Claire Ptak’s green recipes for spring - MW
Iam a chef, but I don’t “cook” that much. I shop really well and pretty much “put together”. It’s not that I’m lazy; come Sunday and I’m cooking a ragu, or a roast chicken then stock with the carcass for the freezer, and so on. But as a working mum, I have to cut corners. I soak beans the night before for a soup with herby courgettes. I’ll keep polenta ready to fry. A green tea cake with rhubarb will take a little time, but is an easy pudding-like cake. It’s delicious served warm, so make it before dinner and place it in the oven while you’re eating. When the spring blossom is out and the sun lasts longer these are the kind of gorgeous dishes I want to put on the table.
Fried polenta with broad beans
This would also be delicious with a runny egg or roasted tomatoes.
Serves 4
butter 25g, plus extra for the tin
water 750ml, salted
polenta 250g
parmesan 50g, grated, plus extra to serve
broad beans 1 kg (in shells) or 350g frozen beans
olive oil
garlic 2 cloves, thinly sliced
baby spinach 250g, washed
salt and pepper
chilli flakes 1 tsp
thyme 3 sprigs
lemon 1, cut into 4 wedges
extra virgin olive oil
Butter a 21 x 11 x 7cm loaf tin and set aside. Bring the salted water to a boil, add the polenta and cook until it is thick and clings to the spoon – about 10 minutes, but it will vary, so always check the instructions on the packet. Stir in the parmesan and butter until you have a smooth mixture. Pour the soft polenta mixture into the prepared tin and leave to cool and set for half an hour. This will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Have a bowl of ice ready. Pod beans if you are using fresh and bring a small pot of salt water to boil. Drop the beans into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, until they start to float. Drain the beans and add to the ice, if the water has warmed up from the beans you can refresh the ice. You can remove the shell from any larger pea, although this is much preferred. Put the cold beans in a bowl, toss with a little olive oil and set aside.
Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the garlic and thyme and cook over medium heat until the garlic begins to change color. Drop into spinach and cook for a few minutes until wilted, stirring constantly. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Drizzle with oil, turn off the heat and leave the pan on the stove to keep warm.
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Heat nonstick pan or seasoned cast iron pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil and cut polenta into 8. Fry until golden on each side (you may need more oil as you go). If you are using a smaller pan, you can keep the polenta warm in the oven.
Divide spinach between plates, remove thyme and top with 2 slices of Polenta. Spoon on broad beans, drizzle with olive oil and end with grated parmesan. Serve with a lemon
Kohlrabi and avocado salad
I first tried shaved kohlrabi at St John Bread and Wine. It changed my idea of salad forever.
Serves 4
kohlrabi 2, trimmed and peeled
lemon juice and zest of 1
anchovies 30g
grey salt and flaky sea salt
white wine vinegar 2 tbsp
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil 2½ tbsp
avocados 2
cobnuts 50g (or hazelnuts), lightly toasted with skins removed
Lightly toast the nuts in the oven on a low temperature for 4 or 5 minutes, remove from the oven, put in a clean tea towel while still warm and rub gently until the outer shells are removed.
Trim and peel the kohlrabi and using a handheld mandolin or sharp knife, slice into paper-thin ovals.
Juice and zest the lemon into a bowl and add the vinegar and sea salt. Add the kohlrabi slices and toss until all sides of the slices are covered with the lemon juice mixture. Set aside for later.
Loosely drizzle each serving plate in a circular motion with 2 tsp of olive oil.
Strain the kohlrabi and reserve the dressing. Drizzle half of the dressing on to the plate with the oil, reserving the other half for the top.
Slice the avocados in half and remove the stones. Take 3 scoops from each half and add to each plate. Place an anchovy fillet on to each avocado piece and then sprinkle with the grey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Arrange the kohlrabi slices in a loose overlapping pattern leaving some of the avocado covered and some exposed. Drizzle with the remaining half of the dressing. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts. Serve immediately.
White bean soup with courgette and fresh herbs
dried cannellini beans 250g, soaked for at least 12 hours
1 garlic clove, halved plus 2 cloves, sliced thinly
thyme 3 branches
salt and pepper
parsley 1 bunch, leaves picked and chopped
squash 2, trimmed and chopped into cubes
1 basil basil (or green garlic leaf)
Virgin olive oil
Soak the beans ahead of time, for at least 12 hours (I prefer 24), then drain and place them in a large pot and cover with about 5cm water, bring to a boil and then drain and refresh with the same water again.
Take one end of the garlic and cut half down the middle and place both halves into the pot with beans and water with 2 to 3 sprigs of thyme. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-2½ hours. Check the beans occasionally, so you may have to add a little water.
After 2 or 3 hours, check that beans are ready (they must be tender), filter them and stock up on cooking liquid. Using a food processor, blitz half of the cooked beans and keep the rest whole. Mix the whole bean into blitzed beans and add some cooking liquid to create a soup texture and season with salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil and add 2 cloves of sliced garlic. Drop in chopped parsley and throw. Remove from pan and set aside. Add another tablespoon of oil to the same pan and add small pieces. Don't salt because you want them to turn yellow and softer. Add them to garlicky parsley and toss. Add chopped basil or wild garlic leaf and season with a little fresh oil and toss.
Serve the soup immediately with a spoonful of wine mixture and a drop of virgin olive oil. Serve with crispy bread.
Rhubarb green pudding
For pudding:
Wheat flour is usually 350g
1 teaspoon baking powder
bicarb ½ teaspoon
sea salt teaspoon
matcha powder 2 tbsp
egg 3
powdered sugar 200g
pure yogurt 300g
vanilla beans 1 tbsp
butter does not marinate 220g, melt
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For fruit topping:
Rhubarb 500g, compulsory or outdoor
powdered sugar 100g
Blood orange 1, rind and juice (or use regular orange)
icing sugar 1 tbsp
Matcha powder 1 teaspoon
Double cream to serve
Preheat oven to 170C / bar 3. Grease and line a 23cm-shaped cake box or liquid bottom with parchment paper.
In a bowl measure flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and matcha powder and beat until combined.
In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and then beat in yogurt and vanilla until combined. Gradually pour in melted butter until a smooth dough.
Pour wet mixture over dry powder mixture and beat until combined.
Pour the flour into your prepared tin box, using a rubber spoon to grab all the mixture from the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Trim and cut rhubarb in half length and then into 5cm batons and pour into a clean bowl. Add the peel and juice of oranges and toss and make sure all the batons are covered, pour over 100g of sugar and allow to soak for no more than 5 minutes. Bounce. Arrange rhubarb batons on top to create a loose pattern.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until spring touches.
Beat with powdered sugar and matcha and sieve through half of the pie. The cake can be served immediately with ice cream or at room temperature afterwards.
MW
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