Cook Vegetarian - April 2014
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WWW.COOKVEG.CO.UK 23 The man thats grows... Leeks Here, Ed Scott, the assistant harvest manager at Riverford Organic, reveals the joys of growing leeks. If planted in good conditions, leeks are fairly trouble-free, but they don’t compete well with weeds, particularly when young, so regular hoeing in the early stages is essential. ‘Ridging up’ the crop will encourage a longer shank. Spraying with a seaweed solution encourages healthy leaves and helps prevent the onset of rust, a fungal disease that won’t usually kill the plant but inhibits growth and makes the leaves wrinkled and unsightly (well-drained soil and good ventilation will also slow down the onset of rust). Leeks are a hardy crop and will ‘hibernate’ in winter (stop growing) with no harm, growing on again when the soil starts warming up again. Super season In Devon we plant out our seedlings in June and July to harvest between mid-September and mid-April; after that most of our varieties are beginning to bolt. Later varieties are available but are generally not as good a product, lacking in flavour; by this time we tend to be through the worst of the ‘hungry gap’ anyway and spring or summer vegetables start to become available. Quality leeks Pick ones that are too big! Once a leek gets to more than about 4cm in diameter, the quality rapidly deteriorates as it becomes more ‘woody’ and takes longer to cook. The base should be trimmed tight although leaving a little root on is not an issue. If trimmed too close you will see the rings of the individual layers of the leek and should avoid; it will dehydrate rapidly. Make sure there is some flag (leaf ) at the top and it is not limp; this signifies an old leek. A common trick is to trim all or most of the green away under the pretence of less wastage for the customer; this is often actually done to freshen up an old leek and the flag is still packed full of flavour, even if you just use it as part of a stock. My favourite way to eat them is leek and potato soup – it may be simple but packed full of flavour and a great winter warmer. I also like the summer version – vichyssoise – it’s basically exactly the same recipe but chilled down. Fast Fact It’s traditional for soldiers in the Welsh regiments to eat a raw leek on St David’s Day! SPANAKOPITA WITH CHARD & LEEKS Serves 4-6 Ready in 1hr 10 minutes 500g chard, tough stalks removed 2 tbsp oil, for frying 500g leeks, trimmed, sliced in half lengthways, then shredded 100g melted butter 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp dried mint 4 free-range eggs 200g vegetarian ricotta (or cottage cheese) 200g vegetarian feta handful chopped parsley handful chopped dill 250g packet filo pastry 2 tbsp poppy seeds 1 Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the chard leaves for two minutes. Drain, plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and keep the colour, then drain again. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid with your hands, then roughly chop the leaves. 2 Heat the oil and fry the leeks for six minutes. Add the garlic and mint and fry for two minutes. Leave to cool, then mix in the chopped chard. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta, crumble in the feta, then add the veg and herbs and stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the filo from the packet and lay it out. Cover with a clean, slightly damp tea towel to stop it drying out. Brush the bottom of the dish with a little butter. Lay out a sheet of filo on your work surface and brush with a little melted butter. Lay inside the baking dish; you want some overhanging. 3 Repeat with half the filo, buttering each layer as you go. Spoon in the filling and even it out. Lay over the rest of pastry, brushing each sheet as before. Tuck in the edges and brush with butter to seal. Sprinkle with the poppy seeds. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, depending on your oven, until golden and crispy. PER SERVING (6 SERVINGS): 512 CALS, 37.2G FAT IN SEASON E
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Transcript of Cook Vegetarian - April 2014
