March 13, 2014
The spring sunshine is helping to bring things on. Camel CSA’s vegetable boxes also have freshly-picked salad leaves from our polytunnel and tender sprouting broccoli from Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick.
All boxes have: –
* spinach or chard leaves (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)
* sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA/Restharrow Farm)
onions (Restharrow)
red cabbage (Restharrow)
cauliflower (Restharrow)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Restharrow)
Standard boxes also have: –
extra 500g potatoes
* flat-leaved parsley (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)
* leeks (Camel CSA)
* = grown to organic principles
** baby leaf beet, pak choi, lettuce, rocket, red mustard and golden mustard greens
March 8, 2014
I was first introduced to this dish when our son was at nursery school – he is now 23 and I am still cooking it! It is from the Cranks recipe book.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30-40 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
125g millet
600ml water
75g butter or margarine
2 medium leeks sliced
1 large carrot grated
4 sticks celery thinly sliced
300ml milk
25g plain flour
3 tbs parsley, chopped
grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
125g cheese grated
Method
Cook the millet in the measured boiling water until just tender and all the water has been absorbed. Melt 50g butter in a saucepan, add the prepared vegetables ansd saute for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 25g butter in a saucepan and add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the milk, parsley, lemon juice and rind and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes before adding half the grated cheese. Combine the cooked millet, vegetables and cheese sauce, season to taste and transfer the mixture to an ovenproof serving dish. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over and bake in the oven gas mark 5/180°C for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.
March 6, 2014
All veg boxes have: –
* sprouted mung beans (Camel CSA/Mark Norman)
white sprouting broccoli (Restharrow Farm)
onions (Restharrow)
leeks (Restharrow)
cauliflower (Restharrow)
Jerusalem artichokes (Restharrow)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Restharrow)
Standard boxes also have: –
extra 500g potatoes
* spinach or chard (Camel CSA)
swede (Restharrow)
white cabbage (Restharrow)
* = grown to organic principles
February 28, 2014
This is a favourite winter warmer in our house and originates from the Cranks recipe book. It started out as a pie but as I’m lazy and don’t particularly like making pastry I missed it out and just baked the filling!
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 25-30 mins
Ingredients
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
450g onions, thinly sliced
3 tbs olive oil
25g butter
15g parsley, chopped
125g cheese, grated
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tbs milk
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Boil or steam the potatoes until tender. At the same time saute the onions in the oil until really soft. Combine the potatoes and onions, add the butter, parsley, half the cheese, garlic, milk and season well. Place the mixture in a greased ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at gas mark 6/200°C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top. This is delicious served with baked beans.
February 27, 2014
All boxes have: –
* mixed salad bag (Camel CSA) **
onions (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
* purple or white sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA/Restharrow)
bay leaves (Bridget Gould, St Tudy)
swede (Restharrow)
cauliflower (Restharrow)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Restharrow)
Standard boxes also have:-
extra 500g potatoes
* curly kale (Camel CSA)
leeks (Restharrow)
red cabbage (Restharrow)
* = grown to organic principles
** mibuna, mizuna, baby leaf beet, pak choi, lettuce, rocket, red mustard and golden mustard greens
February 22, 2014
Known in our house as cabbage and peanut bake, this recipe is from an old Sainsbury’s cookbook, Vegetarian Meals by Rosamond Richardson. It is a main course in its own right or could be served alongside another dish. I first tried this recipe to see how the rather odd combination of ingredients worked and it has become a winter favourite.
Serves 2
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
1 small white cabbage chopped fairly coarsely
300ml white sauce made with 40g butter, 2tbs plain flour and 300ml milk
50g salted peanuts, chopped
100g cheddar cheese, grated
nutmeg, finely grated
salt and pepper
Method
Boil the cabbage until it is cooked but still crunchy. Thin out the white sauce with a little of the cooking water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Make layers in a greased baking dish of cabbage, sauce, grated nutmeg, peanuts and grated cheese (I usually have two layers of each ingredient), finishing with grated cheese. Bake at Gas mark 6/200°C for 15-20 minutes or until the top is a golden brown. I serve it with baked potatoes.
February 20, 2014
Signs of spring? The site’s still waterlogged, but light levels and temperatures are improving all the time.
All boxes have: –
* spring onions (Camel CSA)
* sprouted mung beans (Camel CSA/Mark Norman)
leeks (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
white sprouting broccoli (Restharrow)
swede (Restharrow)
white cabbage (Restharrow)
potatoes ‘Wilja’ (Restharrow)
Standard boxes also have:-
extra 500g potatoes
* kale (Camel CSA)
* Brussels sprouts (Camel CSA)
Jerusalem artichokes (Restharrow)
* = grown to organic principles
- Fortnightly boxes also have a cauliflower, to make up for the missing onions.
February 16, 2014
It could have been worse! Polytunnel doors blown off their hinges, one tunnel flooded, site waterlogged.
Repairing the damage and preparing Camel CSA’s veg boxes on Friday was quite a challenge in the rising wind and torrential rain. A big and grateful thank you to expert growers Bridget and Mark and to this week’s volunteer picking and packing team – Bob, Charlotte, Mike, Penny, Robert, Simon, Toby and Trish.
February 15, 2014
This a favourite dessert from celebrated Indian cook Madhur Jaffrey. It’s a little time-consuming to make but so much nicer than bought Indian sweets.
Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 60-90 minutes
Ingredients
450g grated carrots
700ml milk
8 whole green cardamom pods
5 tbs vegetable oil or ghee
5 tbs caster sugar
1-2 tbs sultanas
1 tbs shelled unsalted pistachios, lightly crushed
Method
Put the grated carrots, milk and cardamom pods into a heavy-bottomed pan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring now and then, until there is no liquid left. Heat the oil or ghee in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When hot add the carrot mixture, stir and fry until the carrots no longer have a rich, reddish colour. This can take 10-15 minutes. Add the sugar, sultanas and pistachios, stir and fry for another two minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature. It’s good served with whipped or clotted cream.
