Blackberry and Apple Jelly

I saw blackberries on the allotment and thought what a pain, what do i do with these. I’d stupidly forgotten the wonderful marriage of blackberries and apples. This recipe is from River Cottage Preserves book, it works perfectly, creating a mellow fruity jelly,  so perfect on toast. Ingredients: 1kg of apples (windfalls or any apples are…

Fat Hen

I’ve been farming fat hen (Chenopodium album) for a few weeks and thought I should actually try eating the plant. Whilst having a brew in the allotment hut, i reached out for River Cottage’s Hedgerow book. It said to lightly sauté fat hen with butter and thats exactly what we did. Fat Hen really does taste…

Samphire

Samphire is a really wonderful treat. We cooked around 250g in boiling water for 4 minutes, drained then added a splash of olive oil, butter and lemon juice. No need for salt as this is quite a salty plant. More recipes can be found in The Guardian.  

Ottolenghi’s Balilah (Palestinian chickpea salad)

200g dried chickpeas 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 60g chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 spring onions, thinly sliced 1 large lemon 3 tbsp olive oil 2 1/2 tsp ground cumin 3/4 ts salt and freshly ground black pepper Soak those chickpeas overnight with the bicarb then cook for 60-90 mins in boiling water, drain. Top and…

Ottolenghi’s Spicy Carrot Salad

6 large carrots, peeled (about 700g in total) 3 tbsp sunflower oil 1 large onion, finely chopped (300g in total) 2 tbsp harissa 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, freshly ground 1/2 tsp sugar 3 tbsp cider vinegar 30g rocket leaves salt Place carrots in a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring…

Ottolenghi’s Mixed Bean Salad

This is seriously yummy. Find it at Guardian online. 280g yellow beans 280g french beans, trimmed (i doubled these as i couldn’t find yellow beans) 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 0.5cm strips 2½ tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp extra 50g capers, rinsed and patted dry 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced  1 tsp cumin seeds …

River Cottage Strawberry Vinegar

1kg strawberries 600ml white wine vinegar granulated sugar Put strawberries in a bowl, crush slightly with a wooden spoon. Add the vinegar, cover the bowl and leave for 4-5 days. Stir occasionally. Pour fruit and vinegar into a scalded jelly bag or muslin and suspend over a bowl, leave overnight to drain. Measure liquid and…