Nothing symbolizes spring more to me than the arrival of British asparagus. We were lucky enough to get a whole bag full last weekend which had been freshly picked from Rectory Farm in Oxfordshire. I think asparagus that fresh is best served as plain and simple as possible - just cook for a couple of minutes to keep some crunchiness and serve with a homemade hollandaise sauce.
This French soup is traditionally made with a vegetable broth base but adding cream really does soften the flavours and makes it a perfect dinner party dish. As I love saffron it’s one of my all time favourites. You can add pretty much any fish or seafood - mussels and clams for example work particularly well. Serve with freshly baked bread and a dollop of aioli on top.
I haven’t had great results baking with rolled oats in the past but after some experimenting over the weekend I came up with these muffins that actually turned out quite well. They’re made from old-fashioned rolled oats (get a gluten free version if sensitive as the normal type contains traces of gluten), roasted hazelnuts, coconut butter, raw cocoa powder and pieces of dark chocolate in the centre. They’re not at all as sweet as normal muffins which suits me perfectly but if you have a sweet tooth - add some extra honey.
I can’t believe it’s May already - but unfortunately the is no sign of the warm spring weather to go with it. So in an attempt to stay warm (as I refuse to turn the heating on when summer should be around the corner) I made this really easy and warming dish a roasted slices of vegetables stacked up with some grated parmesan on top. If goes really well with pea pesto, one of my new favourites, and rice or quinoa.
With an aspiration of growing my own vegetables at some point in the future I thought it’s about time I start developing some gardening skills. With pretty much no experience and a bit of a reputation of killing any type of living plant I bring into the house (I believe from over watering) I thought something small scale would be suitable to start with. Therefore I’m setting up a little window sill project, kicking off with some herbs and depending on the outcome eventually moving onto some small veg.
My boyfriend’s parents who are keen gardeners took us to a lovely little nursery in Towersey, Oxfordshire, over the weekend which was great inspiration and I’ve spend an hour this afternoon planting some seeds. I will keep you updated on the outcome. Fingers crossed!
There is something really nice about leaving a pot on the stove for an hour or so and then coming back to find a delicious and perfectly cooked dish ready to be served. Even more so as a vegetarian and you miss out on the traditional roasts and other slow cooked meat dishes.
This classic ratatouille is really nice and sweet, and in my opinion, it gets better if it’s left to cook down really well until thick and gooey. If you prefer it a bit spicier then add some chili or season with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.