As do we, although they come in several variations through the year. Broad green beans, a lighter green than some of those shown, with a breadth between my middle finger and thumb, and well pronounced beans are now available much of the year also.
Looking for a good recipe.... I've trawled the internet, and haven't found quite the right thing. I want to try making flour-free amaretti. Might anyone have such a recipe handy?
It's tricky -- I've done some baking with almond flour and it is much drier than ground almonds. Almond flour and ground almonds are not interchangeable. The latter have a large particle size, similar to coarse polenta. They are made by grinding the whole nut, skin and all. Almond flour is made with blanched almonds, meaning that the skins are removed and discarded, then the almonds need to dry out before being ground up.
A friend of mine uses this Ottolenghi recipe but warns that these amaretti biscuits are more chewy, less brittle and crunchy. She suggests you go easy on the almond extract which can be overpowering or even bitter.
It seems to be mostly ground apricot kernels held together by egg whites, with superfine sugar. God knows where I'll find apricot kernels.
The Ottolenghi recipe doesn't read like what I'm searching for, specifically, but it reads like the cookies I used to get from a very good Danish food shop, now gone over 20 years ago. I may try these ones, anyway, because they do sound very good. Thank you for the link, ML.
Quite unintentionally had a Ship cuisine Christmas. Some time ago there was a discussion here on spaghetti alla carbonara that worked very well for us, so that was Christmas dinner, followed by a big batch of oatcakes based on WW's foolproof recipe. Goat cheese on oatcakes is quite heavenly.
I'm going to lower my carbs to help out my diabetes. I've been considering alternatives to potatoes. Would you consider cubed turnips tasty in a beef stew with celery and just a few carrot slices?
I took a look at sweet potatoes and butternut squash. They are a little more carbie than turnips, though less than potatoes. I guess I can give them all a shot.
@Lyda, If your diet permits turnip, yes, it would be very tasty. There is the French dish navarin, which is, essentially, stewed lamb and turnip, carrot, often with green peas. It's one of my favourite cold weather dishes. (It gets its name from "navet" - French for "turnip".) If it works for lamb, it would work for beef. I've also used rutabaga in lieu of the smaller white turnips, and that's also good, though different. Bon appetit!
@Martha I'm sitting on a couple kilos of beets and running out of ideas. Could you post your recipe, please? If you do, could you also tell me something of its provenance?
@Lyda, If your diet permits turnip, yes, it would be very tasty. There is the French dish navarin, which is, essentially, stewed lamb and turnip, carrot, often with green peas. It's one of my favourite cold weather dishes. (It gets its name from "navet" - French for "turnip".) If it works for lamb, it would work for beef. I've also used rutabaga in lieu of the smaller white turnips, and that's also good, though different. Bon appetit!
That sounds good. It looks like carbs are from most to least in this order, grams in one cup:
Sweet potato 58
Potato 36
Rutabaga 21
Butternut squash 18
Beets 17
Turnips 11
Turnips are the winner! Now if I find a good recipe and they taste good to me...
@Pangolin Guerre It's from a Tesco (supermarket) magazine a few years ago, and now tends to be my go-to beef stew recipe, but I don't always put the beetroot in.
2tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp allspice
600g/ 1lb 6oz diced stewing beef
3 tbsp veg oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
6 shallots, peeled and left whole, or 2 onions, chopped
450g / 1lb raw beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
150ml red wine
1 litre beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 bay leaves
1 tin butter beans, drained
Mix flour, allspice, salt and pepper. Coat the beef in the flour mixture. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole dish and fry half the beef. Remove. Repeat with another tbsp oil and the other half. Add a little water to the pan to loosen stuck-on bits, then pour off and reserve.
Add remaining oil to the pan and cook the carrots, celery, parsnips and shallots for 10 minutes. Stir in the beetroot, garlic and thyme and cook 2 minutes, then add beef, red wine, stock, tomato puree, bay leaves, butter beans, and the reserved water from deglazing the pan.
Bring to the boil, then put in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes at 170C / 325F.
I am planning on the required black-eyed peas and greens for New Year's Day, but to be honest I really do not like the black-eyed peas. I eat them because failing to do so seems like I am letting down generations of a southern family even though I have not lived in the South for over 50 years. Does anyone have a recipe they like for them?
I am planning on the required black-eyed peas and greens for New Year's Day, but to be honest I really do not like the black-eyed peas. I eat them because failing to do so seems like I am letting down generations of a southern family even though I have not lived in the South for over 50 years. Does anyone have a recipe they like for them?
I’ll be doing the same (plus ham). I love black-eyed peas, though I can’t say I know of a recipe beyond cooking them with a ham hock or similar piece of pork. And I know lots of folk, my family included, who put ketchup on them. Very common in these parts.
Or perhaps instead of straight-up black-eyed peas, you could go with Hoppin’ John? Yum!
It’s the collards I have a very hard time with. I really dislike them, but I’ll take a bite. Because.
Wish I could send them to you. Once I’ve had the obligatory New Year’s bite, you’d be more than welcome to all of my greens—especially the mustard greens!
I found out that Vietnamese really LIKE Hoppin' John. At least Mr. Lamb. I can see why, after I made it for Rossweisse last year and we had some leftover. It tasted like something that belongs in their cuisine!
Just looked up collards, but there's nothing matching on the market here - indeed, we've never seen seeds or seedlings for sale either. Some of the recipes and combinations sound worth a try. Could we substitute spinach instead please?
No swiss chard either. Silver beet is commonly available if you think that's along the right lines. Its leaves are much firmer than spinach, but it does have a different and distinctive flavour.
Comments
A friend of mine uses this Ottolenghi recipe but warns that these amaretti biscuits are more chewy, less brittle and crunchy. She suggests you go easy on the almond extract which can be overpowering or even bitter.
The Ottolenghi recipe doesn't read like what I'm searching for, specifically, but it reads like the cookies I used to get from a very good Danish food shop, now gone over 20 years ago. I may try these ones, anyway, because they do sound very good. Thank you for the link, ML.
That sounds good. It looks like carbs are from most to least in this order, grams in one cup:
Sweet potato 58
Potato 36
Rutabaga 21
Butternut squash 18
Beets 17
Turnips 11
Turnips are the winner! Now if I find a good recipe and they taste good to me...
Fingers crossed!
My figures are from https://www.carb-counter.net/ . Gross carbs not net carbs. I don't know how fiber works into those numbers.
2tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp allspice
600g/ 1lb 6oz diced stewing beef
3 tbsp veg oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
6 shallots, peeled and left whole, or 2 onions, chopped
450g / 1lb raw beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
150ml red wine
1 litre beef stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 bay leaves
1 tin butter beans, drained
Mix flour, allspice, salt and pepper. Coat the beef in the flour mixture. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large casserole dish and fry half the beef. Remove. Repeat with another tbsp oil and the other half. Add a little water to the pan to loosen stuck-on bits, then pour off and reserve.
Add remaining oil to the pan and cook the carrots, celery, parsnips and shallots for 10 minutes. Stir in the beetroot, garlic and thyme and cook 2 minutes, then add beef, red wine, stock, tomato puree, bay leaves, butter beans, and the reserved water from deglazing the pan.
Bring to the boil, then put in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes at 170C / 325F.
Serves 8.
Or perhaps instead of straight-up black-eyed peas, you could go with Hoppin’ John? Yum!
It’s the collards I have a very hard time with. I really dislike them, but I’ll take a bite. Because.
All right! More for me! I like all the greens; collards, turnips and mustards, but must admit that mustard greens are my very favorite.
I'd forgotten that, but it is to be avoided. Years since we last bought any.