Firstly, if you are going to forage for mushrooms and fungi, go with someone who knows what they are doing, there are some fungi that are deadly poisonous, and many that will make you quite ill, and quite a few that quite simply taste revolting, so someone with knowledge will make the whole experience far more pleasant. Somerset Wildlife are running a couple of foraging courses if you are interested.
This, in my opinion, is the best and only way of cooking fresh wild fungi.
You will need, per person:
A slice of toast
Butter
A good two handfuls of fungi (Ceps or Chanterelles), cleaned and sliced
A slice of locally cured Bacon, cut thinly into strips
Some Garlic, chopped
A few sprigs of parsley
One fresh egg.
In a roomy frying pan, melt the butter and start to fry the bacon and garlic, put in the sliced mushrooms and keep stirring so they don't stick till they have sweated out plenty of water. sprinkle over the finely chopped parsley and allow to reduce on a lower heat while you cook the egg.
Fry the egg in your favourite way in a separate frying pan
Spoon the cooked fungi and juices over the buttered toast and place your egg on top.
Enjoy while hot.
Whenever my dad and I go mushrooming, this is the treat we cook when we come home from a successful forage. It's simple and wonderful.
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Foraged or Home Grown Fruit Cheeses
It's a fruity time of year, with plums, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, pears and peaches all coming into ripeness.
I'm not keen on endlessly fishing pips and stones out of the jam pan, or eating jams with thousands of little seeds and pips in so tend to make lots of jellies instead, though the remaining pulp always leaves lots of guilt for not using natures bounty to its fullest.
Cheeses are a lovely way to use up the majority of the left over pulp and are ideal for using up over ripe plums that will spoil the setting of jam. A fruit cheese is a solid jelly like mass that can be sliced and eaten with cheese, sliced and eaten on it's own on biscuits, poured into shaped moulds and drenched in icing sugar and eaten as a sweety, sliced into little cubes and drenched in chocolate.....anyway, onto the recipe
Fruit Cheese
Place ripe fruit into a slow cooker with some water (or a large thick bottomed pan on a lowish heat, still adding the water)
Cook slowly until the fruit is mushy.
If you are making jelly place all the pulp into a jelly bag and allow to drip overnight....make jelly with the liquid.
For the cheese take the pulp left in the jelly bag(or all the pulp if you didn't make jelly) and rub it through a sieve into a thick bottomed pan. The skins and pips will be left to put into the compost.
Add honey or sugar to taste and heat slowly, while stirring, till all the sugar is dissolved.
Now simmer away slowly, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of pan, until it's thickened so much you can see the bottom of the pan easily when you scrape through it with a wooden spoon.
Pour into:
A) containers that have been lined with greaseproof paper and allow to cool before turning out.
B) jars, then seal with a lid or cellophane circles made for jam making, these should be clearly labeled and will keep for up to a year
C) flexible moulds, something like silicone chocolate moulds, allow to cool before turning them out.
I'm not keen on endlessly fishing pips and stones out of the jam pan, or eating jams with thousands of little seeds and pips in so tend to make lots of jellies instead, though the remaining pulp always leaves lots of guilt for not using natures bounty to its fullest.
Cheeses are a lovely way to use up the majority of the left over pulp and are ideal for using up over ripe plums that will spoil the setting of jam. A fruit cheese is a solid jelly like mass that can be sliced and eaten with cheese, sliced and eaten on it's own on biscuits, poured into shaped moulds and drenched in icing sugar and eaten as a sweety, sliced into little cubes and drenched in chocolate.....anyway, onto the recipe
Fruit Cheese
Place ripe fruit into a slow cooker with some water (or a large thick bottomed pan on a lowish heat, still adding the water)
Cook slowly until the fruit is mushy.
If you are making jelly place all the pulp into a jelly bag and allow to drip overnight....make jelly with the liquid.
For the cheese take the pulp left in the jelly bag(or all the pulp if you didn't make jelly) and rub it through a sieve into a thick bottomed pan. The skins and pips will be left to put into the compost.
Add honey or sugar to taste and heat slowly, while stirring, till all the sugar is dissolved.
Now simmer away slowly, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of pan, until it's thickened so much you can see the bottom of the pan easily when you scrape through it with a wooden spoon.
Pour into:
A) containers that have been lined with greaseproof paper and allow to cool before turning out.
B) jars, then seal with a lid or cellophane circles made for jam making, these should be clearly labeled and will keep for up to a year
C) flexible moulds, something like silicone chocolate moulds, allow to cool before turning them out.
Saturday, 20 August 2011
Home grown tomato tips
This is less of an actual recipe list more of a handful of ideas of dealing with lots of ripe tomatoes, as this has been a bit of a bumper year.
One of the simplest ways to serve fresh yummy tomatoes is this:
Thinly slice some large ripe tomatoes and arrange on a dish, sprinkle with finely chopped or mashed garlic and basil, drizzle with your favourite vinegar, I love balsamic at the moment, and finally drizzle with some tasty oil like olive or hemp. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but best eaten quickly with mixed salad and locally cured hams.
Another easy way of getting through the crop and adding to the winter stores is to freeze or bottle the reduced tomato pulp, the simplest way is to pile a load of chopped ripe tomatoes (you can add herbs, chillies, courgettes....) into a slow cooker, cook covering it till it's mushed down and then take off the lid so it can simmer away quietly till it's nicely reduced. Then strain with a sieve, and work the rest of the mush through the sieve with a wooden spoon, till you are only left with the skins and pips, put the skins and pips on the compost heap and bag up the strained pulp and freeze! Ready for winter stews and soups, curries and all sorts.
Bottled tomatoes are also very useful for cooking throughout the winter and tomato-less spring, a lot of the modern tomato varieties have lower acid content than their forbears so a little citric acid or lemon juice is added.
Method:
boil some water in a saucepan and dunk your tomatoes, using a slatted spoon, for around 60 seconds and then dunk in a jug full of cold water, the skins should slip off.
core the skinned tomatoes and place in a sterilised pint preserving jar. Add a pinch, around 1/8 teaspoon of citric acid per pint jar, or 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of salt but it isn't necessary.
Fill the jar to 1/2 of an inch from the rim with boiling water. wipe carefully around the top of the jar.
Put on your sterilised lid and place in a boiling water bath for 40 mins.
Remove from boiling water bath and allow to cool before labeling and storing in a cool dry place.
One of the simplest ways to serve fresh yummy tomatoes is this:
Thinly slice some large ripe tomatoes and arrange on a dish, sprinkle with finely chopped or mashed garlic and basil, drizzle with your favourite vinegar, I love balsamic at the moment, and finally drizzle with some tasty oil like olive or hemp. This will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but best eaten quickly with mixed salad and locally cured hams.
Another easy way of getting through the crop and adding to the winter stores is to freeze or bottle the reduced tomato pulp, the simplest way is to pile a load of chopped ripe tomatoes (you can add herbs, chillies, courgettes....) into a slow cooker, cook covering it till it's mushed down and then take off the lid so it can simmer away quietly till it's nicely reduced. Then strain with a sieve, and work the rest of the mush through the sieve with a wooden spoon, till you are only left with the skins and pips, put the skins and pips on the compost heap and bag up the strained pulp and freeze! Ready for winter stews and soups, curries and all sorts.
Bottled tomatoes are also very useful for cooking throughout the winter and tomato-less spring, a lot of the modern tomato varieties have lower acid content than their forbears so a little citric acid or lemon juice is added.
Method:
boil some water in a saucepan and dunk your tomatoes, using a slatted spoon, for around 60 seconds and then dunk in a jug full of cold water, the skins should slip off.
core the skinned tomatoes and place in a sterilised pint preserving jar. Add a pinch, around 1/8 teaspoon of citric acid per pint jar, or 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice. You can also add 1/4 teaspoon of salt but it isn't necessary.
Fill the jar to 1/2 of an inch from the rim with boiling water. wipe carefully around the top of the jar.
Put on your sterilised lid and place in a boiling water bath for 40 mins.
Remove from boiling water bath and allow to cool before labeling and storing in a cool dry place.
Thursday, 4 August 2011
August 2011
Well we are in the 8th month and the gluts have arrived. Runner Beans, French Beans, courgettes, pumpkins, plums, tomatoes (both ripe and green), early main crop potatoes....the list goes on. From the productive veg patch or allotment there is far too much to eat fresh, and neighbours are treating fresh foodie gifts as a burden rather than a delight.
This is truly the time of the year when the preserving pans come into their own....and the growing stash of jam jars...and the spare chest freezers....but well used these will give you a fabulous selection of meals and treats all winter long! Plus foodie Christmas gifts to family and neighbours when such things are better received.
Our veg plot is run like a military operation at this time of year....allowing the runners to get woody is such a crime, as it's hardly worth bottling or freezing them when they won't taste very nice. Daily pickings, blanchings and freezings of all the bean varieties means we'll have enough to have with dinner and then a couple of bags to freeze. (and it doesn't mean long nights of preserving things)
Blanching (briefly boiling) the beans helps to preserve the vitamins so you will be able to keep the nutritional values as well as the taste in good condition.
The Taunton Flower Show is at the beginning of this month so it's a great opportunity to check out some new ideas and start the plans for next years garden....
Below is a link to an article in The Ecologist called the beginners guide to late summer foraging:
http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/food_and_drink/1000281/the_beginners_guide_to_late_summer_foraging.html
As always, be very sure of what you've got before eating it! Plants can be poisonous.
This is truly the time of the year when the preserving pans come into their own....and the growing stash of jam jars...and the spare chest freezers....but well used these will give you a fabulous selection of meals and treats all winter long! Plus foodie Christmas gifts to family and neighbours when such things are better received.
Our veg plot is run like a military operation at this time of year....allowing the runners to get woody is such a crime, as it's hardly worth bottling or freezing them when they won't taste very nice. Daily pickings, blanchings and freezings of all the bean varieties means we'll have enough to have with dinner and then a couple of bags to freeze. (and it doesn't mean long nights of preserving things)
Blanching (briefly boiling) the beans helps to preserve the vitamins so you will be able to keep the nutritional values as well as the taste in good condition.
The Taunton Flower Show is at the beginning of this month so it's a great opportunity to check out some new ideas and start the plans for next years garden....
Below is a link to an article in The Ecologist called the beginners guide to late summer foraging:
http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/food_and_drink/1000281/the_beginners_guide_to_late_summer_foraging.html
As always, be very sure of what you've got before eating it! Plants can be poisonous.
Sunday, 24 July 2011
Home Grown Courgette Antipasto Slices
This is a great recipe when you have a spare afternoon to spend in the kitchen and lots of medium sized courgettes, as it can be made in bulk and bottled. But it's a great lunch time dish or addition to a summer salad if you only want to make a small amount, and can be easily made the day before so it can soak up the flavour of the basil and garlic.
It has a lovely smoky flavour and it one of the nices ways of cooking courgettes.
Courgette Antipasto Slices
1 medium sized Courgette per person
Balsamic Vinegar (or similar)
Olive Oil (or similar)
Garlic (you choose how many cloves!)
a few sprigs of Basil
Slice the Courgettes lengthways, about half a centimeter thick.
Using a griddle pan and a little oil cook the courgettes in batches until begining to smoke. They will end up with attractive griddle marks on them (dark brown rather than crispy black though)
Arrange on a dish, layering with torn basil and Garlic. drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinigar. leave to soak up the juices and develop flavour for at least an hour.
It has a lovely smoky flavour and it one of the nices ways of cooking courgettes.
Courgette Antipasto Slices
1 medium sized Courgette per person
Balsamic Vinegar (or similar)
Olive Oil (or similar)
Garlic (you choose how many cloves!)
a few sprigs of Basil
Slice the Courgettes lengthways, about half a centimeter thick.
Using a griddle pan and a little oil cook the courgettes in batches until begining to smoke. They will end up with attractive griddle marks on them (dark brown rather than crispy black though)
Arrange on a dish, layering with torn basil and Garlic. drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinigar. leave to soak up the juices and develop flavour for at least an hour.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Home Grown Vegetable Crisps
This is a very naughty but very nice recipe. It's just the absolute basic version but you can add extra spiciness with chili flakes, pepper or herbs.
I used a special slicing gadget to get even slices, it's name currently escapes me....
You can use any oil, pick one that you like the flavour of, i prefer sunflower oil, which is produced in the UK.
I used a special slicing gadget to get even slices, it's name currently escapes me....
You can use any oil, pick one that you like the flavour of, i prefer sunflower oil, which is produced in the UK.
Vegetable Crisps
Ingredients
Any or all of the below can be used:
medium sized raw beetroot
sweet potatoes
Carrots
Potatoes
Parsnips
Oil, for deep-frying
Sea salt
Method
Peel the vegetables, then slice thinly, either by hand or using the slicing blade of a food processor.
Sprinkle with salt and dry well on kitchen paper.
Heat the oil to 180C or until a slice of vegetable added to it rises to the surface instantly and starts to brown.
Add vegetable slices in batches and fry until crisp and golden. Serve piled up on a plate and sprinkled with sea salt.
Home Grown Marrow and Lemon Jam
As promised here is the first of the courgette recipes. Over grown courgettes are ideal for this recipe, which uses the flesh's ability to absorb flavours perfectly. The soak over night will result in the little cubes of marrow expressing large amounts of water as they take in the sugar, so no water needs to be added.
This is a lovely sweet but tart jam, it only sets lightly, but it keeps well and tastes great in jam tarts, cakes, and on scones. In the big print i tend to label it without mentioning the word marrow, instead using the variety of courgette that it comes from! Lemon and Little Gem Jam looks so much more appetising i think!
This is a lovely sweet but tart jam, it only sets lightly, but it keeps well and tastes great in jam tarts, cakes, and on scones. In the big print i tend to label it without mentioning the word marrow, instead using the variety of courgette that it comes from! Lemon and Little Gem Jam looks so much more appetising i think!
MARROW AND LEMON JAM
2lb. Marrow (weight after preparation)
5 lemons
1½lb. Sugar
1½ pints water
½oz. Ginger root.
Peel the marrow, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into dice. Put into a basin, sprinkle with the sugar and allow to stand overnight.
Cut the lemons in half, squeeze out the juice and slice the peel and pith thinly. Put the juice, shredded peel and water into a saucepan and boil slowly for about 1¼hours, until the contents have reduced considerably, then strain: the extract should measure about half a pint.
Put the lemon extract and the prepared marrow and sugar, into a saucepan, add the root ginger and lemon pulp, tied in a piece of muslin, bring to the boil and boil slowly for about 1½hours, or until the marrow is clear and it's reached jamming temperature on the jam thermometer. Remove the ginger and, wearing rubber gloves, squeeze the muslin bag to express the juice. Pour into warm pots and cover immediately in the usual way.
This will make about 3 pounds of jam.
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