Recipes

Tea Loaf

Tea Time Treat

While you're reading your tea leaves and planning where to put your new golden tulips, have a slice of delicious:

Tea Loaf

Ingredients
500 g dried sultanas or mixed cake fruit
400 ml strained strong tea
200 g moist brown sugar (preferably muscavado)
1 egg
½ tsp mixed spice

Method
Soak the fruit in the strained tea over-night.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and then transfer to a greased lined cake tin and bake at175°C. for about 1 ½ hrs.
Remove from the tin and leave to cool. Store covered in an airtight tin for a day or two. The flavour improves with keeping although it's so delicious we predict you won't be able to keep it for long

Savoury sablés Valentines biscuits

100g plain flour
Pinch each of salt, black pepper and cayenne
1/2 tsp. Of dry mustard powder
90g unsalted butter
90g finely grated Parmesan or Gruyere
1 egg beaten to glaze
Small handful of poppy seeds or sesame seeds

Sift flour into a bowl or food processor and add the salt, pepper, cayenne and mustard powder. Add the butter and rub in or whiz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the cheese and mix the dough together until smooth. If should be soft and pliable.

Chill for 30 minutes, and then turn out onto a floured surface.

Pre-heat the oven to 190C/385F/Gas 5. Gently roll out to a thickness of 1cm. Using a round or heart-shaped cutter, press out the shapes and brush with the egg glaze.

(You can also make open hearts if you don't have the right shape.
Roll into strips about ½" wide and about 6" long. Join the strip ends together, just press them with your fingers so they make a circular shape and then gently ease them into a heart shape straight onto a flat baking sheet. Sprinkle with the seeds).

Bake for approx. 12-15 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown, and cool on a wire rack.

Note: These can be kept for a week in an airtight container, or frozen for 1-2 months.

Lavender meringues

Melt-in-the-Mouth Summer Recipe

Lavender meringues

For the floral sugar (takes about a week):
1. 350g/¾lb granulated or caster sugar
2. 8-16tbsp chopped flower petals.
3. Just mix the flower with the sugar and leave to infuse the fragrance for a week or more.
(Use our garden-in-a-bag lavender)
4. Sift the sugar before use to remove the flowers.

For the meringues (make the day before):
1. 175g/6oz lavender sugar
2. 3 large egg whites

Method:
1. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks that slightly tip over when you lift the whisk.
2. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to whisk until all of the sugar has been used.
3. Place a dessertspoon of meringue mix onto a lined baking tray
4. Cook for 1 hour on the centre shelf, heated at 140C/275F/Gas 1
5. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven to dry out overnight, or until the oven is completely cold.

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Ingredients:
1. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 450g/1lb carrots, chopped
4. 1 tsp. ground coriander
5. 1.2 litresl/2 pints vegetable stock
6. Large bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
7. Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions /carrots Soften for 3-4 minutes
2. Stir in the ground coriander and season well. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the vegetable stock and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
4. Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth. Reheat in a clean pan, stir in the fresh coriander and serve.

Parsley salad

Ingredients:
1. 175g) Bulgar wheat
2. 60g) roughly chopped Italian parsley
3. 80ml olive oil60ml lemon juice
4. 1½ tsp ground cumin
5. 1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
6. Sea salt
7. Freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Place the Bulgar wheat in a fine sieve over the sink
2. Soak with lots of water and let stand for 30 minutes
3. Squeeze out any remaining water; place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients
4. Season to taste, and then stir to combine

Add a zing of colour and tangy flavour to your summer salads. Here's our Fresh Tomato Salsa recipe.

Ingredients
500g/1lb 2oz ripe, full-flavoured tomatoes (choose from our mini tomato -garden-in-a-bag, Brandywine, or our Heirloom selection)
2 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion or medium shallot, finely chopped
1 table spoon white wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon
salt, fresh ground black pepper
basil leaves, torn

For serving:
ciabatta, French bread, or
garlic
olive oil
black olives
anchovies
basil leaves

Method

Skin the tomatoes (Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and remove them after 30 seconds. Peel and cut into quarters, scoop out the seeds.)
You are left with skinless, seedless, delectably sweet tomato flesh. Use in quarters or chop more finely (depends whether you want a chunky salad or more of a salsa).
Either way, toss with the remaining ingredients and it's ready to serve.

For serving:
Grill slices of ciabatta or French bread, rub with garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Mix the tomato salsa with a few chopped black olives, and/or a couple of chopped anchovies and/or a few torn fresh basil leaves. Pile on to the bread and serve as a starter, either on its own or with other anti-pasti.

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

This makes a delicious alternative to marmalade at our breakfast table and Sue always has to do extra to give away to family and friends.

1kg (2lb 4oz) trimmed rhubarb, chopped
1kg (2lb 4oz) sugar
juice of two small lemons
25g (1oz) root ginger
100g (4oz) crystallised ginger, chopped
Mix the chopped rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl and leave overnight.
Bash the root ginger to break the root up a bit and tie in a muslin bag.
Put the rhubarb mixture and the ginger muslin bag in a heavy pan and boil rapidly for 15 minutes.
Remove the ginger bag and boil again until the rhubarb is clear.
Test for a set (the easiest way to do this is to put a little jam on a cold plate and leave it to cool, if the surface wrinkles when you push it is ready to pot into sterilised jars).

Top Tip

If your jam has a scum on the surface or looks a bit bubbly just add a teaspoon of butter as it cools, stir and problem solved.

Roast squash and pumpkin soup

Turks turban

Turks Turban Squash
Perhaps one of the really tastiest squash varieties with a dry almost nutty flavour. Great simply roasted with your roasted potatoes.
Cut into chunky slices and remove seeds and any pithy bits and add to the roasted meat and potatoes in the pan about forty minutes before serving.
Vegetarians could just roast with root veg. like parsnips (with which the T.T.'s have a great affinity) just coat with olive oil season with salt and pepper and add a sprinkle of herbs de provence, dried marjoram or whatever you prefer.

Also try

ROAST PUMPKIN SOUP
This is easy and adaptable soup that can be made with most squash or pumpkins.
Roughly chunk a medium size squash (about1kilo should be ok for 4) cut into large cubes or wedges whichever is convenient
Put on a lightly oiled tray with some crushed garlic cloves and season well with salt and pepper. (There is no need to skin either of them at this stage)
Place in a medium oven for approx. ½ hour or so until the squash id tender and lightly browned.
Remove from oven and scrape the flesh from the squash with a spoon. Squeeze the garlic cloves so that the flesh pops out combine the squash and garlic in a liquidiser (you can put them through a mouli or just mash them by hand, depending on how energetic you feel). Add chicken or vegetable stock sufficient to make the mixture to a thick soup consistency.
Return to a saucepan and heat gently, taste and season.
The soup should be a thickish creamy consistency.
Add flavourings like;-
Grated nutmeg - good with butternut squash,
Swirl of soured cream
Lightly fried garlic slivers
Good flavours to add to stock are rosemary, thyme (remove before liquidising)
You can flavour the cooking oil with coriander, or use a ready flavoured oil like chilli, or walnut. Be sparing with these oils as they could easily over power the squashes own flavour.
Serve with ciabattta or wholemeal bread.
Enjoy!

Cooking with Achocha

Achocha may be eaten raw in salads. Best used when young; very small fruit can be eaten whole, but when larger split, de-seed and slice directly into the bowl. They are a bit like green peppers.

Curry
Large achocha - about 2/3" long can be split de-seeded and used to make a vegetable curry.
The quantity is up to you but about 14 will make enough for 2 if you are having a daal, rice and/or other curry.

1 onion - peel, chop and gently fry in oil or ghee. Add cumin seeds if you like about ½ teaspoon.
1lb potatoes peel, chop and add to onion.
1tsp chilli powder, coriander, turmeric.
Add achocha. Stir to mix all vegetables together. Add 8oz of chopped tomatoes (Tinned is fine) or enough tomato puree and water to just cover. Simmer gently till potatoes are cooked through.
Serve with some chopped fresh coriander. (We stock coriander garden in a bag so you can have it all year round - it's great with all curries and makes a pretty garnish)

Achocha Pickle
Prepare as above. Chop small. Place equal quantities of diced achocha, onions, swede in a large pot. Cover with vinegar. Stir in turmeric, coriander, and mustard seeds. Add sugar- about the same weight as the swede.
Bring to boil and cook slowly till the swede is soft. You can add caramel or use brown sugar to enrich the colour or a few drops of gravy browning if you want a really rich colour.
Ladle in to clean jars - use a slotted spoon if your pickle is too runny. Cover, label and store for 2 weeks or so to let the flavours develop before using. Once open use up quickly and always store in the fridge.

Sue's Pesto

Gather as much basil as you can (at least a handful).
Rip the leaves - do it by hand and release that fantastic smell.
Add to them pine nuts, olive oil, and garlic to taste. This recipe is infinitely adjustable and forgiving. If you don't like pine nuts or they are not available, leave 'em out.
Place the basil in a pestle and mortar or food processor and add other ingredients slowly. Blend to a thickish paste. Keep on tasting, you can add lemon juice or salt if you wish. This will keep for several days in the fridge or you can freeze it in ice cube trays and add directly to sauces.

Blackcurrant Leaf Sorbet

We also use this recipe to make an elderflower sorbet - substitute 4 or 5 elderflower heads in full bloom.

2 large handfuls of young blackcurrant leaves
8 ozs (225g /1 cup) sugar
1 pint (600ml /2½ cups) cold water
Juice of 3 lemons
1 egg white (optional)

Crush the blackcurrant (or the elder flower heads) leaves tightly in your hand, put into a stainless steel saucepan with the cold water and sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Add the juice of 3 freshly squeezed lemons. Strain.

Make the sorbet in one of the following ways.

Pour the juice into a stainless steel or plastic container and freeze for about 4-5 hours or until semi-frozen. Remove from the freezer and whisk until smooth, then return to the freezer. Whisk again when almost frozen and fold in one stiffly beaten egg white. Keep in the freezer until needed.

If you have a food processor simply freeze the sorbet completely in a stainless steel or plastic bowl, then break into large pieces and whizz up in the food processor for a few seconds. Add one slightly beaten egg white, whizz again for another few seconds, then return to the bowl and freeze again until needed.

Serve in chilled glasses or chilled white china bowls or on pretty plates lined with fresh blackcurrant leaves.

This sorbet is naturally very pale but you could introduce some colour with a few crushed blackberries if you like.

Elder flowers also make a delicious flavouring for gooseberries a bit like adding some Frontignan wine. Try it next time you make a gooseberry fool.