Green Futures

Category: Recipe

  • Winter root mash with golden crumbs

    Winter root mash with golden crumbs

    650g parsnips, cut into even chunks
    650g swede, cut into same size as the parsnips
    142ml tub soured cream or non dairy cream
    1 rounded tbsp hot horseradish
    2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
    Olive oil for greasing

    Topping
    50g butter or Olive oil

    1 small onion, finely chopped

    50g fresh white breadcrumbs (from about 4 slices)

    a small handful thyme leaves

    25g Parmesan or vegan equivalent, coarsely grated

    In a large pan of boiling salted water, cook the parsnips and swede, covered, for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain well, then mash them together using a masher or food processor until reasonably smooth but still with a bit of texture. Stir in the soured cream, horseradish and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

    1. Spoon into a buttered shallow ovenproof dish and put to one side.
    2. Make the topping. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion for 5-6 minutes, until gorgeously golden. Mix in the breadcrumbs and stir to brown and crisp a little. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme. Take the pan off the heat. Spoon the mixture evenly over the top of the mash.   Scatter over the Parmesan.
    3. Bake in the oven 190C/gas 5/ fan 170Cfor 25 to 35 mins until golden brown on top.

  • Hearty Winter Soup

    This is one of my own recipes. It’s one of those that never tastes the same twice as I use up what ever veg I have at the end of the week.  It is a great one to experiment with using different veg and flavourings.  You can really spice it up by adding chilies or add a nice salty tang by using some soy sauce or liquid aminos.  The best this is be creative and taste as you go.

    Using all the ingredients in your veg box this week you can make a delicious winter soup. You only need a bit of olive oil, a stock cube and some seasoning and herbs to add some extra zing.

    Put a healthy glug of oil in a pan, Add 1 or 2 peeled and chopped onions. Cook on a low heat with the lid on so they sweat, stir occasionally so they don’t stick. While they are cooking peel and dice, a couple of potatoes, carrot s half a swede and half a celaraic.

    Put the potatoes in a separate pan and part boil so they start to cook.

    Add the carrots, celariac and swede to the onions. Season with salt and pepper. At this point you can add other herbs or spices, even curry powder; experiment to give you some interesting flavour variations!

    Add a little more oil if needed. Stir occasionally. Keep on a low heat. Peel and cube a beetroot and a Parsnip. (for extra flavour roast them in the in the oven with a little olive oil for about 45 mins before adding to the soup)

    Add a few chopped leaves of the cabbage and a handful of halved mushrooms. Stir.

    Add the potatoes and mix up half a pint of hot water with a stock cube or bouillon powder. Pour over the veg in the pan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer until all the veg is tender, add more water if needed. Season with Salt and pepper to taste.

     

  • Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

     

    It may sound strange, but these are really good and very easy to make. The Brussels sprouts should be brown with a bit of black on the outside when done. Any leftovers can be reheated or even just eaten cold from the fridge. I don’t know how, but they taste sweet and salty at the same time!”

    800g Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed.

    4 Tblspoons Olive Oil

    Sea Salt/Black Pepper

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

    1. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, sea salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
    2. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with sea salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

     

  • Caramelised Fennel

     

    Cooking time; 20 minutes
    Ingredients:
    1 Large fennel bulbs
    3 tblspns olive oil
    Sea salt
    Black pepper
    ½ Lemon

    Method

    Using a very sharp knife, cut the top and bottom from the fennel bulbs and then remove tough or bruised outer layers. You will end up with a bulb about the size of your fist.

    Slice the bulbs in half and then remove the cores from the fennel. Then cut the fennel lengthwise into 1/8 inch slices (it is ok if a little thicker).

    Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and then the fennel slices. Spread the fennel out in the pan to encourage browning.

    Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping the fennel slices every few minutes, until golden brown.

    Remove the fennel from the pan and drain off any excess oil. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice, to taste. Serve.

  • SQUASH SOUP (Perfect on a winters day)

     

    • 16 fresh sage leaves
    • 2 red onions, peeled and chopped
    • 2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
    • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
    • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
    • ½ – 1 fresh red chilli, to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
    • sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 kg butternut or other firm squash, halved, peeled, de-seeded and cut into chunks
    • 2 litres organic chicken or vegetable stock
    • extra virgin olive oil

      Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of lugs of olive oil. Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with kitchen paper – you’ll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you’ll be left with a beautifully flavoured oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chilli and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft. Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around half an hour

    • When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with a hand blender or pour it into a liquidizer and pulse until you have a smooth purée (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it’s perfect. Divide the soup between your bowls. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra virgin olive oil.

    Recipe adapted from; http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/superb-squash-soup-with-the-best-parmesan-croutons

  • Turnip Almond and Lentil Stew

    2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying the almonds

    1  carrot, chopped
    1 stalk     celery, chopped
    1      onion, chopped
    1      turnip, chopped
    2      garlic cloves, chopped
    150g baby button     mushrooms, halved
    250g      green lentils
    1.2 l  vegetable stock
    1  bay leaf
    1 sprig  rosemary
    4 sprigs  thyme
    handful  almonds
    1 tbsp ground cinnamon
    10  cherry tomatoes, quartered

    Heat the olive oil in a large pan and fry the carrot, celery, onion and turnip until softened – about five minutes.

    1. Add the garlic and mushrooms. Fry for a further five minutes.
    2. Add the lentils to the pan. Pour over the stock and add the herbs. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
    3. Just before the end of the cooking time for the stew, in another pan, fry the almonds in a splash of olive oil with the cinnamon for two minutes.
    4. Add the cherry tomatoes and warm through.
    5. Serve the lentil stew with the almonds and tomatoes.

  • Dairy-free celeriac risotto with roasted hazelnuts and veg

    Serves 4

    60g raw cashews, 1 medium onion, finely diced

    1 garlic clove, crushed, 3 tbsp olive oil

    300g risotto rice, 200g celeriac, peeled and grated

    200ml white wine, 50ml apple juice

    2 tbsp bouillon powder, or 1 vegetable stock cube

    1 litre boiling water, ½ tsp ground nutmeg

    2 medium courgettes, chopped in half lengthways and cut into slices 5mm thick

    150g frozen peas, 45g hazelnuts, ½ tsp salt

    1 Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least an hour.

    2 Gently fry the onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy‑bottomed saucepan until they go soft, but not brown.

    3 Add the rice and stir. After a minute, add the grated celeriac, the wine and apple juice. Mix the bouillon powder or stock cube with the water in a jug and pour about half into the rice.

    4 Give everything a quick stir, then pop on a lid and let it simmer gently over a medium heat for about 8 minutes while the liquid is absorbed.

    5 Meanwhile, make the cashew cream. Drain the cashews and place in a small food processor with 100ml fresh water. Blend for a couple of minutes until you have a smooth white liquid.

    6 Take a look at your rice. Once the liquid is nearly gone, pour in the rest of the stock and the nutmeg. Keep stirring. After a minute or so, tip in the cashew cream, the courgettes and the peas. Simmer for a further 8‑10 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the courgettes are just cooked. Season as necessary.

    7 Roughly chop the hazelnuts. Fry with 1 tbsp olive oil and the salt for about a minute until nearly blackened. Spoon on top of each portion of risotto and serve.

     

    Recipe care of

    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/07/dairy-free-celeriac-risotto-recipe

     

  • Roasted Swede with Parmesan

    1 large swede (approx 750g/1lb 10oz), peeled and cut into chips

    • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus some for greasing
    • 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated
    • 1 tbsp rosemary leaves
    • knob of butter
    • 2 garlic cloves, peeled

       

    Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip the swede, olive oil, 40g of the Parmesan and the rosemary leaves into a shallow roasting tin. Season and toss well, arranging in one layer.

    Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan, dot with butter, then add the garlic cloves. Roast for 30-35 mins, turning halfway through cooking, until crisp and golden.

    Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2008

  • Alchemical Kale; Calvol Nero

    serves 2 to 4 as a side dish
    1 tblspn olive oil, 1 large bunch of Cavolo Nero, stripped of stems, washed & drained Salt, 4 tblsptahin, 2 tblsp fresh lemon juice

    Choose a wide pan with sides, or a wok; either way, having a lid that fits is important. Film the bottom with the olive oil and set over medium heat. Add the kale and a few pinches of salt. Toss lightly with tongs so the kale is evenly coated with oil, then lower the heat and set the lid firmly on top of the pan.

    Meanwhile, mix the tahini and lemon juice in a small bowl or coffee cup. The tahini may stiffen up a bit, which isn’t a problem. After about 5 minutes, check the kale and give it another toss. It should be wilted and there should be enough liquid in the pan to keep things moist and steaming. Add a little water if it seems too dry. Cover and cook another few minutes or until the kale is almost black in color and has a nice, chewy texture. Turn off the flame and add about half of the tahini sauce. Toss. Add more sauce if need, up to the entire amount, to coat the kale. Taste for salt. Serve hot.

     

    REF http://www.thekitchn.com