Growing Local is Going Local

Connecting Land to the People and People to the land

Rhubarb & Stem Ginger Fool

23rd April 2018

Rhubarb and ginger are a delicious combination and together with whipped cream and Greek yogurt rhubarb fool offers the perfect balance of sweet, creamy and tart. This is an extremely easy but sublime pud, top with crumbled shortbread or stem ginger cookies for added luxury. Serves 4.

 

INGREDIENTS:

300g rhubarb stems, washed

1 blood orange, juiced, or an ordinary orange

30g light brown soft sugar

1 dessertspoon finely chopped stem ginger

1 dessertspoon syrup from the stem ginger jar

150ml double cream

150ml Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons runny honey

cookies or biscuits to serve, optional

 

METHOD:

  1. Slice the rhubarb into 4 to 5cm lengths. Slice thicker pieces into narrow strips.
  2. Place the rhubarb, orange juice, sugar, ginger and syrup in a saucepan. Place on a gentle heat and cover with a lid.
  3. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until very tender but just about holding some shape. Take off the heat and leave to cook completely.
  4. Meanwhile whip the cream until soft peaks form and then lightly whip in the yogurt and honey.
  5. Once the rhubarb is fully cooled ripple through the cream and yogurt. Serve in small bowls or glasses and top with shortbread or ginger cookies if you wish.

Veggie-Tastic Pasta Sauce

25th January 2018

This is our latest school Cook Workshop recipe and was successfully road tested with budding cooks at Sutton Primary this week.  Jam-packed with nutritious veg this is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to get extra veggies into our diet. Use as a pasta sauce, a topping for homemade pizza or thin down with stock or water to make a tasty soup. In recipes using more than one tin of tomatoes try swapping one tin for a tin’s worth of this sauce for an extra veggie boost.

This recipe makes a very big batch of sauce which can be divided and frozen for future meals, or half or quarter to make smaller quantities. For a creamier sauce try stirring through some creme fraiche. If you don’t have all these veggies or they’re not in season omit or switch to those that you have or are in season. 

 

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions
2 leeks
4 cloves garlic
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
1 courgette
2 red peppers
1/2 small butternut squash
4 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
salt and pepper

 

METHOD

  1. Prep all your veggies. You can either do this by hand (a great opportunity to practice knife skills!) or in batches whiz it though a food processor.
  2. Peel the onions, wash and trim the leeks, scrub the carrots, wash the celery and courgette, de-seed the pepper, peel and de-seed the butternut squash. Then finely chop them all. Peel the garlic and crush in a garlic press or finely chop.
  3. Place 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and heat. Add the onion, garlic celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes before adding the rest of the cut veggies. Cook for a further 5 minutes with the lid on.
  4. Pour in the tomatoes then half fill each tin with water, swirl around and pour into the pan. Stir through the oregano and a large pinch each of salt and pepper.
  5. Simmer for 20 – 25 minutes with the lid on until all the veggies are fully tender.
  6. Blitz in a food processor, blender or with a hand held stick blender until smooth. Taste and season with more salt and pepper until you’re happy.

Ratatouille

With the abundance of gorgeous summer veggies we’ve been enjoying eating ratatouille lately. Originally from Provence, it’s a classic Southern French veggie side dish made with Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, Courgettes and Aubergines. Utterly delicious and bursting with vibrant summer flavour.

What To do with Ratatouille?. It’s lovely eaten with pasta, gnocchi, rice, quinoa or couscous. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan, Mozzarella, Goats Cheese or Feta if you wish. Fab as a side dish to meat or fish. It’s also a very tasty pancake filling, topping for a jacket spud or sauce for a lasagne or pasta bake.

Louisa

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large white or red Onion, medium dice
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped (optional if you’re garlic adverse)
1 Aubergine, diced
1 or 2 Peppers (red, orange, green), diced
1 or 2 Courgettes (depending on size!), sliced
1 small glass of White or Red Wine (optional)
600g fresh Chopped Tomatoes or good quality tinned chopped tomatoes
3 Bay Leaves
1 heaped dessertspoon fresh Thyme, Oregano or Marjoram leaves or 2 teaspoons dried.
small splash Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

 

METHOD:

  1. Dice or slice all your veggies to about the same size of 2/3 cm.
  2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish and sauté the onion for 5 minutes before adding the garlic for a further minute.
  3. Stir though the aubergine and peppers followed by the courgette about 5 minutes later. Stir frequently so nothing catches.
  4. Pour in the wine if using then the chopped tomatoes, bay, herbs, red wine vinegar and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring everything to a simmer.
  5. Cook on a gentle heat for about 30 to 40 minutes until the veggies are very tender and tomatoes have reduced down. Season with more salt and pepper and serve.

Homemade Pesto

We have quite a bounty of basil at the Growing Local plot at the moment which has been winging it’s way into many a jar of delicious homemade pesto. It really is a cinch to make your own, and once you’ve tasted a homemade pesto you’ll be as sold (and addicted) on it as us!.

What To do with Pesto? Typically eaten with pasta it is of course delicious; I add sautéed courgette, green beans or mushrooms too. To make it creamier try stirring through a spoon or two of creme fraiche. Pesto makes a tasty replacement for tomato sauce on pizzas. Try pesto, sliced courgettes and Feta as a pizza combination (or as a simple tart topping on puff pastry sheets). It’s also fab in quiches or tarts, sandwiches or thinned down with oil and tossed through new potatoes and green beans. How do you eat yours?

Enjoy!

Louisa

INGREDIENTS:

1 large bunch Basil
1 small handful of nuts (cashew, hazelnuts, walnuts etc) or pine kernels
1 handful Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese, grated
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 big glugs of Rapeseed Oil (we use local Risbury oil) or Olive Oil
1 clove of Garlic, crushed
Salt and Pepper, 1 large pinch of each

 

METHOD:

  1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until you’re happy with the texture. I like the nuts to be only coarsely broken down. If you don’t have a processor blitz in a bowl with a hand blender or pound together in a pestle and mortor (which is traditionally how pesto is made).
  2. Add more oil if it’s a little dry. Add more salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Pesto will store in a fridge for up to a week, it can also be frozen but will lose some of it’s vibrancy.

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.

 

Growing Local is a Herefordshire Community Interest Company delivering cook and gardening education and events across the county to children, young people, families and adults.