recipe spring

Sausage, Bean & Veggie Hotpot

6th February 2018

Fittingly for the sub-zero temperatures out there this week this was our comforting and hearty family favourite February recipe on our 2018 calendar. This one-pot wonder dish is packed full of seasonal veggies, sausages and beans, topped with sliced potatoes and baked in the oven. Use veggie sausages and stock for a vegetarian dish.

Do sub the veggies for any other roots or sturdy veg . Delicious with a green veg on the side. I like to add a large pinch of dried chilli flakes to warm things up a little, but do leave out for the chilli adverse.

Keep warm, eat hotpot folks,

Louisa

INGREDIENTS, serves 4 generously:

1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

6 – 8 sausages, pork or veggie

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 large carrots, scrubbed and sliced

1 parsnip, scrubbed and sliced

300g butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled, de-seeded, large dice

2 tsps fresh chopped rosemary or thyme or dried thyme or oregano

1 pinch dried chilli flakes, optional

1 and a 1/2 400gg tins chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin beans (cannellini, butter, borlotti or kidney)

salt and pepper

600g potatoes, very well scrubbed, finely sliced

300ml hot beef or veggie stock

20g butter

METHOD:

Heat your oven to 190c/170c fan.
Heat the oil in a large lidded ovenproof casserole dish and fry the sausages until a little browned all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. When cool enough to handle cut each into 3 pieces.
Meanwhile add the onions and garlic to the casserole dish and fry in the residual fat on a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly so nothing catches. Then add the carrots, parsnips and squash/pumpkin (or your other chosen veggies). Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring at intervals.
Stir in the chilli flakes, if using, and herbs followed by the tomatoes, beans and sausages.
Bring everything to a simmer and season generously with salt and pepper.
Take off the hob and arrange the sliced potatoes in a pattern over the top of the hotpot. Pour over the hot stock, place the lid on the dish and put in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven, dot the top with butter and place back in the oven without the lid for a further 45 minutes. The potatoes should be browned a little on the top and completely soft and tender.

Pasta with Broad Beans, Mint and Bacon

Pasta with broad beans, mint and bacon( a la Lewis)

Ingredients for 4 or 5 folk

Mint- good handful chopped

Bacon- diced- pref smoked or pancetta

500 g Broad beans- podded and steamed

3-4 cloves garlic- chopped

350 gm Pasta- penne

200ml double cream

Method– Put a good slug of olive oil in a pan with the chopped garlic. Once softened , add chopped bacon.

Steam broad beans for 5-7 mins; Add cream to bacon and garlic in pan; Add mint and broad beans; simmer for few mins; Add generous pinch of Parmesan, season to taste; Combine with pasta; Enjoy the feast.

Broad Bean & Feta Dip

29th May 2017

This is a recipe we’ve made at many a ‘Dips ‘n Sticks’ workshop or after-school cook club session, delicious for everyone but a great way of getting children to enjoy broad beans. Even very little children can have fun shelling the beans (or peas); give them a bunch and I’ll bet they won’t be able to resist popping a few straight in their mouths. And anything in tasty (unrecognisable!) dip form is an enticing way to get little ones eating veggies they’re less keen on.

To maximise on the good stuff offer a big selection of raw dipping receptacles to go with your dips, think carrot, pepper, cucumber, courgette and celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap or mange tout peas, apple or pear slices etc. Add to the adventure by getting the children to cut their own like we do in our sessions, even very little kids can saw through a pepper, courgette, cucumber or pear with a table knife.

It’s a really simple recipe too, perfect to get children to make on their own, obviously with adult supervision on the whizzing bit if you don’t use a potato masher.

The dip is totally delicious with peas too. Out of season do use frozen broad beans or peas.

Enjoy!

Louisa

INGREDIENTS

150g shelled Broad Beans (or Peas or a mixture of both)
60g Feta Cheese
½ Lemon, zest and juice
10 Mint leaves, torn
1 pinch of Black Pepper

METHOD

1. Steam or boil the beans in a little water for 2 to 4 minutes until just tender. Drain and cool in cold water. Shell the larger and tougher broad beans if you wish.
2. Place the cooled beans in a medium sized bowl with all the other ingredients.
3. With an adult supervising whiz the ingredients together with a hand held stick blender until fairly smooth. A few lumps and bumps are fine. OR place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse. OR you could mash together with a fork or potato masher.

New Potatoes with Lettuce Pesto Dressing

29th May 2017

I love experimenting with different homemade pestos. One I’m particularly fond of in the summer is a lettuce pesto; this recipe is thinner than ordinary pesto to be more akin to a dressing.

Use absolutely any lettuce leaves you have, spicy leaves or rocket work particularly well but you really can use any. Simply whiz up the leaves with olive oil, Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese, pine kernels, lemon juice and a little garlic if you fancy too. Then smother on warm new potatoes. A delicious summary side dish.

Louisa

INGREDIENTS:

500g new potatoes, scrubbed & skins left on (leave whole unless very big)
50g lettuce, rocket or salad leaves, washed and dried
60ml good olive oil
20g Parmesan or Grana Padano, finely grated
15g pine kernals
juice 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (optional)
salt and pepper

METHOD:

1) Cook the potatoes in boiling water until fully tender, this takes about 25 minutes but will obviously depend on their size. Drain.
2) Meanwhile blend all the other ingredients either by pulsing in a food processor or in a bowl with a hand held stick blender. Season with salt and pepper and more lemon juice to taste.
3) Combine the potatoes with the pesto dressing and serve warm or cold.

Herby New Potato Salad

16th May 2017

Last week saw the first of this years new potatoes in our veggie bags. Delicious of course simply boiled and served with lashings of butter and seasoned with salt and pepper, maybe mint and/or parsley too. Or if you love roasties new potatoes are fantastic roasted with olive oil, garlic and rosemary, or with lemon and thyme. But if you’re a potato salad fan this the recipe I like to use, running the hot boiled potatoes through a vinaigrette before leaving to cool and adding mayonnaise (I sometimes use 50% mayo, 50% greek yogurt) and loads of herbs, plus a little wholegrain mustard for added oomph. It’s also very good with chopped capers ran through the mixture.

INGREDIENTS:

500g New Potatoes

1 dessertspoon White Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Small bunch of Chives

Small handful each of Parsley and Mint

1 heaped tablespoon good quality Mayonnaise or use a Mayo/Greek Yogurt mix

1 teaspoon Wholegrain Mustard, more if you love your mustard

Salt & Pepper

METHOD:

Wash and scrub the potatoes well, leaving on the skins. Cut larger potatoes in half. Boil for about 15 minutes until tender, drain well.
Lightly whisk together the white wine vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Whilst still warm cut the cooked potatoes into halves (or quarters if large) and toss with the above oil/vinegar then leave to cool.
Finely chop the chives, parsley and mint and mix together with the mayonnaise and mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper.
When the potatoes are cool toss them into the herby mayonnaise, add more mayonnaise if it needs it. Season with more wholegrain mustard, salt or pepper, even a squeeze of lemon juice if you have any. Garnish with any of the herbs or gorgeous chive flowers if you have any.

Enjoy,

Louisa