I have trouble growing parsnips. Well, not so much growing them, because they’re one of the vegetables that mostly grow themselves. The problem is, I often forget to sow them. I think it has to do with the fact that…
Spiced parsnip soup
Categorie: Vegetables
Horseradish coleslaw with pumpkin seeds
Oh, the challenges of parenthood! First you have to learn how to function with a fraction of the sleep you thought you needed. Then, after you think you have recovered, it starts all over again, because your daughter is twelve…
Chilli vodka
There are many ways to preserve the home grown bounty for the winter. I don’t like canning vegetables as I find that just reduces fresh vegetables into a less desirable version of themselves. Making jellies, chutney‘s and jams on the…
Hot tomatillo chutney
Tomatillos are the ideal plants for the “otherwise-ingaged” vegetable grower. Because I knew we would have to leave our allotment on 1st October, I did not look after my garden as well as I normally do. We mulched very little…
Spaghetti with marinated tofu and tomatoes
This dish is the culinary form of denial. I know it is cold and raining, and that probably means that the summer really is over. But I refuse to let go just yet. Soon enough it will be on to…
Ricotta basil tart with sundried tomatoes topping
Do you grow basil? And is your climate basil-friendly? I do, and it’s not. While growing Mediterranean herbs like rosemary or lavender is not particularly difficult here if you provide them with a suitable micro climate, basil is a lot…
Quinoa and grilled sourdough salad
So, after having confessed to my limited gardening success as far as growing tomatoes is concerned, I came back from vacation to … an ample tomato harvest. Though most of the varieties have suffered just as I expected, the partially…
Cherry tomato clafoutis
My parents are more successful at growing tomatoes than I am. That, I would like to point out, is not because they are better gardeners. It’s because they have a better place to grow them. First, the climate in the…
Spelt salad with tomatoes, feta and dill
When summer, like now, really is summer and the sun is shining all the time and it’s really warm and not like last year when the only difference between summer and fall was the date on the calendar, you probably…
Pasta with sugar snaps, mangetout peas and soft goat cheese
Summer typically brings a dilemma. On one hand the garden is brimming with wonderful produce to cook with. On the other hand one’s desire to cook typically diminishes as fast as the temperature rises. Luckily, summer produce usually doesn’t need…
Broad beans in tomato sauce with many spices
Broad beans (also known as fava beans) are the only hardy beans. That means that unlike other kinds of beans, they can be sown early. They can even be sown in November and left in the ground to overwinter, more…
Risotto with sugar snaps and snow peas
Because I read cookbooks instead of bedtime stories, I have long known that the only correct way to make risotto is by adding a ladelful of stock at a time, stirring continuously. Interestingly, our Italian friends were not aware of…
Roasted turnips with sage
Turnips are another of those little-known, little-grown and little-loved vegetables. And that is a shame. Because like broccoli rabe, they are undemanding, fast growing and can be harvested early in the year. I am now specifically talking about the small…
Asparagus frittata
Probably the best investment you can make if you have a vegetable garden is sowing a packet of asparagus seeds. Yes, you have to wait 3 years before the plants are strong enough to take regular picking, but after that…
Spinach, citrus and feta salad
The only spinach in my childhood was a frozen puree. I had no idea what the plant looked like and it is a testimony to my parents’ cooking skills that they were able to turn the indiscernible khaki mass into…