Stray Foodie recipe: Spring Vegetable & Herb Delice

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

“I’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.”

 

Since outside hospitality has been allowed, Harrogate has got back it’s great vibe!

There are so many small hospitality businesses popping up, exciting delis with pavement seating springing up everywhere. On a grander scale, astro turf is making an appearance as never before.

Don’t forget with the amenities that are locally offered, takeaways are also still a safe option to be enjoyed within your bubble in this lovely weather. It has been a saving grace giving hospitality a kick start back in to life again and I think we are all looking forward to 17 May when we can safely enjoy what we do so well locally, with all our super hostelries and eat indoors.

For the moment outside dining can be enjoyed by us all, and in warmer climates lighter food is favourite. This week’s recipe is a Spring Vegetable and Herb Delice. I like to think all my recipes are versatile and this dish is great to go with a BBQ when entertaining. You essentially make the base cake and pile it high with vegetables with a little chilli aioli to finish off. It suffices as an accompaniment or a dish in its own right.

Spring Vegetable & Herb Delice

Frances’ spring vegetable and herb delice

You will need:

Method:

Cut the cabbage into 4 and season and oil it.

Place in the oven at 200c for 20 minutes. The cabbage should be crunchy.

Remove the outer burnt leaves and chop the centre of the cabbage finely.

Add the goats curd or cheese.

In your food blender whizz your green crumb with your parsley and tarragon (or any other fresh herb you have to hand).

Add the egg to the cabbage mixture, and season with the chilli powder and nutmeg.

Place in a silicone lined cake mould, approx. 120cm.

Place in the oven for 25 minutes at 160c.

Remove from oven and top the cake with fresh vegetables, herbs.

Pipe on chilli aioli, mayonnaise or spiced yoghurt.

 

Stray Foodie recipe: Mushroom Tart with Lovage

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

“I’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.”

 

There used to be a time where, when dining in expensive and elegant restaurants, the waiter would provide you with a stool to sit your grand handbag on! In certain circles it was, of course, most important that the handbag was an exclusive design. With times changing and with outside dining only at present, restaurants are using every inch of fresh air space that they have. When all the excitement has died down will your designer rug replace the handbag stool?

These are exciting times in the hospitality industry, apart from restaurateurs fighting for survival and needing all the support they can get, and Café culture is developing in all shapes and sizes. I am so looking forward to sampling some of these imaginative venues and I am sure great seasonal offerings will blossom out of this.

Seasonal Lovage

Fresh asparagus is now beginning to appear alongside the first shoots of lovage. Lovage is such a valuable addition to the garden: it is a fiercely strong perennial whether wild or cultivated, and when in flower, its seeds make a great garnish. Its leaves are a terrific flavour and its roots braised in a cream sauce make a fabulous accompaniment. It is a very English plant with great historic culinary interest. Beware a little goes a long way!

For a warming and delicious dish to eat late at night after the pub, try an asparagus and lovage soup, followed by a delicious mushroom tart. Make the soup using just the stalks, and keep the tips to garnish the tart along with bacon or salad.

 

 

Morel Mushrooms

For the Mushroom Tart you will need:

Method:

In a small saucepan melt the butter and soften the shallots until translucent over a medium heat.

Slice the flat mushrooms and add them with the morel mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5 – 7 minutes until the pan is almost dry.

Add the cream to the pan and reduce the volume by ¼ over a medium heat.

Allow to cool slightly.

Add 18ml of the juice from the dried mushrooms and the 5 egg yolks and blend until smooth.

Place the mixture into your pastry case and bake in the oven for 5 -7 minutes until set at 150c.

Frances’ mushroom tart

These can be made in advance and heated through, making them very versatile with whatever you serve with it at that time of night!

Read More:

 

Stray Foodie recipe: watercress is a hard act to follow

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

“I’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.”

 

This common Brassica I always feel is somewhat overlooked, yet it has amazing health benefits and is packed with nutrients. It is high is antioxidants and its taste outshines lettuce when used as a salad base.

We love to use watercress as a great base or accompaniment for many of our dishes, especially this time of year when spring is in the air but the temperature is still a little contrary!

We have a great fondness for wild watercress which is super healthy and can be found by streams and water edges with slow flowing water. Always check that it is wild watercress and wash thoroughly!

This week’s recipe is for a watercress mousse. Not only is this a delicious way of serving this great leaf, it also lends itself to many green additives: as you will see in the photograph, we have put it with artichoke, spring onions, asparagus and added a little pickled dragon fruit for interest! It sits in a chilled watercress soup/ sauce. This list of things you can build on with this dish makes it both very versatile and very healthy.

Watercress Mousse

To serve 4 small starter portions you will need:

Method:

Wizz the watercress with the white wine and water liquid in your food processor.

Fold in the light cream cheese.

Add the salt and mustard powder and then the mayonnaise.

Soften 2 leaves of gelatine, add them to your mixture.

Leave to set in your round moulds.

Watercress Soup / Sauce

You will need:

Method:

Sweat off the shallot and celeriac in the olive oil and cool.

When soft, blitz with the watercress.

Add a pinch of nutmeg.

Add the liquid and yoghurt.

Correct the seasoning and chill.

This is served cold and is simply delicious with the mousse that sits in the centre of the bowl.

Read More:

 

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipe: Beef with Winter Vegetables

Stray Foodie Lockdown Recipes are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years.

I’ll be bringing you some of my favourite recipes each week. I’d love to see how you make the recipes your own – let me know by using #StrayFoodie or tagging @thestrayferret in your social media posts.

 

In this present time we are all trying to lead a safe and more healthy lifestyle. A Mediterranean diet is considered to be one of the best and is easily produced in most households.

We have always believed that one great Olive Oil, the best you can afford, is all you need to use. Even for fried eggs it is delicious. It has such huge health benefits, as does the humble anchovy, a small fish that is full of flavour, salt cured, packed in olive oil and canned it produces the 5th umami taste.

With huge health benefits, they are great to add to pesto’s, vegetables and meats, fish dishes and cheese.

Summerstone Estate Belted Galloway Beef is a locally hand reared in Nidderdale.  It has the most amazing flavour coming from our local terroir. Red meat such as this is a great treat to be eaten once a month. With a plethora of herbs and vegetables that you are able to use seasonally and a tin of anchovies with this beef produces a sensational tasty dish.

We would recommend that this dish be served with organic Pearled Spelt, a great source of fibre and protein. Once again you can add your own creativity, subject to availability, to a recipe like this.

You will need

Method

Warm a saute pan and add the olive oil, shallot, diced beef, root vegetables.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the juices start to amalgamate.

Add the anchovies, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, kalletts and coconut milk. Cook for a further 2 minutes.  Add a teaspoon of tomato puree or ketchup and correct the seasoning.

Mix in the chopped herbs with the spelt and heat.

Serve together.

Read More: