New recipes for all

I have been feeling in the need for some culinary inspiration.  As we have only just started harvesting and more importantly eating our allotment produce, a definite overhaul of my cooking repertoire was needed!

I love to cook, but the same old recipes I feel won't do the fruits of our hard labour any justice.  Also how will I deal with gluts of Broad Beans or Runner Beans?  I need more ideas, how to preserve, pickle and store these goodies for months to come.

So I treated myself to this....

I love this book!

Amazon have been selling their cookbooks for half price just lately, there was many to choose from.  I nearly went for Alys Fowler's Edible Garden or Nigel Slater's Tender Vol 1 but it was something about the brightly coloured cover and the gorgeous photography that won me over, plus it had a great write up.

It arrived yesterday, I eagerly flipped through pages.  Such gorgeous recipes with about 8 recipes for each vegetable and in a month by month season, perfect for the home grower like me.

So yesterday I picked some Broad Beans (finger sized and used them in the pods like runner beans) and made this for last nights supper:

Taglionlini with broad bean and buerre blanc

Well, to be honest, I didn't have half the ingredients, and totally improvised with the Buerre Blanc (which I hadn't made before), but the finished results was Delicious! (yes, with a capital D!).

Recipe, for 4:

250g broad beans (shelled weight)
350g tagliolini or any pasta
75g fried pancetta
2 tablespoons finely chopped summer savoury or thyme to serve
Grated Parmesan to serve

For the buerre blanc:
4 tablespoons white wine
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped shallots
salt and pepper
175g unsalted butter, cold & diced

1. To make the buerre blanc, reduce the wine, vinegar, shallots, salt & pepper in a small saucepan until you have only a tablespoon of liquid left.
2. Whisk in the cold butter bit by bit over a very low heat til thick and creamy. Set aside, keeping it warm.
3. In boiling water cook the beans for 4 minutes.  Reserve some of the cooking water.  Cool them quickly in a sieve under cold running water, to keep the greenness.
4. Pop some of the bright green beans out of their skin by pinching them with you thumb and forefinger; this adds a wonderful colour.  Puree half of the beans with a tablespoon of the cooking water.
5. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until just al dente. leaving a tablespoon of the cooking liquid in the pan. 
6. Add the bean puree, pancetta, and the buerre blanc and stir.  Season.
7. Lastly throw in the remaining beans and stir.
8. Serve with the herbs and grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!


My version of the recipe!

Well, not blowing my own trumpet or anything... but I thought it was the best thing I have cooked in ages.  Total YUM!

The Boys are not so interested in the Broad Beans yet, sadly, they find them quite disgusting.  But I did at their age, Broad Beans I think are definitely an adult taste!

So the boys set to work making their own pizza's instead.


Before.


After.

Recipe:

2x Sainsbury's basic pizza bases
Tomato puree
Salami slices
Goats cheese grated

Easy... perfect for hungry boys.

What recipes are you trying with your produce?  Would love to hear and try... I am always thinking of my stomach!

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