28 Mar Spring Supper
Spring is upon us and the excitement of the new season not only brings the promise of better weather but also a host of new in season produce to experiment with in the kitchen! We’re here to share with you our pick for a Seasonal Spring Supper.
If you don’t already know, eating seasonally is when you make a conscious decision to eat produce at the time of year it’s considered best. Eating seasonally has many benefits and there are numerous reasons people decide to opt for this lifestyle.
As we mentioned, in season produce means produce that’s at it’s best that time of the year. Although produce can be available all year round it often needs some help at times of the year that aren’t it’s season. This means in season produce can be more organic as it needs less help along the way. Less chemicals used in production can be positive for the environment as they can cause a threat to contaminating water sources. Out of season produce may use aids such as artificial light or heat and this use of energy isn’t good for the environment. So in season produce can help us reduce any negative impact our daily lives have on the environment.
When produce is grown in season ‘more naturally’ this also has an impact on taste. Produce left to grow as nature intended, is able to grow in a way that allows it’s flavours to develop and you’ll be having it when it’s perfectly ripe.
Another reason people opt to eat seasonally is linked to the health benefits. There is a link between the vitamins we need at different times of the year and the produce that grows at those times of the year and their vitamin content. The in season produce we’re sharing a recipe for today is asparagus which is packed full of health benefits. Asparagus is packed with vitamins A, C and K source of fibre and known to help with digestion as well as lowering blood pressure.
Typically an accompaniment to a meal, our recipe has asparagus at centre stage so you can enjoy all it’s benefits this season.
What you’ll need
75g young broad beans
200g asparagus tips
170g peas
350g spaghetti or tagliatelle
175g pack baby leeks, trimmed and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
200ml tub fromage frais or creme fraiche
Handful of mint, parsley and chives
Parmesan
What you’ll need to do
Fill a pan with water, add salt and a steamer/colander on top and bring to the boil. Get the beans, asparagus and peas and add to be steamed until just tender, then set aside. At the same time begin to boil your pasta, when it’s ready save some of the pasta water. Another tip, once ready and drained, if the pasta is going to be left to sit, drizzle some olive oil and stir, this will make sure it doesn’t stick together.
Next, trim and slice the leeks. Add your oil and butter to a flying pan followed by the leeks and fry for around 5minutes until they become soft. Take either your fromage frais or creme fraiche and add to the leeks. Keep an eye on the heat as you want to gently warm this through ensuring it doesn’t split. Get your herbs, chop them then along with the steamed vegetables add them to the mix and a splash of the pasta water to loosen the sauce.
Stir the pasta into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and serve with shavings of parmesan and a finishing drizzle of olive oil.
If you’d like to learn more seasonal dishes, enquire today about our cooking lessons.
