purple sprouting broccoli

Garden Fritters

/ thuddirect / Leave a comment

With spring in full swing, we got excited and packed lots of fresh greens into one deliciously nutritious fritter. It’s accompanied by a sweet, tangy and bright carrot salad.

Ingredients: 100g Purple sprouting broccoli, 2 spring onions, handful of spinach, 4g dill, 2 carrots, 4g chives.

Larder: 3 eggs, 60g cheese (cheddar or feta), juice of ½ a lemon, 1 tsp honey, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

  • Finely chop the broccoli, spring onions, spinach and dill.
  • Beat the eggs in a bowl and grate or crumble in the cheese.chopped greens 600pxmixed with greens 600px
  • Mix in the chopped greens and season with salt and pepper.
  • Prepare the salad; grate the carrots and chop the chives. Whisk lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1tsp honey. Pour over the salad, set aside.carrot salad 600px
  • To cook the fritters; heat a generous glug of oil in a frying pan and add large spoonfuls of fritter mix to the pan in separate dollops, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry each fritter for a few minutes on each side until golden and slightly crispy.cooking fritters 600px
  • Transfer the cooked fritters to a plate in a warm oven until all are ready to serve.
  • Serve the fritters with the carrot salad.

Pasta Verdé

/ thuddirect / Leave a comment

An easy way to eat your greens, this pasta dish is a quick mid-week meal of greens, pasta and a speedy yummy mustardy dressing.

Ingredients: 2 shallots, 1 leek, 100g purple sprouting broccoli, handful of spinach, 1 spring onion, 10g basil.

Larder: 180g pasta, 2-3 tsp whole grain mustard, 2 tsp white wine vinegar and 150 – 200ml crème fraîche. (Optional extras: grilled chicken, seeds and cheese.)

 Instructions:

  • Grill meat if using.
  • Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling water until al denté.
  • Meanwhile, slice the shallots and leek. Sauté in a glug of oil for 5 minutes until soft and transluscent.
  • Chop the broccoli, add to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, adding a splash of water to create some steam.sauteed veg with brocoli 600px
  • Make the dressing: finely chop the basil leaves and mix with mustard, vinegar and crème fraîche. Adjust proportions to taste.mustard and creme fraiche 600px
  • Chop the spinach and mix into the veg and then stir in the dressing.veggies with sauce 600px
  • When pasta is al denté, drain and toss altogether with the veg and dressing.
  • Serve, garnished with sliced spring onion and optional seeds and/or grated cheese.

Spring Frittata with Crushed Potatoes

/ thuddirect / Leave a comment

A frittata is a brilliant mid week meal and a great way to pack lots of veg from your fridge into supper. This frittata is full of spring greens and accompanied by crushed potatoes and crunchy radishes.

Ingredients: 1 shallot, 100g purple sprouting broccoli, 100g fresh peas, 150g purple potatoes, 5-6 breakfast radishes, small bunch of parsley, 2 stems of basil, 1 spring onion.

From the Larder: butter or oil, 4-5 eggs, salt and pepper, 50g goats cheese or feta.

Instructions:

  • Roughly chop the potatoes into chunks, and boil from cold for about 10 mins.
  • Finely chop the shallot, the broccoli into 2-3cm lengths. Shell the peas and chop the basil.
  • In a frying pan, sauté the shallot for a few minutes and then add the broccoli. Sauté for 5 mins.sauteeing veg
  • In a bowl beat the eggs, mix in the peas, basil, a pinch of salt and pepper, goats cheese or feta and pour into the frying pan. Leave to cook on the bottom and after about 5 mins place under the grill to set the top of the frittata.eggsfrittata angle
  • While the frittata is cooking, drain the potatoes and in a bowl crush with a fork, slice the radishes, finely slice the spring onion and chop the parsley. Mix all together, drizzle with oil and season.
  • Enjoy the crushed potatoes with the spring frittata.

Chilli Broccoli with Tomato Lentils

/ thuddirect / Leave a comment

Roasting tomatoes bring out their lovely sweetness which goes like magic with lentils and the salty spice of chilli and broccoli sautéed in soy sauce. This combination makes for a delicious and delightful dinner!

Ingredients: 100g cherry tomatoes, ½ -1 red chilli, 120g baby white onions, shallots or onion, 80g green beans, 150g purple sprouting broccoli, 10g basil.

Larder: 150g puy lentils, oil, salt, pepper, drizzle of balsamic vinegar (optional: 45g hazelnuts, grilled chicken or fish).

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
  • Place lentils in a saucepan with water or stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes until soft.
  • Halve the tomatoes and chop the pepper into chunks. Place in a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
  • Slice brocoli into small florets and top and tail the green beans and and then cut in half or into thirds. Thinly slice half the chilli.
  • Heat a frying pan Add the hazelnuts and dry toast until they start to brown and skins start peeling off. Remove from the pan and set aside.

overhead sauteeing broc and green beans

  • Add the green veg to the hot frying pan and fry in a little oil with the chilli slices. Frying chillis releases a compound called capsaisin which gives them their spice but can also pack a punch when cooking, so make sure to open a window or 2

DSC_0239.jpg

  • Remove the tomatoes, onions from the oven and stir into the lentils,
  • Serve lentils with green beans, broccoli, chilli, hazelnuts and basil torn on top. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and dig in.

Spanish Omelette

/ thuddirect / Leave a comment

This is a great and quick mid-week meal. A Spanish omelette using new potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli and accompanied by vitamin rich kale hopefully helps you stay on your feet while sticking to the beat!

Ingredients: 150g potatoes, 5-6 cherry tomatoes, 100g purple sprouting broccoli, 1-2 spring onions, small bunch of chervil, a generous handful of kale.

From the larder: 4-5 eggs, 2 tbsp milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, (optional chorizo).

Instructions:

  • Heat the grill to 180 degrees C. Slice the potatoes and boil them in a small saucepan of water for approximately 10 minutes.
  • Roughly chop the broccoli, blanche with the potatoes for the last 2-3 minutes of their cooking and then drain.
  • Transfer potatoes and broccoli into a frying pan and fry, along with sliced chorizo, if using for about 5-7 minutes.
  • When potatoes are soft and slightly browning, slice the spring onion and quarter the tomatoes and add to the frying pan.brocoli-and-potatoes-cooking-2-600px
  • In a bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Chop the chervil and add to the eggs. Pour into the frying pan over the veg. Cook for about 5-10 minutes while the egg sets. Periodically run a spatula around the edges and let the uncooked egg run to the edges.
  • Carefully check the bottom of the omelette and if set and browning, sprinkle over optional grated cheese. Remove from the heat and place under the grill. If you do not have a grill, carefully flip the omelette and cook the other side.
  • Bake under the grill for about 10 minutes, until golden and puffed up.
  • While cooking, boil the kale in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Serve slices of the Spanish omelette with the kale.