Bill Farmer

Interesting Mash

This is similar to Vegetables cooked in olive oil, except mashed or whipped with a fork. Parsnips are difficult to grate, the softer outer part can be peeled off with a vegetable peeler, and the harder inner core sliced thinly.

Ingredients

• Sliced onions
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Parsnips/Swede/Turnips
• Cabbage/Spinach
• Olive oil

Method

1. Cover the bottom of a medium saucepan with oil
2. Place a layer of sliced onions on the bottom
3. Layer grated carrot, grated parsnip/turnip/swede, cubed potato and chopped cabbage/spinach.
4. Put on a low heat for about 20 minutes with the lid on until the veg is cooked and the potatoes are soft.
5. Mash or whip with a fork until smooth or lumpy to taste.

Green Tomatoes

If you grow your own tomatoes outside you will end up with green ones that aren’t going to ripen up anytime soon. The classic method for using them up is to make Green Tomato Chutney, which is quite easy. If the skins are tough, use a blender to liquidise them.

Green Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

• 175g/6oz light brown sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz red wine vinegar
• 1 shallot or small onion, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled, finely chopped
• 2cm/¾in piece fresh root ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 125g/4½oz sultanas
• 600g/1lb 5oz green tomatoes, quartered

Method

1. Heat the sugar in a frying pan until the sugar melts and caramelises.
2. Add the white wine vinegar, shallot, garlic, ginger, chilli, sultanas and green tomatoes and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until the chutney has thickened and you can draw a wooden spoon across the base of the pan so that it leaves a channel behind it that does not immediately fill with liquid.
3. Spoon the chutney into sterilised jars.

They can also be used in recipes that require ripe tomatoes with the addition of some tomato puree, such as Catalan slow cooked chicken.

Boiled Beef and Carrots

This method can be used for any cut of beef but works very well for brisket or braising steak.

Ingredients

• Brisket joint
• 4-6 chopped onions
• 3-4 large carrots
• Olive oil
• Black pepper
• Bay leaves

Method

1. Place joint in large covered casserole or saucepan with a couple of bay leaves
2. Grind some black pepper over the joint and pour over some olive oil
3. Surround the meat with chopped onions and chopped carrots
4. Put on the lid and place in a slow oven for about 4-5 hours
5. Enjoy with roast potatoes, parsnips and green veg

Baked Tomatoes

On a holiday staying at the Atlantic Hotel, St Mary’s there seemed to be a different breakfast chef nearly every day. One of them had a novel way of preparing tomatoes for an English breakfast.

Ingredients

• Tomatoes
• Oregano
• Olive oil

Method

1. Take the stems off the tomatoes and place them upside down in a baking tin. They should be stable upside down.
2. Cut a cross in the bottom of each one, put a few drops of oil on each one and sprinkle over some oregano. The oregano sticks if you put the oil on first.
3. Put the tin in a medium oven and bake until they are done.
4. Serve with breakfast, sausages, pork chops or whatever you fancy.

Fried Whole Mushrooms

Just a more interesting way of preparing mushrooms than chopping them up.

Ingredients

• Mushrooms
• Olive oil

Method

1. Keep the mushrooms whole, even if they have long stems. Put some oil in a skillet over a medium heat and place the mushrooms cap down in the pan with the stems sticking up.
2. Add a couple of drops of oil to the inside of the cap of each mushroom.
3. When the caps are browned tip them on their sides or turn them over depending on the length of the stems.
4. When done serve on toast or however you like your mushrooms.