Douglas McMaster: Caramelised Shallots, Blue Cheese Sauce & Ruby Red Sauerkraut

“My favourite memory of a Christmas lunch is the first time I ate blue cheese as a kid - I thought it was rotten, I couldn’t understand why anyone would eat this abomination. It's a happy memory because I remember my family bellowing with laughter. Blue cheese is now one of my favourite ingredients in the world. It’s funny how that happens. 

This dish is an homage to that memory & that fussy boy. 

The ODDBOX Christmas Box is perfect to create this dish as it includes the key ingredients, such as red cabbage & shallots which were both rescued from being wasted due to being surplus to supermarket requirements at Christmas. It’s one of the most popular dishes we have served at Silo, my Zero Waste restaurant. It is a joy to prepare and will bring joy to those that devour it.”

Want to make it ahead of time?

“This dish is to be cooked on the day, though feel free to prepare the blue cheese sauce up to a week in advance and keep it in the fridge. If you would like to prepare the sauce further in advance (up to a month), it can also be frozen - when you are ready to use it, you will need to thaw it for 24-48hrs in the fridge, ensuring it’s fully defrosted ahead of using. The Sauerkraut needs at least 2 weeks to ferment. If that time span doesn’t work then pickle overnight.”

Tom Hunt - Owner & head chef of the UK’s first zero-waste restaurant - Silo