A variation on a recipe by Angela Hartnett that uses pea shoots but we can use the spinach from this week’s boxes instead. You can either cook the chicken from fresh or it’s an excellent way of using up some leftovers.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main
Preparation and cooking: 40 minutes or so if cooking the chicken, much less if not

Ingredients
olive oil
4 chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 clove crushed garlic
1 sprig rosemary
250g instant couscous
400ml boiling water
2 spring onions, sliced
½ tsp ground ginger
1 dsp raisins
1 dsp chopped hazelnuts
4 salad radishes, sliced
50ml vinaigrette
½ tsp pesto
½ handful baby spinach or pea shoots

Method
Heat a touch of olive oil in a frying pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook together with the crushed garlic and rosemary over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally until it is golden brown and a knife can go through it easily. If it appears to be dry, add a touch of water. Once it is cooked, allow it to cool and either shred the meat or remove the bone and slice into strips, skin and all.

While the chicken is cooling, turn your attention to the couscous. Place it in a bowl with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil, add the 400ml of boiling water, stir and cover with a plate or clingfilm. Leave for five minutes before removing the cover and breaking the couscous up with a fork. Then add the chicken and remaining ingredients. Mix well and check the seasoning.

Serve in a large bowl at room temperature.

This week’s boxes will all look a bit smaller but the value is still there. Expert grower Jane Mellowship says:

There are so few local vegetables available at the moment I’ve had to include asparagus in the standard boxes even though it’s not cheap to buy, but we can’t keep adding extras as it would make it all rather expensive.

Of course, we have to remember that this is the hopefully brief “hungry gap” and what we are getting in our boxes is locally grown and certainly seasonal. The contents of this week’s generous salad bags were all grown on the Camel CSA plot and it was good to see young broad bean and pea plants appearing on the plot this morning in spite of the lack of rain. Good things to look forward to!

Everyone will have:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
* leeks (Jeremy Brown, St Kew Harvest)
* spring greens (Mark Norman)
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* spinach (Jeremy)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)

* = grown to organic principles

The warm spring weather has brought on the asparagus crop in Cornwall.  We’ve been enjoying Cornish asparagus from Lower Croan, Sladesbridge in our veg boxes for the past three weeks.

There’s a lot to be said for local food that’s come straight from the farm and run up few food miles.

Camel CSA is incredibly fortunate to be situated just a few fields away from the Derrymans’ asparagus farm. So it’s always tender and freshly picked – nothing like the tough old stalks you get in supermarkets.

Most of us would agree that asparagus is best eaten either on its own with some butter or hollandaise sauce, or with just a few simple extra ingredients.

Roger and Gill Derryman never get tired of their own Cornish asparagus with bacon and parmesan.

I’m a fan of what I call simply delicious Cornish asparagus with dry-cured bacon and a free-range poached egg (from my own hens, naturally).

Garden biographer Trish Gibson, who posts a recipe every week on this website, likes it even simpler – just Cornish asparagus with egg (from her hens).

Camel CSA volunteer Henrietta Danvers, who used to run her own restaurant in London, recommends Mark Hix’s more sophisticated shaved asparagus and goat’s cheese salad.

And if you’re not sure what to do with this lovely vegetable, why not begin with the basics: How to cook British asparagus. 

The first asparagus of the season is such a treat that it would be a shame to over-complicate it. One of the best things to combine it with is egg. The whole thing will take not much more than ten minutes. Use freshly-picked Cornish asparagus of course.

Ingredients
asparagus
free-range eggs
Maldon or sea salt
pepper
butter
optional extras: balsamic vinegar, parmesan shavings, basil pesto, mayonnaise

Method
Take your asparagus and snap off any woody bits from the base. Put a wide pan of water with a pinch of salt on to boil (obviously it should be large enough to take the asparagus, ideally standing upright, but that’s not too important).

Meanwhile put your eggs in another pan of cold water and bring to the boil. For hard-boiled, allow about 10-12 minutes depending on size; for soft-boiled, allow about 7-9 minutes. Alternatively, if you’re a whiz at poaching your eggs, cook them that way.

Once the asparagus pan comes to the boil, add the spears and allow around 5-6 minutes – test with a sharp knife.

Run cold water on the boiled eggs and shell them. Drain the asparagus and add a generous knob of butter, sea salt and pepper. Serve the asparagus with the egg cut in half on top and add whichever of the optional extras you fancy. A green salad accompaniment would be good. New potatoes too, if you’re feeling a bit greedy.

Small and standard boxes will all be getting:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
spring greens (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
cauliflowers (Restharrow Farm)
* leeks (Jeremy Brown, St Kew Harvest)
asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)

Medium boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* rhubarb (Mark Norman)
round lettuce (Growfair, Cornwall)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)

* = grown to organic principles

UPDATE: This vacancy has now been filled

There’s still time to apply! The closing date for applications for Camel CSA’s new post of partnership development coordinator is Tuesday 26 April.

We’re looking for a very special person who can create community links for us in north Cornwall.

S/he will build up partnership agreements with schools, charities and special interest groups. They’ll also arrange group training visits to our two-acre vegetable plot at St Kew Highway near Wadebridge.

View the detailed job description (pdf)
Download an application form (pdf)

This position has been part-funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s Local Food Programme.

Food co-op looks for a co-ordinator – Cornish Guardian

Our volunteers have harvested the first crop of salad leaves in the new polytunnel.

The mixed leaves went into the most recent weekly veg boxes along with a bag of baby spinach supplied by Jeremy Brown of St Kew Harvest.

Each standard box contained the first of the Cornish asparagus from Lower Croan, near Sladesbridge. We also had new season rhubarb cultivated by two CSA members – expert grower Jane Mellowship and garden author Trish Gibson.

Volunteering

We need all the help we can get at the moment so we’re relying heavily on our loyal workforce. They’ve exerted a great deal of effort over the last fortnight – and not just on the sowing, hoeing and growing.

The potting shed is up, the second large polytunnel is under construction and the cover is about to go on the seeding tunnel.

Thanks to Anna, Anne, Bob, Bridget, Charlotte, Danny, Gav, Henrietta, Jane, Jenny, Jeremy, Kitty, Mark M, Mark N, Mary, Mike S, Penny, Rebecca H, Robert, Simon, Steve, Trish F and Trish G. And to all the friends and relatives who’ve also come along to give us a helping hand.

What a great bunch of people.

Another recipe from Annie Bell’s Evergreen. She makes homemade pasta but bought is fine. It’s tossed with some herbs and baby spinach leaves while still hot, and the salad is served warm.

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking: 15 minutes

Ingredients
300g papardelle, fettucine or other flat ribbon pasta
Dressing
½ tbsp red wine vinegar
salt, pepper
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp groundnut oil
Salad
55g baby spinach
2 level tbsp chives, snipped 2cm long
½ level tbsp tarragon leaves
½ tbsp basil, torn
1 level tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add a shot of oil and then the pasta. Cook till al dente, depending on which size pasta you’re using. Meanwhile whisk the vinegar with the seasoning. Add the oils.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and toss with the dressing, adding all the leaves and herbs at the last minute. Adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.

As we approach the ‘hungry gap’, it’s getting harder to fill our boxes with Cornish produce but we’ve managed for at least another week. Lucky standard boxes will be getting Cornish asparagus this week – it’s just too early for there to be enough for everyone, but it won’t be long … There’s rhubarb too – and hopefully enough for everyone but we can’t tell until tomorrow morning.

Small and standard boxes will all be getting:
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
* leeks (Jeremy Brown, St Kew Harvest)
* salad bags (Camel CSA / Jeremy)
* baby spinach (Jeremy)
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm)
swede (Growfair Cornwall)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
rhubarb (Trish Gibson and Jane Mellowship)

It would be a shame to tinker too much with this week’s lovely fresh broccoli supplied by Jeremy so why not try this recipe from Sybil Kapoor’s Modern British Food?

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking: 10 minutes maximum

Ingredients
225g purple sprouting broccoli
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 small red dried chillies
½ tsp rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp sugar (optional)

Method
Trim the stalks of the broccoli, removing any yellow leaves and cutting out any scars, before washing thoroughly. If any of the stems are too thick, slice them into elegant strips.

Heat the oil until very hot in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the chillies, and when they begin to sizzle and deepen in colour, stand back and quickly add the vinegar. The frying pan will spit and sizzle for a few seconds and you will suddenly inhale a huge amount of chilli. Despite this, immediately add the garlic and broccoli.

Stir fry for a further 2-3 minutes, then add the soy sauce and sugar (if wished), check the seasoning and serve.

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