Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me: A chef’s stories and recipes from the land. Denis Cotter
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Chop the pumpkin into 1cm (1/2 in) dice. Toss these in a little olive oil in an oven dish that is large enough to spread them out in a single layer, then roast them in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until lightly coloured and tender. Lower the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Cut the leek in quarters lengthways, wash it and slice it thinly. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, and fry the leek over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
| Serves 4FOR THE DOLMA |
|---|
| 1.2kg (2 3/4 lb) peeled and seededCrown pumpkin or similar |
| olive oil |
| 1 medium leek |
| 1 tbsp cumin seeds |
| 1 tbsp coriander seeds |
| 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 2 fresh mild green chillies, halved,seeded and sliced |
| 250g(9oz) cooked chickpeas,or one 240g can, drained |
| salt |
| 1 head spring cabbage |
| about 200ml (7fl oz) water or stock |
While the leeks are cooking, toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a heavy pan over a low heat, then crush them lightly in a pestle and mortar, just enough to crack them open. Add the seeds to the leek pan with the garlic and chilli, and fry for 2 minutes more.
Mash the chickpeas coarsely with a fork, then add them to the pan and continue frying for 5 minutes more. Gently stir in the roast pumpkin, season with salt, take off the heat and leave the mixture to cool.
| FOR THE SESAME YOGHURT SAUGE |
|---|
| 175g(6oz)tahini |
| 2 garlic cloves, crushed |
| 1 tsp ground cumin |
| 1 pinch cayenne pepper |
| juice of 1/2 lemon |
| 175g (6oz) plain yoghurt |
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Remove the stems from the cabbage leaves, either by cutting them out to give two pieces of leaf, or in the smaller leaves by trimming them to the thickness of the leaf You will need twelve pieces of cabbage leaf (about 4cmx10cm [1 1/2 inx4in] in size) to make the dolma. Boil the leaves in the water for 4-5 minutes until tender, then drain and immediately cool in a bowl of cold water.
Gently pat the leaves dry with some kitchen paper. Place a leaf on a worktop and put a tablespoon of the filling at one end. Roll the cabbage leaf up one turn and fold in the sides, then continue rolling to the end, to make a cylindrical parcel about 6cm (2 1/2 in) long and 3cm (1 1/4 in) thick. Make twelve parcels and place them close together in an oven dish brushed with olive oil. Brush the parcels generously with olive oil too, sprinkle them with enough water or stock to barely cover the bottom of the dish, and cover it with foil. Make a few steam holes in the foil, then cook in the oven for 20 minutes, until the parcels are lightly coloured. Check once or twice that the dish isn’t too dry. You might also want to remove the foil cover for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
For the sauce, whisk approximately 150–200ml (5-7fl oz) water into the tahini to get a pouring consistency, then add the garlic, cumin, cayenne and lemon juice. Stir in the yoghurt and season with salt.
Serve three dolma per portion with some of the sauce drizzled over the top (or serve it separately on the side).
Fresh Pasta with Abyssinian Cabbage, Dried Tomato, Chilli, Pine Nuts and Sheep’s Cheese
This recipe is for two only, because I think it is a very tricky business mixing anything more than a simple sauce into long, fresh pasta, often resulting in the pasta becoming overcooked in the process. If you are cooking for more than two, dress the cooked pasta in olive oil and a little finely grated cheese, and put it in warm bowls before spooning the vegetables on top, encouraging people to mix their own.
Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the cabbage leaves, tomatoes and pine nuts, and cook for 2-3 minutes more until the cabbage has softened. Season with a little salt and pepper.
| Serves 2 |
|---|
| 3 tbsp olive oil |
| 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced |
| 2 garlic cloves, sliced |
| 1 mild red chilli, halved, seeded and thinly sliced |
| 2 handfuls Abyssinian cabbage leaves(about 160g/5 3/4oz), roughly torn |
| 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced |
| 1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted |
| salt and pepper |
| 250g (9oz) fresh tagliolini or other thinpasta |
| 60g (2 1/4oz) Cratloe Hills or other hardsheep’s cheese such as Pecorino, finelygrated |
At the same time, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain well and add to the vegetables with a sprinkling of the cheese. Toss to mix the vegetables through the pasta, then serve in warm bowls, with the rest of the cheese sprinkled over the top.
Fresh Tagliolini with Shredded Brussels Sprouts, Sage and Pine Nuts
Quarter the sprouts, cut out the core and separate the leaves. In a wide pan, heat the olive oil and cook the sprouts, shallots, sage and garlic over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, orange zest and pine nuts, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes more.
At the same time, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the tagliolini and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain well.
Add the butter, cheese and cooked pasta to the sprouts and mix well. Serve immediately.
| Serves 4 |
|---|
| 250g(9oz) Brussels sprouts |
| 2 tbsp olive oil |
| 150g (5 1/2oz) shallots, thinly sliced |
| 12 fresh sage leaves, sliced |
| 4 garlic cloves, sliced |
| 4 canned tomatoes, finely chopped |
| finely grated zest of 1 orange |
| 1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted |
| salt and pepper |
| 450g (1lb) fresh tagliolini,or other thin pasta |
| 50g(2oz) butter |
| 50g (2oz) Desmond, Parmesanor other hard cheese, finely grated |
Brussels Sprouts with Roast Shallots and Spiced Potato Gnocchi in a Blue Cheese Cream
These quantities will give you very generous portions for a rich winter meal. The shallots and gnocchi can be prepared in advance. The uncooked gnocchi will keep for a few hours in a fridge or for a week in a freezer.
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