Bacon, Roquefort and Radish Salad.

A very quick, simple and easy salad this one but a really great starter.

First fry off lardons of smoked bacon (I used back but  streaky also works) in a pan until they are crispy.

While the bacon is cooking put some Roquefort in a mortar with a spoon full of Dijon mustard and a good vinegar, then work together with the pestle. 

Once smooth add seasoning and dash of water and continue to work with the pestle.

Finally add veg oil and work into an emulsion.

Place lettuce leaves, chopped radishes and cubes of Roquefort in a bowl with the crispy bacon and dress.

Then serve. 

Fried Artichokes with Aioil.

 

For the Chokes:- 

When preparing the chokes have a pan of water and lemon juice to hand to dip them in after cutting them - this stops them discolouring - you can then use this to cook them in.

Start by pulling off the very tough outer leaves. 

Then cut off the top third and trim the tough flesh from the outside and base of the choke (if using younger chokes you can leave the stem on but peel off the tough outer skin too.
Place in the saucepan with salt and bring to the boil, then simmer until a sharp knife can slide in with little resistance - this will vary depending on age and size of the choke.

Leave to cool until you can handle them and halve or quarter depending on size  - you can now easily remove the hearts if they have formed.

While the chokes are cooking pummel chopped parsley, salt & pepper, a little chopped garlic and a glug of good oil in a mortar and pestle until you have a smooth paste.

Place the cooled chokes in a bowl or container with the oil and parsley paste and leave to marinade.

 

For the Aioli:-

Blend egg yolks, garlic cloves, lemon juice and seasoning in a food processor. 

While still blending pour in olive oil in a slow but steady stream, until it forms a thick sauce. 

To vary the flavour you can add a little dijon mustard.

Melt a little butter and oil in a pan and fry off the marinaded chokes and serve with the aioli.

Lamb and Black Olive Ragu.

 

Season your lamb with salt and pepper and in an oven proof casserole brown it on all sides.

Remove from the pan and leave to rest. In the same pan add some olive oil and soften chopped shallots (lots of them), chopped garlic, again lots of it and a few finely chopped sticks of celery.

When the veg is soft and translucent add chopped rosemary, dried chilli flakes and dried oregano then de-glaze the pan with a splash of good quality white wine or sherry vinegar. Add a small glass of wine and reduce the liquid by half before returning the lamb, and any resting juices to the pan. pour in a cup of lamb or chicken stock and after bringing to a simmer cover and place in oven at 140/160 degrees and slow cook for at least a couple of hours - the longer and slower the better.

Leave the covered pot in the oven after turning off the heat to cool. Remove the shoulder and with a couple of forks shred. If there is too much liquid in the pan put on the hob and reduce slightly. Add the shredded meat back to the pan and mix in to make a ragu sauce, add the black olives and chopped parsley and bring back to a simmer.

Serve with pasta or polenta and more chopped parsley. 

Linguine with Lamb and Herb Meatballs in Tomato and Caper Sauce.

 

In a saucepan mix together tomato passata, a dash of good vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar, some chilli flakes, salt and white pepper and a good portion of washed capers.

Keep this on a low heat to reduce to a sauce.

While the sauce is reducing make your meatballs.

In a bowl add to your lamb mince lots of finely chopped herbs, I used mint, parsley, dried oregano, marjoram, the soft tips of rosemary and thyme. Also add lots of garlic that has been crushed in a mortar and pestle, chilli flakes, seasoning, a glugg of worcester sauce and a dash of tabasco.

Mix thoroughly, this is best done with your hands. When you think you have mixed it enough keep going!

When thoroughly mixed roll into meat balls of any size you desire and place in the fridge to firm up.

Put your linguine (or spaghetti) on to cook in salted water. 

Gently fry the meatballs in a pan with some oil occasionally moving them around so they colour on all sides, when they are cooked add some sauce to the pan and cover the meatballs.

Drain the pasta when it is three quarters cooked and place in the sauce to finish cooking.

Serve with lots of parmesan or pecorino. 

Baked Asparagus with Wild Garlic Salsa Verde.

 

Trim the woody ends from the asparagus then peel off the tougher outer skin at the base of the spears.

Place in a roasting tray and roll in olive oil, add a few small dabs of butter and season.

Place in a pre heated oven to bake at 180 degrees timings vary depending on the thickness of the spears but usually 8-12 mins.

While the asparagus is baking add wild garlic leaves, mint, capers, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard and a small amount of good vinegar to a blender and blitz into a paste.

I also added some garlic mustard (jack by the hedge), another edible foraged plant I found close by the wild garlic, you could also add other foraged edibles or other soft herbs such as tarragon, parsley or chervil.

Serve with the baked asparagus

Borlotti Bean and Chestnut Soup.

In a pan sweat down carrot, onion, celery and leek in oil. Season with salt and pepper and add some finely chopped thyme, cook until softened then add a tin of borlotti beans(including all the liquid at the botton of the tin), chestnuts and some chicken or veg stock.

Cook until the chestnuts and carrot have softened, blitz in a blender and return the soup to the pan - add a little water if it is too thick and taste to check the seasoning  - adjust if nescassary.

Once reheated serve with a few reserved beans, chopped thyme and some chopped chestnuts - you could also add some crispy bacon or sauted mushrooms for an extra seasonal flavour hit.

Beef, Mushroom and Chestnut Stew with Polenta.

In a large pan sear your seasoned chunks of beef in veg oil, this is best done in small batches, set aside each batch in a bowl as they are browned.

When all the meat is seared reduce the heat to lowest it will go and add to the pan a chopped carrot, stick of celery, a quartered unpeeled onion, several bay leaves, some springs of thyme, a few peppercorns and any other stock veg you have to hand, return the beef plus any resting juices cover with water and cook for at least an hour preferably longer at just under a simmer - It's ok to turn the heat off and let it cool for a while before reheating again if you dont have a heat diffuser to keep the heat low enough.

I always leave a stock to cool for an hour after cooking. Drain the liquid into a clean pan, remove the beef pieces and reserve, discard the stock veg and then reduce the stock by half.

Fry off a chopped onion in a stew pot until it starts to turn golden then add a couple of chopped garlic cloves and a couple of chopped carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook for a further few minutes to soften. Add a small glass of red wine and turn up the heat and burn off the alcohol, then reduce the heat.

Add the beef to the stew pot along with finely chopped thyme and rosemary and a couple more bay leaves, add the stock and bring to a simmer then put on the lid and place in a low oven- the slower and longer you cook the stew the better it will be.

After an hour or so of cooking peel your chestnuts by your prefered method if using fresh and add to the stew along with lots of chopped mushrooms.

In a cup mix a tablespoon of flour with a good squeeze of tomato puree some dijon mustard a teaspoon of marmite and any other codiments you like to add to a gravy mix  - some people like using ketchup, soy sauce, redcurrent jelly etc - I added a few dashes of tobassco to mine - mix with some of the stock from the stew and stir until all the lumps are gone then return all the thickening mix to the stew pot, return to the oven and cook on until ready to serve.

Cook your pollenta in a mix of 2/3 water 1/3 milk with a dash of good salt as per instructions on the packet. At the end of cooking remove from the heat and stir in a knob of butter and some grated parmesan. Spoonon to a plate making a small well in the centre for the stew.

This goes very well with polenta, as shown, jacket potatoes, mash and seasonal buttered greens, kale or carvol nero. 

Beetroot, Radish and Carrot Salad with Apple & Balsamic Dressing.

 

Par cook the carrots pieces in salted water until slightly softened, but still retaining a bit of crunch in the middle.

Drain and refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Place your beetroots in a pan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer until you can slide a knife in easily. 

Drain and leave to cool before peeling.

Make the dressing with a little apple juice, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper and a glug of veg oil.

Arrange a few salad leaves on a plate with the carrot pieces, sliced radishes, chopped beetroot, a little red onion and dress.

Scatter with toasted crushed hazelnuts and a few torn mint and parsley leaves and serve.

Parsley Soup.

 

If you are making a veg stock from scratch for this recipe add all the stalks from the parsley to it.

If you have a premade stock remove all the stalks from a large bunch of parsley, rip up and place in the stock, bring to the boil and leave to infuse.

Add a generous knob of butter and a little veg oil to a pan and soften the white part of a leak, a chopped onion, a couple of cloves of garlic and a small chopped stick of celery.

Add a couple of peeled and diced potatoes and season generously with salt and white pepper. Pour over your stock (remembering to remove the parsley stalks), add a quarter of your chopped parsley leaves and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft, and allow the soup to cool for a while.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil and blanch the rest of the parsley for 20- 30 seconds and immediately cool in a bowl of cold water. Drain and squeeze out any excess water.

Place the cooled soup in a blender along with a squeeze of lemon juice and the ball of blanched parsley and blitz until smooth.

Return to a pan and reheat - adjust the seasoning if needed 

Serve in a bowl with bread. 

Tarragon and Mustard Marinated Pork Cutlet with Puy Lentils and Salsa Verde.

 

Marinate the pork in whole grain mustard, tarragon vinegar and a little vegatable oil for several hours or over night.

Place the lentils in a saucepan with a dash of wine and cover with vegatable stock (do not season as salt will make the lentils go tough), bring to a boil and simmer for 20/25mins until they are tender, but  still have a bit of bite.

While the lentils are cooking make a salsa verde using parsley and a few other soft herbs, chopped capers, dijon mustard, seasoning and some olive oil.

Drain the lentils and leave in the saucepan with some chopped red onion and carrot battons. Replace the lid and put to one side for five mins, this will parr cook the onion and carrot.

Make a classic french dressing with plenty of salt and pepper and dress the lentils.

Pan fry or griddle your pork, seasoning it on both sides.

While it is resting add lots of ripped parsley leaves to the lentils, which by now should be warm rather than hot and serve the pork on a bed of lentils topped with the salsa verde.

Tomato and Basil Soup with Pesto.

 

Quarter and de-seed half of your tomoatoes and place on a baking tray with a little oil and seasoning then roast in the oven until cooked, allow to cool.

With the reamining tomatoes score a cross on the top of them with a sharp knife and drop into a pan of boiling water.

When the water returns to the boil drain and when cool enough peel the skins from the fruits and de-seed. 

Add a chopped shallot, a small chopped stick of cellery and a small amount of chopped carrot to a pan and soften in oil.

When softened season with salt and pepper and add all the the tomatoes, along with some veg stock and a handful of torn basil leaves then simmer until everything is cooked through.

Biltz in a blender then return to the pan to reheat.

Serve with freshly made pesto and a few extra chopped basil leaves. 

Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese Sauce.

In a heat proof bowl combine an egg yolk, creme fraiche, lots of grated parmesan and a pinch of white pepper.

Cut the woody ends from the asparagus and peel the tough ends - boil in salted water with a small knob of butter until tender.

While the asparagus is cooking place the bowl with the other ingreidients over a simmering pan of water (make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl) and whisk away until the mixture thickens to a sauce.

Plate and serve the asparagus on top with a grating of parmesan.

Tomato Essence.

 

Chop cherry tomatoes, a small bulb of fennel, a garlic clove, half a stick of celery, and a small amount of red onion (half a shallot also works well) and place into a blender with a few torn basil leaves, a few drops of tabasco and a dash of Worcester sauce.

Pulse a few times until you have a puree and then transfer to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and refridgerate for six hours or overnight.

Line a clean bowl with muslin and pour the puree into it.

String the muslin up over the bowl and leave overnight to strain - do not squeeze the bag!

Once strained serve with a little chopped tomato and parsley or refridgerate until needed.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Roquefort Dressing.

 For the dressing mix a little tarragon vinegar with a splash of sherry vinegar and mix in a small teaspoon of dijon mustard and some crumbled roquefort until it is a paste.

Season and slowly mix in extra virgin olive oil until it is the consistence of a dressing.

Use roasted tomato tapenade for the base of the salad and then add chopped tomatoes and cucumber.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and chives with a little mint.

Dress and serve.

Tapenade and Roast Tomato Tapenade.

 

Add equal amounts of chopped black olives, capers, crushed garlic, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to a blender and blitz to a paste, but not ultra smooth.

Alternatively you can do this gradually in a motar and pestle.

Season with  black pepper and loosen with a little more lemon juice or oil if nescessary.

Serve with toasted sourdough or other good bread.

For the roasted tomato version slow roast deseeded tomatoes in an oven and allow to cool and add to the blender with the olives and capers.

Soup au Pistou.

 

First make the Pistou by blanching a bunch of basil leaves in boiling water for 4-5 seconds and then cooling immediately in iced water, when cold squeeze out any excess water and chop.

In a mortar and pestle puree a few crushed garlic cloves with a some rock salt and ground white pepper - you can also add a small dash of lemon juice.

Add the basil and garlic mixture to a small blender with a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and pulse into a paste.

Finely chop onion, carrott and celery and in a large pan soften on a med/low heat in olive oil, seasoning well with salt and white pepper.

When the onion is translucent add some veg stock and water, and bring to a simmer.

Add chopped fennel, french beans and cook on a low heat until softened, then add chopped courgettes and broad beans, a few minutes later peas and chopped cherry tomatoes.

Just before serving stir in the pistou and add to warm soup bowls before grating some parmesan cheese over the top.

Serve with rustic bread or large crutons.

Pan Fried Asparagus with Balsamic Dressing and Parmesan.

Cut the woody ends off the asparagus and peel the tough outer skin off the base of the stems if you need too.

Heat a very small piece of butter in a pan with some oil.

When hot add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper. 

Roll the asparagus to coat in the butter and oil, repeating this several times while it is cooking to turn the stems and cook evenly.

While the asparagus is cooking mix a small teaspoon of dijon mustard into some balsamic mixing thoroughly - trickle in olive oil while still mixing to emulsify and form a dressing.

When the asparagus is cooked plate and drizzle the dressing over.

Add some parmesan shavings and serve.

Roast Cod with Olives and Capers in Tomato Sauce.

Chop and finely dice red pepper and half a chili and fry in olive oil on a medium low heat until softened.

Add chopped tomatoes (a can or packet is perfectly fine), black and green olives, capers and season with salt and pepper.

While the sauce is cooking through place seasoned and oiled cod onto a tray with a couple of slices of lemon on top into an oven to roast.

When the cod is roasted serve on top of the tomato and olive sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Linguine with Crab, Chilli and Thyme.

Place a a pan of salted water on the heat and when boiling add the linguine.

While the linguine is cooking add a finely chopped shallot, chopped garlic and a little sliced chilli to a pan and soften in olive oil.

When the shallot is translucent add the crab meat and the thyme - removed from the stalks and finely chopped.

At this point you can spoon in a little of the cooking water from the pasta and add a grind of pepper and some additional olive oil to create a sauce.

Drain the cooked linguine and mix into the crab sauce, plate and grate over parmesan and serve.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Sauce Gribiche.

 

To make the sauce gribiche place a couple of eggs into a pan of water and bring to a rolling boil then turn off the heat and place a lid on the pan.

Leave for 8-12 mins depending on the size of the eggs, then place into cold water to stop the cooking process.

Peel the eggs halve and scoop out the yolks into a bowl, reserving the whites.

Add a dollop of dijon mustard to the yolks and whisk constantly while trickling in veg oil to form a mayonaise.

Finely chop the egg whites along with capers and some cornichons and mix into the mayonaise (you can also add some cream at this point if you wish to).

Finely chop a small bunch of chives, and chervil with a sprig of tarragon leaves and mix into the sauce with a drizzle of good vinegar such as sherry or white wine.

Griddle or barbecue the romaine lettuce leaves constantly turning and moving around until you get a combination of charred edges, cooked / wilted and al dente / raw on each leaf - plate and serve with sauce gribiche on top.

This sauce also works very well with other types of cooked lettuce and other spring veg such as asparagus.