SPRING LUNCH: Sunday Roast with a difference

Julia's iPad

We're in the middle of that cold snap which everybody warned us about. Fine by me as we've just planted our first bed of roses and I'm longing for the Spring rains to start. The garden appears to be coming back from the dead and we have daffodils and sweet-peas popping out all over the place. The lawn is turning green again after resembling burnt hay all Winter and we're having lots of fun with the chain saw cutting back all the overgrowth.

Last week I got seriously over-excited with all the Spring produce coming in and ran around marketing like a loony. I'm going to calm down a bit this week and play more in the kitchen with some new ideas. I'm also starting my Spring Regime which basically means I need to give up food and never get off my spinning bike, a necessary evil after heartily eating my way through Winter.

A cook book that seems most appropriate here in the countryside is Jamie Oliver's 'At Home'.  On Sunday I made Jamie's 'English hot pot of amazing summer greens and flaked gammon' which reads more like an essay than a recipe, but it was fan-bloody-tastic. Family & Company seemed to have enjoyed it too, so it's going on Repeat.

I've adapted the title and the recipe a bit. It's like a Sunday roast but without the heaviness and a salad without the boring lettuce. Quite a looker too. I actually managed to find turnips but not purple sprouting broccoli and would stress that any kind of Spring vegetable would do. We used the most glorious Dargle Valley Pork gammon which was succulent and really tasty. Well worth seeking out if you can, as it must be some of the finest pork in the country.

Julia's iPad

Zulushire Ham and Spring Vegetable Hotpot

2kg Dargle Valley Pork gammon with knuckle in

Handful of bay leaves

Small bunch parsley

Handful of thyme sprigs

Black peppercorns

6 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced on the diagonal

6 shallots or 1 red onion

Fennel, sliced and keep the fronds 

Celery with yellow leaves

400g baby potatoes

6 small turnips

4 generous handfuls of spring greens - spinach,Swiss chard, kale, roughly chopped

1 kg purple sprouting broccoli or just whichever type you can find

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil, OK?)

Method:

1. Boil gammon in large pot. Throw away the water (gets rid of any saltiness) and then refill with fresh water to cover the whole cut along with the bay, thyme and parsley stalks. Cook for about 1.5 hours.
2. Add the carrots, shallots and potatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes
3. Next add in the fennel and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Don't overcook
4. Lastly add in the broccoli and greens for a further 5 minutes and cook until just soft.
5. Shred the ham and plonked everything on a large platter, dressing with the fennel fronds 
6. Serve room temperature with lots of Hot English Mustard on the side and crusty bread.

A few bottles of Cederburg Rose went down exceptionally well and was also beautifully colour co-ordinated.

I was in Type A heaven.