Green ( French) Beans with Garlic and Red Onions
Simple Green ( French) Bean salad with garlic and Lemon
All posts tagged: seasonal food
Green Vegan Spinach Crépes
A friend of mine has recently started on the Hay Diet. Not for weight loss, but for general well being. I’m not overly familiar with the rules, but I do know that mixing protein and carbohydrates, is not allowed. So the other day, whilst her husband served up a big batch of pancakes, she couldn’t have any, as the egg and flour combination is off the menu. I felt a little guilty tucking in to the warm sweet desert, (but not guilty enough not to have any!) so I thought I’d try my hand at making her a pancake/crépe recipe she could enjoy. I experimented with egg free pancakes, and the results where really rather good. However, I’m still not sure weather these vegan crépes are Hay friendly, as the almond milk may be to protein rich..But they are definitely vegan! And they are definitely tasty, and absolutely green! I also cut back on the amount of almond/soy milk needed by blending up a cup of ultra green spinach juice. This works amazingly well in …
Kale Gnocchi in Herb and Anchovy Sauce
“What is a weather bomb!?” I asked a few weeks ago, after hearing the term on the news. Well we sure did find out! We have had weather bomb after weather bomb for the past three weeks. A high altitude black doughnut shape emerges on the horizon, slowly eating the daylight as it moves across the landscape..Then bang, throws all kinds of weather at you – snow, sleet, hail, rain..and a few 100 mph winds too. I had a terrifying experience creeping out into my garden two days ago, to see 2 large panes of glass from my greenhouse had taken flight and landed 10 meters away! They had smashed into hundreds of shards that had penetrated deep into the frozen grass! So, its time to just stay indoors and eat good food, and drink cheap wine until the weather bombs return to just being ‘bad weather’. And what better to that with, that a hearty portion of winter kale from the garden and morish gnocchi. This is one of my favourite food right now, …
Homemade Organic Tomato Ketchup
This summer has produced a fabulous amount of tomatoes in my greenhouse. We have been eating fresh organic tomatoes in our salads all summer long. But about 3 weeks ago, I just couldn’t keep up with the bumper crop, so I took to slow roasting my tom’s at 50 degrees for 2 hours in the oven with garlic and olive oil, and then freezing them for sauce later on in the year. We ate tomato pasta…tomato tarts..and finally I also made two large batches of tomato ketchup, one yellow and a classic red. And they are amazing! This homemade tomato ketchup recipe is sweet, tangy and very aromatic. Adding star anise, cloves and fennel seeds makes this ketchup sit in a league of its own. Since making this delicious condiment, I’ve been looking for excuses to make all kinds of breakfast eggs, just so we can have more of this wonder sauce! And of course you can add it to veggie burgers, hot dogs and other things too. But it is best served over eggs, with …
Baked Courgette with Mushroom, Sage and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing
Looking out of the window in my studio, I am a little saddened by the fact that it is already dark at 8.30. The days are getting shorter and a little colder..already? However, looking at my veg plot you wouldn’t know to look at it. My courgettes are thriving, and with each plant producing a lovely shiny courgette a day, I am harvesting more than 10 a week. This means that courgettes are on the menu most nights, and as I’m not one for making the same dish more than once a month, I’m having to work hard to keep this productive veg interesting. A few weeks ago, I created a couple of courgette recipes for my local farm shop, as they too have a bounty of emerald green fruits, just waiting to be put into a delicious veggie recipe! Here is one of the recipes; ________________________________________________ Baked Courgette with Mushroom, Sage and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing Serves 2 as lunch or 4 as a starter. Ingredients 4 small courgettes 1 red onion 2 cloves of …
Upside Down Beetroot and Chive Flower Salad
During the summer time, my go to food is usually a salad of some sort. I love the fresh, crunchy textures you get from a raw salad and I find the flavour combinations are endless with all the abundance of seasonal fruit and veg available in June/July. I like a substantial salad, one that is filling and textured. I don’t like to feel that I need to fill up on bread when having a salad, so I like to incorporate loads of high fibre veg as well as seeds and sprouts. This salad is no ordinary salad, it’s an Up-Side Down Salad! That’s right, it’s the wrong way up! It is really fun to put together, and it looks impressive. Once tried, you’ll probably serve all your salads up side down! I decorated my dome shaped treat with chive flowers that I got at my local farm shop. They were giving away the beautiful purple flowers as little gifts to their costumers. Something that I thought was a lovely gesture. If you have any …
Potato Duaphinoise with Cabbage and Cheddar with a Side of Portobello Mushrooms
I get most of my veg at a great little farm shop, The Ardross Farm Shop, near Elie in Fife. They mainly stock vegetables that are in season, so its a great way to stay in touch with British seasonal produce, and eat accordingly. As its still cold (I know I keep banging on about it) they still have cabbage in supply. And I love cabbage, mainly because when all the summer crops have been eaten, cabbage matures and is ready for eating during the winter. A real trooper of a vegetable, a little hero full of vitamins that are essential when the days are still cold and grey. Here is a tasty variation of the traditional Potato Dauphinoise, with cheese and cabbage. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 6 large waxy potatoes, such as King Edward ½ head of green cabbage 400ml double cream 400ml milk 2 cloves of garlic 100g cheddar cheese ½ tsp nutmeg salt, pepper to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ Preheat your oven to 200°c/fan 180°c/gas 6, and prepare a baking dish by rubbing it with butter. Slice …
Hot Cross Easter Buns
Hot Cross Easter Buns We have now moved into our new country dwelling, close to a little place called Windygates. Initially I just thought that was an amusing name, but after our first night here it became apparent that all places are usually named for a reason. Huddling up in bed, my boyfriend and I buried our heads under the covers as the wind tore though this old house like a runaway freight train. It sounded like we had been invaded by an army of Kazoo players, towering over our bed, playing every hit song from the 1940’s! And usually after a stormy night, you wake up to blue skies and singing birds, but the wind and the snow (!) has continued now for almost a week. My promise of spring seems to have been postponed…Will it ever arrive? Well, spring might not be here after all, but Easter is. And for that occasion, I have baked a batch of homemade Hot Cross Buns. These are not like the ones you get in the supermarkets, …
Jerusalem Artichoke and Goats Cheese Tart with Pine Nuts and Homemade Pesto
Jerusalem Artichoke and Goats Cheese Tart with Pine Nuts and Homemade Pesto Jerusalem Artichokes, a relative of the Sunflower, are in season during the winter months from October to March and are therefore a great vegetable to enjoy right now. They are rich in vitamin C and K and originate from Mexico, but thrives in the British garden. In this recipe I have combined a sharp counterpart in form of the Goats Cheese, to the mild tasting Jerusalem Artichokes. And adding homemade pesto gives the whole dish a rich feel. I also used my ‘birthday present eggs’! They were a gift from my good friends’ chickens! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Short Crust Pastry 200g plain flour 100g butter, cubed 2-3 tbsp cold water pinch of salt Filling 400g jerusalem artichokes, peeled 3 large handfuls of spinach 2 eggs 150g goats cheese 250ml single cream tsp ground nutmeg half a lemon, juiced 3 tbsp homemade pesto, recipe here pinch of salt and pepper ____________________________________________________________________________________ In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until …
Winter Pesto with Kale, Rocket, Walnuts and Cashews
Winter Pesto with Kale, Rocket, Walnuts and Cashews Homemade pesto is so fun and easy to make. It can practically be made with any leafy green, this time I have gone for a seasonal winter green, Kale. Walnuts and cashews make this pesto luxurious and the rich parmesan really cuts through more than in the shop bought variety. This recipe makes two jars worth and is packed full of super zinging vitamins needed at winter time. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 130g kale 70g rocket 75g parmesan or grana padano cheese 30g walnuts 30g cashews 3 cloves of garlic 100ml extra virgin olive oil 1 lemon, juice of salt & pepper to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ Start my bringing a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the kale for 3-4 min until tender. Drain the kale and set aside. Wash the rocket and dry with a clean dish cloth. Using a food processor, wiz the cheese, nuts and garlic for a few seconds. Then add the kale and rocket. The rocket might not fit at first, but once …
Camera & Clementine 