Seasonal local food recipe No.350 – Nigella’s roast chicken with lemon, rosemary, garlic, leeks and potatoes

This Nigella Lawson recipe appears in 20 best one-pot recipes in The Observer’s Food Monthly supplement.  It’s easy to prepare and tastes delicious.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp rosemary needles, finely chopped, plus more to serve
1 bulb garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
2 leeks
1 kg waxy potatoes, washed if necessary, but unpeeled
2 unwaxed lemons
1 medium chicken (approx. 1.4 kg)
sea salt flakes to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas mark 7.  Get out the biggest roasting tin you have, and pour all but a teaspoon or so of the oil into it.  Throw in the chopped rosemary needles and the garlic cloves.

Trim the leeks and cut each in half lengthways, then slice into half-moons and drop these leek curls into the tin too.  Cut the potatoes into 1.5 cm slices, then cut each slice into 4, or just halve them if the potatoes are small, and add these to the tin.  Quarter the lemons, then cut each quarter in half, take out as many pips as you can and toss the lemon quarters into the pan.

Now schmoosh everything to mix, and then make a space in the middle of the tin for the chicken to sit in.  Untruss the chicken, place it in the reserved parking place, pour the tiny bit of the remaining oil on top of it and sprinkle sea salt flakes on top of the chicken only.

Place in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, and if the juices of the chicken run clear when you push the tip of a knife into the joint where the thigh meets the body, remove the chicken to a board to sit, letting the juices from its cavity spill back into the tin as you do so.

Then put the potato mixture back in the oven for 10 minutes until soft and golden.  If the chicken needs longer, keep everything in the oven until the chicken is cooked.  When it’s ready, and the chicken has rested, carve it or cut into joints as wished.  Sprinkle with 1/2 a teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary needles and sea salt flakes to taste.

Seasonal local food recipe No.322 – Jerusalem artichoke, hazelnut and goat’s cheese tart

My husband Frank found this recipe from Rosie Sykes’ The Kitchen Revolution on the Low Sizergh Barn website while looking for something new to do with the Jerusalem artichokes in our veg boxes this week.  Then, even better, he cooked it for tea last night!  If you are ever up in the Lake District, the shop and tearoom at Low Sizergh Barn are well worth a visit.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
60g butter
4 sprigs of thyme
Zest and juice of half a lemon
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
80g whole hazelnuts
3 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
400g Jerusalem artichokes, sliced into pound coin-thick circles
250g filo pastry
60g soft goat’s cheese

Method
Add 2 tbsp of olive oil and all the butter to a small pan over a low heat. Add half the thyme, and all the lemon zest and garlic. Cover and warm gently. If any butter solids come to the top, skim them off. Set aside until needed.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Toast the hazelnuts in the warming oven for a few minutes until light golden. While warm, wrap in a tea towel and rub them to remove the skins. Once cool, finely chop the nuts.

Add the remaining oil to a pan over a medium heat. Add the leeks and thyme leaves stripped from the remaining stalks, cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Turn the heat up, add the lemon juice and stir. Let the leeks become pretty dry, season to taste, take off the heat and set aside.  Meanwhile, boil the artichokes in salted water for around 3 minutes until soft. Strain and run under cold water.

Brush a baking sheet with the infused oil mixture. Lay out one or two sheets of filo to create a 30cm square. Butter the pastry and scatter with a quarter of the hazelnuts, cover with another layer of filo and press down. Repeat to create three more layers on top of the first.  Cover the pastry base with soft leeks, then arrange the artichokes on top in overlapping rows.

Season and brush with infused oil, crumble the goat’s cheese on top and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is crisp and the cheese has melted nicely.

Cut the tart into quarters. Serve with some bitter leaves dressed with orange.

Seasonal local food recipe No.315 – Leek, butter bean and parsley soup

I made this tasty soup recently, the recipe is from a Guardian feature where you cook a large quantity of a particular ingredient, in this case butter beans, and use it for four different meals.  You could easily use tinned butter beans if you prefer.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
500 g leeks, trimmed and sliced
500 g cooked butter beans
1.5 litres water
2 Tbsp Marigold bouillon powder
A small handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Method
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the leeks, stir, then cover and cook gently for 5-10 minutes.  Add the beans and the water, then bring to the boil.  Sprinkle the bouillon powder over the surface, stirring to disperse it, then leave to simmer for about 20 minutes, until the leeks are tender.  Add the fresh parsley, and blend the soup lightly with a hand blender to just thicken it slightly, but leave some visible pieces of bean and chunks of leek.  Check the seasoning and serve.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/23/butter-beans-recipe-curry-soup-salad-pate

Seasonal local food recipe No.312 – Nigel’s sausage meatballs with leek tagliatelle

This recipe is taken from The Guardian in Nigel Slater’s midweek dinner series.  I changed the quantities slightly as I find Nigel often uses too much cream for my tastes, missed out the dill as I didn’t have any and cut down on the amount of sausage.  Still tasted good though!

Serves 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
6 butchers sausages
1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 heaped tsp chopped fresh dill
1-2 leeks, sliced into 1 cm discs
2 Tbsp olive oil
150 g tagliatelle
100 ml double cream
salt and pepper
a handful of chopped fresh parsley

Method
Remove the sausage meat from the skins, place in a mixing bowl and mix with the chilli flakes and dill.  Divide the mixture into small balls (I aim to get 4 balls from each sausage) and flatten slightly.  Warm the olive oil in a shallow pan.  Brown the balls on both sides then leave over a low heat, covered, until cooked right through – about 4-5 minutes.

Remove the balls from the pan, then add the leeks and let them cook in the pan juices for 7-8 minutes until soft and tender.  Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, cook the tagliatelle until tender, then drain.

Stir the cream into the leeks, season with salt, pepper and parsley then add the drained pasta to the leeks.  Return the sausage balls to the pan and let everything bubble for a minute or so, then serve.

Seasonal local food recipe No.264 – Leek and butter bean stew

This is taken from a recipe by Rose Elliot. It was originally a recipe for a pie with a puff pastry crust but the filling is just as good on its own.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients
2 cans butter beans, rinsed and drained
25 g butter
225 g carrots, peeled and diced small
450 g leeks, cleaned and cut into 1 cm slices
125 g mushrooms, wiped and sliced
1 Tbs flour
1/2 can tomatoes
150 ml vegetable stock or water
salt and pepper

Method
Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan, add the carrots, cover and cook very gently without browning for about 10 minutes.  Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour then stir so it gets mixed with the fat.  Mix in the tomatoes and stock or water and cook gently, stirring for 2-3 minutes, until thickened.  Add the butter beans and season to taste.  Cook for a further 5-10 minutes until the beans are heated through.  Serve with a green vegetable and potatoes.

Seasonal local food recipe No.260 – Hugh’s squash stuffed with leeks

A big thank-you to CSA members Alex and Jeremy for recommending this recipe.  It is taken from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s book Veg every day.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Cooking time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients
35g butter
2 large leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon English mustard
4 tablespoons crème fraîche
125g Gruyère or other well-flavoured hard cheese, finely grated
2–4 smallish squash (400–800g each)
A handful of thyme sprigs
Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to 190C / gas mark 5. Heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the leeks. As soon as they begin to sizzle, turn the heat right down and cover the pan. Sweat the leeks gently for about 10 minutes, until very soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the mustard, crème fraîche and cheese. Season the mixture well with salt and pepper, as it will be surrounded by a good amount of squash.

Cut a small slice off the base of each squash so it will stand up on a baking tray without wobbling. Carefully slice a “lid” off the top of each one too and set aside. Now, with a small, sharp knife, cut into the centre of each squash, then use a teaspoon to scoop out all the seeds and fibres.

Fill the squash cavities with the leek mixture – they should be about two-thirds full. Tuck a few thyme sprigs into the centre of each. Put the “lids” back on top and stand the squash on a large baking tray – there should be plenty of room for hot air to circulate around them.

Bake for 50–60 minutes – possibly longer if the squash are large – until the flesh feels very tender inside. Serve straight away.

Lovely leeks and carrots in our veg boxes

This week all boxes have:-
*kale
*beetroot
*mixed salad leaves
*chillies
carrots (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
leeks (Restharrow)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes also have:
Extra potatoes
*cabbage or purple sprouting broccoli
*coriander
cauliflower (Restharrow)

All veg grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated
* = grown organic principles
Please ensure you wash all salad vegetables carefully.

This week’s recommended recipes from our online archive:-
Stir-fried curly kale with chilli and garlic
Hugh’s pasta with greens, garlic and chilli

Seasonal local food recipe No.253 – Nigel’s leek and taleggio risotto

I love risotto and its soothing texture.  If you can’t find taleggio, Camembert will do in its place. This recipe is from Nigel Slater’s Real Food.

Serves: 2 generously

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 35-40 mins

Ingredients
50 g butter
2 large leeks, chopped and rinsed
2 large cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
225 g arborio rice
900 ml hot vegetable stock
225 g tallegio cheese, cut into thick slices

Method
Melt the butter in a shallow, heavy bottomed pan and add the leeks and garlic.  Cook over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft (about 15-20 minutes).  Stir in the oregano and the rice.

Pour in three ladles of hot stock and stir.  Leave to simmer gently, stirring regularly, until the stock has almost all been soaked up by the rice.  Add more stock and leave to cook once more, at a gentle pace, then add more when that too has gone.  It will stick if you forget to stir it.

The rice should be plump and tender after about 18-20 minutes.  Taste it to see if it is done to your liking.  Stir in the cheese at the last minute – it will melt creamily.  Check for seasoning.

Tender leeks in Camel CSA’s veg boxes

All boxes have:
*leeks
*chillies
*kale
*Swiss chard
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
bunched carrots (Restharrow)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Seasonal local food recipe No.249 – Nigel’s leek and taleggio tart

I made this delicious tart for tea; it was easy to make as I used ready rolled puff pastry.  If you can’t get taleggio you can use fontina or Camembert.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients
3 medium leeks, sliced
50 g butter
200 g puff pastry
120 g Taleggio cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Method

Melt the butter in a shallow pan and add the sliced leeks.  Cook the leeks slowly intil they are soft but not browned, this can take up to 30 minutes.  Roll out the pastry until no thicker than a 10 p coin and place on a floured baking sheet.  Score a border 2 cm from each edge and prick with a fork.  Tip the leeks on to the pastry, pushing them almost, but not quite, to the border.  Brush the rim with some of the leek butter.  Slice the cheese thinly, then break it up into small pieces, tucking it in amongst the leeks.  Scatter over the thyme.  Bake in the oven at 220°C/Gas Mark 7 for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed and the leeks are browning.