Woodfield Weekly

 

Despite the weather we still have plenty of local produce coming through. Here are a couple of old favourite recipes for beetroot, and another for aubergine.

 

The fruit is also looking good, with more local variety starting to become available. Obviously this doesn’t apply to our bananas, where o ur main supplier for bananas is Agrofair who are one of the most prominent Fairtrade certified producers. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, there is a video on Youtube which explains how they operate and the ethics behind their business. It is well worth a look; just type the following web address ino your browser to see more……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUDwtwwpdJc

 

 

 

 

 

BEETROOT RISOTTO WITH SUMMER GREENS

 

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

1.5l vegetable stock

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

350 g (12 oz) Arborio (risotto) rice

120 ml white wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon dried

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon dried

2 to 3 medium beetroots, peeled and grated

2 to 3 handfuls dark greens – like beet greens, kale, spinach or chard – finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon

1 handful freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

 

Bring the stock to a simmer. Heat the butter in a separate wide pan over medium heat; add the onion, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the rice, stir to coat well, cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until it’s absorbed, then stir in the parsley, basil, and the beets. Add 500ml stock, cover, and simmer until the stock is absorbed. Begin adding the remaining stock a ladle at a time, stirring constantly until each addition is absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is tender. Before the last ladle, add the beet greens or spinach. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the lemon peel and juice. Top with parmesan.

 

 

 

 

 

Beetroot Soup (Borscht)

 

This recipe is simple and delicious - just beware it's staining potential! The potatoes are optional and aren't usually included in the traditional Borscht recipe, but they help thicken the soup, which makes it less messy for kids to eat.  

 

Ingredients

Serves 4

 

5-6 medium or large beetroot - raw

1 large or 2 medium onions, peeled

2 large potatoes (optional)

1 litre vegetable stock (or stock cube plus water)

1 lemon

150ml natural yoghurt or creme fraiche

salt & pepper to taste

 

 

Scrub the beetroot. Cut off the stalks. Chop the beetroot finely or grate it. Peel and slice the onion. Scrub and chop the potatoes (if using) into 1cm cubes. Put the beetroot, onions, potatoes and stock in a large pan and simmer gently for about 1/2 hour, or until all the vegetables are soft. Liquidise the soup with the vegetables. Add the juice of the lemon and stir well. Mix in the yoghurt or creme fraiche and season with salt & pepper to taste.

 

 

 

Grilled aubergine with salsa verde 

 

Serves 4 

 

 

Ingredients

2 aubergines sliced lengthways and grilled with olive oil until golden

1 ball of mozzarella

1 lemon, juice and zest only

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped flat parsley

150g/5oz fresh white breadcrumbs

100g/3½oz cherry tomatoes

 

 

For the salsa verde

big bunch of mint

big bunch of basil

big bunch of parsley

1 clove garlic

1 lemon, juice and zest only

70ml/2½fl oz good olive oil

30g/1oz pine nuts

 

 

 In a food processor, blend the breadcrumbs, mozzarella, lemon, garlic and parsley until a crumb consistency appears.  Make small balls of this and roll them up in the aubergine slices. Place in a baking dish.  Roast the cherry tomatoes in some olive oil for about 20 minutes, until soft. When they are cooked, crush them lightly with a fork. Spoon some of the crushed tomatoes over the aubergine rolls and bake in the oven with plenty of olive oil for ten to fifteen minutes at 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place all the salsa verde ingredients in a food processor and blend to a coarse consistency. Divide the rest of the crushed tomatoes between four serving plates, lay two or three aubergines rolls on top and spoon over some salsa verde to serve.