May 24, 2014
This is from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg Every Day! and is a perfect summer risotto. I often use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Ingredients
1 tbs olive or rapeseed oil
40 g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
800ml hot vegetable stock
200g risotto rice
100ml white wine
250-300g baby carrots, scrubbed and halved or quartered lengthways
150g baby broad beans
20g parmesan cheese, finely grated
A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
olive or rapeseed oil to serve
Method
Heat the oil and 25 g butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry gently for 8-10 minutes, until softened. Stir the rice into the onion and cook for a minute or two, then stir again. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes, stirring from time to time, until the wine is absorbed.
Start adding the hot stock a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently and add more stock as it is absorbed. It should take about 20-25 minutes for the stock to be absorbed and for the rice to be cooked but still al dente. Add the carrots when the rice has been cooking for about 12 minutes; put the broad beans in about 5 minutes from the end of the cooking time.
When the rice and vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat. Add the cheese and the remaining butter, cover and leave for a couple of minutes. Add most of the parsley and season to taste. Serve in bowls with the remaining parsley scattered over and trickle over a little oil.
May 23, 2014
Not good timing when Camel CSA’s growing team have so much more sowing and planting to do!
May 22, 2014
Cornish strawberries and Cornish asparagus plus peas and broad beans – what more could you wish for?!
All boxes have:
* peas (Camel CSA)
* broad beans (Camel CSA)
* sprouted mung beans (Camel CSA)
Cornish strawberries (Mitchell Fruit Garden)
new potatoes (Total Produce, Cornwall)
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
Standard boxes also have:
750g “old” potatoes
* salad bag ** (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
extra punnet of strawberries
* = grown to organic principles
** = mixed lettuce, baby leaf beet, rocket
May 21, 2014
Sunny days… It’s such wonderful sowing, growing and weeding weather in Cornwall this week!
May 18, 2014
This makes a lovely dish for a special occasion. It’s from chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s weekly series in the Guardian. You’ll need thick asparagus stems – like the Cornish asparagus we all had in last week’s vegetable boxes.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 18 minutes
Ingredients
2 large (24cm x 48cm) sheets filo pastry
2-3 tbsp olive oil
16 thick stemmed asparagus spears, woody stems trimmed
1 egg, whisked
30g parmesan, finely grated
1½ tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Method
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Put both sheets of filo on top of each other and cut widthways across the middle. Arrange the filo into one pile, then cut the pile into four squares so you end up with 16 filo pastry squares in total.
You will now need to work fast, otherwise the filo will dry out. Lay one filo square on a work surface and brush with plenty of olive oil. Place one asparagus spear at the bottom edge of each square, with the florets exposed, then roll in the pastry to wrap up securely – you’re aiming for a cigar shape with the asparagus head sticking out. Brush each asparagus parcel with egg and sprinkle over some parmesan, poppy seeds and salt. Place the parcel on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and repeat with the remaining filo and asparagus.
Bake for 18 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and the asparagus cooked through. Serve warm or at room temperature.
May 15, 2014
Photo: Heath Bass
We have more home-grown peas, Cornish asparagus and Mark Norman’s early potatoes in our boxes this week. Mark, one of our paid professional growers, runs a productive smallholding on the southern edge of Bodmin. He supplies us regularly with his own produce.
All boxes have:
* peas (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)
* new potatoes (Mark Norman, Bodmin)
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
cauliflower (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
Standard boxes also have:
extra new potatoes
* mixed lettuce/rocket (Camel CSA)
* rhubarb (Mark Norman)
leeks (Restharrow)
* = grown to organic principles
May 11, 2014
The lemon juice gives this risotto a lovely fresh taste. It’s from Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries. The original recipe uses chicken stock but I am sure vegetable stock will be just as good.
Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Ingredients
50 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
200g arborio rice
1 glass white wine or Noilly Prat
400g asparagus chopped into short lengths
1 litre hot stock
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
salt and pepper
3 tbs parmesan cheese, grated
Method
Melt the butter in a wide, high-sided pan over a low heat. Add the onion and let it soften in the butter, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent and silky. Stir in the rice then add the wine and let it bubble down until the liquid has pretty much disappeared. Add a ladleful of stock, turn the heat up a bit, then let the liquid almost disappear before adding the asparagus and a second ladle of stock. Continue adding the stock as it boils down to almost nothing, stirring the rice frequently. Season with salt, pepper, the lemon zest and juice to taste and continue cooking until the rice is creamy but has a little bite left in it. Stir in the cheese and eat immediately.
May 10, 2014
They’ve still got dew on them! The bundles of freshly-cut Cornish asparagus are from Roger and Gill Derryman at Lower Croan, Sladesbridge. The boxes also have new peas and spring turnips from our polytunnels – with plenty more to come in the next couple of weeks.
All boxes have: –
* peas (Camel CSA)
Cornish asparagus (Lower Croan, Sladesbridge)
* turnip bunch (Camel CSA)
* radish bunch (Camel CSA)
* sprouted mung beans (Camel CSA / Mark Norman)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
Standard boxes also have: –
extra potatoes
* mixed lettuce bag (Camel CSA)
* rocket (Camel CSA)
leeks (Restharrow)
* = grown to organic principles
May 2, 2014
This is from Quick Vegetarian Curries by Mridula Baljekar. It is a favourite of mine when we have friends round for a curry. If you can’t get hold of Indian paneer it is just as good made with halloumi cheese.
Photo: Heath Bass
Serves 4
Preparation time: 25-30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbs sunflower oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2.5cm cube root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1/4-1/2 tsp chilli powder
150g spinach, finely chopped
300ml water
250g paneer, cut into 1cm cubes
175g cooked potatoes cut into 2.5cm cubes (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala
Method
Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat, add the garlic and stir fry for 1 minute, then add the onion and fry for 5-6 minutes until softened. Add the ginger, ground coriander and cumin, cook for 1 minute then add the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the turmeric, paprika and chilli powder and cook for 30 seconds before adding the spinach and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add half the water and cook for 3 minutes or until the water dries up, tossing and turning the ingredients constantly. Add the paneer, potatoes if using and remaining water, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered. Add a little more water if necessary. Sprinkle on the garam masala and serve.
