Diary and Recipes
This section will be updated with news, events and recipes. Click on an entry's title to go to it's page where you can post feedback using the form below the entry. To search for a recipe use the search input in the right column or click on an item in the Veg Glossary.
Happy New Year to Everyone
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 04:51PM
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Martyn and the Team at Shillingford Organics would like to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy 2012
Romanesco Broccoli and Rigatoni
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 09:32AM
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Ingredients
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 head romanesco broccoli or broccolini, cut into florets
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2/3 cup grated pecorino-romano cheese (a couple of generous handfuls), plus more to pass around the table
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Method
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving a couple of ladlefuls of the pasta cooking water.
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While the pasta is working, in a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the wine for 1 minute, then the chicken stock. Add the broccoli, lemon peel, rosemary and crushed red pepper; season with salt and black pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
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In a serving bowl, toss the pasta, reserved pasta cooking water, cooked vegetables, cheese and nuts for a minute. Season with salt and black pepper and serve, passing extra cheese at the table.
Pasta with Broccoli Romanesco
Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 09:20AM
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Ingredients
1 small-medium head of broccoli romanesco (about 2 cups of trimmed florets)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
200g dried spaghetti
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
Method
Boil the broccoli in a pot of salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and use the lime-green water (it looks like Italian soda) to cook the pasta.
Heat the oil gently in a pan (not a non-stick one) over low heat. Add the red pepper flakes and smashed cloves of garlic, and heat for a few minutes until you can REALLY smell the garlic. Then add the broccoli, stir to coat with oil, season liberally with salt and pepper, and cover. Let the broccoli cook gently in the pepper-garlic infused oil until very tender, another 5 minutes or so. Mash up the broccoli and the softened pieces of garlic with a fork (this is why you didn't use a non-stick pan).
When pasta is done, drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Put the pasta into the pan with the broccoli mixture, and toss to coat. Add some extra pasta water if the sauce is too dry.
Serve with copious amounts of parmesan cheese grated over the top and then tossed into the pasta, where it well melt and become all savory and gooey and delicious.
Chocolate Flapjacks
Monday, September 26, 2011 at 02:15PM
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Ingredients
Serves: 15
- 200g butter
- 150g golden syrup
- 450g porridge oats
- 75g light brown sugar
- 150g raisins
- 200g dark chocolate
Method
Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 25 mins | Extra time: 1 hour, setting 1. Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas 5. 2. In a small saucepan, melt butter and syrup over a low heat. 3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine oats, sugar and raisins. 4. Stir melted butter mixture into the dry ingredients. 5. Pour oat mixture into 11"x7" tin. 6. Bake 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool in tray. 7. Melt chocolate either on a low heat in a microwave or over a double boiler. 8. Pour melted chocolate over the flapjacks and smooth with palette knife. Leave to set. 9. Cut flapjacks into slices and store in an airtight container.
Romanian Apple Cake
Monday, September 26, 2011 at 02:03PM
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Ingredients
Serves: 12
- 5 apples, peeled and cored
- 3 eggs
- 300g sugar
- 175ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 250g plain flour
- 90g chopped walnuts
Method
Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 55 mins 1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Grease and flour a 22x33cm (9x13 in) tin or baking dish. Cut the apples into 2.5cm wedges. Set aside. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until blended. Mix in the bicarbonate of soda, oil, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir in the flour, just until incorporated. Fold in the apples and walnuts. 3. Pour batter into prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly. May be served warm or at room temperature.
Fabulous Tomato Chutney
Monday, September 26, 2011 at 08:32AM
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Ingredients
Serves: 40
- 2.75kg ripe tomatoes
- 775g sugar
- 8 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated root ginger
- 4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Method
Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 1 hour 30 mins 1. Remove the stems from the tomatoes and chop the tomatoes into small pieces. 2. Mix all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pan, and bring to the boil. Reduce the temperature and let simmer for 90 minutes without a lid. 3. Season to taste. Pour while still hot into sterilised jars and screw tightly closed. Turn the jars upside down and stand them on their lids. Allow them to cool completely.
Green Tomato Cake
Monday, September 26, 2011 at 08:22AM
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Ingredients
Serves: 24
- 725g chopped green tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 125g butter
- 400g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 250g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 60g sultanas or raisins
- 60g chopped walnuts
Method
1. Place chopped tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Place in a sieve or colander, rinse with cold water and drain.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas 4. Grease and flour a 20x30cm (9x13 in) baking tin.
3. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy.
4. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, bicarb and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add sultanas and nuts to dry mixture; add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Batter will be very stiff. Mix well.
5. Add drained tomatoes and mix well. Pour into the prepared tin.
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.
Sweet Corn - Quick or Slow Cook?
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 11:44AM
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Edward has sent us the following information, which I understand to have been taken from the River Cottage Handbook on the Veg Patch:
"... eat them on the day you pick them, as the sugars quickly convert to starch after picking; sweetcorn is one of those rare plants that, if overcooked, is better for you. Although vitamin C quickly reduces, the levels of ferulic acid shoot right up with long cooking at high temperature. It seems that ferulic acid is an important and useful antioxidant. Most ferulic acid is held in the cell walls and fibres within the sweetcorn and cooking breaks these down, liberating the bioactive bodyguards to go about their business. So for once you can boil the backside out of this veg with impunity!!"
It seems we have to decide on the compromise between vitamin C and the antioxidants!
Vanessa Kimbell makes Chilli Chocolate Cake
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 03:14PM
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CERTAINLY not for the children - this is a cake for grown ups. You get your sweet fix, followed by a chilli hit and chocolate burst to finish - just how I like it. Intense. It is a rich cake so it's worth the calories to indulge in just one. Two words of warning - don't get carried away with the chilli. Use the exact amount. Too hot is not nice. Secondly don't get mixed up and use picked beetroots!
Preparation notes:
Makes two cakes
Preparation time is 10 minutes for the cakes and 15 minutes for decoration
Cooking time is 25 minutes
Suitable for freezing before decorating
Make an extra one - to freeze
Ingredients
For the cake:
150ml rape seed oil
3 eggs
300g grated, drained, cooked beetroot
225g self-raising flour
75g cocoa powder
1 level tsp chilli powder
280g caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the icing:
150g icing sugar
60g egg white
50g cocoa powder
Chilis:
Two small packets of florist icing paste
One red, one green
For the filling:
150g dark chocolate
50ml double cream
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/350F/Gas mark 4.
2. Sift all the dry ingredients for the cake into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl place the 3 eggs and whisk. Add to this the oil and beetroot.
4. Add the dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix well.
5. Divide the mixture between two 8ins tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until they have risen and spring back into shape if touched.
6. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
7. For the filling, melt the chocolate in a bain marie and add the cream. Mix well until the chocolate thickens. If it is a little too runny, pop it in the fridge to cool down. Cut the cake in half and spread in the middle before sandwiching back together.
8. Mix the egg, cocoa powder and icing sugar together. Adjust the consistency to get a good thick icing sugar and spread generously on top.
9. To make the sugar chillies, break off small pieces of the red sugar paste, roll in your hands to a chewing gum consistency and roll into a chilli shape. You have to work quickly as it dries out. Keep what you are not using covered. Make a stalk using the green paste. Using the end of a chopstick push a small dent in the top and using a really tiny drop of water as glue stick the two together. Voila - top your cakes with chillies!
Crisp Stuffed Zucchini (Courgette) Flowers
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 01:21PM
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Ingredients
- For the ratatouille
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50ml/1½fl oz extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
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1 small onion, peeled, diced
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2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
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1 red pepper, diced
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1 aubergine (eggplant), diced
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1 zucchini (courgette), diced
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250ml/8fl oz ready-made tomato concasse
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- For the stuffed zucchini flowers
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500g/1lb soft goats' cheese
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60g/2½oz capers, drained, chopped
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
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18 zucchini (courgette) flowers
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plain flour, for dusting
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200-250ml/7-9fl oz beer batter (made by whisking together flour and beer until the mixture forms a thick batter with the consistency of single cream)
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cottonseed or vegetable oil, for frying
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Method
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For the ratatouille, heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently until softened but not coloured, about 10-15 minutes.
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Add the diced pepper and fry for a further 4-5 minutes.
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Add the aubergine and zucchini and fry for a further 4-5 minutes, stirring well.
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Add the tomato concasse and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.
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Meanwhile, for the stuffed zucchini flowers, mix together the soft goats' cheese and capers until well combined. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Place the cheese and caper mixture into a piping bag. Carefully unfurl the petals of each flower and squeeze the mixture into the flowers. Close each filled flower and gently twist the petals to reseal them.
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Half-fill a heavy-based saucepan with the oil. Heat the oil until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Sprinkle the flour onto a plate.
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Dredge the stuffed zucchini flowers in the flour, then dip them into the batter until coated. Carefully lower the stuffed zucchini flowers into the hot oil in batches. Fry for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the oil using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Repeat the process with the remaining stuffed zucchini flowers.
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To serve, spoon some of the ratatouille onto each of six serving plates. Drizzle over a little extra-virgin olive oil. Place three stuffed zucchini flowers on top of each portion of ratatouille.
Fennel Gratin
Monday, June 27, 2011 at 01:33PM
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Ingredients
- 4 large fennel bulbs
- pinch grated nutmeg
- 1 garlic clove , crushed
- 200ml double cream
- 50g Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)
Method
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and put a pan of salted water on to boil. Trim the fennel tops, then cut into wedges. Boil for 5-6 mins, then drain well. Arrange in an ovenproof dish, season and sprinkle with nutmeg. Stir the garlic into the cream and pour over the fennel. Top with the Parmesan, then bake for 20 mins until golden.
Pasta Frittata with Bacon and Broccoli
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 11:32AM
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Ingredients
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1 tbsp olive oil
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100g/3½oz bacon, chopped
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¼ onion, chopped
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¼ head broccoli, cut into florets
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200g/7oz linguine, cooked according to packet instructions and drained
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3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
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Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp.
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Add the onion and fry until softened.
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Add the broccoli and fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
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Add the linguine to the pan. Season the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pour into the pan. Cook over a medium heat until the base is set and golden-brown, then carefully cover the frying pan with a plate and turn the frittata out onto the plate. Slide the frittata back into the pan and cook until browned on the other side.
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To serve, cut the frittata into wedges and place onto serving plates.
