Another week of delicious and interesting produce from the market. Hearty salads which will pull you through those colder months, protein rich omelettes made with happy eggs from Speckled Hen.  Pink Fir potatoes from our garlic loving guys at Kutsash Organics. A quick pasta made with pure beef sausages from Origin meats.  Amazing cheese from Whitestone cheese and as always a classic pudding but this time with the addition of juicy plums from Caithness Orchard.

KALE CAESAR SALAD

Robust, nutritious kale smothered with a salty, creamy dressing doesn’t need much convincing. This is my go-to salad for the colder months because it’s just right!

Serves 4

3 bunches (500g) kale, cavolo nero leaves, discard stalks

½ loaf (200g) good quality bread (sourdough or ciabatta), torn into bite sized pieces

3 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Dressing

2 cloves garlic

4 anchovy fillets

1 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 egg yolk

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for garnishing

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C

Place the bread chunks onto a baking tray and drizzle over the 3 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and a little pepper and toss to coat. Bake until crispy and golden. Remove and cool.

Wash the kale well in cold water and drain, chill until required.

To make the dressing; combine all the ingredients except the oil, and parmesan. Whisk or processor until very thick. When thick slowly drizzle in the oil until it emulsifies (thickens and becomes mayonnaise like). When all the oil is added, add the parmesan and mix through. Taste for seasoning. Remember this dressing is supposed to be strong in flavours – salty anchovy, garlicky and cheesy with parmesan.

To assemble – place the kale and toasted croutons together in a bowl, add the dressing and coat so that the dressing clings to all the leaves. Grate or shave a little more fresh parmesan over the salad and serve immediately.

CHEESE OMELET

A good omelet can start a day off so well, simple techniques and a good pan will get you on your merry way. But fresh, free-range eggs will make the omelet unforgettable!

Makes 1

2-3 eggs per person

Salt and pepper

1 Tbsp butter

50g strong, melting cheese (monto cristo), crumbled or coarsely grated

Method

Beat the eggs with the salt and pepper in a bowl.  Heat a non-stick fry or omelet pan and melt the butter.  When the butter is very hot and nut-coloured, pour the eggs into the pan.  When the eggs are setting and small bubbles are forming, sprinkle over the cheese, bringing the edges of the omelet towards the centre with a fork while shaking the frying pan.  Fold the edge of the omelet nearest to the handle of the pan towards the outside edge and quickly slide on to a hot dish.

A good omelet should be slightly runny!

 

PASTA WITH SAUSAGES

One pot meals are always a winner and one that I find works perfectly for midweek as it is quick to prepare, great to eat and no fuss to clean up!

serves 4-6

400g dried pasta

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 good quality sausages (I am using origin beef)

1 shallot or small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, sliced thinly

3 fresh tomatoes (if in season), roughly diced

200g (1 bunch of cavalo nero, kale or silver beet), stalks removed and roughly chopped

sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

freshly grated parmesan cheese

METHOD

Your first job is get a large pot of heavily salted water 2/3 full on to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook as directed by the packet.

Meanwhile while that is cooking, heat a large heavy fry-pan up to medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil, holding a sausage remove little meat-ball size of sausage meat from their skin and add directly to the pan, cook until crispy and golden in colour.

Add the shallot and garlic and cook until the onion and garlic soften and lightly colour.  Now add the tomatoes and and cook until the tomatoes cook down and go mushy and the sauce goes thick and glossy. Add the cavalo nero and cook until just tender (3 minutes).  If looking a little too dry add a drop or two of water.

When your pasta is al dente (tender to the bite) drain, reserving 2-4 Tbsp cooking water.  Add the pasta to the sausage mixture along with 1-2 tablespoon of the cooking liquid, season with salt and pepper add a generous grating of fresh Parmesan cheese, toss gently to combine.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve immediately with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan and a few extra grinds of black pepper.

PINK FIR APPLE POTATO SALAD

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

 1 kg waxy potato,

1 small red onion, diced finely 250g bacon, sliced finely

1 Tbsp fresh or dried dill

¼ cup stock

Large handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 tsp grain mustard

2 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp sugar

¾ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup good quality oil (not olive oil)

 

Method

Place the potatoes into a suitable size pot and cover with water, season with a little salt and bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle boil and cook until tender (20-30 minutes)

Meanwhile fry the bacon in a fry pan until crispy and set aside, reserving bacon fat in pan for later use.

Add the finely diced onion, dill and bacon into a large bowl.

When the potatoes are cooked drain and cool slightly.  I suggest when peeling the potatoes to hold a cloth around your potato as they get quite hot after a while.  Carefully peel the skin off the potato with a sharp small knife and cut into 4mm thick slices.  Add them to the bowl with the onions and bacon.

In the fry pan with the bacon fat, warm slightly and add the red wine vinegar, grain mustard and ½ the oil, season lightly with a little salt and pepper, swirl around to emulsify and pour over the warm potatoes, add the parsley and toss together gently, add a little more oil if the salad looks dry.

Taste and adjust the seasoning and balance of the overall salad – it should taste piquant with an even flavour of bacon and onion with a hint of freshness from the herbs.

Serve at room temperature.

 

PLUM CLAFOUTIS

When it comes to the French and puddings, I don’t think you can choose.  However a clafoutis is one of the simpler desserts and it fits in perfectly with the abundance of plums and slightly cooler evenings.

SERVES 4

450g ripe cherries, plums or apricots, the best you can find, stones removed

3 Tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

3 Tbsp kirsch (optional)

For the batter

20g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

2 free-range eggs

3 Tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 heaped Tbsp plain flour

50g whole milk

75g cream

pinch sea salt

Method

Gently mix together the cherries, plums or apricots,  sugar and kirsch and leave to macerate for two hours. (The sugar will slowly permeate the cherries and intensify their flavour.)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a baking dish with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Shake the sugar around the dish so that it is evenly coated, then tip out any excess.

For the batter, heat the butter in a small pan until it turns a pale hazelnut colour – this is called a beurre noisette. Do not allow the butter to burn or it will become bitter and carcinogenic. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside in a warm place.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until creamy.

Add the flour, whisk until smooth, then slowly incorporate the milk, cream, salt and beurre noisette.

Mix the macerated cherries and their juice into the batter and pour into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is slightly domed and the blade of a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

To finish, sprinkle with caster sugar and serve warm.

 

 

ALISON WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING VENDORS FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING PRODUCTS

SPECKLED HEN – free-range eggs

WHITESTONE CHEESE – Monto Cristo

KUTASH ORGANICS – pink fir potatoes, mustard

ORIGIN BEEF – beef sausages

BRYDONE ORGANICS – kale

CAITHNESS ORCHARD - plums