Archive for the ‘Produce Focus’ Category

English asparagus has arrived at Natoora – one of the greatest of Spring treats. We searched far and wide to find the absolute best that this country has to offer and in South Lincolnshire we found it!

Nick and Ros Loweth at Abbey Parks Farm have been producing asparagus for 10 years and it is truly some of the finest asparagus we have ever had the pleasure of tasting. We’re obviously not the only ones who think so as they also supply the prestigious London restaurant The Ivy!

Each spear is individually cut by hand whilst still young and tender so however you decide it cook it, it’s going to taste fantastic.

We recommend you peel the asparagus’ outer skin down about 2″ from the tip, cook for a couple of minutes in boiling salted water until slightly tender, and then serve with creamy melted butter and a dash of lemon or try quality extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Another great way to dress your asparagus, brought to us by Stevie from Dock’s Kitchen, is to make a light anchovy sauce. Mash some anchovies in a pestle & mortar with excellent olive oil a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper. Then pour over your cooked asparagus. Simply superb!

Find out more about our English asparagus and buy online today!

Roberto hunting down some fantastic muscat grapes

There’s great fortune at having our own buyers in some of the most important fresh produce markets in Europe and with it some personal misfortune as well. Our buyers’ (Roberto & Thierry) excellent work along with the invaluable daily communication between us means that our customers get the latest information and the finest produce available. I, on the other hand, have less reason to go to the markets!

Wholesale markets are wonderful beasts – they’re vibrant, incredibly visual, they inspire you to cook, and mystify you with the freshness, quality and variety of produce.

As you source from over six varieties of artichokes – we’re now in prime artichoke season in Italy – you can’t help but question why do we find not one single artichoke in supermarkets today? The reason has little to do with sourcing policies, as pre-prepared pineapples sold in supermarkets are prepared in Africa and flown to the UK.

When you taste a superb winter tomato like the Sardinian Camone or the Merinda (AKA Costoluto) from Pachino in Sicily – both green varieties which are cultivated with salty water and eaten raw – the same questions come to mind. Fantastic products are still grown as they were hundreds of years ago, yet what is readily available to consumers, especially in large metropolitan areas, is abysmal. (It is worth noting our Cherry Vine Tomatoes from Pachino are cheaper than incomparable supermarket varieties.)

Roughly five years ago I managed to leave a life of banking behind to work in what I love. I still remember finding myself at four in the morning sometime in the middle of September, evening streetlights still shimmering in the distance, while the humming noise of forklifts and lorries moving towers of fresh produce gave life to an otherwise perfectly still dusk. I could not believe it, this was work.

Pink Radicchio - Only available for a few short weeks in February

Markets are places I feel very much at home in, although I spend less time in them than I used to when I first started. Inside them I forget the nagging issues and daily problems, the difficulties of taking on the distribution behemoths of today. As you taste your way through the market, walking briskly from stand to stand, negotiating prices and taking in an earful of tips, recipes and other invaluable if sometimes fantastical knowledge, you realise how varied and amazing the world of fresh produce is. And how little of it makes its way to the vast majority of us.

Over four very short years we have managed to put in place a distribution system which allows us to source some incredible produce – no better tetstament to this than the restaurants we supply – and at the heart of it are our buyers.

Having our own people, sourcing and selecting for our clients, working closely with our suppliers on a daily basis is why today we are the only greengrocer in the whole of the UK where you can find Pink Radicchio (even if in season only three weeks a year), five varieties of artichokes, winter tomatoes, Grumolo (wild radicchio), the marvelous Bergamot which has made its way onto the menus of Hibiscus, Wild Honey, Santini, The Greenhouse and Sketch…all thanks to our sourcing ability and ultimately our passionate team. Both Ruth and Rose of the River Café have told me that since we started sourcing fresh produce especially for them, their restaurant is the better for it. As a small young company it is really inspiring to the level of chefs which are amazed by the quality and variety of our produce – to see it all end on their plates is an exceptional achievement in a very competitive industry.

It is a very personal goal and the main driver for Natoora. We select food not by shelf life or outside appearance but by tasting it, and ensuring the farmers and producers we source from have the necessary combination of passion, tradition and ethical standards. We are not in search of anything new, nor do we want to change the way man has provided for him for thousands of years – what we seek is to revive the traditions that we have lost, allowing people to once again have access to the highest quality food with incomparable flavour. That is our philosophy, our commitment.

We’re really proud of our fruit and veg selection at Natoora. Our range includes lots of must try items that you just won’t be able to find in the supermarkets. Here’s just a few of our favourites that are tasting great this month!

	Grumolo Grumolo is a tiny plant from the Radicchio family. Its leaves are thick yet amazingly tender, making it a fantastic addition to salads. The flavour is slightly bitter so try pairing it with some creamy boiled eggs. Grumolo Verde (pictured): Buy now Grumolo Rosso: Buy now
	Radicchio Castelfranco What a stunner! Not only does it look beautiful with its large yellow leaves and tiny red dots, but it tastes amazing too. These slightly bitter leaves will add a spectacular flavour to any salad. The larger leaves can also be blanched and then stuffed with ricotta and walnuts, or you can blanch the hearts and finish in the oven with some butter and parmesan for an amazing gratin. Radicchio Castelfranco: Buy now
	Cedro Our cedros are gigantic at the moment. They are an amazing perfumed citrus mainly used for the preperation of desserts, drinks and candied fruits. It’s got a very thick pith that can be eaten in salads (especially salads with fish!), marinated in its own juice. Cedro: Buy now
	Leafy Sicilian Oranges At the moment these are absolutely amazing! Ours are Tarocco oranges, the variety with the highest vitamin C content, because of the rich volcanic soil of Sicily where they are grown. Very large, full of juice and packed with sweetness, these are definitely worth a try this month. For more information, view our Real Food article. Leafy Sicilian Oranges: Buy now
	Spiky Artichoke This is the Sardinian Variety. The heart is very tender and it’s particularly good eaten raw, thinly sliced in salads or marinated with lemon juice. Spiky Artichokes: Buy now
	Mammole Artichoke The traditional artichoke from Rome, it’s amazing stuffed with a mixture of parsley, mint and garlic, then cooked upside down in a pot with some veg stock. Mammole Artichokes: Buy now

We’ll always let you know what’s tasting great in our weekly picks section. Check out this week’s picks by clicking here!

Now that Autumn has arrived we can enjoy some weird and wonderful mushrooms once more. Beautifully mysterious and full of earthy flavours, they will add a bit of magic to your cooking.

Fresh this week are the pleurottes. Delicate and subtle they have a faint flavour of oysters. Also try the French chanterelles, with a beautiful golden colour and a truly exquisite taste.

Probably the most delightfully rich are the cépes, also known as porcini or penny bun. These are champagne cork shaped and equally as extravagant. Whilst the dried alternatives are supremely packed with flavour, they will never match the meaty richness of these fresh ones. Try them with persillade as per the recipe below. Delicious!

Cépes en Persillade

250g Fresh cépes
100g Fresh Breadcrumbs
1 Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley
3 Cloves of Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Juice and Rind of 1 Lemon
Olive Oil

First make the persillade. Persillade simply means a sauce made with parsley, garlic, oil and seasoning. To make this variant, put the breadcrumbs in a food processor with the parsley leaves, pressed and chopped garlic, salt and pepper and thinly sliced lemon rind. Blend well until the crumbs have turned a vibrant green colour, but be careful not to overwork. Tip the mixture onto a tray.

Now pre-heat your grill to medium while we prepare the cépes. Slice and quickly fry them in 1-2 tbsp olive oil with a little seasoning. Continue until they have turned a pale golden colour, then add the juice of one lemon. Transfer to a shallow oven dish, spreading out evenly. Sprinkle with the persillade and dribble over 3-4 tbsp olive oil.

Place under the grill, but keep some distance so that the breadcrumbs brown gently. This way they will soak up the cepes juices as they crust. Serve immediately.

Pumpkins. They tend to get a bit of raw deal. Even in fairytales they are used as nothing more than a mode of transport for that pesky Cinderella. Perhaps she should have walked to ball and enjoyed gallons of pumpkin soup afterwards instead. In the real world they are hacked into grotesque faces and stuffed with a candle for Halloween. I bet pumpkins dread October 31st.

Thankfully, we have over a month until pumpkin doomsday, so it’s time to stop (or at least delay) this abuse and give them the love and attention they deserve…by pulsing them into a soup, or hacking them up for pies.

This week we have two unusual varieties to tempt you – the Delica and the Violina. The Delica has a very orange flesh, which holds well during cooking, so it’s perfect for roasting. Try it with rosemary, runny honey and plenty of salt and pepper. The Violina pumpkin is sweeter with a more yellow flesh. This type is perfect for pasta fillings and even for cakes and muffins. Which brings me to this amazing recipe!

Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12-15

125g Cooked Pumpkin (peel and remove seeds* and soft flesh then boil small pieces for 25 minutes)
225g Caster Sugar
150ml Sunflower Oil
2 Eggs
Pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1 Vanilla Pod
75g Chopped Walnuts
225g Self Raising Flour
150ml Soured Cream or Crème Fraîche

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4, 350F or 180C. In a large bowl, mix together the flour (sifted), ginger, cinnamon, salt, vanilla (scrape out the seeds) and the bicarbonate of soda. Combine well.

Pour the oil into a separate bowl and add the soured cream, eggs and sugar. Beat well until smooth. Add the pumpkin and mix or blend. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture. Add the walnuts and stir well.

Pour into muffin tins or greased cases and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until firm and risen.

Optional: Once cooled, sprinkle the muffins with vanilla sugar or top with frosting. Enjoy!

*Don’t waste the seeds! Roast the seeds in butter, cinnamon and vanilla, turning regularly for around 30 minutes.