The New English Kitchen: Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat. Rose Prince
camels at a watering hole. She pulls them apart at the root, replants them in compost, three to a pot, and keeps them on a windowsill that gets the sun. Two weeks later, she has ten healthy pots of basil, all from one pot. If you have the time, this is well worth it; the supermarket has done the tricky part for you, you reap the reward.
green sauce
This is a standard to eat with poached, roast or grilled meat, poultry and fish. You can also stir it into mayonnaise or salad dressing. Make a small jar to store in the fridge; it will keep for 2 weeks.
Serves 4–6
5 sprigs each of tarragon, basil, chervil and parsley
about 10 chives
olive oil
salt
Chop all the herbs and the capers very finely and put them in a jar. Barely cover with olive oil and stir. Taste and add salt to bring out the flavours of the sauce.
herb oils
Herb oils can be used, a few drops at a time, to flavour salads, cooked vegetables and pasta. A pestle and mortar is the best tool to get the right effect. Parsley, basil, dill, oregano and chives are all suitable.
Roughly chop 4 sprigs of either herb, or the equivalent of chives, and put them in a pestle and mortar. Add a few drops of olive oil and begin to work it into the herbs, grinding with the pestle and mortar. Add more until you have a smooth, green oil. Season with a little salt to taste.
kitchen note
Oil blended with fresh or dried smoked chillies makes a good addition to a noodle soup.
herb, oil and breadcrumb ‘stuffing’
This can be spooned on to halved tomatoes, cylinders of courgette or thick aubergine slices before baking them in the oven. You can also fry it and serve it beside game or poultry with the gravy.
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs, fresh or dried (see here)
2 sprigs of basil or oregano, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed with a little salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Mix together all the ingredients until they are well blended and have the texture of wet sand. Spoon on to the vegetables and transfer them to an oiled baking dish. Cook for half an hour or until the vegetables are soft. Eat them on their own, or beside meat or fish.
year-round salad vegetables
lettuce
While I am grateful for those herbs in their little plastic packs, bags of washed infant lettuce leaves are expensive and taste suspiciously of chlorine. Washing salad in a strong solution of chlorine and water to kill the bugs that cause food poisoning seems to wash away the flavour, too. It can also make the leaves smell downright manky once they have sat on the shelf for a time. This is not to say that all small leaf salad is bad. You can buy fresh leaves, loosely packed, all year round – some from British farmers. Rocket, mizuna, ruby chard, sorrel, purslane, dandelion and pak choi have a beautiful fresh taste and can be bought from specialist grocers and farmers’ markets. At £10 per kilo, however, it hurts. The popularity of fresh wild rocket makes it easier to obtain, and slightly cheaper.
Whole Cos or romaine lettuces, on the other hand, are inexpensive, keep for ages and have a good mineral flavour. A salad made with torn romaine lettuce and herbs will be as good as any so-called gourmet leaf mixture. Use the inner leaves for salads and the outer leaves for stock or for creamy lettuce soups (see here).
Store whole lettuces and salad leaves as you would herbs. They will keep for a week wrapped in slightly damp newspaper in a plastic bag. Limp lettuce can be revived by separating the leaves and putting them in a ceramic bowl. Cover with a dampened tea towel and leave in or out of the fridge.
cucumber
The standard supermarket cucumber is a watery creature but you can boost its flavour with a simple method. Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Slice thinly, then place in a colander in the sink and throw a little salt over it. Leave for an hour, during which time the water will seep out of the cucumber flesh. Pat dry with a towel, which will absorb the water and excess salt.
Cucumbers store well in the lower drawers of the fridge.
cucumber sandwiches
Butter very fresh white bread and sandwich a few layers of cucumber, prepared as above and seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, between 2 slices.
cucumber salad with mustard
Serves 4
1 cucumber, prepared as on here 93
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons golden caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon soft crystal sea salt
2 tablespoons water
4 sprigs of dill, chopped
10 chives, chopped
freshly ground black pepper
Combine the cucumber with all the remaining ingredients, scattering the herbs on top. Serve with Fried Sole (see here).
spiced braised cucumber
An easy, instant curry to eat with flat bread (see here).
Serves 2
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
1 onion, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
1 tablespoon mild curry paste
1/2 can of coconut milk
4 tablespoons water
1 cucumber, peeled, halved, deseeded and cut into slices
1cm/1/2 inch thick
1 teaspoon black onion seeds (nigella)
4 sprigs of coriander, chopped
Melt the fat in a pan, add the onion and cook until soft. Stir in the chilli and curry paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the coconut milk and water. Finally add the cucumber slices, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Finish with the black onion seeds and coriander.
pickled cucumber
1/2 cucumber, peeled, prepared as on here 93
1 teaspoon golden caster sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar a pinch of salt
2.5cm/1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
3 small green chillies, chopped
Combine the cucumber with all