What a fantastic change in the weather. Yes, we are obsessed with the weather here. It’s difficult not to be. We work in it and try to work with it. We have all remarked on how lovely it has been not to have to have a wind and rain proof coat on this week.
We’ve been sowing salads and all things summery, with masses of beautiful green germination popping up in the potting shed and in the tunnels on various different hot beds that we build to naturally heat up. We’ve used hot beds for years but Joe has really developed this practice here and it’s very useful to extend the growing season. The hot bed once it’s done it’s job as a heated nursery for seedlings and germination, is then dismantled and the contents (which is then very well rotted compost) is used to top up and feed the growing areas in the tunnels.
So soon we’ll be changing from the fabulous winter salad heads and leaves over to more summery ones. This is a time of year which is kind of trapped in between winter and summer recipes and cooking. I find this time more challenging than the transition from summer cooking back to winter recipes.So here we go with this weeks…..
Menu ideasCottage pie,with a creamy cheese mash top. Great to cook ahead and reheating on a busy school night. Serve it with the broad beans, which can be eaten whole when they are so young and tender at this time of year. Just clean, top and tail and steam for a few minutes. They also make an amazing warm salad with a mustard dressing.Polpettewith green salad and crusty bread, rice or pasta. Make a quick and easy tomato sauce with passata and onions and lots of fresh herbs.Steak and ale pie.Make this in the slow cooker so it’s virtually zero work and put a pie crust on top and serve with leek gratin. The pie crust can be baking whilst you knock up a quick cheese sauce to pour over the steamed leeks.Roasted veggies filo pastry pieI know 2 pies in one week! This one is great cold and a good packed lunch or quick supper. It’s really just what veg I have, roasted with some olive oil and herbs. Cooled. Then the filo is layered into a pie dish or flan dish with butter or oil brushed on each sheet before adding another. Slightly twist the dish around so the sheets are payed at angles to each other. Once the pastry sheets are all used pile in the veg, you can add crumbled cheese or chopped cooked sausage at this point. Fold the pastry in to encase the veg mixture. Brush with oil or butter and bake in the oven until golden and crunchy on the top. About 30 minutes in a 200 C oven, middle shelf.Enjoy your week. Possibly spend a bit of time enjoying the better weather outside too.
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