CT FM 020: February Foods In Season

CT FM 020:

February Foods In Season Brought To You By: RecipeThis.com

Introduction: Here at RecipeThis.com we are back again with another of our in season foodie podcasts and this month is also about February. A time that we associate with winter comfort food as winter some becomes spring, loads of warm food and full to bursting with heart shaped Valentines Day treats.

For us here in Portugal February is always the coldest and most miserable month of the year. Houses here are built for the 40c summers when it feels like you need to be in cold water all the time or eating ice cream to be able to cope with it.

But because of this summer we have it means that houses are not built for winter and we have drafts, damp and lots of flu outbreaks at this time of the year. Though before you start feeling sorry for us our winter rarely goes below double figures we are just so acclimatised for summer that we can’t handle winter.

Though god knows what we would think if we actually came across some snow. Our 2 youngest have never experienced it and our eldest doesn’t remember it. And should I hate that I hate all that snow and ice and give me a warm beach and I am there.

But less about me moaning about cold February how about lets chat about foods that are in season in February.

February Foods In Season So the first question you’re probably wondering is what is actually in season in February?

Lots and lots of my favourite vegetables. We have more leeks and broccoli, cauliflower is back in season and my favourite pudding is also perfect for this time of year. There is of course plenty to choose from

and I wanted to start by highlighting my top 10 along with some great recipes featuring these in season ingredients – so lets get started!

Foods In Season #1 – Cauliflower I have to say right now that I live and breathe cauliflower. It is one of those vegetables that we should all be eating all the time and it is so sad when it is out of season. This is especially so when you see those pathetic looking ones with loads of green leaves appearing on the supermarket shelves.

But in season they are huge, they look amazing and they are so good for cooking with. So get buying those cauliflowers in February and make something new and exciting to impress the kids.

Cauliflower Recipe Suggestions

Can you believe that you can cook a whole cauliflower in the slow cooker and you can and it tastes so good thanks to my recipe! I also love to have:

 Airfryer Honey Glazed Cauliflower Bites  Airfryer Cauliflower Veggie Burger Recipe  How To Make Cauliflower Egg Fried Rice In Just 20 Minutes  Heavenly Creamy Cauliflower Soup In The Soup Maker Those five are always recipes that I dig out when I have some in season cauliflower. Out of them all though my personal favourite is our cauliflower veggie burgers. Even my boys that really don’t do veggie food love them.

Foods In Season #2 – Broccoli Next on the agenda and back again after being featured last month is the trusted broccoli. It is one of those vegetables that I have always eaten and always loved. It is on our shopping list ever week, 52 weeks of the year. BUT it is so much nicer to have when it is in season. The size is improved, the quality is amazing and best of all it is always on special offer.

Broccoli Recipe Suggestions

I love pizza and to say that you can make a healthy broccoli pizza is amazing. Hence why I am starting this with my Mediterranean Broccoli Pizza. I also can never limit myself on broccoli recipes hence why I have four more for you:

 Flourless Air Fryer Broccoli Cheese Quiche  Instant Pot 4 Minute Salmon, Broccoli & Potatoes  Quick Blend 5 Vegetable Couscous  Creamy & Dreamy Paleo Blender Sauce I will let you decide which one you think is the most yummy but for me it would be a split decision between the Paleo blender sauce that can go in everything or the flourless broccoli and cheese quiche!

Foods In Season #3 – Radishes In my mind radishes are the cute little bright things in the salad. The part of the salad that is good looking that makes you actually want to eat salad. When you have kids they don’t really care for their salad and it’s the way to make it look good and appetising.

Radish Recipe Suggestions

For cooking with radishes lets start with spicy stir fried Radish greens from Kalyn’s Kitchen. They make the main focus on the plate to be the radishes and it is delicious.

Another few recipe suggestions for using radishes include:    

Cabbage, Radish & Apple Coleslaw Roasted Salt & Pepper Radish Chips Grilled Radishes With Brown Butter Low Carb Radish Hash Browns

So next time you look at your radish and plan to just slice it over your salad, then think again with all these other opportunities.

Foods In Season #4 – Leeks Yeah‌..leeks are back again. It is time to celebrate the chance to eat even more leeks. I love them and for a vegetable they can work very well with a wide range of dishes. I also love them when I want an alternative to onions or if I am making a casserole.

Leek Recipe Suggestions

For recipe suggestions it doesn’t get any better than Thai Veggie Bites that get you in the mood for a vegetable feast and are so fast to make in the Airfryer. Plus as well as this recipe here are 4 more leek recipes that I personally recommend you try out:

   

Meatless Monday Veggie Bake In The Slow Cooker Turkey Vegetable Pot Pie Quinoa & Leek Patties Sautéed Cabbage & Leeks

Or you could just be boring like me and enjoy some delicious leeks served in a homemade cheese sauce!

Foods In Season #5 – Kale For number #5 on the list for February we have Kale. This is something that I have never eaten that much as it is not that readily available here in Portugal. Though I have had plenty of kale products sent to me and have become a great fan of Kale crisps. There is just something about the crunchy texture of them.

Kale Recipe Suggestions

But away from kale crisps – what else can you have? Well let’s get the kale party started with a delicious kale salad thanks to Cook Eat Paleo.

Then let’s enjoy some kale thanks to the following recipes:

   

Sweet Potato Chicken Kale Skillet Cheesy Kale Hand Pies Smoked Sausage, Kale & Potato Soup Kale Pizza Crust

Out of those recipes though I must admit that I am very curious about trying out a kale pizza and it will make a change from the usual cauliflower one.

Foods In Season #6 – Fennel I often feel like a fennel virgin. Not that I have never tried it, it’s just more of a case of that I don’t have it often enough. So bring on February and the month of the fennel.

Have it with some lovely meat and fish and enjoy all the health benefits that come with it too.

Fennel Recipe Suggestions

For a fennel feast get started with some mushroom risotto featuring fennel from Well Plated. It is a great starting point for getting into cooking with fennel and is also very easy to make if you are new to cooking from scratch.

Here are some more recipe suggestions featuring fennel:    

Apple Fennel Winter Salad Sausage, Fennel & Pepper Roast Roast Chicken With Fennel Pasta With Roasted Fennel & Lemon

I just can’t choose….just too many delicious fennel recipes to choose from!

Foods In Season #7 – Clams OMG I just love clams and there isn’t a better time to have them than right now when they are fully in season. Serve them with some warm crusty bread and you have your supper made. They are always readily available here in Portugal and so cheap too compared to buying prawns.

Clams Recipe Suggestions

Enjoy some clams made in a clam sauce with a good portion size of linguine. It is very flavoursome and a great comfort meal in February. I love clams mixed with pasta as they really bring the dish to life and make it feel like you’re having a luxurious meal.

For clam recipes kick start it with:  Clam Risotto With Bacon & Chives  Easy Linguine With Clams  Best Ever Clam Dip

 Best Clam Chowder Foods In Season #8 – Pumpkin After butternut squash last month, this month is all for the pumpkin and who said it was just for Halloween  It is so delicious and perfect for a quick winter or spring recipe. We love ours cooked in the slow cooker the most and it is also perfect for breakfast with some olive oil giving you something simple to start the day with!

Pumpkin Recipe Suggestions

For pumpkin in February I love to have beef and pumpkin stew in the slow cooker. It is healthy, comforting and full of flavour at the same time.

Other great suggestions for your family pumpkin include:  Guilt Free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins In The Air Fryer  Paleo Thai Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Yellow Curry In The Slow Cooker  The Ultimate Airfryer Pumpkin Parcels  My Soup Maker Creamy Pumpkin & Garlic Soup Foods In Season #9 – Rhubarb I love rhubarb and it is something that I rarely eat. Well that is unless a rhubarb crumble is being offered to me! You can slow cook it to keep its

flavour or do it the traditional way in the pan.

Rhubarb Recipe Suggestions

For rhubarb start it off with this recipe for rhubarb shortbread bars.

These are perfect for some seasonal baking and I am sure you’ll all be arguing over who gets the last one.

Now for more rhubarb recipes how about these:    

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Rhubarb Sorbet Rhubarb Cobbler Rhubarb Pudding Cake

With all this mention of puddings and sweet stuff I think I need a bar of chocolate to get me through all these cravings!

Foods In Season #10 – Mussels Living in Portugal it is all about the seafood and it always starts with some mussels. They’re sold by the net bag at the fishmongers or in the supermarket and just taste so good when you add some garlic and whit

ewine. But that’s not all you can do all kinds of things with mussels and they are great for a cheap seafood option.

Mussels Recipe Suggestions

Let’s start it off the way the French cook them with a delicious garlic and white wine sauce. After all, it is the best way to have them and is perfect for a touch of Mediterranean cooking.

After this I would also suggest:    

30 Minute Easy Seafood Paella Portuguese Style Mussels Summer Seafood Stew Coconut Curry Mussels

February Food Holidays As a food blogger you’re always writing about what national food holidays are happening and what you should be getting involved in. Well here we are with the monthly food holidays for February and there are some great ones.

February Monthly Themes:      

Canned Food Month National Chocolate Lovers Month National Cherry Month National Snack Food Month National Potato Lovers Month National Hot Breakfast Month

February Daily Holidays:          

National Baked Alaska Day – 1st February National Dark Chocolate Day – 1st February National Tater Tots Day – 2nd of February National Carrot Cake Day – 3rd February National Homemade Soup Day – 4th February National Stuffed Mushrooms Day – 4th February National Frozen Yoghurt Day – 5th February National Chopstix Day – 6th February National Fettuccine Alfredo Day – 7th February National Potato Lovers Day – 8th February

                 

National Bagels Day – 9th February National Have A Brownie Day = 10th February National Peppermint Patty Day = 11th February National Plum Pudding Day = 12th February National Italian Food Day = 13th February National Cream Filled Chocolate Day = 14th February National Chewing Gum Day = 15th February National Indian Pudding Day = 17th February National Drink Wine Day = 18th February National Chocolate Mint Day = 19th February National Muffin Day = 20th February National Sticky Bun Day = 21st February National Cherry Pie Day = 22nd February National Banana Bread Day = 23rd February National Tortilla Chip Day = 24th February National Clam Chowder Day = 25th February National Strawberry Day = 27th February National Chocolate Souffle Day = 28th February

Instant Pot Beef & Broccoli Recipe Without further a do, here is our recipe for this month’s cooking tips Podcast. We are talking about broccoli this month so nothing would be better on my plate than Chinese style beef and broccoli via the Instant Pot. Thanks to the Instant Pot this recipe is really quick to make and using the Instant Pot means that the beef is a lot more tender than what you get in your traditional recipe in the wok.

Author: RecipeThis.com Serves: 4 Preparation time: 2 minutes Cook time: 6 minutes

Ingredients:

            

Instant Pot Duo 4 Slices Beef Frying Steak 1 Large Broccoli 1 Large Onion (peeled and diced) 2Tsp Fresh Ginger (grated) 1Tsp Garlic Puree 1Tbsp Olive Oil 5Tbsp Soy Sauce 1Tbsp Worcester Sauce 1Tbsp Chinese 5 Spice 1Tsp Mixed Spice 1Tsp Coriander Salt & Pepper

Method 1. Place in your Instant Pot your onion, garlic, ginger and olive oil on the sauté setting.

2. While the onion is cooking slice the beef into strips and make your broccoli into pretty florets.

3. When it has colour on the onion and it has gone tender add the broccoli and beef and stir well.

4. Add all the seasonings, stir in the soy sauce and the Worcester and finally add in the liquid so that it can go to pressure.

5. We found for water that 300ml was adequate and mixed it well so that everything is well coated.

6. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set to sealing. Cook for 6 minutes on manual pressure or until the broccoli and beef are tender.

7. Manually release pressure so that you can serve straight away and to stop the broccoli from turning into mush.

8. Give it a quick drain with a sieve before serving to get rid of any excess liquid and if its too dry drizzle with soy sauce.

9. Serve with rice or noodles.

Notes

I used beef quick fry steak for this recipe, but thanks to how the Instant Pot tenderises the meat you could use any of the tough cuts for a great frugal meal.

Another tip is that your beef is already partially cooked so the time you cook it for depends on how well cooked you like your broccoli and ginger.

That’s A Wrap Thanks for listening to our Podcast and don’t forget how easy it is to transform your dinner plate to include lots of seasonal produce. It is a great way to get excited about what is in season and to vary what you eat for dinner and to get your kids excited about fresh local food.

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