Sunday, September 28, 2014

The Cottage Cooking Club - September Recipes


Today, marks the fifth month of our international online cooking group, the Cottage Cooking Club. As a group, recipe by recipe, we are cooking and learning our way through a wonderful vegetable cookbook written in 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, called „River Cottage Everyday Veg“.

The Cottage Cooking Club online cooking group is meant to be a project aimed at incorporating more vegetable dishes in our everyday cooking, learning new ways to prepare tasty and healthy dishes, and sharing them with family and friends.

We will make an effort to use as much local, regional, organic and also seasonal produce as is resonably possible. With that goal in mind, during that month of September, I prepared a few wonderful dishes from the book.

Let us start with a picture of these purple beans, called "Blauhilde" (literally meaning „blue Hilda“), a heritage bean variety that was planted and harvested at a non-commercial garden specializing in heritage plants and crops. Although these beans loose some of their lovely purple color during cooking, they were delicious and I am always incredibly delighted when I find rare veg like these.




Onto this month´s recipes then. My first recipe for this September post is the „Fennel and goat´s cheese" (page 102), from the chapter "Raw Assemblies".




I chose to make this dish as a starter because there is still tons of fresh, crisp and wonderfuly fragrant fennel available around here.




For this recipe you have to slice the fennel very thinly and let it macerate for a good thirty minutes with freshly squeezed lemon juice, mild olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. After the fennel had a chance to rest for a good thirty minutes, the slices will be a bit softer, yet still crunchy and fresh. You will have to taste the dish and add more seasonings …




…and maybe finish it with a scattering of fennel fronds and a bit more oil. I also opted for some freshly grated organic lemon zest to wake up the fennel even more. We love fennel and lemon, so we really enjoyed the anisseed flavor of this dish and appreciated the crunchiness of the raw fennel together with the tanginess of the lemon juice and the zest – this dish is even bette when prepared with a rather mild olive oil – so the flavors of the vegetables rather than that of the olive oil shine through.




The second recipe is a very colorful salad recipe, the „Fish-free salad nicoise“ (page 85), from the chapter "Hearty Salads".




Having made salade Nicoise before, I was curious to see whether we would enjoy this tuna free version as much as the original. Hugh´s version calls for new potatoes, French beans (I used yellow as well as green ones), eggs (of course, those farm-fresh ones are best here), lettuce (I opted for burgundy and green oak-leaf salad), olives, basil (for extra flavor, I added basil blossoms as well) and tomatoes (I used small yellow and red ones and those wonderful zebra tomatoes as well).




The thick and tangy dressing consists of a bit of crushed garlic, olive oil, cider vinegar, dijon mustard and some runny honey. As this is quite a substantial salad with lots of late summer veg and a hearty dressing, I can tell you that no one missed the tuna in this dish. We loved this recipe.




The third recipe I chose was „Roasted Squash“ (page 346) from the chapter "Roast, Grill & Barbecue".




Now, the hardest part about this recipe was deciding which variety of pumpkin to use for this – I settled on the hokkaido pumpkin with ist glorious bright orange color – when you roast or bake or cook hokkaidos, you can leave the skin on, making the preparation time even shorter and the recipe even more of an everyday kind of recipe.




Cut the pumpkin into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper and a couple of fat garlic cloves, scatter everything on a parchment lined baking sheet and your are all set.

I chose to add a few French shallots and a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme and could not have been happier with the outcome. Except to add a few leftover cubes of the pumpkin to a wheatberry salad the next day.




Recipe number four this month – now there is my absolute September favorite, the „Mushroom risoniotto“ (page 258) from the chapter "Pasta & Rice".




Quicker and easier to cook than rice, „risoni“ (or orzo) is a tiny rice-shaped pasta that is indeed quite charming but it took me a while to find it in stores around here. But I am certainly glad that I persisted and made this lovely, autumnal mushroom risoniotto with baby portabella mushrooms, they have a robust meaty texture, perfect for the rich mushroom ragout that gets added to the cooked pasta.




The risoni needs to boil for about nine minutes or until the pasta is approaching softness. But it should retain a certain bite. While the pasta is bubbling away, you will be preparing the mushroom ragout with your choice of mushrooms, garlic, thyme, balsamic vinegar, white wine, double cream, salt, pepper and lots of chopped flat-leafed parsley. I chose to add a few finely sliced spring onions along with the garlic – they are so abundant right now and they always add such a wonderful mild onion flavor. What a delicious side dish – we loved everything about it, the taste, the texture of the risoni, the meatiness of the mushrooms, and the creaminess from the double cream – perfect with lots of chopped parsley.




The fifth recipe for this month was a lovely soup, the „Puy lentil and spinach soup“ (page 162) from the chapter „Hefty Soups“. I have prepared the famous French Puy lentils before and written about their virtues – suffice it to say now that they are earthy and nutty and hold their shape incredibly well when cooked.




This soup is quite similar to the kind of lentil soup I prepare – but sans bacon and sausages. The base is a wonderful homemade vegetable stock. Other than the stock, the ingredients for the lentil soup itself are shallots, carrots, thyme, garlic, tomatoes, Puy lentils, Italian parsley, salt, pepper and baby spinach.




A perfect light soup, yet hearty enough to satisfy even the hungriest of taste testers the day I made it  – especially when served with a nice loaf of bread – I really liked the addition of the tomatoes, giving the soup a very nice layer of acidity. The addition of the fresh baby spinach at the very end also added a nice layer of flavor and some richness as well, a very nice touch. Just before serving, I garnished the soup with shaved parmesan and a good drizzle of my favorite mild olive oil  – perfect.




The next recipe was entirely new to me. I had never prepared „Cauliflower pakoras with tamarind raita“ (page 318), from the chapter „Mezze & Tapas“.




The batter for this intriguing appetizer consists of gram flour, baking powder, ground cumin, corinander, turmeric and cayenne pepper, plus some fine sea salt.  It had the most delightful warm color. It is true what they say about gram flour varying greatly. I used some organic one which I have used for pancakes before and I know from experience that it seems to need more liquid than the regular gram flour available around here – so I ended up adding more water to the batter than the recipe called for – I just went by the description of the batter having to have a consistency of „double cream“. And I fried a few „test florets“.




Fried like this in a very tasty batter and served warm with a cool mango chutney raita – this was a true crowd pleaser indeed. As I could not find the tamarind paste, I went with the optional mango chutney - a cool, tangy yet slighty sweet dip - wonderful alongside the warm, spicy fried cauliflower pakoras.




The seventh recipe this month was a wonderfully fragrant side-dish of „Runner beans with tarragon and lemon“ (page 375).




So many beans still available around here – I must admit to serving quite a few of them during this time of year. I really liked the preparation method for these. You simply sweat some shallots, add garlic and beans and sweat some more. Then after ten minutes you add a bit of water and cook for a few minutes until the beans are done but still hold their shape.




The recipe gives you a choice of using either „runner beans“ or the more widely available „French beans“ . In general, runner beans are stronger in flavor and coarser in texture than green beans and I used French beans for this recipe. The final touch is lemon juice, salt, pepper, and tarragon. Often used in French cooking this herb has long, soft green leaves and a distinctive aniseed flavor – love it.




Last but certainly not least, I prepared the „Two veggie sarnies“  (page 195) from the chapter "Bready Things".




These are two kinds of sandwiches served on two kinds of bread. The first one is a „Mushroom, watercress and blue cheese“ sandwich that I prepared as per recipe except I used goat´s cheese instead of the blue cheese and rocket instead of the watercress – both these greens have a pungent, peppery taste but the watercress did not look all that good when I was shoppping for it. I used a wonderful, moist rye bread. Great, hearty sandwich with a lot of flavor.




The second sandwich is a „Curried egg, lentil and flat-leaf parsley“ sandwich that I prepared with a lovely mulit-grain bread. What a great way to use those left-over lentils from the Puy lentil and spinach soup and add them together with eggs, mayo, curry powder, parsley, salt and pepper to make a wonderful topping for sandwiches – a bit messy but quite delicious.




What a month full of wonderful recipes- I managed to incorporate eight out of ten in our regular dinner/lunch schedule and was pleased as punch that all of the recipes received glowing reviews – love cooking from this unique cookbook!

Please note, that for copyright reasons, we do NOT publish the recipes. If you enjoy the recipes in our series, hopefully, the Cottage Cooking Club members and their wonderful posts can convince to get a copy of this lovely book. For more information on the participation rules, please go here.

To see which wonderful dishes the other members of the Cottage Cooking Club prepared during the month of September, please go here.



43 comments:

  1. Hello Andrea, what another beautiful month of recipes, the fennel and goats cheese salad looks delectable as do the runner beans. Your artistry in displaying these dishes is always, beyond exception. I do believe I would well have enjoyed those lovely sandwiches as well.
    Thank you for another interesting month!

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    1. Peggy, than you very much for the kind comment - this was a nice lineup of recipes and I tried to make as many as possible - two missing, not bad...we loved all of the recipes with the mushroom risoniotto coming in first place, just before the Puy lentil soup and the sandwiches - but each and every recipe was delicious and I am glad that I made them all.

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  2. Wonderful! I'd love to try the mushroom risoniotto, but the French beans look terrific too. Can't wait to make these dishes and see if I like them as much as you did!

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    1. Beth, well, according to my devoted taste testers as well as myself, you will have to try the mushromm risoniotto, no doubt about it - hands down my favorite recipe of the month - although I did enjoy them all!

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  3. All of the dishes look and sound delicious:). My favorite is the Lentil Soup.

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    1. Geraldine, the Puy lentil and spinach soup was a wonderful soup - we really enjoyed it, especially with some bread alongside.

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    1. Liebe Cuisine de Provence - herzlichen Dank - schön, dass dir mein Post gefällt!
      Herzliche Grüße nach Frankreich!
      Andrea

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  5. Hi Andrea, your pictures turned out so wonderful, love how you captured the beauty of each dish. Another great month of recipes, had fun!

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    1. Cheri, glad you enjoyed another month of wonderful River Cottage recipes.

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  6. I get so hungry every time I see the great photos of the beautiful food you prepare. Each and every dish looks wonderful.

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    1. Karen, good - I am glad that you get hungry every time you look at the pictures on my blog - I take that as a really good sign!
      Thank you for the kind comment!

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  7. Bella questa iniziativa , ed interessanti tutte queste ricette con le verdure !!! Very good Andea !!

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    1. Grazie mille, cara Anna - maybe you should join us for this project - it would be quite nice to have another European participant on board!
      And thank you also for the shoutout on FB, greatly appreciated, dear friend!

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  8. Gorgeous photos as always, Andrea. This was an exceptionally delicious month of recipes and you've done justice to them all. I'll have to give the mushroom sarnie with your variations a try - goat's cheese and rye bread would make it more family friendly here.

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    1. Zosia, yes, the goat cheese is way more family friendly than the blue cheese (which the kids do not appreciate at all) - even if one were to choose a mild variety, like the "gorgonzola dolce" from Italy, th ekids would still not go for it
      Great to read that you enjoyed the September recipe so much!
      Thank you for participating!
      Andrea

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  9. I am intrigued by the blue Hilda beans - I have never seen anything like them before. All of these dishes look wonderful - but I''ll take the nicoise salad (love a runny egg) and the pumpkin please.

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    1. Gaye, so kind of you, thank you! I would gladly share some of these dishes - the salade Nicoise was delectable and so was the roasted pumpkin - so many veg to prepare, so little time.

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  10. Each and every dish here is a gem... and the way you photographed them, they all sparkle like gems! The pakora look just perfect! (I absolutely love Indian food) and the risoni is something we make often. The Niçoise salad is also a household regular, although we do use the tuna! :) Have a wonderful week! Liebe Grüße, David

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    1. Lieber David - "gems" sounds like a wonderful way to describe the food in my pictures and it makes me very happy to read that you enjoy the recipes that you see featured here!
      Liebe Grüsse an euch beide,
      Andrea

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  11. Andrea, you have a way of making every dish look so enticing. I love your choices this month. The mushroom risoniotto was a favorite of mine too. I would like to try the fish-free nicoise salad and the veggie sandwiches too. You know how to pick things that are perfect for the season. (I wish the purple beans stayed purple. I've made them too, and I'm always hopeful they will stay purple, but alas...) Have a great week!

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    1. Betsy, those beans - aren´t they adorable - besides cooking and baking myself into a frenzy, I would love to take the time and learn more about crops and plants, especially vintage varieties - so, whenever I come across less known veg or fruit, I just have to buy them. The purple beans behave much the same way the purple asparagus does, they loose color during cooking.
      Thank you for the lovely coment - makes me happy that you enjoyed this month´s recipes!
      And thank you for participating in the Cottage Cooking Club!
      Andrea

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  12. Oh Andrea...I normally need some sort of meat, chicken or fish in my meals, but you made all this dish so pretty that I will not miss any of it...I would not where to start...thanks for the inspiration. The pictures are so pretty...
    Hope you are having a wonderful week :D

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    1. Juliana, no need to add meat here, you are absolutely right - amazingly we do not miss it either and have shifted to two veg days a week and we love it!
      Thank you kindly for your comment, dear friend!

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  13. Andrea doll, these photos are seriously making me drool here, which is quite inappropriate as I am at work now!
    Never heard of a hokkaido pumpkin. Looks so delicious, I will have to find it.
    You find the most interesting recipes out of the book. I love the cauliflower w the tamarind raita.
    Hope your week is going well. Sending hugs from California!

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    1. Colette, I believe, in the States you call a "hokkaido" pumkpkin "red curry squash" - maybe that helps, in any case, it is a Japanese pumpkin, extremely versatile and usually just the right size for most recipes - glad you enjoyed this month recipes featured here. Lots of great food and lots of fun making it!
      All the best,
      Andrea

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  14. Everything looks absolutely delicious and yet so healthy! I love all your close up shots! Simply gorgeous! Oh that risotto looks amazing!

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    1. Jeannie, thank you - that risoniotto (as Hugh calls it) was my favorite one this month - although I must admit to enjoying all the recipes that I made this month!

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  15. I feel all warm inside when I click into your universe, Andrea.
    The fennel and goat´s cheese, the fried coli flour, the presentations, and even the little white flowers for decorations!!
    O' and that sandwich looks Fab. I'd like that for lunch tomorrow, please. xxxxxxxxxx

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    1. Kim - what a lovely comment - it always makes my day when I read your kind and thoughtful words, dear friend!
      Happy Birthday today, my dear, all the very best!!!

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  16. The idea of using more healthy veggies and seasonal products sounds excellent and it sure must be fun too to exchange culinary experiences in this group.
    Oh, ich weiß gar nicht, weshalb ich auf Englisch geschrieben habe :)
    Der Fenchel mit Ziegenkäse sieht fantastisch aus, ebenso wie der vegetarische Salat Nicoise.
    Tolle und gesunde Rezepte.
    Liebe Grüße aus Lima!

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    1. Liebe Daniela, noch ein deutscher Kommentar - da freut sich mein Blogger-Herz!
      Schön, dass dir meine Cottage Cooking Club Rezepte so gut gefallen! Wir haben im Monat September mal wieder ganz vorzüglich gespeist!
      Liebe Grüße nach Peru (Lima) aus dem sehr verregneten Bonn,
      Andrea

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  17. Dear Andrea,
    Vielen Dank für die Erklarung! Milchmädchen ist eigentlich genau was ich brauche - in Brazil heißt es gleich!
    Was für eine schöne Fotokollektion (wie immer!) - risoni sieht super aus!
    Mein Masterarbeit ist endlich fertig :)
    Schönes (lange) Wochenende, liebe Grüße aus München,
    Inês

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    1. Liebe Inês, ein deutscher Kommentar von dir - wie schön! Das freut mich aber! Aber was mich noch mehr freut, ist dass du deine Masterarbeit fertig gestellt hast! Ganz herzliche Glückwunsch dazu!
      Ich hoffe, du hattest ein wunderbares langes Wochenende in München! Wie sehen denn deine Pläne aus, bleibst du in München...
      Ganz liebe Grüße,
      Andrea - "Milchmädchen" ist immer dann eine gute Zutat wenn man nach "sweetened condensed milk" sucht! Schön, dass ich helfen konnte

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    2. Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht wirklich gut, aber ich muss es trainieren ;)
      Vielen Dank, ich bin sehr zufrieden, dass ich fast Architektin bin! Eigentlich will ich in München bleiben: gibt es viele gute Architekturbüros und ich suche jetzt ein Job als Praktikantin.
      Meine Wochenende war super, danke! Schlecht Wetter, aber... man kann immer backen oder ins Kino gehen :) Ich hoffe, dass die Wetter bei Ihnen ein bisschen besser ist!
      Liebe Grüße,
      Inês

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    3. Inês, thanks for all your news - I am delighted that your studies are such a success andthat you decided to stay in lovely München - such a beautiful city indeed!
      Warm and rainy in Bonn and a very busy week ahead!
      Ganz liebe Grüße nach München,
      Andrea

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  18. Outstanding as usual!! I can only aspire to show food the way you do, Andrea. You picked another fabulous set of recipes this month - thank you. I enjoyed most of them; and it looks to be another busy month for October! P.S.: I love the swirl of the chutney sauce on top of the raita - beautiful.

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    1. Cathleen, so nice that you participated again this month - it is always such a plaesure to cook along with you in the Cottage Cooking Club - talk about nice photography, you did an outstanding job with your pictures this month, as you do every month!
      Hope you will enjoy this month´s selection!
      Andrea

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  19. Your September recipe choices were spectacular. There are a number that I will try as I have time. Like you, I very much enjoyed the salade nicoise. I didn't boil my eggs as long as usual and kept them "runny" like Hugh suggested. I loved how they tasted. I want to try the Mushroom Risoniotto - seems like a perfect meal. And, the runner beans. And, both the sandwiches. You always make the recipes seem so effortless. That makes me know I can make it. Your pictures, once again, are stunning. Sorry I jumped the gun on the White Beans and Artichokes. I didn't realize it wasn't an August choice. As I have said a number of times, it's been a busy and overwhelming Summer. I hope your girls are thriving and doing well in school. Love this cookbook and cooking with you.

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    1. Dear Mary, no reason whatsoever to be sorry about making the one dish "ahead of time", I think (and hope) we are all tempted to try some of the dishes before the group prepares them...that is actually my goal for this lovely online cooking group - pick up your book as many times as reasonably possible and find new ways to include more veg in your daily cooking routine. That makes my heart happy! This is fun and even if I call this "exhausting fun" sometimes (at home, of course), it is wonderful to learn so many new ways to prepare great, healthy, seasonal foods for family and friends.
      Love, Andrea

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  20. Andrea, all of your recipe choices look so amazing and delicious! As you know, I didn't get to the salad nicoise, but I would like to, yours looks so good. I had really wanted to make the pakoras (though not on my list), but didn't have the flour on hand - they would be fun to try to. I love your whole concept, so that you can even see how others liked the recipes that you weren't able to get to! As always, everything looks wonderful!

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    1. Dear Candy, I am very grateful not only for your enthusiastic participation in the Cottage Cooking Club, your wonderful and kind comments but also our "virtual friendship" - this makes it all worthwhile and much more...these recipes were all wonderful, for some reason I waited to make the pakoras for the longest time, in the end, they were delicious when eaten piping hot and, most importantly, the kids loved them too!
      Thanks, again, for everything!
      Andrea

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  21. Eight out of ten is very good! We enjoyed all the selections that I prepared this month and they're recipes I'll be returning to many times. I love the way you bring special and seasonal produce into your posts. The beans and the pumpkin are so pretty - using them must have made your meals even better.

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