Archimedes Lives On

Yesterday morning arrived the organic vegetable box, with potatoes, carrots and onions together with purple sprouting broccoli, 2 leeks, celeriac and cauliflower; the fruit part had 2 oranges, 4 apples, 2 pears and a kiwi fruit. I also had, as usual, the addition of 6 organic free range eggs.

The last time I had celeriac from them, it had sprouting bits (very scientific description here!) like rather sad celery, so it was easy to identify, even although I had never seen (or cooked) one before. This one looked more like a nobbly turnip, so I did not recognise it and had to phone the farm to ask for help. This turned into one of these comedy sketches as I could not hear what she was saying, and she kept repeating herself a bit louder. We got there in the end when she moved on to C for Charlie, E for Echo, L for Lima, E for Echo…. At which point I cottoned on! I love celeriac.

I made a chicken casserole for last night, tonight (and to freeze) made with:

8 organic mini chicken breast fillets from M&S, cut into strips
2 leeks, chopped finely
2½ onions, chopped finely (Because I had a half onion left over from the stroganoff.)
1 large carrot, chopped finely
About 8 mushrooms (of average size, ie not button but closed) mushrooms, chopped

I layered everything into a casserole dish and added stock made from 2 Kallo organic chicken stock cubes, and then added enough white wine to cover (about a medium glassful.)

After that I cooked it for an hour at 375 degrees, gradually turning the temperature down as I could smell it cooking.

I served it with a mash of potatoes, celeriac and crème fraiche – scrummy.

When I was preparing the vegetables, I also prepared the ones for tonight (and this should finish off the crème fraiche). The potatoes I put in a plastic jug covered with water, and I did the same with the celeriac.

Except it floats…

The jug was too narrow to use a plate to hold them down, so I resorted to a glass, which held most of them down…

At this point I rediscovered Archimedes principle (no, not me in the bath, you fools (I wouldn’t share that awful mental picture with you), but that the glass, as I pushed it down into the jug, started to displace the appropriate volume of water.

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.