It is quite some time since I have been so pleased to see the organic vegetable box delivery; my fridge has gone down to NO vegetables of any description. I still have a bowl of potato salad and a serving of macaroni cheese.
The contents were potatoes, carrots (lots), 4 white turnips, broad beans, cabbage, broccoli, courgette, 2 lettuce and 4 tomatoes; the fruit was 4 apples and 4 bananas.
I think I may have got the wrong fruit bag as there was a label on the string saying “apples and bananas only. £2.5o”, whereas I pay £3 for the fruit and usually get oranges, fewer apples and fewer bananas. However, I shall sort this out with them later.
They always enclose a newsletter telling of the work at the farm and often giving a recipe. The recipe this time is for Cabbage with Potatoes, Cheddar and Feta Cheese. It looks good and I think I shall give it a try. If I like it I shall post the recipe on my recipe blog.
Showing posts with label Bellfield recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bellfield recipe. Show all posts
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Farm Food and more
This morning the organic vegetable box arrived and brought potatoes, carrots, onions, celeriac, round cabbage, spring greens, 3 leeks, bag of small beetroot, 2 apples, 2 oranges, 2 pears and 6 eggs.
Also arrived this morning was my knife block, true to the promised next working day delivery.
So that's all the worktop stuff sorted. I really ought to get down to the cutlery drawers!
I still had a cauliflower left from my visit to the farm shop so I am making cauliflower gratin using a variation of the organic farm’s recipe: (I am also publishing this recipe on my recipe blog)
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small cauliflower
1oz plain flour
Little butter for frying
½ pint skimmed milk
3 oz Scottish mature cheddar, grated
Method
Place the onion and garlic in a heavy based pan and sauté in a little oil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Break the cauliflower into florets and add to the pan, continue cooking with a lid on, so the vegetables cook partially in their own steam while you make the sauce.
Place the flour and butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat to make a roux, gradually add the milk, stirring between additions.
Remove from the heat and add the cheese. You can also add mustard and black pepper to give it a nice kick.
Place the cauliflower mixture in an ovenproof dish and cover with the sauce, sprinkle more cheese over the top and bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
It is amazing how much dirt gets under your nails when you are preparing mushrooms for freezing; my thumb in particular is black! However that is about half a pound frozen. I had meant to use them in some mince, but they had reached that stage where they were better frozen than kept in the fridge.
I have also peeled and cut to size 1 large potato and 2 purple carrots together with one pale yellow one, all to be boiled together. I have prepared the last of some Savoy cabbage to go in the steamer over the potato pan.
Getting the organic vegetable box has really changed my eating habits. How often was I sure I would not like things, without even trying them? Such as balsamic vinegar (because I hated malt vinegar), Savoy cabbage, that ugly, but delicious celeriac, leeks as vegetables on your plate (instead of only in soup) and so on.
The organic vegetable people usually send out a recipe with the delivery and I plan on trying today’s one soon. I shall report back!
Also arrived this morning was my knife block, true to the promised next working day delivery.
So that's all the worktop stuff sorted. I really ought to get down to the cutlery drawers!
I still had a cauliflower left from my visit to the farm shop so I am making cauliflower gratin using a variation of the organic farm’s recipe: (I am also publishing this recipe on my recipe blog)
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small cauliflower
1oz plain flour
Little butter for frying
½ pint skimmed milk
3 oz Scottish mature cheddar, grated
Method
Place the onion and garlic in a heavy based pan and sauté in a little oil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Break the cauliflower into florets and add to the pan, continue cooking with a lid on, so the vegetables cook partially in their own steam while you make the sauce.
Place the flour and butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat to make a roux, gradually add the milk, stirring between additions.
Remove from the heat and add the cheese. You can also add mustard and black pepper to give it a nice kick.
Place the cauliflower mixture in an ovenproof dish and cover with the sauce, sprinkle more cheese over the top and bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
It is amazing how much dirt gets under your nails when you are preparing mushrooms for freezing; my thumb in particular is black! However that is about half a pound frozen. I had meant to use them in some mince, but they had reached that stage where they were better frozen than kept in the fridge.
I have also peeled and cut to size 1 large potato and 2 purple carrots together with one pale yellow one, all to be boiled together. I have prepared the last of some Savoy cabbage to go in the steamer over the potato pan.
Getting the organic vegetable box has really changed my eating habits. How often was I sure I would not like things, without even trying them? Such as balsamic vinegar (because I hated malt vinegar), Savoy cabbage, that ugly, but delicious celeriac, leeks as vegetables on your plate (instead of only in soup) and so on.
The organic vegetable people usually send out a recipe with the delivery and I plan on trying today’s one soon. I shall report back!
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
OrganicVegetable Box
Today, as well as the usual potatoes, carrots and onions, I got a pumpkin, a celeriac, a turnip (swede or yellow turnip), 4 or 5 beetroot and 2 leeks. I have never had celeriac before, but reading it up it looks quite easy to deal with, possibly in soup or mashed with potatoes and garlic. The leeks are good in casseroles or soups. I love beetroot; in the fruit bag I got 2 oranges, 2 pears and 5 apples; and of course there was a box of 6 eggs.
I think this is really good value for money at £10 for the vegetables, £3 for the fruit and £1.30 for the eggs.
As well as being good value, I find it very interesting eating vegetables in season, and watching the differences as the seasons change. I think I was rather unadventurous when I shopped in the supermarkets, and tended to choose the same things whatever the time of year, and now I am meeting new things.
The farm usually sends an appropriate recipe. I don’t make cakes now, but this sounds delicious and rather like a carrot cake.
300g self raising flour
300g light muscovado sugar
3 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g sultanas
½ tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
200g butter, melted
zest of 1 orange
1 Tbsp orange juice
500g (peeled weight) pumpkin, grated
Topping
200g soft cheese
85g butter, softened
100g icing sugar, sifted
zest of 1 orange and juice of half.
Heat the oven to 180 degree, butter and line a 30 x 20 m baking tray with lined parchment
Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarb of soda, sultanas and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine
Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice and then mix with the dry ingredients, stir in the pumpkin, pour the mix into the baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.
For the topping, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge.
When the cake is done, cool for 5 minutes then turn onto a cooling rack, prick all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm, leave to cool completely.
Give the topping a quick beat to loosen, then using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake. The cake will keep up to 3 days in the fridge.
I think this is really good value for money at £10 for the vegetables, £3 for the fruit and £1.30 for the eggs.
As well as being good value, I find it very interesting eating vegetables in season, and watching the differences as the seasons change. I think I was rather unadventurous when I shopped in the supermarkets, and tended to choose the same things whatever the time of year, and now I am meeting new things.
The farm usually sends an appropriate recipe. I don’t make cakes now, but this sounds delicious and rather like a carrot cake.
300g self raising flour
300g light muscovado sugar
3 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g sultanas
½ tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
200g butter, melted
zest of 1 orange
1 Tbsp orange juice
500g (peeled weight) pumpkin, grated
Topping
200g soft cheese
85g butter, softened
100g icing sugar, sifted
zest of 1 orange and juice of half.
Heat the oven to 180 degree, butter and line a 30 x 20 m baking tray with lined parchment
Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarb of soda, sultanas and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine
Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice and then mix with the dry ingredients, stir in the pumpkin, pour the mix into the baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.
For the topping, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge.
When the cake is done, cool for 5 minutes then turn onto a cooling rack, prick all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm, leave to cool completely.
Give the topping a quick beat to loosen, then using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake. The cake will keep up to 3 days in the fridge.
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