I am loving this sunny weather ! Every day we have sunshine is one day closer to new season produce (especially asparagus).
Today's menu is still a mixed basket but that's okay as we have delicious ingredients to play with. Havoc's sous vide pork belly is a fantastic product which is easy to use as they have done the hard work, all you have to do is decide what to serve with it. Church Road up on the platform not only do the best porridge i have had for years with choice of seasonal market fruit, brown sugar, cream or milk to drizzle on top; they also do fantastic dried fruit which i will be using with cous cous. Brydone Organics broccoli is crisp and green and can certainly get away with a quick steam and sprinkle of sea salt. Spinach from Ettrick will be combined with curds from Evansdale wrapped in filo and baked till crispy. Rosedale juice is becoming very popular and i do have tastes available from kitchen. Who ate all the pies are dropping off a few tasters which will be good...
See you soon at the mobile kitchen
SPINACH AND CURD PIE
Nutritious greens combined with gooey, cheesy curd and wrapped in papery filo pastry may not be anything new but it is utterly delicious all the same.
Serves 6
Olive oil for cooking and greasing
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
250g spinach leaves
1 tsp dill leaves (optional)
1 egg
250g fresh curd or ricotta
50g grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
4-6 sheets filo pastry (each roughly 38cm x 30cm)
Method
Heat a little oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion and garlic for 10 minutes without colouring. Add the spinach and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring. Tip into a sieve and press to remove as much excess liquid as possible. Cool.
Beat the egg with the curd and nutmeg and season; add the feta and parmesan along with the spinach and onion. Season lightly with salt but add plenty of freshly ground pepper.
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
Grease a 20cm loose-based cake tin with a little oil.
Line the cake tin with the filo sheets, drizzling a little oil over the filo to help stick the layers together and to assist with the crispy texture. Lay the excess pastry over the edge of the tin and spoon the cheese and spinach mixture into the tin. Bring the pastry up and over the top of the pie. Brush generously with oil.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and crisp. Serve warm or cold.
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| Nigel from Brydone Organics |
HOW TO SIMPLY COOK BROCCOLI
Serves 4
1 bunch of broccoli
· Olive oil, butter, flax seed oil, or mayonnaise
· Lemon zest or juice, balsamic vinegar
· Toasted almonds, toasted sesame seeds
Break or cut your broccoli into large, bite-sized florets with some of the stem attached if liked (I do).
Bring 1-2 cup water to a boil in a saucepan with a steamer. (Note that if you don't have a steamer, you can simply put the broccoli directly into pot of boiling water.) Add the broccoli to the steamer and cover; reduce heat to medium and let cook for 5-6 minutes. The broccoli is done when you can pierce it with a fork. But be careful not to overcook the broccoli. As soon as it is pierce-able, remove from heat, place in serving dish.
Dress to taste with butter, olive oil, flax seed oil, mayonnaise, lemon zest or juice, balsamic vinegar, toasted almonds, or sesame seeds.
WHO ATE ALL THE PIES - Using the finest ingredients sourced locally where ever possible. They are increasingly becoming known as the best producer of top quality handmade pies and the purveyor of English classics such as Cornish pasties, English Pork Pies and that monumental English classic, the Steak & Kidney pie.
Cottage Pancakes with broccoli
Makes 12 medium size
1 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup / 180 ml milk
4 eggs, separated at room temperature
1 cup / 115g raw (or quickly blanched) broccoli, chopped into rice-sized bits
1/2 cup / 75 g wholemeal flour
1/2 cup / 75 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
butter, for cooking
Method
In a large bowl mix the cottage cheese, milk, and egg yolks until smooth. Stir in the broccoli.
In a separate (clean) bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
Sift the flours, baking powder, and salt into another bowl. Add the flours to the cottage cheese mixture, and stir until just barelycombined. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
To cook, warm a griddle or pan over medium heat, melt a bit of butter in it, then spoon a little scoop (say dessertspoon) of batter into the pan for each pancake, working in batches. You want to cook these relatively slowly, until each pancake is deeply golden on one side. Flip each pancake, and wait until the other side is golden, and the pancake is cooked through. Continue until you've worked through all the batter. You can keep cooked pancakes in a 150 C oven until you finish, to keep them warm. They're great simply with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of salt. Or, if you want to get a bit fancy, whip up a bit of harissa, saffron or pesto-swirled salted yogurt.
SWEET COUS COUS WITH DRIED FRUIT
2 1/3 cups water
½ cup sugar
2 cups good quality dried fruit
2 ½ cups couscous
½ cup coarsely chopped toasted slivered almonds
½ cup coarsely chopped toasted and skinned hazelnuts
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, if desired
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar and dried fruit. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the couscous and remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid until the couscous has absorbed all of the cooking liquid, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Using a fork, fluff the couscous to break up any lumps, add the almonds and hazelnuts and toss. Spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet until completely cooled, about 10 minutes.
Serving Suggestion:Drizzle the couscous with 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil for a moister texture.
Transfer the couscous to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
HAVOC’S SOUS VIDE PORK BELLY
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| Linda holding that delicious belly pork |
Havoc have done all the work for you with this dish, the pork has been expertly seasoned, packaged and cooked in a water bath (sous vide) for many long, gentle hours to produce pork that will almost melt when eaten. Just reheat in the oven or pan and serve with your favourite accompaniment.
· BOUCHEE – vast array of homemade sauces, preserves and dressing (they will have the perfect sauce to accompany the pork)
· Saute bok choy or broccoli with ginger and chilli and steamed rice
· Potatoes braised with fennel
· Mashed potatoes with leeks and mustard
ALISON WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING VENDORS
HAVOC PORK – pork belly sous vide
ETTRICK GARDENS – fresh spinach
BOUCHEE – manuka smoked sauce
CHURCH ROAD INDUSTRIES – dried fruit mix
BRYDONE ORGANICS – fresh organic broccoli
WHO ATE ALL THE PIES – selection gourmet pies
ROSEDALE ORCHARDS – fresh apples and pears and fruit juice
EVANSDALE CHEESE - curds
