recipe: winter squash tortilla

winter squash tortilla

spanish tortilla made w/ smooth & soft winter squash & onions

IngredientsMakes: 780g (6)

500g		steamed pumpkin	(recipe below)
340g	(6)	small onions
300g	(6)	medium eggs
100g		spinach
80g		rapeseed oil

Method

Start w/ a small 700g pumpkin which yields ~500g steamed flesh.

Prep the other bits as it steams.

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl & whisk.

Put the spinach on to wilt, remove any excess liquid & add to the eggs.

Peel the onions, then half them, and slice into four in either direction.

Once the squash is cooked remove the skin and cut each crescent into thirds.

Add the onions to a pan w/ an inch of oil in it, set to high heat - the pan should be deep enough to accomodate the squash too!

Once the onions start bubbling carefully add the squash chunks.

Move things about occasionally and cook until the onions are soft and the the squash it turning golden.

Place a sieve on another pan and carefully pour the oil through it.

Leave the onions & squash for a while for the oil to drain then add them to the spinach & eggs combine well.

Leave the mix for 10mins for the egg to soak into squash a little.

Cook the tortilla in a deep 20cm diameter pan on a medium high heat, turning once.

Quick practical video here 2mins.

steamed pumpkin

steamed munchkin (small) pumpkin

IngredientsMakes: 500g

500g

pumpkin

Method

Started w/ a small pumpkin weight ~700g, de-seeded 608g, removed rind (after steaming) ~500g.

Cut the pumpkin in half remove the seeds & stalk.

Cut the halves into quarters & each quarter into 3 pieces.

This should give you 12 crescents about an inch thick at the widest point.

Steam for 20mins.

At this point it's edible, skin and all!! Great source of fibre too.

Put it in a curry, a spanish omelette, have it sauteed topped w/ maple syrup & ice cream . . .

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local for great locally produced veg using organic practices well worth signing up for!

I haven't tried all of them but this recipe should work with most edible squash types.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local they currently have Red Kuri & Blue Ballet in stock grown right here in Hereford using organic practices!

recipe: kimchi no7

kimchi no7

classic korean fermented vegetables w/ ginger garlic & chilli

IngredientsMakes: 2600g

275g		cone cabbage
400g		red  cabbage
450g	(3)	red peppers
60g		spring onions
245g	(3)	red onion
150g		ginger
60g		radishes
270g		carrots
35g		garlic
200g		7.5pc brine	(recipe below)
130g		ginger
35g		garlic
18g		chilli flakes
4g		sweet smoked paprika
25g		sriracha chilli sauce
30g		brown sugar
80g		7.5pc brine	(recipe below)
40g		olive oil
100g		olive oil

Method

This makes enough to fill a 1.4L and a 950ml kilner jar . . . adjust as you see fit.

I usually restart the kimchi making process when I have a third left of the 1.4L jar from the last batch and start w/ the smaller 950ml jar first . . and cycle.

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Make the brine the night before so any chlorine in the water evaporates - better for fermenting process. Or boil it and let it cool - a couple of kettles.

Make 3L of 7.5% brine - 225g salt 2775g water.

The 200g in the recipe is approximately what finally ends up in the jars.

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Prep all the ingredients up to the ginger the same way: top tail, peel, remove unwanted bit etc & shred.

Shape & texture makes a difference both to taste & presentation. For the ginger I like to super thinly slice it with a mandolin, then super fine julienne half of it, leaving you with discs & shreds - gives delicate bursts of ginger, and sometimes broad long lasting strokes on the palette a carnival of flavour! I like the carrots as discs. Run the rest through the finest disc cutter you have on your food processor - or the mandolin.

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Place all the shredded bits in a large bowl and cover w/ 3L of brine top w/ a plate to keep veg submerged.

Leave for 12hours / over night. Next taste the veg, if the veg is not salty enough leave it to brine for longer. If too salty rinse w/ fresh water & drain.

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Next the flavouring . . . make this while the veg is curing overnight.

To make the flavouring put the peeled & coarsley chopped ginger & peeled garlic into a food processor and blend to sugar granule consistency then add the chilli flakes, smoked paprika, sriracha chilli sauce, sugar, brine & 40g of olive oil, blend a little more, decant into a tub and leave until the rest of the veg has done brining.

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Next day . . . w/ a colander & pot drain the veg, keep the brine.

Place the veg into a large mixing bowl and add the flavouring, get your hands in there - gloves on if you want - and make sure every shred is coated w/ sauce.

Pack the mix into the two kilner jars - leave at least a quarter for expansion - and top w/ brine. Insert a gauze to keep the veg submerged - I used a pizzamesh, which I would never use for pizza, but make a great inert gauze to keep your kimchi under the waterline and stop it molding while it ferments.

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Leave an inch of brine over the top of the veg and pour the last 100g of olive oil - 50g per jar - over the top to stop mold growing - belt and braces you wont see this in most kimchi recipes but it helps, plus it adds a coat of olive oil goodness every time you extract some kimchi so extending you life span if any of the bluezone research is right!! ; )

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It's good to eat straight away and you should taste it as it develops, it'll start to ferment propper after about 1 week or two, press it back into the kilner jars w/ a couple of spoons to release the gas, it'll calm down after a month or two and will be good for 6 months or more - remove any mold above the oil line with a kitchen towel to keep it in good condition.

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Great seasoning and good for your microbiome. My understanding is fibre is like a raft for gut micorbiota, the more you consume with them the further thay can travel into your gut, open to more info in the comments!

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That aside this spicey ginger vegetable goodness can bump all sorts of food to a new level! : )

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I usually fill a honey jar w/ some and keep it in the fridge leaving the rest to ferment on the counter.

This minimises the mold maintenace required for the main fermenting jars. . . in the background a green tomato chutney made at the Growing Local volunteer day - every Tuesday South Belmont . . . it's rather good!!!

7.5pc brine

7.5% brine - salt solution

IngredientsMakes: 3000g

2775g		water
225g		salt

Method

Add the salt to the water and stirr iuntil it has dissolved.

Depending on what you are using the brine for it's often best if any chlorine in the water has been allowed evaporate off.

You can leave the water to stand in an open bowl for 24hrs, or you can bring the water to the boil and then let it cool down.

Pretty simple stuff really.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local for great locally produced veg using organic practices well worth signing up for!

Recipe: Halloween - Pumpkin Brains (Red Leicester Mac ’n’ Cheese severed in a Pumpkin)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Rather than waste the pumpking why not make mac 'n' cheese out of it!? Here’s a good use for your pumpkin once you’re done hollowing and crafting! (And a gory idea for serving it!)

Obviously you can use normal penne if making a normal mac ’n’ cheese in a baking dish. I used curly pasta so it looks like the a brain in the pumpkin!!

The basic idea is to make a soup with the pumpkin pieces and thicken it with cheese & a touch of cornflour before serving!

When cutting decoration into the pumpkin, leave a layer at the back to stop it’s brains coming out through the eyes. Unless you’re into that of course!! Alternatively you can put a bowl inside your pumpkin to hold the mac 'n' cheese.

ingredients (serves . . . a bunch of small portions)

for the head

1 medium/large pumpkin (hollowed out, keep the flesh) 190C / 90m - halves face down

yields ~1kg flesh + pumpkin seeds

some candles & halloween decor & some spooky music

for the brains

75ml olive oil

20g thyme (picked)

6 garlic cloves (crushed & chopped)

15g ginger (peeled, then grated)

1 lemon (zest & juice)

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1 tsp running honey

250ml dry cider 

450g (3) medium onions (fine dice)

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1kg pumpkin flesh (from hollowed out pumpkin, coarsely chopped)

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750ml vegetable stock 

(or chicken stock - sauce of the bones of many chickens whuar har har)

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50g cornflour (dissolved in 30g water - NB: 145g will thicken 2L milk!)

250g red leicester (or other cheese, grated)

50g butter (cubes - optional)

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500g curly macaroni (cooked)

~

Make the red pepper sauce (below)

Add the oil, garlic, ginger and thyme to a large pot and cook on a medium heat until fragrant.

Add the runny honey and cider and cook until the alcohol has burned off. (It will stop smelling of alcohol!)

Sweat off the onions in the same pot. (Add them to that pot, put a lid on and cook until translucent.)

Then add the pumpkin and stock bring to the boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes with the lid off, stirring frequently.

In a separate pot of salted boiling water cook the macaroni to your taste (more on that here)

Test the pumpkin with a pointed knife to see if it’s soft. 

Once it is, remove the pot from the stove and blitz the mix with a stick blender until it’s super smooth. (You can pass it through a sieve if needs be.)

Have the grated cheese at hand for the next step.

Return the mix to the heat and add the cornflour / water mix and whisk continuously, once the mix starts to thicken add the grated cheese, and continue whisking for 5-10minutes on a medium heat. This should result in a smooth homogenous sauce. If it’s too thick you can let it down by adding a little milk and whisking some more!

Add the cooked pasta and mix well to get the sauce inside pasta tubes - we love sauce!

Sterilize the inside of the pumpkin with a blow torch - this also adds quite a nice flavour to the mac 'n' cheese - then pour the the macaroni into the pumpkin, decorate with a piping bag filled with red pepper sauce or ketchup!!

for the red pepper sauce 

30g olive oil

1.5 red peppers (deseeded, sliced)

1 red onion

1/2 chilli (all in - fine dice)

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200g dry cider

25g sugar

25g white wine or cider vinegar

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50g butter (soft cubes)

~

Add the oil to a saucepan and the peppers, onion, chilli and cooke on a low heat for 25mins until soft (lid on) stir frequently to stop it catching.

Add the sugar, wine & vinegar and simmer lid off until all liquid evaporated

Blend with a stick blender until smooth, then add the butter, blend again and pass through a sieve.

You might want to leave the chilli out for the kids version, or use ketchup . . . .

recipe: warm courgette & melon salad

warm courgette & melon salad

crisp crunchy courgette & chunky melon pieces dressed w/ mandarin, chilli, honey, lime, lemon verbena & mint

IngredientsMakes: 600g (2)

260g		courgette	(recipe below)
4g		butter
0.5g		black pepper
300g		galia melon
1g		salt
50g		spicy mandarin & mint verbena dressing	(recipe below)

Method

Using as fresh a courgette as possible.

Dice courgette in 1cm+ size chunks, sear in an butter glazed pan for no more than 60 seconds then season w/ black pepper! This will give you a warm, slightly butter & crunchy courgette w/ a hint of heat.

Place in a warm serving bowl.

Take the galia melon, slice in half & deseed it.

Cut it into slices remove the skin & dice it into similar sized pieces, and add it to the courgette.

Season them generously, and leave them while you make the dressing.

Once you've made the dressing keep them separate until ready to serve.

Drain off any liquid from the courgette & melon & add the mandarin dressing, toss to coat evenly.

Serve immediately.

homegrown courgette

beautifully fresh crunchy homegrown courgette

IngredientsMakes: 260g

260g

courgette

Method

Top & tail the courgette & chunky dice it.

Use as you like!

spicy mandarin & mint verbena dressing

mandarin chilli honey & lime dipping sauce w/ lemon verbena & mint

IngredientsMakes: 50g

2g		mint
2g		lemon verbena
46g		honey lime & mandarin dip	(recipe below)

honey lime & mandarin dip

mandarin honey & lime dipping sauce - thicker version

IngredientsMakes: 231g (5)

1g		clementine zest
75g		clementine juice
100g		set honey
10g		fish sauce
12g		garlic
25g		lime juice
8g		chilli

Method

Zest the mandarin into the pot.

Top w/ honey & uW 800W / 1m to melt it.

Fine chop the garlic & chilli.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until mixed.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local for great locally produced veg using organic practices well worth signing up for!

recipe: figgy bakewell

figgy bakewell

caramelised figs in a blackberry & pear bakewell tart w/ sweet crunchy pastry

IngredientsMakes: 900g (10)

360g		crunchy sweet short pastry	(recipe below)
340g		almond mix	(recipe below)
165g		blackberry conserve
224g	(4)	figs
10g		lemon juice
10g		tangerine juice
30g		sugar

Method

Tart tin - 23cm / 280g

Blind bake 160C/12m, remove beads and finish base 160C/7-10m.

Bake 150C/45m

Make pastry & leave to cool in the fridge for 30mins.

Roll and line the tart tin w/ pastry, then double line w/ grease proof paper & baking beads of your choice.

Blind bake 160C/12m, remove beads and finish base 160C/7-10m.

While it bakes caramelise the figs:

Slice the figs into thirds, dip one size in citrus juice and then in sugar and place sugar side down in a hot nonstick pan.

Let the figs bubble until then sugar has lost it's grain and just started to caramelise, then remove them placing them sugar side up on a cutting board until needed. Remove the pastry base from the oven when ready.

Line the bottom of the tart w/ jam or conserve, then make the almond mix and pour it on top.

Place the figs on top sugar side up. I put 3 in the middle and nine around the outside - however you fancy!

Bake @ 150C / 45m

crunchy sweet short pastry

Sweet crunchy pastry for use with desserts

IngredientsMakes: 1050g

250g		butter
120g		caster sugar
125g		gram flour
225g		bread flour
140g		alpen
30g		flaked almonds
1g		salt
100g		egg whites

Method

Blind bake 170C / 20m + 10m to finish w/o baking beans.

almond mix

tart filling

IngredientsMakes: 340g

110g		eggs
110g		ground almonds
110g		sugar
5g		almond essence
5g		vanilla essence

Method

Beat the eggs & sugar until creamy & light, then whisk in the grounds almonds.

Use asap.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local for great locally produced veg using organic practices well worth signing up for!

recipe: courgette & jalapeño bake

courgette & jalapeño bake

seared marrow w/ juicy charred onions in a smooth luxurious garlic & herb sauce lifted by spicy jalapeño notes all topped w/ cheese & tomato

IngredientsMakes: 1530g (6)

200g		hotdog onions lite	(recipe below)
635g		seared marrow	(recipe below)
20g		olive oil
110g		pickled jalapeño
625g		garlic cheese white sauce	(recipe below)
160g		ripe tomatoes
50g		mature cheddar

Method

Using up courgettes that escaped your attention and got a bit bigger than you'd like!

Prep the ingredients in the order listed, you can do the onions and marrow / courgette in parallel!

Then assemble layers of marrow, onion, jalapeño & sauce.

Repeat until bake tray is near the top, this was just right for 26cm x 19cm baking dish.

Top with sliced tomatoes & cheese & bake 170C / 30mins.

If some folk don't like spiciness like the kids or mums you can leave the jalapeños out & serve w/ green tabasco sauce.

hotdog onions lite

slow cooked thick cut onions - soft & slightly charred

IngredientsMakes: 200g

10g		olive oil
400g	(3)	onions
2g		salt

Method

Peel the onions, then cut them in half north pole to south & then in thirds.

Keep the thirds in one piece for cooking.

Heat the oil on a medium heat & add the onions in whole thirds covering the bottom of the pan.

Season, turn the heat down to minimum and place a lid on top.

Cook for about 30mins - checking after 20mins - until they are soft & nicely charred on the bottom.

Carefully turn them over & cook for another 10mins with the lid on.

Put to one side and use when required.

seared marrow

sliced seared marrow

IngredientsMakes: 635g (4)

1100g		courgette
60g		olive oil
4g		salt

Method

Slice up the courgette into sub centimeter slices so you can remove any fully formed seeds.

Remove them, then dust liberally w/ salt, turn them over & repeat the dusting.

This will stop the bake coming out too sloppy and tasteless.

Leave them for about an hour so the salt draws water out of the courgette.

Rinse them under cold water the pat them dry.

Brush w/ olive oil and sear until golden. While they sear brush the top ready to flip them.

Sear ~2m30sec each side on high.

Black pepper is quite a nice addition too!

garlic cheese white sauce

smooth cheesy luxurious sauce - think mac n cheese / moussaka

IngredientsMakes: 625g

66g		butter
47g		plain flour
426g		semi skimmed milk
2g		salt
90g		garlic and herb roule

Method

Makes a nice thick smooth herb garlic cheese sauce!

Melt the butter over a medium high heat.

Add the flour and whisk until smooth.

Add the milk keep whisking until the sauce has thickened

Remove from the heat, break the cheese into smallish lumps.

Add them to the sauce and whisk until smooth.

Loosen with veg or chicken stock if required.

If you are in Hereford check out Growing Local for great locally produced veg using organic practices well worth signing up for!