Seasonal local food recipe No.180 – Cauliflower with fennel and mustard seeds

cauliflower-camelcsa-210809

March 15, 2013

Or Baghari phool gobi – from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery (the book of the BBC series). This is delicious on its own with rice or jacket potatoes, or served as a side dish with pretty much anything.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 40 minutes (including 30 minutes soaking time)
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients
1 large cauliflower
7 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp whole fennel seeds
1 tbsp whole black mustard seeds
1 tbsp very finely chopped garlic
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1½ tsp salt
4 tbsp water

Method
Cut the cauliflower into delicate flowerets – no longer than 5cm, no wider at the head than 2cm inch and about 1cm thick. Put them into a bowl of water for at least half an hour. Drain them just before you get ready to cook.

Heat the oil in a large 25-30cm frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the fennel and mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, put in the finely chopped garlic. Stir and fry until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the turmeric and cayenne. Stir once and quickly put in the cauliflower, salt, and about 4 tbsp water. Stir and cook on medium heat for 6-7 minutes or until cauliflower is just done. It should retain its crispness and there should be no liquid left. If the water evaporates before the cauliflower is done, add a little more.

If your frying pan is smaller than the suggested size, the cauliflower will take longer to cook. In that case, it might be a good idea to cover it for 5 minutes.

Local seasonal veg in this week’s boxes

March 14, 2013

Everyone will have:
* chard/perpetual spinach (Camel CSA)
* leeklets (Camel CSA)
* sprouted mung beans (Camel CSA/Mark Norman)
* salad bags (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)
cauliflower (Growfair)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* rocket (Camel CSA)
* kohl rabi (Camel CSA)
savoy cabbage (Growfair)

* = grown to organic principles

It’s time to… put up another rabbit-proof fence

March 11, 2013

This spring it’s rabbits, last year it was mice. We’ve put up new barriers after bunnies burrowed inside our polytunnels. There’s been little damage so far, but we’re taking no chances.

Seasonal local food recipe No.179: Stir-fried mibuna / mizuna with garlic and fish sauce

March 10, 2013

This quick stir-fry side dish is adapted from a couple of Thai-style recipes for oriental leaves. The fish sauce will provide enough salt, so you shouldn’t have to add any extra.

Serves: 2
Preparation / cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 bunch mizuna / mibuna, about 300 gm
2 cloves garlic
thumb-sized knob of ginger
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)
1/4 lemon, fresh
freshly ground black pepper

Method
Wash and drain mizuna / mibuna. Roughly chop into 1-inch segments and set aside. Finely chop the garlic and shred the ginger into matchstick-like strips.

Place a wide and shallow pan or a wok over a high heat. Add the two tablespoons of oil, then the garlic and ginger and toss around until golden.

Add the greens to the wok or pan and stir fry for one minute, stirring constantly. The leaves should soften but remain crisp. Add the fish sauce and stir, then sprinkle with freshly-squeezed lemon juice and black pepper. Serve warm or tepid.

Stir-fry oriental leaves in this week’s seasonal veg boxes

March 7, 2013

Everyone will be having:
* mixed oriental stir-fry leaves – mizuna and mibuna (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
lettuce (Growfair, Cornwall)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
carrots (Growfair)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* kale (Camel CSA)
* cabbage (Camel CSA)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)

* = grown to organic principles

It’s time to… clean the polytunnels inside and out

March 4, 2013

One of Camel CSA’s more tedious but necessary winter tasks is washing down the polytunnels.

We’ve got overwintering salad crops in all three tunnels, so keeping them clean and hygienic is an important job.

Early sowings of carrots, broad beans, radishes, spring onions and peas are also growing indoors.

This week’s seasonal veg

February 28, 2013

Everyone’s boxes will have:
* salad leaves – little gem, oakleaf, rocket, baby chard (Camel CSA)
* parsley (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)
* leeklets (Camel CSA)
* chillies (Camel CSA)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
sprouts (Growfair)

Standard boxes will also have extra potatoes plus:
* perpetual spinach (Camel CSA)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)

* = grown to organic principles

It’s time to… start the veg growing season in Cornwall

February 24, 2013

       Camel CSA’s professional growers are busy getting ready for our fifth spring growing season.

 

Seasonal local food recipe No.178: Mussels with leeks, bacon and tarragon

February 22, 2013

A recipe from Lucas Hollweg’s Good Things to Eat. Make sure the leeks are totally soft before you add the mussels, he advises.

Serves 4 as a first course, 2 as a main

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cookings: 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 rashers streaky bacon, sliced into 5mm strips
a couple of good knobs of butter
1 medium leek, white and pale green only, sliced
2 garlic cloves
2 bushy sprigs of thyme
125ml dry white wine or dry cider
1kg mussels, debearded and scrubbed
freshly ground black pepper
a handful of fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
5 tbsp double cream, if you like

Method
In a large saucepan, fry the bacon with a knob of butter for a minute or two, then add the remaining butter and turn the heat down to low. Stir in the leek, garlic and thyme, cover with a lid, and sweat gently for 5-6 minutes, or until softened but not brown.

Add the wine and mussels, season with pepper, then cover and turn up the heat. Give the pan a vigorous shake, then cook for 5 minutes, or until the mussels have opened. Throw away any that don’t.

Now you can
EITHER stir in the tarragon, then serve immediately, ladling the shells and juices into bowl
OR strain out the mussels with a slotted spoon and bubble the juices for a minute or two to thicken slightly, then add the cream and bubble for 1 minute more. Tip the mussels back in, along with the tarragon, and stir until everything is warmed through and coated in the sauce.

Seasonal veg in this week’s boxes

February 21, 2013

This week, everyone will have:
* kale (Camel CSA)
* sprouted mung beans (Camel CSA/Mark Norman)
potatoes (Burlerrow Farm, St Mabyn)
leeks (Growfair, Cornwall)
swede (Growfair, Cornwall)
cauliflower (Growfair, Cornwall)
carrots (Growfair)

Standard boxes will have extra potatoes plus:
* purple sprouting broccoli (Camel CSA)
* salad bag (Camel CSA)
* parsnips (Camel CSA)

* = grown to organic principles

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on XFollow us on InstagramFollow us on Threads
Cornwall Development CompanyLeaderDEFRA
Okay, thank you
This website uses cookies, to read our privacy policy please click here.