1 large kohlrabi trimmed and peeled
1 pear, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 clove of garlic
160ml water
1 tsp honey
1 ball of burrata
100g rocket
1 packet honey roasted peanuts
4 thin slices of ciabatta bread
Sprig of fresh thyme
What to do:
1. Slice the kohlrabi in to 4 disks, drizzle with olive oil and honey, salt and pepper and roast on baking paper at 165°C for 25 minutes.
2. Toast or grill the bread then rub with the clove of garlic.
3. Whilst the kohlrabi is roasting, put the pear, thyme and water in to a small pot and bring to the boil, then blend in a juicer to make a puree.
4. Now to assemble. Spoon the pear puree over the toasted bread and place the roasted kohlrabi on top followed by simply tearing the burrata over the crostini.
5. Garnish with some crisp peppery rocket and sprinkle with the crushed peanuts, drizzle with good olive oil.
This is a wonderful, healthy soup to make with a wide range of year round vegetables. It’s perfect for lunch, served piping hot with garlic bread or cheesy croutons. As a dinner party starter you could add some rice to the soup as it boils, and serve it in small cups with breadsticks and pass round a bowl with freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano.
Preparation time:
15 minutes
Cooking time:
15 minutes
Serves:
4
What You’ll need:
Extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, trimmed and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 slices of streaky bacon or pancetta, sliced into small cubes
1 Sweetheart cabbage, trimmed and finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 litre of vegetable stock
Sea salt and pepper
Fresh shavings of Parmiggiano Reggiano
What to do:
1. Heat some olive oil in a heavy soup pot, and add the finely chopped shallots, carrot, celery, garlic and bacon.
2. Mix the vegetables well, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Sweat the vegetables until soft, adding a little water to help create steam.
4. Make sure the vegetables do not crisp and burn by adding a little additional water, and stirring.
5. When the vegetables are soft, add the cabbage slices and the sage.
6. Mix well.
7. Add the stock, bring the soup to the boil and then lower the heat.
8. Within five minutes the soup will be ready.
9. Pour the soup into warm serving bowls and then sprinkle fresh Parmiggiano Reggiano shavings on top.
400g broccoli divided into small florets
150g brown rice
2 large chicken breasts cooked
1tbsp sesame oil
4 shallots finely sliced
2 red chillies finely sliced
2 garlic cloves sliced
3 tbsp light soy sauce
Leaves from 3-4 sprigs mint
What to do:
1. In a pan of boiling water simmer the broccoli for 5 minutes until tender then drain and set aside keeping it warm. Cook the rice according to the pack instructions. While it’s cooking tear the chicken into strips.
2. To make the dressing heat the oil in a pan and gently cook the shallots, garlic and chilli for 2-3 minutes until they are nicely soft but not brown. Add the soy sauce, mint and chicken and warm through.
3. In a serving dish combine the broccoli, rice and chicken mixing well. Scatter a few extra mint leaves on top.
Why not try:
For a veggie version replace the chicken with roasted cashew nuts.
Plain flour
1 pack readymade shortcrust pastry
Greaseproof paper
Dried beans or ceramic beans to weigh down the pastry
1 small cauliflower broken into small florets
4 rashers smoked bacon roughly chopped
1 onion diced
3 eggs beaten
500ml crème fraiche
Small bunch chives chopped
100g grated strong cheddar
Salt and pepper
What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°c, 325°f or gas mark 3.
2. On a floured surface roll the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin and line a 23cm loose bottomed flan tin gently pushing the pastry into the corners and trimming off the excess.
3. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and weight it down with dried beans or ceramic beans, cook for 15 minutes then remove the beans and greaseproof and cook for a further 8 mins or until the pastry is pale golden.
4. In a pan of boiling water simmer the cauliflower for 5 minutes until it starts to soften then drain and set aside.
5. In a frying pan cook the bacon until brown, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Turn the heat down and gently cook the onion in the same pan for 3-4 minutes until soft.
6. Tip the cauliflower, bacon and onions into the pastry shell so they are fairly evenly distributed.
7. In a bowl combine the eggs, crème fraiche, chives and half the cheese and season to taste.
8. Pour the egg mixture into the pastry case and top with the remaining cheese. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and it’s cooked through with just a slight wobble in the centre. Serve warm or cold.
Why not try:
To make this a vegetarian option, miss out the bacon and add half a teaspoon of nutmeg to the egg mixture at the start of step 5. Cauliflower also makes a great soup, just cook it in vegetable stock with a chopped onion and a stick of chopped celery then blend till smooth and add a cheesy crouton to serve.
Knob of butter
8 slices pancetta roughly chopped
4 shallots finely sliced
1 cabbage core & outer leaves removed and cut into 8-10 wedges
Half pint vegetable stock (fresh or from a cube)
Salt and pepper
What to do:
1. In a large frying pan heat the butter until sizzling then cook the pancetta till brown and crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on some kitchen paper.
2. Add the shallots to the pan and cook gently for 6-8 minutes until they are caramelised and soft, remove from the pan to the kitchen paper.
3. Arrange the cabbage wedges in the pan (add a little more butter if necessary) and cook on each side till brown and caramelised, turn them gently so they don’t break up. Pour in the vegetable stock to half way up the cabbage. Return the shallots to the pan and season to taste.
4. Cook the cabbage for 10-12 minutes gently turning half way through. The cabbage should be tender and the stock reduced, serve 2 wedges per person drizzled with the braising liquid and scattered with pancetta.
Why not try:
This recipe is delicious with roast chicken and mashed potato. It also works well with White Cabbage. Add finely shredded raw white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage to salads to add a lovely crunch.
1pt chicken stock (fresh or cube is fine)
1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and cut in half
1 star anise
2tbsp fish sauce
2 chicken breasts
400g white cabbage core removed and shredded very finely
200g rice noodles
2 spring onions sliced
1 small bunch fresh coriander
1 small bunch fresh mint
1 lime cut into wedges
What to do:
1. Place the stock, ginger, star anise, fish sauce and chicken breasts into a sauce pan and slowly bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and leave to poach for 5-8 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts and leave to rest for 5 minutes, then shred.
2. While the chicken is resting add the cabbage to the stock and simmer for 5-8 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Place the rice noodles in a bowl then cover with boiling water. Leave to soak for 5-10 minutes depending on the packs instructions then drain.
3. Remove the star anise and ginger from the stock, divide the noodles and cabbage between four bowls and add a ladle of stock to each. Top each bowl with the shredded chicken, spring onions, coriander and mint and serve with a wedge or 2 of lime.
Why not try:
This recipe also works well with sweetheart cabbage.
