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.

This dish can be served as a main dish or as a side with roast meat.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, peeled
1 heaped tsp coriander seeds, smashed
1-2 dried red chillies, crumbled
6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
250 ml single cream
1/2 a nutmeg, grated
a wineglass of Chardonnay
2 handfuls of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6.  Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways, remove the seeds, then cut into 1 inch slices and toss in a bowl with the smashed coriander seeds, chilli, thyme leaves, salt and pepper and a good glug of olive oil to coat everything.  Mix around then place the squash slices tightly in a roasting tray or earthenware dish, standing up on their sides.  Take a piece of greaseproof paper slightly larger than the roasting tray, dampen it under the tap and scrunch it up then drape it over the squash, tucking in at the sides.  Place the tray in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the squash starts to soften.  While the squash is cooking mix together the grated nutmeg, cream, wine, half the parmesan, salt and pepper.  Take the butternut squash out of the oven, remove the greaseproof paper, pour over the creamy sauce and sprinkle with the rest of the parmesan.  Place with the squash back in the oven for another 10 minutes until golden, bubbling and delicious.

All this week’s boxes have: –
*butternut squash (see recipe ideas below)
*carrots
*beetroot
*parsley
leeks (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
*cabbage (CSA/Restharrow)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes also have:
Extra potatoes
*turnips (CSA) or kohlrabi (Restharrow)
*chillies
*calabrese

All veg grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated
* = grown to organic principles

This week’s recommended recipes from our website archive:
Stuffed squash
Squash and sage risotto

I was recommended to try making kale chips by a CSA member.  I found this recipe from Australia on the internet and my husband made them last night.  We ate them as a starter with a glass of chilled white wine and they were soon gone!

Serves 2-4

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 12-15 mins

Ingredients
1 bunch (about 250g) curly kale, washed and dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
Sea salt, to serve

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 5. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.  Trim centre stems from kale, tear into small bite size pieces. Combine olive oil, paprika and chilli in a large bowl.  Add kale leaves and toss to coat in oil mixture.

Spread kale out in a single layer on prepared trays.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, swapping trays half way through cooking time, or until leaves are crisp. Serve sprinkled with sea salt.

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

Standard boxes also have:
Extra potatoes
*garlic
*calabrese or broccoli tenderstem
*mixed salad bag (lettuce, baby beet leaves, golden mustard, rocket)

All veg grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated
* = grown to organic principles

Try these delicious recipes for early season leeks from our website archive: –
Leek and smoked cheddar tart
A risotto of leeks and pancetta

This is for those of you who don’t like plain boiled sprouts!  The Riverford Farm cookbook suggests serving with rice.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes

Ingredients
3 tbs sunflower oil
2 shallots or 1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
600g Brussels sprouts, finely shredded
4cm piece of fresh ginger, cut into very fine strips
4 cm piece of crystallised stem ginger, cut into very fine strips
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Heat the oil in a wok, add the shallots or onion, plus the garlic and chilli and fry quickly for about 2 minutes, without browning.  Add the shredded sprouts and the fresh and crystallised ginger.  Cook stirring constantly for two minutes.  Add 3 tbs water, cover and steam for 3 minutes.  Season to taste and serve.

All boxes have:
*carrots
*onions
*red Russian
kale
*flat parsley
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
loose Brussels sprouts (Restharrow)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes also have:
Extra potatoes
*radicchio
*calabrese
beetroot (Restharrow)

All veg grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated
* = grown to organic principles

Try these delicious carrot recipes from our website archive: –
Spicy Moroccan carrot salad
Great Ormond Street carrot cake

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.

We’ve got new crops of beetroot and spring onions from the polytunnels in our boxes this week. Have you carved the pumpkins in last week’s boxes ahead of Halloween? There weren’t any to be had for love or money in nearby Wadebridge today!

All boxes have:
*beetroot (see recipe ideas below)

*spring onions
*kale
*leeks
*chillies
*parsnips (Mark Norman, Bodmin)

potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes also have:
Extra potatoes
*salad bag (rocket, mixed lettuce, golden mustard)
*carrots
*cauliflower (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

All veg grown by Camel CSA unless otherwise indicated
* = grown to organic principles

Try these beetroot recipes from our website archive:
Crunchy raw beetroot salad with feta and pear
Chocolate beetroot cake

The Guardian Cook supplement had the 10 best pumpkin recipes this weekend.  I am going to try this delicious-sounding curry from Ivor Peters at urbanrajah.com.

Serves 4
Preparation and cooking time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion
2 garlic cloves, grated
3cm of fresh ginger, grated
2 green finger chillies, sliced lengthways
1kg pumpkin, diced
½ tsp salt
A dash of sugar
200ml water
1 tsp ground coriander
12 fresh curry leaves
2 sprigs thyme

Method
In a large, lidded pan, heat the oil over a medium heat, fry the onion until blonde, tip in the garlic, ginger and chillies until they sizzle a little, browning at the edges.

Add the pumpkin chunks, season with salt, a touch of sugar and add the water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the pumpkin flesh has yielded.

Remove the lid and sprinkle in the ground coriander, curry leaves and thyme sprigs, cooking uncovered for another 10 minutes, reducing the pumpkin stew a little.

Eat with rice or a flatbread such as faratha or chapatti.

« Previous Page — Next Page »