Tudor foodies

Trying to make healthier food choices? Delight your taste buds and feel great with the latest offerings from our Foodies TUDOR

Asparagus, broad bean & ricotta spring tart with watercress dressing by Anna BurgesLumsden (1995) Food Stylist, Food Writer & recipe developer

This is a zingy puff pastry tart adorned with creamy ricotta, flavoured with lemon zest, grated parmesan, mint and basil and topped with griddled asparagus, broad beans and watercress. It celebrates all the joys of the new season of British spring

vegetables. Tiny broad beans add a lovely pop of colour. Make sure you remove their outer skins to reveal the beautiful green jewels below as this will ensure they are perfectly tender. English asparagus has a very short season, so it is definitely worth snapping it up when you see it, as it has a highly superior flavour to the imported asparagus available the rest of the year. It is best to use all-butter puff pastry if you can find it. It is a little more expensive than the ordinary puff pastry, but it has a lovely buttery flavour so it is worth the investment. This can be made as one large tart perfect for a relaxed al fresco lunch or as six individual ones for a starter.

Makes 6 individual tarts or one large one to serve 6 Takes 30 minutes to make Takes 15 minutes to cook

INGREDIENTS FOR THE TART 375g ready rolled all butter puff pastry 200g thin asparagus, ends trimmed 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 100g crème fraîche 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan 1 lemon, finely grated zest 200g ricotta small handful basil leaves, finely chopped 2 sprigs fresh mint, leaves picked, finely chopped 150g baby broad beans small handful watercress, to decorate 30g feta, crumbled

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING 30g watercress leaves, stalks removed 3 tbsp olive oil squeeze lemon juice

METHOD l Preheat the oven to 200°C. l Line a flat baking sheet with baking paper and unroll the puff pastry sheet. (It is easier if you remove the pastry from the fridge 10 minutes before you need to use it, otherwise it might crack a little when you unroll it.) l Cut the pastry sheet into six evenly-sized rectangles. Then score a border around each pastry sheet with a small sharp knife. Be careful not to go all the way through. Then prick inside the strip along the edge with a fork. This will stop the middle rising as much and the edge will rise up to make a border to hold your filling in. l Place the pastry cases into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden and well risen. If you are baking one whole tart it will take about 15 minutes until it is golden. Remove from the oven and press inside the border with your fingers to create a border. l While the pastry is cooking, trim the asparagus discarding any woody ends, cut the stalks in half, drizzle the asparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place a griddle pan over a high heat and, once hot, add the asparagus and griddle for 3-4 minutes or until just tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.

l Mix together the crème fraîche, ricotta, finely grated zest of half a lemon and parmesan, chopped herbs and season well to taste. Spread this mixture over the base of the tart cases. Divide the griddled asparagus between the cases. l Blanch the broad beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 2 minutes, drain, refresh in iced water and slip off the skins with your fingertips to reveal the bright green jewels beneath. Scatter the broad beans over the top of the tarts. l Place the watercress into a blender with 3 tbsp olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper and blitz until smooth. l Decorate the top of the tarts with a few sprigs of watercress, scatter over the crumbled feta and just before serving drizzle with the watercress dressing.

www.linkedin.com/in/ annaburgeslumsden anna@annabl.com

Roasted red cabbage steaks with salsa verde and butternut squash by Starzie Brown (2013) Chef, private catering available on weekends.

For anyone wanting to eat a little more sustainably, thickly sliced wedges of roasted cabbage make a satisfying meat-free dinner – served on a bed of butternut squash mash and topped with a fresh and fragrant salsa verde. Serves 4

INGREDIENTS FOR THE RED CABBAGE 1 red cabbage cut into 4 x 2cm thick ‘steaks’ 2 cloves garlic 2 tbsp olive oil 1 pinch sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALSA VERDE 1 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley 1 bunch of fresh basil 1/2 bunch fresh mint 1 banana shallot, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp capers, roughly chopped 1 red chilli, finely diced 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 6 anchovy fillets (optional) 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional) 12 tbsp good quality olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BUTTERNUT SQUASH 1 butternut squash 1 pinch sea salt 1 tbsp olive oil 100g butter

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GARNISH Seeds from half a pomegranate Toasted hazelnuts, lightly crushed

METHOD l Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas mark 6. l Start by cutting the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Place onto a baking sheet face side up, and roast for 40-45 minutes until the flesh is tender enough to mash. l Slice the red cabbage into 4 x 2cm thick ‘steaks’ and put onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bash 2 cloves of garlic (leaving the skin on), drizzle with

2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put into the oven for 40 minutes, turning over halfway through. If it starts to colour too much, cover with foil. l If you have a food processor, put all the ingredients for the salsa verde inside and pulse until it has a dropping consistency. If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the herbs, mince the garlic (or use a garlic crusher), and finely dice the shallot. Put into a mixing bowl. Add the chilli, anchovies and capers. Mix together, and slowly add the oil. Add the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Trust your palate! Add a touch of lemon juice for some sharpness, but not too much as it will discolour the herbs. l Smash out the seeds from half a pomegranate and set aside. Toast the hazelnuts for 4–5 minutes. Cool, and crush lightly between some baking paper with a rolling pin. l Melt the butter in a pan or in the microwave. Remove the butternut squash from the oven.

When it is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and put into a bowl. Making sure the flesh is still warm, slowly start pouring in the butter, a little bit at a time and mash with a potato masher. You might not need all the butter. Season and cover the bowl with cling film. l Remove the red cabbage steaks from the oven, pierce with a skewer, making sure it goes through easily so you know it is cooked. Drizzle over the salsa verde, and top with the hazelnuts and pomegranate. Serve with butternut squash mash.

07769 846922 starziebrown@gmail.com

Asian Chicken Soup by Hester Sale (Irvine, 1984) Caterer, B&B owner and founder of ‘Hester’s Cookery Club’ at Tudor.

This is a favourite recipe from ‘Hester’s Cookery Club’ – both the Tudor girls and I love it. We cook fresh, seasonal quick recipes, which I know the girls will be able to make for themselves wherever their lives take them.

The ingredients in this recipe are fresh and light, give plenty of colour, and combine to create a healthy dish. You can even make your own stock left over from a roast chicken for extra nutrients.

Add as little or as much chilli as you like and play around with the quantities of specific ingredients to suit your tastes; that’s the joy of this type of recipe. Serves 4

INGREDIENTS 1.4 ltr fresh chicken stock 300g cooked chicken pieces 1 large bunch coriander 250g fine French beans 3 lime leaves Juic e and zest of 1 lime 1 x 10cm piece of root ginger 2 red chillies 1 tbsp fish sauce 2 lemon grass stalks 2 large handful beansprouts 150g chestnut mushrooms 2 tbsp rice vinegar basil leaves for garnish

METHOD l Chop the coriander stalks, set leaves aside. Peel and finely slice ginger. Finely dice lemon grass and slice 1 chilli.

l Put stock, coriander stalks, lime leaves, half chilli and lemon grass into a pan. Leave to infuse over a medium heat. Steam French beans until al dente, then refresh. Chop chicken, slice mushrooms, zest and juice the lime. l Add the chicken, mushrooms and beans to the stock, bring to simmer. l Add the rice vinegar, lime zest and juice, fish sauce and adjust the flavour to your taste. l Serve in four large soup bowls, garnished with beansprouts, coriander leaves, remaining sliced chilli and fresh basil.

www.minehillhouse.co.uk insta: hesterscookeryclub