Seasonal Beats

The Seasonal Beets believe that cooking should always be fun. There is nothing like some fabulous music to make time spent in the kitchen a more joyous experience.

Therefore, we would like to share with you a playlist of some of our favourite foodie songs

Strange deer but true deer...

Some people are a bit anti-venison, I've never understood this. Local, seasonal and blooming tasty, I fail to see what there is to dislike. Perhaps, they just don't know how to prepare it. I tried this recipe the other day for the first time and it was scrumptious.

This next recipe is not really for every day dinner (although it can easily be made for under 50 sek per person). However I think it offers a super dinner party, sittning or special supper meal. Of course the port can be replaced with red wine or perhaps extra stock and a good few dashes Worcester sauce. It comes for the fabulous Abel and Cole
cookbook.


Venison with Kale, Port, Stilton and Olive Sauce

Ingredients

Butter
1/2 mug of shallots (about 6)
1/2 mug of port (or the substitutes)
1 mug beef stock
Venison Fillet (enough for 4 people which really depends on how big or hungry your people are!)
A bunch of kale
1/2 mug crumbled stilton (about 40g)
1/3 mug of chopped black olives
1 tbsp thyme

Method

• Heat the butter in a heavy based sauce pan and saute the shallots for a few minutes
• Add the port and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half.
• Meanwhile sear the venison fillets in a very hot pan with a little oil before cooking in the oven for about 5-10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the meat, you are aiming for medium rare)
• Rest for the meat for 10 minutes and carry on with making the sauce and kale.
• Steam the kale for 5 minutes, and then mix with lots of salt, pepper and butter whilst still warm.
• Drain any juice from the venison into the sauce, add the stilton, olives and thyme and stir until mixed.
• To assemble, cut the venison into 1 cm slices and place on top a pile of kale. Then pour the sauce over the top.

This recipe serves 4 and I served it with some tasty oven-roasted root vegetables.

You can't curry love...

... but if you could it would probably come in the form of this cosy winter warmer. An ideal way to banish those sub-zero temperatures. This recipe has been used by my family for years and comes from the wonderful "Good Housekeeping Cookery Book", a tome of biblical significance in the world of home cooking (Alisa refers to it constantly in Plenty).


Curried Parsnip Soup

Ingredients
40 g butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
700 g parsnips (about 5 medium sized veg) finely diced
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
150 ml of milk (or cream if you are that way inclined)

• Melt the butter in a large sauce pan and gently fry the onions and parsnips for about 5 minutes (watch those parsnips because they do have a tendency to stick to the pot... tricky little devils).
• Stir in the spices and let them "infuse" for about 2 minutes (again watching those parsnips)
• Add the stock, some salt and pepper and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the veg is soft (it is at this point you will realise why it is important to finely dice the parsnips)
  
• Allow to cool and then blitz to within an inch of its life (personally I dislike lumpy soup).
• Stir in the milk and enjoy warming your cockles.

This recipe gives enough for 6 people.

Moroccan Spiced Carrot Salad

Are you dreaming of warmer weather, sunshine and long sunny days?

How about a bit of Moroccan spiced salad to cheer you up?

This is an unusual recipe that is quite a favourite of mine because it is easy, tastes great and uses just the right veggies for this time of year...

This recipe uses orange flower water which is very similar to rose water (used in Turkish delights) but tastes like orange! You can find it in Middle Eastern supermarkets and shops (it is sold here in Lund and is not very expensive for a huge bottle). The flavour is pretty strong so go easy when using it with the yoghurt. If you don't like the flavour just skip it!

Here's what you need:

4 large carrots

2 cardamom pods

Black mustard seeds

Ground cumin, ginger and coriander (1/2 teaspoon of each)

Ground ginger (1/2 teaspoon)

Paprika (1 teaspoon)

80mL olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 cup currants (use raisins if you can't find currants)

1/2 cup chopped coriander

2 tablespoons pistachio nuts

1 teaspoon of orange flower water

1 cup of thick plain yoghurt

Method (to the madness):

Grate carrots in bowl

Crush cardamom pods and fry dry spices, stir in oil, juices and currants.

Pour over carrot and leave for 30 minutes

Add coriander and pistachios

Add flower water to the yoghurt and serve separately with salad - just put a dollop on the top of your serving and enjoy the new taste sensation!

Be vewy quiet I'm hunting... Cawwots!

“The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution!” – Paul Cezanne

The ubiquitous carrot is surely one of our most recognisable vegetables. This remarkably orange and sweet root is at home in both sweet and savory dishes, its image has become synonymous with characters like Bugs Bunny and its ability to help us see in the dark are legendary. There is even a national carrot day (3rd February in case you are wondering).

The carrot is avaliable in Sweden from Autumn until Spring and so it be an almost permenant feature of any seasonal kitchen, however, we shouldn't take this "common" veg for granted, its healthy benefits and variety of consumption options are often forgotten! Find out just how wonderful it is in our "interesting facts" below.

Nourishing Nibbles

• Carrots contain the most carotene of any fruit or vegetable, which the body uses to convert into Vitamin A
• Carrots also are a good source of Vitamins B & C
• The greens (ideal in vegetable stock) are a good source of Vitamin K.
• They are thought to lower cholesterol
  

Cream of the Crop.

• Carrots should be firm, smooth and bright orange.
• Don’t buy them if they are green at the topic or cracked.
• Remove the greens before storing in the fridge, as the chemicals in the leaves can turn the root dry and limp.
• Carrots can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month

Cooking

• 10% of a carrots nutrition is found within the skin, so we recommend keeping it on!
• Unusually cooked carrots are more nutritious than the raw vegetables as the cooking breaks down the tough cellulose walls which the body finds hard to digest.
• Carrots are one of nature’s sweetest vegetables which makes them ideal in cakes!

Fabulous Carrot Facts!

• Carrots originate in Afghanistan where they were white, red, purple and yellow
• The orange carrot was invented in the Netherlands to celebrate the House of Orange
• Carrot greens where a sought after fashion accessory in Tudor times, with stylish women fastening them to their headgear.
• The largest carrot ever grown weighed 8.5kg!
• Bugs Bunny’s nonchalant carrot-eating stance was modelled on the Clark Gable character in “It happened one night”.

If I'd known you were coming I'd have baked a cake

Yesterday we had our Make Change Happen exhibition and never one to pass up an opportunity to cultivate my baking skills, I thought it an ideal event to try a recipe for parsnip cake.

I first heard of parsnip cake from a Swedish bakery in Edinburgh. I haven't tried it myself (I just cannot resist a cardomom bun instead) however those who have tried it have -without fail- raved about it. So when I needed an exciting seasonal cake recipe to lure in the crowds to our MCH stall parsnip cake seemed the ideal choice. I made over 40 pieces of cake which were gone before we knew it. It appears parsnip cake is universally loved!

I just a recipe adapted from the epicurious blog. Personally I thought their icing quantities were slightly ridiculous (also I had run out of powdered sugarso had to improvise...).

Its a perfectly moist and spicy cake to see in the Christmas season and one cake easily feed 12-16 people (or one Bruce Bogtrotter). Enjoy!

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 tbls ground ginger
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 kernal grated nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground cloves
3 large eggs
120 ml vegetable oil
120 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium sized parsnips (shredded)
1/2 cup walnuts

For the icing:
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
100g of cream cheese
15g of butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
about 1/2 a thumb of finely grated fresh ginger

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and line the bottom and grease and flour the sides of an average sized cake tin
  
• Then toast the walnuts in a hot oven for about 5 minutes (watch carefully, they might burn). Then put them in a teatowel and bash with a rolling pin until they are in small pieces (or use a gin bottle if no rolling pin is avaliable)
• Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, spices & sugar in a bowl
• In another bowl whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla and milk
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly (although try and not over stir for you want to keep in quite airy)
• Then add your grated parsnips and walnuts
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Meanwhile make the icing by whisking the cream cheese and butter (at room temperature) until the mix is somewhat runny (unlike the carrot cake recipe!)
• Then add the powdered sugar, the vanilla and the grated ginger. Mix thoroughly.
• Once the cake is cool, drizzle the icing over the top.

And a Parsnip in a Peartree

“A soundbite never buttered any parsnips”
- John Major

We are all painfully aware that parsnips are the slightly uglier, slightly woodier, definitely less popular cousin of the carrot and potato. Relegated to the "roasted root veg mix" parsnips rarely make an appearance on the modern dinner table. What a great opportunity lost we say! These veggies are spicer, softer but just as verstile as their famous relatives.

Find out just how great they are in our "parsnip facts".

Nourishing Nibbles

• Parsnips are high in Vitamin C and folate
• They also contain Niacin (Vitamin B3 - this is essential for the digestive system, skin and nerves)
• Parsnips are thought to be good for the respiratory system (more specifically bronchial function) so if you have asthma – eat up!
• Parsnips are also high in potassium and dietary fibre

Cream of the Crop

• Choose parsnips that are crisp, firm and of an average size – bigger does not mean better when it comes to flavour!
• Store parsnips in a plastic bag in the fridge – they like cool temperatures!
• Parsnips keep well for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
• After cooking, use within two days. Parsnips freeze well – up to ten months – when blanched

Cooking

• Parsnips are versatile – they are tasty steamed, baked, roasted or boiled and you can eat parsnips raw too!
• Peel parsnips just before cooking or chop them in cubes and store in water with a little lemon juice to prevent them from going brown
• Boil parsnips and then mash them. When combined with a bit of milk, butter salt and pepper – they are delicious!!

Parsnip Trivia

• Don’t go picking wild parsnips! They can be easily mistaken for water hemlock; these are poisonous!
• The Romans thought the parsnip was an aphrodisiac.
• The parsnip is a root vegetable and is related to the carrot and parsley.
• Parsnips were once used in abundance – both as a vegetable and as a sweetener - before the potato surpassed it in popularity.

Kale-icious

Feeling peckish but a little guilty about reaching for the bag of potato crisps?

Leafy green Kale (grönkål pa Svenska) is the delightful and much underrated member of the cabbage family that, surprisingly, makes chips tasty enough to rival even the most MSG-addled bits of potato.



They are ridiculously easy to make and take only ten minutes or so, which means it is quite feasible to whack some in the oven in the commercial break between 'House' episodes.. or while you wait for that movie to download/buffer/stream/purchase off amazon/itunes/etc. They are also perfect to bring to parties, although on first impressions the other guests may think you are either wonderfully quirky or a little bit crazy depending on who you are socialising with.

Here's how you do it step by step:
1. Turn on the oven to around 200 C
2. Remove the kale leaves from their thick stems and tear into bite size pieces.
3. Arrange the pieces on a baking tray and coat with olive oil, salt (I like to use chunky sea salt) and chilli flakes to taste. An alternative is to sprinkle them with a little parmesan cheese.
4. Stick them in the oven for ten minutes or so, when the edges start to brown but not burn!

Tip: I have a tendency to burn kale chips on the first try as there tends to be about thirty second gap between 'perfection' and 'overdone'. Keep an eye on the oven!

Animal, vegetable, fruit or... machine?

What do you think of when you hear the word 'Blackberry'?


For me, the word evokes images of a deeply hued purple matched with a sweet acidic taste. Squishy, round berries. Stained fingers. Bright green leaves. The pain when the thorns prickle your arms. Waging those small, personal battles with the blackberry bushes to momentarily conquer nature and release the fruit from it's thorny captors. Warm pies fresh from the oven, apples, cinnamon, fresh mornings and autumnal colours.

These associations are all inherently based on the season in which blackberries are gathered and taste their best.

Now I acknowledge that I may not be the most technologically advanced human being ever to walk the earth. I am probably quite naive about the proliferation of the various new and exciting forms of communication device that seem to sweep nations with a force not unlike a Spartan invasion. (I do, however, know what an iphone is). But I was still fairly shocked when, trying to search for a picture of a blackberry recently, google images turned up this result:


In fact, it takes 18 pages of these images before you come to one image of anything even remotely resembling a fruit!

They don't call it the 'crack-berry' for nothing, clearly.

Is anyone else surprised by this? What do you immediately associate with Blackberry? Or Apple? Or Orange?

Do you think we are losing the natural and seasonal connotations of words that have been appropriated by business? And what effect does this have on us?

The 100 Mile Diet

Plenty follows Alisa & James as they try to eat within 100 miles of their home in Vancouver, Canada. "One man, one woman and a raucous year of eating locally" is the tagline; I'm not sure if I'd describe it as raucous... tumultuous maybe, but raucous, no. Their endeavour sees them eat wheat complete with mouse droppings, stink their house out in an effort to make sauerkraut and nearly come to blows over canning of tomatoes.


I enjoyed the book a lot and thought it gave a very realistic interpretation of life trying to eat sustainability; a picnic it is not. We have an emotional connection to our food and often this is reflected back into our daily lives. When we eat healthily and well, we are happy and content. When our food is unhealthy, untasty or (in the case of James & Alisa) unaccessible, we are grumpy and hostile. Despite the trials and tribulations of their adventure I think this is far more healthy than the emotional free existence we seem to strive for in modern society. The loss of the local source of salmon (there was a chemical spill in the year of their study) may have been particularly heartbreaking but the joy felt (even by me) when they finally managed to source local wheat was suprisingly overwhelming. Its hard to get upset, angry or passionate about a happy meal or frozen pizza.

On the otherhand, whilst I applaud the point the book was trying to make I am becoming more and more dubious about these "boundary setting" regimes. It all seems so ridiculously contrived; at one point in the book a fellow "local" eater tells Alisa that they've set their limit to 250 miles to allow them to access certain favourite foods. Not to mention that local/seasonal food rarely takes into account fair miles and emissions from locally grown food (although the book does touch on this briefly, citing a study which found that if the UK was to produce all its own food locally, the carbon emissions would be far greater than the same food being grown and shipped from New Zealand).

The book is one of a number of adventures I've read about this year in which people document a year of "alternative lifestyles" As a wannabe "sustainability scientist" I am failing to grasp the true purpose of these books; are the writers activitists who are trying to change the world for the better, or are the books money-making exploit by journalists eager to tap into our inner concerns and exploit our hope for utopia by living out our dreams. Mostly they turn out to be unrealistic, unachievable and just a exercise in navel gazing. At one point James spends hours at the kitchen table seperating wheat from mouse poo. I mean seriously, who does that?

I think I will give the authors of Plenty, the benefit of the doubt, and believe that their intentions are honorable. Their blog and book started a movement in which the "100 mile diet" has become a buzz phrase for local/sustainable eating. The website is interesting and informative, however, I'm not sure many will access it who won't have read the book or already be eating seasonally (something we Seasonal Beets also have to contend with). I'm therefore not sure whether it constitutes a movement or self-congratulatory celebration of how wonderfully sustainable we all are.

Nevertheless when they were talking about the food they were passionate and it invoked some, recently more familiar, emotions of my own in relation to seasonal food. The book also contained some crazy recipes (which was a nice touch) and a few interesting facts and insights. For example seasonal eating allows us to vary our diets without really trying; we've all heard the stastic that we just rotate 10 meals which means we dont get the diversity and depth of nutrition our bodies require (at one point we learn that the average north american gets 50% of their vegetable intake from iceberg lettuce, canned tomatoes and potatoes... nutritious).

Plenty is certainly a good read which really documents the emotional journey that occurs when we don't take food for granted. I think this is a really important realisation; I'm just not sure these stringent diets are the best way to share this experience. Personally whilst I enjoyed the book, I'm not sure it encouraged me to eat more seasonally!


If you would like to read more about James & Alisa's adventures, more info can be found on their website.

When the weather outside is frightful... warm up with a hearty tartiflette.

Northern Europe has been hit by one of the worst Decembers in living memory; we are all knee deep in snow, shivering to the bone and even the prospect of a White Christmas isn't enough to compensate for the recent spate wintery weather. However, all is not lost, for with snow and ice comes the excuses to snuggle up warm inside cosy houses and eat some proper hearty food.

Tartiflette is not for the faint-hearted; cream, cheese and potatoes, its a dieter's nightmare. That said it provides lots of calories and comfort against chilly snowy conditions. Presumably this is why it is so popular in its native Savoie region of France where skiers guzzle it up by the bowlfull. Luckily for us its main ingredients are the highly seasonal potatoes and onion and so there really are no valid reasons not to invite over some friends for a cosy night in to share some tartiflette! (This is another recipe out the "epicurean experimenters notebook", I can't really remember where it comes from but it might be the

excellent Tamasin Day Lewis)

Tartiflette

Ingredients:
700g of potatoes (peeled, boiled until "al dente")
150g of pancetta lardons
1 onion (sliced in thin strips)
60g butter
150 ml dry white wine
350g Reblouchon Cheese (this is a strong creamy cheese from Savoie, you can replace it with Port Salut or, at a push, Camembert but it wont be quite as tasty)

• Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a casserole dish with a little butter
• Boil the potatoes, drain but keep the liquid.
• Blanch the lardons for 1 minute in the boiling liquid
• Cut the potatoes into thin strips (you'll have to wait for them to cool unless you have asbestos hands!)
  
• Melt about 1/2 of the butter in a large frying pan and cook the lardons and onions for about 10 minutes (or until the onions go soft but not mushy).
• Add the potatoes and wine and cook for a further 5 minutes (until the alcohol burns off)
• Place 1/3 of the mixture in the casserole dish, add some salt and pepper and then 1/3 of the cheese (cut into strips, it is impossible to grate). Repeat 3 times ending with a layer of cheese.
• Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

Best enjoyed with a super crusty loaf, a towering mound of green beans (ideally fairtrade and cooked from frozen; sometimes its hard to be seasonal) surrounded by friends and a ready supply of good wine.

We-eh-ell, you know you make me wanna sprout!

"A sprout is for life, not just for christmas." The Sprout Growers Association

Brussel Sprouts get a bad name; these wee green vegetables have, for generations of children, become synonymous with overcooked, unflavoured school dinners, not to mention their unfortunate anti-social consequences. However, despite this terrible reputation sprouts are incredibly nutricious, can be very delicious and - most importantly - are very much currently in season. Consequently this post aims to challenge your sprout prejudices and encourage you to embrace these little lumps of nutritional wonder.

Nourishing nibbles

• Brussels are an excellent source of Vitamins K and C (just 100g gives you your recommended daily dose and they contain 3 times as much Vit C gram/gram when compared to oranges)
• Sprouts are particularly high in glucosinolates which many believe offer protection from cancer
• They are high in a unusually wide variety of anti-oxidants which is particularly helpful in lowering risk for cardiovascular diseases
• Sprouts have excellent cholesterol lowering qualities, especially when steamed (the fibre in the sprout must be cooked slightly to work at its optimal level)
• Like all leafy green vegetables, sprouts are also a good source of folic acid

Cream of the crop

• Sprouts should be firm and bright green and if you can buy them attached to the stalk they will stay fresh for longer
• Avoid sprouts with loose or yellowing leaves.
• Store untrimmed sprouts in the fridge for up to a fortnight.
• Sprouts can also be frozen but its a sensible idea to blanche them in some boiling water first for 3 minutes.

Cooking

• The bitter taste associated with cafeteria sprouts comes from the sulphurous flavour that emerges when the vegetable is cooked for too long. A tasty sprout should therefore be "al dente"
• When choosing sprouts in the supermarket try to ensure heads of a similar size to allow equal cooking time. Marking an x in the bottom of a sprout (at the root) will also help even cooking.
• To retain the best flavour and nutrition it is best to steam sprouts (and they cook in less than 5 minutes!)

5 things you didn't know about Brussel sprouts

1. Brussel sprouts get their name (unsurprisingly) from the fact that they were first grown in Belgium
2. The Netherlands produces over 82,000 tonnes of sprouts a year!
3. Scientists have suggested that a dislike for Brussel Sprouts may be down to a genetics.
4. They were voted the UK's most hated vegetable in 2002 (clearly they hadn't tried them stir fried with ginger and onions -mmmm)
5. Roman's used sprouts as a modern day alka seltzer and some claim sprout smoothies are ultimate hangover cure (we'll take their word for it)