The days are finally getting longer and the weather seems to be milder (is that the last of the snow!?) The first fruits of the season - such as Rhubarb - will soon be finding their way to farm shops near you! Also Leeks and Parsley are in abundance right now so why not take a trip to your local farm shop or farmers market and pick up these goodies and try out some of the recipes we have linked to below.
Leeks
A member of the onion family, the leek is a versatile vegetable that, combined with carrot, celery and onion, makes a great base for soups or stews. The mild flavour of leek lends itself to being combined with butter and cream for a gentle sweetness. Why not try this Welsh Creamed Leek Soup recipe this season?
Rhubarb
Actually a vegetable but prepared as a fruit, early 'forced' rhubarb has long, pale, pink stems with small leaves that don't look enticing but have all the freshness and flavour needed to make delicious pies, fools, sorbet or ice cream. Forced or early rhubarb needs very brief cooking and, unless you have a palate for tartness, it always needs sweetening with sugar. Rhubarb can also be cooked as a vegetable accompaniment to savoury dishes! But you know what first springs to mind when I think of rhubarb – that’s a crumble – why not try this Rhubarb Crumble recipe this season?
Parsley
One of the few herbs to stand the chilly air of early spring, parsley comes in two main varieties: flatleaf and curlyleaf. Favoured by Mediterranean cooks, flatleaf parsley has a more robust flavour than the curly-leaf variety, making it ideal to sauté with strong flavours, such as garlic and onion. Why not take a look at Cookipedia (offspring off the well known Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia) for a list of recipes that use parsley?
That’s all from us for March – be sure to check back in April for our new ‘In Season..’ updates.
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