This Wednesday's From Spade to Plate we made it an earlier session, which meant that it was too early for lunch, but good for an English tea party with biscuits and scones.
We start off by making some scone.
The rhubarb is ready too, so make some stewed rhubarb with orange zest for the 'scone topping, the rest of the rhubarb we put in ramakin dishes, added some topping made with a cup of chopped almonds,a teaspoon of orange zest and streussel
The Lilac blossom is out so thought we could make some drinks and tasty treats out of it.
This morning we first headed out into the garden to inspect the plants we have grown a few months ago. The potatoes and broad beans are looking good.
Afterwards we went to the allotment to pick the mint and purple sprouting broccoli.
The asparagus are ready to be harvested and thought it might be nice to start the season off with a asparagus risotto. served with purple sprouting broccoli with melted butter and lemon juice.
The lilac is in full bloom and is filling the air with its sweet scent. We harvested a few blooms to turn this sweet smell into a sweet drink
Preparing the petals was a joyous activity, relaxing and almost meditative, whilst being surrounded by a sweet scent and above all lovely friends.
As dessert we made a lilac cheesecake mousse and adaptation of the lemon cheesecake mousse.
Using the lilac syrup and lemon juice for taste, decorated with mint leaves and some lilac petals.
Not only did the mousse take great, but it looked delightful too.
With the asparagus being ready for the 2nd harvest, I look back in past post to look for a recipe and found this one.
The meal tonight was lovely and a real treat.
With this strange weather (hot 28C last week and now 6C and rainy) the asparagus shot out of the ground last week and slowed down now.
We have enough to make a few lovely dishes with todays cooking group so we will make some Asparagus soup and some steamed asparagus.
Inspired by a dinner I had at Restaurant 22 on Chesterton Road, I made this poached egg to put on top of some asparagus. I added the smoked courgette 'bacon' together with salt, pepper and chives to add to the egg.
We made a bed of lambs lettuce, dandelion leaves, wild garlic and beetroot leaves and topped it with Asparagus, the egg and melted butter.
On the side we had some garlic mayonnaise (without eggs) The recipe we used was the vegan one (aqua faba and oil, but if you don't have chickpea water and are not vegan this egg free mayo could work for you
Looking in my pantry I have a huge bag of dried red kidney beans. To be honest I don't know why I bought so many as I only have my four bean curry recipe, and a chilli sin carne recipe. So seeing this Vegan Meat Ball recipe rather than using black beans I used the kidney beans and they came out wonderfully. So here is the recipe for the Vegan Meat Balls my the Minimalist Baker. Their recipes are always wonderful.
For some reason during the lockdown the whole of the UK is baking which lead to a high demand on flour and yeast. For love nor money could I find yeast, so when I saw this recipes I got very excited.
I followed this potato water yeast recipe and made a german potato salad to use the potato (I used pickled walnuts instead of the other pickles as I did not have any, still very tasty)
to go with the Hop shoots
Over the last week I have been picking an asparagus here and another there. Now we have enough to make a lovely lunch. I did have to buy some new potatoes as ours are not ready yet, the vegannaise (is like a hollandaise sauce) made with aquafaba and the poached egg had some smoked courgettes, onion tops salt and pepper. A real treat
Just like last year when Asako and her children came to From Spade to Plate in the Easter Holiday, I was lucky to have my allotment.. The sun was out and the dandelions were in full bloom. Today I went to the allotment to pick these bright yellow flowers and surprised Mark with a lunch of Red pepper and tomato soup and dandelion fritters. another lovely dandelion fritter recipe I got from Herb fairies We ate them as a starter with a vegannaise, maple syrup and pepper dip.
Seeing the last sad looking red peppers in the fridge made me wonder if they could be turned into a lovely lunch. As I still have tomatoes (harvested in October) and canned in Oil in the pantry, I decided on this red pepper and tomato soup. I did not roast them as it wasn't an 'oven day'
(I only use my oven once a week and just have a massive baking session, I think that will be in the weekend this week)
The soup turned out well, a definitive contender for my next book.
Like many of us I am currently at home with my children so my thoughts have been turning to fun ways to encourage young people to enjoy their accessible outdoor spaces during lockdown. I wanted to draw together a few resources to help kids get to know some of their most common weeds. All the plants I have chosen can be found in the average town garden (at least one that isn’t too well manicured!) and for those that don’t have access to their own outside space you will be able to find them all in a local park, in some cases, even growing out of the concrete! This is based on plants available where I live in the UK but may be appropriate for others living in temperate zones too.
The idea is for you and your children to watch the videos, download and print the colouring sheets and then go outside to search for the plants listed. Learn the herbal and botanical word for each plant and, if possible, harvest some to make the super simple foods or medicines below.
If you are not harvesting from your own garden then you must be wary of foraging safely, for example your local park may use pesticide or herbicide sprays or may be a common dog walking zone. If this is the case you can still hunt for the plants, spot their identifying features and maybe gather a few to make crafts with instead. The forest school classic, hapa zome or leaf bashing would be a great way to use plants that may not be safe to ingest. To do this you lay your chosen weeds between two pieces of white or pale cotton fabric and then gently bash them all over with a mallet so the plant juices come out and stain the fabric with pretty patterns and colours. Pressing them between sheets of paper beneath heavy books until completely dry is also fun to do and you can start your own herbarium by collecting your pressed plants.
If you are completely new to foraging and wild plants then please use a good guide book, double check and be 100% sure of your id before eating any plants!
The clips are all short so as not to overload young children with information but please do investigate further if you want to as there is so much more to say about all the plants mentioned. Also please excuse my slightly awkward and very amateur videos, it's the first time I've made any!
Botanical term – Opposite leaves - look how the leaves are arranged on the stem, they come out on opposite sides from the same point.
Herbal word- Nutritive - full of nutrients
Recipe – Nettle soup. Nettle soup is a simple, delicious and nutritious way to enjoy eating nettles! Everyone has a different recipe and ours varies depending on what we have in the fridge but this is one of our favourites: 1 large leek 1 large potato 4 cloves garlic 1 courgette Olive oil Stock to cover Small colander full of nettles 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast Salt and pepper to taste Fry the leek over a low heat in the oil until it starts to soften, add the potato, garlic and courgette, fry for another few minutes. Add the stock and simmer until the potato is soft. Add the nettles, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper and simmer for another few minutes. Blend until smooth and serve.
Dandelion fritters and nettle soup
Dandelion - Taraxacum spp.
Botanical term – basal rosette - leaves arranged in a circle at the base of the plant.
Herbal word – diuretic - makes you go for a wee more often!
Recipe – Dandelion fritters. Making dandelion fritters is a brilliant way of weeding your garden and getting a delicious meal all in one. Simply pick a few handfuls of dandelion flowers from a clean, unsprayed area. Brush them gently to remover any dirt or small bugs (washing them makes them too soggy) then hold them by the stems and dip the flowers into a simple batter mixture and fry. We make them savoury or sweet and both are delicious. We start with a simple batter of flour and oat mylk then add maple syrup for the sweet ones and salt and pepper for the savoury ones. It's that simple!
Cleavers – Gallium aparine
Botanical term – whorled - leaves radiating from a single point and wrapping around the stem.
Herbal word – lymphatic - supports our lymphatic system.
Recipe – Cleavers cold infusion. Another really simple recipe, all you do is place a couple of handfuls of freshly picked cleavers in a jug, cover with cool water and leave to infuse overnight. In the morning you will have a delicately flavoured liquid that will gently cleanse your body and help the lymphatic system to move and clear out stagnation. If you don't want to wait overnight you can mash the plants in the water so they release their juices immediately, then strain and enjoy.
Cleavers cold infusion
Daisy – Bellis perennis
Botanical term – obovate - egg shaped/ spoon shaped leaf.
Herbal word – vulnerary - wound healing.
Recipe – Daisy bruise balm. This can be made by infusing fresh or dried daisy flowers into a base oil such as cold pressed olive or sunflower then mixing with a little beeswax or candelilla wax to make a balm. There are in depth instructions on how to make an infused oil and a balm on the 'How to Make' page which you can access via the menu bar at the top of this page.
Plantain – Plantago lanceolata
Botanical term – lanceolate - shaped like a lance.
Herbal word – demulcent - soothing, moistening, reducing inflammation.
Recipe – Plantain poultice. The easiest recipe of all! To make a plantain poultice to help with bites, stings and minor wounds you simply chew or mash the plantain leaf until the juices are released and then place on the afflicted area. You can then cover it with a plantain leaf bandage like the one below.
Plantain plaster
I hope this has been a useful and fun introduction to some wonderful weeds. Please share it with anyone you think might enjoy it and I’d love to see any photos of your weed adventures and colourings!
As I still have some lazy dough in the fridge, I turned that into some delicious flat bread
The broccoli was so abundant this year, and the fact that I planted enough to feed all the from spade to plate friends (who in the end did not have a chance to harvest it before the lockdown)
The glut of purple sprouting broccoli was turned into a ginger and broccoli (and coconut milk) soup,
I then found this Broccoli and Mushroom Pasta which was delicious and quick.
Well worth doing again.
As I have a lot of purple sprouting broccoli at this time of the year I thought to use it instead of the Broccoli that is normally ready in autumn.
So lovely to see Angeles, Lucy, Ana, June and Sue again in this picture. Especially as due to the Corona Virus I don't see anyone other that Mark ofcourse.
We went to the allotment where we harvested, a beautiful broccoli head, spinach beet and tomatoes and mint.
We will be preparing the mint in such a way that we strip all but the top set of leaves. Those leaves were chopped for the couscous but the stems with the few leaves on top will be put in water to start rooting and become another plant for next year.
With the broccoli stems, spinach beet and marrow chunks (left from a large Marrow that we started using at the beginning of the week) we made a delicious soup topped with crumbled feta cheese and a delightful blue borage flower
Ingredients
extra virgin olive oil
A small onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups broccoli stems, chopped
4 cups spinach beet or chard chopped
4 cups courgettes chopped
Gorgonzola dolce (optional)
1 litre vegetable stock
Borage flowers for garnish, if desired
Feta Cheese for garnish, if desired
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Add oil to a large pot.
Add in onions and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Toss in broccoli and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
Stir in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Simmer until broccoli , spinach and courgettes are tender.
Take off of the heat and stir in Gorgonzola (optional) salt and pepper.
Cool soup slightly and puree with hand blender.
Pour soup into bowls and serve immediately.
Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and a Borage flower or chives.
Tried and tested by June, Lucy, Ana, Angeles, Sue and Karina
Saturday, 4 April 2020
This post was first published on 4/12/19
As I still have Rocket in the garden, it is starting to get a bit tough, so great for some soup.
The Mini mushroom pies, I still have some in the freezer so we will have these, with some potatoes and a wild herb salad.
So lovely to see Mayuko Erika, Irine, Homa, Melendra, Carmen and Lopa. I hope they are all well, as some have gone back to their countries.
Starting with a Arugula (Rocket soup)with some garlic croutons
Then we made the mini mushroom pies, to go with the soup, they turned out very well, tasty and light. The bottom of the pies were short crust pastry made by Homa and the puff pastry on the top.
As we had puff pastry left, we decided to top it with whole grain mustard and cheese and had it with our soup.
I found this today on the BBC website. Funnily enough we have done most of them in the past but nice to have them all in a row.
Enjoy!
9
Super storecupboard swaps
If you’ve been left high and dry by an online shop full of substitutions, don’t panic! There’s always something you can rustle up, you just need a little bit of innovation and pinch of resourcefulness. Here’s a handy guide to get the most out of your supplies with some creative flair in the kitchen.
Cupboard swaps
Tinned Tomatoes
Tomatoes are important for a lot of recipes, but you can use tomato puree and a bit of stock to add flavour and liquid to your cooking, or use fresh chopped tomatoes. If you only have a jar of roasted red peppers, you can make a fantastic sauce using them, some garlic, basil and a bit of stock. Just remember, a bit of inventiveness will go a long way. If you don’t have tomatoes, consider using red lentils and stock in a stew or curry to add creaminess and colour instead of a tin of tomatoes. They’re a brilliant source of protein and count as one of your five a day, too.
Stock
If you don’t have any stock, it’s easy to make some from scratch. You’ll need some fresh bones and scraps from any meat you’ve been eating (a whole chicken carcass without the meat is ideal for this, or some lamb shank bones) but if you’re veggie you can skip this bit. Then you’ll need carrot peelings and odds and ends from prepared vegetables (onion ends, skin and celery tops and bottoms are perfect). You can also use potato skins, garlic skins and herb stems. Pretty much anything veggie that you would usually throw away. Make sure your scraps have been boxed up and put in the fridge for no more than a few days. Pop them all into a pan of boiling water, cover and gently simmer, for 30 mins-4 hours. Strain through a sieve and bin the scraps. Use within 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Bingo, fresh stock and not a stock cube in sight!
Onions
If you don’t have an onion to spare for your recipe, don’t worry. You can use leeks, shallots or spring onions instead. Don’t forget onion salt can add flavour in a pinch, too! If you have fresh chives on hand (or in your garden), they have an onion-flavour and work beautifully chopped and used as a garnish.
Rice
Just plain white rice (or basmati or long grain if you have it) will work for a stand in with risotto, paella or pilaf. If you can’t find any rice, remember there are plenty other brilliant grains you can swap it out for. Couscous, quinoa, barley and bulgar wheat are all great to use instead for sides for curries or tagine. Or you can embrace the vegetable revolution and use finely chopped cauliflower or broccoli. Delicious!
Oil
If you run out of oil, it’s not a total disaster, you can use butter or margarine in a shortage. Remember, if you only have sesame oil that will also work for plenty of asian dishes and salad dressing.
Canned beans
A fantastic staple to have in your cupboard, be that chickpeas, kidney beans, black eyed beans, cannellini beans or our old favourite, the baked bean. Use them in chillis, curries, stews or you can make fritters or falafel, and if you only have kidney beans instead of chickpeas, they're pretty interchangeable for most recipes. Don’t worry if all you have are baked beans, just wash them under the tap and you’re good to go.
Flour
Brilliant for thickening sauces, coating meat before frying and adding to fritters or burgers to help them keep their shape. If you don’t have flour, corn flour will do the same thickening job, whereas breadcrumbs will stand in for burgers and is great for breaded fish and chicken.
Breadcrumbs
If you don’t have breadcrumbs, ground oats, almonds, crushed cornflakes, popped rice cereal or even blitzed nacho chips make a fantastic breaded alternative for katsu chicken, chicken nuggets or a mac and cheese topper. Remember, if you are frying or baking, dip the piece of meat into beaten egg mixture, then roll in your breaded mix before cooking for a crunchy treat.
Fridge finds
Pittas, naan or flatbread
If you’re hankering for bread goodness but you have nothing left in the loaf bag or you have no yeast to make your own, check what you have in your fridge. If you have some unflavoured yoghurt, oil and flour, you’re in luck! You can make a cheat’s flatbread to serve as an admirable pitta or naan substitute. Add 1:1 ratio of self-raising flour to yoghurt, leave to prove in a warm bowl, then divide into small balls, flatten and cook using a frying pan, 1-2 minutes on each side!
Pesto
Do you have any garlic knocking about in your fridge? How about some sad looking salad leaves, kale or spinach? If you have some nuts (almonds or walnuts work well here, or if you have pine nuts, score!) some hard cheese and oil, you’re in business to make some punchy pesto. Add basil if you have it, but you can experiment with whatever mix you have. Just use this equation - two cups greens to one cup oil, plus a half cup of nuts and cheese each, and chuck in garlic for deeper flavour. That should give you a spring board to use up your forgotten fridge greens.
Eggs
So you want to create a delicious cake, maybe for someone’s birthday, but you don’t have eggs? It’s not a disaster, just take a leaf out of the vegan cook book. You can use a half banana for every egg in your cake recipe (these also work for pancakes too)!
What's in the fridge?
Stuck with a couple of ingredients but no idea what to turn them into? Don't worry, CBBC have a recipe finder at the ready to help you figure out what to do with your rogue ingredients!
We start off by making some scone.
