Seasonal local food recipe No.134: Purple (or white) sprouting broccoli with olive oil mash

Camel CSA’s veg boxes have plenty of either purple or white sprouting broccoli this week - depending on whether it came from our own plot at St Kew Highway or Richard Hore’s fields at Restharrow above the Camel estuary.

This simple lunch or supper dish from Yotam Ottlenghi in his Guardian column is a decidedly different way of using this delicious late winter vegetable. As he says: “The combination of olive oil, garlic and lemon juice lifts the spirits in winter.”

It requires a whole head of garlic. But hey - we all had one, also grown by us, in last week’s veg boxes. And if you’ve a chilli left on your Christmas chilli string, it’ll come in useful too.

Serves four
(as first course or vegetable accompaniment)

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients
550g purple or white sprouting broccoli
1kg charlotte or desiree potatoes
1 whole head garlic
½-1 red chilli, depending on heat
3 long strips shaved lemon skin
About 5 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp lemon juice
Salt and white pepper
4 lemon wedges

Method
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Remove and discard the leaves and woody ends from the broccoli, then blanch the stems for three to four minutes, until tender. Refresh in cold water, drain and dry.

Put the potatoes, unpeeled, in a large baking tray. Cut the top off the garlic head, wrap in foil and add to the tray. Roast for 40-60 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through.

Thinly slice the chilli on an angle and put in a small saucepan with the lemon strips and oil. Cook on medium heat for three minutes, set aside to cool and strain, keeping only the chilli and oil.

Peel the warm potatoes and press twice through a potato ricer (or use a masher) into a saucepan. Unwrap the garlic, squeeze to release the cloves and add to the mash. Whisk the mash over medium heat, adding four tablespoons of strained oil, the lemon juice, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Whisk until smooth and silky (if it’s too thick, add a little water and more oil, stir and cook for a minute more). Keep warm.

Put a ridged griddle pan on high heat. Toss the broccoli with the rest of the oil and a pinch of salt, and grill in batches until the stems colour.

Spoon some mash on to each plate and top with broccoli. Sprinkle over the chilli, drizzle with oil and serve with a wedge of lemon.

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Good variety of seasonal local veg in this week’s boxes

Everyone will have:
* onions (Camel CSA)
* jerusalem artichokes (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* salad leaves (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
purple or white sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA/Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes and onions plus:
* leeks (St Kew Harvest)
* savoy cabbage (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal local food recipe No.133: Brussels sprouts with bacon

This recipe, from the American TV cook Rachael Ray, dares anyone who says “Yuk!” to Brussels sprouts – even children – to dislike them after trying them cooked this way.  

The sprouts absorb the flavour of the stock and the short cooking time ensures that they don’t collapse.

Serves: four

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot or small onion, chopped
800g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
250ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Put the extra-virgin olive oil to the pan. Add the shallot or onion and saute for one to two minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the sprouts for two to three  minutes until they begin to soften, then add the stock. Bring it to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook  for up to 10 minutes, until sprouts are just tender. Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with the cooked bacon bits.

Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, bacon and parsley

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Seasonal Cornish veg in this week’s boxes

Everyone will have:
* onions (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* swede (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* leeks (St Kew Harvest)
Brussels sprout stalk (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes have extra potatoes and onions plus:
* kale (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* beetroot bunches (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal local food recipe No. 132: Char-grilled sprouting broccoli with sweet tahini

Apologies for the lack of a recipe last week. This unusual winter salad can be made very quickly. It comes from chef Yotam Ottolenghi‘s weekly column in the Guardian. He says: “This salad is loved even by those who claim not to like tahini.”

Serves four

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes (at most)

550g purple-sprouting broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
40g tahini paste
1½ tsp honey
2 tsp lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tsp each black and white sesame seeds, toasted (or just 2 tsp white)

Trim any big leaves off the broccoli and cut off the woody base of the stems. Blanch for three minutes in boiling, salted water until al dente, refresh, drain and leave to dry.

Toss the broccoli in the oil, a teaspoon of salt and a large pinch of pepper, then cook on a very hot ridged griddle pan for two minutes on each side, until slightly charred and smoky. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the tahini, honey, lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt, and slowly start to add water half a tablespoon at a time. At first, the sauce will look as if it has split, but it will soon come back together. Add just enough water to make the sauce the consistency of honey – around three tablespoons in total.

Arrange the broccoli on a platter, drizzle with sauce and scatter with sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.

More sprouting broccoli recipes from Camel CSA
Pasta with sprouting broccoli
Stir-fried purple sprouting broccoli

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More seasonal local veg in the boxes this week

Everyone will have:
* onions
* savoy cabbage
* carrots
* beetroot
* jerusalem artichokes
purple sprouting broccoli (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* salad bag
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm))
leeks (Restharrow Farm)

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Seasonal Cornish veg in this week’s boxes

Everyone will be getting:
* onions (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* red cabbage (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* purple sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA)
* salad bags (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

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