Roast onion soup with wild garlic oil
Roast onion soup
Ingredients:
4 large onions
2 tablespoons oil
Few sprigs thyme
50g butter
1 stick celery, chopped
White of 1 leek, chopped
1 and a half litres vegetable stock
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
25ml double cream
Method:
Set oven to 180oc.
Peel the onions and cut in half. Place in a casserole and drizzle with oil. Season with salt and add the thyme. Cover and bake for about an hour or until golden and soft.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the celery and leek. Cook gently for 10 minutes then add the cooked onion, stock and potato. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until the potato is soft. Blend to a smooth puree and check seasoning.
Wild garlic oil
Ingredients:
25g wild garlic leaves
50ml oil
Salt to taste
Method:
Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the wild garlic. After 5 seconds cool under cold water and pat dry on kitchen paper. Blend with the oil and then line a sieve with muslin. Pour oil to strain. Check seasoning.
Pickled wild garlic buds
Ingredients:
8 heads of wild garlic buds (available in May)
100ml cider vinegar
100ml water
50g castor sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Method:
Wash and pat dry the garlic buds and place in a clean jar. Boil the vinegar, water, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves. Cool and pour over the buds.
Seal and store in the fridge.
Ladle the soup into cups or bowls and drizzle over the oil. Chop a teaspoon of the buds and dot a little around each bowl.
Savoury cheese biscuits with smoked tomato jam
Ingredients:
100g plain flour
100g butter
75g grated cheddar
45g grated parmesan
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon seasalt
1 egg yolk
Method:
Rub the flour and butter to fine crumb consistency. Mix in the mustard, salt and egg yolk and mix to a dough. Add a small amount of cold water if necessary. Wrap in greaseproof and chill.
Line 2 trays with parchment paper. Roll the mixture out to about ¼ cm thick and cut into rounds. Place on baking trays. Take a round out of the middle of half of the rounds with a small cutter or piping bag nozzle. Place in fridge for an hour.
Preheat oven to 160oc and add biscuits.
Cook for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Cool on a wire rack.
Smoked tomato jam
Ingredients:
250g local tomatoes, chopped
Oakchips
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
75g sugar
75ml cider vinegar
Method:
Line a baking tray with foil, scatter the bottom with oakchips and place a rack on top. Cut the tomatoes in half and place on the rack. Cover tightly with foil and place on direct heat – preferably outside. When smoke appears cook for a minute then turn off and allow to cool.
Cook the onion and garlic in the oil until soft.
Add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and vinegar. Cook for 20 minutes or until thick and syrupy. Blend to a smooth paste and then pass through a sieve. Check seasoning and store in a clean jam jar.
