With all of the veg and some of the fruit and herbs in our boxes this week either arriving from our fields or from otherUKsuppliers it is easy to see why many believe August to be the best month for produce. It is however one of the slowest periods in the year for sales as many of us go away with our families.
From the field we have the first of lovely hearted sweet pointed cabbage which is beautiful served steamed with butter and black pepper but also make a great cabbage for coleslaw. Rainbow Carrots and red beetroot which is fantastic at this point in the season where it hasn’t become too large and woody, try grating raw beetroot and carrot and combining with toasted seeds and a vinaigrette. Swiss Chard with its white stems may seem less pleasing on the eye compared to the rainbow but is prized by many for it’s iron rich flavour with combines beautifully sweet onion, balsamic and orange.
From elsewhere the single large pointed spring onions that look a little like leeks in some of the boxes are called Shimonita and originate from Japan. They can be used exactly like normal spring onions but are often used in stir fries and have a sweet pungent flavour. The first of the wonderful Romanesco Cauliflower will have hopefully arrived in time for the boxes though they haven’t liked the current patch of weather. With their incredible patterns formed by their curds they are wonderful simply steamed or pickled but avoid over cooking them as they soon turn soft.
Fresh Onions
Fresh from the ground with their green stems in tow these fresh onions have a slightly sweeter flavour and can be used in their entirety.
Sweet Onion Pilaf
A Pilaf is essentially a rice dish cooked with stock and flavourings but you can be creative and try all manner of combinations even using bulghur wheat or couscous instead of the rice.>
- Start by cleaning two large onions or three medium. Top and tail the onions and remove the green stalks from the bulbs and set the bulbs aside.
- Heat some olive oil with a good knob of butter in a large casserole dish over a gentle heat.
- Roughly slice the green stems of the onions and add to the pan and sauté for a few minutes before adding two sliced cloves of garlic to the pan and sautéing for another minute. Add one cinnamon stick to the pan.
- Rinse 180g of basmati rice, which should be enough for about four people as a side dish but increase the amount if needed, and add to the pan and stir for a minute.
- Take 290ml of good quality vegetable stock and add to the pan. Stir well and turn the heat down to a low setting before covering the pan.
- Once the rice has absorbed all of the liquid and has cooked through remove from the heat.
- To finish the dish slice the onions thinly and gently fry in some olive oil and butter for a few minutes before sprinkling over some brown sugar. When the sugar has started to caramelize and the onions have softened squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and season with salt and pepper. Stir the sweet caramelised onions through the rice and serve.
Caramelised Onion Dip
This is a really lovely dip and simple to achieve.>
- Take two large fresh onion and wash before removing the stalks to set aside. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a medium to low heat before adding the onion bulb which has been sliced.
- Add a couple of bay leaves to the pan and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir every now and then for about five minutes before sprinkling with a little brown sugar.
- Keep stirring from time to time until your onions have achieved a deep brown caramelised quality, this could take about thirty minutes.
- In a serving bowl add 200ml of sour cream to 200ml of Greek yoghurt and combine. Finely slice a handful of the onion tops and add to wet mix before folding in the caramelized onions.
Laurence Guy, Box Scheme Manager
