Season's Eatings Winter Crops
Eating fresh and seasonal produce not only tastes better, but is better for the environment. Here we look at what's in season at the moment, and what you can make from it
Season's Eatings: Winter Crops
Eating seasonally is, quite simply, the best way to eat. To find out what’s in season at the moment, and what you can make from it, we spoke to Stephanie Green from Doorstep Organics and Brett Barnes, chef at Holbeck’s The Cross Keys.
What’s in season?
Doorstep Organics provide weekly fruit and veg boxes delivered straight to your door. “The wide choice of goods in today’s supermarkets can actually mean people have a less varied diet,” says Green, owner of Doorstep Organics. “The fact that the same vegetables are available throughout the year means consumers are less inclined to vary their diet as the season progresses. Seasonal food is better for your health. Fresh food which hasn’t been in storage while travelling half way around the world is much better nutritionally, containing high levels of Vitamin C. Plus organic and local means pesticides and preservatives used in intensively farmed crops are absent.
“At this time of year, we are seeing the end of the winter crops. Root crops are still in abundance. Cauliflower, leeks, turnips, potatoes, carrots and swede all make good, hearty soups and warming stews to fend off the cold winter nights. Winter crops can be expected to last until April/May with new vegetables being introduced throughout this time. March can see the appearance of spring greens, radishes and purple sprouting broccoli with lettuce and salads appearing in April.”
Currently in the Doorstep Organics boxes are: potatoes, carrots, onions, sprout stalk, red cabbage, leeks, beetroot, parsnips, green pumpkin, mushrooms, broccoli, celery, swede, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, tomatoes and peppers.
What can you make with it?
The Cross Keys in Holbeck has a regularly changing seasonal menu, using the best ingredients available to the chefs at each time of the year. With that in mind, we set chef Brett Barnes the challenge of creating a dish for us using only vegetables available in the Doorstep Organics box, plus meat and seasonings. Here’s what he came up with.
Lamb Hot Pot (serves 4)
Ingredients
4 lamb tongues
8 lamb sweetbreads
400g boneless lamb shoulder
2 lamb rump (approx 200g each)
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 carrots
½ swede
1 turnip
2 potatoes
1 litre chicken stock
1 large sprig rosemary
1 bulb garlic, sliced in half through its equator
Method
Cut the lamb shoulder into bite-sized chunks, season and brown well on all sides in a frying pan. Set aside.
Place the shoulder in a pan with the onion, leek, garlic, rosemary and one of the carrots, chopped. Bring gently to the boil, skim off any scum, add a pinch of salt and the lambs tongues. Simmer very gently until all is tender. Peel the skin from the tongues while still warm.
Meanwhile, chop the other carrot, the swede, potato and turnip into neat dice and set aside.
Remove the lamb from the stock and strain the juice through a sieve into a clean pan. Check for seasoning. Bring the stock back up to a gentle simmer and add the diced veg. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the tongue and shoulder and simmer for another 5 minutes to reheat.
Season the lamb rumps and brown well on all sides. Place in a medium oven for 5 minutes or until medium-rare. Remove and place on a board to rest. Place the pan back on the stove and fry the sweetbreads until nicely caramelised.
To finish, divide the stock and veg between 4 deep bowls and give each person 1 tongue, 2 sweetbreads, some of the shoulder and half a lamb rump sliced thinly. Sprinkle with sea salt.
For more information on Doorstep Organics, contact Stephanie on 0113 294 2944 or info@doorsteporganics.co.uk or visit www.doorsteporganics.co.uk. The Cross Keys can be found at 107 Water Lane, LS11 5WD, 0113 243 3711, www.the-crosskeys.com
Posted on Wednesday 3rd March 2010
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