Wild Food Larder

A nettle Dip/spread

My nettle pesto is a product that took me a long time to get excited about even though for many years i have made a variety of  dishes utlising the ubiquitous green weed…It is then, here and now, that i attempt once again to create something unique and tasty…

For all the recipes out there, all of which are very similar, i wanted something that  would stand out, with real punch….

Nettles can taste a little earthy and cotton wooly if processed incorrectly.

200g Nettle tops

100g sunflower seeds

6 cloves roasted garlic

2 tbl sp soy sauce

200ml cold pressed rapeseed oil

salt

pepper

1 tblsp fish sauce

lemon juice

Method

1. Firstly bring oven upto temperature 200 degrees and roast off a whole bulb of garlic, this should take about 10mins.

2.Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and plunge in your nettles to blanch for a few mins. Refresh immediately in cold water. Squeeze out all  excess water and place in food processor.

3.  In a dry frying pan toast off the 100g sunflower seeds until nicely brown, pour into food processor with cooked nettles.

4. Now begin to  whizz the nettles & seeds, at the same time drizzling in the   cold pressed rapeseed oil until a goodly looking soft puree appears. Check for seasoning and add fish sauce (optional) and lemon or lime juice and cracked black pepper.

The word fagot has never appealed. The look of english faggots just about sums up the nature and laziness of british cuisine..yet the word Gayette or Boulette or Crepinette cascades from the mouth and sends dribbles of saliva forth to the corners of my mouth. Yet for all intents and purposes they are much the same thing.
I make and sell Crepinettes on a regular basis varying fillings from rabbit, venison, pigeon, and pork none of these containing any of the offal.

However, a Gayette does contain offal and differs from the english faggot in that it contains passion and knowledge. I therefore am sharing with you one of my versions utilising a number of wild spring vegetables.

Place 130g of mixture in the cetnre of a piece of caul fat and roll into a barrell shape. Place on a tray lined with silver foil. Now brush with sunflower oil and place in a hot oven.

Ready for the oven, roast for twnty minutes and eat right away

I am like a child with a new toy, every spring its the same. Today however, i am pushing on and harvesting three of my favorite spring goodies. Birch sap, ramsons and nettles.
Stinging nettles to many conjour up a dull looking soup thickened with potato’s. that to me shows a lack of culinary knowledge, and passion for food.
I posted my version of nettle soup last year in May i think. It is quite sublime and very hard to beat, please have a go it really is delicious. I can supply my english Chorizo to finish it off.
Today i have made a Dip with my bag of nettles.
Spring Nettle & Ricotta dip

(i use a soft creamy ewes cheese made up the road)

250g of nettles (wet & blanched weight)
300ml cold pressed rape seed oil (i use fussels from Bath) deliciously nutty
250g ricotta or ewes cheese
salt & pepper
2g mace
juice & rind one lemon

Method

One of these cod will definatly be part of Sundays dinner and not a mother in sight..A rare treat and not to be messed with really. Simply wrap the whole fish loosely in silver foil (a pillow) with half a lemon and a few sprigs of lemon thyme, milled lack pepper and a few big pieces of salted butter.
I will of course bundle up a big hand full of wild garlic and lay the cod on top of that. Bake/roast 40 mins

At last the fish Gods have patted me on the head and rewarded me with a spring codling. and now we can feast on natures bounty with unbridled glee and justification…i

One of the many benefits of angling and being a chef are the rewards received following a bountiful days  fishing. During the last week of October 2009 i experienced one such event on Chesil beach.

To me cod fishing is an obsession unequelled. there is no other fish that holds as  much kudos although many other species have greater flavor. many of our fish species have become harder to catch due mainly to over fishing far out at sea. Us humble shore anglers can only hope a few escape the nets and can still follow their true migratory and seasonal routes.

Trawling has been banned now along the Chesil coast due to over fishing and coral damage . The fishing for us mere mortals from the shore has improved. Long may it remain.

What is more difficult to explain however, can be seen in the photograph on the left. Cod and Black Bream in the same session. the Bream being a summer species and the Cod a winter species. Our winters are warmer and our summers longer, it would seem. These trends are probably set to become commonplace. I shall not complain.

Making Bacalhau or Salt Cod

This has to be one of the purest and simplest recipes i know. The hardest ingredient to obtain would be the actual cod. If like me you are an passionate shore angler and are prepared to put in the hours and leg work this is for you.

I used two 5lb fish, once filleted the final flesh weight was 2kg of fillet. This is important as it is normal to use equal amounts of salt to flesh. Good quality salt minus any anti-caking agents is required. I use  a good quality sea salt.

1.In a suitable container pour half the amount of salt

2. lay the cod fillets on top, then pour over the other half of salt

3. Leave for minimum of 12 hours. I will generally leave for 24 hours or more if going to be stored for a long period i.e. more than one month. the drier the better for long storage.

4. Remove from the salt. You will notice that the fillets are translucent and hard. This is good. Store if not using straight away

5. To use……….soak in clean cold water