November
| Published: 6th November 2007 12:03 |
Winter has truly set in now.
November for me is all about heart-warming food: casseroles, stews, spices and hearty puddings to combat the cold. Root vegetables are in abundance now: Beetroot, Jerusalem Artichoke, Parsnips, Potatoes, Celeriac, Swede and Turnips. There are also the robust vegetables available at this time of year: Leeks, Pumpkin, Celery, Artichoke and Kale are all particularly good. The choice of fruit is starting to diminish; however, apples, elderberries, quinces & pears are still good and cranberries are just coming in to season. Game and shellfish are also great at this time of year.
Jerusalem Artichoke
Jerusalem artichokes have a subtle flavour, slightly earthy and astringent. They have a tendency to collapse when cooked, making them great for soup. The classic English dish Palestine Soup is made with Jerusalem artichokes and enriched with cream. They can be used almost anywhere you would use a floury potato or if you find them a little overpowering try using half potato half Jerusalem Artichoke. Try them mashed with butter and cream, sautéed in olive oil with rosemary, baked au gratin, or stewed in stock, and they make great chips. They are renowned for a rather unpleasant side effect, most people find that Jerusalem artichokes give them, well there's no delicate way to put this, wind! Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin
Jerusalem Artichoke Gnocchi
Potatoes
The humble spud really comes in to its own at this time of year. It's only relatively recently that potatoes have over taken bread as Britain's staple source of carbohydrate, but who can imagine British food without potatoes? So versatile you can boil, bake, roast, fry, sauté, chip or mash. Floury potatoes are great for mashing, chipping and roasting, whereas waxy potatoes hold their shape better but don't have the fluffy flesh of a floury potato, making them more suited to salads.
Try our simple Smoked Haddock Jacket Potatoes
Or the Best Roast Potatoes Ever
Cranberries
Tart-tasting cranberries make good preserves and work well in drinks. Too tart to eat raw, but if cooked gently with a little sugar they are wonderfully fruity, I like to add only a little sugar to retain that sharp edge. Try adding a little grated orange rind, cinnamon sticks, or a little root ginger for extra zing. Cranberry sauce makes a classic accompaniment to rich meats and roasts, but cooked berries also make a tasty pie filling and are great in jams and relishes. Cranberries are great for adding spark to fruit juices and smoothies such as apple, carrot and orange
See our Cranberry Sauce Recipe.
Clams
Small and sweet clams are one of my favourite shellfish. When buying clams, they should be tightly closed and shouldn't smell. Scrub them well and let them sit in slightly salted water for several hours, so they can purge themselves of sand. When cooking clams as with mussels, if when alive they stay open when tapped then discard, if they stay closed when cooked discard. Used world wide they are actually very versatile, in Italy Spaghetti alla Vongole contrasts their sweet meaty character by pairing them with garlic, chilli and olive oil.
Try our Cataplana (Portuguese Clams and Pork) recipe.
Or our Spaghetti alle Vongole Rosso recipe
Venison
A rich but lean meat, venison is a healthier choice than beef due to its low fat and cholesterol content. Like beef, venison should be hung to maximise its flavour. Venison is best either cooked very quickly or braised slowly to prevent it from becoming dry. Fruit such as redcurrants, cranberries and apricots compliment the rich meaty flavour of the venison.
Try our Venison Steak with Béarnaise Sauce and Chunky Chips.
Chestnuts
Chestnuts have higher starch content, and less oil than other nuts, lending a floury, less crunchy texture. Used in both sweet and savoury dishes, they're usually boiled, roasted, steamed, pureed, or ground into flour. Remember to score the base of the shells before cooking, so that they don't split or explode while cooking. Boil them in their shells, in either milk or water. Shell them while still hot and moist, if you let them cool and dry out the shells toughen up and it becomes more difficult. After taking off the outer shell, there's a thinner, paper-like coating, which should also be removed. There are also vacuum-packed, frozen or canned pureed varieties which are ready to cook without the fuss.
See our Chestnut, Apple, Walnut and Celery Stuffing recipe
Scallops
Sweet and meaty scallops are a real treat. As with all fish now, sustainability has become an issue; hand-dived or farmed scallops are the most ecological choice as dredging damages the sea bed and other sea life. Scallops have a delicate flavour and should smell of ozone like the sea, not fishy. As well as being naturally low in fat scallops are rich in protein and a very good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. High in Vitamin B12, they are also a good source of key minerals such as copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc.
Try our Scallops with Salsa Verde.
Sloes
Sloes are a distant cousin to the plum, they are too sour to eat raw but when cooked are delicious. Sloes appear in hedges around August, but it is best not to pick them until after the first few frosts, usually in November, because then the flavour is sweeter and the skins softer. Great in a winter crumble with apples, served in fresh vanilla custard.
Try our Sloe Gin
Horseradish
Looking similar to a longer thinner parsnip, horseradish makes the most wonderfully hot sauces as an accompaniment to Roast Beef and Smoked Fish. Horseradish sauce is actually really easy to make and keeps for up to six weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. The most amazing morning pick-me-up is an onion seed bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese blended with horseradish.
See our Basic Horseradish Sauce recipe
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