What do do with all these apples??

Here's a great recipe from a very good customer for the cooking apple glut...

 

Easy Chilli Jam (makes about 6 jars)

8 cooking apples

4 medium red chillies (obviously a matter of taste - this version is fairly tame)

1-4 cloves garlic depending on taste, peeled

1 tin tomatoes

300g sugar

Blitz garlic and chillies (seeds in) in blender with tomatoes

Core apples, but don't peel them. Chop into quarters and then chop the quarters into four.

Bung everything except sugar into a big pan and bring to boil

Lower the heat and add the sugar, stirring til dissolved

Simmer gently til chillies are soft and it resembles jam. 30-40 mins ish.

If you don't want it too chunky use a hand blender to smooth it.

It is more of a chutney than a jam I suppose. We like it with cheese or ham :-)

 

Thanks Sarah!

What's a lamb-box?

No, its not a newborn lamb in a box!

A 'lamb-box' is an opportunity to stock up the freezer will a bulk-buy of top quality lamb joints, chops and steaks at a time when they're good value and have lived long enough to acquire a great depth of taste.  They're all our own, home-bred animals and will be processed in our own butchery - as we do this ourselves, we can do them exactly how we (and you) might like them.  Do you prefer a rack of lamb to lamb chops?  No problem, just let us know.

What's in a lamb box?

As you can see, that can vary, but as a guide, what we call 1/2 a lamb might include:

Leg of lamb;
Lamb leg fillet;
Loin chops, a rack of lamb or a bit of both;
Boned and rolled shoulder joints or a bone in shoulder for slow roasting;
Shoulder or neck steaks;
diced lamb for stewing or kebabs;
lamb mince.

Again, the advantage of our 'bespoke' boxes is that we can adjust how we cut the carcass to give extra mince, steaks, etc, according to your preferences.

Prices will of course vary according to weight, but we hope that they will be around £65 for a half-box.  Whatever the final price, they will always be cheaper than buying the individual pieces in the Farm Shop.

We would hope to also provide quarter boxes - ask for details - and of course you would be able to take a whole lamb and with an even greater discount.  If you're interested, do get in touch through the shop or our contact form:
http://www.newclosefarmshop.co.uk/contactus.php

Recipes for the cold!

Since its bloomin' cold, we thought you'd like to see a few quick, simple, but warming recipes for keeping warm - the majority of these ingredients are available from the Farm Shop, and the rest should hopefully be in your cupboard anyway...

Enjoy!

Vegetable Chilli

INGREDIENTS

Available from the shop:

1 large onion, chopped

2 courgettes, halved lengthways, sliced

2 large carrots, halved lengthways, sliced

400g tin chopped tomatoes

400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained

400g tin kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Basmati rice

You will need:

2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil for frying

200ml vegetable stock

2 tbsp tomato puree or tomato sauce

1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced - or use dried flakes

Natural yoghurt or crème fraiche to serve (optional)

 

METHOD

1.       Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan and cook the onion for 2-3 mins until beginning to soften. Add the courgettes, carrots and chilli and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring well, until softened and beginning to turn golden.

2.       Add the tinned tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more, stirring continuously. Add the stock, tomato puree, chickpeas and kidney beans, then season well to taste. Bring to the boil, cover, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 mins, stirring occasionally.

3.       Serve with brown rice and natural yogurt or crème fraiche.

Cottage Pie with Rosti

INGREDIENTS

Available from the shop:

4 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

500g beef mince

1 carrot, diced

1 onion, diced

1 crushed garlic clove

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

2 medium potatoes

1 medium sweet potato

Cheddar cheese (optional) 

You will need:                          

Vegetable oil                                    

2 tbsp plain flour                               
400ml beef stock (or red wine)        
2 tbsp tomato puree                        
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce            
25g butter                                          

METHOD

1.      Preheat the oven to 200°C.

2.      Heat the oil in a large pan. Soften the onion for about 5 minutes. Add the sage & the mince, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots & garlic and stir through.

3.      Drain the tin of tomatoes with a sieve. Discard the juice/liquid.  Add the flour to the mince and mix until it is thoroughly combined, then add the drained tomatoes. Add the stock (or wine), season and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

4.      Meanwhile, par boil the potatos (peeled and cut in half) and the sweet potato (peeled but left whole) for 5 minutes. Drain and leave to cool. When cool enough to handle, grate and mix together.

5.      Melt the butter in the microwave.  After allowing the meat mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, transfer to an oven proof dish.  Top the meat mixture with the grated potato mix, season and then spread the butter on top. Pop into the oven for around 25/30 minutes.  The topping should go golden & crisp.  Scatter grated cheese over the top 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Sausage & Root Stew 

INGREDIENTS

From the shop:

6-8 good sausages, cut into large chunks,

1 small or 1/2 large celeriac, peeled & cut into chunky cubes

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky cubes

1 parsnip, cut into chunky cubes

1 leek, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

4 sage leaves, finely chopped.

You will need:

2-3 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

1 glass of dry cider or white wine

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

1.       Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a casserole or large saucepan. Add the sausages and brown them well over a medium heat. Transfer them to a dish.

2.       Pour the cider or wine into the casserole and stir to deglaze, scraping to release any bits of caramelised meat from the base of the pan. Pour the pan juices into the dish with the sausages.

3.       Heat another 1-2 tbsp of oil in the casserole, add the onions, leek and sage and cook gently for 10 minutes or so, until softened. Then return the sausages to the casserole with their juices and add the celeriac, potatoes and parsnip.

4.       Season with salt and pepper and add enough water to almost cover everything. Bring to a very gentle simmer. Cook uncovered, or partially covered, very gently over a low heat (or with the lid on in the oven preheated to 140°C/Gas Mark 1) for about 1 hour, until everything is tender.

5.       Check the seasoning. The potatoes should have started to break down and thicken the liquor a little. If not, just mash some of the vegetables against the side of the dish with a fork. Scatter over some chopped parsley, if you like, and serve.

Beamish Hall Summer Fete Taste Event (Sunday 17 June 2012) - Vote now!

Thanks for all your suggestions for new sausage flavours.  We've picked out the most exciting, and now its up to you to decide which variety that you think we should make for the Beamish Hall Summer Fete.  Remember, the fete is this Sunday (17th June) so once you've made your choice, come and sample the end result!

UPDATE: This vote is now  closed (of course).  Thanks for voting and coming to Beamish to try the winner!  We hope you enjoyed them.

First Time Out!

So, a Food Fair beckons for us for the first time!  We thought it was about time we were a little more proactive and started spreading the word about New Close Farm Shop, what we do, why we do it and what it means for other people (aka you!).

We will be popping up at a few events across the summer and we'll be flagging it up on here beforehand.  We're hoping to sell some produce, chat to a few people, showcase what we do and also try and have a good time.  We're not going to spoil the surprise just yet, but we will be asking from some input from you a few times through the summer too...

See you soon then!

Jamie

National Sausage Week

So, its National Sausage Week next week so I thought I would take the opportunity to write a quick article about what makes our sausages so good!

It short, its down to what we do put in them (rare breed pork that's lived long enough to gather some flavour, herbs and spices to our family recipe and some rusk) and - just as importantly - what we don't ("marginal cuts", additives to aid water retention, synthetic skins and certainly not any flavour "enhancers").

We all have our favourite varieties of sausage, and some are more suited to some dishes than others.  What about a cumberland-style sausage with mashed potato, turnip and parsnip, or honey sausages on the BBQ?

But what about your own flavour of sausage?  Have you ever thought that you'd love to try a pork and lemongrass sausage with sweet chilli, or what about trying to re-create a local, traditional dish with a modern twist.  Come and see us, have a chat and perhaps, with a little bit of notice we could create you something really, really different!  Alternatively, if there's something that you think we should try, drop us a line by email, on Twitter ( (@New_Close_Farm) at http://twitter.com/#!/New_Close_Farm or just pop in and say hello!

Happy sausage eating!

What am I going to do with all these herbs??

All this rain and sunshine is sending the herbs mad! We're loads and loads of lemon balm, mint, etc so here are a few suggestions of what to do:


Lemon Balm Tea

(with fresh or dried leaf)
*1 heaped tablespoon of dried leaves or 2 tablespoons of fresh leaves for each cup of boiling water
(or make sun tea by placing herbs and cool water in covered jar in the sun for a few hours)
*Strain, then add honey and/or lemon.


Herb Tea

* Put a few leaves of fresh thyme, sage, lemon balm, mint or a Lavender flower head in a cup.
* Pour on boiling water and cover with a saucer.
* Leave for about 3-4 minutes (when it is cool), then strain it before drinking it.


"Fines Herbes"

This is a mixture of equal quantities of chopped fresh parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon.

* Add it when making an omelette or scrambled eggs.
* Sprinkle it over cooked carrots, haricot or butter beans.
* Include it in a green salad.

If you don't have all the above herbs, just use some.

Or just use your imagination!