Fruit and Vegetables | Recipes
10 January 2019 by

We want to inspire you this week with winter veg that is often regarded as a bit dull, but with a couple of simple recipes, can be elevated to seriously tasty, and which are healthy, fresh and in season. Our Cauliflower, kale and savoy cabbage are locally grown in Chidham at the moment.

Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale and Romanesco do not normally get the taste buds firing, but with a little bit of help, they can be delicious. They are also low in calories but loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Starting with cabbage (Savoy or hisbe), which compliments stews, game and epitomises winter veg.  With the simple addition of a slug of gin (or if you’ve had too much of this over the festive period then juniper will do) you can turn this into the main talking point.  Red cabbage with orange (also in season) goes fantastically with venison. Cauliflower can be roasted, but my current favourite is Cauliflower rice which is delicious, light and a great alternative to normal rice.  Romanesco looks beautiful, but needs a helping hand on the flavour front, while kale can roasted until nutty and crispy like Chinese seaweed.


Gin Cabbage

serves 8

Ingredients
  • 800g (1lb 12oz) savoy cabbage
  • 1/2 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled & chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
  • 75ml Gin or 8 juniper berries
  • 50g (1¾oz) butter

Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage if necessary and discard. Quarter the cabbage length ways and remove the hard central core from each piece. Slice the leaves about 2cm (¾in) thick and wash.  Place in boiling water and then remove from heat and let steam.

In a wide frying pan or wok, and butter, garlic and ginger and cook over gentle heat for 2 minutes.  Then add the cabbage and increase the heat to medium.  Add the gin and cook down until cabbage is soft (about 5 minutes). Season and serve.

 

Romanesco with Pine Nuts and Garlic

Romanesco looks so spectacular on the plate, and this recipe just peps up the flavour to match.

Ingredients
  • 1 Romanesco Cauliflower (Substitute: broccoli or cauliflower)
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp thinly sliced shallots
  • 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1 tsp crushed red chilies
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts (sub walnuts)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
Remove the tough edges of the cauliflower and separate the florets taking care not to break the individual florets.  Wash the florets and place in a sauce pan with 2 tbsp water. Bring this to a boil and close the pan with a tight lid. Let it cook for 2 minutes on medium heat, then remove and immediately plunge the florets in cold ice water to stop the cooking.
Heat a large pan and roast the pine nuts and keep aside. Add the oil and sauté the shallots till soft. Season with salt and the crushed chilies. Stir in the garlic and the drained florets and sauté gently on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the pine nuts and remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and mix well. Serve warm.
Cauliflower Rice

A healthy, simple alternative to white or brown rice….

  1. Wash and dry cauliflower, then remove all greens.

  2. Cut into quarters and then grate in a cheese grater (medium holes) or with a food processor until rice sized.

  3. Once you have your cauliflower rice, it’s easy to cook (or enjoy raw)! Simply sauté in a large skillet over medium heat in 1 Tbsp oil. Cover with a lid so the cauliflower steams and becomes more tender. Cook for a total of 5-8 minutes, then season as desired.  Add herbs or spices for flavour.