Page 11 - Simply Veg 4 2022

From the Kitchen...
MARION NEDEN FNVS & HELEN FITCH
Rhubarb Cordial
Makes 1.5 Litres of cordial or 30 x 50ml servings for 250ml glass diluted
1.5 litres cold water
2kg Rhubarb stems roughly chopped
3 lemons or 2 large oranges
8 to 10 whole star anise
1.2kg Granulated sugar
2 teasp. Citric acid (required if storing in sterilised jars/bottles, not required if freezing)
Put all the rhubarb into a large pan and add 1.5 Litres of cold water (don’t cover the rhubarb completely with water as it dilutes the flavour). Using a potato peeler, take four or so strips of lemon (or orange) skin from each fruit. Add this to the pan with the juice and the star anise.
Bring the rhubarb to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently until the
rhubarb is soft (it may look like mush at this stage). Take off the heat and cool for an hour or so.
Pour the rhubarb and juice into a large, sterilised jelly bag, hanging it over a large bowl and allow the juice to drip through overnight.
Pour the juice into a pan and, on a low heat, add the sugar to taste. (Taste with
a spoon as you go, so that you get the sweetness you want, but remember the cordial will be diluted with water). Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
If you are storing for several months in sterilised jars or bottles, add two teaspoons of citric acid. The citric acid gives the cordial a tart kick or you can use the juice of three lemons for a sharper flavour. Allow to cool, then pour into the sterilised jars and store in the fridge. (if no citric acid is added, use within a week or freeze).
Elderflower Cordial
1.5 litres of boiling water
1kg of granulated sugar
20 large elderflower heads (if they are small, pick more)
2 lemons
55g of citric acid
In a Pyrex bowl (or deep saucepan) pour the boiling water into the sugar and stir. Leave to cool, stirring every now and then to dissolve the sugar. When cool, add the citric acid, the lemons (zested and sliced), and the elderflower heads. Leave to steep
for 48 hours. Strain twice through a sterilised muslin jelly bag into a bowl. Pour into hot sterilised bottles.
Sausage and Aubergine Bake
This serves 4 and resembles a lasagna but without the lasagna sheets!
2 tablesp. Sunflower oil plus a bit extra 300g sausages of your choice, skinned and cut into small chunks
3 Aubergines, thinly sliced lengthwise I red onion, finely chopped
1 or 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 teasp. of fresh thyme
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 teasp. caster sugar
Salt and pepper
1 ball mozzarella Cheese
20g Grated Parmesan Cheese
Preheat oven 180c fan, gas 6. Brush the aubergine slices with about 2 tablespoon
of oil and bake on a baking sheet until softened...or you can fry over a medium heat for speed. Fry the onion over a gentle heat in about 1/2 a tablespoon of oil. Add the chopped sausages and cook until browned all over. Stir in the garlic, sugar and herbs and season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Arrange one third of the tomato mix in a baking dish, spoon over a third of the tomato sauce, dot some torn mozzarella pieces. Repeat these layers twice more finishing with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad.
Simply Vegetables 11
One tray Mediterranean Pasta dish
300g of orzo
500g mixed vegetables to include, red onion, mixed colours peppers, aubergine, courgettes.
700ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoons pesto
Juice of I lemon
To serve
Handful of fresh basil leaves Shavings of Parmesan Cheese
Preheat the oven to 180c fan /gas 6. Chop the vegetables into slices/chunks and add to a large baking dish, drizzle with a little rapeseed oil and roast for about 15 minutes. Add the orzo and
about 500ml of stock. Cook for about 20 minutes and stir after 10, add
more stock if it is on the dry side. Check after the 20
minutes to see if the orzo and veg are tender, if so, remove from the
oven and stir in the pesto and lemon
juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide between serving dishes and add the torn basil leaves and shavings of
Parmesan cheese.
Serve with a green leaf salad.