PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI WITH BACON AND MATURE CHEDDAR SAUCE
Prep: 5 mins Cooking: 15 mins Serves 2 1 large bunch of purple sprouting broccoli (in season) 3 rashers of british bacon, roughly chopped 50g flour 50g butter 1 cup milk 80g mature cheddar cheese
Put the broccoli on to steam until tender. Meanwhile, gently melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Add the milk gradually until a thick consistency is acheived. Fry the bacon until crisp and integrate with the sauce, followed by the cheddar cheese. Serve alongside the broccoli for dipping.
SPICY CARROT AND PUMPKIN SOUP Prep: 15 mins Cooking: 25 mins Serves 4 1 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 1/4 medium pumpkin, diced 1 carrot, diced 1 large bay leaf 1 small potato, diced 1 pint vegetable stock 1/2 tsp chilli powder 2 tbsp cream 1 tbsp lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil until translucent, add the diced pumpkin, carrot and bay leaf. Cover with the vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the diced potato and chilli powder and leave to simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take the pan off the heat and use a handheld blender to puree the soup, adding boiling water if it becomes too thick. Add the lemon juice and cream, bringing the soup back to the boil and season to taste.
BALSAMIC ROAST PUMPKIN SALAD WITH BRIE AND AVOCADO 1 medium in season pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped into rough cubes 1tbsp Paprika 1tbsp local oil e.g. rapeseed or hemp 4 large sprigs fresh rosemary 6 whole garlic cloves 100g brie thinly sliced crisp lettuce, torn up roughly 1 ripe avocado, sliced 1tbsp locally sourced honey 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 4tbsp good local oil (rapeseed/hemp) Preheat the oven to 180oC Set the pumpkin pieces in a wide metal tray and toss in the oil, paprika, rosemary, garlic pieces, salt and pepper. Put in the preheated oven, bake until the edges of the pumpkin begin to brown, turning occasionally. For the dressing, combine the honey and balsamic vinegar. slowly whisk in the oil so that it does not separate. Season generously. Assemble the salad by tossing the hot roasted pumpkin into the dressing with the salad leaves and sliced avocado and brie. Squeeze the baked garlic cloves out of their skins and combining into the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
DORSET BEEF BURGERS WITH CARAMELISED ONIONS Prep: 20 mins Cooking: 15 mins 500g local, sustainably farmed Beef 1 egg 100g breadcrumbs 1 finely chopped onion 2 cloves finely chopped garlic 1/2 tsp oregano cracked black pepper and sea salt. 2 medium white onions, sliced into rings 1tsp balsamic vinegar 1tsp brown sugar Fry the finely chopped onions and garlic gently in butter until translucent. Combine the Local minced Beef, breadcrumbs, egg, softened onion and garlic, oregano and cracked black pepper (exclude salt). Roughly mix and bring together with hands. Form the mixture into burger shapes. Fry the burgers on each side until brown and cooked through (5 mins per side) Season with salt. Meanwhile, fry the onion rings in 1tsp olive oil. When soft, add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved and caramelised (2 mins). Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar, heat through for 2 more minutes and remove pan from the heat and set aside.
FRAGRANT CHICKEN CURRY 4 free range, local chicken breasts, chopped into chunks 1 cup basmati rice 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 onions finely chopped 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp chilli powder 3 cardamon pods 2 tsp garam masala 1 red pepper (roughly chopped) 1 tin chopped tomoatoes 1 tin coconut mil 2 tbsp lemon juice 3 tbsp yoghurt/cream 1 bunch of fresh coriander, chopped (stalks and leaves separately) Gently fry the chicken in a little oil until sealed, remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, fry the onions and garlic until softened, then add the spices except the garam masala, and cook for a further minute, stirring constantly. Add the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir and bring up to the boil. Add the coriander stalks, red peppers and chicken, ensuring it is covered by the sauce. Leave to simmer for half an hour or so or until the chicken in tender. Stir in the yoghurt or cream, garam masala and lemon juice, and coriander leaves, simmer for a couple of minutes, and serve with basmati rice.
Recipes and Photography By Rebecca Paterson