Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me: A chef’s stories and recipes from the land. Denis Cotter
peel the potatoes, chop them into even-sized pieces and steam until tender. Gently mash them and leave them to cool. Stir in the cheese, egg yolks and cayenne, then quickly work in most of the flour. Season well with salt and pepper. If the dough seems firm enough, cut off a small piece, roll it into a ball and drop it into boiling water. If, after a few minutes, the ball floats without breaking up, the dough has enough flour. Bear in mind that the flour helps the gnocchi to hold together but too much flour can make the dough tough.
Cut the dough into three pieces and roll each piece with your hands into a 2cm (3/4 in)-thick tube. Cut each tube into pieces 1cm (1/2 in) long and shape each piece into an elongated ball. Put the gnocchi to one side on a lightly floured plate as you go.
| Serves 4 |
|---|
| 400g(14oz) Brussels sprouts |
| 15g(1/2oz) butter |
| 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 1/2 tsp caraway seeds |
| 150ml (5fl oz) vegetable stock or water |
| 300ml (10fl oz) double cream |
| 85g (3oz) mild blue cheese, such asCashel Blue |
| freshly grated nutmeg, to serve |
| FOR THE ROAST SHALLOTS |
|---|
| 200g (7oz) small shallots, peeled(roots left intact) |
| olive oil |
| FOR THE SPICED POTATO GNOCCHI |
|---|
| 400g(14oz) floury potatoes |
| 60g (21/oz) Desmond, Parmesanor other hard cheese, finely grated |
| 2 egg yolks |
| 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper |
| 85g(3oz) plain flour |
| salt and pepper |
| butter |
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. To roast the shallots, toss them in a little olive oil in an oven dish, cover loosely with baking parchment and roast in the oven, checking and stirring occasionally, until the shallots are soft and golden.
Halve or quarter the Brussels sprouts, depending on size. In a wide pan, heat the butter and cook the sprouts, garlic and caraway over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the stock or water, bring it to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sprouts are almost tender. Add the cream and turn up the heat to boil for 30 seconds. Crumble in the blue cheese then turn off the heat and stir to melt the cheese.
While the sprouts are cooking, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and drop in some of the gnocchi, being careful not to overcrowd the pan or the gnocchi will stick together. As the gnocchi float to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon. Keep them warm in a buttered frying pan over a low heat while you cook the rest.
To serve, place some gnocchi in four warm plates or shallow bowls. Spoon the sprouts in their sauce around each portion, pouring some of the sauce over the gnocchi. Arrange some roasted shallots over each portion and finish with nutmeg.
Braised Savoy Cabbage with Apricots, Pecans and Caraway
Soak the apricots for 1 hour in just enough water to cover them, then slice them thinly.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and put in the cabbage, onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat until the cabbage has softened a little. Add the apricots, caraway, brandy and a pinch of salt. Bring back to the boil, turn the heat down to low, then cover loosely with baking parchment and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cabbage is soft and sweet, stirring occasionally to ensure the cabbage doesn’t stick. Stir in the pecans and serve.
| Serves 4 as a side dish |
|---|
| 30g(1 1/4oz) dried apricots |
| 2tbsp olive oil |
| 400g (14oz) Savoy cabbage, shredded |
| 1 medium white onion,halved and thinly sliced |
| 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped |
| 1 tbsp caraway seeds |
| 50ml (2fl oz) brandy |
| salt |
| 30g (11/4oz) shelled pecans, halved |
Watercress Hummus
Serve this variation on the classic chickpea and sesame dip with warm pitta bread, crispbread or corn chips. It also makes a nicely peppery sandwich filling or topping for crostini.
Put the watercress in a food processor with a tablespoon of the olive oil, and blend to a smooth purée. Transfer to a bowl, then put the remaining ingredients, including the oil, into the processor and blend again. Add this purée to the watercress and stir. Season with salt. When serving, drizzle a little more olive oil over the hummus.
| Serves 8-10 as a snack |
|---|
| 100g (3 1/2oz) watercress |
| 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) olive oil,plus a little extra to serve |
| 200g(7oz) cooked chickpeas,from dried or canned |
| 2 garlic cloves, crushed |
| 1 tsp ground cumin |
| 1 pinch cayenne pepper |
| 1 tbsp tahini |
| juice of 1 lemon |
| salt |
Chinese Broccoli with Cashews and Fresh Chillies
I like most Chinese broccoli dishes with the stems whole, about 12-15cm (4 1/2– 6in) long. This side dish has enough flavour to be served as a simple main course for two or three, with some rice or noodles.
Cut the chillies in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Slice the flesh in thin diagonal strips.
In a wide shallow pan, heat the olive or vegetable oil, add the chilli slices and cook for 1 minute over a medium heat. Add the Chinese broccoli, garlic, soy sauce and stock or water. Cover the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until the broccoli stems are just tender.
Stir in the cashews and serve.
| Serves 4 as a side dish |
|---|
| 1-2 fresh red chillies |
| 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil |
| 400g(14oz) Chinese broccoli |
| 2 garlic cloves, sliced |
| 1 tbsp soy sauce |
| 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) vegetable stock or water |
| 40g (1 1/2oz) shelled cashews, lightly toasted |
Roasted Asparagus with Blood Orange Aïoli
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Snip the ends off the garlic cloves. Put them on a small oven tray, drizzle them lightly with olive oil and roast them in the oven