Everything at WEST restaurant is prepared 'a la minute' and as such allows the Chef to cook to the depths of his soul. All breads and pastries are freshly made on site in The Pins Bakery. WEST is True foodies can experience all the action at our Chef's Table, (up to twelve people) located in the heart of the kitchen where a personalized menu gastronomic is prepared with specially selected for each course. 10 minutes from Galway City, WEST is very much about wine. One of Ireland's most exciting collections is on display throughout the restaurant and Wine Maker's Dinners are to be a regular feature. The beautifully designed Champagne Bar serves up to twenty different wines and bubbles by the glass along with freshly shucked oysters. Here is a truly memorable dining experience where you are simply offered the best of everything, and all at an unpretentious level. Come to the West of Ireland, relax and enjoy life's finer pleasures.
Recipe:
Monkfish tail, with mussels, tomato risotto, baby spinach and lemongrass sauce.
From John Greene, Chef at the West Restaurant, The Twelve Hotel, Bearna
For the risotto.
1 finely chopped shallot
1 crushed garlic
10 ml tomato juice
1 tea-spoon tomato puree
200 gr aborio risotto
90 ml chicken stock
Pinch grated parmesan
Table spoon of mascarpone cheese
For the lemon grass sauce
1 shallot, finely chopped, Bay leaf
1 tea-spoon tumeric
2 sticks of lemon grass
½ glass white wine
50 ml fish veloute
Baby spinach
Roasted cherry tomato
Small cubed carrot, cubed celeriac, finely chopped shallot, chopped parsley Mussels, (cleaned and bearded)
Monkfish tails, (cleaned and trimmed)
Salt and pepper.
Method
Fry the shallots, garlic, risotto, and tomato puree in with olive oil in a heavy based pot, gently and without coloring, add tomato juice and stock, bring to the boil, cover the pot with 2 sheets of tin foil, and put the pot into the pre-heated oven at 160 c for 20 minutes, this is a very handy way of cooking this kind of rice as there is no need to stand over the pot stirring, it does not go starchy and absorbs all fluid, with no grainy centre. When its finished, make it rich by folding the mascarpone cheese and parmesan cheese into the risotto, season to taste. While the rice is cooking in the oven, your hands are free to prepare your sauce, fry shallots with a little butter and bay leaf and sliced pieces of lemon grass, add the tumeric and fry a little further, all gently and without browning, add the wine and reduce this by half, add fish veloute and pass through a fine sieve. Season, keep warm. Fry the monkfish in a little sunflower oil and butter then remove from pan, season with salt and pepper and put into a preheated oven 180 c for around 7 min. Meanwhile fry cubes of carrot, celeriac shallot, add mussels and a good shot of white wine and cover for 2 min, until mussels open ( Be careful when dealing with all shellfish, discard any that will not close before you cook and also any that do not open after cooking.) Sweat the baby spinach, with a little butter, season, strain to remove fluid. Assemble the dish, risotto in the centre, with spinach spread over and around, place the monk fish on top, spoon the mussels with the liquor and dress with lemon grass sauce, garnish with roasted cherry tomatoes. Enjoy.
