Celebrate the changing of the season with these Spring recipes and cook some sunshine into mealtimes.
Cook up a storm and bring some much-needed colour to mealtimes this March, these spring recipes are perfect for Mother’s Day celebrations or Easter feasts.
Spring recipes – ZENB Macaroni Pasta Ratatouille
Serves – 4. Prep time – 15 mins. Cook time – 33 mins. Total time – 48 mins
Ingredients
- 1 box (340g) ZENB Macaroni Pasta made from 100% Yellow Peas, uncooked
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large courgette, chopped
- 1 medium aubergine, chopped
- 1 large red pepper, chopped
- 227g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 handful of loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
Method
- Cook ZENB Pasta as directed on package. Reserve 1/3 cup pasta cooking water; drain.
- Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; stir 30 sec. until fragrant. Add the chopped courgette, aubergine, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, salt & pepper. Cook 20-25 min., stirring frequently, until vegetables are very tender. Stir in vinegar.
- Add pasta and reserved pasta water to skillet; mix gently 2-3 min. until well combined with vegetables and heated through.
- Remove pan from heat; stir in half of the Parmesan cheese and garnish with remaining Parmesan and basil before serving.
Top tip – Ratatouille sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to three days.
Spring recipes – TOMATO AND SPINACH MINI QUICHES
The perfect light lunch… quiche! We’ve made your favourite snack into little bite sizes that are perfect for picnics and parties. This recipe is for the classic tomato and spinach quiche, but truth be told, you can jazz it up in loads of delicious ways…
PREP TIME 40 MINUTES- COOK TIME 30 MINUTES- SERVES 12 MINI QUICHES
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
- 1 small or medium white onion, finely sliced.
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
- 250g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 200ml OGGS® Egg Alternative Aquafaba
- 300ml water
- 150g favourite dairy-free cheese
- 4 sheets of filo pastry
- 100g frozen spinach, thawed, and drained well.
- 3 medium tomatoes
- Salt and pepper, to taste.
METHOD
- Start by softening your onions for the filling. Heat a big splash of oil in a pan and cook the sliced onion with a splash of water over a low heat for 15-20 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more then season well. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/ gas mark 4 (160°C if using an electric fan oven).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Whisk up your OGGS® Egg Alternative Aquafaba in a clean bowl until it’s reached soft peaks and begins to leave a trail. This will take roughly 2 minutes. Then, pour it into the bowl with the dry ingredients, followed by the water. Mix well to make a thick mixture.
- Grate the cheese and add it to the mixture, along with the 2 tbsp olive oil and mix thoroughly.
- Time to focus on your pastry. We like to line each medium muffin tin hole with four squares of filo pastry. Unroll the pastry on a board, layering four sheets on top of one another. Divide and cut equally into 12 squares Place four on top of each other, at an angle, and push into a hole in the muffin tin. They don’t have to be neat – in fact, they look better a bit skew-whiff. Do the same with the other pieces until all the holes are filled.
- Now that your onion mix has cooled, add it to the batter along with the spinach. Season with salt and pepper, and anything else you fancy. Chillies and fresh herbs are always a winner…
- Spoon the mixture into the filo cases until they are around three-quarters of the way full. This will give them space to puff up in the oven.
- Finally, slice your tomatoes and squish them into the top of each quiche. Don’t worry if the batter goes through them, it will make the most awesome pattern on top and still taste amazing.
- Now that all the elements have come together (hallelujah), it’s go time! Pop them in the oven and let them do their thing for 30 minutes until the filo pastry has turned crisp and slightly brown, and the quiches are firm to touch. Take them out of the tin when they’re still hot.
TOP TIPS
- If there are any leftovers, the quiches will last up to 3 days in the fridge.
- If you’ve any cheese to spare, don’t hesitate to whack some more on the top. There’s no such thing as too much cheese… ever!
- If you have any vegetables in your fridge that need using up, simply fry them alongside the onion and pop them into the quiches – it’s a great way to reduce waste and we’re sure they’ll be totally scrummy.
Spring recipes – Cheese Muffins with Sweetcorn and Spinach
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 175g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 150g pre-grated cheese
- 50g baby spinach, shredded
- 100g tinned sweetcorn, drained
- 2 eggs
- 150g unsalted butter, melted
- 150ml/g milk
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Muffin tin
- Muffin cases x 12
- Measuring spoons
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Combine the flour, bicarbonate, cheese, spinach and sweetcorn in the mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, melted butter and milk and mix it all together.
- Divide the batter evenly into the muffin cases.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden. Serve warm.
Tip: Don’t have spinach or sweetcorn? Experiment with your favourite fillings – chopped red pepper, onions, or cubed ham makes for delicious alternatives. You can also add finely chopped chili or chili pepper flakes to add a spicy kick!
Spring recipes – Thai Beef Noodle Salad
Ingredients:
- 230g good quality steak
- 110g mixed salad leaves
- 2 tomatoes (cut each into 6 wedges)
- 1/16th cucumber (sliced)
- 30g rice vermicelli (soaked in hot water)
Dressing:
- 1tbsp Mai Siam Fish Sauce
- 2 birds eye chillies (finely chopped)
- 3tbsp lime juice
- 1tsp finely chopped garlic
- 1tsp finely chopped ginger
- Small handful chopped fresh coriander
- Small handful chopped mint
- 1 heaped tbsp shallots (fine dice)
Method:
- Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a glass bowl.
- Drain vermicelli and allow to cool.
- Mix leaves with vermicelli and divide between two plates.
- Scatter cucumber and tomatoes over the leaves.
- Cook steak on a very hot grill pan – cook to your preference but medium-rare is recommended. Allow steak to rest and then slice finely across the grain.
- Add steak to a glass bowl with dressing ingredients and mix well.
- Serve on salad leaves.
Spring recipes – British Asparagus & Garlic Prawn Spaghetti
Serves: 2. Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 250g spaghetti
- 250g British asparagus
- 1+1 tbsp butter
- 1+1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 200g raw prawns
- ¼ tsp Italian seasoning
- Sea salt & black pepper
- 60ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp sriracha
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- ½ tsp crushed chilli flakes (optional)
Method
Put the spaghetti on to boil in a large pan of salted boiling water.
Trim the asparagus and cut each spear into three.
Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and add the garlic and fry for a minute and then add the asparagus. Tossing in the pan for a couple of minutes. Remove the asparagus and set aside.
In the same pan add another 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil and add the prawns. Cook for a minute each side until turning pink. Then add the Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, stock, sriracha, lemon juice and chilli flakes, if you are using them and allow the pan to bubble. Stir the asparagus back in.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the cooking water and toss it through the mixture in the pan, adding some of the cooking water if you feel it needs to be a bit looser. Serve immediately.
Spring recipes – Steak, Shallot & Black Bean Tostadas
Marinate the skirt steak overnight to maximise the flavour of the meat. Leaving the shallots to marinade in lime juice at the same time will add a zingy freshness to the finished dish. Simple scale up for a fantastic dish for larger gatherings.
Serves: 4 (2 tacos each). Preparation time: 10 minutes plus marinating overnight Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 400g Skirt Steak
- 1 pack Mexican spice mix
- 3tsp Oil
- 1 ½ lime
- 8 shallots
- 6 cloves
- ¼tsp chilli flakes
- 2 x 390g tinned black beans, drained
- 8 corn tacos
- Sour cream and coriander to serve
Method
The night before put the steak into the marinade bag, reserve 1tsp of the Bart Ingredients Chipotle rub and put the rest in with the steak, 2tsp of oil and the juice of ½ the lime. Give the bag a good shake to coat the meat and leave in the fridge to marinade overnight. Slice 6 of the shallots very finely, put in a bowl and squeeze over the juice of the remaining lime, the cloves and chilli, cover and leave in the fridge to marinade too.
The next day, take the steak and shallots out of the fridge to come up to room temperature. Heat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan. Heat a frying pan or griddle to hot and cook the steak on each side for 3-4 minutes for medium/rare, cook longer if it suits your taste. Once cooked set aside to rest.
While the steak is cooking, finely dice the remaining shallots, heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and gently cook the shallots for 3-4 minutes. Tip the beans into the pan along with the reserved seasoning and heat through. Once the beans are warm remove from the heat and mash with a fork, taste and season.
Lay the tacos on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven for 6-7 minutes until they are crisp. Take them out of the oven and keep warm.
Spring recipes – Zespri SunGold Kiwi & Prawn Tacos
Delightfully fresh and tasty tacos. Either assemble and serve or put all the components on the table and let everyone make their own.
Serves: 4 people: Preparation time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 300g raw prawns
- 1 crushed garlic clove
- 1 tsp lime zest
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1-2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp double cream
- A splash of red wine vinegar
- A small handful of chopped coriander
- Salt & pepper
- 3 Zespri SunGold kiwis, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 cucumber, finely chopped
- ½ red onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red and 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- Juice of half a lime
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Salt & pepper
- Eight soft shell tacos
Method
Add all the seasoning spices and lime zest to the prawns, mix and set to one side to marinade.
Mash the avocado with the cream, red wine vinegar and coriander and season. Set to one side.
In a separate bowl mix the Zespri SunGold kiwi with all the vegetables, lime juice, garlic powder and seasoning. Set to one side.
Heat a griddle or frying pan and add a little oil. Cook the prawns for a couple of minutes each side until they are cooked through. Meanwhile heat the tacos in the oven or heat them individually in a dry frying pan, cooking for a few seconds each side.
Serve each taco with a spoonful of avocado mixture, a few prawns and top with SunGold salsa.
Spring Market salad
Serves 4 Prep: 20 mins-1 hour (depending upon age and ability) Cook: 40 mins
Ingredients
200g peas/ broad beans or a mixture of both, podded (that will be about 700g in their pods)
500g new potatoes
300g salad leaves, watercress, rocket, pea shoots, little gem, baby spinach
Spring onions
200g cured ham such as Italian prosciutto or Spanish jamón, or traditional British cooked ham
100g hard cheese such as Italian pecorino, a Spanish manchego or a local speciality hard cheese
10 medium radishes
A small handful of mint, flat leaf parsley leaves or fronds of chervil, to garnish
For the dressing:
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Method
- Start out by podding your beans and peas (and don’t throw out those pods—see below*). If your broad beans are on the large side, you’ll want to pop each bean out of its pale green skin—just wait until you’ve boiled them later.
- Wash the potatoes well and boil them until tender. Drain and leave to cool down. If you have a steamer you could place the peas and beans above the cooking potatoes for about 3 mins, otherwise 2 mins in boiling water will do the trick—they require very little cooking.
- Drain and run some cold water through them to set their stunning colour. Shell any of the bigger broad beans by pinching the skin, allowing the fabulously bright green beans to pop out.
- Wash and dry the salad leaves. You may need to rip the bigger leaves into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Chop the root and outer skin from the spring onions and slice into thin rounds, including about half of the green section.
- Rip the cured meat or slice the traditional ham into 5cm-ish sized pieces and use a potato peeler to cut the cheese into slithers.
- Wash and cut the radishes as you like, into slices or quarters.
- Chop the potatoes into even-sized pieces and then add them to a salad bowl with the rest of the ingredients. It’s an idea to keep a small selection of pretty peas and leaves back to garnish the dish.
- Shake up the dressing ingredients in a jam jar and tip over the salad. Toss gently with your hands (they’ll be clean, you’re cooking!)
- Sprinkle over any selected ingredients you may have set aside and scatter with your herbs. Serve with good bread.
*Bean or pea pods can be simmered for about 30 mins in chicken stock or water, blitzed with a hand-held blender and then strained to give a fabulously fresh and tasty soup base.
ALTERNATIVE: Try adding cooked asparagus, mange tout, green beans or quarters of boiled egg to the salad too.
Recipe: Jenny Chandler
ROAST LAMB LEG, SPRING GREENS & WILD GARLIC SALSA VERDE
INGREDIENTS
2.5kg Coombe Farm Organic leg of lamb (on the bone)
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped finely
1 bulb of garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and halved
300g spring greens, washed and finely sliced
Salsa Verde
Handful fresh basil
Handful fresh parsley
Handful fresh mint
Handful wild garlic
1 tsp capers
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
METHOD
- 1. Bring the lamb leg to room temperature, preheat your oven to 200oC/400oF/gas 6 and place a large roasting tray in the oven.
- 2. In a mixing bowl, add half of the chopped rosemary, lemon zest, four cloves of crushed garlic and olive oil. Mix well and set marinade aside.
- 3. Season the lamb well with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Generously coat the lamb on all sides with the marinade and place it in the oven directly on a wire rack above the tray.
- 4. Par boil the potatoes in salted water, drain and allow to steam dry. Then add potatoes to the hot tray along with the remaining rosemary, whole garlic cloves, salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
- 5. Return the tray to the oven, place under the lamb, allowing the potatoes to catch the lamb cooking juices.
- 6. Cook lamb for 1.5 hours to achieve pink, tender meat. If you have a meat thermometer, aim for an internal temp of around 60-65°C for medium rare. If you prefer it slightly more done, aim for 65- 70°C.
- 7.Whilst the lamb is cooking, sauté the spring greens in a saucepan with a little olive oil and seasoning till tender and vibrant green in colour.
- 8. To make the salsa verde, pick the herb leaves and finely chop with capers and wild garlic. Add to a mixing bowl along with the mustard and red wine vinegar. Slowly start adding olive oil, whisking till you have the desired consistency.
- 9. Once the lamb is cooked, remove from oven and allow to rest for around 15-20 minutes.
10. Serve with roast potatoes, spring greens and salsa verde.