Stokes Sauces: Winter Greens - healthy, hearty, delicious

Beautiful Brassicas

'Brassica' is the genus of the mustard family and includes:

http://www.stokessauces.co.uk/page/sauces/traditional-condiments

Broccoli.
Cauliflower.
Brussels sprouts.
Cabbage.
Turnips/turnip greens.
Collards.
Kale.
Bok choy.

It’s hard to generalise about an entire family of vegetables, but overall, brassicas are really good for you - high in Vitamin C, folate (Vitamin B9) and calcium.

Pork Fillet & Broccoli

The sweet pork marries so well with the slightly crunchy unique flavour of broccoli. If I were asked to describe the taste of broccoli I'd simply say 'it tastes so ... green'.

Finished with a white wine and Stokes Dijon Mustard sauce it's simple, swift and sensational.

Savoyard Stew

In the mountainous regions of eastern France locals 'eat the seasons' and at this time of year the steeply tiered kitchen gardens are bursting with brassicas. This regional dish is the epitome of 'wholesome and hearty'.

The region - Savoy - actually gave its name
to the Savoy cabbage.

Here's how:

There are no real rules to this dish, just guidelines as every Savoyard household has their own take. Taste and nourishment are the guiding force - and a large pot!

Prepare a ham hock the previous day, soaking and draining it several times to remove the brine. For this dish, cut away the tougher skin as well. Get some smoky flavours into the pot with chunks of smoked bacon (200g) and 4 smoked sausages from the deli counter (prick the skins).

Roughly chop an onion, 2 small turnips, 2 carrots, 4 potatoes, 2 celery sticks and 1 Savoy cabbage (quartered). Bash a couple of garlic cloves and put them in a large pot with 2 or 3 cloves, a good knob of butter and 2 tbsp (go on, make it 3) of Stokes Classic English Mustard.

Then add everything except the cabbage and pour in vegetable stock just one third of the way up the pan. Cover and simmer very gently for 90 minutes, checking the liquid from time to time. Add the cabbage, cover and simmer for a further 20 minutes then pop it on a big serving plate and share - stretch or starve.

[TIP: If you plunge the cabbage into salted boiling water for 3 minutes then immediately into iced water and drain it, it will keep its colour.]

Pork & Sprouts

This is far simpler than the last dish but truly tasty.
A great midweek supper.

Here's how:

Take equal amounts of Brussel sprouts and Romanesco broccoli and cut to similar sizes. Plunge them into boiling water for 3 or 4 minutes then into ice cold water to stop them cooking. Drain and reserve. (Keep the water they were boiling in.)

Fry a pork chop each in oil (or butter). Once cooked, set them aside to keep warm. Deglaze their frying pan with a knob of butter, 2 tbsp of Stokes Cider & Horseradish Mustard 100 ml of dry cider and 75 ml or so of the cooking liquor from the greens. Boil vigorously to reduce it by half then pour it into a serving jug.

More butter in the same pan and, on a high heat, fry the greens. Let them singe to add flavour. 2 or 3 minutes should have them piping hot to serve with your chops and that wonderful gravy.

Brassica & Sausage Platter

You can make this with your favourite butcher's sausages but, as with the Savoyard Stew, brassicas enjoy a smoky accompaniment.

If you can get Montbeliard or Savoyard smoked sausages (deli counter or online) it's worth the effort and extra few pennies.

Here's how:

For 4 people, cut 4 sausages into chunks and fry them in oil with smoked bacon for a few minutes. Add an assortment of greens - Brussels, kale, cabbage and 3 or 4 quartered potatoes.