2-3 whole broccoli heads, weighing approximately 700g/1lb 9oz, separated into spears
4 tablespoons double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
4-6 tablespoons double cream withgrated zest of ½ lemon or Greek-style yoghurt
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, until soft and translucent but not browned. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for a minute, then add the broccoli. Simmer until the stalks are just tender when pierced with a knife – they should still have some ‘bite’. Remove from the heat immediately and transfer to a bowl so the soup cools a little faster. Liquidise the soup with the cream until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
To serve, mix the cream with the lemon zest. Just before you eat, reheat the soup gently, then serve straight away with a spoonful of the lemon cream, or yoghurt, in every bowl.
I sometimes see this pointy, pale-green vegetable in local greengrocer’s shops and farmers’ markets. Although it is a relative of the cauliflower, it is known as Romanesco broccoli, and has a delicate flavour somewhere between cauliflower and broccoli. It is delicious served raw, for dipping into sauces, and when cooked it needs very little treatment at all except a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice and parings of a hard cow’s or ewe’s milk cheese. Cut into quarters, then steam it for about 8 minutes. Test the stalk with the point of a knife – you do not want it too soft or the flower head will turn to mush. Much better that there is a firm stalk. Slice into big chunks, then serve in bowls with the oil, lemon, salt and cheese.
My first encounter with buckwheat came in the form of a plate of blini, the Russian pancakes eaten with caviar or smoked fish. My step-grandfather was a Russian émigré, who adored them but liked them thick and heavy. My mother then found an authentic recipe in the Time-Life Russian cookbook – it was a revelation. Light, airy yeast pancakes with a taste of wholesome grain. Spoonfuls of melted butter, smoked fish and dollops of soured cream went on top; this was richness and earthiness combined. So you see, I am a fan of this brown flour with its dark flecks, but then recently I found kasha, the whole grains of buckwheat. They are shaped like a spearhead and are pale green. They need a short boil, then a wash to remove the starch. Added to salads or eaten hot with a dressing of oil, butter and fresh dill, they are exciting and totally different.
Buckwheat is not a wheat at all, but the grains from a flowering plant dating back thousands of years. It can, though, be used to make bread (with other flours) and noodles, notably soba noodles.
Buying buckwheat
Wholefood stores usually stock buckwheat flour, and often the groats as well. Organic buckwheat is available from Infinity Foods of Brighton. For stockists, contact them on www.infinityfoods.co.uk; tel: 01273 424060.
Kasha is whole buckwheat grains, sometimes sold as buckwheat groats. It has a green tinge and a fresh vegetable flavour, and cooks conveniently in a very short time. This simple salad has a gentle, grassy flavour. It is lovely with cold chicken, smoked fish or soft-boiled peeled eggs (bring eggs and cold water to the boil and cook for 4 minutes, cool in cold water, then peel)
Serves 4
2 garlic cloves, peeled
a pinch of dried thyme
200g/7oz buckwheat groats
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a small bunch of dill, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the garlic cloves, thyme and buckwheat in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 15–20 minutes, until the buckwheat is tender but not a mush. Drain and rinse quickly in cold water to remove any foamy starch. Leave to drain for a few minutes; it should not be wet.
Peel, stone and dice the avocado. Put it in a salad bowl and dress with the lemon juice, then add the olive oil, buckwheat, dill and seasoning and toss quickly. Do not make this salad too far in advance or the avocado will discolour.
These are my English blini, adapted from the Russian recipe of my childhood made in an English kitchen. Earthy but light, thanks to the use of both whipped egg whites and yeast, they should be drizzled with melted butter and eaten with smoked fish (see the Cured Mackerel), chopped dill and soured cream. Freshly ground black pepper is a must. They could also be eaten with Bacon and Apples or perhaps a little thin slice of dry-cured beef, in which case serve with chopped spring onions and a little melted butter.
Serves 4–6
125g/4½oz brown buckwheat flour
250g/9oz fine white flour (if you want gluten-free pancakes, you could use rice flour)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
30g/1oz fresh yeast
1 teaspoon caster sugar
450ml/¾ pint lukewarm milk
3 eggs, separated
2½ tablespoons soured cream
2½ tablespoons melted butter, plus extra for brushing
To serve:
smoked fish of any sort
fried mushrooms
chopped dill
300ml/½ pint soured cream
175g/6oz butter, melted
Put the flours in a bowl with the salt and leave in a warm place. Mix the yeast with the sugar until it breaks down to a paste, then add the milk. Leave for about half an hour, until the yeast is activated and a foam forms on the top. Make a well in the centre of the flours and pour in the yeast mixture, beating as you go. When you have a smooth batter, leave the mixture to rise for about 1½ hours, covered with a tea towel, until doubled in size.
Beat in the egg yolks and fold in the soured cream and melted butter. Leave in a warm place for 20 minutes. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then very carefully fold them into the bubbly pancake mixture. You do not want to break down the bubbles made by the yeast.
Heat a flat griddle or pancake pan and brush with a little melted butter; it should be hot but not smoking. Drop a tablespoonful of the mixture on to the pan and cook until bubbles rise to the surface and pop.