recipe: cheese & tomato cucumber crackers

cheese & tomato cucumber crackers

super healthy sliced cucumber topped w/ broad bean humous, cheese & tomato - low carb crackers!

IngredientsMakes: 154g (7)

75g		cucumber
21g		plain broad bean humous	(recipe below)
1g		black pepper
12g		mature cheddar
45g		tomatoes
0.5g		salt

Method

The humous is a great way to use up the end of season broadbeans, that dried on the plant or were missed and are generally a bit dry or mahoosive! It makes a smooth and creamy topping for these 'crackers'.

Once you've made the humous it's an assembley job!

Slice the cucumber, spread a little broad bean humous on each slice and top w/ mature cheddar shavings, a slice of tomato, salt & a healthy grind of black pepper . . . . job done.

plain broad bean humous

broad bean humous w/ tahini, garlic, lemon juice & vegetable oil.

IngredientsMakes: 530g (2)

6g		garlic
250g		broad beans
50g		tahini
3g		salt
75g		lemon juice
140g		water
40g		veg oil

Method

If the broad beans are dry soak them overnight in water to rehydrate.

Boil the beans for 6-8mins w/ skin on.

Blend the garlic, then the beans, add lemon juice & tahini.

Add enough water so that the humous has the right gloopiness (it's technical) - IE goes from broad bean crumbs to humous texture.

Blend for ~10mins in a food processor if you left the skin on - good fibre content.

Half as long if you shelled them.

With the motor running add oil until you get as smooth a texture as you want.

Rub the inside of your tubs & lids w/ lemon juice - anti bacterial - and fill them w/ humous!

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

recipe: couscous chermoula

couscous chermoula

classic Moroccan fair this couscous recipe is a GREAT partner to any dish with chermoula flavouring such as guinea fowl tagine / veggie tagine - cracking combo

IngredientsMakes: 400g (2)

280g		ready to eat couscous	(recipe below)
5g		veg stock cube
26g		flaked almonds
6g		butter
14g		dried cranberries
34g		dried apricots
20g		olives
10g		cocktail onions
2g		mint
1g		salt flakes
2g		chive flowers

Method

Put the couscous on to cook / redydrate first.

Toast the flaked almond in butter.

Then chop the mint and dice the rest of the ingredients and mix everything together

ready to eat couscous

plain ready to eat couscous

IngredientsMakes: 280g

100g		couscous
180g		boiling water
2g		salt

Method

Couscous is pre-cooked so all you really have to do it rehyrate it properly.

Good rule of thumb is 1.8 times as much boiling water as couscous by weight.

7g of salt per kilo of rehydrated couscous.

Pour the couscous into a pan, and sprinkle with salt then pour the boiling water evenly over the couscous making sure it's completely covered.

Put the lid on the pan to seal the moisture in, leave for at least 20mins on the counter top.

When removing the lid there should be no sign of water.

Drag a fork across the top of the couscous repeatedly to release it into a light grain.

Keep going until there are no lumps. Use as required.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

recipe: toasted flaked almonds

toasted flaked almonds

flaked almonds lightly toasted w/ butter & salt

IngredientsMakes: 43g

10g		butter
40g		flaked almonds
1g		salt

Method

Turn pan up high, rub a stick of butter until it completely coats the surface w/ a thin layer of butter.

Wait until the bubbling subsides, IE water from the butter has evaporated.

Add the almonds, enough to cover the bottom of the pan but not more than a couple of flakes thick.

Toss the almonds every 15 seconds to coat them in butter, and keep them moving for 2 mins.

Then turn the heat off. Let the heat from the pan finish them off, toss them to get an even distribution of heat.

Turn out onto some kitchen towel to remove the excess butter.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

recipe: guinea fowl w/ salted lemon & prunes

guinea fowl w/ salted lemon & prunes

roast guinea fowl w/ red onions, salted lemon & prunes

IngredientsMakes: 1770g (4)

360g	(3)	red onions
20g		garlic
20g		olive oil
1050g		guinea fowl raw
150g		sweet potato
10g	(1)	chicken stock cube
250g		boiling water
20g	(1/4)	salted lemons	(recipe below)
10g		lemon oil	(from salted lemons)
43g		prunes
120g	(1)	apple
50g		olive oil
1g		salt flakes

Method

Heads up uW = micro Wave . . .

Peel garlic & crush it leaving it in whole pieces.

Peel onions & cut into six wedges each.

Place them in a uW friendly jug w/ the garlic & olive oil - uW 800W / 5mins turning them over half way through.

Brown the skin of the bird all round until golden while the onions soften.

Put the bird to one side once browned, and using the same pan add the softened onions garlic & oil.

Cook them until they've started to brown. Tossing occasionally.

Cook the sweet potato in the background: Dice it & put it in the uW jug w/ the stock cube & boiling water - uW 800W / 6mins.

Chop the salted lemon & cut the prunes into sixths.

Once the onions have started to 'brown add lemon, prunes & the softened sweet potato & stock.

Cook for a couplle of minutes and stir to mix into a sauce type afair then pour it all into a small high sided baking tray just big enough for the bird.

Core the apple & cut into 10 segments - I left the peel on so they hold together.

Add them to the baking tray.

Pop the bird on top drizzle w/ olive oil & season w/ salt flakes.

Cover w/ tin foil & bake 150C / 90m.

Take the tin foil off for the last 20mins.

salted lemons

preserved lemons make a great (very strong) citrus seasoning

IngredientsMakes: 1200g (10)

860g	(10)	lemons
350g		sea salt
250ml		olive oil

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

recipe: salted lemons / preserved lemons

salted lemons

preserved lemons make a great (very strong) citrus seasoning

IngredientsMakes: 1960g (12)

1040g	(12)	lemons
260g		rock salt
660g		olive oil

Method

Makes 2x 950ml kilners jars.

When you want to give your north African & south Asian recipes an authentic flavour profile this ingredient is critical for a variety of recipes and super simple to make. . .

Sterilize your storage containers.

Cut a lemon in almost in half leaving one end joining the two halves.

Repeat to get 4 quarters all attached to each other at one end.

Open a gap and fill it w/ rock salt, then turn the lemon through 90 degrees and open up the cross gap and fill it w/ salt too.

Place the salt packed lemon carefully in your container.

Repeat until the container is jammed full of salt packed lemons.

Leave enough space at the top for an inch of oil.

Fill w/ olive oil, and place a gauze over the top of the lemons to keep them submerged.

Leave for at least 4 weeks before using.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local on facebook/meta they currently have all sorts of seasonal veg available grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!
Sign up for veg box here / or for wholesale here.

visual recipe: salted lemons / preserved lemons

lemons salt & olive oil

remove the pedicel

cut in half almost through the blossom end

then in quarters

again not all the way through

open one way and fill with salt

the turn 90 degrees and fill again

give is a jiggle to remove excessive salt

place in kilner jar

repeat pack them in

until its full with an inch spare at the top

fill with olive oil & place a gauze in the top

leave a bit of space between gauze and top of oil

this is a 950ml kilner took 6 lemons

salted lemons - leave for at least 4 weeks