Slack but back!

O.K. I realise I have been slack with my blog because this is the first time I have ever written a post on my iMac and I have had it for at least six months, so it is time to address this situation. I don't know where the winter has gone but I do know that spring is here and I am back on my allotment in force. Potatoes in, bean poles up, first strawberries flowering, last years fennel, chard and perpetual spinach still going, thanks to an exceptionally mild winter.

Anyway, I quickly wanted to get in my favourite Purple Sprouting Broccoli recipe in, just before it bolts and goes to flower. I was particularly proud of my crop this year, especially the fact that I had actually managed to grow something that looked like it did on the packet. 

I learnt this recipe at the River Cafe. Don't be afraid of the anchovy. Only use a little and it does not taste fishy. It is more like a seasoning and along with the parmesan provides the "umami" which makes this dish so special. As with all simple recipes, it is only as good as it's ingredients so buy the best you can afford.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Pasta, Anchovy, Chilli and Garlic
Serves 4
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 dried chillies, stalks removed and deseeded if preferred, chopped
2 tbsp Really good extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
6 good quality anchovy fillets. (The best ones are in salt and need rinsing before using.)
400 g purple sprouting broccoli
350 g pasta, such as orecchiette
Lots of freshly grated parmesan

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Put on a large pan of salted water to boil. Cook the garlic and chillies in the olive oil in a large pan for a few minutes until the garlic is light brown. Add the anchovies, remove the pan from the heat and stir vigorously so the anchovies ‘melt’ into the oil. If necessary add a little water from the pan of boiling salted water. When the water is boiling, cook the purple sprouting broccoli – leaves and all – for about 4 minutes, until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain and roughly chop. Add to the anchovy oil and cook for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile add the pasta to the same water for about 12 minutes, or according to the packet directions, until almost cooked but a little al dente. Drain well and place in the pan with the purple sprouting broccoli. Season well and add a little more olive oil and lots of grated Parmesan to taste.

So, it is back to the allotment and although the amount of work still to do for this year seems daunting, I must not forget that a year ago it looked like this!

Making Time!

Sorry I have been away a while from my blog. Sometimes life just gets in the way!  And once you get out of the habit of making time for something, you very quickly fill it with something else.

Everyone said that if I took on an allotment, that everything else would suffer, but after 5 years of waiting on the councils waiting list I could hardly turn it down. I was convinced that my growing vegetables would purely enhance my cooking and blogging, and my life would become one unified harmony of sewing seeds, reaping and harvesting; at one with nature and the seasons, creating new recipes with wonderful fresh vegetables, cultivated entirely by my me. 

In reality it had been an all consuming, totally absorbing, battle against nature. Too much rain and the lack of sun, then too much sun and not enough rain along with the catastrophic damage caused by slugs and pigeons and finally the ever ongoing, ever growing trauma of weeds, weeds and more weeds. 

But I am proud to say, considering what I inherited three months ago, which was nothing much more that a patch of land, covered in grass and waste high in weeds.....

..... with a little help from my family, but it has to be said - not a lot (but thank you Hughie for putting up my shed) ...

 ... I finally managed to plant something and ....

.... would you believe it, I have actually managed to grow something ....

...in fact a few things ..... masses of courgettes.

So here are some courgette recipes - the first is for the tiny baby courgettes - deep-fried whole in a light, crispy batter and delicious with a Anchovy and Rosemary Sauce. The second recipe is for when the courgettes are just a little bigger but still have the flowers attached (although it is perfectly delicious just with the courgettes). I have to admit that in the past I have always found courgette risotto a little bland but with the addition of a little tarragon and some lemon zest this version really comes alive and is transformed into something really tasty. Finally, something for when the courgettes grow slightly larger- a Tagine, which I came up with for my last cookery lesson, which had a Middle Eastern theme. Once again I was faced with the challenge of trying to make a rather bland vegetable sing and I think that this Tagine really does work.

So there you go - three "Recipes from the Allotment" to make up for my leave of absence and I promise to follow with many more, as I anticipate my next glut - will it be tomatoes, chard, cucumbers, potatoes or spinach? Depends on the weather... and the slugs and the pigeons..only time will tell!

Risotto with Zucchini and Zucchini Flowers
adapted from The River Cafe cook book
(Serves 4)
8 small young zucchini with flowers
2L chicken stock or 4 Kello stock cubes dissolved in 2 liters of hot water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g butter at room temperature
1 medium onion, peeled and very finely chopped
200g risotto rice
200ml extra dry white vermouth or white wine
100g parmesan freshly grated
Fresh Tarragon

Zest of one Lemon

Prepare the flowers by removing the stamens and sepals. Tear each flower vertically into 4 strands. Brush to get rid of any dust or insects but do not wash. Slice the zucchini into fine discs. Heat the chicken stock and check for seasoning.  Melt half of the butter in a large heavy bottom pan and gently fry the onion until soft about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the rice becomes totally coated. Cook for a minute or two before adding the wine. Stirring all the time, wait first for the wine to be absorbed before adding 2 or so ladlesful of hot stock or just enough to cover the rice and simmer, stirring until the rice has absorbed nearly all the liquid. Continue to add more stock as the previous addition is absorbed, stirring all the time. After about 15 minutes add the zucchini slices along with the last two or three ladlefuls of stock.
The zucchini should have a little bite and the rice should be chewy but not floury.  Remove from the heat. Finally add the flowers, the tarragon, the lemon zest, the rest of the butter and the Parmesan   Cover and leave for a few minutes. Finally give the whole risotto one last stir and serve.

Deep Fried Zucchini Flowers

adapted from The River Café “Classic Italian” Cook Book

Makes 12

12 baby zucchini with flowers attatched
½ cup Tipo 00 flour – or plain flour will do
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Warm water
1 egg white
½ teaspoon sea salt

3 cups sunflower oil for frying

Mix flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Add oil and enough water to make a thick paste.
Loosen paste with warm water until the mixture has the consistency of very thick cream. Let batter sit for 30 minutes. Beat egg white until it holds stiff peaks. Gently fold into flour batter.

Heat sunflower oil in a large deep frying pan. Use a cooking thermometer to heat oil to 180C
Brush any insects from the flowers and remove the stamen and sepal from inside the flower. Cut the courgettes through lengthways until near the flower but not too close so that the courgette remains in tact. Dip the courgette and its flour into the batter. Drop them into the hot fat and fry until golden. Approximately 2 minutes per side. Turn over and repeat. Don’t crowd the flowers – fry in batches of 4. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Serve immediately.

Courgette, Chickpea and Preserved Lemon Tagine

Olive oil (or Argan oil if you have it)

3 Courgettes (cut into 1cms half moons)

Two onions, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoons of Ras-el-Hanout or more to taste

2 heaped teaspoon of cumin

2 heaped teaspoon of Harissa

Tin of good quality Plum Tomatoes, chopped

Large pinch of saffron

1 can of chickpeas, drained

Two preserved lemons, seeds removed and chopped

One small bunch coriander, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a tagine. Fry the the onions.  Cook for about 10 minutes until soft and just about to brown. Add the garlic and the Ras-el-Hanout, the cumin, the harissa and a generous amount of salt and pepper.  Fry for a few minutes to release the spices. Next add the courgettes and fry for a few minutes more. Next add the tin of tomatoes, the saffron and the chickpeas and bring briefly to boil. Reduce heat. Cover, but leave a crack for steam to escape. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes or so until the courgettes are tender. Add the preserved lemons and the Coriander.  Adjust seasoning adding more salt or pepper if necessary. Serve with Cous Cous.

Fabulous Fennel

I love Fennel.  I know it is meant to be a bit of a "love it, or hate it" vegetable, but I just think it is an acquired taste. But I don't think I really understood fennel until a late age. Now I think is so super versatile and clean and fresh, I just can't wait for it to appear in early summer.  I love it raw, sliced as thinly as possible and dressed with lemon juice, peppery extra virgin olive oil and a little salt. I love it baked until melting tender with loads of Parmesan cheese.  I love it roasted or barbecued until caramelised and golden. I love it's seeds in curries, fish stews, sausages and marinades.  I love its fronds, stuffed into the cavity of a fish before roasting.  And of all the herb teas, fennel is my favourite. Strangely enough though, I hate alcohol with a fennel or Anise flavour. Pernod, Raki, Ouzo, Pastis - Yuk!  And it is not like me to turn down a drink.

What I particularly love about fennel is it's ability to cut the richness of fatty fish, pork or sausages.  Hugh, the other half, is hugely fond of Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes, a book which he permanently has by his bedside and It was he who first requested this sausage dish with braised fennel, waxy potatoes and lemon.  It is a spring like dish, hearty enough to stand up to chilly evening, yet refreshing, zesty and clean. Just what you need to wake you up after a winter of heavy stews and casseroles.  The perfect transition from Winter to Spring. The Luganega sausages are hard to come by and very expensive if you ever should, but I discovered some fantastic Italian sausages at our local butchers Robert Edwards which work very well.  They are quite spicy, which is really nice but not very fennely, so I add fresh fennel and fennel seeds to my recipe. Waxy potatoes are not as popular in England as in the continent.  We seem to prefer our potatoes more floury.  Look out for Charlotte, Anya, Ratte or Pink Fir Apple Potatoes. The other thing I like about this recipe it is a one pot meal which means less washing up.  

The second recipe is from Simon Hopkinson's recent, brilliant T.V.show and book "The Good Cook". Here the fennel is slow-roasted and the juices are whizzed up with the Parmesan at the end. The first time I made this recipe I was convinced it wouldn't work. I had never used Parmesan in this way, but it amalgamates with the fennel juices and results in a lovely creamy sauce, perfect with the braised fennel.

Two of my favourite fantastic fennel recipes - so even if you think you hate it, why not give it another go.

Fennel Sausages Braised with Lemony Potatoes and Bay Leaves

Adapted from Rick Stein.  The original recipe is more just like roast vegetables but I have added twice as much water to create more of a stew. You can finish this off in the slow-cooker if you like.  It makes a fabulous meal to great you after a hard days work.

450g/1lb luganega sausages (available from specialist Italian or
Continental grocers), or other nice meaty pork sausages.
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 heads of fennel, trimmed and cut into 4/6 wedges, depending on size, lengthways (save the fronds)
750g/1½lb small waxy potatoes, peeled and each cut into quarters
2 lemons, pared zest and juice
4 fresh bay leaves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
240ml/8fl oz water

If necessary, twist the sausages into 7.5cm/3in lengths and separate them and then cut into individual sausages. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a 26cm/10in flame-proof casserole dish. Add the sausages and fry until nicely browned all over. Lift them onto a plate and set aside. Add some more oil and the fennel and fry until golden. Next add the garlic and the fennel seeds. Fry for a few minutes more. Stir in the potatoes, browned sausages, lemon zest and juice, bay leaves, ½ teaspoon salt and ten turns of the black pepper mill. Pour over the rest of the oil along with the water, cover tightly with the lid and bake for 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Or cook for 4 hours on slow in the slow-cooker. Remove the lemon zest and Bay leaves. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds.

Braised Fennel with Butter and Parmesan

Adapted from Simon Hopkinson. As I said, I am not a fan of Pastis so I miss that out and use extra Vermouth instead, but if you do not have any, white wine will work well instead. Delicious served on it's own or along side some roast lamb.   

750g/1½lb fennel bulbs, trimmed, halved, trimmings reserved
50g/1¾oz butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp dry vermouth or white wine
Splash Pastis (optional, alternatively add more dry vermouth)
60g/2oz Parmesan (or similar vegetarian hard cheese), grated, plus extra for serving
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.

Melt the butter in a casserole dish over a low heat. Place the fennel into the butter cut-side down, and scatter around the trimmings. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and increase the heat. Add the vermouth, Pastis or white wine. Cover with a sheet of foil loosely pressed down on the vegetables, and put the lid on top. Place into the oven to cook for 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and turn over the fennel. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until very tender when poked with a small, sharp knife. Preheat the grill to high. Remove the fennel from the dish. Place in a warmed shallow oven-proof dish cut-side up, cover with foil and place in the oven while you make the sauce. Pour the trimmings and cooking juices through a fine sieve suspended over a small pan. Warm through and add 45g/1½oz of the Parmesan. Blend with a hand blender until smooth and creamy (about the consistency of pouring cream). Pour the mixture over the fennel and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Place under the grill and cook until the surface is pale golden-brown and slightly bubbling around the edges.

Winter Warmer

I don't really think of Winter as a season for peppers but Riverfords are amazing at the moment and keep turning up in my veg boxes.  They are so huge and fat and bursting with flavour that I could almost smell summer.  Admittedly, they come from Spain but when you are longing for a little bit of warmth, in this really cold dawning of February, a bit of sunshine from Spain can really cheer you up.  It's as close as a holiday as I will be getting this half term so I am embracing it with arms wide open.   

So fed up am I with Winter and my north facing back garden, which will not see a glimmer of sunshine until at least March, that I booked a holiday in Sardinia.  It is not until June mind but it did not stop me getting out all my favourite Mediterranean cookbooks to get me in the mood.  Flicking through Elizabeth David I could almost taste the Peperonata and before I knew it I was back in the kitchen.  Peperonata is a Sicilian pepper stew and amazingly, for such a simple recipe, no two versions seem to be the same.  I add not only capers and basil but Balsamic vinegar to mine, just to really nail that sweet and sour kick but I also leave out the tomato which is often present in other versions.  Use the best Balsamic you can, which not only means one obviously from Moderna, the home of  Balsamic vinegar but also one that has also been aged at least 12 years.  A decent one will set you back at least £12.00 for 250ml but it will be worth it.  You will not need very much and it's mellow sweetness and integrated acidity will add an amazing depth and complexity to many sauces especially tomato based ones.  I love this pepper stew, not only on its own with a rocket salad but also with meat or fish, especially wild salmon or mackerel.  The acidity works really well to cut the oiliness of the fish.  All you need is a few boiled new potatoes and you have a little taste of much needed sunshine.

Peperonata 

6 red peppers
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium-sized bunch of basil, roughly chopped

A handful of baby capers
A splash of very good balsamic Vinegar (Aged 12 years at least)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by slicing the peppers in half, scooping out the seeds and slicing into one-inch strips lengthwise. Now place a medium-sized heavy- based pan over a gentle heat. Add a tablespoon of the olive oil and allow to warm through. When the oil is warm but not hot, add the onions, a pinch of salt and sweat for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic  and sweat for a further 10 minutes – the onions should not have browned at all. Add the peppers and stir to combine. Cook until the peppers are soft and almost falling apart; this should take about 45 minutes. Give the capers a good squeeze to get rid of any excess vinegar and add to the peppers. Drizzle with balsamic  and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.  Cook until the vinegar has the right sweet and sour balance.   Add the basil and taste for seasoning.Serve either warm or at room temperature.

Winter Minestrone

Christmas is all about the children.  Every year I mentally conjure up the perfect family scene; spending quality time with the kids, sharing those moments that memories are made of - decorating the tree, wrapping presents, eating mince pies.  Every year, I end up desperately struggling to keep a calm, smiling façade, inevitably thinking - this would all be so much less stressful, if only the kids were not "helping" quite so much.  The tree looks like it has suffered a hurricane   My tasteful, minimalist colour scheme has been sabotaged.  The presents have been so constantly prodded and fiddled with, that they have finally lost any allure, mystery or magic that might have once contained and, as for mince pies and kids - crumbs, sticky fingers and mess.  Never the scene in the magazines.  

At least dinner is sorted.  There are few things that my whole family will eat, without too many complaints on any one front and in our family it is Minestrone.  There is no set recipe for Minestrone and ours has been adapted to suit the family's many likes and dislikes, until it has eventually come a household staple.  I make a huge batch and keep it for emergencies - like Christmas preparations and spending quality time with the kids.  

I save all my Parmesan rinds and chuck them in for extra flavour and also I am very generous with the Pesto.  If you have used up all your home-made pesto, that you prepared with the last of the summer surplus of basil from your garden, harvested just before the first frost came, then just go and buy some.  A good quality one should contain nothing more than basil, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan, pinenuts, Pecorino and salt.  Check the label.  This is a very seasonal soup.  A distant memory to the Summer Minestrone that I made back in June.  Use up whatever is in your veg box, in the fridge or maybe more to the point, what your kids will eat.  I am still excited about Winter Greens at the moment and in my opinion nothing is better in a Winter Minestrone than king of all cabbages, the Savoy.

Winter Minestrone

I would love to say that I am a girl who constantly has a pot of chicken stock on the back burner, using up all those bones that would otherwise go to waste, but I am not.  If I do make stock I do usually freeze some but when I haven’t, stock cubes are just fine.  Buy a good quality one.  I use Kallo Organic.  Check the ingredients. There really should not be anything dubious in there.  Obviously they are very high in salt, but just add less to your finished soup. 

5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve

200g smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons

2 onions, quite finely chopped

4 large carrots cut into 1cm dice

5 sticks of celery cut into 1cm dice

6 clove of garlic, crushed

2 tins cooked and drained Borlotti beans

2 tins good quality tinned tomatoes

Parmesan rinds. (Optional - You can collect these and keep them in the fridge for a few weeks).

1.5l good quality chicken stock (or good quality stock cubes)

200g pasta, either soup pasta such as Ditalini, broken spaghetti or alphabet pasta is quite fun for little kids.

Extra seasonal vegetables of your choice, (courgettes (finely chopped), peas, French beans (cut into 1cm lengths) or Cavalo Nero or Kale (striped from its stem, washed and chopped) or 1/2 a Savoy cabbage (shredded).

180g Pesto, homemade or bought.

Grated Parmesan.

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan heat the oil, add the bacon and fry until golden brown.  Add the onion, carrots and celery. Soften over a medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, without allowing them to colour.  If adding courgette, add it now and allow to soften slightly.  Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes more before adding your tomatoes.  Break up with the back of a spoon.  Add the Parmesan rinds if using.  Add the Borlotti bean and allow to cook to about 10 minutes more.  Add the stock, bring to the boil, and then turn down the heat.  Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the pasta and French Beans, Peas, Cavalo Nero, Kale or cabbage and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Check seasoning and stir in most of the pesto.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a grating of Parmesan and the rest of the pesto. This soup is even better the next day but you will find the pasta has absorbed all the liquid.  Just add a little more water or stock when you re-heat it.

Winter Greens

One thing I love most about Winter is that the Brassicas are at their best and along with the more obvious broccoli and cauliflower, cabbages and of course brussel sprouts the markets, and my veg box, fill up with a variety of Kales including the wonderful Cavalo Nero. Kale grow excellently in our climate as they freeze well and actually tastes sweeter and more flavourful after being exposed to a frost. Fabulously good for you, they need nothing more than stripping from their stems, blanching for a few minutes in plenty of boiling salted water, draining and leaving to cool before squeezing out any excess water. Then fry plenty of garlic slithers in lots of extra virgin olive oil (preferably Tuscan), until golden brown and add your leaves, roughly chopped if you like. A quick stir, a little sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Delicious! I like mine on a piece of toasted Polaine (or sourdough) bread, drenched with a little more olive oil. So simple and you have one of the best and healthiest snacks around. I have a theory, though completely unsubstantiated, that winter greens act as some sort of natural anti-depressant. Winter greens beat the blues.

I have also been working with Russel on a particular fine Chicken, Chorizo and Butter Bean Stew. I have made this a couple of times but felt it needed refining.  I narrowed it down to the quality of Chorizo which I felt was laking, so I set about sourcing some better Chorizo, which can be quite hard to find.  In the end, I got some from Brindisa, who stock many local shops, as well as of course their own wonderful shop in Borough Market.  They and are also on-line. The finally addition to lift this dish from everyday to extraordinary was some Kale and on a cold winters day, I defy you to find a better stew.

Cabbages are another Brassica that are wonderful right now and the King of all Cabbages has to be the Savoy. One of my favourite recipes is this bizarre Italian mountain soup, Zuppa di Aosta. The combination of cabbage, stale bread, cheese and anchovy, sounds nothing short of  horrid. But somehow these flavours merge together to create a harmonious yumminess that is beyond words.  It is actually a big bowl of Umami. Almost addictive, just don't tell anyone what is in it!




Zuppa d'Aosta
The original recipe that I used to use was in the first River Cafe Cook Book, but Jamie Oliver adds bacon in his more recent version in Jamie at Home and I do rather like it, so here is his recipe.  Fontina is an Italian mountain cheese from Aosta.  If you cannot find it then use Gruyere instead.

3 litres good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
1 Savoy cabbage, stalks removed, outer leaves separated, washed and roughly chopped
2 big handfuls cavolo nero and/or kale, stalks removed, leaves washed
and roughly chopped
About 16 slices stale country-style or sourdough bread
1 clove garlic, unpeeled, cut in 1/2
Olive oil
12 to 14 slices pancetta or smoked streaky bacon
100g can anchovy fillets, in oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
200g Fontina cheese, grated
150g freshly grated Parmesan, plus a little for serving
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F.
Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan and add the cabbage, cavolo nero and/or kale. Cook for a few minutes until softened (you may have to do this in 2 batches). Remove the cabbage to a large bowl, leaving the stock in the pan. Toast all but 5 of the bread slices on a hot griddle pan or in a toaster, then rub them on 1 side with the garlic halves, and set aside.
Next, heat a large 10cm deep ovenproof casserole-type pan on the stove top, pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil and add your pancetta. When the pancetta is golden brown and sizzling, add the anchovies, rosemary and cooked cabbage and toss to coat the greens in all the lovely flavors. Put the mixture and all the juices back into the large bowl. Place 4 of the toasted slices in the casserole-type pan, in 1 layer. Spread over 1/3 of the cabbage leaves, sprinkle over a 1/4 of the grated Fontina and Parmesan and add a drizzle of olive oil. Repeat this twice, but don't stress if your pan's only big enough to take layers - that's fine. Just pour in all the juices remaining in the bowl and end with a layer of untoasted bread on top. Push down on the layers with your hands. Pour the stock gently over the top until it just comes up to the top layer. Push down again and sprinkle over the remaining Fontina and Parmesan. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle over some good-quality olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes, or until crispy and golden on top. When the soup is ready, divide it between your bowls.  Add another grating of Parmesan.

Chicken, Chorizo, Butter Bean and Kale Stew

If you do not have a slow-cooker just cook on the stove top, covered, for about two hours.

8 Chicken Thighs or 4 Chicken legs, Free-range or Organic
Olive oil
3 sticks of celery, finely chopped
3 medium onions, finely chopped
6 fat cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
Fresh Rosemary, Thyme or Dried Oregano
200g of Chorizo, Picante, chopped into cubes
2 tins of plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tsp Smoked Paprika 
2 tins of Butter Beans, drained
2 large handfulls of Kale or Cavalo Nero, stripped from the stem, washed and dried.

Fry the chicken skin side down in hot oil.  If you do not like the skin, then skin the chicken and place in the slow-cooker.  In a large saucepan heat a good glug of olive oil and place just a medium heat.  Add the onion and celery and fry for about 10 minutes until soft and just beginning to go golden. Add the garlic and herbs and fry for a few minutes more.  Next add the chorizo and then the tomatoes, some salt, freshly ground black pepper and the paprika.  Bring to the boil and tip the whole lot over the chicken in the slow-cooker.  Add the butter beans, put on the lid and cook for 5 hours high or 7 hours low.  If you do not have a slow-cooker, cook covered on the stove top for 2-3 hours, very slowly, checking regularly to make sure that it does not catch.  15 minutes before the end of cooking time, remove the lid and check the seasoning.  Add more salt, pepper or Paprika to taste.  Roughly chop the Kale/Cavalo Nero and add it to the slow-cooker or saucepan. Make sure it is submerged in the liquid. Cook for another 5 minutes.  Turn off the cooker leave to sit for a further 10 minutes or so before serving.

In Praise of Peas

 I am feeling a bit guilty.  I feel I am misrepresenting the title of my Blog.  Urban Ethnic - obviously meant to be very multi-cultural and here I am, droning on about Italian food yet again.  I promise that this is the last time for a while and that I will make more of an effort to embrace some other worlds but the arrival of all the beautiful summer vegetables - Asparagus nearly finished and the markets filling up with Peas and Broad Beans, Runner Beans and Spinach, just makes me think "Italian". 

I say Summer, when traditionally I think we may have called these spring vegetables but I am not sure why. Here we are, the Summer Solstice been and gone and only the peas in my garden are ready to pick, so I shall continue to refer to them as Summer Vegetables.  Maybe they are called Spring Vegetables because we plant them in Spring.

In homage to my garden peas, of which I am so proud this year, I tried some Orzo with Bacon, Peas and Parmesan Cheese.  I don't know how I managed to never hear about Orzo but now that I have, it is like someone who lives in your street that you never new existed for years until suddenly one day you are introduced and after that you bump into them, every half an hour, for the next three weeks.  So it is with Orzo - it seems to be everywhere at the moment. Merchant Gourmet have added it to their impressive range of ingredients along with Giant Cous Cous and Camargue Red Rice and all sorts of things I am constantly on the hunt for.  They really seem to be a company with their finger on the pulse.

Anyway, I was really impressed with Orzo.  It sort of has the texture of something between tiny Gnocchi and perfectly cooked rice - something I am still striving to achieve!  This recipe took me about 10 minutes to make from start to finish and made a fantastic family lunch.  Quicker and less fattening than Risotto, I most certainly will be using a lot more of it.  I can't wait to try it in my Minestrone.

Talking of Minestrone, there is no better homage to new season's vegetables than The River Cafe's Summer Minestrone from their fantastic first book. It is not strictly a Minestrone at all as it contains no dried beans, pasta or bacon and I was full of apprehension when I came to make it again, as I had not tasted since I was working there, about 15 years ago.  I remembered it being the most stunning soup and I was anxious that it was not going to live up to its memory.  I needn't had worried - it was absolutely delicious. I even managed to find it still on The River Cafe's Summer Menu on their website, and at £12.50 a bowl, it damn well should be!

Summer Minestrone (Minestrone Estivo)

The River Cafe Cook Book

This Recipe Serves 10

2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
1 small head celery, chopped
3 small red onions, peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
900g thin asparagus trimmed and cut into 1cm pieces using only tips and tender parts
450g young green beans ,trimmed and chopped
450g peas, shelled
900g broad beans, shelled
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1L chicken stock
1/2 bunch basil finely chopped (or marjoram or mint)
300ml double cream
150g Parmesan freshly grated
120ml pesto

In a heavy sauce pan fry the garlic celery and onion gently in the olive oil until soft about 10 minutes.

Divide all other vegetables between two bowls. Add half to the onion mixture and cook stirring to coat with oil for a further 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with chicken stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the remaining vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the herbs, cream, Parmesan and pesto. Stir to cool at room temperature,  then serve.

Pesto

½ a clove of garlic, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 good handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped
A handful of pine nuts, very lightly toasted
A good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Optional
A small squeeze of lemon juice

Pound the garlic with a little pinch of salt and the basil leaves in a pestle and mortar, or pulse in a food processor. Add a bit more garlic if you like, but I usually stick to ½ a clove. Add the pine nuts to the mixture and pound again. Turn out into a bowl and add half the Parmesan. Stir gently and add olive oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an good consistency.

Season to taste, then add most of the remaining cheese. Pour in some more oil and taste again. Keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. You may like to add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end but it’s not essential. Try it with and without and see which you prefer. 

Orzo with Bacon, Peas and Parmesan

2 Tablespoons olive oil
200g Streaky Bacon, cut in small lardons
150g orzo pasta
1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Little Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Fry the bacon in a little oil, over a medium heat until really crispy.  Remove from the heat.  Cook the Orzo in plenty of salted, boiling water.  If using fresh peas, add after about 3 minutes, if using frozen peas, add after about 6 minutes.  Bring back to the boil and cook for about 6-7 minutes in total.  Drain when cooked and add to the bacon.  Use the oil from the bacon to coat the pasta and add the Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.  Garnish with young pea shoots.

Amazing Alliums

I cannot tell you how much I love the Allium Family.  Firstly, cooking without onions and garlic would obviously be unthinkable but I am also super-fond of their cousins, shallots, leeks and chives.  Secondly, because I adore their flowers.  Whenever I find a sprouting onion, shallot or garlic in the fridge I always give it to the kids to plant in the garden, which I supplement with the most impressive looking bulbs that I can find from the garden centre and in Spring our garden has a display of fantastic purple and white orbs in varying sizes from the delicate little mauve baubles on the chives right up to the huge spheres in deepest violet of the onions.  Next, you get the onion seeds, which are so delicious for anything from flavouring a Naan to decorating a salad.  And finally, Alliums are scientifically proved to protect against both cardiovascular disease and cancer.  As I said, you can't beat them!



Onions and Garlic are at there best now.  The garlic is just "bulbing" and known as "Wet Garlic" (before they are dried), which means that rather than pealing cloves you can just cut straight through the bulb and slice it like an onion.  It is also delicious baked whole.  Just cut of the top,  season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, fresh herbs like thyme or bay and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Wrap in foil and bake for about 30-40 minutes until completely soft.  The wonderful garlicky puree can then be squeezed out and just squished on some toast or used for all sorts of fantastic dishes.  Try mixing with freshly cooked Borlotti beans, some good olive oil and some finely chopped rosemary and mashing on a piece of Brushcetta (make sure you use a top quality bread such as Poilane). 

All Alliums seem to benefit most by being cooked slowly with olive oil until their natural sugars are released and begin to caramelise.  My freezer seemed to be a bit over-run with pizza dough so I decided to make a couple of Focaccias.  Focaccia is quite simply an Italian bread, similar to a deep-pan pizza that, no matter the topping, should involve a generous amount of Olive Oil.  This acts to produce a golden brown, crispy crust that is to die for.  It has to be fresh out of the oven.  Don't ever believe that it is worth buying a Focaccia from a supermarket shelf.  It will inevitably be a complete contradiction of what it is meant to be - slightly stale, dry and dreary.  You have to make it yourself. And it will be anything but!



The first of my Foccacias' is with caramelised Red Onion, which I just cooked slowly with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and lots of very finely chopped Rosemary.  The second, I used some confit garlic which I had made a few days ago after finding a glut of garlic in the fridge.

Confit is a method of preserving and cooking very slowly in some type of fat.  The fat acts as a super efficiant protective shield, preventing any oxidation and therefore helping to conserve the contents.  There is no better way of cooking a Duck Leg of a Belly of Pork than this.  The poaching in Duck fat, as I use, renders the fat in the meat, leaving, unbelievably a leaner piece of meat, that is still incredibly succulent and crisps up beautifully with a short burst of high heat at the very end.  With the garlic, it is just cooked very slowly in a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The low temperature will preserve the quality of the oil and you are just left with delicious nuggets of garlic and a fantastic tasting oil. 



The dough I used was just the same as my pizza dough.  Take some out of the freezer (or knock up a fresh batch), allow to de-frost (or prove) and squidge into a frying pan or tin.  Allow to prove again before adding topping of your choice and bake in a hot oven until golden brown.

Confit Garlic

1 cup peeled garlic cloves
Enough Extra Virgin olive oil to cover

Place garlic cloves in a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the oil. (The oil should cover the cloves).  Heat pan over medium heat. As soon as small bubbles appear, reduce heat to very low (or the lowest setting on your stove: the oil should never reach 180°F and only small bubbles should form in the pan).  Gently cook the garlic for 40 minutes, stirring from time to time, until it is very tender and the cloves look very pale-golden. Remove pan from heat and set aside, allowing the cloves to cool in the oil. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week.

Bring garlic confit to room temperature before using, as the oil will firm up when refrigerated.