An early summer salad with pink radishes, rocket, avocado, feta and toasted sunflower seeds

Radishes are in from Denis Healy this week and they are so nice to look at that it seems a shame to eat them. But don’t let that stop you for too long they are best super fresh. Crunchy, peppery and above all PINK, they make any salad look good. Famously they only have 1 calorie per piece so make the ultimate guilt free snack (summer is on the way you know and there will hopefully be some bearing of flesh).

The French eat them dipped in salty butter with crusty bread as a pre-dinner appetizer and on a lazy summer’s evening what could be nicer? But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. The only trips to the garden I’ve been making recently have been mad dashes to get clothes off the line.

I really love  radishes with avocado where their peppery bite gets to play off the creamy perfection that is a  ripe avocado. This week’s recipe is very simple – finely sliced radishes and chopped avocado to start then with rocket from Denis,  toasted sunflower seeds and some crumbled feta. The perfect summer lunch or what? Even if you do have to eat it in the kitchen……..

An early summer salad with pink radishes, rocket, feta, avocado and toasted sunflower seeds

You’ll need:

A bunch of radishes washed and finely sliced

2 big handfuls of rocket (or any other salad leaves you fancy)

1 large ripe avocado

A handful sunflower seeds toasted

100gr feta cheese

For the dressing

The juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A large pinch Maldon salt crushed

First of all, make your dressing by mixing the lemon juice, olive oil and salt together then set aside. Wash the rocket getting rid of any really stalky bits. Chop up the avocado. To finish you can then toss everything together and dress or, as I did, dress the rocket then lay the feta, sunflower seeds, radishes and avocado on top. That way it looks prettier and you can kind of pick and mix as you eat. As you can see from the photo I also added a final grating of lemon zest for colour. Enjoy.

A warm sweet potato salad with rocket topped with crispy garlic and cumin scented breadcrumbs and pomegranate molasses

When the days are short and the weather cold it’s so easy to reach for heavier food in the evening. A warm salad is a way of bridging the gap between what the body seems to crave and what it actually needs (ie a bit of post Christmas restraint) Thankfully, my post Christmas back to  juicing habit seems to make resisting the stodge easier which is a start.

I used this week’s sweet potatoes last night to make a filling warm salad with some of my favourite middle Eastern flavours.First of all, I parboiled then roasted chunks of  potato then tossed them with a couple of handfuls of super fresh rocket. Then for crunch I made some garlic and cumin scented toasted breadcrumbs which I tossed in the pan with some sultanas before throwing them oven the sweet potato. With all that going on, I kept the dressing simple – extra virgin olive and sherry vinegar (but red wine or cider would have worked well I reckon as well). A final drizzle of pomegranate molasses gave a lovely sweet and sour finishing touch.

It’s the kind of salad that you can eat on it’s own but which works really well with lots of other bits – we ate it with a bowl of quinoa, a simple beetroot and blood orange salad and some parsnip fritters (more on those anon) other partners would be things like hummus, falafel, some simple pan-fried fish, goat’s cheese or feta, some lightly steamed broccoli tossed in sliced pan-fried garlic and chilli, cous cous, a Spanish omelette…. you know the drill.

Roasted sweet potato salad with rocket topped with garlic and cumin scented breadcrumbs and pomegranate molasses

You’ll need:

500gr sweet potato peeled and cut into cubes

Olive oil for roasting

70gr (2 handfuls) rocket or any other salad leaves you prefer

4 heaped tablespoons dry coarse breadcrumbs

1 fat clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

A small handful sultanas

For the dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar

To garnish: A generous drizzle of pomegranate molasses

Heat the oven to gas mark 6 and parboil the sweet potatoes. Drain and toss in olive oil in a roasting tray then place in the oven for about 30 minutes (give them a toss half way through to make sure they roast evenly) while you get on with the rest of the salad. Wash and dry the rocket and set aside. If it’s very stalky,  you may want trim it a bit as you go.

Make some breadcrumbs with old bread or use your usual stash (I normally have some in the freezer but didn’t yesterday).I made them quite chunky so they wouldn’t soften too much when mixed with the dressing and lose their crunch. I also stuck them in the oven for a couple of minutes to dry them out a bit more.  Heat 3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil on a pan then push the clove of garlic through the crusher and add that along with the cumin seeds. After about a minute when you can see the garlic beginning to soften, throw on the breadcrumbs.Toss until they have absorbed all the oil and crisped up a little more then throw in the sultanas and mix everything together then take off the pan.

When the sweet potatoes are done, take them out of the oven and let them cool slightly. Make the dressing by whisking the oil and vinegar together with a tiny pinch of salt.

To put the salad together, toss the rocket and sweet potatoes together then add the dressing and toss again. Top with the toasted breadcrumbs and sultanas then generously drizzle with pomegranate molasses and serve.

Enjoy!

Pan-fried chorizo with garlic mayo and rocket on lightly toasted ciabatta plus some ideas for kale and fennel

If you’re going out over the next week or so and I’m guessing you are, this week’s recipe sorts the what to eat the morning after the night before perfectly. Pan-fried chorizo with garlic mayo and rocket on ciabatta – heaven in a sandwich. It has not failed me yet. I used to get this from Ochos our local Spanish joint which sadly closed up a couple of months back. And while yes, after a hard night out it is always good to be served breakfast this one really is a cinch to put together yourself with the bonus that dressing is optional which is definitely a fair trade in my mind…..

Pan-fried chorizo with garlic mayo and rocket on lightly toasted ciabatta

You’ll need:

1 chorizo sausage weighing about 100gr – try to get a softish one

2 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 fat clove garlic

A spritz of lemon juice

A large handful rocket washed and dried

A little onion very finely sliced (optional)

Ciabatta or any other soft crusty bread you prefer

Heat a little oil on the pan, slice the chorizo down the middle and fry over a very gentle heat until it softens and begins to darken on the outside. While the sausage is frying crush the garlic and mix it through the mayo along with a spritz of lemon juice. Taste and adjust as you like. To put the sandwich together, lightly toast the bread then spread with mayo, cover with rocket and a little onion if you’re using it then top with the chorizo and serve.

This week’s bags all have a massive head of kale in from Denis Healy’s farm.  Shredded and pan-fried with slices of chorizo then topped with a poached egg a la Nigella Lawson makes a great quick supper. Otherwise, gently fry it up in butter with lots of garlic then stir through creamy mash for a delicious colcannon.

This week’s fennel makes brilliant gratins or there’s a lovely soup with orange you might like to try while my beetroot will be slow-roasted then served up with a drizzle of walnut oil and balsamic – Yum!!

Don’t forget to let us know about any of the extras you might be needing for Christmas by next Friday and be sure to give us a call if you’re not sure about anything.

Have a great weekend,

Sarah

Comfort and joy – Leek mash with baked feta and ginger tea

Oliver Kelly gave us a buzz last week to see if we’d take some of his Axona spuds. Yes please. Axona are a great all rounder. Brilliant just boiled up ( with the liberal addition of salty butter of course) they’re also great in mash and fried.

Last week was very busy at ours, we are STILL chasing wires, grouting and doing all kinds of little bits to finish off the kitchen. The weekend sunshine was a perfect end to the week and there was much lazing with papers. So, I haven’t had much of a chance to come up with anything earthshattering but I do think it will definitely hit the spot. Perfect for a Monday evening, this is one of my all-time favourite comfort foods – Leek mash which I usually serve with baked feta cheese. This part couldn’t be easier –  wrap a slab of feta topped with a drizzle of olive oil and some chilli in tinfoil and bake for 10 minutes.

 A rocket salad completes the plate. For me it’s the dinner equivalent of a big hug until of course I remember that there’s still some tiling to finish ……….urgh!!!

Leek Mash

You’ll need:

5oogr leeks washed and trimmed

Butter

Olive oil

1k potatoes

A little milk or cream

Salt and pepper

After washing, slice the leeks and sauté in butter (with a drop of olive oil to stop the butter burning) until completely tender and caramelized. This is what makes the dish so be sure and do it nice and gently. It’ll probably take about 25 minutes.

While the leeks are cooking, peel and boil about 1k potatoes. When they’re cooked, mash the spuds and season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper adding a generous knob of butter and a little milk or cream to get the right consistency. Add the leeks, mix everything together well and serve.

A Variation: put the mash in a dish and add some slices of Chevre and toast under the grill until golden then serve with a simple tomato salad dressed in olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Another variation: serve with some pan-fried chorizo and greens

There’s a piece of ginger in all our bags this week. Mince it up with garlic and fresh chilli and add it for stir fries or use it to make a tea that’s brilliant if you’re feeling coldy which a lot of people seem to be at the moment despite all the nice weather – cut a knob about the size of your little finger into 4 or 5 pieces, bring to the boil then simmer for 5-10 minutes then drink with honey. Ginger tea is also brill for sick tummies by the way.

Next week we’ll have the first of this year’s Wicklow rhubarb in all our bags and I think ginger might come in useful for that too. Haven’t figured out how exactly but I have a feeling.

Have a great week,

Sarah

Caramelized blood oranges and things to do with rocket

It’s one of those rare Dublin days where all you want to do is go outside. We’re just back from the an impromptu picnic in the park, the back door is open and the birds outside are really going for it out there. Everyone’s in a good mood. My recipes this week are an end of season last hurrah for blood oranges and a hello stranger for gorgeous Irish rocket (a mix of 3 varieties!!!) from Denis Healy’s farm in Wicklow.

Blood oranges seem to be a winner with pretty much everyone.  Apart from the amazing colour and flavour, they’re  just especially  lush. We make juice with them every morning maybe adding the odd grapefruit for tang. It is truly a great way to start the day.  Peeled and sliced with a little shredded mint is a very simple but really beautiful way to round off a meal. As you can imagine, this also works well with ice-cream. I also throw them into green salads and recently, as I wrote last week, I’ve had great success with cous cous, Feta and broad beans.

I was flicking through Skye Gyngell’s brilliant “How I cook” recently and found a recipe for caramelized blood oranges which I had to try. It’s very easy, just sliced oranges drizzled with a light caramel. Both the oranges and the syrup are served chilled so it’s really refreshing. A dollop of Greek yogurt or a scoop of vanilla ice-cream is a great foil with a light dusting of cinnamon if you really want to impress. And of course chocolate is good too (but you knew that). This recipe is a slighted amended version of Skye’s.

Caramelized Blood Oranges

4 or 5 blood oranges

100gr castor sugar

160ml water

Put the sugar and 50 ml water in a heavy pot. Stir once then set over a low heat and leave until the sugar fully dissolves. This will take a good 5 minutes. Turn up the heat a bit and let the caramel start to form and change colour stirring occasionally. Be sure and keep an eye on things as the caramel can turn very dark very quickly.You want a golden colour and when that happens carefully pour in the rest of the water and stir well.

Be very careful when doing this as the syrup is very hot and will spit. A tea towel around the stirring hand is a good idea. When the water has been absorbed, stir for another minute then take off the heat. Let the syrup cool down before decanting it into a jug or jar. When it has fully cooled down you can store it in the fridge for a month at least.

When you are ready to serve simply peel and finely slice the oranges. Lay out on a plate. Drizzle with syrup and serve. Heaven..

This week’s rocket is what local seasonal eating is all about. Picked first thing at the Healy’s farm it’s spanking fresh and bursting with flavour. It hasn’t, however, been sprayed a million times so is fragile and should be eaten ASAP. Here are a few ideas…..

Split a warm ciabatta, drizzle the bread with a little olive oil then stuff  with any of the following:

prosciutto and mozzarella

sun-dried tomatoes and Tallegio

sliced chorizo and Feta

goat’s cheese and beetroot chutney

bacon and mustard

fried chorizo and garlic mayo (tomorrow’s brunch in our house methinks)

Salads – any of the sandwich combinations mentioned above will work as a salad but these are also pretty tasty:

blood orange slices and toasted pine nuts 

black olives and sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan shavings

pan-fried chopped pancetta with croutons

toasted pinenuts and a dressing made with red (sundried tomato) pesto thinned out with olive oil and a small dash of balsamic

almonds and Parmesan dressing with a lemon dressing

toasted sunflower seeds and panfried courgette with a dressing made with pomogranate molasses

roasted red pepper and feta

Really the combinations endless. What are your favourites? Please share!!

Oh and one final thing, this week sees the last of the season’s celeriac (that big gnarly thing in your bag). Mash, roast or turn it into soup or there’s smashed with spud and green chili and crispy onions from a a few weeks back a recipe I’ve turned to again and again recently. Or there’s Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsdall’s moreish gratin with rosemary and cream.

Have a fantastic weekend,

Sarah

Damsons, Rocket, Cherry Tomatoes and Green Beans

We might be enjoying a bit of sun at the moment but there’s no denying that summer (well what we had of it) is drawing to a close. We still have lots of summer produce – gorgeous Tomatoes, Courgettes, Grapes and Aubergines but the early autumn stuff is making it’s way into the bags – Butternut a few weeks ago, today there’s  lovely new Leeks and Damsons or Quetsche Plums to give them their full title. If you haven’t had them before, Damsons are plums that are generally used for cooking because they aren’t as sweet as the  plums we normally eat.

This week’s recipe is for a crumble with almonds. If you’re not a baker don’t worry, crumble-making doesn’t really count as baking as it’s just so easy. You literally crumble the flour, butter and sugar with your fingertips until you have something resembling large breadcrumbs. Even if you end up with something different it’ll still taste fine just as long as some attempt has been made to mix the ingredients. My son Dan (4) does all the crumbling in our house except of course when I have him polishing grapes for Home Organics (just kidding!!!). If you’re avoiding puds Damsons are a perfect stewing fruit. Rinse and put in a pot with 2-3 Tablespoons Sugar. Turn on the heat and give the pot an occasional shake to help the Damsons burst and release all their lovely juices. As you’ll see, these Damson are yellow on the inside but the  skin colours everything  that gorgeous plummy red after they’ve been the pot a few minutes.

halved damsons

Cook for about 10 minutes making sure all the plums break up so you can get at the stones afterwards. Allow to cool down a bit before you remove the stones and  you’ve got a compote which makes a  perfect breakfast with Greek Yogurt. This week’s crumble won’t take more than 15 minutes to  put together so if you do fancy dessert it’s an easy one and really tasty to boot….

Damson and Almond Crumble

You’ll need:

450 gr Plums (about what you have in this week’s bag)

3 Tablespoons of Sugar

100gr Flour

40gr Ground Almonds

75gr Butter

60gr Sugar

Prepare the fruit as I’ve described above and while it’s cooking get on with the crumble (or rope in a small child to do so). Put all the ingredients in a bowl and crumble (!!) This should take about 5 minutes (small children will take anything from 2 minutes to an hour and a half). Remove all the stones from the fruit and put into a baking dish and top with the crumble mix. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crumble topping is golden brown and hopefully some of the ruby juices from below have bubbled up and speckled the topping. Eat with Cream, Ice-cream or Yogurt.

damson crumble

One other thing to do with Damsons is Damson Gin. Far easier than baking but there is a bit of waiting involved. Most recipes will tell you to prick the plums, add sugar then throw in the booze but Margaret (no doubt reliably)  informed me yesterday that the stones in Plums contain cyanide so should never be left after the fruit has been cooked or opened. So, rinse and halve about 450gr plums (what you have in this week’s bag) then add 150gr Sugar and 75cl Gin. Put the lot in a sterilized wide-necked bottle. Close the lid and shake well and continue to shake every day until the sugar has dissolved. Keep for at least 6 weeks and then it’s cocktail time!

This week’s Green Beans need very little done to them. A light steaming then toss them in Butter or Olive Oil with a little Maldon Salt. A step further is to crush or finely chop a couple of cloves of Garlic, saute gently on the pan then add the precooked Beans just before the Garlic is done. Toss for a minute or 2 more and you’ve got a very tasty side. Lot’s of Black Pepper is great with this too.

In case you’re wondering..

This week’s salad leaves are Rocket a beautiful peppery leaf that is great in salads and sambos. Have it with this week’s Cherry Tomatoes and some Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar for a very quick and tasty salad.

Have a great weekend,

Sarah

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

Borlotti Beans, New Potatoes, Rocket and Tomatoes

The big thing about our service is that you don’t really know what you’re getting week to week so quite often we end up cooking out of our comfort zone. This week we have gorgeous pink and white speckled Borlotti Beans for the first time ever. My reason for avoiding them until now was that I didn’t really know what to do with them but this week I thought I’d give them a go and the result was fab.

Borlotti beans

Like the Broad Beans we’ve had over the summer months they need shelling but only once – you don’t need to get them out of their skin once cooked.  The other big difference is that they take a lot longer to cook than other beans. Giorgio Locattelli reckons that they’re done when the skin as well as the actual bean is soft and this takes about 40 minutes so be careful to check that they really are cooked before you take them off.

Once cooked, they are great in soups, stews and salads (try them with this week’s Rocket and Tomatoes dressed in Olive Oil and Balsamic). Giorgio has a beautiful recipe with prawns which definitely looks like it’s worth a try if you have his book. The other way they are often served in Italy is with a tomato sauce along with herbs like Sage or Rosemary. This is the route I took and it was one of the nicest things I’ve eaten in a while. We ate them with a trout, this week’s New Potatoes and a warm salad of Courgettes and new Onions. It was all lovely but the Beans were definitely crying out for lamb and I’m looking forward to this for tonight!!

Borlotti Beans with Garlic, Tomatoes and Rosemary

You’ll need:

380gr Borlotti Beans

1 Head Garlic

1 Tablespoon  dried Rosemary minced

4 Tomatoes

Olive Oil

Put the shelled beans in a pot and cover them with about an inch of cold water. Bring them to the boil then reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking til done. Once the beans are cooking get on with everything else. Plunge the Tomatoes into boiling water, leave for a minute or 2 then peel and chop them. Peel the Garlic and slice each clove finely. Heat a generous amount of Olive Oil (1/2 cup)  and then throw in the Garlic. Saute gently for a minute or 2 before adding in the Rosemary (or Sage if you prefer). When the Garlic has softened (but not changed colour) add the Tomatoes and a pinch of Salt. Stir over a medium heat for about 10 minutes before adding the Beans. Cook for another few minutes the serve hot, warm or cold (it makes a lovely salad). Enjoy!!

This week’s New Potatoes are the Sharpes Express variety (apparently very difficult to grow but well worth it as so many of you have been commenting on them) and they are best steamed. Start with the biggest ones then add in the smaller guys over time so they’re done at the same time. Try them in a salad with this week’s Rocket(Arugula)  and Avocado and some smoked Cheese  with a Sherry Vinegar dressing if you have it. On the subject of vinegars -I recently got a Pomegranate one which we’ve been enjoying a lot recently. The Courgettes and Onions we had with the fish the other night were cooked on the pan in Olive Oil and then I added a splash just before taking them off the pan which cooked down and sweetened and the end result was lovely.

Hope you enjoy the recipes,

Have a great weekend,

Sarah

Jerusalem Artichokes, Rocket and Mushrooms

 

We have Jerusalem Artichokes in all our bags this week. Never heard of them? Well, they are those funny knobbly things that look like a cross between Root Ginger and Sweet Potatoes in your bag this week. Rather confusingly Jerusalem Artichokes have nothing to do with either Jerusalem or Artichokes. These tubers are a variety of sunflower. Tastewise, they’re quite similar to Globe Artichokes but are much sweeter with a nutty, smokey flavour which goes beautifully with Cream, Garlic, Bacon, Mushrooms, Hazelnuts, Lemon, Parsley and Parmesan. Like all root veg, Jerusalem Artichokes can be roasted, fried, boiled and mashed. They make fantastic soups and gratins and can even be eaten raw although with the day that’s in it that doesn’t really hold too much appeal. Instead, I’d suggest a warm salad with this week’s Rocket and some smoked Cheese. Paul and I have just wolfed this for lunch and it rocks. Or, try soup – Jerusalem Artichokes make the silkiest kind and you can garnish it by pan-frying some of this week’s Mushrooms which are just perfect for bringing up the nutty, earthy flavour of the soup….

When preparing your Artichokes, it isn’t necessary, as many recipes insist, to peel them but they do need a good scrub. If they’re very mucky, a soak in some water before you scrub will make things easier. If you do peel them, be sure and put them in acidulated water (ie water with some Lemon Juice) to stop them going brown. The first recipe this week is a very simple one and it works really well with any kind of roast and it’s also the basis of the salad recipe I just mentioned….

 Pan-fried Jerusalem Artichokes with White Wine Vinegar

You’ll need: 600gr Jerusalem Artichokes (about what you have in this week’s bag)

 Olive Oil

2-3 cloves Garlic

 White Wine Vinegar

Scrub your Artichokes well but don’t bother to peel them. Slice each one into rounds about 1/2 cm thick dropping them into a bowl of Water with Lemon juice as you go. When they’re all ready drain them and dry with some kichen paper or a tea towel. Heat some Olive Oil on the pan and add the Artichokes. Pan-fry over a slow to medium heat until golden. This should take about 10 minutes and at this stage the Artichokes will have started to soften. To finish cooking them turn down the heat and cover them for about 10 minutes tossing every few minutes to ensure they don’t blacken. While the Artichokes are cooking, finely chop your Garlic. When the Artichokes are soft to the point of nearly starting to fall apart turn up the heat a little, add a little more Olive Oil and throw in the Garlic and toss with the Artichokes until soft. To finish off the dish add a dash of white wine vinegar, toss everything together then turn down the heat, cover and leave to cook for a minute then turn off the heat, season with Salt and Pepper and serve.

A warm salad with Pan-fried Artichokes, Rocket, Pinenuts and smoked Cheese (for 2)

You’ll need:

 A portion of pan-fried Artichokes prepared as described above.

60-70gr Rocket (about what you have in your bag this week)

100gr smoked Cheese – Apart from the Basque raw sheeps cheese Idiazabal I’m not normally wild about smoked Cheeses but it’s amazing in this salad. I used Oakwood which is pretty readily available (Idiazabal, unfortuneately, isn’t – even in the rest of Spain it’s hard to track down).

A handful Pinenuts Olive Oil Vinegar or Lemon Juice – I used that Irish Cider Balsamic stuff which is really nice but traditional Red wine or Lemon Juice also works well. I wouldn’t go for regular Balsamic for a salad like this as I think it overpowers the earthy flavours but it’s really up to you.

While the Artichokes are cooking wash and dry the Rocket. Chop the cheese into little chunks (about the size of hazelnuts) or strips about 2 cm long . Toast the Pinenuts on a dry pan until golden then roughly chop and mix through the Rocket. Add in the Cheese and when the Artichokes are ready dress everything with Olive Oil and Vinegar then top with the Artichokes and serve.

And finally…………………

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup topped with saute Portabella Mushrooms (for 2 hungry people or 4 as a small starter)

You’ll need:

A generous knob Butter

 1 Onion

1 Stick of Celery

2 Cloves Garlic

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

800ml Stock (Chicken or veg)

60ml Double Cream

1 large Portobella Mushroom or 4-5 small Chestnut ones to garnish

Roughly chop your Onion and begin to sweat in the Butter while you finely chop the Celery. Throw in the chopped Celery and after about 5 minutes add the 2 cloves Garlic roughly chopped. Continue to saute over a lowish heat until everything has softened but not changed colour (this should take about 10 minutes) while you get on with preparing the Jerusalem Artichokes. Peel and slice the Jerusalem Artichokes, dropping them into water with a squirt of Lemon as you go. When the Onion, Celery and Garlic have fully softened throw in the Artichokes along with the stock. Season with Salt and Pepper, bring to the boil then simmer for about 25 minutes until the Jerusalem Artichokes are completely tender. While the soup is cooking wipe and thinly slice your mushroom(s), heat some Olive Oil on a pan and fry until golden brown and almost crispy then set aside. When the soup is cooked, turn off the heat and blend until completely smooth. Add in the cream, check the seasoning adding a little more Salt if necessary and serve topped with the Mushrooms.