Spanish Potatoes with Saffron and Green Beans

We harvested some small potatoes from the garden plot a couple of weeks ago.  We were excited to try them, but were really disappointed in them.  Trouble is we are not sure what they were called. They look a little like new potatoes, but when cooked the skin falls off and they appear dry and floury on the inside.  But as a couple not to waste, I was looking for ways to disguise both the flavour and texture.

I was inspired by a recipe called Spanish Potatoes that I saw whilst flicking through one of my cookbooks. I purchased Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison when I went to see my best friend in the US.  We wen to Berkeley for the day.  I went into the famous independent Cody's  bookshop and came out with this book as it was one my friend recommended. I have cooked from it, but not as much as I would like to have.  Sadly Cody Bookshop closed its doors in 2006. 

Romesco sauce is made with red pepper, nuts and bread.  It originates from the Catalonia area in Spain, however this version has paprika in place of the red peppers.  

Briam - Easy Greek Vegetable Bake

This Greek Vegetable Bake is known as Briam.  Briam  is one of those dishes my Greek flat-mates at University used make and eat after a long day at lectures and tutorials.   

In fact, it was not my Greek flat mates that introduced this Briam or Moussaka, but another Greek girl staying two floors down that frequented the lads, she realised I was vegetarian and one day brought some over for me to try.  It was delicious and she told me how to make it and I thought, well that is easy.   It is also one of the reasons I veered towards making it last week during the working week, straight after work.   

Vegetarian Greek Hilopites Pasta with Saffron

Over the past few days, I have been flicking through my Greek cookbooks precariously seeking warmth and sunshine through food.  Yesterday, I shared my version of a Greek Shepherds Pie, but I wanted to make something a bit more authentic rather than a fusion of British and Greek cuisine.  Talking of fusion cuisine, I have also made a Prasopita - a authentic Greek Pie that you could easily mistake to be a fusion creation of Greece and Wales cuisine as the recipe has every Welsh persons favourite ingredient: Leeks, but more about that in March when I plan to share it for St David's Day.

Today I share a casserole dish featuring Greek Hilopites.  I bookmarked this dish because it reminded me of my Greek flatmates from Thessoloniki slurping a big red bowl of this silky ribbon pasta dish.  At the time I found it a bit strange that these fiercely proud Greek boys were swirling their spoon and forks around Italian pasta.  Nothing wrong with that after cheap beans on toast, pasta dishes were the next affordable grub for students, but my culinary knowledge was enhanced.  He pulled out a brown bag of pasta and it was not packet Italian pasta, but one he had brought back from Greece, it could even have been homemade, I don't remember - but I was told firmly but politely, that this was hilopites, not tagliatelle.   

Hilopites is a traditional Greek dried ribbon pasta and is popular throughout the Mediterranean. Hilopites can very much be described as Tagliatelle.  It is often made with eggs and milk. However hilopites is much shorter than tagliatelle.

Theodore Kyriakou in The Real Greek At Home writes 'that his father was convinced that when Marco Polo took the idea of pasta from the Chinese and brought it back to Italy, he was only following in the footsteps of the brave Greek who took the recipe for hilopites from the East in a similar fashion'.

This vegetarian Greek Hilopites Pasta is enhanced with sweet paprika and saffron that is why it is so vividly saffron coloured. I was supposed to garnish it with some minced chives, but I forgot in my haste to get a picture.

It was really delicious, meltingly so - the hilopites was infused wonderfully with the saffron and sweet paprika, the shallots silky smooth and the garlic , I guess you just have to be careful that you don't overcook the hilopites as it can easily become mushy and that is okay if you like that. The shallots became sweet and tender.

Although none of my Greek inspired dishes are vegan, I wonder what my blogger friend Veganopolous will think of my Greek inspired dishes, including the Greek Shepherds Pie and the  Prasopita, when I showcase it in March (if not before). 

I am sharing this vegetarian Greek Hilopites Pasta with Saffron with Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching For Spice. 

Vegetarian Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie with Feta Cheese Mint Mash

A photograph taken in poor lighting on a dark evening.

This is a generous serving of homemade vegetarian Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie with Feta Cheese. 

I have mentioned my Greek flat mates at University and my holidays in Cyprus, this is me just harping back to those days and yearning for the warm climate, especially on a day like today when it has been raining all day.  In fact it has been raining non stop for the past 5 days.  

I am not the best potato masher and D was not around to help, so I my did my best with my weakling muscles.  There were still lumps in the potato topping, but thankfully I don't mind lumps and nor does D. The mint in the mashed potato topping was just right, the black olives offered piquancy . This Greek Cypriot Shepherds Pie made for a change from the traditional Vegetarian Shepherds Pie that I so often make at home. 

I am sharing this with CookBlogShare hosted by Hijacked by Twins. ; and Cook Once Eat Twice hosted by Searching For Spice. 

I've also made a Prasopita, a Greek Leek Pie, adapted from the Greek Gourmand, but I am holding that back for St David's Day. Instead, here is a link to some other Greek and/or Cypriot inspired recipes on A2K  - A Seasonal Veg Table
Spanakopita
Tomato and Feta Cheese Baklava
Vegan Spanakopita Pies
Vegetarian Pastitcio

Vegan Jackfruit Pulled 'Pork' Tomato Ragu over Soft Polenta

I saw a meat version of meat version of Ragu and Pulled Pork on blogosphere a couple of weeks back and it got me thinking that I could do this with Jackfruit. Plus it was a different way to enjoy both Jackfruit and polenta.  We only ever eat polenta as part of my vegan Mexican Tamale Pies, so wanted to try it differently.  

Here is Polenta in bowls topped with the vegan Jackfruit Pulled 'Pork'.  Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and tuck in immediately.  

Curried Anglo Italian Fenugreek Ratatouille

I hope you don't mind me sharing a recent observation when I was waiting to get the bus back home from work.

I start with a statement.  I think chivalry is dead or taking its very last dying breaths.  I had faith it was still alive in the older gentlemen but not now.  I waited to get my bus home and noted post European Union Referendum some attitudes have changed overtly in peoples behaviours, most recently in the older generation.   As not one, not two, not three but four older men of Pensionable age rudely cut across me to get on the bus.  I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they feel their age and free bus pass entitles them to be rude... I hope so, but if its their  skin colour we certainly have problem Britain and this is only a small glimpse.  So what was my response?  I politely smiled at them and said, 'plenty of seats on the bus'. 

Anyway, its that time of the year when vegetable growers find themselves with bucket loads of courgettes aka Zucchini, in fact my last three blog posts have all featured courgettes.

So what am I going to do with all those courgettes? Make some Ratatouille of course.  

Regular readers will know that I am not keen on Ratatouille.  Last year I decided to give it a go again and still I was not sold.  Last weekend I thought why not spice it up a bit.  I saw fellow blogger Sareta's Kitchen make and was inspired to give it my own South Asian twist - Indian, Pakistan and Bangladesh all rolled into one.  Here it is my Curried Anglo Italian Ratatouille with fenugreek and chickpeas. 

Of course, I had to present it prettily, it takes a little time but its worth the effort when you want to make an impression. You could serve this with plain Basmati rice if you want, but some good crusty bread is what we had.  

Easy Patatas Bravas with vegan Chorizo, Red Pepper and Peas

I am going to tell you something about myself whether you want to know it or not.  I don't like new potatoes that much.  I find them a bit dull, unless dressed up in a potato salad or cooked this this, pan-fried or roasted in the oven.  

I made this Spanish style dish of Patatas Bravas last week after coming back from Hay on Wye

Veggiestans Black-Eyed Bean and Lemon Hot Pot

It's become a bit of a tradition in my home to have black eyed peas in the first week of the New Year, not that D knows it - I just make the black eyed pea dish and he eats it.  Black eyed Peas are reputed to bring you good fortune, don't know how true that is, but we can hope.

This was a welcome dish as I woke up with a sore throat and a chest infection of some sorts.  I've been drinking herbal fruit teas enhanced with echiniacea.  I have no desire to go to the doctors, but may have to if it doesn't clear by next week, anyway, back to this Black-Eyed Bean and Lemon Hot Pot

The recipe for this Black Eyed Bean and Lemon Hot Pot comes from a vegetarian cookbook, gifted to me a couple of months back by my husband for my Birthday.  It it Veggiestan: A Vegetable Lover's Tour of the Middle East by Sally Butcher, I was also gifted Salmagundi (and am awaiting the appearance of Snackistan on my table one-day) also by Sally Butcher. Sally Butcher also runs Persopolis: A Taste of Persia in Peckham a little corner shop, that has a little cafeteria attached to it.

Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese Bake

I had mentioned in one of my previous posts that I had not indulged in much cheese of late, after having loudly stated that, I think I have subconsciously been making dishes that have vast amounts of cheese in them.   August has truly been a cheesy month and its not over yet.

I made a  very large portion of this Mediterranean Mac and Cheese.  I was able to find some Mediterranean cheese at a local supermarket.  Its was studded with peppers, black olives and oregano, so I added that to this Mac'n'Cheese, but if you can't find it that okay, just use plain cheddar cheese.

Sicilian Vegetable Stew

I made this 'Sicilian Vegetable Stew' also known as Caponata Siciliana at the weekend with courgettes I had picked up at the farmers market. 

What was different about this stew was the inclusion of capers and sultanas together. I wasn't too sure about the combination, but was curious to try.  Although I ate every bit of this colourful, sweet and sour stew, I wasn't completely convinced about the piquancy of the capers next to the sweet, juicy sultanas.  It just tasted a little odd to me, but that's me, you may find yourself liking this combination.

I'd be more than happy to make this vegetable stew again, I would just omit the capers. 

You know this stew is also excellent cold as an antipasta served with good crusty bread.  Oh in case you are wondering, the chickpeas are my addition. 

I had originally accompanied this stew with a sweet pilau style dish made with brown rice. I have to say that it was a bit of a miss, so I am not posting that recipe here as it was a little disappointing. If I was to make this Vegetable Stew again, I would serve it with couscous and would recommend that you do the same.

Sicilian Vegetable Stew
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large courgette, thickly sliced
1 aubergine, cut into large chunks
1 red pepper, cut into large chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into large chunks
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 x 400g tin of tomatoes, chopped
50g sultanas
1 tablespoon capers
200g cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoons black olives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to its highest temperature.
In a bowl toss the courgette, aubergine and peppers with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Spread the vegetables onto a baking tin and bake for 20 minutes or until browned and softened.  Turn over now and again, so all sides are roughly browned. 
In a heavy based pan big enough to hold everything, fry the onions, chilli and garlic in the rest of the olive oil for a few minutes.  Add the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce thickens.  Pour in about 250g water, then stir in the roasted vegetables, capers, sultanas, chickpeas and optional black olives.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Season and serve.  Adapted from Leon by Allegra McEvedy

Chickpea, feta and parsley salad

I've been pottering in the garden today, but unfortunately I don't have any photographs to show you of progress as I got too distracted with the weeding, up-potting and sowing of seeds, but I can assure you its looking good.

I have broad beans, peas, climbing beans, various brassica plants, carrots, beetroot, turnips, chard, lettuces and herbs - all this squeezed into my small garden plot, pots and containers. I promise to share them with you as they grow, especially when I come to harvest them. Right now though, may I share with you this flavoursome Chickpea, feta and parsley salad.
I served this Mediterranean inspired salad with some seasonal Jersey Royal potatoes. It was really good.

Chickpea, feta and parsley salad

Serves 4 - 6 as a side-dish

Ingredients

1 x 400g tinned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and set aside

200ml olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 medium red onion finely sliced, preferably with a mandolin

2 - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 red chillies, finely sliced with seeds

200g feta cheese, crumbled

4 spring onion, sliced

a handful of parsley, minced

Black pepper to taste

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice, then add the onions, garlic, chillies, spring onions and parsley. Stir in the chickpeas and pepper to taste. Finally, crumble over the feta and stir gently to combine. Set aside for an hour or so for the flavours to combine. Then serve.

Rich Vegetarian Pastitsio with spinach

In an attempt to use up what was in my fridge: namely spinach, spring onions, home grown lettuce and a number of dairy products, I ended up making a Pastitsio. Pastitsio is a Greek baked pasta dish made with pasta, tomato based sauce (sometimes including meat) and a béchamel sauce. The dish originally comes from the Italian tradition of "pasticcio (di pasta)", literally medley, mess or scramble. It is so interesting how dishes are created with a hotch potch of ingredients.
Its not the prettiest plate of food oozing all over the place, but you won't be hungry after eating it I assure you. And if your on a diet, please, please don't look at the sauce ingredients - you'll pile on the pounds just reading it.

Pastitsio with spinach and feta
Serves 6 – 8
Ingredients
For the rich tomato sauce
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
50g butter
2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes with juice
4 teaspoon sun dried tomato paste
1 generous teaspoon of dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
For the filling
225g dried penne
Salt and pepper to taste
Bunch of spring onions, sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g spinach, roughly chopped
lettuce leaves (optional) roughly chopped
100g feta cheese, crumbled

For the sauce
100g feta cheese, crumbled

4 egg yolks
200g fromage frais
150g crème fraiche
Method
For the rich tomato base
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook over a medium low heat for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and break them up, together with sun dried tomato paste and oregano. Simmer uncovered over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce it thick and pulpy. Discard the oregano sprigs and season to taste.
For the base
Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain thoroughly, then toss with a little oil to prevent it from sticking and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic and fry for 5 minutes, then add the spring onion and spinach to the pan and cook until it wilts.
Add the sauce and feta to the pan, along with the pasta and mix well. Spoon into a lightly oiled deep baking dish.

For the sauce
Put the egg yolks, fromage frais, crème fraiche and feta into a food processor and process briefly until smooth; Or mash and blend in a bowl with a fork. Season to taste.
Pour the cream mixture over the pasta mixture and bake in the oven gas mark 5 for 30 – 40 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving, accompanied by a crisp salad. This dish reheat well in the oven. Adapted from Good House Keeping.

Roasted beans with couscous and spiced feta Salad

I know I know I have a load of tomatoes and plums, so why on earth am I showcasing a couscous salad. Well my dear readers, please don't fret. I have just poured the plum jam into jars and the plum chutney is simmering away as I type. I have also made a Tomato lasagne which I will showcase tomorrow as it is intended to be our supper for tomorrow when we get back from our trip to Fife tomorrow. You will be pleased to know that this couscous recipe does have my homegrown green beans, runner beans, shallots, baby onions and rosemary. So it's not all bad.
This is one of my favourite couscous salad recipes, I must have made this about 4 – 5 times last year. It is quite substantial on its own, but could also be served as part of a buffet with dolmades, olives and roasted balsamic tomatoes. I don't know what it's origins are or if its just one of those brilliant fusion recipes, as it has couscous from North Africa, feta cheese from Greece, spices from India, and all the fresh vegetables from the U.K, my plot to be more precise. So I hope Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen accepts this as she is this months host for No Croutons Required Challenge.

Roasted beans with couscous and spiced feta Salad
Serves 4
For the marinated feta.
This part can be omitted for vegans or *substituted with a vegan alternative

Ingredients
200g feta cheese*
4 cloves of garlic, halved
2 hot chillies, halved
A few sprigs of rosemary or thyme
Olive oil
For the couscous
8-10 shallots, or small onions, red or white
300g couscous
1 teaspoon turmeric
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
500g runner and climbing beans (use fat climbing beans though, not thin ones as they will shrivel and burn). Slice into diagonal pieces
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 fresh red chillies, chopped into rings
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
50ml vegetable stock or water
200g cooked chickpeas

Small handful of coriander, chopped

Method
Chop the feta into cubes, put into a bowl with the garlic, chillies and herb sprigs. Pour in enough oil to cover the cheese and leave to marinate for an hour before you want to serve the couscous.

Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Toss the peeled shallots or onions with a little olive oil into a large baking dish and roast until they have softened a little and beginning to colour. While that is cooking, soak the couscous. Stir n the turmeric, lemon zest into the dry couscous, season and pour in 300ml vegetable stock. Stir the couscous once and leave it to absorb the flavours until the vegetables are cooked. Add the chopped beans and garlic to the shallots. Toss well and return back to the oven. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the sliced chillies, cumin and fennel, along with the 50ml water to keep the beans from sticking. Cook for a few more minutes until the beans are tender and the flavours are well absorbed. Stir in the chickpeas and coriander.

Sift the couscous with a fork, then gently stir into the cooked vegetables. Serve and scatter over the marinated feta with a drizzle of the flavoured oil. Adapted from Denis Cotter’s Paradiso Seasons

Sweet and Savoury Baklava

I am not a person who is into buying make up, jewellery, clothing, shoes, or going out to eat or drink – my one compulsion is to buy cookbooks, with my most recent purchase Maria Elia The Modern Vegetarian being about two months ago. To my knowledge, Elia is not a vegetarian, nor a vegetarian cook. She joins a long line of U.K celebrity chefs that are beginning to breathe new life into the way people see vegetarian cuisine. I had flicked through the book a little while ago in the bookstore and like many cookbooks before, I knew I could do without this one too, yet in my head I had persuaded myself to get it and to go on my already burgeoning bookshelf.

I sat with it yesterday evening, looking at the colour coordinated photographs. Many of the recipes to my ‘vegetarian cooks eye’ look familiar, but to those new to vegetarian cooking will certainly view it as innovative. A number of simple dishes have been given a modern make-over with relatively unknown ingredients in the U.K like sumac and dukkah and some ingredients deemed to be vegetarian and vegan friendly are made more appealing to the eye, for example you can’t go wrong deep fat frying tofu cubes in ginger beer batter, these morsels would even tempt meat eating colleagues. Maria Elia also presents old fashioned dishes that have fallen out of limelight such as the pea custard in a more delectable and stylish manner. Some of the fusion recipes reminded me of the works of other chefs, namely Paul Gayler, Nadine Abensur and Peter Gordon. The way we bloggers are influenced by fellow bloggers to recreate and evolve dishes, it must be so of cooks and chefs, surely!

Anyway, I liked it enough to buy the book. For me it is good to see mainstream chefs creating vegetarian and vegan food that could appeal to everybody. Okay so what did I decide to make from it? The Tomato, feta and date Baklava, leaped out for two reasons. Firstly, I had an abundance of home grown onions and tomatoes and secondly, the combination of feta and dates seemed unusual and I am always willing to try new flavours, however odd they seem at first glance.

Oh another thing, I did not follow the recipe accordingly, I made some adjustments along the way. Hence the slight change in title recipe. It was actually very nice, I think the dates in the pastry contrasted really well with the savoury saltiness of the feta. I served it with home made Greek cucumber Tzazki.

Sweet and Savoury Baklava
Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients
100ml olive oil
3 white onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 generous teaspoon dried dill
8 tomatoes, roughly chopped, I used a mixture of what I had
2 teaspoons tomato puree
Packet of ready made spring roll pastry. I use TYJ Spring Roll pastry
100g melted butter
100g dates, stones and finely sliced
200g feta cheese, crumbled
Method
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4. Heat the oil in a large bottomed pan. Gently fry the onions over a low heat, add the garlic and cinnamon and increase the heat. Fry until caramelised. Add the dill, tomatoes and tomato puree and cook until reduced.

Brush a square cake tin approximately 8x8 inch with melted butter, line each side of the square tin with a sheet of spring roll pastry, brush with butter and repeat until you have 12 layer thickness.

For me it is important that the bottom layer has more layers of pastry as it will absorb most of the tomato juices.

Spread half of the onion mixture over the pastry, top with the dates and half of the feta. Cover all corners with 4 layers of pastry overlapping on the tin, brushing each with melted butter and top with the mixture in order again. Cover with another 4 layers of pastry. Then bring in the overlapping pastry, until all are folded in. Lightly score the top, cutting diamonds or squares, brush with butter. Place on a baking tray and cook for 35 – 40 minutes until golden. Leave to cool a little while, before serving.
Adapted from Maria Elia's The Modern Vegetarian

See also Greek Spanakopita

Bumble bees and Sweet potato falafels

Spent most of the day at the allotment. Quite proud of myself. I have done quite lot of work today with a little help from D. I even saw my first two fuzzy bumble bees of the year, a sure sign of spring.

Now onto food - Ds not a fan of falafels, he calls them 'feel awfuls' as they sit heavy in his belly. I came across this recipe for Sweet potato falafels in Allegra McEvedy Leon. It is apparently one of the most popular veggie dishes served at Leons, loved by vegetarians and non vegetarians alike, so of course I had to try it out myself. Also a year or so ago, I purchased a falafel shaper, so was eager to try out my gadget and test out this recipe. The falafel shaper was a bit flimsy, but it did the job.

You definitely need something on the side to cut through the sweetness of the potatoes. We had them inside pitta bread with coriander yogurt sauce. I also think they would be good as part of a mezze. I have just tweaked the herbs and spices a little to suit my taste buds, and changed the name from sweet potato falafels to sweet potato coins, because that is how they turned out from the falafel shaper, otherwise the recipe is to the book
Sweet potato coins. Adapted from Leon. Makes about 20.
Ingredients
700g medium sweet potatoes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
40g fresh coriander, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
120g besan, gram flour also known as chickpea powder
Olive oil to coat the baking tray
Generous sprinkling of sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to gas mark 7 and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender (between 45 minutes to an hour). I tend to pierce the potatoes as I am paranoid they might blow in the oven.

When potatoes are cooked through, turn of the oven and leave them to cool until you are able to peel of the skins. Then put the potatoes, garlic, spices and fresh herb, lemon juice and flour into a large bowl. Season well, and mash lightly until you have a smooth mix with no chunks. Put the bowl into the fridge to allow the mixture to firm up for about an hour.

Oil a baking tray. Turn the oven to gas mark 6. Using a couple of large spoons, put a well heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides. Or use a falafel shaper and put onto oiled tray. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then flips oven and give it another 5 minutes until golden.

Greek flat mates and Spanakopita

In my student days, I lived for a little while in student accommodation. I shared the flat with three lads, two of whom were Greek (one from Athens and the other Thessaloniki) and the other Irish.

On one of the days, I made some vegetable pakoras containing simple ingredients: thin slices of onion, cubes of potatoes and shredded baby spinach with the obvious spices and gram flour. I made a large tray of pakoras for friends I was expecting over, and then left them in the oven on very low heat. Every time I went to the kitchen and checked the oven, I noticed that the tray of pakoras was slowly shrinking. The culprits were my Greek flat mates, who confessed and declared it one of the most delicious snacks they had ever eaten.

When we parted, one of the Greek lads took the recipe for pakoras from me. I took a recipe for spanakopita from them. A fair exchange I thought. But from the Greek girl downstairs who also came from Thessaloniki I got a recipe for both Moussaka and Spanakopita.

So this is what I made with the perpetual spinach from the garden plot from early this week.

Winter digging - I now know why!

We went over to the allotment today for a few hours to do some digging, but the soil was hard from the frost to penetrate, so we focused our attention on cleaning Hut 45.

The allotment is not looking so pretty, but it is still producing - we still have brussel sprouts, jerusalem artichokes, rainbow swiss chard, beetroot, parsnip, carrots, curly kale,purple sprouting broccoli and cabbage, I can't remember whether its January King or Savoy, anyway these are still growing.

I picked a cabbage for todays meal, and some curly kale leaves and enough sprouts for a meal for two later in the week.

This photo above is of the meal I cooked from the cabbage. Cabbage dolmades stuffed with spicy yellow lentils served with plain white basmati rice. It's a bit labout intensive, but the result was delicious.