Dear Customer,
The cavolo nero, the spring onions and lettuces are from Pam Bowers of
Strawberry Fields farm in Lincolnshire. I asked her for some ideas on
how to cook the cavolo nero. She claims that the best cooking method
it is to shred finely and steam for 5-10 minutes until very tender. Serve
with melted butter or drizzle with olive oil, salt and freshly ground
pepper.
Pam is busy tidying up after the summer crops. She is removing the little
used irrigation pipes and planting green manure crops: grazing rye and
winter vetch. These will stop the nitrogen from leaking out over the winter.
They will be chopped up and ploughed back in before the spring sowings.
It is this that gives her land fertility. Her crops have been good this
summer, having thrived on the abundance of water - her staff did less
well having spent the summer splodging about in wellies. She is now harvesting
her beetroot, marrows, squashes and pumpkins to bring into store.
Pam works incredibly hard for most of the year then escapes on an adventure
for several months in the winter. This year, she and four friends are
driving two landrovers across Europe to take a boat from Southern Italy
to Tunisia, then on to Libya. It sounds uncomfortable and a bit dangerous
to me. She is very courageous.
Pommes Anna
1lb potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100ml semi-skimmed milk or soya milk
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees centigrade or 375 degrees farenheit /
gas mark 5. Put the potato slices in a bowl with the olive oil and garlic,
nutmeg, salt and pepper, turning them until the potatoes are coated with
the oil.
Arrange the potatoes in layers in a shallow ovenproof dish and pour in
the milk to come three-quarters of the way up the potatoes. Cover and
bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender, removing the lid 10-15
minutes before the end of cooking to brown the top.
This is a good and quick winter dish and would work well with the cavolo
nero or peas or a salad. Potatoes are a good source of nutrients, just
one serving provides half your recommended daily vitamin C and a third
of your vitamin B, iron and potassium.
Kind Regards,
Isobel Davies