Camel CSA-grown parsley and salad in veg boxes

This week everyone will be getting:
* salad bags (csa)
* parsley (csa)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)
tundra cabbage (Growfair)
carrots (Growfair)
potatoes (Buttons, Michaelstow)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* purple sprouting broccoli (Tom Corbishley, Trevia, Camelford)
* kohl rabi (csa)
* oriental greens (csa)

* = grown to organic principles

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From field to fork – this week’s veg from Camel CSA

Everyone’s seasonal vegetable boxes have the following:
* bunched radishes (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad – rocket, endive, assorted lettuce  (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard/perpetual spinach (Camel CSA)
potatoes (Button, Michaelstow)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)
carrots (Growfair)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* kohl rabi (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)
cabbage (Growfair, Cornwall)

* = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal local food recipe No.180 – Cauliflower with fennel and mustard seeds

Or Baghari phool gobi – from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery (the book of the BBC series). This is delicious on its own with rice or jacket potatoes, or served as a side dish with pretty much anything.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 40 minutes (including 30 minutes soaking time)
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients
1 large cauliflower
7 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 tbsp whole black mustard seeds
1 tbsp very finely chopped garlic
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1½ tsp salt
4 tbsp water

Method
Cut the cauliflower into delicate flowerets – no longer than 5cm, no wider at the head than 2cm inch and about 1cm thick. Put them into a bowl of water for at least half an hour. Drain them just before you get ready to cook.

Heat the oil in a large 25-30cm frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the fennel and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, put in the finely chopped garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the turmeric and cayenne. Stir once and quickly put in the cauliflower, salt, and about 4 tbsp water. Stir and cook on medium heat for 6-7 minutes or until cauliflower is just done. It should retain its crispness and there should be no liquid left. If the water evaporates before the cauliflower is done, add a little more.

If your frying pan is smaller than the suggested size, the cauliflower will take longer to cook. In that case, it might be a good idea to cover it for 5 minutes.

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It’s time to… start the veg growing season in Cornwall

       Camel CSA’s professional growers are busy getting ready for our fifth spring growing season.

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This week’s local seasonal veg

Our boxes this week will all have:
* onions (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)
* salad bag (Camel CSA)
* jerusalem artichokes (Camel CSA)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)

Standard boxes will also have extra potatoes plus:
* swede (Camel CSA)
leeks (Growfair)
tundra cabbage (Growfair)

* = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal Cornish veg in this week’s boxes

Everyone will have:
* onions (Camel CSA)
* salad leaves – mizuma, mibuna, pak choi, red mustard, rocket, endive, mixed lettuce (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* leeks (St Kew Harvest)
sprouting broccoli (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes and onions plus:
* red cabbage (Camel CSA)
* swede (Camel CSA)
cauliflower (Camel CSA/Restharrow Farm)

* = grown to organic principles

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Seasonal local food recipe No 135: Farfalle with savoy cabbage, pancetta, thyme and mozzarella

A pasta recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Return of the Naked Chef to make good use of the cabbage and garlic from this week’s veg boxes.

Serves 4
Preparation/Cooking: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients
10 rashers of pancetta or dry-cured streaky bacon, thinly sliced
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 good handful of thyme, leaves picked
1 large Savoy cabbage (outer leaves removed) quartered, cored and finely sliced
1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese
455g dried farfalle, the best you can get
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
200g buffalo mozzarella, cut into 1cm dice
2 handfuls of pine nuts, lighly toasted

Method
In a pan fry your pancetta in a little olive oil until lightly golden. Add the garlic and thyme and soften. Add the Savoy cabbage and Parmesan, then stir and put the lid on the pan. Cook for a further 5 minutes, shaking every now and again, while you cook your farfalle in salted boiling water until al dente. When the cabbage is nice and tender, season and loosen with some nice peppery extra virgin olive oil. Toss the drained farfalle into the cabbage and at the last minute mix in the mozzarella and pine nuts. Serve immediately.

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The bumper crop continues in this week’s veg boxes

This week everyone will have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* squash (Camel CSA)
* savoy cabbage (Camel CSA)
* carrots (Camel CSA)
* salad leaves (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)
* apples (Camel CSA)

Standard boxes will also have:
* purple sprouting broccoli/calabrese (Camel CSA)
* florence fennel (Camel CSA)
* swiss chard (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

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Camel CSA’s veg boxes just keep on growing …

Once again, apart from the potatoes and bay leaves, all of this week’s contents come from the CSA’s plot. Everyone will have:

1kg potatoes ((Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* sweetcorn
* florence fennel
* swiss chard
* tomatoes
* chillies
* bay leaves (Trish) (part dried but need further drying out in warm airy place before storing in airtight containers)
* aubergine
* onions
* calabrese/purple sprouting broccoli
* carrots
* salad leaves

Standard boxes will also have:
* borlotti beans
* radicchio
* leeks
* parsley

* = grown to organic principles

FRIDAY UPDATE – no borlotti beans afte all, I’m afraid, as there weren’t enough to go round

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Seasonal local food recipe No 117: Radicchio and lemon pasta

A member of the chicory family sometimes known as red chicory, radicchio has distinctive pink-red leaves with white veins. Its firm, cup-shaped leaves have a strongly bitter taste. It is generally used in salads mixed with other salad leaves. In its native Italy it is often served shredded. Alternatively, tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. But there are also a number of recipes that make use of it cooked.

Yotam Ottolenghi cooks it lightly and mixes it with walnuts, lentils and honey for a tasty dish. And Sarah Raven has this recipe for Radicchio and lemon pasta in her Garden Cookbook which she says is quick to prepare and delicious cold the next day.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking: about 15 minutes

Ingredients
100g chopped pancetta
2-3 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200g dried egg tagliatelle
200g radicchio
3 tbsp dry white wine
50g butter
grated zest of 1 lemon
100ml double cream
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
grated parmesan, to serve
salt and black pepper

Method
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Put the chopped pancetta into a wide shallow pan over a moderate heat with half the olive oil. When the fat begins to run, add the chopped onion and garlic, and then cook with the pancetta for about 3-4 minutes, until the onion has softened.

Put the pasta into the pan of salted boiling water and cook until al dente.

Slice the radicchio into thin strips and add to the onion mixture with the wine and sauté until the radicchio begins to wilt. Add the butter and lemon zest; pour in the cream and season well. Add this to the drained pasta with the remaining olive oil and the chopped flat-leaf parsley. Finish with a generous topping of parmesan.

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