November can feel like a bit of an odd, interstitial month. Harvest festival has passed, the ghoulish excesses of Halloween are fading, and the tinselly carrot of Christmas is still just out of reach. At this time of year, “comfort” and “winter-warmer” become keywords for our team of chefs and recipe creators – food and drink as a cockle-warming tonic against the chill and monikered storm systems.
We’re talking stews, soups, slow bakes and gratins. Deep bowls of broth, fruit-heavy puds and golden-topped bakes. I’ve always enjoyed the chef Fergus Henderson’s use of the word “steadying” as a description of such fare; it suggests both a mental and physical effect… a restoration of balance and quieting of things. A good place to be before the fizz and festivity of December.
It’s a time to embrace the beauty of beige (and occasionally, purple). The season of winter root veg is rarely heralded and yet they remain the stalwart workhorses of the English larder. Parsnips, celeriac, swede and beetroot are bountiful and become the backbone of our veg boxes, slowly filling the storage barns or sitting patiently in the ground to see us through the winter, until spring starts in earnest.
The potato (technically a tuber) is king, offering a spectrum of possibility that ranges from soft pillowy mash to a tray of crisp, rustling roasties. Kales, cauliflowers and cabbages dominate the brassicas and should be celebrated while in finest fettle. Both kale and cauliflower have had their moment as “superfoods” in recent years, but a whole cabbage is a harder sell. I’d urge you to accept that you needn’t consume the whole thing in one sitting – instead, try using cabbage in small amounts across the week. Sometimes brassicas will be the star, but more often they’ll play a supporting role – adding a flash of green and minerally goodness. They love to be paired with slow-cooked onions, leeks or garlic as well as warm spices such as caraway, cumin, mustard and nutmeg.
It’s also the time of year to fill your boots with apples and pears – enjoy the whole spectrum from sweet to sharp (the more outlandishly named the better). As well as yielding into sweetness when baked or poached, they also offer crisp contrast in winter salads, or piquant longevity in a spiced chutney (save a jar to enliven your Boxing Day turkey sarnies).
Image of “Marry Me Cauliflower Pie” taken from The Riverford Cookbook: Easy Evenings, available from Riverford, and wherever books are sold.
Our News from the Farm posts come from Riverford. They are the digital versions of the printed letters which go out to customers, every week via Riverford’s veg boxes. Guy Singh-Watson’s weekly newsletters connect people to the farm with refreshingly honest accounts of the trials and tribulations of producing organic food, and the occasional rant about farming, ethical and business issues he feels strongly about. Riverford’s monthly Farm Kitchen letter is written by Riverford’s team of chefs, recipe and content creators: Emily, Bob, Hannah & Lewis.
0 Comments