Beans - from plant to plate

Beans are big here in Asturias, not in a huge way but in usage in all kinds of cookery. One of the traditional dishes is Fabada which is white beans with chorizo, black pudding and fat. Really not our cup of tea but very popular amongst the tourists and served in most restaurants. Being vegetarian, beans provide us with much needed protein and a stock that can be used all year round.

We sow our own bean seeds (dried from the previous year) in April indoors. These are then transplanted into soil when they germinate and put outside to grow on. We are fortunate in so much that we do not have frost and by April there is an ambient outdoor temperature throughout the night and day.

The young plants are put in the ground around the end of May. They are initially supported by an 'A' frame structure we construct out of locally sourced hazel. As they grow we may add additional support by introducing twiggy pea sticks.

Apart from ensuring that the plants wind their way through the support, they need very little attention apart from looking out for black fly which can be a problem if not caught early. We treat the black fly with soapy water with an additional spray of diluted alcohol if necessary: this usually works well.

The beans are eaten fresh as in green runner beans and dwarf kidney beans and what we don't use we leave on the plant to dry. When the outer casing is parchment-like we harvest, shell and leave to dry in the sun for a week or so. The dry beans are then frozen for 24 hours to kill any bugs and then re-dried before storing.

Our favourite dishes include home-made beans on toast, mixed vegetable and bean cassoulet, white bean and black olive pate, in salads and, bean and chestnut casserole. How do you eat yours?

The discarded bean plants are composted to provide much needed nutrients for the soil.

The insects are busy doing their work in the garden and helping, in their own unique way, the cycle of life, death and regeneration. More creatures from the garden can be found here:  Smaller tales .

Down on the vegetable plot in May

May is a busy month down on the vegetable plot. There are crops to be picked, seedlings to be cared for, compost bins to empty and beds to dig. Not to mention giving the tomatoes and potatoes their aspirin, weeding and caring for the young vegetable plants.

Seedlings grow strong against the south-facing wall of the workshop which has residual heat from the mid-day sun, also given out by the limestone of the rockery.

A lizard basks in the sunshine

The mange tout have cropped and continue to crop well, we have just had the remains of the ruby chard, leeks and fennel, and lettuce and radish are producing daily. Beetroot, spinach and elephant garlic thrive well together and will soon be offering up lots of fresh food we will enjoy.

Slow worms in the compost bins

We work on a crop rotation system that makes the use of our four large beds. Last years brassica bed is now being dug over compost and horse manure added. This bed will take the beans, squash and cucumber amongst other things.

The kohlrabi is swelling and showing off its aubergine coloured body. The 100 early onions are fleshy and ready for using, from the plot to the kitchen. The later onions are growing well and making the most of the few wetter days we had earlier in the month.

In the potato bed we've seen a terrific growth spurt, the tomatoes have been planted and are ready to be semi-covered to keep out the sea mists we sometimes experience at this time of year. Both the potatoes and tomatoes have been sprayed with a weak solution of aspirin to help the plants strengthen their defences against virus and bacteria. Hopefully this will help them resist blight which can be a big problem here once it gets hold.

A solitary bee faces up to the camera

  

Making dolmades from local vine leaves

One of the great benefits that come from blogging are the friends you make along the way and the many things you can learn from each other. One such blog friend is Andrea at Casalinho in Portugal. Andrea and Jeroen run several permaculture courses each year and take volunteers from all over the world to help and to gain experience on their 10 hectare plot.

Recently one of their volunteers made Dolamades for everyone and they looked so good we decided to have a go. We used Nicola's recipe and fine-tuned the ingredients to suit our taste.

The first challenge was to source vine leaves. Asturias isn't known for grapes but we were sure we'd seen vines growing locally when out on one of our walks. Sure enough, a walk around the villages and we found a whole load of them trailing over a disused wall and plot. Being late in the season we collected the medium sized ones so they would be less tough and used the following recipe:

Dolmades by Nicola

We cooked ours in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes then in the oven with some home-made tomato sauce - Served with a few black olives, they were absolutely delicious and we will certainly be looking to make more next year but perhaps earlier in the season.

Don't forget to check out Andrea and Jeroen's blog, courses and site: Casalinho

Rhubarb and home-made breakfast muesli

The last time I looked the rhubarb was nothing but an emerging crown with one or two bright green leaves beginning to unfurl. With the rains and warm weather it has had a growth spurt and is now ready for harvesting over the next couple of weeks. This particular variety is Victoria. We also have a later one which is only just beginning to emerge and show its first leaves of the season.

The rhubarb is cut, washed and chopped, put into a pan with a small amount of brown cane sugar or honey, gently simmered until the pieces begin to soften and break down. No water is necessary as it produces enough from its own juices.

The leaves have been put under the gooseberry bushes, an idea we heard about which is supposed to deter gooseberry saw fly. It makes sense as we sometimes use rhubarb leaves as an insecticide (see here for previous post).

In a conscious effort to eat less wheat and dairy I am trying to find alternatives to toast and butter for breakfast. I heard about home-made breakfast muesli from our friends Cal and Rob and I must say it is delicious. This is my take on it:

Crushed oats (I really like the quality of Flahavans Irish Organic Oats)
Almond or rice milk
Fruit (in season)
dried fruits, nuts and seeds to taste.

This mix had dried apricots and cranberry, pumpkin seed and linseed, hazelnuts, oats, and rice milk. Add all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until you get a loose mixture - pop it into the fridge overnight and stir once or twice during that period. The milk will be absorbed by the oats so you may have to add a touch more for the right consistency.

In the morning, no need to cook just add a tablespoon of rhubarb or other seasonal fruit and if you are feeling indulgent add a dollop of Greek yogurt and stir. I generally make a large bowl full which keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days (if it lasts that long).

It really tastes rich especially with the almond or rice milk which has a natural sweetness but none of the lactose. With the dried fruits and rhubarb, there is no need to add additional sugar. Delicious and satisfying as a start to a busy day.

Course: Learn to weave a cane seat

It's that time of the year again when we announce the dates for our course on weaving a chair seat. This is the 4th year we have run the course and it is growing both in reputation and popularity. The course takes place in Spain at our workshop in Asturias.

3rd, 4th and 5th May 2013
or
4th, 5th and 6th of October 2013

There will be a maximum of 5 participants on each course to ensure quality tuition from the instructor Luis Laso Casas.

Luis has been restoring cane and rush seating for the past 10 years. He has re-caned and re-rushed chairs old and new from a variety of sources. From exhibition pieces to dining room suites, boudoir chairs to Thonet, he has restored somewhere in the region of 500 chairs and overcome many challenges to accomplish the craftsman finish that has become his trademark. There maybe both English and Spanish participants on the course but as Luis is bi-lingual, this is not a problem. You can also practice your Spanish is you so wish!

The programme will commence on Friday lunchtime with an informal chat and lunch. The course will be structured to ensure maximum support for participants and where necessary, one to one tuition. All materials and a vegetarian lunch will be provided on each day the course. If you are unsure about anything or if you require further information, please contact Luis at :  artesanialapasera @ gmail.com (no spaces) Telephone: 0034 646436562

The cost of the course is €200 - advice about hotels or accommodation is available upon request.

   
Es un plaer el poder compartir mi experiencia y conocimientos con quienes esteis interesados en descubrir una artesania tan bonita como es la rejilla o esterillado frances a traves de los cursos que detallo acontinuacion. Es un curso practico en durante el cual los participantes aprenden las tecnicas necesarias para poder tejer artesanalmente asientos de rejilla usando tireta de rattan.

Las tecnicas que imparto estan basadas en las tecnicas britanicas las cualesnos permiten tejer la rejilla con una mayor durabilidad a la hora de ser usada que las conocidas como tecnicas continentales.

FECHA:

3, 4 y 5 de mayo del 2013
y
4, 5 y 6 de Octubre del 2013

LUGAR:

Ribadesella, Asturias, España.

CONTENIDO:

El curso incluye:

Preparación del asiento antes de la restauración.
Materiales y herramientas
Técnicas.
Tintes y cuidados.
Al final del cursillo, los participantes habrán tejido artesanalmente un asiento usando junquillo o tireta de rattán.

MATRICULA:

€200.00. La matrícula incluye todos los materiales necesarios, las tres comidas principales basadas en una cocina vegetariana y bebidas no alcohólicas durante el día. Puedo facilitar una pequeña lista de hoteles cercanos donde los participantes puedan alojarse durante el cursillo. Un deposito de €50.00 debe ser abonado para asi reservar un puesto.

Aquellos interesados en participar en este cursillo deben ponerse en contacto con: Luis Laso Casas a través del email artesanialapasera@gmail.com o llamando al 646436562

NUMERO DE PLAZAS:

El número de plazas está limitado para garantizar un mejor aprendizaje.

Gift

Over the past week the rain has been fairly constant and the cooler weather persists. Not being able to get out for longer walks, this weather pattern allows us to get on with a few jobs and tasks that you just don't want to do when the sun shines. I have been sorting out the stores whilst Luis has been away at the first Matanza of the season in his family home in Palencia.

Knowing only too well that he will come back with an estate car full of goods from his Sister Rita, it was important to take stock of what needed using up and also to create space for the additional produce. Sorting through our stores it once again came to mind how generous people i.e. family, friends and neighbours are.

Over the past few weeks we have been gifted:

A Christmas cake
A crate of home-produced cider
A couple of kilos of locally grown Avocados
Approx 20 Kilos of apples
A jar of rich brown sugar from France
several jars of jams and pickles
Sweet Chestnut Paste and eggs
A brand new leather jacket

In addition, Luis returned from Rita's with:

30 jars of Pasata concentrated tomato sauce)
15 jars of Pisto (concentrated tomato sauce with pumpkin, pepper, onion marrow and paprika)
5 dozen eggs
8 jars of preserved green beans
4 packs of Chorizo
8 kg of sweet oranges
4kg Quince
Cheese
8kg of frozen raspberries
an assortment of vegetables....

We could have also had as much pork, ham, salami, chorizo or pork products as we had wanted but Luis has stopped eating meat for the time being so there seemed no point in stocking up on food that we would not use. The four packs of chorizo he brought home are for friends and visitors. He decided not to participate in the actual slaughter of the two pigs this time as it is never pleasant and not eating meat he did no longer feel obliged to participate. There is always enough work to do following the deed so he was inevitably kept very busy with the processing of the animals.

Together with our own harvests of fruits, vegetables and nuts, our bulk buy products and the produce we process into jams and pickles, we have a well stocked larder and really do not need to do much shopping for the foreseeable future.

We frequently gift produce ourselves and enjoy giving family, friends and neighbours samples of our soap, hand-creams, jams, pickles etc... Our thoughts on giving can be found here on one of our other blogs. A big thank you to all.

In celebration of carrots, carrots and carrots

You can tell we are overjoyed, by the title of this post. If you'd been disappointed by a poor or non-existent carrot crop for the past 5 years and were suddenly gifted these fine specimens, then you'd understand. For the first time since moving here and growing our own vegetables we have an abundance of fine, fat and sweet carrots.

Carrots feature a lot in our diet both as a raw vegetable for salads or used grated in nut loaf or grated in a rice, carrot and sultana salad. Using shop bought carrots has always been OK but fresh from the ground, grown without chemicals is better. This has happened since raising the vegetable beds and adding 13 tonnes of sandy topsoil.

Now we have a glut of carrots it will be great to be able to make one of our favourite soups: Carrot, coriander and orange. It really is very easy to make and is suitable for these cooler wintry days when a bowl of soup and a chunk of home-made bread goes down a treat.

Here is the recipe:

Carrot, coriander and orange soup

1 large bunch of carrots, peeled or scrubbed, top and tailed, chopped.
1 handful of rice
Zest or finely peeled skin of one orange (preferably un-waxed)
Salt and pepper to taste
Finely chopped fresh coriander for in the soup and to sprinkle on the soup
stock cube
enough water to cover ingredients

Bring to the boil, simmer for 20 minutes, leave to cool, blitz with a hand blender. If too thick it can be diluted with a bit of fresh orange juice. Serve warm with fresh coriander, a twist of black pepper and a slice of fresh bread bread. A meal in itself.

Edited to add: We also love carrot cake...

How to make gooseberry and mustard seed pickle

We have several gooseberry bushes here at La Pasera. They are still young and only one produces fruit in sufficient quantity to be useful but with time we hope to increase the harvest dramatically. The bushes were planted for one reason and one reason only... Gooseberry and Mustard seed pickle (well and the odd crumble if we ever get enough). If you have not tried it, you must, it is to die for.

We cannot take credit for the original recipe (we think it was a Jocasta Innes recipe) and needless to say we have adapted it to suit our taste. So here goes:

225g of rinsed and bruised black and brown mustard seed.
12-15g of cayenne peppers (blitzed with seeds)
1.5 litres of malt vinegar
1.5kg red or green gooseberries
750g of dark brown sugar
100g salt
675g seedless raisins (chopped in a blender)
225g currents (chopped in a blender)
10 cloves of garlic (peeled and crushed)

Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer and stir regularly to avoid burning. 40 minutes may be enough but sometimes the gooseberries release more juice which needs to be reduced. The pickle is ready when it is rich and thickened (it thickens more on cooling). Leave overnight covered with cloth until cool and moisture released. Bottle in sterilised jars, seal and label.

This recipe makes about 8 jars of pickle.

It is ready to eat almost straight away but as with all pickles, it matures well and is better kept for a couple of months for the flavours to develop. It has some heat and despite the high salt levels, it does not taste too salty. It keeps for up to a year if you're lucky and don't eat it all before then. We love it with burgers, cheese, pasties or quiche but it also goes well with meats.

Making the most of courgette, marrow, zucchini and cocozelle

At this time of year one vegetable we look forward to is the courgette or marrow. I must admit that until we started growing our own, It had never occurred to me that they are one and the same plant. I know there are special cultivars which suit either end of the growth scale but in essence a courgette is a baby marrow.

We normally grow two marrow plants as they produce well in our warm and damp climate. We have more than enough courgettes for salads and stir fries and sufficient marrows for soups, stuffing and sauté. This year Luis mistakenly planted 4 thinking that two were squash. We decided to keep the four plants so we are poised for the onslaught.

With the dehydrator, freezer and juicer we should soon, cook, consume or store most of what grows, the rest we will distribute to neighbours and friends.

Cream of Marrow Soup


One of my favourite recipes with marrow is soup. A cream of marrow soup that is so easy to prepare, freezes well and tastes delicious. It can be served hot or cold and tastes very different each way.

1 medium to large marrow (best before pips form and harden)
1 large onion
2 cheese triangles (this gives it the creaminess but can be omitted for lower fat)
Splash of oil
vegetable stock cube quenelles (Home made - link here)
200-250 ml of water
salt and pepper to taste.

Coarsely chop all ingredients, bring to boil, simmer for 20 mins until the marrow skins are soft, take of heat and leave to cool for 20 mins. Blitz with blender. This recipe serves from 4-6 people.

Marrow fritter

Another delicious way of using a young marrow is to slice it thinly about half a centimetre, dust in flour (plain, gram or corn) seasoned with a little salt and pepper, dip into beaten egg and lightly fry in olive oil. Turning when browned. As they are cooked, place on a plate and separate layers with kitchen towel until ready to serve. Spices can be added to the flour but be careful not to overpower the delicate sweet taste of the marrow.

This next basket of freshly picked goodies: lettuce, small marrow, basil, beetroot and fennel are to juice for a delicious sweet glass of pure heaven. It always surprises me how you can still taste the individual ingredients at different depths as your taste buds go into over-drive. No more sugar laden commercial juices from now on.

Ready for cleaning before juicing

Convenience food - 50 years a vegetarian

Anyone who is vegetarian or who cooks for a vegetarian knows all too well that good quality vegetarian dishes take a lot of preparation. Being vegetable based (in the main), more often than not you need to plan ahead and ensure you have plenty of basics in stock ready for use such as nuts, seeds, pre-soaked and boiled beans, chick peas or lentils. In addition, vegetables need processing and cleaning thoroughly especially when they are home-grown, fresh from the ground and not nicely pre-cleaned and packed.

In the UK during my youth, teens and 20s, the concept of fast food had not yet reached the masses and unless you cooked for yourself, you made do with whatever was available. The concept of vegetarian was vague to most food outlets. I remember when I was first training to be a nurse, along with a fellow vegetarian student Terry, we lived in the nurses home at a hospital close to where we worked. The hospital canteen was our main source of nutrition for at least two years before we decanted into a shared house. The canteen waitresses (Bambi and Cath) were always helpful and on a daily basis both parties followed the obligatory routine of "do you have anything without meat or fish?" followed by "No, but I can make you a cheese sandwich with chips". You cannot imagine the jubilation on the rare day when they could announce "We've got cauliflower cheese today". Cheese sandwich and chips, the life saver.

Vegetarian is still a weird concept for most Asturians

Here at La Pasera we both follow a vegetarian diet and therefore having something in the freezer we can pop under a grill or quickly saute, really helps. We often batch cook and this then becomes our convenience foods. One favourite for batch cooking is spicy Indian bean burgers. We make about 40 at a time and freeze them. They cook really well from frozen and make a great addition to a plate of salad or accompanying a few roast veg.

Here is the recipe:

Spicy Indian Bean Burgers 

250 g of soft cooked beans (we use aduki and black eyed beans)

Large onion chopped finely

125 g of grated carrot or swede

90 g fresh breadcrumbs

1 tsp marmite or similar

Flour, Salt, Pepper, Oil

Indian spices (to taste) (we use general curry powder or a mix of garam masala and chilli)

Frozen uncooked on trays then bagged

Sauté the onion and add the Marmite. Lightly mash beans and breadcrumbs (we use a potato masher), add grated vegetables and the cooked onions. Add spices and season to taste. Divide into 90-100g balls and shape into burgers with a light flour coating. Freeze separately on trays then bag up into usable quantities. Goes well with a nice fruit chutney. We would quadruple this recipe to make about 40 burgers.