Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Hi everyone,

This week we have one of my most favourite things in the world – Purple Sprouting Broccoli (in all the bags)  so if you’re planning on entertaining at home this week get ready to impress!

Purple Sprouting Broccoli is a rarer variety of the more typical kind and it’s very special. As well as being lovely to look at (makes a lovely centre piece for any dinner table) it’s deliciously tender and like all Broccoliand is a superfood to boot.

You can eat almost all of it including the stalks only discarding the bigger, tougher leaves. Like all special varieties simplicity is often the best way to go. Steam it and serve dressed in Sea Salt and your finest Olive Oil or some melted Butter or, if you want to go all out, a Hollandaise sauce.

Last night I tried it two ways – one very simple – steamed then pan-fried with bread crumbs and another more complicated with Cous Cous, Goat’s Cheese and a sundried Tomato Pesto. Both were delicious. There’s about 300gr in your bag and each recipe needs about 150gr so you can try them both. Be sure and cook it very soon though as it’s at its best now……….

Pan-fried Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Bread Crumbs - perfect for picking at while you drink a glass of wine and contemplate your next course…

You’ll need:

150gr Purple Sprouting Brccoli

Olive Oil

Butter

2 Tablespoons Breadcrumbs

Wash the Broccoli and break it up into pieces you can eat without having to attack it later with a knife and fork. Steam for about 3 minutes until tender but not soft and mushy -you want some bite in it. Heat about 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil and a knob of Butter in a pan then throw in 2 scant tablespoons of breadcrumbs. Allow the breadcrumbs to turn a pale golden brown but be careful they don’t come anywhere near burning then throw in the Broccoli. Toss for about 2 minutes then serve immediately with a little Sea Salt.

Pan-fried Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Cous Cous*, Goat’s Cheese and Sundried Tomato Pesto.

You’ll need:

The Pesto (This quantity will give you more than you need but it’s really impossible to make less unless you have a tiny blender and you’ll be glad you have the extra as it’s great in pasta and sambos)

8 sundried Tomatoes preserved in Oil,

2 Tablespoons Pinenuts,

1 crushed clove of Garlic,

a pinch of Sea Salt,

4 Tablespoons of Water and blast in your blender until smooth.

2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

The Rest

150gr Purple Sprouting Broccoli

1 cup Cous Cous

1 small Onion

Olive Oil

2 Rounds of Goats Cheese

Start by making the pesto – place all the ingredients except the Parmesan in a blend and and blast until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan then taste and correct the seasoning if necessary then set aside.

Prepare the Purple Sprouting Broccoli for cooking as described above leaving the stalks a little bigger than before and set aside.

To prepare the Cous Cous toast 1 cup over a medium heat on a dry frying pan until the grains turn golden. Then, add 1 cup of hot water, stirring well to ensure all the grains cook for about a minute. Then, turn off the heat and continue stirring until all the water has evaporated and the Cous Cous is cooked through. To this add half an Onion finely chopped and keep stirring to allow the Onion to warm through. Season with Salt, Pepper and a dash of your nicest Olive Oil then cover and set aside.

To put the dish together divide the Cous Cous between 2 small oven-proof dishes then top with the pesto (about 2-3 Tablespoons per dish should be loads. Top with a round of Goat’s Cheese about 1mm thick. Steam the Broccoli as described above and when it is done place the Cous Cous and Goat’s Cheese under the grill and toast until golden. While the Cheese is toasting heat a dash of Olive Oil on the pan and toss the Broccoli over a medium heat for a minute or two. Just before you take it off turn up the heat slightly and add a dash of Balsamic vinegar. Toss quickly then remove from the heat. Season with the tiniest pinch of Salt before serving on top of the Cous Cous alongside the Goat’s Cheese. Garnish with a few toasted Pinenuts if you’re feeling that way inclined but don’t worry if you’re not.

* Originally I wanted to make this dish with a base of Polenta slice but I didn’t have any. If you do it works very well too.

Have a great and hopefully sunny week,

Sarah

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Butternut Squash

Hi everyone,

This week sees the return of Butternut Squash  which can be used to make all kinds of wonderful soups, gratins and stews. It’s also great served on its own (roasted, boiled, steamed or fried)  then dressed  with a little Sea Salt, Olive Oil and the tiniest dash of Balsamic Vinegar. Flavourwise, it’s earthy and quite sweet (which makes it a great weaning food for babies) and goes very well with Garlic, Leeks, Onions, Potatoes, Chiles, Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Parsley, Sage and Orange.
Most recipes call for just the flesh and getting the skin off does look daunting but it’s not really. I find the best way is to quarter it first and then peel. After that, take out the seeds and stringy bits and cut the flesh as required. And what a lot of people don’t know is if you roast your Butternut the skin ends up soft enough to eat which makes things even easier.
One of the simplest ways to cook Butternut comes from a friend who reckons she got the recipe in New Zealand.You basically cut your Butternut in half and stick in the oven so it really couldn’t be less labour intensive…..

Sweet roasted Butternut

Clean the skin and cut the Butternut in half, then roast it softside up for 20 minutes. Turn it over and smear the flesh with Butter,  Brown Sugar, a generous pinch of Sea Salt and either a pinch of Cinnamon or Chili. Return to the oven and roast for a further 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of your Squash or until the flash has caramelised.
This is fantastic served with Lamb, Pork or some baked Feta Cheese with a cous cous salad dressed with Olive Oil, toasted Pinenuts and plenty of chopped Rocket or Flatleaf Parsley.

I hear it’s going to turn cold this weekend so soup is definitely going to be on the menu in our house. This week’s recipe is for one with Butternut, Parmesan and Thyme and it’s incredibly tasty, filling and guaranteed to warm……………

Butternut Soup with Parmesan and Thyme (for 2)

You’ll need:
500gr Peeled Butternut
60ml Olive Oil
1 small Onion chopped
4 Cloves Garlic finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme leaves or 1 Teaspoon dried Thyme Leaves
750ml Vegetable Stock (as usual I cheat and use Marigold)
2 Tablespoons Double Cream
3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan and some Parmesan Shavings for garnish (make these with your veg peeler)
Sour Cream for garnishing at the end – not absolutely crucial and some regular Cream or Yogurt will also do fine

Heat the Olive Oil in a pot over a lowish heat then very gently sweat the Butternut for about 5 minutes before adding  the Onion, Garlic and Thyme. Continue cooking gently for another 10 minutes. Turn up the heat a little and add the vegetable stock  in 3 stages stirring well between each addition. Bring everything to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer, season with Salt and Pepper then cover and continue cooking for a further 25 minutes.
To finish the soup off add 2 Tablespoons of double Cream and 3 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan. Check and correct the seasoning if necessary then cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending until smooth adding a little more stock if necessary to get the consistency you want.
Before serving reheat and garnish with a drizzle of Sour Cream if you have it and some Parmesan Shavings.
Don’t forget that soup freezes really well so it’s worth making a double or triple quantity (use Spuds and/or Carrots to make up any shortfall on the Butternut front). Freeze in individual portions and then you’ll be able to bring it to work  where you’ll go straight to the top of the recession chic charts!

Roasted Butternut Squash is great in salads and this recipe is a meal in itself….

Warm Roasted Butternut Feta and and Cous Cous Salad (for 2)

You’ll need:
300gr of peeled Butternut per person cut into bitesized pieces
Olive Oil
200gr Cous Cous (I like the wholemeal kind as it has a lovely nutty flavour but it’s up to you)
1 small Onion finely chopped
A handful of Parsley (flatleaf if possible) roughly chopped
120gr Feta Cheese
1 Lemon
Balsamic Vinegar
Roasted Pumpkin or Sunflower seeds if you have them.

Put the Butternut on a roasting tray and with your hands smear about 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil on them then roast in a hottish oven (Gas mark 6 or 200 degrees) for about 30 minutes or until the pieces are soft and starting to caramelise. If you’d like a bit of a kick you can add a little finely chopped dried Chili to the Butternut before roasting.
While the Butternut is roasting prepare the Cous Cous. Most recipes suggest steaming Cous Cous or sitting it boiling water but I learnt a technique from a chef in Barcelona which I reckon works better than anything. Basically you roast the grains on a dry pan as you would seeds and when they start to turn golden brown you turn down the heat, add hot water and stir like mad until the grains have softened and the water is absorbed. After that, turn off the heat and continue stirring so the grains don’t all clump together adding a little Olive Oil. As the Cous Cous starts to cool down you can stir it less and get on with preparing the rest of your ingredients. This recipe calls for 200gr Cous Cous which is about 1 1/4 cups and I’d reckon on adding about 2 cups of water but it’s not an exact science. If you find that the water has evaporated before the grains are cooked add a little more and if you find there’s still water in the pan and the grains are cooked turn up the heat and and stir everything so the excess water evaporates as quickly as possible.
When your Cous Cous is cooked add the Onion, freshly roasted Butternut, crumbled Feta Cheese and Parsley.
To make the dressing, mix 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil with the juice of half a Lemon and a dash of Balsamic Vinegar. Add this to the salad and then adjust (you may find it needs more Balsamic) as needed. Top with some Pumpkin seeds or roasted Sunflower seeds if you have them.

Hope you enjoy the recipes,

Have a great weekend,
Sarah