March

The April Fruitbowl

April can be very difficult. Peaches, Nectarines Cherries, Lychees and Apricots are all unavailable for most of the month. But don’t despair, Red Bartlett and Anjou Pears arrive by boat from South Africa, plus blushing Rose-Marie and Forelle Pears. Mix them with a few green skinned Williams and you have instant eye-appeal. In Apples, Galas are more interesting than boring Grannies and Golden Delicious add a softer shade of golden-green. Large Oranges are easier to peel right now than so-called easy-peelers like Ortalinas and Clemenvillas. Swap back when the Cape Sats and Clems become plentiful in May. In Stone Fruit go for Yellow Songold and Red Laeticia Plums. When rustic-looking, but divine Nisperos (AKA Loquats) arrive mid-month they are well worth a try. Seedless Grapes, particularly Green can get dodgy, so swap to Red Seedless, or if your diners put taste over convenience, Red Seeded. Add in Physalis, Rambutans, Kumquats and Strawberries for easy-to-eat colour, and Pitahaya, Baby Pines, Guavas, and Indian Mangoes for the luxury tropical look.

 

 

Char-Grilled Asparagus and Spring Vegetable Soup

Trim and wash thoroughly a kilo of Asparagus and 2 bunches Spring Onions. Drain well then put in a bowl with 2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil and plenty of freshly ground Black Pepper. Cook the vegetables on a grill or griddle pan at high heat for about 5 or 6 minutes turning once until they have some brown, but not black, char marks on them. Keep back 8 Asparagus Tips for garnishing and chop the rest of the veg roughly. Put in a saucepan with 1L Chicken Stock and 250g washed young Spinach. Simmer the veg in the stock for 5 minutes then remove them and puree in a food processor. Return them to the stock through a sieve and whisk in 150ml Double Cream and 4 tsp finely chopped Chervil and 2 tsp finely chopped Tarragon over a low heat (do not let the soup boil). Season and top with a swirl of Sour Cream and two Asparagus Tips on each bowl. Serve with crusty White Bread.

 

Minty Broad Bean Pesto

Toast 100g of Pine Nuts in a heavy-bottomed pan; until they begin to take colour and develop a toasted taste (be careful not to overcook as this may cause them to become bitter). Put 2 tsp Lemon Juice, 2 tbs Water, 450g cooked and peeled Broad Beans, the pan-toasted Pine Nuts, 450ml good Olive Oil, 3tbs chopped Mint,  2tbs chopped Wild Garlic Leaves, 1 tsp Sea Salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground Black Pepper into a food processor and blitz until you get a coarse paste. Fold in 170g of grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese then check and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with toasted Ciabatta, Pitta Bread, or on Pasta.

 

Ramson and Rocket Soup

Simmer 500g of peeled, diced Desiree Potatoes, I stick of finely sliced Celery, a single Sage Leaf and one finely chopped Onion in 1.5 litres of light Vegetable or Chicken Stock until very tender. Then bring to a vigorous boil and add almost 200g of chopped Wild Garlic Leaves (reserving about 10 leaves) and 250g chopped Rocket Leaves. Bring back to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Liquidise thoroughly and force through a sieve. Return to the heat and stir in half a pint of Double Cream and Half a pint of Crème Fraiche. Keep on a low heat but do not boil.

Add Salt and White Pepper to taste, then roll up the reserved Garlic Leaves into a "cigar" and slice finely across to make a chiffonade. Serve the soup with fresh bread and top with the chiffonade of Wild Garlic Leaves.

 

Spicy Edamame Dip

Dry pan-roast 4 large cloves of Garlic (skins on) over medium heat. For about 15 mins, turning frequently. Cool and peel. Boil 454g of Edamame Beans (in Salted Water to cover) until tender (about 5 mins). Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water then drain and cool the beans. Drop the peeled Garlic into a blender or food processor with the motor running to coarsely chop it. Add the drained Edamame, 1 ¼ tsp Salt, ½ tsp ground Coriander Seeds, ½ tsp ground Cayenne and ¼ tsp ground Cumin. Process, adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the cooking water until a smooth purée. Add the 6 tbs good Olive Oil, 60 ml Fresh Lime Juice and a handful of freshly chopped Coriander leaves. Pulse to combine. Serve at room temperature with Crudités and Pita wedges or Tortilla Chips for dipping. Serves 8-10 as a starter.

 

Roast Garlic, Potato and Onion Soup

Preheat oven to 400F. And have ready 1.5 litres of Stock. Cut 1kg of peeled Maris Piper Potatoes into 2.5 cm pieces (roughly) put into a large baking tray with 2 Large Onions which have been quartered and broken up. Season and coat the Vegetables with Olive Oil. Slice off the top from two heads of Wet Garlic and put 15-20g of Butter on each. Place the Garlic on a sheet of aluminium foil. Put 1/2 tablespoon Butter on cut top of Garlic and dribble water on foil, then fold up the sides of the foil to make a packet around the garlic. Roast everything for 45 minutes, then remove garlic and continue roasting the veg until well browned. Squeeze out the paste from the Garlic and mix with the vegetables. Process in batches until smooth adding some stock to aid the process. Add the rest of the stock, sieve and bring to a gentle simmer. In a small pan, melt 1tbs of Butter, and stir in 1½tbs of Plain Flour. Then blend in 250ml of Soured Cream and a couple of ladles of soup and heat and stir until thickened. Blend this mixture into the rest of the soup, bring back almost to simmering and then serve with crusty bread.

 

Mustard-dressed Raw Beet Salad

Finely slice two small Red Onions and put in iced water to soften their taste. Peel and cut 500g of Raw Beetroot into julienne. You can use a grater or food processor but it must be sharp otherwise the texture suffers and the beetroot bleeds. Roast 2 heaped teaspoons of White Mustard Seeds in a dry, covered pan until the seeds begin to pop. Keep moving the pan to avoid burning the seeds. Roughly crush the seeds and add 2 tbs Red Wine Vinegar, a couple of pinches of Salt, half a de-seeded mild Green Chilli (finely Chopped) and a tablespoon of chopped Flat Parsley.

Drain the onions and mix all the ingredients together. Adjust the Seasoning if necessary. Delicious with cold meat and hard cheeses.

 

Sweet and Sour Veg

Mix together 400ml Pineapple juice, 60ml of tomato ketchup, and 20ml of Tomato Purée, 40ml of malt vinegar and 20ml of sweet chilli sauce. Pour in 100ml of Orange Juice and combine well. Cook a couple of Onions without colour in a heavy bottomed casserole dish, then pour in the sauce. Add in 2-3 Orange and Red Peppers, a packet of Baby Corn and 300g of diced Pineapple and stir. Cook for a further 15 minutes, throw in a handful of Beansprouts and a few Mange-Tout to finish. Serve with noodles and steamed Pak Choi, Fresh Ginger and Spring Onions.

 

Thai Fish Cakes with Cucumber Dipping Sauce

Blend a ½ a kilo of white fish, a handful of Coriander leaves, a juiced Lime, 3 Spring Onions, a little Thai red curry paste, and a Chilli, add a little salt.- don't blend it to a fine purée though, as this is not so good. Combine 200g of finely cut Snake Beans into the mixture and form them into flat cakes, leave them in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up. For the dipping sauce, whiz up in the blender; 5cm of peeled Cucumber, a Shallot, a small Carrot and a Chilli. Throw in a handful of very finely chopped Ginger and 50g of chopped peanuts. Transfer to a bowl, mix in 40g of brown sugar and 120ml of rice vinegar to dissolve it, then pour in a little light soy sauce and groundnut oil. Pan fry the cakes for about 1 minute on each side, drain and Garnish with picked Coriander leaves, serve with the Cucumber dipping sauce.

 

Root Vegetable and Spinach Bubble and Squeak Cakes

Prepare equal amounts of Swede, Carrot and Parsnip, cook until soft in salted, and lightly sugared water. Triple-wash and pick a kilo of new season Spinach. Drain and stir-fry with a little Olive Oil and Garlic. Mash the Root Vegetables and mix with the cooked Spinach, season with nutmeg and black pepper. Form the mixture into portion size cakes and chill, dust with seasoned flour. Sauté until golden on both sides. To serve, stir fry a few handfuls of Spinach to scatter around your 'Root Vegetable Bubble and Squeak, sprinkle with Olive Oil, a few Chives and freshly steamed Beetroot, peeled and tossed with Balsamic Vinegar and rock salt.

 

Pumpkin and Basil Gnocchi with Watercress Pesto

Peel and cut a kilo of Pumpkin into 3cm chunks, cover with salted water and cook in a heavy-based saucepan for 6-7 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash with a fork or potato masher and add 120g sifted Flour. Mix well and add 60g of Grated Parmesan, a few sliced Spring Onions and a handful of torn Basil leaves. Season to taste. Lightly Flour and roll into pieces the size of Walnuts and set aside. Drop the Gnocchi into boiling salted water for 2 minutes and cook until no longer floury. To make the sauce, mix 200ml of Olive Oil a couple of bunches of shredded Watercress, 100g of Parmesan, a little Garlic, and 60g of Pine Nuts. Place the drained Gnocchi in a large flat dish, drizzle the Pesto all over and serve.

 

Ramson Risotto

Sweat a finely chopped Shallot in 1tbs Butter. Add 80g Risotto Rice and pour over 200ml good Vegetable Stock little by little, agitating onstantly. Puree 25gm Ramsons with the 40g Mascarpone in a blender and stir it into the cooked risotto. Finish off with a few drops of good Balsamic Vinegar and drizzle over Olive Oil. Good served with char-grilled fish.

 

Ramsons Bacon & Beans

Soften half a White Onion In 2 tbs good Olive Oil. Remove and reserve. Add 200g of thinly sliced and chopped Dry-Cure Bacon or Pancetta and 100g Chorizo to the pan and cook until it begins to go crispy round the edges. Add 400g of cooked Broad Beans, the cooked Onion and 50g chopped Wild Garlic and cook until the leaves have fully wilted. Serve with good bread and butter.

 

Rheum for the Rhubarb?

Most people regard Rhubarb as a traditional English fruit. But they're wrong on two counts: firstly, it is technically a vegetable (a member of the genus Rheum, and a close relative of the herb Sorrel) and econdly, it originated in Asia.

In fact, it was grown for medicinal use in China and Tibet as early as 2700BC and prized for its purgative properties. The plant didn't reach Europe until the 16th Century and wasn't officially recorded as a culinary crop until around 1750.

English Outdoor Rhubarb has just started and it's not just good for crumbles and fools. Try this Confit to go with duck, lamb or pork: Cut 500g Rhubarb into ¾ inch pieces and simmer with 500ml Dry Cider, 125g Caster Sugar and 1 heaped teaspoon finely grated Ginger. Simmer gently without stirring until a dark, sticky glaze is formed.

 

Spinach & Root Vegetable 'Bubble'

Prepare equal amounts of Swede, Carrot and Parsnip and cook until soft in Salted, lightly Sugared Water. Triple-wash and pick a kilo of new season Spinach. Drain and stir-fry with a little Olive Oil
and Garlic.

Mash the Root Veg and mix with the cooked Spinach, season with Nutmeg and Black Pepper and tighten with a little Potato Powder if necessary. Form the mixture into portion size cakes and chill, Dust with Seasoned Flour. Sauté till golden on both sides.

To serve, Stir Fry a few handfuls of Spinach to scatter around your 'Root Vegetable Bubble' and sprinkle with Olive Oil, a few Chives and some chopped Sun Blushed Tomatoes.

 

Char-grilled Banana Loaf with Dried Figs and Raspberry Coulis

This is a simple Pudding that will use up any over ripe Bananas that you may have. I will give you a basic recipe that can be calculated up to the quantity that you require.
Cream together 250g Butter with 350g Caster Sugar, add 4 Beaten Eggs and 6 Mashed Bananas.
Fold in 450g of Self Raising Flour and 200ml of Boiling Milk.
Sprinkle in a Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon and a Teaspoon of Ground Ginger. This mixture will start to work as soon as the Milk is added so have Greaseproof lined dishes ready to go.
I tend to use a heavy 'Le Creuset' dish for this as it gives greater protection to the outside of the Loaf and guards against burning.
Cook at 170 Degrees C for about 40 minutes, don't worry if it is a little damp in the middle, but it should be firm to the touch.
Quarter a Kilo of Figs and bring to the simmer with a light Stock Syrup, turn off the gas and leave to soak overnight.
Thickly slice your Warm Banana Loaf and Mark on the Char-grill, Drain the Figs that should now be softened and mix with Boiron Raspberry Puree, Spoon this over the freshly Grilled Banana Bread and serve with Whipped Vanilla Cream. You can also try making the Loaf using the same quantity of Diced Apple and substitute the Caster Sugar with a Soft brown Sugar.