Wild Food, Wild Mushrooms, Fishing, Foraging, Recipes, Essex UK

Dover Sole with Chanterelle Mushrooms – Recipes

2011-08-13T14:37:00.000+01:00

One of the best fish in the sea combined with one of the tastiest mushrooms from the forest floor, how could you go wrong? Well the answer is you couldn’t and if you successfully forage or fish for one of these amazing ingredients make the effort to get the other so you can make this wonderful dish.

Dover Sole with Chanterelle Mushrooms

For the Beurre Blanc:

Lemon juice, to taste

400ml white wine

6 finely chopped shallots

10 white peppercorns

3 Bay leaves

500g diced cold butter

Maldon Salt

Cayenne pepper

For the Dover Sole:

Butter for brushing

A dash of white wine

2 x 300g Dover sole, skinned, head and fins removed

150g cleaned Chanterelles (more if you are feeling generous)

Little Olive Oil

Small bunch of Parsley and Tarragon

Beurre Blanc is a simple French sauce, it simply means white butter. To make the Beurre Blanc, reduce the white wine with the shallots, white peppercorns and bay leaves, then slowly whisk in the butter over a gentle heat. Add lemon juice, salt and cayenne to taste, that’s the sauce done! Keep it warm until you are ready to use.

Next to prepare the Dover Sole’s. In a baking tray that could hold both of the Sole comfortably and without overlapping. Butter the dish and place the fish in the dish, brush the tops of the fish with butter and season. Then splash the Sole with a good glug of White Wine Bake the sole in a hot oven for 6-8 minutes (testing to see if the fish is cooked through, a little under won’t hurt you as long as the fish are fresh!).

Prepare the Chanterelle mushrooms by cleaning with a small brush (don’t wash them), tearing the larger mushrooms in half lengthways and leaving the smaller mushrooms whole. In a small frying pan and with a glug of Olive Oil, fry the Chanterelle’s hard and fast, you want them to take a little colour. Once this is achieved add them to the warm Beurre Blanc along with the finely chopped Parsley and Tarragon.

To serve place a whole fish on a suitable warm plate and then spoon the Beurre Blanc and Chanterelles on top of the fish and serve. It’s a fantastic main and should be served with a rocket salad and some freshly baked white crusty bread! Too yummy!!

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Buckwheat Pancakes with Blackberries and Honey Crème Fraiche

2011-07-24T09:55:00.000+01:00

Blackberry is back on the menu, and a quick check to see if they were ready and I had just enough for a great breakfast!! Weekend breakfasts are special things, you get to do so much more and.. Well, take it a little easier. These light pancakes are fluffy and moreish, the first Blackberry is always sweet so you don’t need much sugar (sometimes I use none with the fruit) and the cream is the perfect accompaniment to these beautiful berries also. This recipe is so good for you it’s practically a health food!

Buckwheat Pancakes with Honey Crème Fraiche and Wild Blackberries

85g Buckwheat Flour

85g Plain Flour

1 ½ Tsp Baking Powder

I/2 Tsp Maldon Salt

1 Tbsp Caster Sugar

200ml Milk

A Glug of Rapeseed Oil (or melted Butter)

2 Egg Whites

For the fruit:

400g Wild Blackberry

1 Tbsp Caster Sugar

For the cream:

150ml Natural Yoghurt

150ml Crème Fraiche

Small cap of Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp Honey

Firstly to the Blackberry. Put about a third of the Blackberries into a small bowl and add the sugar (if required), using a fork crush the Blackberries into a paste, Blackberry sauce done (retain the whole Blackberry in a separate bowl!

Secondly the Crème Fraiche. Add the Yoghurt, Crème Fraiche and Vanilla extract and Honey into a second bowl and stir, that couldn’t have been easier could it! Honey Crème Fraiche done.

Next the pancakes. In a large mixing bowl add the Buckwheat and Plain flour. Also add the salt, sugar and baking powder. Next add a good glug of Rapeseed Oil and the milk and using a whisk stir to form a nice batter – it should be completely smooth!

Prepare your eggs and separate from the yolks. Place the whites into a clean bowl (retain the yolks for pasta). Using a clean whisk, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then gently fold them through the batter mix.

To cook, you’ll need a large frying pan and some more Rapeseed oil at hand. I cook three pancakes at a time, you want the pancakes to be about the size of a jam jar lid. Cook on one side, for between a minute or two and when lightly browned, flip the pancake over and cook the other side. As each batch is cooked, place them on a tray in the oven to keep warm.

Thanks to the egg whites and baking powder the pancakes puff up and become incredibly light, keep cooking them until you have used up all of the mixture then you are ready to serve.

I put the pancakes onto a warm plate and serve the in the middle of the table. The Blackberries and Blackberry sauce still in separate bowls should be within close proximity to the pancakes and don’t forget the Honey Crème Fraiche too. Three pancakes at a time on a warm plate, some berries, a trickle of the Blackberry sauce and then an equal volume of the honey Crème Fraiche.

The perfect way to start a Sunday.. Well any day!

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Grilled Mackerel Fillets, Horseradish Potato Salad and Wild Gooseberry Pickle

2011-07-09T12:04:00.001+01:00

Summers here and the once underrated Mackerel is back on the menu. People have woken up to the health benefits of oily fish but also the wonderful flavour that these stunning fish deliver. Mackerel with their blue and black striped backs and silver bellies were once considered just good fishing bait, now we fish just for the Mackerel and treasure each and every fish! Another summertime treat is the Wild Gooseberry, difficult to find due to their camouflage, but once you stumble across a hedgerow with some in you will have no shortage of Wild Gooseberries. This classic combination of Mackerel and Gooseberry has to be tried and when you add a simple potato salad spiced with another excellent combination – Horseradish! You can only be onto a winner..

Grilled Mackerel Fillets, Horseradish Potato Salad and Wild Gooseberry Pickle

4 fillets Mackerel, trimmed and pin-boned
4 Tbsp Sour Cream
4 Potatoes
Small bunch of Chives
1tbsp olive oil
Wild Horseradish root, cleaned and peeled
Maldon Salt
Black pepper
Lemon juice

For the gooseberry pickle

1 large Banana Shallot
25g Butter
75ml White Wine Vinegar
125g Wild Gooseberries
Sprig of Thyme

Firstly we should prepare the Wild Gooseberry Pickle. Finely chop the shallot and add it to a small pan with the butter, cook the onions gently for 2-3 minutes until they are soft. Next add the white wine vinegar and bring the mixture to the boil. Boil the vinegar until it has reduced in volume by a third. Next add the gooseberries and the Thyme Sprig and remove from the heat and allow it to cool (take the Thyme sprig out of the Pickle before serving).

Prepare your potato salad by chopping your potatoes into regular bite sized pieces, and boil them in salted water until cooked. When they have cooled, chop your Chives and add them to the potatoes. Add your sour cream, season and grate as much horseradish in that you like horseradish as you can take – I like loads, the only thing that stops me is the feeling of being CS gassed. Wild Horseradish can be a little potent, but it’s worth it!

Finally to the fish, and this is the essence of simplicity itself! Lay the Mackerel fillets skin side up, brush with olive oil and season.. Place under a hot grill and cook for 6-8 mins until the skin begins to crisp and colour beautifully. When cooked finish with a little lemon juice and lay the fish on top of the potato salad and good tablespoon of the Gooseberry pickle.

….. Summer on a plate!

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Wild Strawberry and Rose Meringue Roulade with Crystallised Rose Petals

2011-06-15T18:01:00.000+01:00

Listen, I want to own up on this one. I have a patch of Wild Strawberries in the garden, unfortunately where I live in Essex there simply isn’t the volumes of Strawberries that you require to make this dish (not that you need a huge amount). The most prolific place I have ever seen Wild Strawberries growing was in the Welsh mountains, literally everywhere. So if you are lucky enough to live in an area where there is loads of Wild Strawberries or have a patch like me make this.. You’ll love it!

Wild Strawberry and Rose Meringue Roulade with Crystallised Rose Petals

For the Roulade:

5 egg whites
250g golden caster sugar (with a little extra for the cream)

2 caps of Rose water

200g Strawberry Jam (better the better)

284ml double cream (1 tub)

Small handful of Wild Strawberries

Icing Sugar

For the Crystallised Rose Petals

Handful of Wild Rose Petals (clean and dry)

1 egg white

1 small cup of very fine sugar (not icing sugar)

First the Crystallised Rose Petals: In a small bowl, combine the egg white with a little water, beat lightly with a fork. In a saucer place your sugar.

Rose petals have a wonderful perfumed flavour but you do need to gently remove the white part at the base of the petal as its bitter (use a sharp knife to remove it). Holding a flower or petal in one hand, dip a clean paint brush into the egg white with the other and gently paint the flower on both sides. Holding the flower or petal over the sugar dish, gently sprinkle sugar evenly again, all over both sides. Place petal on a non-stick sheet. Continue with the rest of the flowers.

Store in a dry place and let the petals dry completely. To do this more quickly place the petals on non-stick sheet in the oven at 150 degrees with the door ajar for a few hours.

Store the dried, crystallised flowers in airtight containers until ready to use, as long as they are completely dry they will last for ages.

Now to the Roulade: Get the oven on at 180C. Line a shallow sided tin or even better a Swiss roll tin (30cm x 30cm), with baking paper. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Next add the sugar a little at a time and whisk until the egg whites are stiff and the sugar thoroughly mixed in. Spoon the mixture evenly onto the baking tray and level it out nicely, bake for 15 minutes, until crisp on the outside and the top has taken a little colour. Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool completely.

Lay a piece of fresh greaseproof paper out and gently flip the meringue over onto it, carefully pull away the used paper and discard. The edges may have got a little crispy during the cooking, so if need be, and again with a sharp knife, trim off the edges. You need spreadable jam for the next stage so if you keep jam in the fridge make sure it has been out for a while and warmed up to room temperature. Spread the Strawberry Jam over the meringue all the way to the edges. Next, whip the cream with a little more sugar and the Rose water. When you want to whip the cream to almost stiff peaks, once this is achieved spread the cream over the Jam, again to the edges. Next, sprinkle over the Wild strawberries, making sure that the Strawberries are again evenly distributed through the Roulade. Roll the meringue up lengthways using the paper to help turn it over. Put on a serving tray and dust with icing sugar and liberally sprinkle with the crystallised rose petals.

So let’s picture the scene. A perfect lightly coloured crispy roll of meringue, softly whipped rose scented cream and Strawberry.. A simple show stopper of a dessert that combines the wonderful perfumes and flavours of Wild Rose and Wild Strawberry against a rich cream and the texture of baked meringue. Oh, and if you like your meringue chewy, put it in the fridge overnight, it’s even better the next day!!

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Grey Mullet with Sea Spinach Gnocchi, Pea Puree and Sea Vegetables - Recipes

2011-06-08T18:22:00.000+01:00

One of the greatest things I look forward too as spring develops into summer is the coming of the Grey Mullet. Grey Mullet are a warm water loving fish and wait for the first glints of summer to re-enter our estuaries and rivers. The Grey Mullet has never had a good reputation in the UK, although unsurprisingly it is loved in Europe. The fish stocks are designated as healthy and most importantly tasty! This recipes ingredients were all foraged and fished for in one location. The coast is such plentiful place to gather Wild Food that it is no surprise that our ancestors tended to stick to the shorelines and build their towns and cities.

Grey Mullet with Sea Spinach Gnocchi, Pea Puree and Sea Vegetables

Serves two

A fillet of Grey Mullet (I took a fillet from a 5lb fish)

800g Potatoes

200g Pasta flour

Good handful of Sea Spinach, Marsh Samphire, Sea Aster and Sea Purslane

5 Asparagus Spears

200g Peas (Frozen are perfect)

Handful of Mint

Glass of Milk

Butter

Rapeseed Oil

Maldon Salt and Pepper

If you’re lucky enough as I am to live near enough to the coast to fish for Grey Mullet then here’s a tip for you. That muddy flavour that tarnishes the Grey Mullets reputation is due to the late cleaning of the fish. If you catch one, look to clean the fish and get it refrigerated as soon as you can.

Once your fish is prepared, cut the fillet into thick strips about 4 or 5cm’s across, season and then place in the fridge until ready.

Next your Gnocchi, take clean your potatoes (make sure you use a floury type) and place in a saucepan with their skins on. Boil in salted water until they are tender, probably 20 or 25 minutes and then drain and allow to cool to the point where you can handle them. Now, and importantly whilst they are still warm, gently peel the skin off and place in a bowl. What we have done by cooking with the skins on is allowed some flavour from the skin to be retained, but also prevented some of the flavour being washed out in the cooking water. Mash the potato, season and allow to cool.

Whilst this is cooling take your Sea Spinach and remove the stems from the leaves with a little triangle shaped cut, although we are sacrificing a really tasty piece of the leaf the texture isn’t what we want in the Gnocchi. Place the leaves in small saucepan or frying pan and add a little spoon of butter and seasoning. Cook the leaves until they begin to collapse but not before they lose their colour. When done, chop finely and then place on a cold plate to cool.

Once the potato and Sea Spinach has cooled, combine the ingredients and then give a little stir. Add your flour and a small glug of Rapeseed Oil and combine. Once the ingredients start to combine empty the ingredients onto a work surface and gently knead. You should be left with a green speckled ball of loveliness. Divide the ball into 4 and roll into a long sausage probably 3cms (roughly an inch) across. Using the back of a knife divide your Gnocchi sausage into 3cm sections. Each section can then be gently rolled down a fork and placed on a floured plate ready to cook. Repeat this process for half of your Sea Spinach Gnocchi mix, the other half can be kept in your fridge or freezer for another day.

Now that your Gnocchi is prepared, all we have to do is prepare the sea vegetables and Asparagus and make the Pea Puree. The Pea Puree is this easy.. Place your peas in a saucepan, season and add the milk. Once they have come up to heat and the milk begins to froth place in a blender with some chopped mint and blend until smooth.

The sea Vegetables need to be washed and cleaned, its worth going through them and taking off the tough ends of the Samphire, checking for only the perfect leaves of Sea Aster and taking out the stalks of the Sea Purslane. Chop the Asparagus into 3cm sections discarding the tough end of the Asparagus.

Now time to cook!!

You’ll need two frying pans, a large saucepan of boiling salted water and your Pea Puree keeping warm on the stove, oh and two warm plates.

Firstly, take your Grey Mullet fillet strips and fry them skin down in a little Rapeseed Oil and Butter. Whilst that starts to cook, take your Gnocchi and spoon into the boiling water. The Gnocchi will take two or three minutes and is ready when it floats to the surface. Once the Gnocchi is cooked, using one of those spoons with that drains the Gnocchi. Spoon the Gnocchi into the second frying pan, again with a little Rapeseed Oil and Butter and fry (keep your eye on this because even in the newest of non-stick pans, it will try!). In the water that the Gnocchi cooked in, throw your Asparagus and Sea Vegetables into the water and turn off the heat.

Next, when the Grey Mullet skin has taken good colour and become crispy turn it over and turn the heat off on this pan as well.

The Gnocchi should have begun to colour by now so keep this moving in the frying pan whilst you prepare to serve.

On the warm plates, using a spoon draw a line across the plate of the Pea Puree, you want quite a lot of the puree, it’s delicious and adds a lovely freshness the plate.

The vegetables should have had about 2 minutes in the hot water now, that’s more than enough we want them to retain a crunch so using your draining spoon (whatever that is called), scoop up your vegetables and place them in with the Gnocchi. Toss the Gnocchi, Asparagus and Sea Vegetables together and then we are going to plate this up as well. Be a little chef’y with this and place it down the centre of the plate, making sure that there is a nice mix of the Gnocchi and different Sea Vegetables. Next get the fish and lay the fish evenly across the line Gnocchi. Now finish the plate with a little drizzle of Rapeseed Oil and devour!

Fresh Grey Mullet like this is stunning. The rich meat has a vague similarity to Salmon and its moist flesh and crunchy skin make the whole plate. The Gnocchi speckled with the Sea Spinach adds a touch of soft comfort and the crunchy sea Vegetables and Asparagus textures as well as flavour. The Pea Puree cuts through the richness of the Mullet and the Butter and freshens the whole dish. I serve the extra Pea Puree on the side too!.

Fresh Grey Mullet is the key to this dish, so next time you are at the seaside or by a marina take a look at the basking Grey Mullet, why not work out how to catch one!!

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Stinging Nettle and Potato Cakes - Recipes

2011-05-21T12:47:00.000+01:00

Prompted by a request for Stinging Nettle recipes, it wasn't until I looked at this blog I realised that I had been neglecting writing about this super of all Wild Foods, the Stinging Nettle. This recipe for Stinging Nettle and Potato cakes makes a great lunch, can be served as a side or smaller cakes can be made and used as a delicious party canape!

Stinging Nettle and Potato Cakes

Ingredients

1 large Potato, peeled and grated

200g Self Raising Flour

4 free-range Eggs

100ml Milk

Bowl of Stinging Nettle leaves

Nutmeg

1 Lemon

Maldon salt
Black Pepper

50g Butter

Olive Oil

Firstly we need to wilt the Stinging Nettles and destroy the sting, so place the Stinging Nettle leaves in a pan place a heat under them and then add a little Olive Oil and a splash of hot water from the kettle, wilt the Stinging Nettles and cook for 5 minutes gently stirring. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Next prepare the potato by peeling and grating it. Place the grated potato, flour, eggs, and milk into a bowl and mix until well combined, you are after a consistency that is firm but will fall off a spoon.

When the Stinging Nettles have cooled enough to be handled, gently squeeze any liquid from them. Run a knife through the leaves to break them up an little and then add them along with a grating of Nutmeg to the potato mixture. Stir until well combined. Season generously.

To cook heat the butter and oil in a frying pan. Using your hands create palm sized patties and gently fry until golden brown on both sides. This mix should make 4 good sized cakes.

To serve, stack the spinach and potato cakes onto a serving plate and squeeze over the lemon juice... If you do make the little ones for parties, make a spicy little dipping sauce too, they are lovely!

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Chicken Thighs with Morels - Recipes

2011-05-08T12:45:00.000+01:00

Only available on the rare occasion that you have a good glut of Morel mushrooms...

I know it rarely happens, but if you are to stumble upon a stash of Morel (and you have a couple of sneaky spots that you also know are good), you may have enough Morel to make this classic, fantastic and luxurious dish made with the freshest of Morel mushrooms.

Chicken Thighs with Morels

150g Fresh morels

200ml Chicken stock

Butter

Olive oil

6 Free Range Chicken Thighs

3 small Shallots
100ml Madeira

3 tbsp Crème fraîche

Maldon Salt

Black Pepper

From the Garden:

Small handful of Parsley

2 Bay Leaves

Firstly, make sure your Morel are clean, using a fine brush brush off any dirt, and make sure that there are no bugs hiding out in the mushrooms!! Chop any big morel in half length ways, the smaller can remain whole.

Next in a frying pan, melt a knob of butter and add a good glug of oil (make sure that you are using a large frying pan that has a lid). Next brown the chicken pieces, this should be about 10 minutes, once cooked remove from the pan and place onto a warm plate.

Finely chop your Shallots, then in the same pan that you cooked the chicken in fry them (add a little more oil if you need to) until they begin to sweeten and soften. Next add the morels and cook for another minute or so, stirring occasionally. Turn up the heat, then add the Madeira and cook for another minute.

Return the browned chicken to the pan and pour in the chicken stock then cover and simmer for about 25minutes. If you make sure that you get the whole stalk when you are picking the Parsley you can wrap the stalks with the Bay Leaves into a tight bundle (tie it off with string) and then add this to the mix too.

Once 25 minutes has passed, remove the chicken and mushrooms from the pan (place them on a warm plate) turn up the heat and reduce the sauce for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened (make sure that the sauce doesn't catch). Remove from the heat and stir in the Crème Fraîche. Season, add the chicken and morels, then gently reheat.

For me this is best served with a simple white rice. Place a large and generous spoon of the white rice onto a warm plate then follow this up with three of the pieces of the Chicken Thigh and the Morels. Spoon on plenty of the sauce and then sprinkle with chopped Parsley leaves.

Yummy!!!!

Oh, and if you do have a glut of Morels regularly why not drop me an email and tell me where they are and we'll soon get rid of that problem for you! ;-)

Wild Food Home

Hops , Shoots and Scores - The Wild Hop

2011-04-25T13:30:00.000+01:00

It has been a while since I have written about a particular plant. Usually I am focused on finding and eating them, but with the new season well underway I though it best to spend a little time getting to know a very useful plant, the Hop.

The Hop or Humulus Lupulus, is a climbing plant that is found mainly in the warmer parts of the UK. This inconspicuous climber can be found in hedgerows, and sometimes at the edge of woods climbing by wrapping clockwise around anything within reach and slowly but very surely climbing as high as 7.5m!

The plant can be identified by its leaves, to me they are similar to large Nettle leaves in look, they are large, palmate but divided into three to five lobes. The stem is square and has many side shoots. It is the side shoots that you want to pick and they are delicious.

Compared to Asparagus, Hop shoots are a delicate and desirable vegetable favoured greatly by most European nations. The tender green side shoots (leave the main stem to grow on until later in the season) can be picked from early spring, just before the first Asparagus.

The hop is a relatively new species to the UK, introduced in the 14th century from Europe where the Dutch were using it in a peculiar way, to flavour beer! Although this is the most famous use for the modern hop, the hop is a very useful plant medicinally too. Through history the hop has been said to be a cure for Stomach and Bowel complaints, it has also been used to ease the teething pains of new born babies through to a cure for venereal disease. In truth the Hop, which is a member of the Cannabis family is a mild sedative and the paper like sprays of flowers which can be collected and dried for winter in Autumn are best brewed in tea or even added to pillows to help with sleep.

So culinary uses, well treat the shoots like Asparagus. They should be cooked quickly to keep the flavour, colour and nutrients and genuinely don't need much done to them. Simply sautee with Butter (and a little garlic if you like) and serve as a side - perfect with a steak and a little Hollandaise sauce. Alternatively and again similar to Asparagus, Hop shoots have an affinity with Eggs so use them in omelette's. Additionally they make a great springtime risotto or even could be put through a very posh ham hock terrine.

The hop is a fantastic Wild Vegetable and the flowers are pretty useful too!

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Wild Garlic Foccacia Bread - Recipes

2011-04-21T18:30:00.000+01:00

Yes, yes, and another very loud yes.

You'll love this recipe if you are a lover of Italian food, Bread making, have a glut of Wild Garlic or are just hungry. There is nothing more satisfying than making your own bread and Foccacia flavoured with the wonderful Wild Garlic is a winner.

Wild Garlic Foccacia Bread

Ingredients

500g Strong White Bread Flour

5g Yeast

10g Maldon Salt (extra for the topping)

Black Pepper

325ml warm water

Glug of Olive Oil

200g Wild Garlic Leaves and Flowers

100g Almonds (Finely chopped)

The hardest thing about making bread is the waiting. Waiting for the yeast to do their work so you can eat it!! Bread is easy to make as long as you give it time; the right amount of time kneading, the right amount of time to rise, the right amount of time to cook.

Finely shred about a 1/4 of your Wild Garlic ready to put through mix. Place your flour, yeast, salt, warm water, shredded Wild Garlic and a good glug of Olive Oil into a mixing bowl and thoroughly combine. Pour the mix out onto a clean work surface and begin the kneading process. Kneading is easy, form a ball of dough, use one hand to secure the edge of the dough ball to the work surface, then using the palm of your other hand push the dough away from you to stretch the flour fibres. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, no less! Then put the dough back into a clean bowl and allow to rise in a warm place such as on top of your oven for an hour or so (until the mix has at least doubled in size).

Prepare your cooking tray, you want a non stick shallow tray (about 25cm x 35cm), oil the tray thoroughly with Olive Oil.

When your Foccacia dough has doubled in size (30 mins to an hour in a warm kitchen), knock it back a little and then place it in the prepared tray. Now you need to make the Foccacia fit the tray, evenly pushing the mix into a large flat square the size of your tray - make sure the dough is evenly spread and makes it into all of the corners. Now allow the bread to rise again for another 30 minutes to an hour. Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees.

Whilst this second rising is happening prepare your remaining Wild Garlic. Simply wash and dry the leaves, reserving the flowers and then finely chop (just the leaves). Also take your Almonds (if you have whole Almonds) and very finely slice /chop these too.

When the Foccacia has risen again use your thumb to gently (but firmly) make a pattern over the surface, these small pools will retain the Wild Garlic and Olive Oil later on but also add texture to the bread. Place in the oven and cook for 12 minutes.

When 12 minutes has passed quickly take the bread from the oven (making sure to close the oven door quickly to retain the heat). Sprinkle the top of the bread the chopped Almonds and evenly distribute the Finely Chopped Wild Garlic. Finish with a good pinch of Coarse Maldon Salt and a grinding of Black Pepper, then finish the bread with a little more Olive Oil. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes until golden brown.

Once cooked your kitchen will be filled with the intoxicating fume of fresh bread and warm Wild Garlic. Take the Wild Garlic Foccacia bread and place the now golden and herby slab on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Serve in nice big wedges decorated with the reserved white Wild Garlic flowers, with some sun dried tomatoes and Olives. Perfect for an appetiser or just as a greedy lunch!

Oh, and if you haven't got access to Wild Garlilc, why not try another Wild Herb such as Jack by the Hedge!

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Jack by the Hedge Panna Cotta with Pea Cream, Cleavers and Crispy Bacon - Recipes

2011-04-09T11:18:00.000+01:00

OK, so this recipe is a show off dish, Its a dinner party dish, and its a look what I can do with Wild Food dish! Its not a recipe of my own, but a recipe I have made a little more simple, a recipe created by a fantastic chef called David Everitt-Matthias. It combines the best ingredients of Spring and makes them into a jaw dropping starter! As you would imagine any recipe created by a Michelin star chef is a little complicated so I will treat each element (much the same as David does in his book) as an individual stage, this simplifies the recipe into manageable portions (serves 6).

Jack by the Hedge Panna Cotta

100ml Milk

400ml Double Cream

2g Powdered Agar Agar (or equivalent volume of Gelatine)

200g Jack by the Hedge

Firstly in a pan bring the cream and Milk to the boil, when boiling whisk in the Agar Agar (or Gelatine) and season generously. Add the chopped Jack by the Hedge and then quickly place the whole mixture into a blender and blend. Check your seasoning and then pour into ramekins (makes 6). Chill until set.

Pea Cream

250g Fresh Peas
Splash of Milk

Easiest part of the recipe!! Simply blanch the peas for 15 seconds and then place in a blender with a splash of milk and a little seasoning and blend until no lumps remain. Place in a bowl until ready to use.

The Garnish

12 Asparagus Spears

200g Fresh Peas
6 rashers of Good Bacon
100g Pea Shoots
18 Cleaver Tips

The garnish is all about quick cooking and keeping the ingredients fresh. Cook the Asparagus in boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes then remove from the water and set aside. Then place the peas in the boiling water and cook for just 15 seconds and remove, this light blanching keeps the peas raw but improves the flavour by taking away that rawness. Then fry then Bacon until Crispy. The pea shoots and cleavers will remain raw and act as a salad ingredient.

The Dressing

50ml Hazlenut Oil
Juice of half a Lemon
½ a Tsp of Sugar
Spoonful of the Bacon fat

Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined, season to taste.

Then to serve, love this bit! ! This is the opportunity to look real chef’y and seriously impress your friends! On a white plate (repeat the process on all of the plates) and using a teaspoon, spoon a line of the Pea Cream, then take a rasher of the warm crispy bacon and place it across the Pea Cream in the shape of a cross. Next in the top part of the cross, turn out your Jack by the hedge Panna Cotta . In a separate bowl dress your Asparagus Spears (chopped into sections), Pea shoots, Blanched Peas and Cleaver Tips in your dressing. Now its just a matter of delicately placing the dressed vegetables on the plates stacking them on top of the Panna Cotta , Bacon and Pea Cream. The finished plate should have a criss cross of the sweet pea cream and warm crispy bacon with a soft pale green Panna Cotta at the top of the plate adorned with brilliant green sweet spring vegetables. What a treat and a great way to start a meal!

Oh, and if in season use the delicate white flowers as an extra garnish too! Stunning.

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Wild Herbs Three ways - Recipes

2011-04-02T11:18:00.000+01:00

Don’t you just love the Spring, the expectation of Summer to come and the new growth and green of the season is such a fresh reward after a long Winter. Early Spring is about new shoots, fresh herbs and green leaves but it is the Wild Herbs that I will focus on in this collection of recipes. There are so many Wild Herbs available Alexanders, Bistort, Borage, Burdock, Chickweed, Chives, Dandelion, Fat Hen, Ground Elder, Mallow, Nettle, Sorrel and of course Wild Garlic! There are countless herbs, many that I haven’t mentioned and even more recipes but I thought I would share three ways to use this new season bounty so you can enjoy enjoy them yourselves!

Wild Herb Sandwich Filling

So simple you’ll love it! Simply get a tub of Mascarpone or Cream Cheese such as Philadelphia, and chop up some of your favourite Wild Herbs Borage, Wild Garlic, Jack by the Hedge, Wild Chives, Sorrel or Lady’s Smock mix them through the Cream Cheese and spread on good home made bread!

Wild Garlic Relish

This quick Relish can be used for anything but why not try it with cold meats, or even fish! You need some body to this relish so boil and cook a carrot and parsnip and place in a blender, peel and add a an Onion and a Tomato and of course a good handful of Wild Garlic. Blend until you have a rough jumble of vegetables and then add a real good splash of Cider Vinegar, season generously and then add a small amount of Caster Sugar, pulse again to mix and then decant into small sterilised jars. It will keep for ages in the fridge!

Wild Herb Dressing

Take a bunch of Wild Herbs, your favourites will do! Finely chop them and add them to a clean and empty jam jar. Next add the juice of a Lemon, Salt and Pepper, a teaspoon of Dijon Mustard (or a homemade Wholegrain mustard!) and then a good glug of Rapeseed and then place the lid on the jar and shake until mixed. Perfect for salads, but also good for new season potatoes!

There are so many ways to use Wild Herbs, these days its just about finding the time to go out and find all of these dainty delicious delicacies!!

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White dead nettle and Sorrel Quiche with Wild Herb Pastry - Recipes

2011-03-26T13:17:00.000Z

I just love to have something in the fridge that I can grab on the go. Like most people weekdays are fast and furious and the time required to make pastry simply isn’t there. This dish is a great to bake on a Sunday, so it will last all week but it also makes great use of a rarely written about ingredient, the Dead Nettle! The White dead Nettle has all the health benefits of its namesake cousin but without the Sting (see Edible Stinging Nettle). Coupled with Sorrel this makes for a it makes for a fantastic and very pretty Quiche that you can enjoy all week.. The pastry is pretty good too!

Wild Herb Pastry

500g Plain Flour (Organic if you have it)

200g Butter (Cubed and Cold)

50 g Grated Strong Cheddar

Small bunch of Wild Herbs (Wild Thyme, Wild Chives whatever you want!)

2 Large Free Range Eggs

Splash of Milk

Maldon Salt

Black Pepper

Pastry is not complicated, especially if you have got a blender. Put the flour, butter and Cheese into the Blender and blend until a bread crumb texture is achieved. Now season and add your favourite chopped Wild Herbs and both the eggs, pulse the blender until the mix is starts to come together. Add a splash of milk, pulse again until the mix starts to come together into a single ball of pastry. Empty the pastry onto the side and gently push the pastry together (be careful not to knead the pastry). Wrap in Cling Film and place into the fridge until ready (at least 30 minutes though!!).

White Dead Nettle and Sorrel quiche filling

400ml Creme Fraiche
3 Tbsp Milk
4 Free Range Eggs
100g of Ricotta
Good bunch of young White Dead Nettles (in flower)
Handful of Sorrel leaves
Maldon Salt
Black Pepper

Firstly, de-leaf your Dead Nettles wash and chop the leaves. Next pluck the White Flower heads from the stalks and also set aside (fiddly but worth it). Chop your Sorrel Leaves and place them with your chopped Dead Nettle Leaves. In a bowl mix your Creme Fraiche, Milk and Eggs. Season and add your Ricotta Cheese, chopped Sorrel and Dead Nettle leaves, plus half of the White Dead Nettle flowers. Place in the fridge until ready.

Get the oven warming to 190 degrees

To assemble the Quiche, take half of the pastry (the remaining pastry can be frozen ) and roll into a round (bigger than your chosen quiche tin). Generously butter your tin and then firm the pastry into it (pricking the base of the pastry with a fork). Cover with baking paper, add your baking beans and then bake the pastry case for 15 minutes.

Next remove from the oven, take out the baking beans and paper and then let the pastry have another 10 minutes in the oven to lightly brown.

Again remove from the oven but allow the pastry to cool slightly. Turn the oven down to 180 degrees. When the mix has cooled slightly gently spoon the mix into the dish. Finally sprinkle over the remaining White Dead Nettle Flowers and return to the oven for the final cooking - 35 minutes or so until the eggs have set and the middle is no longer wobbly.

Enjoy this fantastic White Dead Nettle and Sorrel Quiche with a green salad, if you have the time or alternatively just grab a slice on the run!

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Cream of Nettle Soup with Garlic Mustard Oil - Recipes

2011-03-05T10:23:00.000Z

What an exciting time of the year early spring is. Mother nature begins to wake from her winter slumber and the green shoots and new years growth starts its push toward sunlight. One of the first edible plants to be seen is the easy to recognise Stinging Nettles. The Stinging Nettle is simply one of the most nutritious leaves you can eat, full of Vitamins and rich in Iron it is not only healthy but also a very tasty vegetable. This soup is simple and doesn't take to long to make, when accompanied by an equally easy to make Garlic Mustard Oil it elevates what could be a simple soup to a new and even tastier dimension!

Cream of Nettle Soup

350g young, washed Stinging Nettles (Leaves, no stalks)

2 Sticks Celery

1 Carrot

1 Large Onion peeled and finely chopped

250ml of chicken or vegetable stock

100ml crème fraîche
25g Butter

Maldon Salt

Black pepper
Nutmeg

Handful of Pumpkin Seeds for Garnish

Garlic Mustard Oil

50ml Rapeseed or Olive Oil
50g Garlic Mustard Leaves, washed

Wash the Stinging Nettles well (use gloves!). Get a large pan on the stove and over gentle heat melt the butter. Finely chop your Onion, Celery, Carrot and add them to the pan with a pinch of Salt and sweat for five minutes (don't colour the vegetables you want them to sweeten, the onions will become translucent).

Now add the Stinging Nettles and allow the leaves to completely wilt, then add the stock and allow to simmer for 10 minutes - its this heat that destroys the sting in the nettles.

Whilst the nettles are simmering make your Garlic Mustard Oil. This is so simple it is barely a recipe! Add your leaves and your Oil to a blender and blend. Decant into a suitable container (one that you can accurately pour from and keep in the fridge) and that's it. It will keep for a week or so in the fridge and you'll end up finishing loads of dishes with it - my favourite is to finish mashed potato with the oil, however it also can be used as a dressing or even to make an amazing homemade mayonnaise.

Back to the soup, once the 10 minutes have passed pour the soup into a clean blender and purée the Stinging Nettles until the mixture is smooth.

Return to the pan and stir in most of the the Crème Fraîche, add a good grating of nutmeg and correct the seasoning, soup done!

In a dry pan lightly heat the Pumpkin seeds and gently toast.

To serve simply ladle the warm soup into a suitable bowl, now here's the bit that elevates it from good to wonderful! Using a teaspoon take the remaining Crème Fraîche and using the tip of the spoon lightly stir the top of the soup so that you get creamy white rings of Crème Fraîche on the surface. Now using a pourer and again in rings overlapping the Crème Fraîche add your Garlic Mustard Oil - you don't need an oil slick, just some thin rings of this wonderful garlic flavoured oil. Finally sprinkle some of the toasted Pumpkin Seeds over the steaming soup and serve with warm bread and butter.. Who would have thought that health food could be so good!!

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Wild Cherry Bakewell Cake - Recipes

2011-02-24T19:28:00.000Z

One of my favourite storecupboard treasures.. Wild Cherry Jam! The process of collecting and de-stoneing thousands of little Wild Cherries isn't rewarded until you hear the pop of a lid coming off a new jar. I make a lightly spiced and what can only be described as 'moody' Wild Cherry Jam. It is simply lovely, put it into a sweet cake like this and that is Sunday afternoon looked after! Search the hedgerows and woodland this summer and find your own tree(s), its worth it for just the jam let alone a Wild Cherry Bakewell cake!!

Wild Cherry Bakewell Cake

For the cake:

200g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

4 Large Eggs

200g golden caster sugar

100g ground almonds

100g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 small Pinch of Salt

½ tsp almond extract (not the essence!!)

For the filling and topping

175g Wild Cherry Jam

175g icing sugar
1 tbsp Flaked almonds
6 tsp Water

Get the oven on at 180 degrees C

Prepare your cooking tins and butter and line the bases of 2 x 20cm rounds with baking paper.

Beat together all the cake ingredients until smooth and completely combined. Spoon into the tins and level the tops making sure that you have even amounts of the mixture in each tin. Bake for 30 mins or until golden and springy. Don't open the oven before 25 mins cooking time has passed, use a wooden skewer to see if the cakes are cooked through, insert the skewer into the centre of the cake if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.

When they're ready, place them onto a cooling rack and allow to cool.

When completely cooled, put one sponge on a serving plate (or cake decorating platform) and spread with jam. Sandwich the second sponge on top.

Next make the topping - sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the water and stir until smooth and thick. Spread evenly over the top and let it trickle over the sides of the sponges (elegantly if you can). Scatter with the nuts (lightly toast them if they aren't already) and leave to set for as long as you can before cutting.

Cup of tea and this cake?? Oh yes!

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Venison Stew with Wild Marjoram Dumplings

2011-02-02T18:07:00.000Z

Winter is all about hearty foods and puds. It's a time to pillage your summer and autumn Wild plunders and preserves and cook next to a warm oven. This recipe is as reassuring as a warm kitchen. Its delicious, its simple and although it appears to take a long time to cook takes very little time to prepare.

Venison Stew with Wild Majoram Dumplings

2kg Venison (any of the stewing cuts)

2 Large Carrots

Stick of Celery

100g plain flour

25g dripping, lard or oil

4 Juniper Berries

1/2 Wine Glass of Port
500g shallots

Tbsp Hawthorn Ketchup (Redcurrant Jelly if you haven't got it)

1 Litre beef stock

The dumplings:

140g suet
50g dried Wild Marjoram
350g self-raising flour

From the garden:

4 Bay leaves
Small bunch of Thyme

Get the oven on to 140C.

You can ask your Butcher to cut the Venison into 2cm cubes. Place the cut Venison into a large plastic bag with the flour and some seasoning. Close the bag and shake it really well to coat all the meat with the seasoned flour. Melt the dripping (or whatever fat you would prefer) in a very large ovenproof casserole dish and put in the Venison and shallots. Give everything a good stir and cook for 10 mins until starting to brown - try not to to turn the meat of shallots very often to assure the caramelisation). Next roughly chop the Celery and Carrots (skin on, tops removed) and add these along with the crushed Juniper Berries and Bay leaves. Fry for another minute or so. Next turn up the heat to full and pour over the Port, scraping the bottom of the pan and making sure you release any crispy caramelised flavour. Next. Pour over the stock, season and add the Hawthorn Ketchup, stir and cover with a lid, transfering to cook in the oven for 2½ hrs, or until the meat is tender.

Just before the beef cooking time is up chop and stir the Thyme into the stew and make the dumplings. Mix all the ingredients with 175ml cold water to form a heavy dough. Roll the dough into balls about the size of golf balls. Pop the dumplings into the casserole dish, leave off the lid and return to the oven. Increase heat to 200C and cook for 15-25 mins until the dumplings are puffed up, golden and cooked through.

I'm sorry if you don't drink but this dish needs a glass of red with it. Serve the Venison stew in bowls with plenty of the rich gravy and of course two or three of those delcious Wild Marjoram infused dumplings..

Yummy!

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Wild Rose Petal Jam Roly Poly - Recipes

2011-01-25T10:03:00.000Z

Its Mid-Winter, the nights are cold there isn't many fresh foods around let alone Wild Foods.. And my stomach yearns for the Spring to return! When you hit this point in the Winter there is only one thing to do, bring out the heavy hitters of Wild Comfort Food. This recipe utilises my Wild Rose Petal Jam, I don't make much with this as the amount of Wild Rose Petal Jam yielded from many hours of petal picking is relatively little. So when you do open a jar its time to celebrate and use it in a pudding that repays those hard earned hours of picking.

Wild Rose Petal Jam Roly Poly

Ingredients

50g salted butter, cold and cut into chunks, plus extra for greasing

250g self-raising flour , plus extra for rolling

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
50g shredded suet
150ml milk, plus a drop more if needed
100g Wild Rose Petal Jam

This is a different cooking technique to the normal hours of steaming and for someone as clumsy as me in the kitchen.. Far more reliable!

Place a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven, place it in the middle we are going to bake the pudding above it. Fill to half way with boiling water from the kettle and heat oven to 180 degrees C.

To make the Roly Poly tip the butter, flour and vanilla seeds (scraped from the pod) into a food processor; pulse until the ingredients have been completely combined. Then place in a mixing bowl. Stir through the suet and the milk and work together to form a sticky dough. If the mix is dry add a little milk.

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, combine into a round (not to much handling though), then roll out to a square roughly 25 x 25cm. Spread the Wild Rose Petal jam generously all over, leaving a gap along one edge, then roll up from the opposite edge. Pinch the jam-free edge into the dough where it meets, and pinch the ends roughly, too - making a huge fat swiss roll.

To cook the pudding we need to create the perfect container, this is very easy. Tear off a large sheet of foil and also an equaly big sheet of greaseproof paper (about 40 x 40cm each). Sit the greaseproof on top of the foil and butter it.

Carefully lift the pudding onto the greased paper, join-side down and loosely bring the paper and foil around it, then scrunch together along the edges and ends to seal into a huge glorioulsy jammy cigar shape. The Wild Rose Petal Jam roly-poly will puff up quite a bit during cooking so don't wrap it too tightly. Place the Roly Poly in the oven directly above the tin and cook for 1 hr.

When ready to serve take the Rose Petal Roly Poly out of the oven and allow to rest for 5 mins before unwrapping this will help it to hold together.

Now its time to serve.. As you peel back the wrapping you'll get the first hit of jammy sweet steam. The pudding must be cut into thick slices so that the pink rings of the Wild Rose petal Jam are visible prior to being devoured. It is absolutely essential that you serve this pudding with custard, the worse the weather outside the better and more satisfying the pudding!!

British classic made with a sophisticated and most delightful Rose flavoured jam.. If you didn't make the jam last year make sure that this year you do, just for this once a year super treat!
If you want to know how to make Wild Rose Petal Jam click the link.

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Any Fish Stew - Recipes

2011-01-17T15:36:00.000Z

The reason that I love fishing is the surpise.. You simply never know what you are going to catch. In the winter most sea fisherman are hypnotised by the call of the cod. Although I will have a rod that targets the larger species such as the cod I will also have a rod that targets other equally tasty but smaller species. This stew is perfect for one of those trips where you caught one of these or a small one of that. Any fish will do. So if you are a fisherman why not keep species such as Dab, Whiting or even Pouting (in the Summer try different species then too) and try this recipe .If you aren't a fisherman try buying other less popular species, you never know you may be pleasantly suprised!

Any Fish Stew

Ingredients

2 Tbsps Olive Oil

2 Medium Onions, Peeled chopped

1 Tin of Anchovies (in oil, not salted)

1 Can of Tomatoes

1/2 Tsp Smoked Sweet Paprika

150ml of Fish Stock

150ml of White Wine
Tsp of Sherry Vinegar

2 Medium Potatoes Cut into chunks

750g Filleted Fish (Any fish!! Use different species, take the weight off of the more off of the under threat species)

Small tub of Crayfish Tails (you can use Prawns if you like)

2 Tsp Capers

Maldon Salt
Black Pepper

From the Garden:

Small bunch of Curly Parsley

In a frying pan heat the Olive Oil and then gently fry the onions (with a pinch of salt) until cooked but not coloured. Whilst the onions are cooking take the Anchovies from the pack and roughly chop, add these to the onions (with a little of the oil) and stir in so that they dissolve into the hot oil.

Now add the tomatoes, paprika, wine and fish stock and simmer for about 10 minutes, tasting and correcting the seasoning as the sauce reduces slightly.

Depending on what fish you have got add the more solid fish, to the sauce now. Add whole fillets or sections. If the fish has a skin allow to cook slightly and then gently peel off in the pan as the fillets begin to cook. Next add the softer fish, crayfish tails, the capers and the Sherry Vinegar cook for 5 minutes until the fish is cooked (any bones or skin should be removed now!), try and leave the fish in large chunks.

The final act is to roughly chop some parsley and stir it through the sauce. Simple!

This quick simple any fish stew is a delight served with just crusty bread or if you are a little more hungry how about some lemon rice.

Remember if you love fish, try an diversify the species that you catch and / or eat!

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Stuffed and baked Horse Mushrooms - Recipes

2010-11-03T22:13:00.000Z

Horse Mushrooms always get my heart pumping. You normally see them before any other mushrooms floating above the green grass like huge white UFO’s. This visibility is due to their size and this is why they are perfect for stuffing! This recipe couples the Horse Mushrooms with strong flavours and is quick and easy to make, perfect for a hungry snack on your return from collecting them! You’ll want large Horse Mushrooms but not so large that they have started to flatten out.

Stuffed and Baked Horse Mushrooms

Ingredients

2 Large but round Horse mushrooms

Half a red onion

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Stilton

1 Tbsp Breadcrumbs

Olive Oil
Maldon Salt
Black Pepper

From the garden:

Small bunch of herbs including Parsley, Coriander, Dill, Chives and Thyme or you could go with Wild herbs and use Sorrel, Wild Marjoram, Cow Parsley, Water Mint and Wild Chives

Get the oven on to 200C.

Start by cleaning the Horse Mushrooms, remove the stalks and chop, reserving them until later. Next place the Horse mushrooms onto a baking tray, gill side up. As the mushrooms are quite big we want to be generous with the flavour so divide the butter into two and add the butter to each mushroom. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place a sprig of fresh thyme in both the mushrooms (if the Thyme stalks are a little woody pulls the leaves off and place just the leaves in the base of each of the Horse Mushroom caps.

Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Whilst the Horse Mushrooms are baking, heat some olive oil in a frying pan, fry the chopped onion for a minute or so and the add the chopped mushroom stalks and cook until soft.

Chop your herbs.

Once the mushrooms have cooked for 10 minutes, spoon the onion and mushroom stalk mixture into the two baked mushrooms and sprinkle each of the mushrooms with the herbs reserving half. Break the Stilton with your fingertips and place on top of the mushrooms. Finally sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top of the cheese, finish with a final swirl of Olive Oil and then put back in the oven until for about 5 minutes, don’t remove until the cheese is melted and bubbling!

To serve, place the mushrooms onto a serving plate and sprinkle over the remaining chopped fresh herbs.

Enjoy with a glass of scrumpy!

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Spaghetti Tetrazzini with Bay Bolete’s - Recipes

2010-10-27T21:09:00.000+01:00

So its Mushroom season and I stumble across a new piece of woodland that is densely populated with a member of the Bolete family – the Bay Bolete. The Bay Bolete is a good looking mushroom, like all of the Bolete family! They also seem to fruit together and in good numbers. This allows the mushroom hunter to be pick only the best specimens perfect for the fussy forager cook! Picking just the perfect mushrooms my mind was already spinning with ideas and ways to cook this very edible mushroom, in the end I came up with this Spaghetti Tettrazzini or Chicken and Bay Bolete pasta bake!

Spaghetti Tetrazzini with Bay Bolete’s

Ingredients:

2 Handfuls of Fresh Bay Bolete Mushrooms (medium sized)

4 Free range Chicken Thighs

1 White Onion

Large glass of White Wine

Packet of Dried Spaghetti

500ml Low fat Crème Fraiche
250g Parmesan (Grated)
Olive Oil
Maldon Salt
Black Pepper

From the Garden:

Small bunch of Parsley

Small bunch of Basil

Your going to need a really big and deep frying pan or a large saucepan and a saucepan to cook the Spaghetti in (get it boiling with plenty of water and a good punch of salt).

Firstly, slice your Bolete mushrooms into lengthways slices just under 1/2 cm thick. Put some Olive Oil in your frying pan and fry the slices quickly until they begin to take colour then set aside.

Take your pieces of chicken and cut into long strips about a 1cm thick. Season and then fry off until cooked and again have taken on a little colour, again when done set aside on a warm plate until ready.

Add the Spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente (do not over cook, you want the Spaghetti to finish cooking when baking).

Warm the oven to 225 degrees

Peel and slice your Onion and then add it to the now empty frying pan, add a pinch of salt and some Olive Oil and then sweat the onion down until sweet (try not to get any colour on the onions). When the onion is translucent and sweet add the Chicken pieces and mushrooms to the pan (and any juice that may have come from the mushrooms and Chicken), turn the heat right up and add the glass of wine, reduce the sauce by half.

Now, turn off the heat and add the chopped herbs, half of the Parmesan and the Crème Fraiche and check the seasoning, correcting if necessary.

Drain your 'al Dente pasta' and add it to the pan of Mushroom’y, Chicken and sauce. Stir in. A quick note if the sauce was looking a little to thick (you want it to be thin enough to coat the Spaghetti but not so thin that it doesn’t cling to the pasta) use some of the pasta cooking water to loosen it.

Pour the mix into a suitably sized baking dish and leaves just a little room at the top and then distribute the remaining Parmesan over the top evenly. Finish the top with a little Olive Oil and then bake until the top goes brown and crispy, about 15 minutes.

When the dish is done serve huge ladles of the mix with fresh steamed Broccoli that itself has been finished with a little more Olive Oil and some toasted Almond flakes.

Simple to cook, simply lovely.

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Penny Buns and Courgette Pasta (Porcini and Zucchini Tagliatelli) - Recipes

2010-10-20T21:34:00.002+01:00

On my holiday in Sicily this was one of the first things I ate there. In a converted farmhouse on the slopes of Mount Etna a picked a simple looking vegetarian pasta dish as the meatballs where coming next. When was the last time that you were stopped in your tracks by a dish? This one was simply fantastic and even with further close investigation I could not work out why. The reason I found out later in the trip was the exquisitely flavoured vegetables grown and foraged on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna.

Penny Buns and Courgette Pasta (Porcini and Zucchini Taliatelli)

Serves 2

Ingredients

250g Homemade Pasta
1 Large Penny Bun

2 Small young Organic Courgettes
1 Medium sized White Onion

1 Small Organic Green Pepper

Small bunch of Thyme

Parmesan Cheese

Maldon Salt

Black Pepper
Olive Oil

1 Green Chilli

Ok, so I have adapted this recipe a little too how I tasted it, but this is for one simple reason. I don’t have a volcano to grow my vegetables on, Organically of course so instead I have added a little Onion and Chilli to replicate the amazing flavour and as in Sicily all the vegetables must be fresh, extremely local, organic and packed with flavour and the pasta homemade.

Start by making your pasta (Tagliatelli or long strips of pasta), the ladies at the farmhouse made their own pasta and left the Tagliatelli quite chunky – please see my Wild Pasta recipe for more details.

Get a large saucepan boiling with plenty of water and a good punch of salt.

Slice your Penny Bun mushroom in two and then slice it quite thinly. In a frying pan place plenty of Olive Oil and on a high heart fry the slices of Penny Bun until they take colour. Set aside on a warm plate. Add a little more Olive Oil to the pan and then add the courgettes (again pretty thinly sliced). Cook on a high heat until they take colour and again set aside.

Now take your onion and thinly slice add to the frying pan along with the Chilli (finely dice the Chilli) and diced green Pepper, season and sweat the ingredients gently until they become sweet and the Onions translucent.

Get your pasta in the boiling water and cook until Al Dente.

Add your reserved ingredients to the frying pan along with the chopped Fresh Thyme and a little of the pasta cooking water (to loosen and make a sauce).

Drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan, stir in and then check the seasoning.

Serve on warm plates with a generous grating of fresh Parmesan and finish with a little Olive Oil.

It takes me back to the farmhouse just thinking about it!

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Image supplied by http://www.huntergathercook.com/

Wild Foods of Sicily - Sicilian Wild Food

2010-09-30T18:42:00.000+01:00

Back from my holidays from the beautiful island of Sicily and well, what a place and what a Wild Food heaven. If you want to visit a country that truly uses Wild Food in all of its forms (and has never forgotten) visit Sicily!

Sicily has a rich and complex history of oppression and invasion. With every conquering army came new cultures, foods and cooking techniques. With the Greeks and Romans came the cultivation of the grapes, with the Arabs Citrus fruits. In more recent times money and social class also had a lot of influence on Sicilian dishes whilst the rich gorged on delicate pastries and complicated dishes dreamed up by imported or French trained chefs the poor still led a peasant and usually vegetarian diet based on what they could afford or forage.

In the North East of the country where I was staying the landscape is dominated by Mount Etna, a still very active volcano. Although most would think that a volcano is a destructive force it is a huge positive force of creation. The rich soils that lay on its slopes are incredibly fertile and so rich that they directly affect the flavour of everything that is grown upon them. A lady who lived on the farm we stayed at on the first part of our trip simply described this flavour as ‘the taste’ and she was so right. All foods grown on or near the slopes of Etna, wild or cultivated are extraordinarily rich in flavour and just downright delicious!

The Wild Food plants of Sicily are hugely varied and there are plants that thrive on the slopes of Mount Etna, in the heart of the country as well as on the coast that also exist here in the UK. There are many many great Wild foods that are readily used by Sicilians. Even when relaxing by the pool I saw an older man teaching his 30 something daughter to pick the best Wild Greens on the hills nearby, a scene that I presume has played out many times there before. I’ll take you through some of Wild Foods that I found although I do not pretend to have grasped anywhere near a full understanding.

Wild Fennel

What an important Wild Food this is in Sicily. Wild Fennel is regularly used in many dishes (most traditional fish Sicilian dishes involving Sardines and Anchovy) and plays a major part in flavouring the Sicilian national dish ‘Pasta con Sarde’ or in English ‘Pasta with Sardines’. This wonderful aniseed flavoured vegetable grows everywhere and can be harvested from spring through to autumn. The plants stem, leaves and seeds are all edible and can be eaten cooked and raw or as in this cases a fantastic flavouring.

Wild Oregano

On the slopes of Mount Etna we had booked a few days in a converted farmhouse, literally as soon as the taxi dropped us off I started to see massive volumes of Wild Oregano growing everywhere. This fantastic meaty herb so well known in Italian and Sicilian cooking was growing profusely and simply everywhere. This herb like its close relative Wild Marjoram and unlike many other herbs benefits from being dried. This is the way that it is sold in markets and shops all over Sicily and the way in which I prefer to use it.

Wild Asparagus

What a delight, to be able to amble through the hills and collect s
uch a kingly gift as a bunch of Wild Asparagus. Asparagus has been used from early times as a vegetable and medicine, owing to its delicate flavour and diuretic properties. There is a recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest surviving book of recipes, Apicius’s third century AD De re coquinaria, Book III. I found it not on the hillsides but in the markets in beautiful and convenient bunches.. The fantasy that overtook me when I saw it for the first time was individual spears doused in Olive Oil and seasoning with a twist of Lemon juice and thrown on a BBQ over hot coals! Smokey, green meatiness with a citrus edge, delicious!

Prickly Pears

Prickly pears are the fruit of the cactus and are available in autumn. They proudly display themselves to the sun to ripen along the edge of the oval cactus leaves to ripen from green spiky fruits to yellow, orange and red fruits. The fruits are spiked and for this reason difficult to collect - I was recommended to forage with chain mail gloves and a knife in order to collect prickly pears, you assume heavy artillery such as this is required until you see the street food salesmen preparing them for passers by with their bare hands! However, to the untrained or un-hardened hands I think this is an excellent recommendation! The flesh tastes remarkably like Melon, and as I dodged the many pips and wiped the sweet juice from my chin I thought this would indeed be a perfect accompaniment to salty slices of Parma Ham. It was the first time I had tasted this wonderful wild food and still my mind swims with the possibilities that are to be had with it. My latest idea is a sorbet.. Surely the Sicilians have thought of that!?

Wild Grapes and Vines

Perhaps the most ancient reference to Sicily’s thriving wild vines is in Homer’s Odyssey, as it talks about vines growing wild everywhere on the “land of the Cyclops.” It was the Greeks in the 7th century B.C. that gave life to Sicily's fertile viticulture tradition. The Arabs are credited with planting the Zibibbo vine, a wine with a liqueur quality that makes it the perfect accompaniment to Sicilian cannoli or other desserts but also for ripping up the many by then well established ancient greek vineyards and replacing them with citrus trees! Some of these Wild Vines relatives are those that make up the unique and stunning wine that is made today.

Capers

I was in Sicily in September so too late to see this enormously famous Wild Food, made famous by the Italians. The Caper is the pickled immature flower head of the plant that’s Latin name is ‘Capparis Spinosa’. Italy and most importantly Sicily produces the best Capers (we can make a poorer version but still good from Pickled Dandelion heads). Although the French try, the Italians are the kings with Capers!

Capers come in many grades and this was what astounded me in Sicily. The sheer volume and types and grades available are mind boggling. When you get used to the volumes and types of Capers and then find out you can buy the mature fruits pickled as well, you will probably give up and just accept you won’t ever be able to tell the difference. The Caper plant an easily recognisable bush with succulent leaves that grow on walls and rocks along the seaside.

Dorade

Now here was a surprise for me.. Although I have been told that this fish is far wider traveller than just European waters I had never tasted it before. This fish similar in look to a UK Sea Bream is simply lovely. I swam with them in the bay next to the Isola Bella (beautiful island) and when climbed the steps to Taormina town.. I ate them at a fantastic restaurant called Nino’s (which I highly recommend) with nothing but a fantastic local Olive Oil poured over the perfectly filleted fish. What a great night and most importantly what a great dish! If you go to Nino’s though easy on the Grappa, they are generous!

Sweet Chestnuts

One of the most ancient and largest chestnut trees can be found in Sicily, not far from the farmhouse in which we stayed on the slopes of Etna. The Chestnut tree is 3000 years old and is known to local Sicilians as Castagno dei Cento Cavalli, or Chestnut Tree of the 100 Horses. It is believed that Giovanna the first of Argon and her attendants got caught in a rainstorm while hunting on Etnas’s slopes. When the rainstorm – and we got caught in a huge Autumnal thunder storm so can vouch for the power of them – started, they sought refuge under this amazing tree (the tree is 60 metres around). The Sweet Chestnut nuts on the slopes of Etna appeared to be huge, again probably due to the immensely fertile soils and the trees all strong and tall. Although I was too early to taste any of the dishes created by Sicilians with this huge sweet nut I am sure that the previous Spanish invaders made sure that Chocolate would have been paired somewhere along the way!

Rabbit

Sicily's aristocratic hunters used to roast rabbit but it isn't as popular as it once was. But small scale hunting appeared to be OK! The slopes of Etna for short times seemed to sometimes crackle with shotgun fire as Rabbit were being hunting and collected. Although this could be easily mistaken for fireworks that are always used by towns and villages to celebrate their favourite saint, the celebration that I heard was definitely one of a culinary influence. Although I never got to taste Rabbit on the menu I was told that they do make an excellent Ragu from it.

Wild Mushrooms

Sicilian cuisine contains the use of many Wild Mushrooms, whether this is a direct influence of the very close by Italy or if the ancient invaders brought this love there is many Wild mushrooms available in the island. Although the obvious prince of all mushrooms is the most common – The Porcini!! There is also other very common mushrooms including the king trumpet mushroom or French horn mushroom which is also native to many other Mediterranean regions as well as the king of all mushrooms the Caesar Mushroom.

Without trying to sound like a tour company or someone who has a direct relations with the tourist board of Sicily I would highly recommend any Wild food enthusiast to arm themselves with a little knowledge about the cuisine and indeed the Wild Food and then head for this amazing place. The scenery is jaw droopingly beautiful, the waters crystal clear, the people warm and welcoming and most importantly the food is simply amazing. I say simply with a dual reference, the food is simple but that is because it doesn’t need to be complicated – the ingredients speak for themselves! What isn’t wild is probably Organic as again due to the fertile soils of Etna they are the largest supplier or Organic produce to Italy, this sparsely populated island supplying over 30% of all organic produce to Italy!

One of the best dishes that I ate in Sicily was a Courgette and Penny Bun or Zucchini and Porcini Tagliatelli, but another foraged treat which again is nationally famous is meatballs grilled in foraged Lemon leaves – a dish that I am hoping to replicate with Lime leaves here! Of course the Tagliatelli was home made and the vegetables were grown and foraged on the slopes of this generous volcanoe, but this was the dish that was simply explained to me as ‘the taste’ of Etna.. You must go!

Wild Thyme and other herbs, Wild Thistles and other Wild Greens litter the mountainsides. Wild fruits such as figs, Wild Olives and escaped fruits such as Banana’s all grow vigorously where ever they find enough soil to plant roots. The hills and mountains hide treats such as the nearly wild Nebrodian Black Pig and the seas, especially the Aeolian Sea that I spent so much time swimming in hides fish species such as Swordfish, Tuna, Sardines and Anchovy and other edibles even though its aquamarine waters are so clear they look like they could hide nothing!

If you are lucky enough to be close or have a good view of the sea in the evening keep your eyes out for the small fishing boats hunting fish and Octopus with bright lights at night. The fishermen hunt their wild prey by looking through bottomless dustbins and hunting with very long fishing spears, spearing the startled Octopus and fish including fish such as the Scorpion fish, when they are dazzled by the lights.

Or you could even try more exotic flavours such as the Sea Anemone, although an acquired taste I found it delicious cooked with pasta. Or something more close to home such as a Nettle risotto, treats I am sure that you would agree if found on menu's in the UK, common place in Sicily!

Sicily, especially the North East is a magical place and one where the Wild Food enthusiast can forage and experiment themselves or if you would prefer to be on holiday and relax, Wild Food is so embedded within local tradition you will easily find someone else to do the foraging and cooking for you!

I can‘t wait to go back and there and enjoy this stunning country and its fantastic food again. I am unashamed to say, I love Sicily!! … I hope that you get the opportunity to go as well!!

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Trio of Blackberry Desserts; Blackberry Sorbet, Blackberry Mousse, Soused Blackberry Crumble – Recipes

2010-08-20T21:07:00.000+01:00

The Blackberry. I like to cook and write recipes about more unusual foods and secret tastes long forgotten but there is something about this famous berry that draws me back and back. You never feel confident that you have made enough Blackberry Jam during the season and as the season comes around again you always run out! It is for this reason I wanted to do something a little more special, a dinner party dish to celebrate this delicious berry, so here it is.. A trio of Blackberry desserts, perfect for entertaining your friends and family!

Blackberry Sorbet

Ingredients

500ml Blackberries (ripe, soft berries)

Half a Lemon
225g Sugar (or honey)

1/8th Lt Water

1/8th Lt Double Cream

First of all you have to remove the seeds from the Blackberries, place them in a metal sieve and push them through with the back of a spoon (if you have firm small berries place them in a food processer and pulse them first) add the lemon juice and set aside. In a saucepan add the water and the sugar and boil for 3 minutes or so – basically we are making sugar syrup! Allow the sugar syrup to cool and when completely cool add it to your Blackberry pulp. Lightly whip your cream and then fold it onto the the Blackberry mixture. Pour the whole lot into a plastic container and then freeze until you have a granita or slushy mix. Whisk the forming sorbet before it sets solid and return to the freezer. Freeze until firm and that’s it.

Blackberry Mousse

Ingredients

500g Blackberries (ripe, soft berries)

125g Sugar

1 Lemon

Sachet of Gelatine

150ml Double Cream

2 Egg Whites

Place your Blackberries in a saucepan with the juice of a lemon and the sugar and cook for 5 minutes on a light simmer, we are just trying to break the berries down. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Make up your Gelatine (according to the instructions), no more than a couple of Tbsp’s of water.

Stir in the Gelatine solution to the Blackberries and pass through a fine metal sieve, the pips have no place in this dessert. Allow to cool and even start to set (only slightly though!).

Now whip your egg whites, and in a separate bowl lightly whip your cream. Fold each of these ingredients through the thickening Blackberry mixture and then pour into a serving bowl of choice. Blackberry Mousse done!

Soused Blackberry Crumble

Ingredients

½ kg Blackberries

25g Sugar

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

Dash of Sloe Gin

75g Plain Flour

50g Butter (soft)

Tbsp Oats

2 Tbsp Golden Caster Sugar

In a bowl place your Blackberries, Sugar, Cinnamon and Sloe Gin. Stir and then place the mix in a suitable baking dish. In a separate bowl place your butter and flour and then start to pinch and drop the mix rubbing it between your fingers until a breadcrumb like mixture is achieved. Now add the oats and sugar to the breadcrumbs and still using your fingers rub it in. Now simply pour the crumble topping over the fruit and cook for 30 minutes in a hot oven (200 degrees). Take the crumble out only when the crumble mx is golden and toasted. The Sloe Gin adds the Blackberries perfectly in this one and elevates the simple crumble to new tasty levels!!

Ok, so I have told you how to make all three desserts, but to elevate these dishes its all about the presentation. If you select the right dishes such setting your Blackberry Mousse in shot glasses, serving the crumble in small ornate white China bowls and serving the Sorbet on a large spoon, with a little sprig of Mint this hot, warm and cold Blackberry dishes will wow your guests and be the perfect finish to any dinner party!

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Wild Berry Summer Pudding – Recipes

2010-08-20T19:11:00.000+01:00

Wild berries, yummy. Unless you are very lucky you usually find a few Wild Strawberries, some Wild Raspberries or a small handful or Redcurrants, Cowberries or even Bearberries.

Mostly if we are honest never make it back to the kitchen, this recipe gives you a reason to not eat them on the spot and reserve them until you are ready to prepare them. The combinations of Wild Berries that you find makes this recipe different every time each time more special than the next. And hey, just to make it even more special, the only people that will ever prepare and cook this wonderful summertime dish is those who know where, when and how to forage for these most special of natures treats!

Ingredients

250g Elderberries

250g Blackberries

250g Mixed Wild Berries (Raspberry, Bilberry, Wild Strawberry, Wild Redcurrant)

750g Crab Apples
375ml Water
300g Sugar

8 Slices of White Bread (stale but bot solid)

Get the Elderberries and Blackberries and put them in a pan with the water and sugar. Bring the berries up to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Now, get a clean pan and a fine metal sieve. Place the cooked berries in a sieve allowing the juice to pour through the sieve into another pan (Don’t squeeze the berries you want them as whole as you can).

Prepare your Crab Apples by de-coring them (clean them up a little), and by slicing them into centimetre slices. As you cut the slices pass them into the reserved sauce so that they don’t go brown until you have prepared them all. Now, the sliced crab apples should be completely covered in the juice, get a heat under them and cook the Crab Apples in the berry juice for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are cooked and soft. Now using a fork or masher mash the crab apple and gently fold the mashed apple through the reserved whole fruit. Now add your mixed Wild berries and fold these in too.

Now to the bread. Cut the crust off of the slices and dip one side of the bread in the fruit mixture (there is no need to coat them completely, just get some Wild berry sauce on them). Take a bowl and lightly grease the inside of it using a paper towel and some light or mild Olive Oil. Now place the coated bread, dipped side out into the bowl, starting with the sides and eventually cutting a top (at the bottom of the bowl) so that the bowl is completely lined with the bread (make sure there is no gaps in the bread) there should be two slices of bread left to make the top.

Fill the pudding with the fruit, packing it in so there is no gaps or air pockets in the pudding. Eventually seal the pudding with the remaining bread and place a saucer on top that, if you can weight it with something that will help it keep its shape that will help. Place the Wild Berry Summer Pudding in the fridge and leave it overnight.

Well, what a lot of bother…. That is until you turn it out, make sure you turn it out onto a white plate, it will look stunning! The deep reds and purples of the fruit will have stained the bread and made for a handsome looking pudding. The flavour is sweet but tart and of course fruity. Its lovely, and has one up on the traditional summer pudding as the fruit, as is always the way with Wild Fruit is more complicated a flavour. Superb!

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Hot Yellow Damson Chutney - Recipes

2010-08-20T12:02:00.001+01:00

I am spoilt for choice where I live for these fantastic little Wild Fruits. Every hedgerow seems to have Damson, Bullace or Wild Plum, fantastic news for the cook in me, even better news for the preserver! This chutney is a cracker and goes with the more obvious pairings of cold and smoked meats but also adds a great lift to battered or fried vegetables.

Hot Yellow Damson Chutney

Ingredients

1 kg Yellow Damsons
1 Large White Onion
7cm finger of Ginger
3 Star Anise
350ml White Wine Vinegar
225g Soft Brown Sugar
4 Halves of Celery Sticks

3 Hot Green Chilli’s

Firstly half and pit your Yellow Damsons and dice your onion.

Place the Yellow Damsons, chopped Onion and Star Anise into a suitably sized saucepan and pour over half the White wine vinegar. Bring the mix up to the boil and then simmer the mix for 30 minutes.

Now chop your Celery and finely dice your Chilli’s and then add them to the pan with the remaining vinegar, the sugar. Bring the pan back to simmering point for a further 45 minutes or until the mixture is thick.

Decant into sterilised jars and get the lid on!! Done, don’t be tempted to try the Chutney for at least a month preferably longer as it will literally last years!

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Sloe Gin – Recipes

2010-08-19T18:41:00.000+01:00

Sloe Gin, the ruin of old women.. Or tasty cooking ingredient? Either way one thing is for sure, its fantastic taken out in a hip flask and every sip is warming and gratifying on a brisk winters outing. Sloe Gin can be, and is used as an ingredient. It is included within many cocktail recipes including; The Moll Flanders, Ruby Fizz, Sloe Comfortable Screw and unsurprisingly the Blackthorn. But is also readily used as a cooking ingredient to flavour; Sloe Gin Jelly, Plums roasted with Sloe Gin or a simply used to flavour Gamey sauces. If you use it for cooking or simply love the taste this recipe is simple, delicious and will last for years – if you let it!

Ingredients

1kg Sloes or Blackthorn berries (post frost)

1Lt Gin

300g Demerara Sugar

100g White Sugar

It’s a fiddly job, but someone has got to do it! The first job is to prick every individual Sloe with a pin or needle and place in large bowl. Add the Gin and Sugar to the bowl and give it a good stir.

Now, you are going to need some sort of container that you can lid, big clean jars, demi johns, large bottles with lids what ever you have got and can make watertight. Decant the Gin, Sloe and Sugar mix into your container making sure that the Sloes get evenly distributed through all of the containers.

Be patient… You have to store these little fruity containers up or 3 months. This is going to give the fruit time to impart its flavours into the Gin. This isn’t a make and leave item either, you have to take care of it and turn it every other day.. Hey, if you miss a day or two every now and then now worries just make sure you give them a little mix up when you do remember (Make sure its quite regular though!).

….. 3 months later.

Through a double thickness of muslin strain the Sloe mixture (do not squeeze the fruit) and allow gravity to do the rest. Repeat this process several times until the mixture runs clear. Now decant again into clean bottles and that’s it!

You can drink straight away or even better leave it for a year! It will literally last for years and years and over the years can you build up a nice array of vintages.

Fantastic drink that requires patience, real patience!! But is soooo worth it!

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