Farmers Market Treasures

We're pretty lucky here, because we have access to some very decent farmers markets within a thirty minute drive. The first Thursday of every month is market day in Wokingham, a small village about ten minutes away and is my favourite of all because of the range of local meat and game that's always available.

I usually try not to spend more than about £20 on these market trips, because in the end, it is all part of the grocery budget and I only have so much fridge/freezer space.
The veggie growers often sell some tasty looking seasonal treats and the pies and breads on offer always tempt but I tend to spend the majority of my money on meat and fish. Our organic and free-range producers need all the support they can get in this age of two-for-a-fiver intensively reared supermarket chicken and when it comes down to it, I can grow my own veg and bake bread (ish) at home.

So this week, for my £20, I was able to get a lovely big slab of Hereford skirt steak, an oak smoked trout, a nice piece of Old Spot pork belly, some oak-smoked back bacon, a few chipolatas, two pheasants and two rabbits. Top top it all off, I found a gently used copy of Larousse Pratique in the Cancer Research shop in the market square!

I got home feeling triumphant, with ideas swirling through my head and spread all my treasures out on the kitchen worktop, like Richie Rich counting his stacks of coins. I stopped short of rolling around on my bed in a pile of meat though, I thought that might put the guys off their food...

I put most of my haul in the freezer but kept the trout back to make this lovely quiche. I Am undecided as yet about what I am going to do with the pheasants and bunnies, but I think I might try my hand at making some bacon with the pork belly, although Drew is anxious for me to have another go at the pork I cured and cooked slowly in olive oil. Despite the slight saltiness, he really loved that dish, which says a lot, because there isn't much food he gets excited about (grr!)

This quiche is lovely for a light lunch or after-school snack and was even elicited a few moans from the same husband who doesn't like fish or egg dishes (go figure..) It would be handy for a pot luck because it's best served at room temperature and is quite simple to make. I would say that the most important thing would be to get as much moisture as possible out of the spinach and tomatoes, to avoid getting a soggy crust. Try to buy un-dyed fish (which is sustainably sourced), as it will definitely effect the colour and flavour of the final product.


Rustic Smoked Trout, Spinach and Tomato Quiche
Serves 8, takes approx 2 hours+ cooling time

For the pastry:
300g (10.5oz) plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp salt
150g unsalted butter, very cold, cut into cubes
<1 egg
ice cold water

For the filling:
1 medium smoked trout, skinned and boned (take care to look for any hair-thin bones)
7 eggs
400g (14oz) washed baby spinach
2 ripe, red tomoates
150ml double (heavy whipping) cream
100ml whole milk
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
1/2 tsp white pepper

To make the pastry, put the flour, salt and butter into the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a maybe 20-30 seconds, until you have the consistency of fresh breadcrumbs- the coarser, the better.
Beat the egg together with a couple of tbsp of ice cold water and pour about half of this mixture into the processor. Pulse again for a few more seconds, until the moisture is well distributed then lift the lid and see if the mixture will hold together when pressed with the tips of your fingers. If it does, remove the mixture and form a loose ball. If the mixture is still a little dry, add more of the egg mixture a few drops at a time while pulsing the dough until it JUST holds together, then wrap this in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

While the pastry is resting, prepare the veggies. Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds in salted boiling water and then plunge into ice cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well, squeezing out as much moisture as you can; a tea towel can be really helpful here, just heap the squeezed spinach into a ball in the centre, then bring the corners of the towel together and twist hard to wring out any last bits of moisture.
Slice the tomatoes about 1/4" thick and sprinkle with a little salt. Lay the slices on a double layer of kitchen towel with another double layer on top and press gently to absorb as much water as possible. Leave the tomatoes within the layers of towel until you're ready to use them.

Beat the eggs together well with the cream, milk, some salt and the white pepper, then preheat your oven to 190C (375F) and roll out your pastry.
Put your ball of pastry between two layers of cling film and roll into a circle just larger than a 25cm (10") quiche tin, including the sides. Use one of the layers of cling film to move the pastry to your quiche tin, pressing well into the corners and the scalloped edge, then, with the clingfilm still in, fill with dried beans or rice (I have a bag of rice that I keep for this purpose, as it's useless after you blind-bake with it once) and blind bake the shell for twenty minutes.
Remove the shell from the oven, turn the heat down to 160C (320F) and use the cling film to lift the rice/beans out of the shell.
Lay the tomato slices over the base in one snug layer and then scatter with the drained spinach leaves. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and black pepper and grate the nutmeg over the top in an even little shower.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the lot and then flake the smoked trout over the top, jiggling the pan a little to settle it all into the custard. Grate the parmesan over the top and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the edges are beginning to brown and the centre is set.
Remove from the oven and gently break off the excess pastry around the edges (I did say 'rustic') then allow to cool completely before serving. Simply dressed rocket (arugula) leaves are a particularly lovely accompaniment.

Fancy Schmancy BLT Wraps

This post is really just an excuse to share some exciting news. This will be our third summer in this house and the third year that we will be 'growing our own' veggies and herbs. Last year I had a horrible time, courtesy of a local turf company, who delivered three tons what was supposed to be organic compost but was actually still steaming hot manure. Being still fairly new to the game, I spread this lot around and filled our newly built raised beds, only to have every seedling that germinated die within days. The weird result, has been that many of the seeds that didn't thrive last spring or summer have done so over the winter, which means that we have a bed full of golf ball size beetroot, some turnips, swede, carrots and parsnips now ready for harvest.

Last year, I planted rhubarb crowns, artichokes (half of which were 'weeded' out by my stepson. apparently, growing evenly spaced in a row with a label was not a clear indicator?) and asparagus.
All of the above veggies come with strict instructions NOT to harvest so much as a leaf tip during their first season. I am still hearing mutterings from Drew along he lines of "more trouble than they're worth... grumble grumble..." and "what's the fucking point then? grumble grumble..."

And so we watched as the rhubarb grew beautiful, thick red stems and the asparagus reached ever higher and eventually grew bushy ferns which withered and died back in the autumn. I thought 'Next spring, my pretties!"
And look what I found this morning when I took out my composting scraps:

TA DAAAAAAA! :-D

The first spear of the year! The little white blob in the background is also a spear poking its way out. How excited am I? I sent this picture to my Facebook site while I was still standing in the dirt, that's how.

So we've ordered all our spring planting bits from Marshall's and they will be arriving soon. We should have already been working, but if you have been reading recent posts, you'll know that we've been as broke as a joke lately and could not afford so much as one seed potato.

So all this drizzly, muddy excitement made me hungry. I decided to make us some simple wraps and they turned out even tastier than I expected. They took maaayyybe five minutes to make and far less time than that for Drew to inhale.

Smoky Brunch Wraps
Serves 2, takes 5-7 minutes

4 rashers smoked back bacon or 6 slices American bacon, with much of the fat removed.
4 eggs, beaten
2 large handfuls, rocket (arugula)
1 ripe tomato, halved and thinly sliced
pinch salt
1 tsp hot smoked paprika or chipotle chilli
2 large flour tortillas
2 tsp veg oil

Pop the tortillas into a warm, damp (clean) tea towel and slip into a warm oven while you prepare the filling.

Slice the bacon into large pieces and heat the oil over a medium heat with the smoked paprika. Once the oil is hot, toss in the pieces of bacon and fry for a minute or two until nearly cooked and your kitchen is filled with the smell that is bacony loveliness.
Pour the eggs over the bacon, tilting to spread around as evenly as possible. Let the egg cook without moving for a minute, to allow a bit of a crispy frill to develop. When nearly cooked, turn off the heat and and use a spatula to fold in any remaining soft egg, set aside while you prepare your wrap.
Lay your tortillas on a couple of plates, put a large handful of the rocket in each one, and then scoop the bacon and egg mixture on top. Top with the sliced tomatoes and fold up the bottom and sides. Serve to greedy husband.

Breakfast Wraps