Mashed Broad Beans with Preserved Lemon & Mint on Walnut Toast

This isn’t just beans on toast , this is organic Riverford broad beans on homeade walnut bread toast …. it was my very tasty lunch , the mashed broad beans would also work really well with pasta I think or as an accompaniment to lamb or fish. The preserved lemon adds a real zingy citrus shot .

I realised going through my photo archive the lemons in this jar are more than two years old . Living in at least 3 different houses . Scary no the preserved lemons just get prettier with age and make excellent gifts.

Sneakily once a jar has got going I will often bung in juiced lemon skins how is that for recycling , they are ready in a few weeks.

Mashed Broad Beans with Preserved Lemon and Mint

100g of broad beans
1 tbsp of preserved lemon
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of fresh mint
1 tbsp of crumbly goats cheese
Pepper to season

1. Boil the broad beans for 5 minutes
2. Peel the broad beans and finely chop half with the preserved lemon , goats cheese and mint
3. Mix with the whole broad beans and olive oil
4. Serve on thick toast or as a vegetable accompaniments

Spiced Preserved Lemons

8 unwaxed lemons
200g of sea salt
75g of spices coriander seeds , cumin seed, star anise dried chillis and a bay leaf with a large quantity of sea salt

You can miss out the spices but they add even more spark to the lemons and make the jar look very pretty

1. Cut whole lemons in half
2. In a clean 1 litre preserving jar , layer lemons with salt and and spice mix in a preserving jar ,presssing down hard to squeeze the juice to cover lemons
3. After a few days check more juice will have come out and you may be able to fit in more lemons
4. Leave in the fridge for minimum of a 6 weeks

Preserved lemons are delicious in salads and particularly good with fish but use sparingly the preserving concentrates the flavour

Walnut Bread
50g of crushed walnuts
400g of strong white flour
20 ml olive oil
380ml of warm water
1 tsp of dried yeast
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt

1. Mix together all the ingredients
2. Leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour
3. Knead well , shape place on baking sheet and leave for a further half house
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 200degC for 45 minutes
5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool

Another bread recipe to tick off , simply a white bread recipe with added walnuts , turn the bread a delicious brown colour .

Steak with New Potato Bean Radish and Onion Salad

Despite all the ridiculous scaremongering from the weather forcasters it was a beautiful evening in the Midlands , I had spent all day alternating between staring at spreadsheets and staring at the sky.

At lunchtime tempting the ” Gods of Destroying a good BBQ ” , I cracked and took the steaks out of the freezer . These were gorgeous Rump steaks from Brown Cow Organics at Bristol Farmers Market . Easily an inch thick cut to your liking , properly aged , marbled with yellow fat , they barely shrink when cooked are sweet , tender and make you wonder exactly what they do to other meat that managed to divest it of any taste whatsover

We have a deal with steaks while Nick the lovely boyfriend it allowed to indulge the his caveman instincts in their cooking and preparation , the steaks must be accompaniend with as colourful and creative a salad as possible and this is definitely my domain.

Raiding the vegebox for ingredients and happily chopping and discussing what we need to take to the Big Chill Festival next weekend , for the record top of my list my parasol top of Nicks his pewter tankard .

Given my slightly distracted attention to the salad then the gorgeous and delicious result was a bit of a surprise and perhaps set to become a tweakable favourites its peppery crunchiness perfectly accompanied the steak and we fought over the last dressing soaked potato.

New Potato , Bean , Radish and Onion Salad

New Potatoes
Fresh Green Beans
White onion
Radish
Dijon Mustard
Cider Vinegar
Fresh Mint

1. Boil the potatoes & steam the green beans
2. Meanwhile thinly slice radish and white onion
3. Mix together 2 parts cider vinegar to 1 part dijon mustard and pour over the radish and onion
4. Once the potates and beans are cooked , the beans should still have some crunch , slice both vegetables in half and add to the dressing while still warm
5. Leave the salad for at least 40 minutes to absorb all the flavours and serve with finely chopped scattered fresh mint

Home Made Bread for Home Made Sandwiches

I have been thinking about buying a breadmaker for a while . Bread prices are rocketing and I have become convinced this something I ought to be doing myself . I have been doing more baking recently its been the cleaning up that really gets to me , flour and water make glue you know and my worksurfaces are not a big fan of glue.

This weekend I gave in … Though the breadmaker resembles an overfed ipod and is competing for space in my small studio flat, I suspect it will become essential.

My main incentive is making bread for sandwiches at work, I confess I have spent some time looking in sandwich shops gasping at prices and muttering to myself like the Scrooge I am , however the recipes are wonderfully inspiring including this one I have taken to recreating from lovely Fresh Organics , Bugsy – Grated Carrot, Houmous, Watercress & Alfalfa Sprouts . Really great textures

I often get sprouted seeds in the vegebox , they are creamy & nutty . I love making my own houmous it easy to monitor the amount of oil chick peas are an addictive ingredient .

So this is my first sandwich made with my own three seed ( sesame , pumpkin and sunflower ) wholemeal bread , sprouts ( chick pea & mung bean) , spinach & homemade homous . I shall be eating it with a smug look on my face tommorrow and though I will try not to become a breadmaker bore the prospect of Marmite Bread is beckoning

Homemade Homous

200g of dried chick peas soaked overnight , simmered in boiling water for 40 minutes
2 clove of garlic
1 heaped tsp of tahini
Half a lemon juice
2 tbsp of olive oil

1. Once the chick peas have cooled
2. Puree together all the ingredients
3. Thats is ready to eat

While I was eating my lunch in the park the Stella Artois Zeppelin perhaps its too many episodes of Dr Who but it really freaked me out for a second , this Star Over London starting from 185pounds for 30 minutes I might be passing but if you have some spare cash I imagine its pretty special

Lavender and Rosemary Lamb Neck Fillet with Seven Bean Salad

Fillets from the neck were not a traditional British butcher’s cut but in these days of nose to tail eating finding these more and more often cheaper than steask and better value I think than chops , they are delicious cut of meat that think it benefits from the ternderising of a slow marindade , I had left these in the fridge in red wine for 2 days

They have a decent amount of fat to give flavour so no oil is needed the rosemary and lavender grow on a lot of the landscaping around the city centre the lavendar is in full flower so a bit of free seasoning

Rosemary and Lavender Lamb Neck Fillet

Lamb Neck Fillet – one per person
1 cup of red wine per fillet to marinada
Several large sprigs of rosemary and lavender per fillet , roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper to season

1. Marinade the neck fillet for a least 24 hours in red wine
2. Remove from the marinade and season well with salt and pepper
3. Roll the fillets in a mixture of roughly chopped rosemary and lavedenr
4. Place in a preheated oven at 200degC for 30 minutes
5. Remove the fillets from the oven cover with foil and allow the lamb to rest for 20 minutes
6. Serve by slicing thickly and pouring over any juice and herbs from the roasting tin

I think Lamb goes really well with pulses and I hade a lot of mixed bean salad for BBQ at my mums using a mix of 7 dried beans ( that I also use for a fantastic camping chilli) . This bean salad will last a week even improving in taste after a few days in the fridge and is one of my summer staples, I am happy eating it from a bowl with a heel of bread, but it goes well with fish lamb and chicken

Seven Bean Salad

100g of dried beans ( Dried Black Eyed Beans, Alubia Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Dutch Brown Beans, Baby Lima Beans, Butter Beans and Haricot Beans )
10ml of balsamic vineger
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tbsp of honey
2 tbsp of wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp of oil
Handful of fresh herbs , chives, tarragon , mint and thyme all work well , finely chopped

1. Soak the Dried Beans for at least 12 hours
2. Drain , place in a pan , cover with water and bring to the boil
3. Simmer for 40 minutes
4. Drain, mix together the vinegar ,oil ,garlic, honey and mustard to form a dressing
5. Whilst the beans are still warm pour over the dressing .
6. Leave to cool for a few hours before serviing mix in the chopped herbs.

Chilled Courgette Soup with Radish and Mint Pesto

Lots of courgettes and radishes in the vegetable box and have a large bunch of mint , I was saving it for Pimms but I don’t think its ever going to be hot enough for that delicious summer drink.

I have frittated , grilled kebabed and saladed courgette this year already but how about soup maybe not a natural choice for summer but chilled soups are delicious the secret to keep them light and eat them fresh they don’t keep for long tending to seperate .

Courgette and mint are natural partners set off by zesty lemon and biting radish which also adds a crunch and crazy pink to the soup. If you don’t have radishes a dollop of horseradish cream works well too

Mint and Radish Pesto

4 radishes
Half a lemon juiced
1 handful of mint

1. Finely chop the radish and mint
2. Squeeze over the lemon juice

Chilled Courgette Soup
3 courgettes – roughly chopped
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 cup of cold water

1. Steam the courgettes over boiling water for a few minutes. You could boil them but they keep a lovely green colour when steamed
2. Remove the courgettes from the heat and place in cold water to cool
3. Drain the courgettes ,add the yogurt and water
4. Liquidise with an ice cube to chill or place in the refridgerator for 30 minutes
5. Serve with a dollop of the radish and mint pesto

Wild Mallard Duck with Balsamic Cherries and Lentils

This wild Mallard Duck has been in the freezer since my trip to Borough Market in March . Corerection it has been in in Nicks freezer since March and he has been nagging me to do something with it . I have however been waiting for the perfect ingredient cherries . Duck loves cherry , their tart sweetness contrasts perfectly with the salty duck.

Cherries are coming into season in the UK now however in the UK we have lost we’ve lost 90% of our Cherry orchards and now import around 95% of the Cherries we eat. FoodLoversBritain has launced Cherry Aid is the campaign that unites all Cherry Lover chefs, Cherry growers, producers of Cherry-based food to save the British Cherry.

Roasted Wild Mallard Duck

Wild ducks are actually much smaller than the Gressingham farmed ducks one probably serves to people

Preheat the oven to 190degC
Season the duck skin well with salt and pepper
Place in a roasting tray breast side down , roast for 30 minutes
Turn over baste well with any juices that have come from the duck
Roast for a further 30 minutes
Remove from the oven a leave to rest for 20 minutes covered in foil

Balsamic Cherry Lentils

200g of fresh cherries stoned
100g of Green Lentils
1 pint of boiling water
4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of sugar
4 springs of thyme

1. Place the cherries and lentils in a pan
2. Pour over the boiling water , cover simmer for 20 minutes
3. Add the balsamic vinegar , sugar and thyme
4. Simmer for another 10 minutes with the lid removed

Only be careful with these wild ducks , don’t mistake shot for lentils

Chorizo, Broad Bean , New Potato and Feta Salad with Parsley Mint and Lemon

This is another example of the lovely  Nick pulling out all the stops to get me to blog the food he cooks.

This not only tasted fantastic it was so pretty delicious sweet new potatoes and broad beans from the vegebox  obsorbed the light dressing made with plenty of fresh herbs from his garden and salty hit of feta with each mouthful

Nick is a smoked sausage and salami addict any excuse to slip a little salted meat into a dish it worked well with the fresh lemons and herbs,   but if you are vegetarian  you could  replace the chorizo with roasted beetroot .

Chorizo,  Broad Bean , New Potato and Feta Salad with Parsley Mint and Lemon

Fresh Chorizo Sausage  , finely sliced
Broad Beans , removed from the pod
Feta Cheese  , crumbled
Spring Onions , roughly chopped
New Potatoes
Mint ,finely chopped
Parsley finely chopped
Black Pepper
Freshly squeezed  lemon juice
Olive Oil

1. Boil the new potatoe til soft , adding the broad beans for the last 5 minutes
2. Meanwhile in a bowl mix together the crumbled feta with parsley , mint and lemon juice with a grinding of black pepper and a few glugs of olive oil
3. Roughly chop the cooked potatoes and add to the  bowl while warm
4. next add the broad beans , spring onions
5. Leave the salad to absorb the lemon oil and herbs
6. Meanwhile grill the fresh chorizo til crisp on both sides
7. Place the salad in a serving bowl and scatter over the chorizo
8. Serve with bread or salad leaves

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Chard , Red Pepper and Fresh Cheese Baked Rolls

Lots of swiss chard in the vegebox and I was thinking about making a chard tart , I had made double shortcrust pastry for the Peach and Cardamom Tart yesterday and had even taken some cheese out of the freezer a delicious sharp fresh cheese a little like Wensleydale

All set for a quick preparation I realised I didn’t have any eggs so these baked filled rolls were an inspiration a day working from home means Health and Safety required breaks from computer screens can be used for kneading bread and these filled rolls will provide lunch up in London tommorrow I also suspect would work well for taking walking have had some diastrous
experiences recently with disintegrating filled wraps and pitta breads

I wasn’t sure it would work but they came delicious hot or cold I know because I have already had two today one
for lunch straight from the oven and one in hand as I write this post.
The dough recipe comes from a previous recipe for Provencal Rolls

I will definitely be trying some other fillings perhaps ratatouille or chilli.

Chard , Red Pepper and Cheese Baked Rolls

Dough

250g strong white flour , plus extra for dusting
1 tsp salt
2g sachet fast-action yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
50ml water

Filling

10 large leaves of chard, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 white onion roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
50g of hard cheese crumbles ( goats cheese or cheddar )
1 tbsp of sunflower oil

1. Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl, add the oil and water, and mix well.
2. Mix well knead on a lightly floured surface Once the dough is satin-smooth, place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Leave to rise for 1 hour
3. Meanwhile make the filling , Add the oil to a lidded saucepan with the chopped vegetables
4. Cover and on a low heat allow to sweat for 3 minutesOnce the dough has risen divide into 6 portions flatten to form disks and place 2 heaped table spoons of the filling in the middle
5. Remove from the heat and mix in the cheese.
6. Gather up the dough around the filling pinching it together
7. Place the gathered side to the bottom , leave in a warm place for 30 minutes
8. Heat oven 200degC
9. Bake for 20 minutes & cool on a wire rack.

Two Peach and Cardamom Tart

During the week in London I like to walk along to Lower Marsh Street Market its very small just a few fruit and vegetable stalls . So far I have picked up some tasty asparagus and apples. Last week, I was seduced by some delicious looking peaches but a bag of 8 peaches in my rucksack , travelling through the tube and the train they became a little bashed a bruised about half survived fully intact but half were well I think the technical term is “squished”

This tart then came out of a neccessity to use half mushed , half whole peaches pretty quickly and having not done a lot of cooking recently wanting to make something a bit impressive . It would be delicious served with vanilla ice cream or my preference Greek yogurt or creme fraiche

Two Peach Filling

4 peaches , flesh removed from stones and mushed with a fork
4 peaches finely sliced
4 tbsp of sugar
5 pods worth of cardamom seeds

Pastry Shell

100g of plain flour
50g of butter
10ml of water
20g of icing sugar

1. Mix together the flour and butter to form breadcrumbs
2. Add the water to form a shortcrust pastry
3. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes
4. Roll out using the icing sugar to prevent sticking
5. Line a 10in tart case with the pastry , pricking the base with a fork a few times
6. Bake at 190degC for 15 minutes, remove from the oven
7. Fill the shell with the peach puree (4 mushed peaches in a pan with the cardamon pods, sugar and 20ml Simmer for 15 minutes on a low heat til the peaches have broken down ) & the peach slices over the top
8. Bake for a further 15 minutes

Perfect pudding to following Salt Marsh Lamb and Grilled Salads

Salt Marsh Lamb with Grilled Salads

The   second Sunday of the month  Bristol Slow Food Market which we are steadily eating our way through  this week from the Thoroughy Wild Meat Company , from the Somerset Salt Marshes, these lambs graze on coastal salt marshes .

The sheep feed on wild grasses, many of which can only be found in estuary salt marshes.When the salt water of the spring tides flood these marshes a large number of the parasitic worms and bacteria that can be harmful to sheep are killed, which dramatically reduces the need to routinely treat the sheep with chemicals.

Herbs such as Sea Lavender and Samphire also grow amongst these grasses so the taste is delicious.

Salt marsh lamb is a seasonal product, the lambs are born in the spring and are available from June until December.

Salt Marsh Lamb Steaks

2 salt marsh lambs
Salt & Pepper
1 sprig of Rosemary
1 tbsp of olive oil

1. Rub the steaks with salt, pepper , rosemary and oil
2. Grill for 10 minutes turn and finish for 5 minutes on the other side
3. Leave to rest for 10 minutes

Such delicious steaks need a delicious yet light summery accompaniments,all the ingredients all these saladn ingredients got under the grill with the lamb, I was inspired by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his barbecued recipes in this Saturdays Guardian meals for the weekend

Courgettes with Tahini and Yogurt

2 Courgettes finely sliced
2 spring onions finely sliced
1 tbsp of tahini
2 tbsp of yogurt
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
1 tbsp of olive oil

1. Thinly slice the courgettes and spring onions, brush with oil
2. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds
3. Place under a hot grill turning for 5 minutes , turn
4. Mix together the tahini and yogurt
5. Remove the courgettes and spring onions from the grill & place on a large plate
6. Squeeze over the lemon juice
7. Drizzle over the tahini and yogurt.

Peppers with anchovies and and capers

One Red Pepper
6 anchovy fillets tinned
1 tbsp of capers

1. Quarter a pepper , place under the grill for two minutes
2. Place a few anchovies and capers inside each quarter
3. Return the the grill for a few minutes

This Saturday was our local carnival, St Pauls Carnival when the whole neighbourhood goes BBQ crazy , jerk chicken , jerk pork , goat curry rice and peas ….. simply delicious especially washed down with cold Red Stripe Jamaican Lager … you can see more pictures on Flickr