Best Guides: Eating Seasonally

With so much available on the internet you could be forgiven for thinking that you no longer need to buy cookbooks, choosing instead to look up recipes and information as and when you need it. However, there are distinct advantages to having a quality cookbook or two to hand:

• Unless you have internet access in your kitchen, you still have to print recipes off or which you'll be running from room to room every five minutes to make sure you're getting things right.
• Even if you have a laptop that you can take with you into the kitchen, do you really want to risk spills and other kitchen related damage?
• A concise cookbook will provide more than just the recipe, they will often contain tips and advice on sourcing and preparation that you can turn to time and time again, adding your own notes as you go. 
• They are long lasting and you know where you'll always be able to find your favourites. You don't have to run the risk of loosing recipes that may stored on your computer and in the case of print offs, all over the place.

So I'm hoping once a month to give a round up of some of the best cook books I've come across in my time, with links to Amazon if any are of interest (though always keep an eye out in your local charity book shop for some classics).

I'll start off for the end of May with a round up of my favourite Seasonal Cookbooks. These are invaluable if you want to try your hand at eating seasonal, or simply want to make the most of local and current produce every once in a while. Please not these tend (though not always) to be UK and Ireland centred books, suiting UK and Ireland climate and produce, but feel free to add your own recommendations if you are not from this area:

                                                    

Great for those new to seasonal cooking, with a helpful A-Z guide of what to eat when. Each month gets it's own comprehensive write up, with tip and advice. Most recipes assume a certain level of know how, so not recommended for complete novices and while it is compact and easily stored in your kitchen, in it hardly bursting with recipes. Rather Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall has been more selective, going for quality rather than quantity.
Tried and Tested: November's French Onion Tart. Really tasty and great at the time of year. I remember making it a few times over the winter months, adding personal touches such as a little Branston Pickle to the base.

                                                    
I actually have a slightly older version of this, though many of the recipes remain the same. Quite simply one of the best cook books I own. Stacked with month by month, course by course seasonal recipes, it includes sections on meat cuts, vegetable types, methods for baking, confectionery and basic skills, in addition to menu suggestions for all kinds of events and festivals. Sturdy as hell, my sister and I own copies that date back to the 1970s which despite a few loose pages, still help us out on at least a weekly basis. I would warn you though, as with all classic cook books, the language in the earlier copies is soooo very dated.
Tried and Tested: June's two recipes for British Asparagus, either naked or Mornay, they are both excellent and with the basic recipe well understanding that the flavour of the vegetable often speaks for itself.

                                                    
Marked out in terms of the seasons, rather than month by month, this fine book is full of interesting and alternative vegetarian dishes from the American Chef. For those tried to go for the double whammy of vegetarian and seasonal, this will certainly give you a wide range of ideas and inspiration, even if you can't get all the ingredients here in the UK.
Tried and Tested: Spring's Curried Carrot-Apple Soup with Golden Tofu. Had this made for me by a friend and it was at once comfort food and refreshing. Yum.

                                                     
Great read, not just as a cook book but also as a food guide to Ireland. The recipes are plentiful and in addition to standard dishes and traditional twists, there are also instructions on how to re-create traditional market fayre, such as breads, pickles and cakes.
Tried and Tested: I must admit that I've not long had this book and have yet to try anything from it. Like I said, though it's a great read and come vegetable and berry picking season, I'll be trying my hand at chutney and preserves for the very first time, using this book as my guide.

Chili and Avocado Omelette

Every other weekend the husband gets a Saturday off work and as a result we normally make the most of the morning by indulging in an eggy brunch. Omelettes have to be one of my favourite quick and easy meals (not least because the protein is great if you're on a low meat or vegetarian diet) but also because they are so versatile and lend themselves to many different combinations. 
Image Credit: m_bartosch

They can take a few attempts to master though and success can depend on heat control and pan quality, but once you have, there's so much you can do. One of my favourite versions has got to be the Mexican inspired Chili and Avocado one I do every once in while. Below I've listed two sets of ingredients, one using fresh produce and the other store cupboard or leftovers. I do prefer the fresh, but the other can be handy if you're in a rush or simply want to use up some bits and pieces you have in the fridge or store cupboard.

4 free range or woodland eggs, beaten with two tablespoons of milk

Then...
Option 1
Half an onion, finely chopped                   
One Garlic Glove, crushed                                       
One Red Chili, finally chopped                          
Half a yellow pepper diced  
Half a large Tomato sliced                       
Half Avocado, thinly sliced

Option 2
Half an onion, finely chopped
One Garlic Glove, crushed
One tablespoon of salsa
One tablespoon of guacamole           

Small handful of grated cheese of your choice (though chili cheese can add that little extra kick)

In both cases lightly fry the onions and garlic in a little olive oil. In the case of Option 1,also fry the peppers and chili (medium to high heat). Once soft, pour over the egg mix and carefully lift the sides with a spatula, allowing the egg mix to run under and spread evenly (a quick swirl in the middle can also help). As the egg cooks, lay over the sliced avocado and tomatoes, or spoon over the salsa and guacamole. Finally add the cheese if using (a little of this can be added to the egg mix before pouring if you like).

You can finish off under a hot grill until cheese is gold and bubbling, or fold omelette in half. If you choose to fold your omelette, you would be best advised to only add your avocado and tomato to one half of the omelette and fold onto that, as this will reduce the chance of it splitting. For even less chance of this happening, remove the peppers from the pan before adding the egg, then return them along with the tomato and avocado. This is admittedly a right pain in the arse and in all fairness I prefer to do it under the grill. It not only gives you a better way of making sure the eggs are cooked properly, but afterward you can slice it up as you would do a pie or tart, ensuring that portions are even. 

This will serve 2-4 people depending on portion size and is great with crusty bread, spinach leaves or for something a little different, some re-fried pinto beans.

Baby led weaning

Baby led weaning was the technique we used for getting our son onto solid food. Actually, that's not strictly true, we did try a little bit of single fruit puree and porridge at around 4½ to 5 months when it became clear that breast feeding alone was no longer enough to sustain him (we checked with our health visitor and she said this was okay, I'd suggest anyone who is considering early weaning does the same). However, at around the 5½ to 6 months we started to introduce finger foods and have done this exclusively since, in lieu of the more traditional spoon feeding method.

How has it worked out for us? Well pretty great on the whole. We started off with lumps of steamed veg, done for longer than you would for adults (I like mine near raw anyway) and then introduced breads, pulses, berries and other finger foods over time. Shugs has an amazing appetite for a baby, there is very little he doesn't like or won't try and I think much of has to do with this. We've never pushed food on him and in many ways we've let him decide what he likes and dislikes. The lack of mixed purees meant that he was tasting all ingredients individually and hopefully this has led to a strong pallet. We were also able to gauge developmental milestones by his success in eating certain things, for example blueberries were originally mushed with his chubby hands, but since developing the pincer grip, he carefully picks them up one by one. And I don't know if this is related, but he was very quick to learn to use his sippy cup and leave the bottle behind.

Mind you it hasn't all been a picnic (boom tish). Baby led weaning can be very messy and if you intend to go for it you really need to prepare yourself for stuff getting all over the place (if you have carpets, invest in a splatter mat) It is also quite time consuming, as the baby eats at their own pace, rather than the pace of the person holding the spoon, meaning if you're in a hurry you may have to make other arrangements.

But other than that I've got few complaints. My son's 13 months and his pace is picking up. As such we now eat meals together at the table as a family and we'll be introducing the steady bowl and cutlery very soon (he's okay with a loaded spoon once in a while, but it's time we made it a more regular thing). The best thing though has got to be the fact that we can take him pretty much anywhere and he'll eat. Friends, relatives, mother and toddlers, restaurants and cafes, you name it, he'll sit there contently eating his food and drinking his milk.

Every baby is different, so I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but it certainly did for us, so if you're interested in more information check out http://www.babyledweaning.com

Stuffed Crustie: Opening Post

Well if you've come to this blog via Greensheen Blogger you'll no doubt have a good idea of what I'm about: Greener Living, Fair Trade, Healthy Lifestyle etc. This blog will be dedicated to much of the same, but with focus on all things foodie. As I've said many times in the past, I don't want to preach, rather show what I'm doing in my own home life and hope that this gives people a few ideas. Therefore I'll not be condemning anyone for the choices they make and I'll be leaving myself open to new things.

For the most part, posts will involve lots of healthy recipes filled with plenty of fruit and veg, but not without the occasional treat. There will be tips for children and families, for those living on a budget, product review, cooking skills/methods/techniques, in addition to discussions about the best ways to reduce waste and packaging.

So to get things started I'd like to champion my favourite home made snack, the mighty Houmous (or however you like to spell it), with a few of my personal twists:

Houmous Basic Recipe:

One 400g tin of chick peas or equivalent in soaked and cooked dried chick peas (drained and rinsed)
Juice of half a lemon
One small bulb of roast garlic (oven roast in foil for aprox 20min-30 mins on around 200C, then squeeze out)
If you haven't got time for roast garlic 2-3 medium sized crushed cloves will do.
Around 75ml-100ml of Tahini - measuring out Tahini can be a bit dodgy as it sticks to the measuring receptacle something rotten, and you have to scrape it out, loosing a wee bit in the process. Once you've done this a few times though you can pretty much estimate how much this is. Amount may vary depending on type of Tahini used. Again, this comes with practice and constant tasting is recommended.
Cumin, 1/2 to 1 whole teaspoon depending on taste.
Good dessertspoon of extra virgin olive oil. 
Optional paprika or cayenne pepper, to taste. 


Method: Blitz all ingredients in a food processor until desired texture reached. This will be chunkier than store bought Houmous, but can be smoothed further with more oil or some cold water.

Variations: Oven roast sliced onion and balsamic vinegar - Grated root ginger (about a thumbs worth) and extra lemon - olives and tomato puree - chopped tomato and pesto - extra herby or spicy, adding whatever you please, just be sure to taste every so often.

You can also garnish with loads of different things - pine nuts, spiced chick peas, pesto and infused oils. You can really use your culinary imagination in all aspects of this dish, including what you eat it with, from pitta bread to rye crackers and tortilla chips. I remember in one of my student post pub creations, throwing Houmous in with some tagliatelle and a couple of dashes of lime MiWadi.  I survived the night and remember it being quite good, though I've yet to work up the nerve to re-create it sober.

In my opinion the key factor for successful Houmous is the quality of the Tahini. I've tried a few different brands and the best I've come across is Bevelini Tahini, around £2.50 for 300g, it's subtle and makes for a nice smooth mix. Tahini will probably be the most expensive ingredient you buy initially, though the average jar will do for a  few batches. You also pretty much have to have a food processor to make this work.

If placed in a lidded container this will keep for a few days in the fridge, adding a little oil to the top will make it nicer to eat as it can dry out a little. Having said that we very rarely have any left over to refrigerate.


Nutritional Info:  High in iron and Vitamin C. Good source of fibre and when eaten with bread, provides a complete protein. Also good source of amino acid. This homemade version contains no added salt.