Seasonal Recipes

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Comment by carolyn westlake on April 7, 2011 at 18:57

Nettle Soup (For Teya)

 

I'm eating a lot of this lately and its delicious, cheap, and the recipe is flexible. Now is the time to enjoy whilst the nettles are young and tender.

Method:

Put some gloves on or stick your hands inside carrier bags. Pick a bagful of nettle tops. Obviously don't pick them where dogs like to go;)  Get some hedge garlic as well if you want, its very common and smells of garlic,very easy to recognise.

At home, wash them over and then soften some onion in some oil and maybe some cubed potato if you want it thickened. Add nettles and garlic and water or stock. Simmer until cooked- not long. Add seasonings to taste  Liquidise or not - I prefer it liquidised but its great either way. To make it more substantial add some grated cheese. Yummy!!!

 

Comment by Liz Bell on April 4, 2011 at 19:00

Cauliflower Soup

 

Food from your Garden, Readers Digest 1977

 

1 Cauliflower

1 large carrot

1 leek

2 sticks of celery

4 parsley stalks

1 bouquet of garni

2 pints (1 litre) white stock

Salt and pepper

40g butter

25g flour

2 egg yolks

150ml cream

To garnish: bacon

 

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Clean the caulifower and divide it into florets. Scrape or peel the carrot, clean the leek and celery sticks and chop them all roughly.

 

Put all the veg in a pan with the parsley stalks, bouquet of garni and the stock. Add salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. Strain the soup, remove the cauliflower florets, discard the various flavourings and set the liquid aside.

 

Melt the butter and stir in the flour, gradually add the preserved liquid, stirring all the time to give a smooth soup. Add the cauliflower florets and heat through.

 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Beat the egg yolks with the cream, add a little of the hot soup, then blend the egg and cream mixture into the soup.

 

Stir until the soup thickens but do not let it reach boiling point.

 

Serving Suggestion: Pour the soup into individual soup bowls and top with diced bacon, fried crisp without any extra fat.

Comment by Liz Bell on April 4, 2011 at 18:53

Rhubarb Crumble

 

(Food from your Garden, Reader's Digest 1977)

 

750g Rhubarb

175g sugar

2tbsp Orange Juice

75g butter

175g flour

1/2tsp ground ginger

 

Cooking Time: 35-40 minutes

Oven Temperature: 190 C or 275 F or Gas Mark 5

 

Trim the root ends and leafy tops from the rhubarb stalks and wash thoroughly. Remove any stringy bits from main crop rhubarb.

 

Chop into half inch pieces and put in a deep buttered oven proof dish, sprinkling the fruit with half the sugar. Spoon orange juice over the rhubarb.

 

Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Blend in the remaining sugar mixed with the ground ginger.

 

Spoon the crumble mixture over the rhubarb, pressing it down well with the back of a spoon. Bake in the centre of the oven for 35 minutes or until the topping is brown and crisp.

 

Serving Suggestion: Serve warm with cream or custard sauce

Comment by Liz Bell on April 4, 2011 at 18:48

Kale and Potato Cakes

(Food from your Garden, Reader's Digest 1977)

 

250g kale

500g mashed potatoes

2 eggs

50g breadcrumbs

salt and pepper

50g butter

 

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

 

Shred the kale from the midribs, wash it thoroughly in cold water and put in a pan of boiling, lightly salted water for 2 minutes to blanch . Drain thoroughly in a colander and leave to cool slightly.

 

Chop the kale finely and sir it into the mashed potatoes. Blend in the eggs and add as many breadcrumbs as the mixture will absorb to achieve a fairly stiff consistency.

 

Season to taste with salt and pepper .Shake the mixture into oblong balls the size of eggs, melt the butter and fry the kale and potato cakes for about 8 minutes, turning them once or twice until they are brown and crisp.

 

Serving Suggestion

Serve with hot or cold gammon or with bacon or grilled Braughing sausages, using the pan juices as a gravy.

 

Comment by Alex Cornish on March 27, 2011 at 14:49

Reading this list of fresh produce has made me hungry!