Vegetable

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.
VegetableCategories
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Austrian Apple & Horseradish SauceBy Ben Watson

Traditionally served with tafelspitz (an Austrian 'boiled' beef dish much favoured by the Emperor Franz Joseph) this apple and horseradish sauce adds a kick to any meal. It can be adapted to suit your tastes, so whether you like it hot or a little more on the mild side, it's a must. 

Pesto alla Poly TunnelBy Ben WatsonLike many, I think I might have overdone it a bit on the tomato planting in the poly tunnel yet again this year, so any way of preserving them in their semi fresh state is to be jumped at. My basil is also entering its 'use it or lose it' stage so when Rachel Roddy started eulogizing about the about pesto alla trapanese in the Guardian a few weeks ago when I was on the verge of binning bucket loads of its two main ingredients, I sat up and took notice. The third ingredient, almonds are far cheaper than pine nuts, but I still couldn't resist substituting a part ration of sunflower seeds. That seemed to work, leaving the possibility of swapping olive oil for rapeseed oil, for a true Pesto alla Brexit. Rightly or wrongly, I've always been a bit wary of the neonicotinoid/rapeseed connection so tend to avoid it, but I'm sure it would work.A brief online search revealed that the Pesto Trapanese recipe is about as loose as they come - the main areas of divergence being the amount of garlic and whether or not to add a pecorino type cheese. I quickly decided that the cheese was best left until the end but the garlic was more difficult. Rachel Roddy's 1-3 cloves seemed more reasonable than others' 6-10 but whilst the latter puts me in quarantine for a week the former was a bit insipid. Tempering the full amount by lightly roasting might seem cowardly but it bought about benefits in terms of body, depth and untuosity (good word).I imagine it would be good with pasta but it never gets further than a piece of toast in my house - maybe with a slice or two of griddled courgette - I have an abundance of those too.
Green Eggs Over LentilsBy Ben WatsonThe best things are often afterthoughts and this was just that. I was tweaking Nigel Slater's 'hangover' beef salad and I ran out of beef. I thought the eggs, lentils and Mojo Verde worked a treat together. As you might have noticed, Mojo Verde seems to have sneaked its way into a lot of my suggestions. As I've said, it's become a sort of green ketchup chez Benz!
Sticky Shiitake MushroomsBy Ben WatsonCooking the mushrooms in cornflour gives them a rich, meaty texture that pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the caramelised ginger and garlic. Tasty and satisfying.
Kimchi noodle soupBy Ben WatsonKimchi is good in simple ramen style noodle soup. You can make it as simple – or as complicated as you like. Soft boiled egg, nori, chashu pork etc are all optional.
Cucumber PickleBy Ben WatsonThis pickle adds a welcome tang to cold meats or burgers, and is a great way to make your cucumbers last into winter! You'll need to do the prep 24 hours before the cooking.
Stuffed TomatoesBy Redpost Media

Stuffed Tomatoes - or Pomodori al riso as they’re known in Rome. Stuffed anything sounds terribly retro but what goes around comes around and these have many laps left to run. Essentially a risotto in a tomato but because there is less liquid the rice acquires a lovely nutty texture as it bakes in the oven.

Caponata Involtini (aubergine rolls)By Redpost MediaThese little blighters are a combination of Nigella's Involtini and Thomasina Miers Aubergine Caponata but who cares? Caponata is one of those classic Sicilian fusion dishes which, despite its aubergine and tomato roots, can include a whole range of fried and crunchy blanched vegetables; fennel, celery, courgette, cauliflower, squash, red peppers, cucumber etc.  It's more a treatment than a recipe. Wrap in a slice of griddled aubergine and they're great as a snack, vegetarian main, side for meat dishes, part of an antipasta or mezze plate etc etc. And they're surprisingly easy and can be done in stages. Best served lukewarm.