Wild Recipe | Nettle Rarebit

Much foraged greenery comes under the bracket of ‘edible, in that it won’t kill you, but not really worth the bother.’ So many are just a bit bland, but not nettles, which have irony, peppery brightness to their flavour making them unique and great fun to cook with. Not fun to pick though. Wear gloves, avoid patches at dog-wee height, and wash them thoroughly, using only the young leaves at the growing tips.

Makes 4 slices

400ml whole milk
2 bay leaves
6 black peppercorns
30g butter
30g plain flour
200g cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for topping
100g nettle leaves, washed
4 thick slices of crusty farmhouse bread or sourdough

1 Warm the milk in a large pan with the bay and peppercorns. Pour into a jug and set aside to infuse.

2 Melt the butter in the empty milk pan over a low heat, then add the flour and cook for 2 mins, stirring all the while. Pour in the infused milk (having removed the bay and peppercorns), a little at a time, whisking it into the flour mixture before adding the next glug. Keep whisking so it doesn’t go lumpy. When the sauce is the consistency of thick double cream, stop adding the milk and leave to bubble for 2 mins, stirring regularly so it thickens further. You can now remove the thick, smooth sauce from the heat. Fold in the cheddar and season generously with salt and pepper.

3 In another saucepan set over a low heat, wilt the nettle leaves in a tablespoon of boiling water for 2-3 mins. Tip them into a colander and squeeze out the excess water, then roughly chop and stir into the cheese sauce.

4 Set your grill to medium. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking tray and toast on one side. Turn the slices over and spread the cheesy nettle sauce on the untoasted side. Top with a little more cheddar, then return to the grill for 5-8 mins, or until bubbling. Serve immediately.

This recipe is taken from our April issue’s Veg Patch Pantry pages by Kathy Slack, with photography by Kirstie Young. The pages also contain recipes for Shichimi Togarashi Radish Spring Rolls, Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Anchovies, Almonds and Chilli and Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta.

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Recipe | Root Veg, Marmite & Cheddar Pie

A veggie centrepiece to knock their socks off. This moreish main course uses seasonal root veg in a comforting cheese sauce with a Marmitey twist.

Serves 3-4

You will need

250g King Edwards potatoes
200g celeriac, peeled weight
200g carrots, peeled weight
250g parsnips, peeled weight
325g pack ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

For the sauce:
30g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
350ml whole milk
100g cheddar, grated
1-2 tsp Marmite (depending on if your guests are lovers or haters)

1 Peel the potatoes, celeriac, carrots and parsnips and cut into 1cm cubes. Put in a pan of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins, drain and steam-dry in a colander.

2 Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the flour and give everything a gentle stir for a couple of minutes so the flour has a chance to cook. Next, gradually add the milk, stirring as you do, to make a thick sauce. Let it bubble for a minute, then stir in the cheddar and Marmite, some more salt and a turn of pepper. Gently stir in the root veg. Tip the mixture into a heatproof bowl and leave it to cool – and it’s important that the filling is cooled, otherwise it will melt the pastry.

3 Preheat the oven to 210C/Fan 190C/Gas 6-7. Cut two circles out of the puff pastry sheet – one around 18cm in diameter and the other a couple of centimetres bigger. Place the smaller pastry circle on a lined baking sheet. Pile the cooled filling in the middle in a dome shape, leaving a little bare rim of pastry around the outside.

4 Place the larger pastry circle on top of the filling and use a little water to glue the top sheet to the pastry border on the bottom sheet. Press the seams together with a fork, score a spiral shape in the top of the pastry, but don’t cut right through, and poke a little steam hole in the top. Brush the pie with beaten egg and bake for 25-30 mins, or until golden brown and crisp

This root veg pie is just one of the recipe from our December Veg Patch Pantry, in which Kathy Slack serves up ideas for growing, harvesting and eating with the seasons. This month’s pages also have recipes for Cumin Roast Root Veg Salad, Celeriac Gnocchi with Hazelnuts & Parmesan, Root Veg Gratin and a Root Veg Remoulade. Photography is by Kirstie Young.

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Recipe | Green Tomato Salsa

This simple side dish adds some gentle heat and vivid colour to any meal, from barbecued fish and meats to an omelette or cheese on toast. Best eaten in the garden.

Serves 1, or 2 as a garnish

125g green tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Combine everything in a bowl and leave for 10 mins so the flavours can mingle before serving.

This recipe is from our Veg Patch Pantry feature in our September issue. The recipes, which use seasonal vegetables, include a Traybake of White Fish with Courgettes, Tomatoes and Peppers, Hedgerow Blondies and Thyme Buttered Plums with No-Churn Plum and Clotted Cream Ice Cream. The recipes are by Kathy Slack and the photography by Kirstie Young.

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