Flights Orchard Organic Vegetables

Based on Earth Share, the UK’s biggest and oldest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme, the Boxing Clever Cookbook is packed with over 360 innovative and simple recipes for the 12 months of the year. The book, which has won the backing of the Soil Association, addresses the burning issues of food production, farming and nutrition in a way that doesn’t send you to sleep. It also includes monthly farming news round up which increases understanding of how and why the food reaches you when it does.

Co-authors and publishers, Jacqui Jones and Joan Wilmot, have pooled their experiences of box schemes – and life - to come up with a practical and amusing survival guide to eating seasonal vegetables without furtive composting. They have learned that cooking vegetables from a weekly box rather than buying them on a ‘need’ basis from a supermarket demands more from the kitchen, as imagination is needed to make the day-to-day meals appeal to everyone in the household. As subscribers and users of a vegetable box scheme, Jacqui and Joan have written the first ever cookbook for the UK’s burgeoning vegetable box culture.

Available through your Flights Orchard Organic Box Scheme extras list, or telephone us on 0845 658 9808 to order your copy

	Cotignac
	1 orange
	1/2lb quinces, quartered, cored, and roughly chopped
	6 oz sugar
	2 oz candied peel ( optional)
	1. Grate the rind from the orange and cut it into quarters. Put these and the quinces into a large pan and cover with water. Simmer for about 1 hour until the fruit is completely soft and remove the orange quarters.
	2. Puree the remaining pulp in a blender. Return to the cleaned preserving/large pan. Add the sugar and candied peel if using and cook over a medium heat until thick, stirring all the time.
	3. You can either pot the dessert in warm clean jars or use within one week, stored in the fridge. Delicious served with fromage frais.

Celeriac Risotto Serves 4-8
100-300gm celeriac (depending upon your taste) peeled and finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic crushed
½ yellow onion finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
400g arborio risotto rice
1.5 ltr chicken or veg stock
2 glasses white wine
1 tsp salt
4-5 tbsp freshly grated cheese such as parmesan or any locally produced hard cheese.
1. In a large, heavy bottomed pan, sauté the vegetables in the oil until soft.
2. Make the stock and keep it hot
3. Add the rice to the vegetables and stir in well to coat in oil. Add half the wine, turn up the heat and stir in until absorbed, then pour in the rest. Add the salt.
4. Reduce the heat and add the stock in small amounts as it is absorbed, constantly scraping the bottom, for about 20 mins. When the sauce is creamy and the rice tender but not mushy stir in the cheese. Season to taste and sprinkle with a few chopped herbs for colour.

Curly kale and bacon gratin
Serves four
Roughly 200 gms curly kale torn into pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
8 rasher smoked bacon or 225 gms tofu if vegetarian
300 ml double cream
½ tsp Tabasco
Freshly ground black pepper
125g locally produced hard cheese grated
Simmer the kale until just wilted, drain and refresh in cold water to stop it continuing to cook, drain again and gently squeeze, then dry on kitchen paper Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onion until soft, transfer to a bowl. In the same pan fry the bacon or tofu until just beginning to brown, transfer to the bowl. In the same pan, pour in the oil and bring to the ‘bubble’ and thicken . Return the onion, kale and bacon/tofu to the pan and add the Tabasco. Season well with black pepper, stir over a low heat until mixed well. Transfer to an oven proof dish, sprinkle with cheese and brown under the grill.

	Carrot and Celeriac Gratin
	1 medium celeriac sliced thinly
	2 medium carrots sliced thinly
	2 fl oz white wine
	8 fl oz crème fraîche
	50 gm local hard cheese grated
	Salt and pepper

	Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c. Layer the carrot and celeriac in a greased oven proof dish. Mix the crème fraiche and white wine together, season well and pour over carrot and celeriac. Sprinkle over the cheese. Cook for 40 mins covered 20 mins uncovered until brown and crispy.

	Celeriac Coleslaw
	Shred a celeriac and carrot finely (you can add shredded cabbage if you want also) and add diced apple and a tablespoon of sultanas. Toss all the ingredients in lemon juice followed by a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream until everything is coated.

	Cauliflower Cheese Serves 4-6
	1 cauli broken into florets

	40 g butter

	40 g plain flour

	350 ml milk

	1 bay leaf

	Pinch of grated nutmeg

	15 ml of favourite mustard

	175 g of local hard cheese

	Salt and pepper

	Pre heat oven to 180 degrees c. Lightly butter a large oven proof dish. Boil the cauli florets for 6-8 mins until just tender. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the flour and cook until just golden whilst stirring. Gradually add the milk stirring constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Add the bay leaf, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 mins then remove the bay leaf. Stir in half the cheese. Arrange the cauli in the dish, pour over the sauce and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake for about 20 mins until bubbly and brown.

Fennel

2 bulbs fennel

50g butter

175 ml vegetable stock

4 table spoons of vermouth or white wine

salt and pepper

fresh parsley for garnish

Trim and cut each bulb into quarters. Melt the butter in a large, deep pan or wok. Add the fennel and cook for 5 mins until golden all over. Pour the stock and vermouth into the pan, season well with salt and pepper, bring to the boil, reduce the heat slightly and cover with a tight lid or foil. Gently simmer for 20 mins or until tender. Garnish with parsley and serve at once.

Did you know? Did you know fennel is a member of the parsley family. It is also known as Florence fennel due to it’s origins. Because it is both filling low in calories it makes an excellent food for slimmers.

variation For extra crunch and flavour sprinkle the fennel with 2 tablespoons of fried chopped bacon

	*Red cabbage shredded*

	1lb onion chopped

	1lb bramleys peeled and cored

	*any combination of*

	1 tbls red wine
	1 tbls balsamic vinegar
	1 tbls wine vinegar
	3 tbls brown sugar
	1 clove garlic
	¼ teaspoon nutmeg
	¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
	¼ teaspoon ground cloves
	½ oz butter
	salt & pepper

	In a large casserole – arrange a layer of shredded cabbage, season with salt and pepper; then a layer of chopped onions and apples with a sprinkling of garlic, spices and sugar until everything is in. Poor in the liquid and a knob of butter. Cook slowly at 150 degrees with the lid on for 2-3 hrs stirring once or twice during cooking. It keeps warm for ages and re heats very well so it’s great the next day.

Tagliatelle with tomato sauce, spinach and ricotta
Serves 4

1 chopped, large clove of garlic

A pinch of dried chilli

Olive oil

2*400 g tins whole plum tomatoes

Salt and pepper

500 gms tagliatelle

250 gms spinach

250 gms ricotta or any preferred variety

Fry the garlic and chilli in olive oil until softened. Add the tomatoes, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until they have cooked down to a thickish sauce. Break the tomatoes up with a fork and season to taste with pepper, salt and olive oil. Cook the tagliatelle in salted boiling water until al dente. At the same time steam the spinach in a colander above the pasta. Drain the pasta and stir into the tomato sauce, serve with a generous amount of spinach on top and scattered with ricotta. To finish drizzle some olive oil on the top.

	Spicy squash soup
	1 onion – chopped into thin rings

	2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed

	2.5cm piece of ginger peeled and crushed

	1 chilli deseeded and finely chopped

	1kg squash deseeded, peeled and roughly chopped ( for smaller squash in solo boxes just alter ingredients accordingly)

	2 table spoons sunflower oil

	1 teaspoon ground cumin

	1 tin toms

	900 ml veg stock

	Salt and black pepper

	200 ml coconut cream (optional)

	1) Heat the oil in a deep pan, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. Fry gently for 5 mins or until softened. Add the cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add pumpkin, tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 min, until pumpkin is very tender. Cool slightly 2) Transfer the mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth, then return to pan. Season, stir in coconut if using and gently heat.

Spicy squash soup