Woodfield Weekly
Hello all. Lots of good stuff this week again. With the damp weather on the east coast the leaf crops continue to thrive, as do the weeds. There are some exceptional Cauliflowers from our friends at Nacton in Suffolk. Also we have more of the early New Potatoes from Simon Steele in Cambridgeshire. We even had the first pickings of Long Cucumbers from Grahames Norfolk glasshouses. We should also have a few more broad beans through, and therefore have included another recipe for you. Don’t be put off by the outside “rust” on the pods; the beans inside are brilliant. We have also included another recipe for chard, and a potato salad recipe from Delia.
SWEET AND SOUR BROAD BEANS
1lb/450g broad beans shelled
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1tsp/5ml fresh grated ginger
1 bunch spring onions
1 red pepper
1tbsp/15ml corn flour
1tbsp/15ml water
Sauce:
1tbsp/15ml soy sauce
3tbsp/45ml pineapple juice
2tbsp/30ml tomato purée
2tbsp/30ml white wine vinegar
2tbsp/30ml vegetable oil
2tbsp/30ml brown sugar
1. Cook the broad beans in boiling salted water until tender. Drain.
2. Place all the sweet and sour ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has disolved.
3. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the garlic, ginger, spring onions and red pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Add the sweet and sour sauce to the pan and bring to the boil. Make a paste with the cornflour and water and stir into the saucepan to thicken the sauce.
5. Add the broad beans and serve.
Swiss Chard
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Ingredients
big bunch of chard
1 - 2 cloves of garlic
8fl oz vegetable stock
parmesan
salt and pepper
Instructions
Swiss chard is more resilient in hot weather than spinach and is always present in the markets of Italy and Southern France where it is a staple of the local diet.
1. Roughly chop a big bunch of swiss chard at 1-2 inch intervals.
2. Heat a little oil in a wide, heavy bottomed pan like a cast iron frying pan or similar with lid.
3. Add a clove of chopped garlic and the chard.
4. Put lid on and allow to wilt for few minutes, then add 8fl oz of hot vegetable stock.
5. Replace lid and simmer for about fifteen minutes until chard is tender.
Good served with crusty bread or as a side vegetable with risotto, potatoes etc.
Warm Potato Salad with Lemon and Chive Vinaigrette
This recipe can be served warm, as an accompanying vegetable, or cold as part of a group of salads – in which case you still need to pour on the dressing while the potatoes are warm.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 lb (900 g) new potatoes (as small as possible), skins on, washed
2 sprigs fresh mint
salt
For the lemon and chive vinaigrette dressing:
4 tablespoons lemon juice
grated zest 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1 level teaspoon rock salt
1 heaped teaspoon grain mustard
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly milled black pepper
To garnish:
2 level tablespoons snipped fresh chives
6 spring onions, trimmed and chopped small
First of all place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough boiling water just to cover them, add the mint and some salt, and simmer them for about 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile make the vinaigrette. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the garlic and rock salt together to a paste, then gradually whisk in all the other dressing ingredients. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them in a colander and transfer them to a serving bowl. Pour on the vinaigrette dressing while they are still hot, toss them around in the dressing to get a good coating, then finally scatter in the chopped chives and spring onions and serve.