What’s in Season for the Month of April

What’s in Season This Month

Eating seasonally and when possible locally, suggests eating food that is at its prime in terms of taste and nutritional contents, while at the same time cutting down on those food miles.

Every month, I hope to publish on my blog a guide to what's in season the main points are going to be about fresh and locally produced (specifically British) foodstuffs.

What’s in Season for the Month of April

As the spring sun warms the soil, we can look forward to an abundance of wonderful ingredients coming into season over the next few weeks. Instead of rocket, try watercress it works wonders in simple salads, sophisticated salads, with fish and with cheese.

Don't fancy watercress? Other foods good this week include purple sprouting broccoli, radishes, rhubarb, kiwi fruit, wood pigeon, John Dory, and salmon not forgetting the first of the Jersey royal new potatoes

The first herbs are appearing now, allowing us to add some fresher flavours to our food. Look out for wild garlic, chives, sorrel, and rocket.

Fruit and Veg;

From Abel and Cole (Abel and Cole, the Organic Source for London) we have been getting;

Bananas (Fairtrade), Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Green Lettuce, Leeks, Mandarins, Oranges, Potatoes, and White Onions.

Abel and Coles Blog on Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Purple sprouting broccoli, like asparagus, blood oranges and strawberries, is one of the big treats of the organic food calendar. Unlike our tender friend asparagus, the season for PSB (as we affectionately call it) thankfully runs a little longer making this tasty veg a welcome splash of colour, after months of pastel-hued root veg. Philip le Maistre grows these regal-tipped, tender stems on Manor Farm on the island of Jersey. The farm has spectacular views. Phil says his PSB can grow enormously tall. He bets some of the stems can see clear across the Channel, over to France.

His purple broccoli comes in all sorts of varieties. Claret is very pretty, almost fluorescent pinky-purple in colour. Then, there’s Rudolf, and Red Spear. They’ve all got different characteristics. Some may have a large head, like normal broccoli, with only a few smaller shoots, while some will have lots of smaller shoots with a less dominant head. This, Philip, says keeps the season interesting. Every batch of PSB is unique. We urge you to give it a try, that is, if you haven’t already.

And On the Market Stall in Tachbrook Street, They Are Showing;

Broccoli (at its best), carrots, cauliflower (at its best), chicory, cucumber, kale, leeks, onions, potatoes (main crop), purple sprouting broccoli (at its best), radishes (at its best), rhubarb (at its best), rocket, salsify, spinach (at its best), spring onions, watercress

Meat, Poultry and Game;

Our local butcher (Wyndham House Butchers) has been getting in beef, chicken, spring lamb, pork, rabbit, veal, and wood pigeon. I have to say that the current lot of pork is superb as is the beef, which is well hung and very tasty.

We had some of their English lamb chops last night and the flavour was really intense, just about the best yet.

Fish and Shellfish;

The local fishmonger (Jonathan Norris, Fishmonger of Pimlico) has been getting in cockles (at its best), conger eel (at its best), crab, eel, john dory (at its best), lobster, mackerel, mussels, oysters (Whether you regard them as food of the gods, or spawn of the devil, oysters are a unique culinary experience, and April is the last, best, month to eat them), prawns, salmon (at its best), sea trout (at its best), shrimp (at its best), skate, whitebait (at its best), winkles, again almost all Jon’s fish is from around the Cornish, Devon and Scottish coasts.

And you should be finding

· Wild nettles, basil, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, mushrooms (cultivated), parsley (curly), parsley (flat-leaf), sorrel Artichokes, Chicory, Chives, Dandelion Greens, Grapefruit, Greens, Horseradish, Leeks, Lettuce (leaf and head), Oranges, Parsnips, Rhubarb, Shallots, and Jersey royal new potatoes

· Crab, Haddock, John Dory, Lobster, Mackerel, Monkfish, Prawns, Sea Bass, Sea Salmon, Trout, Turbot

· Beef Steaks, Chicken, Sausages, Spring Lamb (spring lamb is traditionally served with the Easter roast. The taste is milder than summer or autumn lamb and it is deliciously tender).

Recipe for April

Spring Lamb Cutlets with a Wild Garlic Crust

Serves / Makes: 2 servings

Prep-Time: 10 minutes

Cook-Time: 15 minutes

You Will Need;

4 small or 2 large lamb cutlets

For the crust:

50 grams, white bread, torn into chunks

2 tablespoons, wild garlic leaves

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Knob of butter

Method;

Pre-heat the oven to 220°c.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy frying pan until foaming but not coloured and pan fry the cutlets for a few minutes on each side until browned.

Meanwhile, in a small blender whizz the bread, garlic leaves, rosemary, thyme and salt and pepper. Press the mixture onto each cutlet, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Serve with new potatoes and buttered curly kale and Enjoy!

Notes:

If you go down to the woods today, it's likely the smell of wild garlic (ramsons) will fill the air. This wild relative of the chive can be eaten in many ways, both raw and cooked - in soups, salads, or taking basil's place in pesto. In this month's recipe, it partners traditional rosemary to flavour some equally seasonal spring lamb.

Scotch Broth

Traditionally Scotch broth is a bit of everything thrown into the pot and is quite a substantial soup. In bygone days, Scots would eat this as a main meal in modern times; many Scottish households still serve Scotch broth as a main meal of the day rather than a first course. Ingredients can be exchanged depending on your personal liking, it's best made the day before to let the complete flavour to marinate through.

My granny Glen sometimes used to call it barley broth and always had a pan of broth on the go, I can even see in my mind the big black cast iron soup pan.

Even though a classic Scottish soup I think every household had their own recipe, this recipe is a blend of granny Glen’s and my mother’s.

I can remember being sent to the greengrocer for a fresh broth or soup mix this consisted of all the vegetable ingredients and a bunch of fresh thyme it changed almost weekly depending on what veg was available. This was in the days when the greengrocer and maybe his wife did some vegetable preparation and even boiled beetroots. Moreover, this was before convenience foods and supermarkets became popular.

Nowadays in the winter months, we make enough to last for a whole weeks worth of lunches and along with homemade wholemeal or crusty granary bread, it really sticks to your ribs, which is just what you want on a winter’s day. Oh, the barley we use isn’t pearl barley we think pot barley (see note) it is so much better with more flavour a creamier texture and very traditional in Scotland.

Serves/Makes:          10 to 12 servings

Prep-Time:                 10 to 12 minutes

Cook-Time:                90 minutes or there about

You Will Need;

2 pounds of neck of mutton or lamb

4 ounces pot barley or if you must pearl barley, soaked overnight

3 ounces split green peas, (soaked overnight) or you can use fresh or frozen peas added near the end of cooking

2 tablespoons of cooking oil or to be more authentic beef dripping or lard

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 large leek, chopped

4 turnips, peeled and chopped

1 small Swede, peeled and chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 small bunch of fresh thyme, strip the leaves from the stalks we only want the leaves

2 tablespoon, chopped parsley

1 small cabbage, this is optional, but we like to use a small January king

6 pints of water, you might need more to let the finished broth down if you think it is too thick

Method:

Heat over a medium flame heat the lard or cooking oil and add the chopped onion and leek, once softened not browned add the water and the lamb bring to a boil, and skim off any fat from the top. After boiling for about 30 minutes add the soaked barley and peas bring back to a boil reduce the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes add the remaining vegetables and thyme leaves and season to taste and cook a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. If used, remove the bone, strip off the meat, and return to the pan discard the bone, add the parsley as a garnish before serving.

Pot barley is different from pearl barley this is the whole grain is a good source of protein, fibre and niacin (vitamin B3), as well as the trace minerals calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. It wants soaking overnight or for at least eight hours, just cover with boiling water, and leave to soak drain the following day. The soaking makes the barley more eatable and cuts down the cooking time.

The Glens Tags: Soups, Broths, Chowders, Consommés, Meat & Vegetable, Barley, Pot Barley, Traditional, Granny Glen, Homemade, Winter Warmer, Classic, Scottish Recipes

Quote of the Day:
Commerce is the great civilizer. We exchange ideas when we exchange fabrics.
--Robert Green Ingersoll

Lamb Cutlets Reform

One of the very first dishes I learnt to make as a 15-year-old boy in the Army Catering Corps, this was at Clayton Barracks, Aldershot, and the occasion was for a dinner for the officer’s mess. Since then I have cooked it for countless people and it became a very popular lunchtime meal for Lord Hanson and some of his business friends including Eddie George, the governor of the bank of England.
Alexis Soyer invented this dish at the Reform Club, London in the 1830’s when the late entrance of a difficult and hungry club member and a resourceful chef who had to make the most of what he had in his kitchen may clarify the invention of this rather extraordinary recipe. Reform sauce is piquant and deliciously seasoned with herbs and spices and is one of Soyer's most famous recipes. The recipe has been changed over time but this is as close to the original as I can make it.
The club is still open with Lamb Cutlets Reform a popular item on the menu

Serves/Makes: 4
Prep-Time: 12 to 15 minutes
Cook-Time: 10 to 12 minutes

You Will Need;
8, lamb cutlets, each weighing about 4 ounces each
2 ounces, cooked ham, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon, chopped parsley
3 ounces, fresh white breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
A good knob of butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For The Sauce
2 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
A generous pinch of cayenne pepper
2 ounces of butter
2 teaspoons, plain flour
½-teaspoon tomato purée
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1-tablespoon redcurrant jelly
½ a pint, of a good strong beef stock, I now use a Knorr beef stockpot (you know the jellied stock)
1 ounce of sliced Ox tongue
1 small cooked beetroot weighing about 3 ounces, peeled and cut into strips like the tongue
2 large gherkins cut into strips like the tongue
White of 1 large hard boiled egg, shredded into strips the same size as the tongue

Method:
To make the sauce gently cook the shallots, garlic, and cayenne pepper in half of the butter for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the flour and tomato purée and stir well, add the vinegar and redcurrant jelly and simmer for about one minute, then add the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer gently for 15 minutes season to taste, and whisk in the remaining butter.
Trim the cutlets to remove most of the surrounding fat this is known as French trimmed. Scrape the bone absolutely clean to within 1 inch of the 'eye' of the meat.
Mix the chopped ham, chopped parsley and breadcrumbs together. Season the lamb cutlets and coat with the beaten egg and then cover with the ham and breadcrumb mixture. Cover and chill until required.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and cook the cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden, adding the butter towards the end.
Arrange the cutlets on a warmed serving dish and garnish each one with a cutlet frill.
To serve, combine the julienne of tongue, beetroot, gherkin, and egg white in a serving dish, pour the sauce into a sauceboat and serve separately.

We love these served with Pommes Anna and sliced runner beans

The Glens Tags: Lamb and Mutton, Lamb Cutlets, Reform Sauce, Reform Club, Alexis Soyer, Army Catering Corps, Clayton Barracks, Wilton Lodge, Lord Hanson, Bank of England, Eddie George

Mediterranean Lamb

This dish is quick to prepare and delicious with either red or green pesto

Serves: 2
Time: 12 minutes

You Will Need,

• 2 lean lamb leg steaks (100g / 3oz each)
• 1 tablespoon, red or green pesto
• 1 whole, tomato sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 50g (2oz) mozzarella cheese or mature cheddar

Method:

• Place the lamb steaks under a pre-heated grill for 5 minutes each side, turning once
• Half way through the cooking time on the second side brush the pesto onto each steak and top with tomato, basil and mozzarella, continue cooking for the final 2 to 3 minutes
  Serve with a jacket potato and mixed salad