Spring

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.
SpringCategories
All CategoriesMain IngredientBeefChicken and poultryGameLambMuttonPorkSausageSeafoodVegetableMealDinnerLunchSeasonAutumn  SpringSummerWinterSweetDessert
Primavera RisottoBy Ben WatsonA celebration of spring, this primavera risotto boasts flavours from both broad beans and asparagus. Serve with generous amounts of parmesan shavings to taste. 
Rhubarb granolaBy JessThis rhubarb is almost too good for crumble. It shines when gently poached—just fresh fruit juice and sugar will do. The key is not to overcook it: two to three minutes is plenty. Like toasting pine nuts, turn away for a moment and it’s burnt/overdone! Serve with thick yoghurt and our BFS granola for a simple, elegant breakfast.

Broad Bean & Tuna SaladBy Ben Watson

Our seasonal hero this May is the humble broad bean. For the gardener, autumn sown broad beans should be just ready by the end of the month but Spanish and French will have been around for months. As with peas, you have to be pretty hard core to turn your nose up at frozen but freshly picked and podded, they’re in a league of their own. If you’re lucky enough to get a May harvest, you certainly won’t have to worry about double podding them. 

For this simple Rowley recipe, a good quality olive oil and tuna, such as the Ortiz Bonito del Norte (white tuna) are essential. Serve al fresco and with a pale rose. 

Duck fatteeBy Ben WatsonA traditional Lebanese dish, usually made for celebrations, duck fattee offers an incredibly colourful display of pomegranate seeds, yoghurt, parsley, chickpeas, rice and duck, It's a great, slightly informal, alternative to a traditional Easter (or Christmas) roast, Normally served with toasted flatbreads, it's one big sharing plate; sure to wow family and guests alike. Any slow-cooked meat works well from chicken to lamb, but we think the delectably gamey and fattiness of duck really sings.
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.
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.
Rowley Leigh’s FritteddaBy Ben WatsonFrittedda is a tasty vegetable stew originating in the Sicilian capital, Palermo. Prepared with fresh broad beans, peas and artichokes, it's a primavera classic for the spring in Italy or early summer in the UK and can truly be called "spring on a plate". The vegetables are slowly sautéed, and gently shaken rather than stirred in order to preserve the texture and flavour of each ingredient - the sweetness of the peas, the pleasant bitterness of the artichokes and the nutty flavour of broad beans. These flavours can be rounded with the addition of agrodulce sauce, made with caramelised sugar and vinegar. Back in Palermo, it is often served with panelle, a Sicilian chickpea/gram flour fritters.
Rowley Leigh’s CaponataBy Ben WatsonTraditionally a Sicilian dish, caponata can be found in numerous variations of chopped aubergines, celery, capers and with older versions that even include cocoa powder. Although, this could be a step too far. Last July, chef Rowley Leigh hosted a Summer Feast with us and he opened with his classic caponata recipe served alongside our charcuterie.
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