Bill Farmer

Turkey Cabbage Wraps

Our neighbour has been giving us large kale–like leaves from his purple sprouting broccoli plants, which are quite tasty. I decided to look up what could be done with large cabbage leaves and decided on wraps with a tomato sauce over the top.

Ingredients

• 250g minced turkey thigh
• An onion, finely chopped
• A garlic clove, crushed
• A carrot, grated
• 50g porridge oats
• Small stick of celery, chopped
• A mushroom, chopped finely
• An egg
• Black pepper
• Olive oil
• Enough cabbage leaves for six wraps
• A jar of pasta sauce or tin of chopped tomatoes
• Grated cheese for topping

Method

1. Cut the tough stems out of the leaves and cook them gently in just enough water until limp enough to wrap around the ingredients.
2. Put some olive oil, the onions, garlic, carrot, celery and mushrooms in a medium skillet and cook gently, covered, until looking done, then add the oats and cook a bit more.
3. In a large bowl crack the egg, grate over some black pepper, and whip until combined.
4. Add the turkey, wait for the veg mixture to cool down, then add it to the bowl.
5. Mix it all up until well combined.
6. Lay out each leaf on a chopping board or similar, put a large heaped tablespoon of turkey mixture on each one, and roll it up. If the leaves are wide enough, tuck the sides in before rolling. You may need two leaves for each wrap if they are long narrow ones. You should end up with six wraps.
7. Place the wraps in a suitable casserole dish and cover with sauce or chopped tomatoes. Grate some cheese over the top.
8. Cook in a medium oven for about 40 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted and browning.

Risotto Milanese

This is not authentic Risotto Milanese, that requires beef marrow and saffron. I refuse to pay the exotic prices demanded for saffron in the UK, and I don’t have any beef marrow.

Lunch for two.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Butter, small knob
• 3/4 cup arborio rice
• Medium onion, chopped finely
• Mushrooms, chopped, if liked
• Chicken stock pot
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• Boiling water, about 1 1/4 cups
• Cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1. Add the knob of butter to a medium heavy bottomed pan, add a good glug of olive oil and place on a low heat.
2. Add the chopped onion and allow to cook until soft.
3. Add the mushrooms, if using, rice, turmeric and stir to coat the rice.
4. Add the stock pot and water, stirring to ensure the stock pot has melted and well stirred in.
5. Cover and allow to cook until the rice is done and the water is nearly all absorbed.
6. Stir in the grated cheese and leave to steam, covered, for a few minutes.

I added mushrooms because they were there, waiting to be used, and the cheese was a small lump left in the packet.

Pea and Ham (or Bacon) Soup

This soup is somewhat complicated to make, but delicious. Marrowfat peas need to be soaked overnight.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1/3 cup dried marrowfat peas
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/3 cup frozen or fresh peas
• 1/2 cup chopped ham or bacon pieces
• A medium sized onion, chopped finely
• Two or three cloves of garlic, chopped
• A stick of celery, chopped finely
• A medium sized carrot, grated
• 1/2 vegetable stock cube
• Milk

Method

1. Soak the marrowfat peas overnight in a bowl of water with the 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
2. Discard the soaking water and rinse the marrowfat peas.
3. Cover the bottom of a small saucepan with olive oil and place on a low heat. Add the onion and garlic and half the peas and marrowfat peas.
4. Cover and allow to steam until the onion is soft.
5. Scrape into a small bowl and zizz with a blender. This will make bright green sludge.
6. Cover the bottom of the pan again with olive oil and add the bacon, if using. Place on a low heat.
7. Allow the bacon to cook through before adding the celery, carrot, stock cube and the rest of the peas, or if using ham, add it last.
8. Cover and allow to steam until the celery and carrot is soft.
9. Add the green sludge from the bowl and cover with milk.
10. Stir from time to time to prevent sticking and to prevent the milk from boiling until the marrowfat peas are soft. This may take up to 20 minutes.
11. Serve with toast or crusty bread.

Caldo Verde

This is not the traditional method of making caldo verde. The cabbage should something like spring greens, collard greens or cavalo nero. Spinach beet works also. Roll up the leaves and slice thinly.

Delicious lunch for two.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Two or three green cabbage or kale leaves, sliced thinly
• A medium onion, chopped
• Two or three cloves of garlic, chopped
• A medium sized potato, preferably floury type, chopped into cubes
• About half a dozen slices of chorizo, chopped into small pieces and another half dozen slices left whole
• Half of a vegetable stock cube
• Milk

Method

1. Cover the bottom of a small saucepan with olive oil and place on a low heat
2. Add the chopped chorizo and allow to warm up until bubbling merrily
3. Add the onion and garlic, the stock cube, the potato, and the cabbage/kale on top
4. Cover and allow to steam until the potatoes mash easily with a fork
5. Add milk to cover and mash most of the potato with the fork
6. Allow to warm through until the milk starts to froth
7. Meanwhile, warm up the chorizo slices in a small skillet over a gentle heat
8. Season to taste and ladle into bowls, add the slices of chorizo and oil from the skillet on top
9. Serve with toast or crusty bread

Turkey Gammon Broccoli Bake

This is a recipe for using up a Christmas turkey or chicken, gammon joint, veg etc. You will need a large saucepan for the veg and pasta, a small saucepan for the sauce and a casserole dish or similar to bake it in.

Ingredients

• Cooked turkey/chicken, chopped
• Cooked gammon, chopped
• Broccoli, cut into florets
• Any other veg that needs using
• Penne pasta
• Cheddar or Red Leicester cheese
• Plain flour
• Onion, chopped
• Garlic, chopped
• Celery, chopped
• Black pepper
• Dried oregano
• Olive oil
• Milk

Method

Meat, Broccoli and Pasta

1. First cook the broccoli and any other veg in a large saucepan in the minimum of water. You will need enough veg to about half fill the dish you want to cook it in.
2. While this is cooking, arrange the meat in the cooking dish, you will need enough to cover the bottom.
3. When the veg is cooked reserve the cooking liquid and arrange the veg on top of the meat.
4. Use the same saucepan to cook the pasta. You will need enough to fill up the other half of the cooking dish when cooked.

Cheese Sauce

5. While the pasta is cooking cover the bottom of a small saucepan with olive oil and add chopped onion, garlic, celery, black pepper and oregano.
6. Cook the onions, etc over a low heat until the veg turns soft and add about a heaped tablespoon of flour and stir it up. You will probably need to add more oil, or it will be too dry.
7. Add the reserved veg cooking liquid and enough milk to half fill the pan. Keep stirring to stop it catching on the pan and add more milk as necessary.
8. Add the cheese, chopped into small pieces and stir it in until it melts. The sauce needs to be runny enough to percolate down through the veg and pasta to the meat underneath.

Finish the Dish

9. Drain the pasta and add to the dish and cover with the sauce.
10. Grate cheese over the top of the dish, grind some black pepper over it and sprinkle with oregano.
11. Place in a hot oven, 200°C for about 20 minutes until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbling.
12. Enjoy.