Ingredients
For the veal
4 x 175g/6oz veal tail fillets, trimmed
25 licorice roots, roasted until blackened, blended into a powder
ground ginger
rock salt
veal gravy, to serve
For the tamarind jam
15 tamarind fruit, pods removed
½ lime, juice only
For the licorice purée
20 pieces black licorice
For the black rice
55g/2oz butter
175g/6oz Japanese glutinous black rice
568ml/1 pint strong veal stock
ground ginger
rock salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the beans and rocket
150g/5½oz green beans
25g/1oz butter
150g/5½oz wild green or red rocket, picked through
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salsify
2 salsify roots, peeled, cut into logs
25g/1oz butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml/½ pint vegetable oil, for deep frying
Method
1. For the veal, roll the veal fillets in the licorice powder and seal in plastic using a commercial vacuum-packing machine. Pour hot water into a large pan, heat to 62C/144F, add the vacuum-packed veal and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from the water and rest for five minutes.
2. For the tamarind jam, place the tamarind fruit into a medium non-reactive pan, add the lime juice and enough water to cover the tamarinds and cook until softened. Drain, pass through a sieve to remove the stones and then blend with a hand blender until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.
3. For the licorice purée, place the licorice into a small pan, add a little water and place over a low heat until melted. Blend with a hand blender until smooth, pass through a sieve and keep warm.
4. For the black rice, heat half of the butter in a saucepan until melted, add the rice and stir to coat the grains in the butter. Add the veal stock and simmer over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender. Drain off the stock and reserve. Season the rice with ground ginger and rock salt. Reduce the remaining stock, whisk in a knob of butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. For the beans and rocket, drop the green beans into a large pan of salted water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain, refresh in iced water and chop finely. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped beans and rocket and stir until the rocket has wilted. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. For the salsify, place half of the salsify logs into a pan of boiling salted water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain and dry well. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the blanched salsify and gently fry until softened and turning golden-brown. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Finely slice the rest of the salsify on a mandoline. Pour the vegetable oil into a medium pan and heat until a small cube of bread turns golden in 30 seconds. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave hot oil unattended.) Carefully drop the salsify slices into the hot oil and deep fry until golden-brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and dry on kitchen paper. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Remove the veal from the plastic wrapper, dry off with kitchen paper and caramelise the outside of the veal with a mini-blowtorch to give it a charcoal-cooked flavour. Season the outside of the veal with rock salt and ground ginger and slice.
9. To serve, dress four plates with the tamarind jam and licorice purée. Place a line of rice, beans and salsify on each place. Top with the sliced veal and garnish with the cooked rocket and green beans. Drizzle over a little veal gravy and serve.
