CT FM 021: March Foods In Season

CT FM 021: March Foods In Season

Brought To You By: RecipeThis.com

Introduction: Here at RecipeThis.com we are back with another of our “in season” foodie podcasts. We just love our seasonal food and we wanted to share our love for it with YOU. We live in a pretty small village in Portugal. It is 20 minutes to the nearest beach, 20 minutes from the local waterpark and out of our window we can see the beautiful local countryside and the mountains in the distance.

In the summer it has some tourists than beach space so it is nice to relax away from the tourists and enjoy the real Portugal. One of the many addictions is the street sellers that sell their locally grown produce. They can make a lot more money selling it to us locals than the supermarkets, yet they charge us a lot less and it is 100% organic.

They have stalls at the side of the road (outside their homes) and have amazing produce that is always in season.

It always makes us smile as it reminds us exactly what is in season and what a huge discount we are getting.

At the moment it is still about the citrus fruits, compared to in summer when they have the enormous water melons. We end up leaving with about 5 kilos of the most delicious tangerines you have ever tasted and it makes us so grateful that we live in Portugal and can enjoy this.

March Foods In Season So the first question you’re probably wondering is what is actually in season in March for you to enjoy?

Well for us this month is all about the meat. Even though you have seasonal vegetables like spinach and peppers the talking point is the meat. You have spring lamb, chicken and pork. Plus salmon is also in season and incredibly nice!

So listen away and lets talk about lots of yummy March food ď Š Foods In Season #1 – Peppers

Lets start with the vegetables and first on the list is peppers. They are so delicious and can make a perfect omelette, are excellent stuffed, give that sweet flavour to a paella and I also love them on my salad.

Pepper Recipe Suggestions

Starting with my stuffed peppers as after all this is the first way that enters my head when I think of peppers. They are also stuffed with cauliflower rice making them a great healthy lunch.

After this I would also suggest:    

30 Minute Easy Seafood Paella Lazy Soup Maker Red Pepper & Red Tomato Soup Stuffed Pepper Soup Easy Roasted Pepper Hummus

Foods In Season #2 – Spinach

For a bit of green in your life there is nothing more green than the trusted spinach. We like to have it in our casseroles, stews, muffins and stir frys to add a little bit more colour to the meal.

We buy it in 2.5kilo bags from our local cash and carry. It lasts us ages and we can just get out a few cubes of it when we fancy some.

Spinach Recipe Suggestions

I will be starting the spinach party with my take on the Katie Price Detox smoothie. This would have been one of the first times I had blended spinach and it was amazing how good it tasted! Prior to that the only way I had enjoyed spinach was with a lot of butter!

After this I would also suggest:    

Creamy Avocado & Spinach Zoodles Quick Blend 5 Vegetable Couscous Quick Blend Avocado Devilled Eggs Leftover Greek Spanakopita Pie In The Air Fryer

Foods In Season #3 – Onions

Onions is one of those foods that you either love or hate. I love it and so does Dominic and the kids. Nearly all of our recipes begin with add onions and olive oil just because they go so well together.

We buy about 1 large bag of onions when grocery shopping and they last us about 2 weeks. We also love spring onions but they are so expensive here so we tend to stick with the traditional ones.

Onion Recipe Suggestions

First on the agenda has to be some delicious onion bhajis cooked to perfection in the Airfryer. They’re the perfect starter for an Indian meal at home and not too spicy.

After this I would also suggest:    

Chicken Liver & Onions Airfryer Onion Rings French Onion Soup In The Soup Maker Airfryer Sage & Onion Stuffing Balls

Foods In Season #4 – Bananas

Like in the old days with a multi pack of crisps in our house a bunch of bananas just goes so fast. I love them; Kyle loves them and so does Sofia. I am sure when we wean Jorge onto them he will be a huge fan too.

I love them best just as they are as a fruit snack. But I am also a huge fan of them as banana fritters, in banana bread and of course into muffins.

Even though it is in season right now – I eat them any time but at least when in season the quality improves!

Banana Recipe Suggestions

How about we start with some banana bread? This month on the blog is all about leftovers and this is the best use ever for bananas.

After this I would also suggest:

   

Banana & Avocado Chocolate Pudding Paleo Banana Ice Cream Instant Pot Banoffee Pie Banana & Custard Yoghurt

Foods In Season #5 – Citrus Fruit

Back in season after we featured it in January is citrus fruit. Citrus fruit is everywhere right now and is so delicious. Get obsessed with ripe grapefruits, large tangerines, and the last of the Christmas oranges, lemons and limes. It is all in and available right now.

Citrus Fruits Recipe Suggestions

Citrus fruit is so amazing, what would you start with? Well for us we are kick starting it with some delicious (and healthy) Whole 30 compliant whole lemon chicken.

After this I would also suggest:    

Lemon Pepper Chicken Healthy Homemade Lemonade Key Lime Sundae Thai Chicken Satay

Foods In Season #6 – Salmon I love salmon. It is one of the few fish that I like to have all the time.

It is full of flavour, is so healthy and is perfect for a quick lunch. We often have it at lunch time with some steamed broccoli and sometimes with some potatoes. It is complete heaven.

Salmon Recipe Suggestions

How about the simplicity of the Instant Pot and some salmon, broccoli and new potatoes together?

After this I would also suggest:

   

How To Perfectly Cook Salmon Mustard Crusted Salmon Salmon Pasta Chowder Pineapple Glazed Salmon

Foods In Season #7 – Pork

For meat living here in Portugal it is all about the pork. It is everywhere and there is always some kind of local recipe doing the rounds with pork. It is probably down to the fact that it is so cheap to buy and the income for many in Portugal is very low.

But just because it is cheap doesn’t mean that pork isn’t amazing. We love it and are always eating it!

Pork Recipe Suggestions

For a world wide food craze it doesn’t get any better than pulled pork. Everyone I know loves it and here is our Indian inspired one.

After this I would also suggest:

   

Apple Butter Pulled Pork Instant Pot Pork Roast Sweet & Sour Pork Slow Cooker Pork Lasagne

Foods In Season #8 – Chicken

After pork always come chicken and the 2nd biggest food staple here in Portugal. Without chicken we wouldn’t have Piri Piri Chicken and without Piri Piri Chicken there wouldn’t be a brand called Nando’s.

It is often on special offer at the supermarket and we can always get a really good deal on the price. Plus with chicken being so versatile you have a whole range of recipes you can make with it.

Chicken Recipe Suggestions

Let’s start with how to chop up a chicken as it is a great tutorial for showing you how to get the most meat out of your chicken and then you can use one chicken on a few meals.

After this I would also suggest:    

Chicken & Pasta Instant Pot Bake Instant Pot Chicken Broth Southern Fried Chicken In The Airfryer Corden Bleu In The Airfryer

Foods In Season #9 – Lamb

As a chef when I mentioned to Dominic food in season for March his first thought was spring lamb as he loves it. He loves the taste of it slow cooked and that’s all he talks about food wise at this time of the year.

But lamb is delicious and it is a great seasonal food for this time of year when you still want warming food but you also want to appreciate meat too.

Lamb Recipe Suggestions

We don’t eat lamb very often but when we do it is very nice. It feels like a long time ago now but on Dominic’s 40th we had lamb shoulder in the slow cooker. We had it for his birthday as it was the best thing I could think of to celebrate his big day. That was because

it was also the day before my due date and there was that fear of my waters breaking that stops us from going out. He was born the day after and is now sat next to me and just starting the weaning process and its amazing that he will be six months old later this month!

After this I would also suggest:    

Balsamic Brown Sugar Lamb Chops Moroccan Meat Pies Garlic & Herb Crusted Lamb Chops Lamb Ragu

Foods In Season #10 – Beef

Last on the list for favourite foods in season in March is beef. It is such a delicious meat and is perfect for a whole range of dishes. If you are frugal we recommend that you buy minced beef and beef shin. Or if you have more money to spend some delicious beef topside is a lovely cut of meat.

Beef Recipe Suggestions

Let’s start with the perfect frugal meal. How about you buy the really cheap beef scraps from the butchers and then throw it in the Instant Pot. Thanks to the electric pressure cooker it will cook them perfectly and you will have a yummy tender beef stew when done.

After this I would also suggest:    

Hungarian Beef Goulash Instant Pot Chinese Beef & Beans Beef Shin Stew Beef Stroganoff

March Food Holidays I love this section of the Podcast as it really makes me laugh at the different food holidays that are experienced in the culinary world each month. Some of them I actually have no clue what they actually are and others I know and love well. They’re also great for a theme for your own blog if you have a bit of writers block.

March Monthly Themes:       

National Fresh Celery Month National Noodle Month National Flour Month National Sauce Month National Nutrition Month National Frozen Food Month National Caffeine Awareness Month

March Daily Holidays:         

National Banana Cream Day = 2nd of March National Cold Cuts Day = 3rd of March National Pound Cake = 4th of March National Cheese Doodle Day = 5th of March National Oreo Day = 6th of March National Cereal Day = 7th of March National Crab Day = 9th of March National Ranch Dressing Day = 10th of March National Eat Your Noodles Day = 11th of March

               

National Milky Way Day = 12 of March National Chicken Noodle Soup Day = 13th of March National Potato Chips Day = 14th of March National Eat Like an Irishman Day = 17th of March National Sloppy Joe Day = 18th of March National Oatmeal Cookie Day 0 19th of March National Ravioli Day = 20th of March National Crunchy Taco Day = 21st of March National Water Day = 22nd of March National Chips & Dips Day = 23rd of March National Tortilla Chip Day = 24th of March National International Waffle Day = 25th of March National Nougat Day = 26th of March National Black Forest Cake Day = 28th of March National Turkey Neck Soup Day = 30th of March National Clam Day = 31st of March

Instant Pot Beer Can Chicken

Without further a do, here is our recipe for this month’s cooking tips Podcast. I’m a huge fan of the abilities of electric pressure cookers and in particular my Instant Pot. What better way to a dump and go recipe than Instant Pot Beer Can Chicken. It is so easy to prepare and your chicken is so moist afterwards. We have also done this previously with white wine but prefer the flavour from beer.

Author: RecipeThis.com Serves: 4 Preparation time: 2 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:         

Instant Pot Beer Can Set Whole Chicken 1 Can Beer 1Tsp Garlic Puree 2Tbsp Olive Oil 1Tbsp Parsley 1Tbsp Sage Salt & Pepper

Method: 1. Place your chicken on a clean chopping board. In a small mixing bowl add together all of the seasonings along with the olive oil.

2. Massage the seasoning mixture into the skin of the chicken making sure that every bit of skin is covered.

3. On the sauté setting add the Chicken to the Instant Pot making sure that it is skin side down. Cook for approximately

4.

5.

6.

7.

5 minutes until the skin has a lovely crispy texture and that the seasoning smells out your kitchen as this shows it is cooking well.

Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot, turn the Instant Pot off and give the bottom a quick wipe so that it wont burn during the chicken cooking process.

Place the contents of the beer into the beer can slot, then place it in the bottom of the Instant Pot, on top of this spread the legs of chicken and lower it over it.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and using the manual setting cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.

Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes and then serve.

Notes: The whole chickens that we buy are typically 2 kilos in weight. I know in American foodie language these are considered as miniature chickens.

We used Portuguese beer in this recipe and it is a 330ml size, so adjust depending on the country where you live.

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.

Subscribe To Our Cooking FM Podcast If you would like to subscribe to our Cooking FM Podcast then you can do so below:  Join our mailing list and you will be informed whenever we post a new Podcast  Subscribe Via iTunes Your Feedback Is Welcome If you get the chance, please leave us an honest rating and a review on iTunes by clicking here. We would really appreciate the feedback and it will help our Podcasts grow. We appreciate it and we hope you enjoy our Podcasts!

Thanks again for listening and best of luck with you food adventures.

Samantha & Dominic Milner http://recipethis.com And don’t forget to connect with us on social media:    

http://facebook.com/recipethis https://twitter.com/recipe_this https://pt.pinterest.com/recipethis/ https://www.instagram.com/recipethisblog/

And to get regular updates from us sign up for our free foodie newsletter below: http://recipethis.com/newsletter/