This month I’ve gone for something that is far from being a traditional English dish. It actually hails from Louisiana, America instead, but the rich flavours and textures make this dish well worth cooking. Purchasing as many ingredients as possible from Guildford’s monthly Farmers Market like the fresh lobster, shrimp, polenta and veg adds a delicious local taste to such a far flung dish, although several of the supporting ingredients you may already have in stock or might need to quickly grab from a supermarket.

Shrimp Étouffée with Creole Lobster and homemade hush puppies is not the easiest or quickest of meals to whip up, but the time and effort invested in its creation pay off in the end result. These three dishes should be served with steamed white rice, so make sure you remember to put it on with about 15 minutes left. NB: Hush puppies are golf ball sized, deep fried donuts made from cornmeal or polenta, giving them a gritty yet comforting sort of texture that works wonderfully for mopping up leftover sauce from the étouffée and lobster.

Ingredients:
Cajun Shrimp Étouffée
Roughly 1 pound of shrimp
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plain flour
1 small green pepper, diced
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
2 celery sticks, diced
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 drops Tabasco Sauce
2 tbsps everyday seasoning (available in supermarkets)
A good helping of salt and pepper
1 cup of fish stock

Lobster Creole
1 medium sized lobster
6 tbsps unsalted butter
6 tbsps all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons tomato puree
1 pint cooled fish stock
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tin chopped tomatoes
4 large diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 drops Tabasco Sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hush Puppies
300g fine cornmeal or polenta
100g self-raising flour
330ml beer
100g fresh or frozen sweetcorn
4 spring onions, trimmed or finely sliced
120g Cheddar cheese, freshly and finely grated
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 litre vegetable oil
Smoked paprika

Cooking time: 1 hour 45 mins – 2 hours
Serves: 4

Instructions:
Lobster Creole

• It is certainly best to begin cooking the lobster first, as it takes the longest and isn’t harmed by a little prolonged simmering on a very low heat while the étouffée is cooking.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a heavy wooden spoon for 5 to 10 minutes to make a medium brown-coloured roux.
• This roux is the staple of many Southern American dishes and it is very important to stir continually to stop the sauce from burning. If it begins to burn, discard and start over as a burned roux will corrupt the other flavours in the dish.
• Add the onions, celery, peppers, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes over a medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomato puree and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Whisk in the cooled fish stock, then add the sugar, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, lemon zest and Tabasco. Bring to the boil.
• Add the onions, parsley and lobster meat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until thick- this should take 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Continue to simmer until ready to serve – no longer than 1hr 15 minutes, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Shrimp Étouffée

• Heat the oil in a thick (preferably copper) bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Gradually add in flour and stir constantly until the mixture turns peanut butter brown or darker- this should take at least 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once the roux is browned, add the onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper to the saucepan and cook together for about 5-8 minutes to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and fish stock and season with the everyday seasoning. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Season the sauce with Tabasco, salt and pepper and then add the shrimp. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.

Hush Puppies

• Put the cornmeal and flour into a bowl, add your beer and leave to sit for a few minutes. Add the corn, sliced spring onions, grated cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper and use a fork or a spoon to mix it up really well.
• Once the batter is ready, pour the vegetable oil into a large sturdy saucepan and put it on a high heat. Be careful with the hot oil in the pan.
• You want the oil to reach about 180c (if you don’t have a thermometer get a small piece of potato and drop it into the pan – when it turns crisp and golden and rises to the top, the oil is ready to go). Get a tablespoonful of mix and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Many traditionally roll the batter into a ball, creating a smooth, as opposed to a more rustic, appearance, but no difference is made to the taste. Keep your eye on them and let them fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen roll.
• Season with the freshly ground salt, black pepper and with smoked paprika for an amazing, barbecue style taste. They can be served piping hot alongside your meal, or prepared earlier in the day and served chilled.

Serve the three dishes separately to avoid the sauces combining alongside some steamed white rice, then dig in and try a little bit of Louisiana from home!

Charli Aisha Harris

The post April Farmers Market: Cajun Shrimp Étouffée with Creole Lobster and Hush Puppies appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.

Lamb with basil is a classic combination and although there is usually a fantastic stall at Guildford Farmers Market selling fresh herbs, you could forage for those and some wild mushrooms if you know exactly where and what you are looking for. If, like myself, you have no previous experience in this, please do not attempt to pick wild ingredients as this can be dangerous. Instead, trust in the knowledgeable stall holders to grab you the right stuff to make up this dish. This is a real rustic meal, relying on some fine flavours like the lemon and chard, but some fresh bread or mashed potato can be added on the side to give it a little extra bulk if wanted.

Ingredients:
4 Lamb chops or cutlets
Fresh basil
Fresh flat leaf parsley
Fresh thyme
2 large handfuls of Pine nuts
A palette of seasonal mushrooms
1 lemon
5-6 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
Extra virgin oil
Fresh Chard
Potatoes for mashing (optional)

Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 2

Instructions:

• If you would like to make the meal a little more substantial with mashed potatoes then first bring a pan of water to the boil and add the potatoes and a little salt. Everything else should be done over the next 20-25 minutes as they cook.
• Bash up your thyme in a pestle and mortar, add some oil and mix. Rub the oil over the lamb and season thoroughly on both sides before putting to one side.
• Place the mushrooms onto a dry griddle pan and cook for a couple of minutes on a Barbeque or hot plate, turning before they stick to the pan. Once they have started to mark, take them off the heat and place in a bowl.
• Now put the lamb onto the bars and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden, setting aside into the bowl with the mushrooms when done.
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice whilst also tearing up the parsley and sprinkling over. Season and toss, letting the mushrooms suck up the juices.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil and tear or cut the leaves of the chard off their stalks, discarding the tough stalks and adding the leaves to a steaming pan above. Leave for approximately 5 mins and continue onto the next steps, but remove later whilst the leaves still have colour.
• Using the pestle and mortar again, pound up the pine nuts until they are more like a mushy paste so that the sauce will have a creamy flavour. Remove and then bash the basil into a pulp.
• Add the basil to the pine nuts and add some extra virgin oil to loosen. Then add balsamic vinegar to taste- the sauce should be tangy almost like a mint sauce, but not too overpowering.
• If cooking potatoes, then drain and mash with some fresh parsley and a little cream or milk and butter until there is a smooth and creamy texture.
• Serve the potatoes and chard and plate up the lamb and mushrooms with lemon wedges and the basil sauce. Enjoy!

James Martin

The post Guildford Farmers Market: Lamb with Fresh Basil Sauce and Chard appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.

For as fun as Christmas can be, it is often quite a stressful time, especially after the chaos of Christmas day. The idea behind our guide was to find quick, easy and fun recipes to turn your cold leftovers into delicious, stress free meals for the family.

Don’t worry about sticking to these recipes too strictly, just use what you have and enjoy yourself.

Leftover Turkey Casserole
Recipe by Sarah Cook at www.bbcgoodfood.com

Prep: 15 mins      Difficulty: Easy      Serves 4
Cook: 25 mins

This one pot stew uses up all your roast dinner leftovers in one go and has a great honey mustard tang.

Ingredients
2 onion, finely chopped
1 eating apple, cored and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried sage, or 5 sage leaves, chopped
2 tbsp plain flour
300ml vegetable or chicken stock
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp runny honey
400g-500g leftover turkey, shredded
about 350g leftover roasted vegetables like roast potatoes, parsnips, celeriac and carrots, chunkily diced

Method
Fry the onion and apple in the oil until softened in a casserole or deep pan. Stir in the sage for 1 min, then stir in the flour. Gradually stir in the stock followed by the mustard and honey.

Bring up to a simmer and stir in the turkey and roast veg. Cover and gently simmer for 15 mins until turkey is piping hot. Season and eat with mash or jacket potatoes.

Sweet Potato & Sprout Hash with Poached Eggs
Recipe by Cassie Best at www.bbcgoodfood.com

Prep: 15 mins      Difficulty: Easy      Serves 3
Cook: 25 mins

This quick and easy pan-fried dish uses up leftover Brussels sprouts for a delicious Boxing day brunch, or a low fat, low calorie weeknight dinner.

Ingredients
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
2 tsp olive oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
300g Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
grating of nutmeg
3 eggs

Method
Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl, cover with cling film and microwave on high for 5 mins until tender but still holding their shape. Uncover the bowl and leave to cool a little.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide non-stick frying pan and add the onions. Cook for 5-8 mins until starting to caramelise. Add the sprouts and stir-fry over a high heat until softened. Push the sprouts and onions to one side of the pan and add the sweet potatoes, squashing them down in the pan with the back of a spatula. Leave undisturbed for 5 mins until starting to crisp on the underside. Season, add the nutmeg, mix in the sprouts and onions, and flip the potato over, trying not to break it up too much. Cook for a further 5 mins until really crispy.

Meanwhile, poach 3 eggs in a pan of barely simmering water. Serve the hash topped with poached eggs.

Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
Recipe by Jamie Oliver at www.jamieoliver.com

“The perfect leftover turkey recipe – these crispy meat, paté and pickle-filled baguettes are to die for. ”

Serves: 4      Cooks in 20 minutes      Difficulty: Super Easy

Ingredients
• 1 teaspoon low-salt soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons leftover chicken liver pate

Optional:
• 1 fresh red chilli
• olive oil
• 190g leftover cooked turkey, preferably brown meat
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 2 medium baguettes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3 cm piece of fresh ginger
• sea salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Hellmann’s mayonnaise
• ½ a small bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 carrot
• ½ cucumber
• ¼ of a white cabbage
• sesame oil

Method
For this recipe, you will need 190g leftover cooked turkey, preferably brown meat.

Tip – If you don’t have any leftover turkey: Preheat the oven to 19ºC/375ºF/gas 5.
Place chicken thighs or drumstick on a tray, drizzle with oil and season lightly.
Pop in the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through, and the juices run clear.
Remove any bones, then shred up to use in your dish.

Preheat the oven to 130ºC/250ºF/gas ½. Add a splash of olive oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat. Roughly shred and add the turkey (if you’ve got the skin, add that too) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through. Grate in the lime zest and stir in the chilli sauce, then reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp and slightly caramelised.

Meanwhile, place the baguettes in the oven to warm through. Peel and add the garlic and most of the ginger to a pestle and mortar, then bash to a smooth paste with a pinch of salt and 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Muddle in the mayo and the juice from the lime, then pick in the coriander leaves and stir to combine. Set aside.

To make the pickle, peel the carrot, then coarsely grate and add to a large bowl along with the cucumber and cabbage. Peel, finely chop and add the remaining ginger, then sprinkle over a pinch of salt and scrunch together with your hands to get rid of any excess liquid. Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, the soy and vinegar and toss well to combine.

Open out the warm baguettes, spread the chicken liver paté onto one side of each, then pile over the turkey and pickled veg. Finish with a dollop of lime-spiked mayo, then finely chop and scatter over the chilli (if using) along with the reserved coriander leaves. Press down slightly on the baguettes to close, then cut the banh mi into chunks and tuck in.

Pytt y Panna (Little Pieces in a Pan)
Recipe by Jamie Oliver at www.jamieoliver.com

“My take on Pytt y panna is a great way to use leftover meat and a beautiful meal in its own right ”

Serves: 6      Cooks in 35 Minutes      Difficulty: Super Easy

Ingredients
• 2 thick slices higher-welfare smoked bacon , or 6 rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
• 2 quality smoked or regular sausages, cooked
• 300 g quality cooked brisket, or other leftover cooked meat
• 80 g salami, skin removed
• 2 small onions, peeled
• 3 large carrots, quartered
• 1 kg potatoes, scrubbed clean
• a few sprigs fresh rosemary and thyme , leaves picked
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 quail’s eggs
• 1 jar dill pickles, to serve
• For the dressing
• 1 teaspoon good mustard
• 1 tablespoon good-quality cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small handful fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1 small handful fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked

Method
For this recipe you will need 300 g quality cooked brisket, or other leftover cooked meat. If you don’t have any leftover cooked brisket: use pork belly instead – follow packet instructions (pack sizes will vary).

I wish I’d known about this dish earlier in my life, because it’s the sort of brilliant everyday dish I absolutely love. Essentially it’s a hash. Everyone I spoke to in Sweden seemed to have their preferred method of making theirs; this is mine. The one thing that seems to be consistent is that it usually involves using leftover meat and potatoes. The idea is to chop and slice all the ingredients into roughly 1–2cm cubes and add them to the pan as you go. So you’re prepping and frying until everything is beautifully cooked.

Swedes always serve this topped with a raw egg yolk. That might freak some people out, but you’ve got to get your head around it because the idea is that you toss it all up yourself and the yolk enriches the whole thing as it slowly gets cooked by the residual heat.

Heat a really wide shallow non-stick pan on a medium heat. Chop your bacon into small pieces and fry for 2 to 3 minutes so that the fat starts to render out. While that’s happening, chop up your sausage, brisket and salami into cubes, and add to the pan as you go. Do the same with the onions, carrots, potatoes and herbs. Keep stirring to make sure nothing catches, using your spoon to scrape all the goodness from the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat down if you think it’s cooking too fast. Have a taste to check the seasoning; the salt in the smoked meats will probably be enough, but add a pinch of salt and a good pinch of pepper if you think it needs it.

Keep stirring as it cooks and after about 20 minutes, once the potatoes and carrots have softened and everything looks delicious, make your dressing by putting all the dressing ingredients into a jar (reserving the dill flowers if you have them). Pour the dressing into the pan – the acidity will be fantastic with all that rich meat. Carefully separate the egg whites from their yolks and put them to one side. If you want to, leave the yolks in their shells so everyone can tip their own egg yolk into their dish and stir it through. That will give the dish a bit of a theatrical edge.

Divide your pytt y panna between the plates. Make a well in the top and add a yolk (or eggshell with a yolk in it) to each one. Load up a side plate with dill pickles, and roughly chop your dill flowers and scatter them over. The combination of meaty comforting hash, egg for sheen, dressing for acidity and herbs for freshness is insane. Go for it!
Featured image courtesy of Monique at Ambitious Kitchen

The post Christmas Leftover Recipes Guide appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.

People tend to have a lot of dinner parties- it is the season to be amongst friends and family and with the notorious British weather, it is also a great time to be indoors! Instead of picking a hearty meal such as Sausage & Mash, we thought of giving you a simple dish that could be used as either a fantastic starter for a meal, or served amongst other nibbles to give your party a high class taste.

Prawns are certainly not synonymous with November, but they often feature as an extremely tasty part of a sharing platter or a starter when people get together – think prawn tempura, prawn cocktail and BBQ prawn skewers. Here, we have a very quick dish that would work well if you’re busy preparing several other courses and can be mostly prepared in advance if need be. This can be served on plates for individual guests or on a platter to be picked at, plus it wont take up all your time and will taste so delicious your guests will be talking about it for days to come!

Ingredients:
1kg of King Prawns
A small box of watercress
1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
4 black peppercorns
2 tbsp sea salt flakes
A sprinkling of chilli flakes
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 small red chilli
2 tbsp caster sugar
The juice of 3 limes
1 tbsp fish sauce

Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4 people

Instructions:

• The Dipping Sauce: Rip some coriander leaves from their stalks and finely chop, alongside the red chili and garlic cloves before adding to a pestle and mortar. Pound in the sugar to the mix and add the juice from your limes and fish sauce- it should taste sweet, salty and spicy.
• The spice mix: Toast the Sichuan and black peppercorns in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for approximately a minute (or until fragrant). Take them off the heat, then finely grind in a spice mill or pestle and mortar and add the salt and chilli flakes, mixing together before transferring to a bowl.
• The Prawns: Wash the prawns in their shells and melt a nob of butter in a large frying pan. Cook the prawns in batches if need be as you don’t want to overcrowd the pan- they should take 4-5 minutes each, but you can tell when they are done as they will lose their translucent/silver colour and become a pinky orange. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain some of the fat off with some kitchen paper.
• Wash the watercress and scatter over a plate, placing the prawns on top and serving the dipping sauce on the side with a pot of the spicy salt & pepper mix to compliment as well. Let guests sprinkle the salt & pepper over at will and spoon sauce over the prawns or dip in the pot after de-shelling. Enjoy!

James Martin

The post Salt & Pepper Prawns with Sweet Chili Dip appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.

Sometimes the simplest dishes can be the best and you really can’t get more minimalistic than the old British tradition of meat and veg; this month’s dish only has three main ingredients. To give this classic meal a twist, try homemade chips with some fresh potatoes instead of simply using some from your freezer- it takes a little longer, but they taste great and give you all the more satisfaction. I thought that some solitary rocket with a drizzle of balsamic would be the perfect, earthy accompaniment to a tasty sirloin, but obviously, any number of other vegetables could be added if so desired. Guildford Farmers Market is awash with stalls selling locally bottled sauces as well, so pick up a bottle of tomato ketchup or mustard like we did, or alternatively, garlic sauce or onion chutney compliment it well.

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes
2 fresh sirloin steaks
A bag of fresh rocket
Balsamic vinegar
Thyme
Parsley
A knob of butter
A large clove of garlic
A drizzle of olive oil
A pinch of salt & pepper

Cooking time: 35 mins
Serves: 2 people

Instructions:

• Wash the potatoes, cut the circular edges off the ends and then cut the remainder into a uniform chip size.
• Place the chips into a saucepan full of salted, cold water and bring to the boil. Once the water has come to the boil, drain and pat down with kitchen paper to remove any excess liquid.
• Put the parboiled chips into a bowl, drizzling a generous amount of olive oil all over, before adding some salt, pepper and thyme to season (thyme can quite easily be replaced with chilli powder, garlic or Worcester sauce for a slight variation on the flavouring of your chips).
• Place the chips on a baking tray and spread evenly before putting in a pre-heated oven around 200c for approximately 20 mins or until brown. Shake or turn half way through.
• Take your steaks out of the fridge 10 mins prior to cooking a leave to rest. Place in a frying pan and add a nob of butter to the pan. Shake some salt, pepper and parsley over the steaks for seasoning and grate a clove of garlic over as well.
• Pan fry the steaks on a high heat, two minutes on each side for medium-rare, a couple more minutes should be enough if you prefer them to be well cooked through.
• Serve the chips with a slotted spoon and plate up your steaks, adding a generous handful of fresh rocket, drizzled over with balsamic vinegar to finish. Add dipping condiments such as locally bottled tomato ketchup and mustard as pictured for extra flavour as desired.

James Martin

The post October Farmers Market 2014: Steak & Chips appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.

With the change of seasons comes some delightful new ingredients to take advantage of and although we have been blessed with some fantastic weather this September, you cannot help but notice more of a chill in the air, especially in the evenings. So why not combine the light, delicate flavours of summer in creamy chicken with chilli, with some earthier, more warming flavours from the roasted veg that signify the coming of winter. Butternut squash and marrow have not been in season until now and dominate the market stalls, so it’s great to take advantage of the new flavours on offer.

Ingredients:
3 large free range chicken breasts
½ fresh red chilli
A handful of fresh oregano
One Butternut squash
One Marrow
Fresh new potatoes
Single Cream
A Glass of Wine (or ½ pint of chicken stock)
Grated Nutmeg
Rosemary
Seasoning
Olive Oil

Cooking time: 45 mins
Serves: 3 people

Instructions:

• Grab your marrow and butternut squash- deseed the veg and chop into small chunks, leaving the skin on. Place into an oven dish and coat with oil and sprinkle over some rosemary and seasoning, before putting the dish in the oven for about 40 minutes.
• Finely chop up a red chilli and place the chicken breasts into another oven dish, sprinkling over the chilli, oregano and a pinch of nutmeg. Add the cup of wine or chicken stock and cream and place in the oven and leave for approximately 35 mins.
• Fill a large pan of water and bring to the boil, adding the new potatoes. Leave to cook for approximately 25mins.
• Check on the roasted veg and chicken about half way through and turn to make sure they all cook evenly.
• Once the chicken and veg have roasted in the oven and the potatoes have fully cooked, plate up and add a little extra oregano and seasoning on top to taste. Enjoy!

James Martin

The post September Farmers Market: Creamy Roast Chicken & Veg with Chilli appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.

What could be better than a light seafood pasta dish on warm August evening? We all know that in the heat of the summer, there is nothing worse than slaving over the stove for hours to try and compile a complex meal that makes you more hot and flustered than it’s worth. So this month we thought we would bring you a delightfully fresh and crisp dish that combines subtle flavours with fresh summer ingredients. With such beautiful seafood on offer like cockles, crab, shrimp and muscles, it is difficult to overlook and although you will have to buy some pasta, wine and cream from the supermarket, the majority of the recipe will be easily got from the Farmers Market.

Ingredients:
250g of Tagliatelle
1 pot of fresh muscles
1 pot of fresh crab sticks
1 pot of fresh prawns
1 pot of fresh cockles
1/2 large white onion
6 mushrooms
1 fresh red chilli
2 cloves of garlic
Grated lemon zest
1-2 glasses of dry white wine
250g cream/crème fraiche
1 tbsp of butter
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to season
100g grated Parmesan cheese to top (optional)
Handful of fresh basil/parsley to top (optional)

Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 3 people

Instructions:

• Chop up the onion and add to a large frying pan with a drizzle of oil on a low heat and soften whilst cutting up the chillies, garlic and mushrooms.
• Add these into the pan once the onion has started to brown and after another five minutes add your wine, leaving the alcohol to burn off and reduce in the pan for 10-15mins on a low heat.
• Whilst that is happening, bring a saucepan up to the boil and add your tagliatelle, leaving to cook for the next 10-12 minutes in some salted water.
• Cut the crab sticks into smaller pieces then wash all of the seafood thoroughly in a colander. Melt the butter into a second frying pan and add the seafood on a high heat until it has a golden crust.
• Add the seafood mix into the other frying pan with the vegetables and wine and grate some lemon zest into the mix, seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Strain your tagliatelle and place back in the saucepan. Add the seafood and vegetables to the pasta and mix in with your cream or crème fraiche.
• Serve in bowls and sprinkle over your optional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil and parsley at this point to finish.

James Martin

The post August Farmers Market: Seafood Tagliatelle appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.

This month we have gone for a very different approach to our Farmers Market meal. July provides such a delicious amalgamation of vegetables that it was too tough to choose between which ones we wanted to use. Solution- buy them all and make the focus of the meal those fresh flavours and textures and the combinations they provide. Vegetable curries are a great way of incorporating all those ingredients and the beauty is that you can mix any manner of different herbs, spices and veg to get completely new flavours.

As expected, we did have to grab a couple of extras from the supermarket, but the majority on the recipe (including a jar of curry paste) were bought from the market. There are many ways in which you could make veggie curries with what’s on offer at the Farmers Market, but here is our offering. And what better way to enjoy these ingredients? Put some rugs down on the grass on a sunny, summer’s eve and share it all out with your friends and family!

Ingredients from the market:
3 red onions
3 brown onions
1 super large tomato (or a palette of tomatoes)
1 palette of baby/plum tomatoes
1 palette of potatoes
A large cauliflower
2 bags of spinach
2 courgettes
1 yellow pepper
1 fresh fennel
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 Vietnamese coriander plant
1 green chilli
1 jar of medium curry paste

Extra Ingredients from the supermarket:
1 large pot of natural yoghurt
Cumin seeds
Mustard seeds
Turmeric
Garam Masala (a bag of mixed spices)
Butter
Sugar
One lemon

Optional extra ingredients:
Brown Basmati Rice
A variety of different flavoured Nan breads

Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves: 8-10 people

Instructions:
Curry One

• Firstly, prepare your veg by chopping up your red onion, courgettes, yellow pepper, fennel and tomatoes and put to one side.
• Add the onion and cumin seeds to a large frying pan with some oil and brown on a low heat. Once done, add the chopped yellow pepper, majority of the courgettes and one quarter of your fennel (the other three quarters will be used in the side dish).
• Add the fresh tomato, the jar of medium curry paste for kick and a cup or two of water to the vegetables and stir well. Leave the mix to simmer for 15-20minutes whilst the flavours infuse and the sauce thickens.
• Wash and add one and a half bags of the spinach to the pan, leaving a few minutes until suitably wilted, adding a small amount of natural yoghurt and salt to taste to complete the dish.

Curry Two

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil, meanwhile, wash and scrub the potatoes and chop into smaller segments.
• Add the potatoes to the water. Wash and chop the cauliflower and add to the same pan- leave both until suitably softened.
• Chop up most of the brown onion into small pieces and add to a separate pan, frying in with some oil and cumin seeds until brown, keeping a handful separate to use later on.
• Drain the water from the potatoes and cauliflower and add all the ingredients together with some butter, crushed garlic, garam masala and turmeric to flavour.
• Chop up the fresh green chilli and add ¾ to the mix (putting the remaining chilli to one side) with a cup or two of water and leave to simmer until the vegetables are soft and have almost formed a paste within the pan.
• Wash and add the remainder of the spinach to the mix whilst stirring in a generous amount of natural yoghurt until you have a consistency and flavour that you are happy with.
• Finally, slice up a few baby/plum tomatoes, tear off some Vietnamese coriander leaves from your plant and grab the remaining bit of onion/cumin mix that you had put aside from earlier, and sprinkle all over the top to finish.

Side Dish

• Fry the remaining brown onion and chilli that you have left over from the other two dishes in a smaller pan, with some mustard seeds and a teaspoon of sugar.
• Once browned, add your remaining fennel and courgette to the mix and leave on a low heat until the flavours have combined, then leave to cool.
• Once cooled, mix in the last of your natural yogurt and the juice of half a lemon to give it a cool and sharp contrast and a perfectly balanced flavour.

If so choosing, serve each dish collectively with brown Basmati rice, Nan bread, lemon wedges, baby/plum tomatoes and a natural yoghurt dip, leaving each guest to help themselves as they please. Or alternatively you can serve each individually as small courses, one at a time.

Tom Burgess

The post July Farmers Market: Vegetable Curry Medley appeared first on This is Our Town Guildford.