Chocolate Brownies

I have used various brownie recipes before and always found them to be a bit hit and miss or just over complicated...then i discovered one by Bill Granger which changed my life. I made some adjustments to it to make it my own. I am now a brownie making machine and churn them out in no time at all with this simple recipe. People are always asking me for the recipe, so here it is!

345g caster sugar

80g cocoa powder

60g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 eggs, beaten

200g butter, melted

Preheat oven to 160C (I use 180C in my combi oven) .

Stir the sugar, cocoa, flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Add the eggs and melted butter and mix until combined.

Line a 22cm (9 inch) tin with baking paper and pour in the brownie mixture.

Bake for 40-45 mins. Allow to rest in tin for 10 mins then transfer to a cooling rack. Cut into squares and dust with cocoa.

Normandy Pork Stew

I love cooking this as it uses so much local food.

Serves 4-6

olive oil

1 large fennel bulb, top removed, roughly chopped into large chunks

2 onions, roughly chopped

3-4 carrots, peeled, chopped into chunks

500g diced stewing pork

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

500 ml dry Normandy cider

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

a few sprigs of fresh sage or 3 fresh bay leaves

salt and pepper

Put a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat with a glug or two of oil. Add the onion, carrot and fennel and fry for 10 mins. Add the pork and the flour and stir through. Add the cider and the tomatoes. Stir well and then add the sage/bay and salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil then put a lid on and turn heat down to low. Leave to simmer for about 1.5-2hrs, stirring often to prevent sticking. Remove lid for the final half hour. Cook until sauce has thickened and pork is tender. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Fennel, Apple and Rocket Salad

Probably my fave salad right now...I literally cannot get enough! And its my own creation!

Serves 6-8

1 fennel, thinly sliced

1 bag of rocket leaves (125g)

1 lemon, zest and juice of half

2 eating apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp creme fraiche

2 tsp runny honey

salt and pepper

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Layer a large platter with the rocket, then the fennel, then the apple.

Toast the pumpkin seeds with some salt on a griddle/dry frying pan and set aside to cool.

Mix together the lemon zest and juice, olive oil, creme fraiche and honey, season to taste, then drizzle over the salad. Top with the toasted pumpkin seeds and serve.

Grated Carrot, Pine Nut and Raisin Salad

by Sarah Raven

Serves 6 as a side dish

4 large carrots, peeled

1 tbsp poppy or cumin seeds

1 tbsp pine nuts or sunflower seeds

2 tbsp raisins

salt and black pepper

Really large bunch of fresh coriander, chopped

for the dressing:

juice and grated zest of 1 lemon

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp runny honey

Grate the carrots on a medium-grade grater. Set aside in a large bowl.

Now make the dressing. Put the lemon juice and zest and olive oil in a small bowl and mix together. Add the honey. Pour the dressing over the grated carrot.

Toast the poppy seeds and pine nuts in a dry frying pan, then scatter them, and the raisins, over the carrot. Season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together well, really mixing in the poppy seeds, and leave to marinate for a couple of hours. Mix in the coriander before serving.

Cheese and Onion Tart

Serves 6 for a light lunch

4 onions, roughly chopped

50g butter

1 x puff pastry case

120g semi soft cheese (I use Chausee Aux Moines in France)

handful of fresh Thyme/Lemon thyme

Fresh, dressed, green salad to serve

Put the onions in a shallow pan with butter and leave on med-low heat till soft.

Set oven to 220C. Roll out pastry onto floured baking sheet. Score a border from the edge (2cm) then prick all over with a fork. Spread onions over pastry within the border. Brush border with onion butter.

Slice the cheese then break/cut into smaller pieces and scatter them over the onions. Scatter the thyme over the top and bake until pastry is golden and puffed, cheese is bubbling and onions have started browning. 15-20 mins.

Spiced Stewed Fruit Pots

So quick and easy, looks great, tastes yummy!

Serves 6

12 apples, peeled, cored and chopped

6 tbsp raisins

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp brown sugar

splash of orange juice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tub vanilla ice cream/creme fraiche to serve

Sprinkling of granola to serve

Put the apple and raisins into a heavy based pan. Add the vanilla extract, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon and give a good stir. Place over a low heat with a lid on and leave to cook until apple is mushy, stirring from time to time to make sure its not sticking, add more juice if required. About 20 mins.

Get 6 small-medium sized tumbler glasses. Put a layer of fruit in the bottom of each glass (to fill about a quarter of the way up) followed by a layer of ice cream/creme fraiche. Repeat once more then top each glass with a sprinkling of granola. Serve whilst fruit is still warm.

Courgette and Lemon Salad

A great Sarah Raven recipe in those summer months when you are overwhelmed with courgette from the patch!

Serves 6-8

3-4 courgettes

grated zest of 1 lemon, and juice of half

grated zest of 1 lime, and juice of half

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped tarragon

1 tsp runny honey

salt and black pepper

Cut the courgettes very thinly lengthways with a potato peeler and put the slices in a shallow dish. Grate over the zest of the lemon and lime.

Make a dressing by mixing together the olive oil, lime and lemon juice, tarragon, honey, salt and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the courgettes and toss gently. Toss with your finger tips, twisting your wrists at the same time so the courgette ribbons stand in curls rather than just flat on the platter.

Creamy Chickpea Bake

This is originally a chicken dinner which i made changes to to make a lovely veggie dish

Serves 6

1 tbsp olive oil

2 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3-4 large leeks, sliced

250g button mushrooms, halved or thickly sliced

50g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

200 ml dry white wine

200 ml vegetable stock

100 ml double cream

bunch of tarragon, roughly chopped

2 tsp dijon mustard

50g white breadcrumbs

few sprigs parsley, finely chopped

Heat oven to 190C. Heat oil in a large frying pan. add the leeks and mushrooms and fry until softened. Add the chickpeas and fry for another 5 mins. Transfer to an ovenproof dish.

Melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour and stir for 1 min over a medium heat. Pour in the wine and cook, stirring until thick, then gradually add the stock, a splash at a time. stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 min before stirring in the cream, mustard and tarragon. Season to taste, then pour over the chickpeas and veg.

Mix together the breadcrumbs and parsley, then scatter over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 25-30 mins, until bubbling and golden.

Serve with rice or potatoes and a crisp green salad.

Rotivation to mastication

It has been a busy time on the patch this week…

we ‘rotivated’ the patch and sowed parsnips, radish, mange tout, spring onions and beetroot direct and red cabbage, courge, squahes, pumpkins and leeks in modules under cover

We also had our first harvest of salad thinings - rocket, cos, pepper grass and green oakleaf