Butternut and Mirabelles

Hi there,

This week we have the start of Autumn varieties – Butternut Squash and New Parsnips. Seems unfair given we haven’t really had a summer but I suppose there’s always September (we Irish never give up the faith). This week’s recipe is a salad with Butternut Squash and Rocket. If you haven’t had it before, Butternut can be boiled, steamed or roasted (there are several recipes already on the blog including a really amazing soup).  When you roast Butternut it caramelises on the outside adding great flavour. Then I added some toasted Pine nuts and a little Goat’s Cheese. Perfect for a Saturday lunch…….

Roasted Butternut Salad with Rocket(Arugula)  and Goat’s Cheese

You’ll need:

300gr peeled Butternut cut into bite sized Cubes

60 gr Rocket (about what you have in this week’s bag) or any other salad leaves

A handful of Pine nuts

150gr Chevre Goat’s Cheese

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Begin by preparing the Butternut. I find the best way is to quarter it remove the seeds and stringy bits and then chop it up.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- 40 minutes or until the pieces are soft and starting to caramelize.

You can toast the Pine nuts in the oven (on a separate tray) so stick them in and toast until they’ve started to change colour (should take about 10 minutes but check on them after 5). When the Butternut is ready let it cool down a bit them toss it with the Rocket and Pine nuts. Dress the lot with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. Eat with nice bread or a Cous Cous salad (try Cous Cous, Chopped Dates, some Sultanas and some toasted Cumin Seeds dressed in Olive Oil and Lemon Juice)

The tiny plums in your bag this week are Mirabelles and they’re only around for a couple of weeks every year. Completely delicious, they should be eaten asap and there’s no need to add anything – Yum!!!!

Have a great weekend,

Sarah

Courgette Flowers

This week we have a  special treat – Courgette Flowers. As you can imagine they’re big in Italy where they like them stuffed with Ricotta or Mozzarella then coated in a light Tempura style batter and deep-fried til golden. In Mexico they use them to stuff quesadillas and to make soup. You have 2 in your bag this week so soup is going to be out of the question but not to worry, the classic Italian style (stuffed and deep fried) is hard to beat.  This way they gently steam inside the batter and lose none of their delicate flavour. The batter you make to coat them should be as light as possible. I use self-raising flower and sparkling water which introduces lots of air but a beer batter works well too.

Courgette flowers

The flowers come attached to small super-tender Courgettes and I generally leave these attached to the flower although you can detach them and cook them separately or add then chopped finely to the stuffing.  This recipe will work with any summer squash flowers or also with pumpkin flowers.

The trick with stuffing them is not to overdo it or the Cheese will leak out. I reckon about 1/6 ball of Mozzarella is about right and to that you can add

• half a sun-dried tomato
• half  an Anchovy (minced)
• some Mexican Jalepenos – this is something I tried for the first time during the week and it’s really good

Another filling to try is soft Goat’s Cheese (about a teaspoon) and a drizzle of Honey over the finished dish just before serving really makes it.

Tempura of Stuffed Courgette Flowers

For the basic recipe you’ll need:

1 cup Self-raising flower

Sparkling water

Pinch of Salt

Courgette Flowers

Vegetable Oil

Wipe the flowers with a dry cloth and carefully open out the petals. Stuff with whatever you fancy from the ideas above (if you have any more please share!!)

Close up the petals to seal in the filling. Make the batter by mixing the flour with the Sparkling Water. Start by adding a cup then mix adding more water as necessary until you have a batter as thick as Buttermilk. Heat the oil in a pan to about 160 degrees. Before you start frying drop a tiny bit of batter into the pan and if it turns golden brown in about a minute you’re ready to go. Any faster and you should turn down the heat a little or the flowers will burn on the outside before the courgette has cooked. So, when the oil is ready coat each flower carefully and gently put them into the pan and fry until golden. This will take about 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with a squeeze of Lemon and some Salt and Pepper.

These babies are really really fragile so whatever you decide to do, do it ASAP – this evening or for lunch tomorrow to get them at their best – You won’t regret it!

Frittata with Courgettes, Onions and Tomatoes

Hi everyone,

It’s starting to look like summer and all those wintery bakey kind of things that seemed to hit the spot a couple of months/weeks ago are the last thing you want to eat. It’s time for lighter food and Frittata is one of those great summer dishes. Frittata is an Italian dish and is basically an open-faced omelette. Unlike other omelettes, it is not folded and it’s texture is firm and set (but never dry) rather then creamy or runny. Another difference is that it is cooked slowly over a low heat. In terms of fillings, it’s like the rest of Italian cuisine i.e. it tends to have only a few (sometimes just one or two) but very well-chosen ingredients as opposed to the fifteen you tend to get when ordering a vegetable/vegetarian omelette in many Irish restaurants.

Frittatas are served hot, warm or at room temperature. I think hot tends to kill some of the flavour and serving them from (or even putting them in) the fridge does something horrible to them so I’d favour warm or room temperature myself. They can be eaten alone or as part of a selection of antipasto style dishes and they make a great sandwich.

The basic technique for cooking a Frittata is the same for all the types below and is as follows: Beat 6 Organic (in a dish like this you can really taste the difference between organic and non) Eggs adding Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste. One thing though – never crack and beat eggs until you are ready to use them – if they sit around premixed before you start cooking something very strange happens to their flavour and texture. Melt Butter or Olive Oil on a 10 inch non-stick pan. When it heats up and in the case of butter, begins to foam pour in the egg mixture and turn the heat down low. When the Eggs have set and thickened and only the surface is runny you can either a) put it under a preheated grill taking it out when the top of the frittata has set (but not browned) or b) place a large plate or board on top of the pan and turn the pan over onto it, then slide the frittata back onto the pan (the top uncooked side will now be on the bottom) and cook for a few more minutes. This technique, also used for the Spanish style potato omelette, sounds trickier than it actually is and has the added advantage of impressing dinner guests no end. A whole other technique, which also works well, is to pour your egg mixture into a buttered baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes in a preheated oven or until the frittata is no longer runny.

Frittata with Courgettes

You’ll need:

1 small Onion (sliced very thinly)

Olive Oil 350-400gr.

Courgettes (about what you have in this week’s bag)

6 Organic Eggs 2 Tablespoons grated Pamesan Cheese

Torn Basil Leaves (if you have them)

Courgette and egg

Sauté the Onion in a dash of Olive Oil with a pinch of Salt until it softens and begins to brown. Wash the Courgette(s) and slice into 3mm discs. Add to the Onions with a pinch of Salt and cook until golden brown. Take the vegetables off the heat, drain them and allow to cool slightly. Make the Frittata as described above adding the vegetables and 2 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan along with some torn Basil leaves if you have them to the egg mixture first.

chopped Zucchini

Variation: Instead of adding the Parmesan you could top off your Frittata with discs of Goat’s cheese and brown under the grill at the end. If you cook the Frittata in the oven the Goat’s cheese can go on at the beginning

Frittata with Onions

You’ll need:

2 medium sized Onions (finely sliced)

Olive Oil

6 Organic Eggs

2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese grated

Slowly sauté the Onions in about 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil and some Salt in a covered pan. When the Onions soften, uncover the pan and cook until they turn a rich golden brown. Drain and allow to cool slightly then add them to the eggs with a couple of tablespoons Parmesan (or do the Goat’s Cheese thing described above) then proceed as described above.

Frittata with Tomatoes, Feta cheese and basil

tomato and zucchini frittata

You’ll need:

2 medium sized tomatoes

6 Organic Eggs

125gr. crumbled Feta (or Goat’s Cheese)

10 torn Basil leaves.

Chop the Tomato and add to the beaten eggs along with the Feta and Basil leaves. Proceed as above.

The above are some of the more classic fillings (at least the first two are). If you want to try others, Asparagus and Artichokes make amazing Frittata fillers. Green Beans are also a classic. After that it’s really up to you. The only thing I’d caution against are Mushrooms, which, while they taste great, tend to turn the Frittata a rather disturbing murky brown colour so I’d leave them for a French style omelette. On a heavier note, the Italians also make Frittata with leftover Spaghetti (!!!). This has always struck me as a comedy type dish so having never tried it, I can’t vouch for it (If anyone decides to go for laughs of disbelief at their dinnertable I’d be very interested to know how you get on). For three eggs you need 220gr. Spaghetti (sauced with anything except clams or shellfish which would dry out. If you don’t have any leftover pasta you can make some and toss it in Butter, Parmesan and Chopped Parsley, then leave to cool a little before continuing), and 2 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan.

Our Fruit and Mediterranean selections all have Apricots this week which are probably good to go this weekend – Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy these recipes,

Have a great weekend,

Sarah ***********************************************************************************************************************************************

Spinach

Hi everyone,

This week our bags have lovely Spinach which is a great fast food. After a thorough wash (it can be very gritty), you destem the leaves then pack them in a pot and steam them in the water left clinging to the leaves. Cooking will take about 2-3 minutes then you can serve it straight up with a knob of Butter or a drizzle of Olive Oil. For a really delicious sidedish sauté a few chopped cloves of Garlic in Butter then throw on the Spinach, mix everything together well and serve. For a maincourse add some cream and Parmesan and you’ve got a very quick pasta sauce. This week’s recipe is a pasta dish but without the cream as I’m sure that we’d all like to hit the beach at some stage this year…………..

spinach

Pasta with Spinach, Garlic and Black Olives (for 3-4 people)

You’ll need:

250-300gr Spinach (about what you have in your bag this week)
5 Cloves Garlic
Butter
Olive oil
Handful of stoned Black Olives roughly chopped
Pasta (whatever you like)
Parmesan Cheese

First of all stick on the kettle for the pasta (this dish is fast) Wash and destem your spinach then roughly shred it. Stem the leaves as described above then wring out any water with your hands as soon as it cools down.
While the Spinach is cooling stick on the pasta.
Chop the Garlic then gently sauté it in a large knob of Butter and some Olive Oil. When the Garlic has softened (don’t let it change colour as it’ll start to burn very quickly after that) add the Spinach and toss well to make sure it all gets coated in Butter and Garlic. When the pasta is cooked drain it and mix into the pasta adding some more Butter and Olive Oil aswell as a couple of tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan and the Olives.
Season with Salt and Pepper and serve immediately.

Spinach is, of course, fab in all kinds of salads and sambos.Try it with sundried Tomatoes, toasted Pinenuts and Goat’s Cheese or with Walnuts and Feta. Dress with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar and serve with a simple Omelette or some fish.

Hope you enjoy these recipes,
Have a great week,
Sarah

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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Swedes and Baby Spinach

Hi everyone,

This week sees a rare appearance by a variety dreaded by most people signing up to an organic delivery scheme – The Swede (or Turnip as many people call them).  Bad, bad memories of overcooked soggy orange puree served in times past (and still in urban Sunday carveries in times present) make it difficult to approach this variety with anything other than dread.
Well, fear not, my first recipe this week this week is going to change your feelings about this humble variety forever. It has been a recent revelation and definitely puts Swede on the cooking map for me. It turns out that Swede goes really really well with Onions and Bacon and by frying up smallish slices with plenty of these until everything is crispy you have a dish that works a treat with roasts but can also stand alone with the addition of some Goat’s Cheese. Vegetarians can leave out the Bacon and add more Onions………

Refried Swede with Caramelized Onions and Bacon

You’ll need:

1 Swede

2 Medium Onions

Butter

Olive Olive

5 streaky rashers
Begin by peeling your Swede – it’s probably best to half and even quarter it before you attempt this. Then slice it into pieces about 2-3cm square. Bring to the boil,  simmer until tender then drain and set aside. While the Swede is cooking chop the  Onions and start to sauté in about a tablespoon of Butter and a dash of Olive Oil (this stops the Butter burning) over a gentle heat until they start to darken and caramelize (about 15 minutes). Add the Rashers finely chopped and continue cooking for a few minutes before adding the Swede. Keep cooking adding a little more Butter if necessary until everything starts to change colour and crisp up. Season with Salt and Pepper and serve.
As I said you can serve this dish as is but if want to use it as a main I suggest topping it with rounds of Goat’s Cheese and placing the lot under the grill until golden.

Another approach is of course the gratin, always welcome at this time of the year…….

Swede and Potato Gratin with Goat’s Cheese.

You’ll need:

500gr Potato

500gr Swede

Butter

125gr. Goat’s Cheese

1 Medium Onion

150ml Double Cream

150ml Milk

Nutmeg

Peel and finely slice the Potato and Swede (Celeriac can be substituted for either ingredient or a mix of the three works very well). Crumble the Goat’s Cheese and finely slice the Onion. In a buttered gratin dish (about 25cm ox 25cm) layer the Potato and Swede, Onions and Goat’s Cheese finishing with a layer of Swede and Potato and Goat’s Cheese. Pour over the Double Cream and Milk seasoned with Salt, Pepper and a pinch of freshly grated Nutmeg. Cover and bake in a medium oven (gas mark 5) for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for a further 30 minutes or until the top is bubbling and golden brown. Eat with a simple green salad.

For greens try Baby Spinach. You can use it in all kinds of salads (Walnuts and Goat’s Cheese are fab with it) or you can lightly steam it and have it with poached eggs tomorrow morning – yum!!

Beetroot and Parsnips

Hi everyone,

Like all root vegetables, this week’s Beetroot and Parsnips are beautful roasted. Last night I had them together topped with a scattering of Parsley, a warm Cous Cous salad with toasted Pumpkin seeds and baked Goat’s Cheese. It’s a combination that’s easy to prepare and always goes down a storm.

I think the best way to go is to  boil the vegetables first (separately or everything will go pink and it is nice to have the 2 colours) so the roasting doesn’t take too long. This way, once the veg is in the oven you’ll have enough time to do the Cous Cous, slice the Goat’s Cheese and of course have at least one glass of wine.

Balsamic Roasted Beetroot and Parsnips (for 2)

You’ll need:

600gr Parsnips (about what you have in this week’s bag)

600gr Beetroot (about what you have in this week’s bag)

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Honey

Start with your Beetroot as they’ll take the longest. Wash but don’t peel them or all their lovely colour will leech out. Cover in water and bring to the boil then simmer til done (ie until you can stick a knife through them). This will take anything from 40 minutes to an hour for really big bulbs. When they’re ready take them off the heat, drain and allow to cool slightly. Peel and cut each Beetroot into quarters or eighths depending on the size.

While the Beetroot are cooking you can get on with the Parsnips. Wash, peel and cut into chunks or lengths. Boil in salted water until tender (this should take about 15 minutes).

When the vegetables are ready, heat your oven to Gas mark 6 or 200 degrees and warm some Olive Oil on a non stick baking tray. When the Oil is hot add your vegetables and a drizzle of Honey.  Toss well then put in the oven. After about 20 minutes toss everything  to make sure the veg cooks evenly. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes, toss again then add a dash of Balsamic Vinegar and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until everything has carmelized nicely. Season with Salt and Pepper and serve.

The Cous  Cous and baked Goat’s Cheese

You’ll need:

Cous Cous

Pumpkin Seeds

Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

2 rounds Chevre Goat’s Cheese about 1 inch thick

Prepare enough Cous Cous for 2 and dress with some nice Olive Oil and Lemon juice. Toast some Pumpkin seeds on a dry pan and throw in. The baked Goat’s Cheese is simple. Just  bake the rounds on a tray for about 10 minutes so when you think the veg is starting to caramelize is a good time to throw them in the oven. If you want to make things really special marinate them in Oil with some Rosemary and Thyme a la Alice Waters. This can be done the day before and is fab.

In case you were wondering……..

The leaves in your bag are Pak Choy and they should be steamed or stirfried

We still have Quinces and I’ll be posting that lovely Moroccan Quince and Chicken Tagine recipe on the blog for all of you who’ve asked for it.

Hope you enjoy the recipes,

Have a great weekend,

Sarah

What to do with all those courgettes……….

Hi everyone,

Courgettes, as you know, are a summer staple; not even all the wind and rain can hold them back. Nice as they are, at this time of year “Courgette fatigue” starts to set in. There are only so many Courgette pastas you can eat…. Salads are the way forward especially with vinegar as it brings up their flavour so well. Then to bulk things out and make a larger meal you can add Herbs, Cheese (Goat’s and Feta are especially good), Pinenuts, Tomatoes and Cous Cous. Below are a few of the many salads we’ve eaten over the summer months and for those of you fed up pretending it’s summer right at the end there’s a gratin and pasta recipe.

For one of the best Courgette salads just chargrill or griddle Courgette rounds (see below for details) then add a dressing of Olive Oil and Red Wine vinegar (4:1) along with a little Salt and Sugar. Add some torn Basil or Mint leaves if you have them and set aside for at least 20 minutes so all the flavours have a chance to soften and mingle. Serve with Cheeses, Hummus, Cous Cous, Green Salad and Olives for lunch or as part of a main course with grilled fish.

If you want something a little more filling try an extended version of this by adding Lettuce (or any salad leaves you have) Cherry Tomatoes, Feta Cheese and Black Olives. Because the Courgettes are cooked, this salad feels like a meal and really needs nothing more than good bread for a perfect lunch……..

Chargrilled Courgette Salad with Lettuce, Cherry Tomatoes, Feta and Olives

You’ll need:

• 2 Medium Courgettes
• 1/2 Head Lettuce
• 300gr Cherry Tomatoes
• A handful Black Olives
• 100gr Feta
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar

Begin by preparing your Courgettes. Either cut them into rounds about 1/2 cm thick or slice them into lengths (about 5 cms is perfect) of the same thickness. Heat your grill or griddle pan and when it’s ready place the Courgettes on it then cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes until the slices start to char (if you’re using a griddle pan you’ll get those snazzy stripes). When they’re done take them off the pan and put them in a bowl. Cover with a plate so the heat from the Courgettes generates some steam which continues the cooking process and leaves them lovely and tender.

While the Courgettes are steaming, wash and quarter about 300gr Cherry Vine Tomatoes (or chop 2- 3 regular sized ones) and make a dressing using 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar and 4 of Olive Oil, a little pinch of Sugar (takes any bitterness out of the Courgettes) and a pinch of Salt.
Mix the Tomatoes, Courgettes and dressing together and and leave aside for at least 20 minutes. If you’re preparing in advance this could be done up to 6 hours before.
To put the salad together, wash and dry half a head of Lettuce then tear the leaves into manageable sized pieces with your fingers. In a salad bowl, mix the Courgettes, Tomatoes, Lettuce Leaves, Feta Cheese (crumbled) and the Olives. Toss together, check the seasoning adding more vinegar if necessary and serve.

Another Very Simple Courgette Salad

You’ll need:

• 2 Medium Courgettes
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Basil Leaves

Slice your Courgettes and gently sauté in Olive Oil. Just before they start to change colour add 3 or 4 finely chopped cloves Garlic and continue to sauté until the Garlic has softened and the Courgettes are golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool before dressing with Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar (about 4:1 should be fine but you may need to adjust) mixed with pinches of Sugar and Salt. Add some torn Basil leaves and leave for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to soften and mingle. Serve with cheeses or perhaps a simple omelette and a green salad.

Warm Courgette salad with Pine Nuts and Goat’s Cheese (for 2)

You’ll need:

• 2 Medium Courgettes
• A handful Pinenuts
• 1/2 Head Lettuce (or enough Rocket for 2)
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• 150gr Soft Goat’s Cheese (Chevre rounds are ideal)

Once again, slice and sauté the Courgettes until golden brown but this time leave out the Garlic. When done, allow to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.

Begin by toasting a handful Pinenuts. To do this, place them on a dry frying pan and toast over medium heat until they start to change colour.

Wash and dry about 1/2 Lettuce.

Make a dressing by mixing Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar (again about 4:1 should do it) with pinches of Salt and Sugar.

To put everything together, toss the Lettuce leaves (tear them first if they’re too big) and Pinenuts with the dressing and put on a plate or platter. Scatter the Courgette slices and small rounds of Goat’s Cheese (Ricotta would also be lovely) on the Lettuce leaves and serve.

And if you fancy something more substantial try…

Courgette Gratin with Tomato and Parmesan (for 2)

You’ll need:

• 1 Medium Onion
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
• 3 Medium Courgettes
• 80gr freshly grated Parmesan
• Basil Leaves

Make a Tomato sauce by sautéing a medium Onion in Olive Oil over a lowish heat until soft and beginning to change colour (this will take about 15 minutes). Add a 3-4 roughly chopped cloves Garlic and continue cooking for a few more minutes until the Garlic has softened. Add a tin of chopped Tomatoes, a teaspoon Sugar and a generous pinch Salt. Continue cooking over a low to medium heat until the Tomato has reduced by at least half. Check your seasoning adding more Salt if necessary and a little more Sugar if the sauce seems bitter. Cook for a further 5 minutes then remove from heat.
While the Tomatoes are cooking, slice and sauté the Courgettes till golden brown.

To finish the dish, put a little Tomato Sauce on the base of a small ceramic gratin dish followed by a layer of Courgettes, some grated Parmesan and a few torn Basil Leaves if you have them. Continue layering the Courgettes, Tomato and Parmesan until everything has been used ending with a layer of Parmesan. Grill until golden and eat hot, warm or cold.

Pasta with Garlic, Courgettes and Chilli (for 2)

You’ll need:

• 2 Medium Courgettes
• 1/2 Fresh Red Chilli
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic
• freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• Enough Pasta for 2

Slice and begin frying your Courgettes along with 1/2 fresh Chilli in a generous dash of Olive Oil. While the Courgettes are cooking put on enough pasta for 2 (any kind works fine). When the Courgettes start to change colour add 2-3 cloves Garlic finely chopped. Be sure to keep moving the Courgettes and Garlic on the pan so the Garlic doesn’t burn.

When the pasta and Courgettes are ready mix together adding plenty of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, Salt, Black Pepper and a little more oil if necessary. Serve immediately.

Variation: Instead of the Chilli you could throw in a handful of Capers at the end.

Rosti

Hi everyone,

I find that after winter (officially, March is after winter) root vegetables start wearing thin.Gratins and soups are great but it feels like it’s time for something else, something a bit lighter I suppose so this week I made Rosti for the first time in years and have rediscovered a whole new way to deal with these roots.

In case you haven’t come across them before, Rosti are basically like  Potato (or Celeriac or Parsnip) cakes but much easier and faster to prepare because you don’t cook and mash the veg before you fry the cake you simply grate it, mix it with some sautéed Onions, Garlic or Bacon, shape into “cakes” which are then fried on the pan. Because they are thinner than regular savory cakes everything cooks through in about 5-6 minutes.

After that, you can top them with things like relish,  oven roasted Tomatoes, Cheeses, stir fried veggies whatever you fancy really. They even make a great breakfast, try potato Rosti with a poached Egg and some Spinach.

More seasoned cooks might be wondering how it all holds to together. Well, spuds,because they have plenty of liquid (which you will have to drain off but more on that later) hold together pretty well while things like Parsnips are a bit trickier so you end up with something a little messier (if this is a problem you can add some grated spuds to the mixture or, do as they would in a restaurant and make each cake in a metal cookie ring so it holds its shape but to be honest messiness tends not to be a problem as you top them with something that hides this.

Last night  I made 2 types based on what’s in our bags this week and both versions were on the table in under 30 minutes. The first was with Potatoes and Onions which I topped with Goat’s Cheese  and some slow roasted Tomatoes I had in the fridge and the second version was with this week’s Parsnips and an Apple and were topped with Mushrooms in a Cider and Cream sauce and Parmesan…..

Potato Rosti with Goat’s Cheese and Oven Roasted Tomatoes* (for 2)

First of all you’ll have to prepare the Tomatoes and these can be done a day or two in advance or whenever you have the oven on for something else and stored in the fridge. Otherwise you’ll have to start them a couple of hours before you plan to eat as they do take a while. It’s very simple though – quarter 3-4 Tomatoes and roast slowly (Gas 4) for 2-3 hrs with a generous dash of Olive Oil, a tablespoon Sugar, a generous pinch Salt, Oregano and a little Chilli.

To make the Rosti, coarsely grate 500gr Potatoes and leave in a Colander with a pinch of Salt giving them some time to shed their liquid. While this is going on, chop 1 medium sized Onion and gently sauté in some Olive Oil until soft and golden (about 10-15 minutes). Give the Potatoes a squeeze to get rid of as much liquid as you can then mix in the Onions and add some Black Pepper. Unless you have a really enormous frying pan it’ll probably be easier to use 2 so heat some Olive Oil on 2 pans. Divide the Potatoes into 4 portions and shape each one into a cake (they won’t really stick together but this doesn’t really matter). Place the cakes on the heated pan(s) and flatten down with a spatula so that they are about 1/2 – 3/4cm thick. Allow each side to crisp up and and compact (2-4 minutes) before you flip them over. Cook until both sides are golden brown then remove and serve topped with a slice of Goat’s Cheese (Chevre is perfect) and those oven roasted Tomatoes along with a simple green salad dressed with Balsamic Vinegar.

* If you can’t wait for the Tomatoes just use a decent relish or even a Tomato Salad instead

Parsnip and Apple Rosti with a Cider Cream Mushroom sauce (for 2)

As I mentioned above, Parsnips are dryer than spuds so they won’t give off much liquid so you won’t have to drain much off but it also means that they are trickier to hold together on the pan. I don’t really mind this as it all gets covered with mushrooms later but if this is a potential source of grief for you simply do a mixture of spuds and parsnip (half  and half) rather than just Parsnips.

So, to make these as before coarsely grate 400gr of Parsnips and 1 Apple, add a little Salt and leave in a colander in case there is any liquid to come off and get on with preparing the sauce.

Clean and chop 180gr Mushrooms (the ones in your bags today are quite small so I’d only halve or quarter them). Heat a little Butter in a pan and sauté the Mushrooms with 2 cloves of finely chopped Garlic until golden. Season with Salt and Pepper and add 60ml Dry Cider (or white wine if you don’t have Cider). Allow the Cider to boil then turn down the heat and add 120ml single Cream and cook slowly for a minute or two then take off the heat.

Fry the Rosti, as before and  when they are just about ready gently reheat the Mushrooms adding a little more seasoning if necessary.To serve place 2 Rosti on each plate and top with the Mushrooms and some Parmesan shavings and eat immediately.

In case you were wondering………

The green leaves in your bag this week are Pak Choy which you can either steam or stir-fry (with lots of Garlic and Ginger)