Cranberry scallop blood sausage

Food: Mattia Risaliti Styling: Milia Seyppel Photo: Oliver Schwarzwald

Cranberry scallop black pudding

Cranberry, Sage and Star Anise Shrub 

The shrub is a vinegar-based fruit or vegetable selmonade. A sour-sweet mixture, it is a very special drink. It is not as sweet as lemonade, much more complex with different layers of flavour and a long history:

Its origins lie many centuries ago in the Middle East. Its discovery was probably accidental, when fruit was left too long and a fermentation process began. A practical side effect was that the drink could be kept without refrigeration.

In the 17th century, shrubs found their way to Europe and the rest of the world. It became especially popular in England and the USA. The shrub disappeared with the refrigerator when food and drink became easier to preserve. In recent years it has regained popularity and is finding its way back into bars.

The Shrub:

500 g cranberries 

350 g granulated sugar 

300 ml apple cider vinegar

5 sage leaves 

2 star anise 

1 stick of cinnamon

Put all the ingredients for the shrub, except the vinegar, into a saucepan and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. The next day, strain the mixture through a sieve into a large bowl. Press the cranberries through a sieve to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour the liquid into a clean sealable glass jar. The shrub syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for several months and will become milder in flavour over time. To serve the drink, mix 30 ml of the syrup with 130 ml of sparkling water, tonic water or lemonade.

Scallops and black pudding:

4 scallops 

1 teaspoon of butter 

1 sprig of thyme 

Salt

pepper

300 g black pudding

Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the scallops and sear on both sides. Add the thyme to the butter and baste the scallops with it several times. A tablespoon is suitable for this. As soon as the scallops feel firm in the middle, remove them from the pan and wrap them in aluminium foil, set aside. Keep the rest of the thyme butter for serving. Cut the black pudding into 

8 mm thick slices and fry in a small pan over a medium heat until smooth on both sides. To serve, place the scallops and black pudding slices on the scallop dish that has been warmed in the oven. Drizzle the remaining thyme butter sauce over the top.