Category: Side-dishes

Potatoes and spinach

More potato recipes. Charlotte potatoes work so well in these dishes, their flavour is great, they hold their shape and their texture is so smooth when they are cooked. I had spinach in the freezer. Buying packs of fresh spinach at their expiry date is a good deal. I break up the brittle and frozen spinach leaves in the bag before use. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 600g charlotte potatoes, or similar waxy potatoes, peeled and diced (1cm dice)
  • salt
  • 300g spinach leaves
  • 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/2tsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

METHOD:

  • Boil the potatoes in salted water for around 6 minutes, then drain and spread them out to cool
  • Steam the spinach until it is wilted, only takes a few minutes. Once it is cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, and then chop, and set aside. 
  • Heat the oil in a wok or heavy frying pan, and when it is hot, add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the onion and garlic, turn the heat down and fry for a couple of minutes
  • Add the spinach, and keep cooking and stirring for another 10 minutes. 
  • Add the potato, 1 tsp salt, the garam masala and the cayenne pepper. Stir and mix until the potatoes are heated through and soft.  

 

Cauliflower and potato curry

I just ate the rest of the leftovers that I was going to have tomorrow. This is a delicious and fragrant dish, good served at room temperature as a side dish or snack, part of a picnic or a larger meal. It is good with parathas and sour lime pickle

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 2 large potatoes
  • 6 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 whole hot red peppers
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a grind of black pepper
  • 1 tsp garam masala

METHOD:

  • Dismember the cauliflower, reduce it to small florets, and put into a bowl of cold water
  • Peel and chop the potatoes into 1 to 1.5cm cubes, and put into a bowl of cold water for half an hour. 
  • When you are ready to start cooking, drain the vegetables and pat dry with a teatowel
  • Heat the oil in the bottom of a large frying pan or wok over a high heat. When the oil is hot put in the fenugreek, cumin, fennel and red peppers and stir once, then add the cauliflower and potatoes. 
  • Stir again, turn the heat to medium and add the salt, turmeric, pepper and coriander. Keep stirring from time to time and cook for around 7 minutes
  • Add around 50ml water, cover and turn the heat to low, and cook for another 7 minutes. 
  • Sprinkle with the garam masala, stir and serve. 

 

 

Potato and aubergines

Another recipe in the quest to try all of the potato recipes. This was very easy, but the original recipe didn’t make much, so I scaled it up. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 tbsp vegetable oil, such as rapeseed oil
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 450g potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm dice (I used Charlotte potatoes)
  • 450g aubergine, cut into 1cm dice. 
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • fresh coriander leaf to garnish

METHOD:

  • In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a high heat and then put in the mustard seeds and stil. When they pop add the potatoes and aubergine, stir to mix and add all the other spices and salt. Continue to stir and mix for a minute or so, ensuring that the spices are evenly dispersed. 
  • Add 200ml water, bring it to the boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. It is worth stirring just before the end to ensure it isn’t sticking. 

Serve as part of a larger meal, in small bowls. 

 

Red Lentil Dal with asafoetida

This is a very basic dal. The main message is, use four times as much water as the weight in lentils, then when the lentils are cooked and salted to taste, fry the spices in oil, and stir in. It is an excellent side-dish. 

I get a lot of my spices by mail order from seasoned pioneers, such as the asafoetida in this dish. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 200g red lentils 
  • 800ml water
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp oil or butter
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1-2 hot whole dried chillies
  • 1 shallot, in slivers

METHOD:

  • Put the red lentils in a saucepan with the water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for around 30 minutes until the lentils are breaking up. Check from time to time and stir to prevent the dal from sticking. Turn of the heat, and stir in the salt when the lentils are broken up. 
  • Pour the oil/ghee/butter into a small pan, and bring to a medium high temperature. Add the asafoetida, then cumin and then the peppers in that order, stirring once before each addition. As soon as the spices start to darken, add the shallot, cook until that starts to colour, and then pour into the cooked dal. Stir to mix and then serve. 

Dal, by itself, is a great light meal with a bit of nan bread to scoop it up. It is also excellent as a side dish in a more substantial meal, served in a small bowl. 

Beetroot and lime

This is a delicious side dish to serve with pork sausages, pork chops, ham or with a vegetarian burger. It is tangy and sweet and earthy. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • Around 450g beetroot, unpeeled
  • salted water
  • 1 lime
  • 1 level tbsp sugar
  • 1 level tbsp butter

METHOD:

  •  Boil the beetroot, skin on, for around an hour, until tender. Remove the beetroot from the hot water, and when it is cook enough to handle, peel away the skin, and chop the beetroot into bite-size pieces. 
  • In a small saucepan, heat the juice of the lime with the sugar and butter until sizzling, then add the diced beetroot and heat through. 
  • Serve in a small warmed dish. 

Orache

I have been continuing my adventures with wild food, and finally overcame my anxiety about trying orache. I am not 100% sure which variety I picked in the end; it was not exactly like the pictures in any of my wild food books. For reference I looked at ‘Food for Free’ by Richard Mabey, Prehistoric cooking by Jacqui Wood, and ‘Edible Seashore’ by John Wright. This last book is one of the River Cottage Handbooks. All three books recommend orache as a wild food, similar to spinach but not producing as many leaves per plant. The Orache plant family is related to ‘Fat Hen’, an edible weed that I find on my compost heap, and other plants in the goosefoot family.

This was also the first road test of the Richard Mabey book, and it let me down by not discussing or referring to the huge range of orache plants. The Prehistoric cookery book also hints at the possibilities, but it was the Edible seashore book and google that were the most helpful.

Anyway, off we set with our bucket, across the dunes and down to the shore to see what we could find. We found a lot of orache, several varieties, growing in the dune grasses, on the edge of the machair, and then on the higher parts of the shore. We found a whole area of frosted orache (Atriplex laciniata), good big plants with lots of shoots. The plants were low, lying, growing straight out of the sand. The leaves were frosted and rough, and there were clusters of small buds towards the tips, arising in the joints where the leaves leave the stem. I took one shoot of each plant we saw, and ended up with about three good bunches. This was enough to feed three people; like spinach, it cooks down a lot.

When I got home, I rinsed it off to remove the sand, and then cooked it in garlic butter for about three minutes. It was very good indeed, better than spinach, and a good side dish. Next time I see it growing well, no worries, I would pick it again.

In terms of nutrition, it was extremely fresh and extremely local, so there was minimal wastage of nutrients. It was better cooked, and the books agreed with me on that one. It is hard to get data on the nutritional value of Orache, but it is reputed to be rich in calcium, vitamin c, vitamin b1, and iron.

Cauliflower, almonds, broad beans stir fry

This is a very easy stir fry recipe, with a lovely crunch from the almonds and cauliflower, and the gentle taste of sesame oil and ginger. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 small cauliflower
  • 200g broad beans
  • 1 1/2 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tbs dry sherry
  • 1 tbs sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 60g flaked almonds or blanched almonds
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 slices of fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp salt

METHOD:

  • Prepare the cauliflower; chop the florets so they are around 5cm long and 2cm wide. Put the florets in a bowl of very cold water to freshen up. 
  • Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and boil the broad beans for around 5 minutes. Drain when cooked. 
  • In a small bowl, combine the cornflour, sherry, sesame oil, and 2 tbs water to make a smooth paste. 
  • Heat the oil in a wok. When it is hot, fry the almonds. Keep a close eye on them, and as soon as they look as if they are about to turn golden brown, fish them out and set aside. 
  • Next, lightly bash up the garlic and ginger, and add to the hot oil for 10 seconds. 
  • Add the drained cauliflower, broad beans, and salt. Fry for 2 minutes
  • Add 2 tbsp water, cover, and cook for another two minutes
  • Remove the cover, lower the heat, and add the cornflour mixture from the cup. Stir in for 30 seconds. Add the almonds and stir once. 
  • You’ll need to fish out the ginger and garlic before serving. 

This works as a delicious dish along with a range of other dishes, to share. It makes around 4 small portions. 

Beetroot and vinegar

I have managed to grow some beetroot this year, not always my best crop, and last year was better. I served this with pork chops the other evening, delicious. Another Nigel Slater recipe, I am a huge fan, and you should buy all his books, the recipes are full of passion for ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Six small to medium beetroot, about the size of a lime, with the leaves on. 
  • A teaspoonful of balsamic vinegar (you could use any vinegar)
  • A tiny pinch of salt

METHOD:

  • Clean the beetroot and remove the leaves, but do not peel. 
  • Simmer in boiling water for around 20 minutes, or put into a small roasting tin in a hot oven with a little water, and cover with foil, and cook for an hour. 
  • When cooked and cool enough to handle, trim and remove the skin, which should be easy. Cut into segments, and add the vinegar and salt.
  •  Pick out the best leaves, rinse them, and roughly chop, including the stems. Treat these like chard. I cooked them in a small frying pan with butter and a little water until cooked, just a couple of minutes. 
  • Serve the beetroot on a bed of leaves. The book suggests eating with buttered bread and a hard crumbly goat’s cheese. We had them with pork chops. 

Fennel in vermouth

I made this delicious side dish with the last of the fennel that I grew this year. It had started to bolt, but the stems were still very tender. I sliced the bulbs thinly and chucked anything that was a little tough. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 2 bulbs of fennel, sliced
  • 60g butter
  • 60ml dry white vermouth (Martini, Noilly Pratt, etcetera)
  • A tiny pinch of salt

METHOD: 

  • Melt the butter in a small pan, and add the sliced fennel. Cook over a low flame until the fennel is softening.
  • After about five minutes, add the vermouth, cover with the lid and leave to cook very slowly for another twenty minutes. Check occasionally to make sure that the mixture is not burning. The mixture should be just about caramelised at the end of cooking. 

Grilled and buttered fennel bulbs

I grew bulb fennel this year with varying success. To get the fennel to make nice tight little bulbs, it needs to be well watered, well fed, not overcrowded or stressed at all. I feel very accomplished with each perfect bulb. This is an excellent way to prepare them. For each person, allow one small fennel bulb. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 fennel bulb per person
  • 20g butter per person
  • 20g grated parmesan per person
  • salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • Put the fennel in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. 
  • Cut the fennel bulbs in half, and place in an oven proof dish, cut sides up. 
  • Melt the butter and pour this over the fennel bulbs
  • Add a layer of grated parmesan to each fennel bulb, and grill under a hot grill until the cheese is browning and crisping up. 

That is all. I served as a side dish with a rich stew and potatoes.