Coco de Paimpol

Coco de Paimpol

The first of the Coco de Paimpol usually arrive early in July.  These semi-dry white haricot beans have an AOP designation of origin so only beans grown in a small coastal area of Brittany can be named Coco de Paimpol.  The temperate climate in this area allows for a long, slow growing period producing thin-skinned pods and a tender seed coating.  The plants are uprooted once the beans have reached the stage when the pods are just beginning to show signs of drying and then harvesting is done by hand. 

The pods of Coco de Paimpol are pale yellow/cream with light violet markings – less showy and smaller than a Borlotti.  The bean has a delicious nutty flavour and cooks quickly to a particularly creamy consistency. That creaminess pairs beautifully with fish – a pan-fried fillet of cod, or other white fish on a bed of Coco de Paimpol with, maybe, a few Girolles mushrooms would be my choice.  For a tasty, nutritious, vegetarian dish, pod the beans and cook them for 2-3 minutes.  Add them with a little of the cooking water to sliced onion which has been cooked in oil until soft, chopped tomato, thyme leaves, salt and pepper; pour into a gratin dish, cover with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven to brown the crumbs and bring all the flavours together.

Sweetcorn

English Sweetcorn/Corn-on-the-cob

Photo © Evie Saffron Strands

Sweetcorn/Maize

Corn, or Maize, was domesticated in Mexico 7,000-10,000 years ago.  Originally barely the size of an ear of wheat, it was developed by Inca and Mayan farmers into the long, plump, cigar-shaped cobs we know today.  Within a generation of Spanish Conquistadors bringing it back to Europe, corn was being grown throughout southern Europe.  It was prized in southern Europe as a cereal crop for making cornbreads and turned into porridges like polenta in Italy, and pulientas in Spain. 

Initially in the UK, maize was valued only as a feed for poultry then, later, as something you could refine into cooking oil.  The liking for sweet corn-on-the-cob came late to British tables, influenced by the American taste for it.  Now, as the British climate warms, good corn-on-the-cob can be grown here to follow on from the French harvests we buy.

Sweetcorn should be cooked as soon as possible after harvest as its natural sugars quickly convert to starch.  Right now we are getting plump, sweet corn-on-the cob from Kent growers.    If you plan to boil your cobs, this should take up to 10 minutes, but remember not to add salt to the cooking water as the kernels will toughen.  

Whether you boil them or cook them on the barbecue, smothering them in butter or olive oil is a good idea, as is a seasoning of sea salt and, maybe, some chopped chillis to challenge the sweetness.  You can slather the warm cobs with crab butter or slice the kernels from the cob and make a crab and sweetcorn soup.  Alternatively, you could cream your sweetcorn: slice the kernels from the cob and place them and any juices from the cob into a small pan, add a knob of butter and a sprig of thyme, cover and cook on a moderate heat for about 5 minutes until the grains have softened then add salt, pepper, 2-3 tablespoons of double cream and top with a poached egg.

Tomatoes

Vesuvius tomatoes

Photo © Puntarelle&Co

Tomatoes

What started out as small bitter berries growing wild in western desert areas of South America, were domesticated by the Aztecs and transformed into tomatl (plump fruit).  Despite the fact Tomatoes were first brought to Spain from Mexico in the 15th century, they were viewed with suspicion here until the 19th century. We took much more readily to the imported potatoes and tobacco, despite the fact all three belong to the same plant family – Nightshade.  It was the tomato’s perceived resemblance to Deadly Nightshade that held up our acceptance of what is now a firm favourite on our continent.

Good Tomatoes are the defining taste of summer and now is the time eat your fill and preserve, preserve, preserve.  The tastiest tomato is rarely the best-looking one – but then beauty is in the beholder.  The more imperfect its appearance, the more interesting its flavour can be.  Store them stalk-side down on your kitchen counter, not in the fridge, to enjoy them at their most flavourful.  We source most of our tomatoes from Italy and France but when growing conditions are right – as they surely are this year – we buy English ones too.  Now, in late July, Italy is to the fore.  You will find the Sorrento, grown in the rich volcanic soil around Mount Vesuvius - don’t be fooled by their scarred appearance, their fleshiness and taste is exceptional; the meaty Cuore di Bue (ox heart), originally grown in Liguria, are coming in from Sicily now; Cherry and Datterini are here too.  As I write we are keeping our eyes peeled for good English tomatoes for this week’s selection.

The Tomato’s relatively low-sugar content for a fruit (3%), along with its high amounts of savoury glutamic acid, is why we treat it most often as a vegetable.  Rich in Vitamin C, the red varieties deliver a high does of the antioxidant Carotenoid Lycopene.  Studies have shown that concentrating tomatoes down into a paste or sauce makes the antioxidant particularly potent.

The sweet/acid character of tomatoes pairs particularly well with herbs like basil, marjoram/oregano, and thyme.  The tomato appreciates salt and salty foods like anchovies, cheese and olives and a cream tempers its acidity.  In the current hot weather thoughts turn to a soothing cold tomato soup; or peppery Gazpacho; a no-cook Middle Eastern Fattoush bread salad or Greek Feta salad; or simply selecting the ripest tomato in your bag, slicing it, adding salt and a good olive oil.  

With a little cooking you could have Simon Hopkinson’s Creamed Tomatoes on Toast; a Tomato Risotto – I like the suggestion from Rachel Roddy in her ‘A Kitchen in Rome’ column for The Guardian Cook to add a shot of Martini Rosso for a “nip of sharp sweetness”.  https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jul/23/rachel-roddy-recipe-tomato-risotto

You could stuff large tomatoes with rice and bake them slowly in the oven; make a mousse, a sauce or even a jelly.  Bring out the tomato’s fruit nature and make it into a dessert.  Kitty Travers includes a recipe in her La Grotta Ices book for Tomato and white peach sorbet which emerges an elegant shade of shell pink, tasting softly sweet and fruity – just the thing for cooling down in this incredibly hot summer.

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants

Photo © Evie Saffron Strands

Blackcurrants

A cool region plant, the Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) thrives in the British climate.  Much more acidic than white or red currants, it is closer in this regard to its relation the Gooseberry.  Its intense aroma comes from the many spicy terpenes, fruity esters and a sulphur compound that is also to be found in gooseberries, green tea and Sauvignon Blanc wines.  

The Blackcurrant’s resinous character needs to be tamed by briefly cooking with sugar and a little water to reveal its qualities.  The Blackcurrant is not only versatile and delicious but exceptionally rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.  Its strength of flavour means a little goes a long way.  Blackcurrants also freeze extremely well.

The leaves of the blackcurrant shouldn’t be overlooked.  They are highly aromatic and can be infused in a syrup or a custard to impart a flavour which Kitty Travers of La Grotta Ices interprets as “white acid drops”.  

Their season is relatively short but you can normally expect to see blackcurrants from early- to mid-July and into August.  The French value them mainly for the making of their Crème de Cassis cordial – essential for the white wine aperitif, Kir.  Much of the UK Blackcurrant crop is harvested for a well-known sweet, sticky blackcurrant drink but we buy ours from our favourite fruit farm in Kent.  As well as selling them by the punnet, they go into our London Fermentary healthy, tangy Blackcurrant Water Kefir.

Blackcurrants pair well with mint, anise, chocolate and coffee flavours.  They respond exceptionally well to cream.  High in natural pectin, they are easy to preserve and make a deeply flavoured syrup, jelly (good stirred into meat juices) or jam; a highly aromatic sorbet and a luscious ice cream; outstanding with a creamy syllabub or a posset; a crumble or pie, on their own or teamed with pears; and they’re a wonderful addition to a Summer Pudding with raspberries - Nigel Slater champions a Blackcurrant and Blackberry version of Summer Pudding, with the proviso that plenty of cream be deployed. 

Blackcurrant blossom

Photo © Evie Saffron Strands

Monthly news - July 2018

Percocha peaches Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

July

It took a while to make an appearance but finally, in the last week of June, summer arrived and with it the glorious fruits of summer.  July is the time to make the most of these vitamin and mineral-rich seasonal fruits by eating them now at their peak or preserving them for later in the year.

For the month of July, here is the key short-season produce you can expect to find at Puntarelle & Co along with all the usual staples:

English Soft fruits have been loving the heat and we are lucky to have hand-picked berries from John, our Apple and Pear grower in Kent.  Both  Strawberries   and Raspberries are fabulous this year.  Locally-grown English Raspberries, in particular, are unbeatable for flavour.  We use these Kent-grown berries in our London Fermentary Kent Raspberry Water Kefir.  We also get Blackberries from the same farm in Kent. Large, plump and deeply-flavoured, they are bursting with juice.  It’s proving to be a great year for British Blackcurrants too.  Gooseberries should be around until mid-July and British Cherries are starting to arrive, taking over from the lovely Provence/French, Italian and Spanish ones we have had for a few weeks now.

Summer Peaches Puntarelle & Co

We are loving our fruits from France, Sicily and other parts of Italy this year.  They are all in their sun-ripened glory in July.  We have Peaches  - yellow, white, blood, flat and percocha.  Nectarines too.  All ripe and ready to eat or cook with.  A highlight of the month of July for London Fermentary is our Peach Water Kefir infused with lemon verbena and raspberry.  Apricots  are arriving from Southern Italy, they are small but have good flavour. We are expecting to change over to French (hopefully, Bergeron) 

Melons are popular at Puntarelle in this warm weather that encourages us to eat more cooling fruits.  We are getting our Green Fioroni Figs from Puglia at the moment - large and very juicy.

English Peas

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

On the vegetable side, the highlights for July are English Peas . The harvests are as sweet and plentiful as they were last year.  English Broad Beans  are excellent this year too.   We will move into the British Sweetcorn season in July, taking over from the Continental corn cobs.  We look forward to its arrival as the British is usually the best of the crop.  All British grown herbs are in their prime too!

We expect to get particularly good sun-ripened Italian Ox-Heart Tomatoes (Cuore di Bue) and Vesuvius tomatoes, both varieties are meaty, juicy and very delicious. 

Vesuvius Tomatoes

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

London Fermentary News

On the London Fermentary side of our business, we are delighted to announce our first Inspirational Fermentation Course was completed with great success this summer. The results were exceptional.  Thank you to all who attended. It was such a pleasure to teach our first group of talented and creative people.  Dates for the next course are set for September 2018.  Visit www.londonfermentary.com to book your place (only 5 spaces still available at time of writing).

---

This is an easy recipe from Evie’s blog for turning ripe cherries into a more special dessert.  

Cherries with almonds & Sabayon

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Sabayon is so easy to make.  It takes only 2 minutes of whisking with an electric whisk if you want a warm frothy sauce to eat immediately, 5 minutes to produce a 'creamier' one. If you want to make it up to an hour ahead (the one in the photograph above), you just need to keep whisking it off the heat until it has cooled.  This stops it separating before you get to eat it.

Cherries with almonds & Sabayon sauce
(Serves 4)

300g cherries
2 tablespoons elderflower cordial
1-2 teaspoons caster sugar
4-5 almonds

For the Sabayon:
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Melons

Melons

Photo © Puntarelle & Co

Melons

Melons are fruits of the Cucumis melo and closely related to the cucumber.  The exception is the Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) which is a scrambling and trailing vine eaten by the Egyptians for some 5,000 years.  In its wild form the Watermelon is very bitter.  Here I want to talk mainly about Melons.  We’ll save Watermelons for a later day.

The melon plant was cultivated in Asia and India and, by the first century, had arrived in the Mediterranean area.  There are many varieties but the most common fall into two categories: ‘Summer Melons’, which appear in early summer and are highly aromatic and perishable – the Cantaloupe, Charentaise and Ogen melon are examples; and ‘Winter Melons’ which are less perfumed and keep longer – the Honeydew, for instance.  The Charentais, with its smooth grey-green rind and highly aromatic dark orange flesh is arguably the best-flavoured melon of all.  The Cantaloupes, also known as Muskmelons, have a creamy-white rind, sometimes streaked with yellow, and a firmer flesh which can be very sweet when they are fully ripe. 

Right now, in the last few days of June, we have orange-fleshed Cantaloupes from Italy.  We also have smooth-skinned Honeymoon melons, which are an early ripening variety of the Honeydew.  We have plenty of thirst-quenching Watermelons from Sicily too – perfect for cooling down in this warm spell.   

Good melons should seem heavy for their size and, when ripe, will be slightly soft at the stalk end.  The seeds of the melon are edible.  Scoop out the seeds, dry them and roast in a medium-hot oven.  Melon with Bayonne or Parma Ham is a classic pairing; their sweet, perfumed flesh is a good choice for making into a water ice; try halving a melon, deseeding and filling the cavity with raspberries and a tablespoon of sweet wine, like Sauternes; make a melon and ginger jam (with sugar, lemon and preserved ginger); or a melon rind pickle (with sugar, vinegar, lemon, cinnamon and cloves) – one last mention for the Watermelon because this pickle is particularly good made with watermelon rind.

Sicilian watermelons

Photo © Puntarelle & Co

Gooseberries

Gooseberries

Photo © Evie Saffron Strands

Gooseberries

Currants and Gooseberries are all species of the genus Ribes and are cold climate fruits, growing most happily in Northern Europe and North America.  Gooseberries grow best in cool, damp conditions so the UK is excellent for them.  They are normally the first fruits of Spring and the bushes can remain productive into August.  The first fruits are sharp, hard and green and need plenty of sugar, but it’s then that their unique flavour is most pronounced.  If you want a sweeter gooseberry, wait a few weeks for the green globes to mellow to a pale green/gold or go for a red variety like Pax.  Given a bit of heat and sun, later in the season you can reduce the amount of sugar you need to add to them.  

This week we have our first gooseberry harvest from our preferred farm in Kent so you can see for yourself how they develop as the season progresses.

Gooseberries pair wonderfully with elderflowers, imparting a muscat flavour, and the Elder usually produces its flowers at just the right time for the first gooseberry harvests.  Just add a flower head to the poaching pan.  The fruits are packed with vitamin C, and are rich in pectin, so they are excellent for jam-making.  Made into a sharp compote or chutney they are excellent for cutting oily fish such as mackerel, or fatty meats like pork or goose.  The possibilities for puddings are many, from crumbles, tarts, jams, jellies, syllabubs and fools to sorbets, parfaits and ice creams.  They make a fine Eton Mess-like pudding and are gorgeous baked into a buttery-pastry pie.  Keep in mind that Gooseberries love cream.

Gooseberries and Elderflowers

Photo © Evie Saffron Strands

Raspberries

Raspberries

Photo © Evie Saffron Strands

Raspberries

The Raspberry is a delicate fruit which, once ripe, doesn’t take kindly to being kept waiting.  It’s sensitive to damp warmth which can quickly turn the berries to mildewed wretchedness.  Sometimes, in just-picked fruit, to the untrained eye, there is no evidence of its presence but once that musty flavour hits the tongue it’s a taste never forgotten – by me anyway.  Grown well, the berries are sweet/sharp, bursting with juicy wine-like flavours and carrying floral aromas ranging from rose to violets.  We like to bide our time and buy our raspberries direct from our favourite grower in Kent.  This way we know they have been carefully raised and harvested, and time from farm to plate is kept to a minimum.  We use these raspberries in our much loved London Fermentary Kent Raspberry Water Kefir too.  

All berries which grow on canes – raspberry, blackberry, Loganberry etc – are members of the genus Rubus, part of the rose family.  The delicacy of the fruit belies the fact that cultivated raspberries derive from wild plants that thrive as far north as Alaska.  This explains why cultivated raspberries from northern climes, like Scotland grow so well and are rightly prized.  The British raspberry crop is only just getting going but the season is surprisingly long.  Southern-grown berries from summer-fruiting canes peter out but the Scottish season takes overs.  Then there are the autumn-fruiting varieties too which can mean British raspberries are around until well into autumn.

Raspberries are a fruit best eaten raw, though they will stand a little warmth to bring out their juices.  If you keep them in the fridge, it’s important to allow them to reach room temperature to bring out their flavour before eating.  They pair wonderfully well with warm baked peaches. Cream is very much a friend.  If you have a peach, raspberries and cream you have the essentials for a Peach Melba.  A Victoria Sponge Sandwich cake eaten outside on a warm day is quintessentially English.  Sandwiching the sponge layers with raspberries and cream makes it more special than using raspberry jam.  A few drops of rosewater can raise the flavour of less perfumed berries - delicious with meringue and cream, turned into a summer berry Pavlova or a variant of Eton Mess.  If you need to, the berries freeze well and, whizzed up from frozen in a food processor, make an easy sorbet.  As an alternative, you can puree the raw berries with sugar (around 3:1 fruit:sugar) to make a syrup to ripple through vanilla ice cream.  

June 2018 Seasonal News

June

English Strawberries

Photo © Puntarelle & Co

From July 2018, after over a full calendar year in the original style, we will be changing the format of our Monthly Seasonal Produce News to introduce a structured, interactive presentation.  But for the month of June, here is the key short-season produce you can expect to find at Puntarelle & Co along with all the usual staples:

English Produce

Fresh Peas

The first Broad Beans

Spring Onions

Spinach

Coriander

Strawberries

Raspberries

Gooseberries

Italian Borlotti Beans  &  French Corn

Photo © Puntarelle&Co

Italian Produce

Green Figs from Sicily

Crunchy Romano Courgettes

The first Peaches and Nectarines

White Peaches

Flat Peaches

Ruby Apricots

Green & Yellow  Beans

Ligurian Basil

Datterino & Costaluto tomatoes

Melons

The first Borlotti Beans

Sicilian Datterino Tomatoes

Ligurian Basil

Costaluto Tomatoes

Photo © Puntarelle & Co

Peaches at Puntarelle&Co 

French Produce

Corn-on-the-Cob

Cherries

Apricots

White Peaches

Spanish Produce

Apricots

Cherries

White Peaches

Corn-on-the-Cob

---

London Fermentary Inspirational Fermentation Course 

London Fermentary News:

We have two pieces of news on our London Fermentary products this month.  

Firstly, from Saturday 9 June we will have our ‘Kegerator’ operational so you will be able to buy your favourite Water Kefirs in 1 litre refillable bottles.

Our second piece of news is that we have announced dates for our first Inspirational Fermentation course – 12, 19 & 26 June.  Held over three weeks, one 3-hour session per week, this Inspirational Fermentation Course is designed to give participants a good understanding of the fermentation process.  Link to our London Fermentary Events page to get inspired. 

Baked Apricots with marzipan filling & almond crumble

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

When writing last week on the subject of Apricots - which are now arriving in greater quantities and better quality - we mentioned this recipe from one of our favourite food books Honey & Co: The Baking Book by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich.  Here is the recipe in more detail:

Baked Apricots with marzipan filling & almond crumble

(Serves 6)

12 ripe apricots

120g marzipan

60g soft butter

100g demerara sugar

For the crumble:

100g almonds, roughly chopped

20g sesame seeds

a pinch of fennel seeds

a pinch of ground mahleb or cardamom

a pinch of sea salt

50g runny honey

1 tsp oil

Cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).

Cut the marzipan into 12 pieces.  Partially halve the fruits and remove the stones.  Stuff each fruit with a slice of marzipan and reclose it.  Brush each with soft butter and roll in demerara sugar before roasting for around 10 minutes until soft.  Mix the crumble topping ingredients and spread it thinly on a baking tray.  Roast in the oven until crisp.  Serve two apricots per person, with cream (their suggestion is for a 50/50 mix of double and soured cream whipped with a little brandy) and scatter some crumble over the top.   

Apricots

Ruby Apricots

Photo © Puntarelle&Co Ltd

Apricots

The Apricot tree blossoms early, soon after the almond, which means that the flowers are very often caught by frost.  The Apricot is a difficult fruit to grow in the UK as the fruits also need to ripen on the tree.  Not that some fruit farmers in southern England don’t try – apricot trees have been cultivated here since the mid-16th century - but success remains a hit and miss affair, subject to the vagaries of our weather.  This is a shame because two of the best varieties of Apricot – Blenheim and Moorpark – were originally bred in England.  In favourable years, the English-grown crops can be good but most often we have to treat them as cookers.  

For Apricots that need very little embellishment, we turn to the warmth of Italy and France, though varieties are limited.  It’s possible to bring out the floral, tropical flavours even in early fruits if you treat them right.  Early crops are best turned into jam, compote, sorbet or pureed for ice cream.  They can also add a lovely sweet-sharpness to savoury stews.  By the end of June Apricots from southern Europe can usually be eaten just as they come.  Generally, the stronger the colour, the sweeter the fruit, and the simpler their treatment should be.

Apricots have an affinity with almonds.  If you crack open an apricot stone you’ll find within a small almond-like kernel, or noyaux, which you can add to your recipe for a touch of bitter almond flavour.  Don’t overdo it, though, as the noyaux contains amygdalin, a compound which converts to cyanide in the body.  Roasting the kernel first extracts this compound.  Green Almonds are around at the same time as Apricots so try poaching apricots with a little sugar and a vanilla pod until soft but not collapsed and serve scattered with slivers of green almonds; make an Apricot Tart or Galette; with early fruits, make Apricot Jam, for sure; stuff them by halving and pitting the fruit, place cut-side-up in a dish and scatter an almond crumble topping over them before roasting on a medium heat; or make the delicious recipe for Baked Apricots with marzipan filling and almond crumble from Honey&Co: The Baking Book – partially halve and pit the fruits, stuff with a slice of marzipan, brush them with soft butter and roll in demerara sugar before roasting until soft.  Honey&Co make an almond crumble topping flavoured with mahleb (a spice made from cherry kernels), spread it thinly on a baking tray and roast until crisp.  Put the two elements together and serve with cream (their suggestion is for brandy cream).

Baked Apricots with marzipan filling & almond crumble

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Strawberries

Strawberries

Photo ©Puntarelle & Co

Strawberries

Almost all modern cultivated Strawberry varieties derive from two American species, Fragaria virginiana from North America and Fragaria chiloensis from South America.  It wasn’t until the plants were cross-polinated in France in the 18th century that the large, commercially-grown, strawberries we know today became popular, supplanting the European Wild Strawberry varieties we had enjoyed here.  While some recent introductions may be viewed as a hybridisation too far – bred for resilience, size and sweetness at the cost of flavour – with others it’s not difficult to see why they were favoured over the small wild berries.  The larger, sweeter cultivated varieties can usually be kept at least a couple of days.  The small European wild strawberry, Fragaria Vesca, or, as the French call it, fraise de bois still has its place but is best eaten very soon after picking before its intense fragrance dissipates. 

We get some early varieties from France and Italy, notably the French Gariguette which we will have again this week, though at a more reasonable price than at the start of harvest.    The early summer English outdoor-grown fruit, ripened by the sun, are worth waiting for.  This week, the third week of May, we have the first arrival from our preferred farmer in Kent.  The variety is Elizabeth, which will be followed by Jubilee over the next few weeks.

It’s hard to beat the simple pairing of Strawberries and cream.  Strawberry ice cream is divine.  Try slicing a strawberry into a glass of red or white wine.  Add a few berries to poached rhubarb or try pairing strawberries with a few rose petals or leaves of lemon verbena.  If you want something a little different, orange zest, balsamic vinegar or black pepper all complement strawberries.  As the season progresses and prices come down, they also make an incredibly fragrant jam.  Be sure to add lemon juice for a good set as the pectin levels in strawberries is very low.

Tarragon

Tarragon

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Tarragon

Tarragon (or Estragon), Artemisia dracunculus, is a native of western and northern Asia and a member of the lettuce family.  There are two varieties of this herb – the wild one that’s often called Russian Tarragon and which has quite a harsh flavour; and French Tarragon, which is more delicate and has a distinct anise aroma.  The French variety has more uses in the kitchen.  

Tarragon combined with chervil, parsley and chives makes the French classic fines herbes mix.  It has many uses in French cuisine, from flavouring sauces to adding to chicken, fish and egg dishes.  A simple omelette aux fines herbes is a beautiful thing.  Tarragon is the essential herb to create the classic béarnaise sauce.  Tarragon compliments asparagus when paired with eggs and it brings a welcome bitter anise note to temper the sweetness of both peas and carrots.  Try slow-cooking courgettes in olive oil and butter until soft and mushy, add chopped tarragon and season – delicious just with bread or served with lentils.  Or soften a chopped shallot in butter, add sliced mushrooms and cook to brown, then finish with a little extra butter, a splash of cream and some chopped tarragon. Pile onto toast.  

Fatty fish, particularly salmon, and sea trout, are good with a creamy tarragon sauce.  Melted butter scented with tarragon poured over Lobster is a great simple way to serve a luxurious ingredient.

Georgian and Caucasian food is becoming more appreciated in London of late, thanks in large part to the work of food writer Olia Hercules.  There is a distinct fondness for the herb tarragon, or tarkhuna which is also the name of a tarragon- flavoured soft drink of the region.  Tarragon, onion and eggs (and sometimes greens) are combined as a filling for a leavened yogurt dough pie.  There’s a stew of lamb or veal, punchy with tarragon, called Chakapuli; and there’s Kharcho, a stew made from chicken which is fragrant with tarragon.  You can make a cordial from lemon, tarragon and cucumber too – maybe a bit more interesting than lemonade.

And don’t just think of tarragon for savoury dishes.  The herb brings a wonderful anise flavour to nectarines, peaches and plums.  Oven-bake the fruits, sliced in half and stone removed, in a little sugar syrup and a few leaves of tarragon, for an easy pudding.  Or make a tarragon-infused custard for ice cream and fold through a puree of peach or nectarine.

You can preserve any leftover tarragon by hanging it up to dry, or you can preserve it as Tarragon butter.  Simply chop the herb and add to creamed butter, roll into a log and freeze for using by the slice as you need it – maybe on a juicy steak or a fillet of fish.  

As I write this in late spring you’ll find the best tarragon is coming through our arch right now – and, of course, we use it in our London Fermentary ferments.

Tarragon

Photo ©Puntarelle&Co Ltd

May 2018 Seasonal News

English Asparagus

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

MAY

This time last year we were talking of having had English Asparagus at the beginning of April, only for it then to be hit by late frosts.  This year we collected our first Kent-grown crop last week.  Despite it feeling late, it was around St George’s Day which is the traditional time for starting to cut the crop.  It’s hard to resist people’s desire for earlier harvests but nature knows best and this year’s first cut of English Asparagus from our preferred grower was definitely worth the wait.  

April passed in the UK feeling very similar to March.  Save for a few days of warmth mid-month, conditions have been unseasonably cold in most of Europe delaying spring planting.  Italy did provide us with Broad Beans, Peas and Cucumbers; France delivered Wet Garlic and Fraise Clery Strawberries; and the UK produced Jersey Royals, Wild Garlic, Sprouting Broccoli, field-grown Rhubarb and the first good Asparagus.  A burst of sun arrived in the form of Mangoes from India, including Alphonso.  We are definitely overdue some good growing weather.     

Wet Garlic

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

As a result of the weather, now at the beginning of MAY, you will find the following at Puntarelle & Co:

Earthy, saline Jersey Royal Potatoes and versatile Cypress Potatoes.

Vitamin C, iron and calcium-rich Spring Nettle Tops, both English and French (bag with care!).

Some late English Wild Garlic leaves.

Watercress from our preferred English grower, Kingfisher. 

UK-grown sweet, juicy Cucumbers and mild, crunchy Spring Onions.

Italian Ridged Cucumbers 

From Italy, Romano and Tondo Courgettes. 

Wispy Wild Asparagus and Bruscandoli (hop shoots) from Italy.

From our Kent Grower, English green Asparagus, both fat-speared and thin sprue, tasting really delicious this year.  Also European purple and white Asparagus varieties.

New Spring season Rainbow Chard from Italy.  

Italian Peas and Broad Beans.

Fat, sweet, stems of Wet Garlic from France (don’t forget most of the stalk is useable too.

Outdoor-grown Rhubarb, picked up from our preferred farmer in Kent who also grows our Asparagus.

Strawberries this week are from France and Italy.  We expect English ones in a couple of weeks’ time.

There are French Heritage Tomatoes along with large Pineapple Tomatoes, and the salty, crunchy Marinda and Camone Tomatoes that have seen us through winter are still with us.

Spring varieties of Radish.

Cool weather harvests of bitter Radicchio and Chicories like Puntarelle and Cime de Rapa from Italy are still with us and there are Tropea Onions.

Spinach varieties including French.

New season Aubergines from Italy are now coming in more variety of sizes and shapes.

Green and Purple Artichokes, large and small.  

St George’s Mushrooms again (one thing that wasn’t late this year) and Morel Mushrooms too.

As always, we have seasonal herbs but we have pots of growing Spring Herbs as well.

It’s a lean time for European fruits but the Nespole from Italy are in.

Broad Beans

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

So, what produce can we expect to come through our doors in MAY?

Earthy, saline Jersey Royal Potatoes and some French new potatoes too. 

Vitamin C, iron and calcium-rich Spring Nettle Tops, both English and French (bag with care!).

Watercress from our preferred English grower, Kingfisher. 

UK-grown sweet, juicy Cucumbers and mild, crunchy Spring Onions will continue.

Ridged Cucumbers for preserving from Eastern Europe.

Increasing varieties of Courgettes from Italy.

Wispy Wild Asparagus from Italy.

From our Kent Grower, English green Asparagus, both fat-speared and thin sprue.  Also European purple and white Asparagus varieties.

Rainbow Chard.  

Italian Peas and Broad Beans.

Fat, sweet, stems of Wet Garlic from France (don’t forget most of the stalk is useable too).

Outdoor-grown Rhubarb, picked up from our preferred farmer in Kent who also grows our Asparagus.

Strawberries from France and Italy.  Early English ones from our favourite grower should be with us by the third week in May.

French Heritage Tomatoes, large Pineapple Tomatoes and, hopefully, some other interesting varieties.

Spring varieties of Radish.

Italian Tropea Onions and French Grelot Onions.

Spinach varieties including French.

New season Aubergines from Italy in a variety of shapes and sizes. 

Seasonal herbs including pots of growing Spring Herbs.

It’s still a lean time for European fruits but expect Nespole from Italy throughout the month.

Nespole/Loquats

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Focus on:

Nespole have arrived from Italy.  In early spring, just as our stores of apples are emptying and before strawberries come good, they are a welcome sight.  Looking a little like apricots, they can be smooth or slightly downy-skinned and vary from yellow to orange.  They have a succulent flesh, a little tart, a little sweet with a tropical fragrance.  They are a fragile fruit that keep only a couple of days at room temperature but up to a week in a cool place.  They can be poached in sugar syrup and simply served with yogurt or ice cream, or added to a fruit salad.  Under-ripe fruits make good jam and jelly, or chutney which goes well with fatty meats like roast pork.  

Raw Asparagus Salad

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

We collected the first cut of English Asparagus from our Kent Grower last week and, despite a return to lacklustre weather, the English season is definitely under way.  Here is a recipe, inspired by our friends at 40 Maltby Street, celebrating the early spears which are delicious eaten raw.  It also makes a few spears go a long way.  

Raw Asparagus Salad

(Serves 4 as a starter)

8-12 asparagus spears
A handful of pea-shoots

A few mint leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus.  Cut a diagonal slice off the bottom of each spear then slice them thinly.  Add salt and pepper to the lemon juice and mix.  Whisk in the olive oil to emulsify.  Toss the sliced asparagus and the pea shoots in the dressing.  Pile onto plates and serve.  (Add a few curls or a grating of Italian Parmesan or English Berkswell cheese if you like).  

Asparagus

English Green Asparagus

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Asparagus

Asparagus grows from long-lived rhizomes that spread underground.  The spears are the tender young shoots of Asparagus officinalis that grows into a fernlike plant over a metre tall when harvesting ends. 

The spears start pushing through the ground in early Spring.  In recent years, a variety of ‘early-season’ asparagus has been developed enabling some producers to get an Asparagus crop to market ahead of the game.  Normally, the asparagus farmer has a few weeks of frantic activity harvesting the crop for market, and then it's all over until next year.  Traditionally, in the UK, the season begins around St George's Day (23 April) and by mid-Summer's Day cutting should stop.  The plants continue to put up spears but these are allowed to grow into tall fronds that photosynthesise in order to build up nutrients in the rhizome for next year's crop.  In November the plant is cut back to ground level.  

It takes about three years for an asparagus crown to become established and, if treated right, it can be productive for 10 years.  Harvesting of Asparagus has to be done by hand. The white version is even more labour intensive as the growing spears have to be banked-up with soil to produce the blanched stems.  Popular since the 18th century, white asparagus has a more delicate flavour than the green.  If exposed to light after harvest, white asparagus will turn yellow or reddish.  Purple varieties of asparagus are high in anthocyanins, though, like other purple and red coloured vegetables, cooking results in loss of this colour and it turns green. 

This all adds up to making asparagus one of the most expensive treats of spring and early summer.  Freshness is key to taste so, when you do finally get your hands on it, don't let it linger in the fridge or it will lose its sweetness.  The spears are packed with beneficial nutrients - vitamins A and C, folic acid, potassium and iron.  They have a natural snap-point separating the tough from the tender parts, so, it’s best to bend the spear and snap off the base rather than cut it for cooking.  Young, fresh spears don’t need to be peeled but later ones benefit from peeling the lower 6cm or so.  

The first, fresh Asparagus are fantastic eaten raw.  Slice thinly, and toss in a vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.  The wispy early spears marketed as ‘Wild Asparagus’, or later thin spears known as sprue, are wonderful for par-boiling then adding to an omelette or frittata.  Thicker spears can be plunged into boiling water for a few minutes until just tender – melted butter, mayonnaise or hollandaise sauce are good accompaniments.  Asparagus has an affinity with eggs so pairing them is a very good idea.  To cook the spears on a griddle or to roast them in the oven in olive oil, par-boiling for one minute in boiling water first is recommended.  

In this the week of St George’s Day, the English crop of Green Asparagus is thrusting through the soil to join the green, white, purple and wild Asparagus coming in from the rest of Europe.

Wild Asparagus

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

april 2018 seasonal news

Seasonal Table at Puntarelle@Co

Photo ©Puntarelle&Co Ltd

APRIL

This time last year we were talking of the new spring planting season in the UK being properly under way.  How different things are this year.  We may be looking forward to Asparagus and early strawberries, but the outdoor grown English asparagus from our Kent growers is 2-3 weeks away.  Last year we had the first cut 19th of March.  But we should remember that last year was unusual.  A mild start to Spring meant an early harvest but Asparagus towards the end of April is actually the norm.  Only the bigger producers can get a crop to market earlier.  A few boxes of strawberries grown under cover are coming in but there will be a bit of a wait for the sunkissed ones.  

While we wait for the sun to appear, we’re grateful for the English Wild Garlic leaves, Spring Nettle Tops and Jersey Royal Potatoes that are available.  Glad too to have Italian Broad Beans, Peas, Asparagus and Hop Shoots.  And to have the Wet Garlic bulbs from Morocco that have been arriving for the past three weeks which changed to Italian this week.

Morel Mushrooms

Photo ©Puntarelle&Co Ltd

At the beginning of April, as I write this, you will find:

Earthy, saline Jersey Royal Potatoes. 

Vitamin C, iron and calcium-rich Spring Nettle Tops, both English and Italian (bag with care!).

Wild Garlic leaves, this week English ones and we have Watercress from our preferred English grower too. 

The first of the season’s UK-grown sweet, juicy Cucumbers and mild, crunchy Spring Onions have arrived.

The First Italian Ridged Cucumbers and Romano Courgettes. 

Wispy Wild Asparagus from Italy, as well as fat spears of the purple and white Asparagus varieties.

The last of the Purple Sprouting Broccoli but there’s new Spring season Rainbow Chard from Italy.  

Again this week, sweet Italian Peas and Broad Beans and bulbs of Wet Garlic from Italy too.

Outdoor-grown Rhubarb, from our preferred farmer in Kent, has taken over from Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb.

Just a few boxes of English-grown Strawberries this week but we do have beautiful Strawberries from Italy.

There are English Heritage Tomatoes too along with large Provence Tomatoes, and the Marinda and salty, crunchy Camone Tomatoes that have seen us through winter are still with us.

Radishes are changing from winter varieties to spring ones and this week, we have French Heritage Radishes.

Cool weather harvests of bitter Radicchio and Chicories like Puntarelle and Cime de Rapa from Italy are still with us and there are Tropea Onions and Spinach too.

New season Aubergines from Italy are now coming in more variety of sizes and shapes and there are Spring season Green and Purple Artichokes, large and small.  

St George’s Mushrooms (one thing that isn’t late) and Morel Mushrooms too.

As always, we have seasonal herbs but this week we have pots of growing Spring Herbs as well.

Italian New Season Cucumbers

Photo ©Puntarelle&Co Ltd

So, what produce can we expect to come through our doors before the end of APRIL? 

Earthy, saline Jersey Royal Potatoes should see us through April. 

Vitamin C, iron and calcium-rich Spring Nettle Tops (bag with care!).

English Wild Garlic leaves through most of the month.

Sweet, juicy UK-grown Cucumbers and Italian Ridged Cucumbers may be joined by pickling cucumbers from Eastern Europe this month.

Mild, crunchy English Spring Onions throughout the month.

Wispy Wild Asparagus from Italy may be joined by some English grown late in the month.  And, if we finally get some sun and warmth, fat spears of English Aparagus to look forward to.  There could be more Italian Wild Hop Shoots too.

This month sees the last of the Purple Sprouting Broccoli but there’s new Spring season Rainbow Chard from Italy, along with Italian Peas and Broad Beans and Romano Courgettes.

Bulbs of sweet, pungent Wet Garlic from France and Italy .

Outdoor-grown Rhubarb, from our preferred farmer in Kent will continue.

Strawberries from Italy, France and the UK will become more abundant and tastier.  Expect some French Gariguette Strawberries.  

Spring season English Heritage Tomatoes and some varieties from France and Italy will arrive this month, easing out the salty, crunchy Camone and Marinda Tomatoes that have seen us through winter.

Radishes are changing from winter varieties to spring ones this month and will arrive in greater quantities.

Watercress from our preferred English grower and, maybe, some from France.

New season Aubergines from Italy in more variety of size and shape.  

Green and Purple Artichokes, large and small.  

St George’s Mushrooms and Morel Mushrooms.

We expect Nespoli (Loquats) to arrive from Italy this month. 

There may be a chance of English-grown Broad Beans and Peas this month.  Given the unseasonal weather, we shall see.  

Pots of growing Spring Herbs along with our usual herb sprigs.

Fermented Garlic with Lemon,Ginger,Tirmeric&Lemon

Photo ©Puntarelle&Co

NEWS:

Thanks to the feedback and support of our customers, our London Fermentary products have grown to the point where we feel it necessary to give them their own social media presence!  If you follow Puntarelle_Co on Instagram and/or on Twitter, we’d love it if you would show your support by also following us  @london_fermentary on Instagram and/or @LDNFermentary on Twitter.  We’ll be able to keep you informed with news, like what seasonal Ferments you can expect to find each month.  

And while we are on the subject, filling the gap between winter and spring this month we have a Honey & Camomile with warming ginger and turmeric Water Kefir for you.  And, by popular request, our immune-boosting jars of Honey fermented with garlic, ginger, turmeric and lemon are back in stock.

Apart from being delicious, these unpasteurised fermented drinks bring beneficial micro-organisms, B vitamins, minerals and enzymes in a slightly sour, zingy, low-sugar form.  More about our range of Fermented products at: www.londonfermentary.com

Spring Nettle Tops

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Rich in vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, iron and calcium, considering Nettles as a weed seriously undervalues their nutritional benefits.  Here at Puntarelle & Co we have them in Spring and early Summer when they are at their vigorous best.  Like everything that grows wild, you need to be sure it has grown in a clean environment if you are going to eat it.  Buy from us or, if you have a trusted patch near you, go out and snip the tops.  Take care picking them or filling your bag as they pack a mighty sting until subjected to brief heat or cold.

Here is an idea for using them:

Nettle & Spinach Soup

(Serves 4)

Around 350g (12 oz) nettle tops

Around 350g (12 oz) spinach or chard

50g (2 oz) butter or olive oil

2 leeks or onions, sliced

1 medium potato, diced (optional)

Around 1 litre (1¾ pints) vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

Cream to serve

Wash the nettle tops carefully (they sting until cooked) and the spinach or chard and drain both.

In a large pan, melt the butter and add the sliced leeks or onions.  Cook, without colouring, for 5-10 minutes to soften.  (Add diced potato at this point if you want a heartier soup).  Add the nettles and spinach or chard, cover and cook until just wilted.  Pour in the stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes. 

Liquidise then reheat and season with salt and pepper.  

Serve with a spoonful of cream atop each bowl of soup.

Nettle and Spinach Soup

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Broccoli

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Broccoli

Most of the common vegetables around today have been eaten since before recorded history.  One exception is Broccoli.  Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and Celery are also relative newcomers.  Broccoli is a member of the Brassica family.  Two native brassicas, one from the Mediterranean and one from Central Asia, are responsible for more than a dozen common vegetables on our plates.  Cabbage, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Kohlrabi, Chinese Cabbage, Turnip, Broccoli Rabe and Broccoli are amongst them. 

Broccoli, like Cauliflower and Romanesco, is harvested for its immature flowers.  Broccoli Rabe, also known as Rapini and Cime di Rapa is not a true broccoli but the flowers that emerge from the thickened stalk of a variety of turnip (a brassica member).  It’s also sold as ‘broccoletti di rape’, meaning ‘little sprouts of turnip’.  It can be treated in the same way as true Broccoli.  

Commercially, broccoli is available all year round but it’s really a cool-season vegetable that is at its best from late autumn through to early spring.  The most appreciated variety in the UK is the Purple Sprouting Broccoli. If you grow it, you find it makes a wonderful cut-and-come-again plant.  You simply snap off the small flower stalks.  There is also a white-flowering variety, less often seen.  The thick stalked Calabrese Broccoli variety takes over by July and goes on until October.  When the plant cells are damaged, like all brassicas, broccoli releases bitter, pungent and strong-smelling compounds.  The autumn and winter-grown vegetables are usually milder.  These characteristics make broccoli a love-it or hate-it vegetable.  

In normal years, when the Purple Sprouting Broccoli is coming to an end, the English Asparagus season is starting and both vegetables respond to simple treatment.  Broccoli, like Asparagus, has an affinity with eggs.  It’s also very good with anchovies, cheese and bacon.  Streamed or boiled until just tender, the broccoli can be served with a jug of melted butter or hollandaise sauce, or tossed in a warm of emulsion of melted butter, garlic and tinned anchovies.  You can do what the Romans do and give it the ripassata, or re-passed, treatment – boil the broccoli in salted water until tender, then drain; sauté a crushed garlic clove and chopped fresh or dried chilli in olive oil until the garlic softens; add the greens and a little salt and pepper, turning to coat the greens in the oil for 2-3 minutes.  Eat just as it is, add some cooked pasta to the pan or pile it onto toast and top with a fried egg.

We expect to see over-wintered Purple Sprouting Broccoli around for another 3-4 weeks.  It will be followed by mild Broccolini, also known as Tenderstem, which is actually a cross between broccoli and a Chinese kale, and there will be broccoli Calabrese too.