onto four plates and top with the black pudding, scallops and bacon. Strain a little of the Marsala sauce over each one, garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

FOOD FACTS There is a recipe dating back to the 15th

century for a version of Black Pudding made with porpoise blood and fat, mixed with oatmeal and spiced with ginger, then encased in porpoise casings. This was a dish for non-meat days.

Colcannon is a traditional Irish potato dish, with a number of regional variations. Colcannon is associated with Halloween when a ring and thimble were traditionally hidden in the mash. Finding the ring meant marriage and the thimble spinsterhood.

Historical facts provided by Monica Askay, Cook and Food Historian