Jean-Christophe Novelli's food to get you in the mood

Ginger & Mustard Salmon on Wilted Spinach

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2x120g salmon fillets
100g leaf spinach

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 350F/175C.
• In a small bowl, blend olive oil, honey, Dijon mustard and ginger.
• Brush salmon fillets evenly with the olive oil mixture. Place in a medium baking dish. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven.
• Heat a pan with a touch of olive oil, drop in the spinach and wilt down so it's still a little crisp.
• Serve salmon on top of spinach, spoon over a little sauce.

Macadamia Crusted Lamb Loin with Sweetcorn Risotto

100g Macadamia nuts
50 g breadcrumbs
2 Eggs
1 x 7-bone rack of lamb
Honey
Dijon mustard
Fresh rosemary
1large tin sweetcorn
5g of star anise powder
100g Arborio rice
1 leek
Unsalted butter
2 tablespoons mascarpone
2litre chicken stock
Sea salt
Fresh milled black pepper
Have your butcher French trim the lamb.

Method

• Place the macadamia nuts in a food blender with a few sprigs of rosemary and the breadcrumbs add star anise powder and blitz. Add eggs and season.
• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Season the lamb and seal all around, in a pan of hot butter.
• Mix Dijon mustard with 1/3 acacia honey, spread the Dijon mustard over the flat side of the rack of lamb and push on the crumb to crust.
• Cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
• To make the risotto, wash well and finely dice the leek, put in a pan with a generous helping of butter and the rice, slowly sweat (cook without colour) until rice is translucent.
• Add the chicken stock slowly, a ladle at a time, cooking between each ladle until all stock is cooked out. After about 20 minutes, allow to cool.
• Place half the tin of sweetcorn in a pan and cover with boiling water. Boil Sweetcorn for 10 minutes and blitz in food processor until smooth. Put the sweetcorn puree and rest of corn in the risotto with the mascarpone.
• Cut lamb, serve with sweetcorn risotto on the side.

Acidic butter
Make in advance, keep in the fridge and put into risotto at the last minute.

Lemon compound butter
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 pinch salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• Cream the butter with the lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Place the butter on a piece of waxed paper and shape into a cylinder about 3 x 1½ inches. Refrigerate.
• Slice 1cm thick disc and drop onto the risotto.