Stokes Sauces: Seasonal ingredients

More seasonal sensations

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/ketchup-and-sauces

Spring is my favourite season. Whatever the weather, the spring harvest is good, the meat is sweet, the fish sublime, the vegetables, fruits and herbs are alive with freshness, colour and flavour.

Spring sits between borders of swaying daffodils and sheltered carpets of peaceful bluebells.

It sits between Wordsworth's romantic take as his

'heart with pleasure fills, and
dances with the daffodils'

...and Mark Twain's realism as he

'counted 136 different kinds of weather
inside of 24 hours'.

Romantic or realist - Spring tastes delicious

Asparagus and spring onion tart

There are all sorts of variations to this basic open tart that once discovered, will become a feature of lunchtimes in your household as they have in ours. For this version:

You'll need:

375 g of ready made puff pastry
2 good bunches of asparagus, thin or cut in half lengthways
6 or 8 spring onions
1 leek, chopped
2 medium eggs
1 tbsp of Stokes Dijon Mustard
250 ml of double cream
40 g of grated Gruyère
40 g of grated Cheddar

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/product/traditional-condiments/dijon-mustard

Here's how:

Pre-heat a medium oven 180°C/gas mark 6. Roll the pastry into a 27 cm x 19 cm tart tin, folding in each of the edges by 1 cm to make a border.

Prick the base of the pastry (within the border) with a fork. Soften the leek in foaming butter until it caramelises and spoon it onto a plate to cool. Mix the eggs, cream, cheese, mustard and leeks and pour the mixture into the tart base.

Arrange the asparagus and onions on top (try to make them the same size by slicing them lengthways). Brush the raised border with a further beaten egg, then bake for 25 minutes.

For alternatives add chorizo or smoked ham.

Simple plaice and potatoes

Both the fish and the potatoes are in season, as are radishes - the suggested side dish.

You'll need:

300 g of baby new potatoes (approx)
A bunch of parsley
A plaice fillet each
The juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp of rapeseed oil
2 tbsp of plain flour
1 tbsp of Stokes Creamed Horseradish Sauce
2 tbsp Stokes Real Mayonnaise
25 g of butter.

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/product/mayonnaise/real-mayonnaise

Here's how:

Boil your potatoes, drain and coat well with the oil, the horseradish and the mayonnaise.

Dust the fish with a little flour and fry skin side down in foaming butter for 2 minutes. Gently flip them to cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove them from the pan and plate up with a serving of the potatoes.

Quickly add another knob of butter to the same pan with the lemon juice, some chopped parsley and a couple of good grinds of black pepper. Pour the lemon butter over the fish and enjoy.

Pan roasted radish

This makes a really tasty seasonal side dish for the plaice (above). Here's something to note - don't discard the radish greens, they are delicious with the same peppery taste as rocket.

Here's how:

In an oven-proof pan, gently soften a handful of sliced shallots in butter for 5 minutes. Add two good handfuls of halved radishes with two chopped spring onions and fry for 2 minutes then transfer to a hot oven.

After 15 minutes, return the pan to the hob, add the radish leaves and wilt them with the radish and onion before serving.

Spring slaw

With a work surface of fresh spring ingredients, a mandoline, large bowl, wooden spoon and a jar of Stokes Real Mayonnaise (or our Garlic Mayonnaise) you can create a tasty seasonal accompaniment to - well just about anything.

What shall we put in our slaw: hispi cabbage, fennell, radish, spring onion (cut lengthways into ribbons), celeriac, red onion, watercress. Try adding pieces of segmented grapefruit which is also at its best right now and adds a sharp fruity 'twang' to the affair.