Hello! I am running an event this Sunday, at the Old Ship Inn in Cawsand, and as Co-ordinator of the Old Ship Inn, my daughter Phoebe is cooking the lunch.
We thought it would be fun to share some of the recipes that she will be making with you. You might be inspired to create your own Spring Lunch using some of the wonderful local ingredients that are just beginning to be available now the weather is warming up.
Over to Phoebe...
As I started writing this week, I thought I had this recipe in my head. Once I began to type, I realised that it's more than one recipe, so I’ve also added a few extra notes and ideas!
Accompaniments
The pièce de résistance recipe needs these accompaniments to make it truly great!
Despite the weather being a bit variable and not particularly spring-like it seems like the best of the produce is coming anyway!
The asparagus is here, as are the new potatoes, peas and of course rhubarb.
I’ve been making lots of broths, as usual, following the recipe from last month but adding in these new season treats. My last broth was a version with asparagus, peas, and smoked haddock, which is a must!
There is something I crave with all these lovely fresh flavours, something nutty, and dense which, when paired with all these greens, and a few soft eggs, seems to just balance it all out - it's Rye Bread.
I love the shop brought version, slavered in peanut butter or marmite but I’m always wanting a thicker slice. When you make it yourself, you have that power! This loaf is very seedy, and it has treacle in it, which gives it a great sweetness while still being super-savoury.
I’ve been eating it with everything over the last month. It’s great toasted for breakfast, with yoghurt, rhubarb, and honey, or on colder days with butter and baked beans (always with the butter first, as in my opinion, part of the great flavour of baked beans, is the butter underneath them).
We recently moved our house around, swapping our dining table into what was our living room, placing the table right in the bay window so it’s always light and bathed in sunshine.
This, for me, has marked the start of spring suppers. It has become the perfect inside/outside space, and this rye bread has been included in most of them in the last few weeks.
Sometimes, with just steamed asparagus, dotted with butter, and salt and pepper once cooked. Occasionally a green salad, with jammy eggs and pickled red onions dressed in apple cider vinegar and olive oil, and finally roast potatoes (roasties in our house).
When it’s not for a ‘traditional’ Sunday roast, I make roasties Italian style as it’s much easier, just cut them smaller, into cubes, or quarters if they’re new, and roast at 200°C with lots of garlic cloves, rosemary, and olive oil until crispy and soft.
I serve it all with wild garlic mayo, great with potatoes, on the salad, on the asparagus and the next day on the rye bread with thick slices of cheese - napkin mandatory.
Wild Garlic Mayonnaise
Ingredients:
- 90g of wild garlic or 3 cornered leeks
- 450g of rapeseed oil
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper
Method:
- If you're using traditional wild garlic (ramsons) I would blanch them first. I often use three cornered leeks which don't need blanching. Add rapeseed oil to the garlic mixture, blend together and then strain through a very fine sieve or muslin cloth.
- In a small bowl mix together egg yolks, Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar, plus some salt and pepper. Using a stick blender, whizz until combined. Then slowly pour in your oil, blending continuously until it forms a thick mayonnaise.
- Check the seasoning, it might want more salt or more vinegar here. People are always afraid of mayonnaise but all I can say is that the stick blender is your friend!
Now onto the Rye Bread. I know it’s a bit love/hate, but I really hope you find something you can love this with, even if it’s just as a vessel for the wild garlic mayonnaise!
Super-seeded Rye Bread
About 8-10 slices, depending on thickness.
A couple notes on flour and grains first. I use Wessex Mill flours, they do a 6 Seed one, and a Wholegrain Rye which both work really well in this recipe. I've used pearl barley as the grain since it’s one I have in the house. I love it in salads and soups, but you could use spelt or a pre-cooked grain mix.
If you cook your own grain, the weight in the recipe is for the cooked weight. I always cook a bit extra since it's perfect added to other things and as it takes a while to cook you might as well!
If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, I would use it here since the dough comes up quite wet, it works just as well without one but be warned your hands may get a little messy!
Ingredients:
- 200g rye flour, plus a bit extra for kneading
- 300g wholegrain seeded bread flour
- 75g of mixed seeds, plus extra for rolling
- 125g of cooked pearl barley (cooked per packet instructions)
- 7g of fast-action dried yeast
- 20g of fine salt
- 85g of treacle
- A little bit of oil for greasing
- 900g Loaf Tin
Method:
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flours, seeds, pearl barley, yeast and salt.
- In a small bowl, weigh out the treacle and use 100ml of boiling water to dissolve it, then make up to 300ml with cold water. Pour onto the flours and stir to combine. If you’re doing this by hand, I find a silicone spatula the best for this. The dough will be wet but try not to add too much extra flour, a dough scraper can be your friend here, to get the sticky dough moving. Knead on your work bench for 10 minutes, or 5 minutes in your stand mixer, until the dough is starting to look smooth. Use your spatula, or dough scraper to clean out the bowl and pop the dough back in, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise for 2 hours. The rye flour won’t rise as quickly as you’re used to with white loaves, this is a packed loaf so it's heavy, give it time.
- Brush your loaf tin with some oil. Remove the dough from the bowl and knock back. Shape into a large log shape, about the length of your tin. Scatter your bench with mixed seeds ad then roll the dough in them to coat all over. Place into the loaf tin and press down. Cover again and let prove for 1 hour until soft and pillow-like.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C and place a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven to heat up.
- Place the dough in the middle shelf and quickly pour a glass of water into the hot roasting tin. This will create steam to give your loaf a lovely crunchy crust. Bake for 45 minutes. To check if your loaf is cooked, turn it out of the tin and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow then it should be done, if not pop it in for 5 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack.
Thanks Phoebe, simply delicious - I'm really looking forward to your next recipe!
If you are considering a more eco friendly way to store your homemade or shop bought bread, then read 5 reasons why linen bread bags are the most sustainable choice.
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