The large amount of double cream in this Nigel Slater recipe made me wilt. So when trying it out I put in a lesser quantity of creme fraiche mixed with yoghurt, and tinned borlotti beans in the absence of fresh.

A firm and flavourful winter squash from my veg box substituted the more watery pumpkin, so I hope I got away with it! Result: still the “resoundingly satisfying family meal” that Nigel intended.

Serves 6

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: one hour

3 small onions, roughly chopped
5 tbsp oil
1kg pumpkin or other yellow-fleshed squash (peeled and seeded weight)
250g borlotti beans (weight before podding)
350g gruyere
500ml double cream
30g grated parmesan

Warm the onions in the oil in a deep pan. Cut the pumpkin into large dice, then add to the softened onions and continue cooking till the pumpkin has coloured a little at the edges. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4.

Pod the borlotti and boil the beans hard for 10 minutes in unsalted water then drain. Cut the gruyere into large dice and scatter in the bottom of a large baking dish. Put the onion and pumpkin on top of the cheese, add the drained borlotti beans, then season with salt and black pepper. Pour over the cream, scatter the top with grated parmesan and bake for 35-45 minutes till the cheese has melted and the cream is bubbling around the edges.

This week both standard and small boxes have: –
* Uchiki kuri or Bon Bon squash, or Jack o’ Lantern pumpkin (Camel CSA)
* small mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)**
* bunched carrots (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)
leeks (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
parsnips (Restharrow)
potatoes ‘Wilja‘ (Restharrow)

Standard boxes also have: –
extra potatoes
* purple sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA)
* radicchio (Camel CSA)
* beetroot (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles
** salad bag – lettuce, mibuna, mizuma, baby leaf beet, rocket

This simple and delicious dish from seasonal food campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a perfect way to serve the tender, flavoursome carrots in Camel CSA’s veg boxes this week.

Hugh says: “Very good with fish or chicken, and I love it with hummus and flatbread, in which case I often add some segments of orange and a squeeze of orange juice.”

Serves: 6
Preparation/cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients
500g carrots, peeled and sliced about 4mm thick on the diagonal
100g whole, blanched almonds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, add the carrots, cook for five minutes, until tender, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Toast the almonds, tossing frequently, until golden all over. Transfer to a mortar. Toast the cumin in the same pan for a few minutes until fragrant, add to the almonds, then lightly bash.

Put the still-warm carrots in a bowl, add the nuts, seeds and oil, season, toss and serve.

Our weekly veg boxes reflect the changing seasons. So we have plenty of freshly-picked carrots, cabbage, red Russian kale and swede to enjoy this weekend. Standard boxes also have fennel and radicchio.

Both standard and small boxes have: –
* bunched carrots (Camel CSA)
* red Russian kale (Camel CSA)
* cabbage (Camel CSA)
* swede (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* onions (Camel CSA)
* small mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)**
potatoes ‘Wilja‘ (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes also have: –
extra potatoes
* fennel (Camel CSA)
* radicchio (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

* grown to organic principles
** salad bag – lettuce, mibuna, mizuma, baby leaf beet, rocket

I first came across this nourishing national dish when exploring north Portugal on the back of a motor bike. We were on a tight budget, so cooked this soup often on our camp stove.

Every village market had a stall heaped with dark green leaves of couve galega (collard greens) – an open, flat-leaved cabbage that’s not dissimilar in texture and flavour to spring greens or kale. Behind this stall a woman was cutting the leaves into fine strands using a hand-operated shredder, ready to cook.

How do UK cooks make a reasonably authentic version of this traditional poor man’s soup?  Answer: with kale. So here’s my own version, with thanks to food writers Jamie Oliver and Nigel Slater. For advice on how to make a proper Portuguese caldo verde, go to Azelia’s Kitchen.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 or 4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 litre water or stock
300g red Russian kale or Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) or spring greens, finely shredded
150g chorizo or spicy sausage, sliced (optional)
black pepper

Method
Cook a finely chopped onion and clove of garlic in a little olive oil for 2 minutes. Add 3 or 4 large potatoes, peeled and diced, cook them for a minute or two, then pour in a litre of water or stock. Simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft then crush them gently.

Meanwhile prepare the kale. Cut out the stalks and roll the leaves up tightly like a cigar before cutting them into wafer-thin strips. Thickly slice the chorizo or spicy sausage.,

Stir the kale into the soup and simmer for barely five minutes. Fry the sausage briefly in a nonstick pan. Remove it, leaving the fat behind, and drop it into the hot soup. Serve immediately with a small pool of olive oil floating on the surface.

All Camel CSA members have a large Jack o’ Lantern pumpkin in their vegetable box. We’ll be carving lots more into lanterns at this Sunday’s apple juicing event – 10am-3pm on our community veg-growing plot.

Both small and standard boxes have: –
* pumpkin (Camel CSA)
* red Russian or black Tuscan (cavalo nero) kale (Camel CSA)
* flat-leaved parsley (Camel CSA)
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* garlic (Camel CSA)
* small bag tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* small mixed salad bag (Camel CSA)**
potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes have in addition: –
* radishes (Camel CSA)
* green pepper (Camel CSA)
* calabrese (Camel CSA)

* grown to organic principles
** salad bag – lettuce, mibuna, mizuma, baby leaf beet, rocket

This recipe from Riverford Organic Farms is a beautiful combination of flavours and texures. We’ll be using the radicchio and mixed salad leaves in Camel CSA’s weekly boxes with Cornish blue cheese, English pears and Cornish sea salt.

Serves: 4
Preparation/cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 head radicchio, tough core removed, leaves shredded
100g mixed salad leaves, or shredded lettuce leaves
small knob of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 pears, cored + sliced
150g walnut pieces
2 tbsp clear honey
splash balsamic vinegar
sea salt + black pepper
200g stilton, crumbled
extra virgin olive oil to finish

Method
Mix the radicchio and salad leaves together in a large bowl. In a large frying pan, heat the butter and oil. Add the pears. Cook on a reasonably high heat until the pears have softened and turned golden brown.

Add the walnuts, honey and a good splash of balsamic vinegar. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine, remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Add a tablespoon or two more of good olive oil. Pour the pears into the salad leaves and lightly toss to combine.

Either serve on one large platter, sprinkled with the stilton, or on individual plates. Drizzle over a little more olive oil to serve.

• Try Sarah Raven’s Radicchio and lemon pasta

All Camel CSA members have a head of homegrown radicchio in their box this week. Radicchio belongs to the chicory family, hence its slightly bitter taste and why it’s often lightly cooked. All boxes contain: –

* radicchio (Camel CSA)
* tomatoes (Camel CSA)
* turnips (Camel CSA)
* black Tuscan (cavalo nero) or red Russian kale (Camel CSA)
* onions (Camel CSA)
cauliflower  (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)
potatoes (Restharrow Farm, Trebetherick)

Standard boxes also have: –
extra potatoes
* cucumber (Camel CSA)
* green pepper (Camel CSA)
* mixed salad (Camel CSA)**

* grown to organic principles
** salad bag – lettuce, mibuna, mizuma, baby leaf beet, rocket

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