April 2023: Spring-inspired recipes

Spring is a wonderful season for cooking. As the weather starts to warm up and the days become longer, there is a renewed sense of energy and freshness in the air, and this is reflected in the foods that we cook and eat.

Spring cooking is all about celebrating the abundance of fresh, seasonal ingredients that are now available, and finding new ways to create delicious, healthy meals that are bursting with flavour and colour.

We’ve got the perfect 3-course meal that’s not only delicious, but it’s utilising some of those finest spring ingredients, enjoy!

Minestrone Soup – serves 4

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 courgette, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp dried oregano
1 x 400g can cannellini beans
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
1.2 litre vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
70g small pasta – can use Orzo, Vermicelli or Spaghetti
100g greens - kale, chard or cavolo nero work well, or spinach if this is preferred
handful of basil
finely grated parmesan, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole pot over a low-medium heat and gently fry the onion, celery, carrot, courgette for 10 mins
Add the garlic and oregano, and cook for 1 min. Tip in the beans, chopped tomatoes, purée, stock and bay leaf. Season to taste. Bring to the simmer and cook for 30 mins.
Add the pasta and greens, and cook for a further 10 mins. Ladle into bowls and scatter with the basil and some parmesan, then serve.

NOTE

If you are making large portions to last for a few days, do not add the pasta as it will overcook with every re-heat. We suggest the pasta is only added at the time of re-heating on the hob to allow the pasta to be just al dente

Courgette Risotto – serves 4

Ingredients

1 large onion
1 large clove of garlic
2 sticks of celery
1 knob of unsalted butter
olive oil
2 small courgettes (300g)
800 ml vegetable stock
1 bunch of fresh basil
40 g Italian hard cheese
300 g arborio rice
200 ml white wine, optional – can also use non-alcoholic wine
1 fresh red chilli - optional
2 x 125 g balls of buffalo mozzarella

Method

Peel the onion and garlic, trim the celery and finely chop all three. Place a large saucepan over a medium-low heat.
Place the butter in the hot pan with the onion, garlic and celery, a splash of oil, and a splash of water. Reduce the heat to low and cook for around 5 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
Trim the courgettes, slice lengthways into quarters, then chop into small chunks and put to one side.
Fill a medium saucepan with 800ml water. Add the stock cube and bring to the boil over a high heat, stirring to dissolve, then turn the heat down to low.
Pick and reserve the basil leaves, then add the stalks to the pan of stock. Finely grate the Italian hard cheese.
Once the vegetables are very soft but not browned, add the rice to the pan.
Stir and fry the rice for 1 minute until translucent, then add the wine (if using) and keep stirring until it has been absorbed by the rice.
Turn the heat under the rice up to medium, then add a ladleful of hot stock, avoiding the basil stalks (these are there to add flavour but not to be eaten)
Stir constantly and continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, waiting for the rice to soak it all up before adding the next ladleful. Continue until you’ve used two-thirds of the stock.
Finely chop the basil leaves and the chilli (deseed the chilli if you prefer a milder heat).
Stir the chopped courgette into the stock, and keep adding it (courgette and all) until the rice is cooked and the risotto has a nice oozy consistency – if you run out of stock, use boiling water.
Take the pan of risotto off the heat. Tear the mozzarella balls into pieces and stir into the pan with half the basil.
Stir through half the grated Italian hard cheese, then season to taste with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Cover with a lid and allow to sit for two minutes and then serve.

Steamed Orange & Lemon Pudding – serves 4

Ingredients

For the puddings

90g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
90g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 lemon, 1 orange juice and finely grated zest
115g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
½ tsp baking powder
1–2 tsp milk

For the custard

600ml full-fat milk
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
3 large egg yolks
30g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour

For the lemon syrup

8 tbsp golden syrup
½ lemon, ½ orange zest only
Mixed freshly squeezed lemon & orange juice, to taste

Method

Lightly grease and dust the pudding moulds – can use a larger tray if catering for large numbers
In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until pale and smooth. Crack the eggs into a small jug and beat with a fork. Slowly add the eggs to the sugar and butter mixture, beating continuously. Add the zest, then sift in the flour and baking powder. Fold in to combine. Gently stir in the tablespoons of lemon & orange juice and the milk. Divide the batter evenly between the moulds.
Place a piece of baking paper over each mould, then lay a larger sheet of kitchen foil on top. Fold it over the edges of the bowl and tie in place using string.
Half fill a steamer with boiling water and place the puddings on the steaming rack above. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 25 minutes.
To make the custard, heat the milk, vanilla seeds and split vanilla pod in a medium saucepan until almost boiling. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour in a large bowl until pale and thickened. Remove the vanilla pod and slowly pour the milk onto the egg mixture whisking all the time. Strain through a sieve into a clean pan and cook over a gentle heat stirring continuously until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
To make the syrup, put the golden syrup, lemon & orange zest and juice into a saucepan. Place over a low heat to warm through.
Remove the puddings and let them sit for 5 minutes before turning out onto serving plates. Pour over the syrup and serve with custard alongside.