Recipes

At the Farm Shop we don’t treat cooking as a precise science, nor are we trying to give a comprehensive list of recipes. These are some of our favourite dishes and we hope you’ll give some of them a try. They’ve worked for us on countless occasions but that doesn’t mean, with a bit of imagination and a few tweaks, they can’t be improved. Good luck.
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Main IngredientBeefChicken and poultryGameLambMuttonPorkSausageSeafoodVegetableMealDinnerLunchSeasonAutumnSpringSummerWinterSweetDessert
Cotechino with lentils & salsa verdeBy Ben Watson

Hailing from the Modena region, this classic Italian dish is traditionally served on New Year’s Eve. Local custom has it that eating a portion of cotechino before midnight is a good omen for the New Year as lentils and legumes signify longevity, fair winds and good luck. A real traditionalist would serve Zampone (sausage meat in a boned-out pigs trotter) but these days, it’s usually cotechino. The delicious thick sausage is made from what, until recently, were considered to be secondary cuts of meat (shoulder and belly) with a bit of finely minced rind and is meant to be served sliced to resemble coins and therefore prosperity. These days, cotechino is normally cooked, and sold in gold or silver foil bags, so just needs slicing and reheating. In the best BFS tradition, we’ve made our own, cured and cooked, so just needs slicing and lightly frying until it begins to char around the edges. If you’re feeling brave, the lentil/salsa verde combo also works well with ox tongue – but not on New Year’s Eve because you won’t get the good luck. The piquant salsa verde pairs perfectly with the cotechino so definitely isn’t optional here. Salsa verde recipes are easy to find but we make ours with four parts parsley, two parts of  basil, one of mint and half of tarragon, plus the usual suspects of garlic, capers, anchovies, lemon juice, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard and olive oil. It’s a punchy little number.

Taco EsquitesBy Ben WatsonOur take on the classic Mexican street salad but this time in a taco - using sweetcorn, feta, spring onions & sour cream.
SalmorejoBy Ben WatsonHere's our take on a slightly less traditional Spanish Salmorejo using Brindisa's tomato gazpacho - the perfect compromise for an easy and filling supper.
Anchioade MayonnaiseBy Ben WatsonAnchoïade is a perfect partner for all things barbecued. This simple recipe will give you enough mayonnaise for a decent gathering around any barbecue. This is a slightly less pokey version of the Seahorse's cross between mayonnaise and anchoïade. I prefer halving the anchovies, capers and mustard, so here's my version of anchioade mayonnaise.
Nduja, Ricotta & Onion TartBy Ben WatsonA French onion tart, cooled but still warm out of the oven, is a truly wondrous thing. Hailing, originally, from Alsace, it’s one of the unsung heroes of French regional cooking, sadly forgotten over here until ‘modern British’ chefs, Simon Hopkinson and Rowley Leigh reintroduced us in all its glory. Somewhere between a Quiche Lorraine and Alsatian ‘flammkuchen’ pizza it’s one of those rare beasts that, despite holistic perfection in its original form, is no enemy of the home cook that just can’t leave good things alone. Bacon lardons and various cheeses (Comte, Gruyere, Beaufort etc in particular) are the standard variations and all bring something to the party but the sweetness of the onions also lends itself to all things smoked. The smoked haddock, chicken and bacon/ham theme has been well mined in the Ben’s Farm Shop kitchen, and elsewhere, but our version of Calabrian salami, nduja, is even better. Being made up, primarily, of pork fat, it melts into the onion mix giving an underlying but not overpowering heat without detracting from the sweetness of the onion. The ricotta is a slightly gratuitous, icing on the cake - adding to the onions sweetness and flashed under the grill, it gives an attractive ‘burnt peak’ appearance.As with all pies, you can get to eight out of ten but those last few points depend on the quality of the pastry and you’re only ever going to get those if you make your own. In the BFS kitchen we make tonnes of the stuff and for commercial pastry, it’s pretty good – but because we make it by the hundred weight, it’s always going to be overworked way past the ‘short’ stage. There are whole books out there on the subject so I’m not going to try to reinvent the wheel but whatever route you chose; you’re going to need about 500gms for a 2½cm deep, 28-30 cm tart case.
Penang AcarBy Ben WatsonThis Malaysian vegetable relish is best at room temperature as a condiment for rice, seafood, chicken or tofu. It will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, during which time it will develop and improve. Serves eight.
Cheese TartBy Ben WatsonBest served at room temperature, this savoury cheese tart is ideal for al fresco dining in the summer and served simply with a fresh lightly dressed salad.
Chinese Style MeatballsBy Ben WatsonBeyond the holistic perfection of leek and potato soup, I don’t have much appetite for the old fashioned ‘cream of whatever’ concoctions. I’m much more a ‘stoup’ fan, whether it be chowder, minestrone or something similar, and few ‘Cook’s Cheats’ work better than our Miso Ramen Broth and Fish Soup bases. We’ve done the work for you and all you need to do is chose your seafood or ramen additions.Char Siu pork is probably the most common ramen meat ingredient, but I’m a big fan of a Chinese style meatball. Lion’s Head Meatballs with vermicelli noodles, bok choy and Chinese leaves/Napa cabbage are a good place to start. It's really more of a noodle soup than a classic ramen; a Shanghai classic and easy to make. Traditionally, they’re made big – one per person – and served in a bowl with the vermicelli and bok choy ‘mane’ beneath – hence the ‘lion’s head’. Ignoring the aesthetics, small meatballs win hands down on all other counts, so that’s what I do, and the danger of ending up with broth all over your table cloth and shirt front is averted.
Marmalade MarzipanBy Ben WatsonWe only tend to use it at Christmas but marzipan is wonderful stuff and incredibly easy to make. Easter is on the horizon and if you’re Simnel cake inclined, homemade marzipan is so much better than shop bought. Well chilled, you can grate it into Hot X buns and tea cakes. It’s really not hard either and it doesn’t have to be ultra sweet. Many recipes call for orange zest but a few spoonful's of marmalade are so much easier. Most home made recipes call for egg as a binding tool but the marmalade does much the same thing.
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