Just last week our food writer extraordinaire Rachel de Thample cooked up a veggie storm. The London based cookery school Divertimenti had contacted us…because of our expertise in all things veg…and so Rachel was asked if she would join them one evening to hold a cookery course on cooking with seasonal veg.
The idea behind the course was to show people how to use up a winter veg box. Rachel purposefully selected all of the veg on the top of our customer’s ‘dislikes’ lists, to try to encourage and inspire people to cook with them. The response was certainly very positive Rachel told us, ‘I did a raw beetroot dip which everyone that evening really liked. As that’s our most ‘disliked’ veg, I thought it a good result!’
These were the dishes Rachel showed the 35 course participants how to make…and taste…all of which are in our recipes archive listed under the primary ingredient:
- Easy beetroot dip
- An Earthy Beetroot, Apple, Pear, Walnuts and Stilton Salad
- Jerusalem artichoke & hazelnut soup
- Celeriac Dauphinoise with Thyme and Smoked Ham
- Pear ginger cordial
- 15-minute Honey Marmalade
- Classic Pancakes
“I purposely selected some of our trickiest, least-favourite veg to try to inspire people with simple ideas. We’re at the end of winter and the beginning of the Hungry Gap, when there’s not a lot of variety around, but if you give these roots a bit of love and spice, you can create food you’d be happy to serve up to a crowd.”
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
26 Feb 2010 at 19:40
Being fairly new to the box scheme, yes it is hard trying to cook with seasonal veg, and some of them I get in my box I don’t even know what they are. However, it is fun learning new recipes with different veg. We do forget what is seasonal, and what is not!
02 Mar 2010 at 11:01
I cant beleive Beetroot is the least liked vegetable! Roasted beetroot is delicious with a lamb roast dinner. Also yummy chopped in to cubes and added to a beef casserole. Oh and Gordon Ramseys beetroot and duck soup… mmm…
Unsure as to what I will do with my artichokes this week though..!
09 Mar 2010 at 10:25
I made the Jerusalem Artichoke and carrot soup last night, and it was a roaring success (from the recipe list on this site), thought it would be something that I alone would like but the whole family had some (and seconds!)
10 Mar 2010 at 09:27
I made a Gratin with mine – just as you would with potatoes, except I added lemon and garlic, and bits of left over cheese! Delicious!!!!
11 Mar 2010 at 23:13
As a Brassica-phobe, I did wonder what you would be able to give me as a replacement during the winter, but, two winters on, I have always had a good selection every week – and yes, I vote in favour of beetroot too!
18 Mar 2010 at 10:19
I agree with Laura I was surprised that beetroot was on the dislike list – but I think that’s because people either have only had it as pickled and love it or loathe it and don’t know how to cook it otherwise (like me!) which is why the abel and cole recipies are great as they make you try new stuff – I also like doing searches on bbc goodfood website for alternatives. I thoroughly recommebd the celeriac dauphinoise with thyme and ham – was scrummy! Thanks A&C!!
18 Mar 2010 at 11:03
I did used to just think of pickled beetroot but now I know it is soooo much more (and so easy to cook). I always just wrap in foil and chuck it in the oven for an hour before I get on with the rest of the meal. Just rub the skins off and it is ready – no dirty pans etc! Baked beetroot is absolutely divine with fish. We had cod baked in lemon and oil and foil in the oven on a bed of spicy puy lentils and beetroots.
22 Mar 2010 at 11:03
I was really surprised to hear that Beetroot is the least favourite with folks. We just love beetroot in our house and it is my 6 year old daughters fave. She takes it to school in her lunch box. She just loves it plain without any dressing etc and hogs the lot for herself. We hardly get a look in. Personally, I enjoy it roasted or in a Borsch soup (Russian soup, with red cabbage and other veg – really tasty).
22 Mar 2010 at 15:29
I love these recipes… but still have a problem:
Why do my flap Jacks fall apart?? I thought these banana ones would solve my problem!! They come out very soft still and do not hold together… I tried cooking them in stonewear this time, am I not cooking them long enough??!!
23 Mar 2010 at 09:37
Dear Lorna,
Sorry to hear of your flapjack dilema. Are you letting them rest a while (at least 10 minutes – but better if you wait 30 mins or longer) before cutting into them? This makes a huge difference when it comes to how they hold together. The banana flapjacks are a lighter style of flapjack (which I should add to the recipe intro as I have had one other comment along these lines). If you’re after a dense, sticky, buttery flapjack along more traditional lines, here’s a great recipe to try:
Buttery flapjacks
350g butter, plus extra for greasing
225g demerara sugar
100g honey
100g peanut butter
450g oats
6 tbsp seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin or a combo)
1.Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Butter two 28cm x 18cm swiss roll trays and line with baking paper.
2.Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat, then add the sugar, honey and peanut butter and stir over the heat until smooth. Add the oats and seeds and mix well. Spread in the tins and bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool for 30 minutes in the tins. Mark the flapjack into bars, then turn them out of the tins when cool. Store in an airtight tin.
Hope this helps! Please let me know how you get on and please feel free to email me directly if you have any further flapjack or other culinary conundrums.
Kindest regards,
Rachel
foodie@abelandcole.co.uk
31 Mar 2010 at 21:38
Hi Rachel.
What naughty flapjacks! I made these today with my 3 year old, we managed to overcook them a little, but they certainly held together! Now that I’ve had a success, I’d like to try a more healthy recipe! Do you have any other sugar/syrup free ones which use more honey plus seeds or dried fruit?
No hurry, as it will take a while to get through this batch – I need to strengthen myself NOT to eat too many!!!
Lorna
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