Month: July 2024

Frittata with asparagus

There has been quite a lot of reduced asparagus in the co-op lately, and this is a quick meal to use it up. I made it with local free-range eggs. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 pack of reduced asparagus, around 100g
  • 25g butter
  • 4 eggs
  • salt and pepper
  • finely chopped parsley
  • about 10g grated parmesan
  • about 10g crushed dried bread e.g. panko breadcrumbs (optional)

METHOD:

  • Wash and dry the asparagus, and chop into 2cm lengths
  • Prepare the egg mixture; beat together the four eggs, parsley, breadcrumbs, seasoning and cheese. 
  • Melt the butter in a small omlette pan, and fry the asparagus on a high setting for around three minutes
  • Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus, and reduce the heat. Once the frittata is almost set, turn it over and cook the other side. 

You can do this for other vegetables, for example try with little courgettes fried with onions in olive oil. I served this with brown toast. 

Rhubarb and Orange Jam

Every spring I buy Seville oranges to make marmalade, and I take care to buy extra, and I juice them and freeze this as an ingredient in the summer. You can make a delicious Seville orange curd, or use it for a delicate pie filling. This year, I used it to make rhubarb jam. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2kg rhubarb, chopped
  • 2kg jam sugar
  • 100 to 150ml Seville orange juice

METHOD:

  • Put the rhubarb in the jam pan, and pour over the sugar. Leave this to combine until the next day. 
  • Add the orange juice, bring to a boil and simmer for around 20 minutes. 
  • Once the mixture is thick, pour into warmed jam jars. 

Rhubarb conserve

Variation 1 on the great rhubarb jam sessions. This is from an old book called 500 recipes: jams, pickles and chutneys, by Marguerite Patten. Mine is priced 2/6 so it is quite old. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 1kg rhubarb, chopped
  • 1kg jam sugar
  • 250g raisins or sultanas
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 orange

METHOD:

  • Put the chopped rhubarb in the jam pan and cover with sugar, and leave to stand until the next day
  • Add the raisins, and bring to a slow boil for 20 minutes
  • Add the juice and grated rind of one lemon and one orange, and boil until the jam is thick.
  • Pour into warmed jars, and leave to set.