Posts Tagged ‘Rocket’

12 courgettes flowers
250g ricotta
2 tbsp mint leaves
1 lemon
pepper
30g Parmesan

100g plain flour (plus a little extra for dusting)
120ml sparkling water
vegetable oil (for frying)

4 tbsp. black olives (halved)
250g datterini vine tomatoes (halved)
handful or fresh wild rocket
2 long shallots
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice

First make the salad so that it absorbs all the lovely flavours. Halve the black olives and datterini tomatoes and place in a bowl with the finely chopped shallots. Add the balsamic and olive oil with a good squeeze of lemon and leave to sit in the juices.

Shred the mint leaves, then mix together the ricotta, and squeeze of lemon juice. Grate the parmesan and add to the mix with a good amount of freshly ground pepper.

Carefully open those lovely courgette flowers. Using a teaspoon, fill them with the mixture and twist the flower shut leaving no gaps for the ricotta to escape from.

To make the batter, pour the fizzy water in a bowl and gradually add the flour through a sieve. Whisk as you do this to add air and leave no lumps. The batter should have a consistency of pouring cream.

Heat enough oil in a high-sided frying pan to come to about 3 cm. Make sure the oil is hot but not smoking.

Quickly dip each flower in the batter, swirl them around so they are completely covered, and then pop in the pan (carefully!). Deep fry for around 1 or 2 minutes until the batter has crispened and is golden. Remove with tongs and drain on a paper towel.

Serve with the side salad of rocket and the marinated olives and tomatoes.

A crusty delight…

Our reblochon is organic, aromatic and has some lovely nutty flavours. It makes a great match to our fantastic quality rocket! Don’t forget to visit our Real Food section to find out more…

Serves 4

For the Pastry:
1Tsp Poppy Seeds
Salt
1Tbsp Marjoram
100Gr Butter
200Gr Flour

For the Filling:
2Tbsp Breadcrumbs
2 Eggs
Butter
Salt
200Gr Wild Rocket
300Gr Ricotta
Pepper
200Gr Reblochon

Mix the flour with the poppy seeds, some salt and the chopped marjoram. Add chunks of butter, then start working the dough, adding enough lukewarm water to obtain a soft dough. Cover in cling film and leave to rest for an hour.

Wash the rocket and blanch for a minute in salty boiling water, drain and squeeze to get rid of any excess water. Place the rocket, all the cheeses, eggs and breadcrumbs in a mixer and blend at minimum speed for a minute or so.

Roll out the dough, place on the pie dish, cut out all excess dough, roll it out again and cut some strips. Pour the mix into the pastry, then arrange the strips in a lattice. Cook for 40 minutes at 180°C. Enjoy!

We love the strong flavours of Rocket, and the Italian Wild Rocket we source from the markets is absolutely unmissable! A versatile, peppery leaf, ours is not only fantastic quality, but much better value than many versions you’ll find elsewhere…

Taste: Strong flavoured, peppery and rich, it’s incredibly flavoursome for a leafy green. That’s why it is mainly used as an additional ingredient in salads or other dishes, and rarely on its own.

Region: It’s found in the wild in all the Mediterranean area, but it’s now mainly cultivated in the Veneto region of Italy.

Quality: We only source the finest grade available on the market. Our buyers only select what is looking and tasting best!

Growing: Although this type of rocket is actually cultivated, it is still known as “wild” to differentiate it from the “domestic” variety, a larger leaf with a milder flavour.

Cost: We always let you know the price per kg so you can easily compare our prices. Our wild rocket is not only superior in quality, but also better value than what is usually found in the supermarket:

Natoora “Wild rocket“ £15.00/Kg
Ocado/Waitrose “Wild rocket” £19.60/Kg
Abel and Cole “Rocket salad” £16.13/Kg

(Prices checked on 08/03/2010)

For more information and to buy, click here.