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Wild garlic soup with baked eggs

15th April 2025 by Dan

Wild garlic season is upon us!

It’s funny how things go in cycles, how the ordinary can become extraordinary and the fanciful mundane. Cookery is no exception to that and in many ways the alchemy of a busy household kitchen can become common place and ordinary until someone who misses that from their home points it out upon visiting. Add social media to the mix and you have another dimension of this same thing, bear with me.

20 years ago you were certainly considered a bit radical in the kitchen if you used things like wild garlic and cooked seasonally, yup, that was me, a bit on the wild side. 10 years ago if you posted about wild garlic on your social feed it said something about you, you knew your stuff, you cooked with the seasons, you were still a bit of a rebel, these days if I were to post about using wild garlic on my socials I’d probably be drummed out of town for mundanity, or for having the audacity to point out the common place or the everyday.

Luckily, I don’t really care about that. I care about tasty, simple food cooked well in the heart of my home, and a core principal at the heart of great cookery, is a great cooker – something else I am very happy to say I have found with my ESSE, like the wild garlic, the cooker evokes a kind of thoughtfulness and awareness in the kitchen that, well, good cookery happens here, it’s important. Nuf-said.

Wild garlic soup and baked eggs

Like any other green soup, this one needs to be made fresh and used quickly or it will lose some of its vibrant bright green colour – though that won’t affect the flavour much, so unless you are very particular about how things look, maybe it matters less.

Serves: 2 for a good lunch or 4 as a starter
Prep time: 30 mins
Cookery time: 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 150g peeled and washed potatoes very thinly sliced
  • 25g standard extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion finely sliced
  • ½ stick of celery, finely chopped
  • A little fresh thyme, salt and pepper
  • 200g (ish) washed wild garlic leaves and stems

To serve

An oven proof pan, 4 eggs, some crusty bread and some proper olive oil, you know, the good stuff you save for best. You can add some grated hard cheese if you like.

To begin with

  1. In some olive oil in a large, flat but deep sided pan you know you can trust, over a moderate heat, slowly sweat your potatoes, celery and onion with some thyme, salt and pepper until half cooked and sweetened a little.
  2. Adding just enough hot water to cover the other ingredients in the pan plus an extra slosh, turn up the heat and simmer until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Season this soup base a little. Now, roughly chop all that wild garlic and toss it into the pan, simmer and stir for just one minute until the garlic is all immersed and had a good swish round in the pan.
  3. Now, transfer everything to a jug blender (maybe in two batches to be on the safe side) and blitz on full power for around 1 minute. Pour the soup back into the pan and season it well, taste it, make sure it tastes good. Set it aside off the heat – unless you want to use this later after re heating in which case, pour it into a bowl, that is sitting in another bowl full of ice – you need to cool it down quickly or you will lose the vivid green.
  4. Crack 4 eggs into the soup in the pan, and carefully place the soup dish into your top oven with the steam vent closed at around 180 C for about 5 mins until the eggs set, but the yolks still have some run about them.
  5. Remove the baked soup from the oven, drizzle with good olive oil, add a few chilli flakes over the top if you like, and some cheese too if you want. Serve it up right away on the table, allowing everyone to scoop out their own egg and soup – it’s a lovely dish that sings of the season. The wild garlic is up, the hens are laying, and the days are lengthening, time to feel good.

Recipe created by Tim Maddams. Tim is a chef, food writer and cookery teacher who produces seasonal recipes for ESSE at his home in Inverness using ingredients grown in his kitchen garden. ESSE first met Tim over ten years ago when he regularly co-featured in the hit TV series River Cottage. During his time as head chef at River Cottage Tim pioneered ethical, local, seasonal produce and became a key spokesperson in the area of responsibly-sourced food.

Tim’s aim is to show off the “tremendous versatility” of the ESSE 600 X electric range cooker. The new 600 X has ESSE’s classic heat storage construction, patented ovens, beautiful colour finishes and the reassuring ‘solidity’ with modern, electric controllability and responsiveness.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Ovens, Savoury, Starter, Steam Vent, Vegetarian

Roasted Cauliflower, Spices and Tahini

20th December 2024 by Dan

Technically, only technically, your average cauli is in fact a summer vegetable – however they go into a sort of stasis in the field when the day light and temperature drops and lose almost no condition until hard frost hits them (By which time the farmers have got them off the fields and into cold store) and it is for this reason you will notice that they are more expensive than other brassicas in the winter.

Anyway, onwards with the foodie bit, If like me you tire easily of brussels sprouts and kale fatigue is kicking in, then some cauliflower could be just the ticket to save you reaching for the imported veggies, but I am always surprised how few folk will roast a cauli – it really is a game changer and the way the ESSE can keep in some of the steam as you cook them is a big help too. Here I have gone spicy to try and liven things up a bit and also, well, because sometimes a bit of spice can lift a whole meal from the tolerable to the excellent and cauliflower LOVES spice.

Serves: 6 as a starter, 4 as a main, or 8 as a side

Main oven, 180 degrees (ESSE dial guide MODERATE), steam cap closed for the first ¾ of the roasting process.

Prep and cook time, around 50 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 1 teaspoon harissa paste
  • 1 bulb, yes bulb, of garlic
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • A handful or two of watercress or winter cress, or even rocket at a push
  • 1 orange
  • 1 tablespoon of tahini
  • A little water
  • Some extra good olive oil for drizzling
  • A few leaves of sage

Method

  1. To begin with you need to find a decent baking tray, then it’s time to gather the ingredients and set yourself up ready to so some chopping – start with the cauliflower and I like to divide it first in half, saving the leaves and stems and slicing those more finely then the “curds”, which I will divide into wedges.
  2. Toss the chopped cauli under the cold tap in a colander to remove any traces of unpleasantness and then pop them in the baking tray, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and the harissa. Now sprinkle over half the spice seeds, it’s starting to look quite funky already, isn’t it?
  3. Tumble that all around and add a good few sea salt flakes to help season things up. Fling the whole tray in the oven and close the steam vent – it’s going to want around 30 mins of uninterrupted oven time to get going.
  4. While that happens, peel and roughly chop your garlic, finely chopping 1 big clove to go in the tahini mix in a minute.
  5. Juice the orange and take a few swipes of zest too.
  6. Make the tahini dressing; In a small bowl, add the tahini, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, the remaining spice seeds and some water to create a light but glossy dressing, season this with salt, but no pepper – remember that harissa on the cauliflower.
  7. Open the oven and give the cauli a good ‘shuggle’ about, now open the steam vent and to the baking tray add the sage leaves, the orange zest and juice and all that roughly chopped garlic, make sure the cauli looks like it still has enough olive oil and pop the tray back in the oven – this time for just 20 mins, it may want a little longer, but you do not want to burn that garlic.
  8. Find a nice flat serving dish, scatter the now fully roasted and spicy cauliflower over this, adding any oil or juices in the tray over the top.
  9. Fling the green leaves over the top, drizzle with the tahini dressing, scatter over the remaining seeds and then relax, it’s all done and it’s not quite like cauliflower as you thought you knew it.

Recipe created by Tim Maddams. Tim is a chef, food writer and cookery teacher who produces seasonal recipes for ESSE at his home in Inverness using ingredients grown in his kitchen garden. ESSE first met Tim over ten years ago when he regularly co-featured in the hit TV series River Cottage. During his time as head chef at River Cottage Tim pioneered ethical, local, seasonal produce and became a key spokesperson in the area of responsibly-sourced food.

Tim’s aim is to show off the “tremendous versatility” of the ESSE 600 X electric range cooker. The new 600 X has ESSE’s classic heat storage construction, patented ovens, beautiful colour finishes and the reassuring ‘solidity’ with modern, electric controllability and responsiveness.

Tagged With: Ovens, Savoury, Starter, Steam Vent, Vegetarian

Baked Squash and Parmesan Soup

10th November 2024 by Dan

November

I love the abundance of November, there’s still just about stuff tumbling from the poly tunnel including a few very late and not all that sweet tomatoes, we have had our annual batch of pigs taken care of so there’s bacon to make and a freezer full of wonder, squashes and herbs to use up and well – darkness, the smoke of bonfires and the cosy heat from the ESSE lending a new warmth to this old farmhouse kitchen, full of drafts, holes, dogs and the occasional intrepid slug.

So, with the possibility of the last fun before Christmas resonating in the background of life I’ve put together a couple of really simple warming and spicy crowd pleasers for this month’s kitchen diary, I hope you like them, I hope you find them super simple to make and I very much hope you will share them with friends.

Baked Squash and Parmesan Soup

Cooking squashes needn’t be the peeling and coring gruelling exercise it seems to mean to most people. I bake almost all squashes I use whole, after a brief scrub and a good drizzle with olive oil and a generous sprinkling with salt and pepper. You can then, once baked and cooled, core the squash out very easily, scrape the flesh from the skin should you decide not to use it and then you have lots of tasty baked squash flesh to use for whatever purpose you like; salads, sides, sauces or indeed, soup.

Often I will make a soup out of a baked squash, using the scooped out seeds and a little onion as the base for a stock, retain the flesh of the squash with the skin on as it adds extra healthy fibre and wont effect the delicious texture of the soup whilst the same time enhancing the depth you will get in flavour by including all the lovely browned and caramelised “roasty” bits – a “win win” effectively – it’s also an easy one to sling on whilst you are using the oven for another dish – thus saving you energy too.

Less of a recipe and more a guide to getting the consistency right, the following step by step will help you find the right spot. You don’t need to use parmesan, or finish the dish with crispy sage, but both work excellently to elevate this simple pottage to supper party status.

So, here we go then;

Ingredients

  • 1 squash
  • 1 onions
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 8 or 12 sage leaves
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • Some water
  • A few black pepper corns
  • 1 glass of dry white wine
  • A little cinnamon powder
  • Olive oil
  • Salt

Method

  1. Set the top oven of your ESSE to around 180 degrees Celsius and close the oven steam vent.
  2. Wash and scrub your squash and select a suitable baking dish or oven proof pan, drizzle the whole top of the squash with olive oil season with salt and pepper, and fling it in the oven. More or less forget about it but perhaps set a timer for an hour and then have a look, you want the whole thing to be fully cooked so prod it with spoon back and see if it gives.
  3. Different squashes will have different cooking times and the size will also come into it, I used a Japanese winter squash the specific name of which escapes me but it is a little like a Crown Prince, so fairly firm fleshed and quite robust – mine was about the size of a volley ball and needed almost two hours to be full baked. If you are using a spaghetti squash or similar it will take far less time, a butternut will probably be somewhere in the middle.
  4. Once your squash is cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool down – this can take rather a long time, and they can be handled whilst they are hot, but I prefer to let them come down to something approaching safe to handle before I get too involved with them, this I think improves the flavour of the end result but I maybe imagining it. Discard the stalk and the hard bit on the bottom.
  5. Scoop out the seeds into a small saucepan and add any fluid that has gathered in the baking vessel. Add a halved onion with the skin on and a few cloves of bashed garlic, pinch of salt, dash of white wine, sprig of thyme, a few black peppercorns and a fresh bay leaf if you can manage it. Top this up with cold water and bring to a gentle simmer, before leaving to steep for about 20 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, break up your squash flesh and skin and add as much of it as you think you will need to the jug blender, set the rest aside for use in other things. Strain the stock into the blender over the baked squash within and blitz. As a rough guide I’d say you really want the fluid to come around 4 5th’s of the way up the squash you have in the blender – but some squashes are more densely fleshed than others, remember the old chef maxim here, it is easier by far to add more fluid if required than to remove it.
  7. Season, adjust consistency, add a dash of cinnamon powder, a pinch of chilli flakes and blend again, this time with a timer running for 1 minute – you will feel like it is a very long minute but trust me, let it have the time, the results will be silky smooth, tip and scrape out the soup in to a pan and allow it to just re heat nicely without boiling it, adjust the seasoning as required. Grate about a handful of parmesan cheese and fling half into the soup. Stir it in.
  8. In a small frying pan melt a tablespoon or 2 of butter until it is almost but not quite turning brown then add a few sage leaves and spoon the butter and leaves about a bit, remove form the stove but leave the leaves in the butter to go crispy, serve the soup in bowls with a few sage leaves, a drizzle of the butter from the sage pan, a further sprinkling of grated parmesan and a few more chilli flakes.

Recipe created by Tim Maddams. Tim is a chef, food writer and cookery teacher who produces seasonal recipes for ESSE at his home in Inverness using ingredients grown in his kitchen garden. ESSE first met Tim over ten years ago when he regularly co-featured in the hit TV series River Cottage. During his time as head chef at River Cottage Tim pioneered ethical, local, seasonal produce and became a key spokesperson in the area of responsibly-sourced food.

Tim’s aim is to show off the “tremendous versatility” of the ESSE 600 X electric range cooker. The new 600 X has ESSE’s classic heat storage construction, patented ovens, beautiful colour finishes and the reassuring ‘solidity’ with modern, electric controllability and responsiveness.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Ovens, Savoury, Starter, Steam Vent, Vegetarian

Slow roasted tomatoes, cream cheese and herby breadcrumbs

9th September 2024 by Dan

Tomatoes

Whether you grow your own, pilfer them from next door or simply buy them in the shops – UK tomatoes are at their very best this month, they are also at their most abundant so you should be able to grab a bargain – but whatever are you to do with them?

“The gentle warmth the ESSE range cookers emanate into the kitchen is a comfort as the days shorten rapidly up here in north east Scotland, and as the light withers the temperature variation extremes prompt a final pulse of effort in the garden and polytunnel, plums hang heavy on the tree and the apples won’t be very far behind.”

ESSE slow roasted tomatoes, cream cheese and herby breadcrumbs

This warming and intensely indulgent dish suits the time of year perfectly, basically we have three things to do. Fling a few super ripe toms into a pan with some olive oil, sling them into the ESSE top oven on 160 after a brief encounter with the stove top to get things going, and finally, after an hour or so, a little faffing with cheese and herby crumbs and a brief return to the firey furnace will result in a lunch not-to-be-missed. You might even wish to spice things up with a little chilli, but I have to say on this occasion I wont be, preferring to let the tomatoes power the play list of flavours, rather than relegate them to a secondary position of sweetness and softly melting texture.

Ingredients

  • A medium sized oven proof frying pan
  • A little fresh marjoram or thyme, or both
  • 2 large cloves of garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • 50g full fat cream cheese
  • A handful of breadcrumbs and a sprig of parsley
  • 500g ripe tomatoes, ideally larger ones – I’m showing off and using my homegrown “Marmande” and “Green Zebra” but any really good and properly ripe tomatoes will work really well
  • 75 ml good extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. To start, ensure you nudge the ESSE controller for the top oven up to 160, with the steam vent open and the stove top onto about 50%
  2. Rinse and de-stem your tomatoes, slice them horizontally so you expose maximum surface area on the cut side, if your tomatoes are oddly shaped you will just have to work it out as best you can.
  3. Place the pan on the stove top, to start getting it warmed up, and arrange your tomatoes into the pan, give them a slosh of olive oil. Finely slice 1 clove of garlic and place a sliver on top of each cut surface of tomatoes, these will be facing up so the majority of the juice stays inside the tomatoes, it’s not the end of the world though if a few go topsy turvy.
  4. Scatter over some sea salt flakes, some freshly ground pepper and either some thyme or fresh marjoram or at a pinch a little “mixed dried herb” from the larder – but don’t overdo it, we want to add backing vocals to the tomatoes not drown them out.
  5. Fling the whole show in the oven and – let’s get some herby breadcrumbs prepped whilst they do their thing. Place 1 roughly chopped clove of garlic in the food processor with some roughly chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper and a touch of olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs too and pulse the machine until the crumbs look a little green and everything is well mixed. Tip these out onto a baking sheet and pop then in the oven too, but just for 5 or ten minutes to toast them up a little.
  6. Fast forward to the end of the hour, carefully remove the tomato pan from the oven – things should be looking relaxed bordering on collapsed and smelling reasonably epic by this point. If they are swimming in juice, carefully drain some off and set it aside to add to your next soup, sauce or dressing, of just eat it like a broth whilst you wait for the next bit to happen.
  7. Place a little cream cheese onto the tomatoes with a teaspoon and then scatter over all the herby crumbs, and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes whilst you make sure the phone is on do not disturb, the door is closed and no one is about to interrupt your lunch.
  8. Plonk the pan on the table with a spoon, and dive on into a serious seasonal treat, remembering to return your ESSE cooker to its slumber mode, or set it to the correct level for whatever you plan to do next.

Tim Maddams is a chef, food writer and cookery teacher who produces seasonal recipes for ESSE at his home in Inverness using ingredients grown in his kitchen garden. ESSE first met Tim over ten years ago when he regularly co-featured in the hit TV series River Cottage. During his time as head chef at River Cottage Tim pioneered ethical, local, seasonal produce and became a key spokesperson in the area of responsibly-sourced food.

Tim’s aim is to show off the “tremendous versatility” of the ESSE 600 X electric range cooker. The new 600 X has ESSE’s classic heat storage construction, patented ovens, beautiful colour finishes and the reassuring ‘solidity’ with modern, electric controllability and responsiveness.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Ovens, Quick Meals, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

Poppyseed Pancakes with Lemon curd cream cheese

7th February 2024 by Dan

For me this is one of huge benefits of owning an ESSE cooker, using the hotplate to cook pancakes, tortillas and flat breads direct on the hotplate.  Its worth getting the cooker just for pancakes!! No need to own any non-stick frying pan as you have your own built in pancake pan! You will make about 8-10 pancakes. Pancakes are quick and easy to make “1-2-3 “ (100g flour, 2 eggs, 300ml milk). The batter improves in texture and flavour if you leave it to rest for  30 minutes or over night in the fridge before making the pancakes. This gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid and for the gluten to relax. This recipe makes crepe style pancakes as I love them thin.  The consistency of the batter determines the thickness of the pancake. The thinner the batter the thinner the pancake.  Have a flippin’ time!

Ingredients

  • 100g plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 300ml milk
  • A knob of butter, melted
  • A tablespoon of poppy seeds
  • A pinch of sea salt

For the filling:

  • 150g lemon curd
  • 200g cream cheese

Method

  1. Put the flour, a pinch of salt and poppy seeds in a bowl.
  2. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the eggs, then slowly whisk in the milk, drawing the flour into the liquid to make a smooth batter.
  3. Whisk in the melted butter.
  4. Ideally, let the batter to rest for half an hour.
  5. Meanwhile, make the filling by beating the lemon curd into the cream cheese.  Taste, you can always add some fresh lemon juice for extra sharpness.

To cook the pancakes, heat the hotplate to 200C (dial on 12 o’clock) and wipe the hotplate with a greased kitchen paper.  Then using a ladle pour a little batter directly on the hotplate, swirl it around with the back of the spoon to make it thin.

Allow the pancake to brown on its underside, this will take about 60 seconds and then flip, using a palette knife, and cook until golden on the other side. As the pancakes are cooked, stack and repeat with the remaining batter.  Then when you are ready to serve them, cover half of each pancake with the curd filling and fold in half.  These can be made in advance and reheated in the ESSE.

Recipe prepared using the right hand side of the cast iron hotplate on the ESSE Ironheart wood-fired cooking stove by Philippa Vine at Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen, East Sussex.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Quick Meals, Savoury, Starter, Sweet, Vegetarian

Waldorf salad with pickled walnuts

2nd January 2024 by Dan

A tasty, healthy and simple winter salad with the added bonus of one of my favourite winter store cupboard ingredients of pickled walnuts.  Try adding some to a beef stew to give it an extra savoury flavour.

Ingredients

  • 60g walnuts
  • 3 apples, skin left on, cored & cut into small chunks
  • 4 sticks of celery, chopped into small chunks, include the leaves too
  • A small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3 pickled walnuts, finely chopped

For the vinaigrette

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Toast the walnuts in the ESSE until lightly golden and aromatic.  Leave to cool.
  2. In a bowl, mix the apples, celery, parsley, pickled walnuts and the toasted walnuts roughly chopped.  Give it a good stir.
  3. Make the vinaigrette by placing all the ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify then add enough of the vinaigrette to coat the salad.  Leave any leftover salad dressing in a jam jar for another salad.

Winter comfort recipes prepared by Philippa Vine using the Ironheart wood-fired cooking stove at Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen and Cookery School in East Sussex.

Tagged With: Ovens, Quick Meals, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

The perfect chicken satay

16th November 2023 by Dan

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2.5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp kecap manis
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 500g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • Crispy fried shallots, to serve (optional)

For the peanut sauce:

  • 2 bird’s eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped
  • 5 shallots, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp shrimp paste
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 150ml coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar
  • 150g unsalted peanuts, roasted and roughly chopped (or finely ground, according to preference)
  • 2 tsp kecap manis
  • Juice of 1 lime

Method

  1. Start by making the marinade. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, and then grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and pound to a rough paste along with a generous grinding of black pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the oil, kecap manis and soy sauce.
  2. Cut the chicken into long strips about 3cm wide and stir into the marinade, mixing well. Cover, refrigerate and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes if you’ve got it, and up to 12 hours. Soak eight wooden skewers in cold water until ready to use.
  3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the chillies, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste in a pestle and mortar, or the small bowl of a food processor, and pound or blitz to a paste. Heat the oil in a wok or wide frying pan, and then fry the paste until it smells cooked. Add the coconut milk and palm sugar and simmer for a couple of minutes, then add the peanuts and simmer until slightly thickened. Stir in the kecap manis and lime juice, add a little water or coconut milk if it’s too thick, then taste to check the balance of flavours; add more lime juice, sugar or soy sauce if you think it’s lacking. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  4. Thread the strips of meat onto the skewers in an “S” shape, pushing them down so they’re all touching. Cook the skewers on the ESSE hotplate over a medium-high heat, for about 20 minutes until cooked through, turning regularly. You can turn the heat down to medium on the hotplate after all are well charred – don’t worry about black bits, they add flavour.

This recipe was created to demonstrate the ESSE ‘X’ Electric Range Cooker by Georgina Revill of Vivaldi Catering. Georgie runs a bespoke cookery school called The Cook Shack on the Isle of Man.

Tagged With: Grill, Hotplate, Savoury, Starter

Tenderstem, Peach and Goat’s Cheese Salad

10th January 2023 by Dan

This simple but stylish salad starter is bursting with freshness and flavour and just the thing to start a Valentine’s Day meal. I think it is delicious with a little crusty ciabatta bread to soak up the juices.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 100g Tenderstem broccoli
  • 2 medium peaches, stoned and quartered
  • 1 ½ tsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 50g baby spinach leaves
  • 75g goat’s cheese log (I used Kidderton Ash), cut into thin slices
  • Few fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

  1. Preheat a griddle pan until smoking hot…this may take up to10 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss the Tenderstem broccoli and peach quarters in the olive oil with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Add the peach and broccoli mixture to the griddle and cook for about 5 minutes, turning a few times, until they are just tender and marked with griddle-lines.
  4. Arrange the spinach leaves on a serving plate and top with the cooked peach and broccoli mixture. Add the goat’s cheese and sprinkle with the basil leaves.
  5. Beat the extra virgin olive oil with the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste to make a dressing. Drizzle over the salad and serve at once.

Tip

When available replace the peaches in this salad with 2 fresh, ripe nectarines or 4-6 fresh, ripe apricots… they are equally as delicious.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Quick Meals, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

Roasted Tomato Soup With Crispy Bacon

5th October 2022 by Dan

This wonderfully warming soup is made with English vine-ripened tomatoes that are oven-roasted to bring out their natural sweetness. It’s perfect to serve on Bonfire Night with crusty bread. For outdoor eating serve in warmed mugs.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 950g English vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 red onions, finely sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 rashers dry cure smoked streaky bacon
  • 1 litre hot vegetable stock
  • 4 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method

  1. Preheat the oven if necessary to 220°C/ESSE Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of HOT).
  2. Place the tomatoes, red onion and garlic in a roasting tin. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast for 20 minutes until softened and slightly charred.
  3. Meanwhile, put the bacon on a rack et over a baking tray and place in the oven for the last 15 minutes of the tomatoes cooking time. Remove when crisp, leave until cool then break into pieces.
  4. Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan, add the roasted tomato mixture and mix well. Puree until smooth.
  5. Reheat if necessary then ladle into warmed bowls or mugs. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and scatter with the crispy bacon to serve.

Variation

This soup is also delicious served cold in the warm Summer months. Prepare as above, chill and serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar and torn Parma ham rather than crisply bacon.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Ovens, Quick Meals, Savoury, Starter, Steam Vent

Parmigiano-Reggiano and Butternut Squash Soup

5th October 2022 by Dan

This superb soup has a fantastic taste, enhanced by adding the rind from the cheese as it cooks, to extract every bit of flavour. You’ll need roughly 500g butternut squash when peeled and deseeded. If you have any leftover, simply roast to serve as a vegetable with another meal.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 150g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, with rind
  • 25g butter 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
  • 900ml hot vegetable stock
  • 150ml milk
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4-6 slices French bread
  • chopped fresh parsley or thyme, to garnish

Method

  1. Reserve the rind from the Parmigiano-Reggiano and cut into chunks, then finely grate the cheese.
  2. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and cook gently for about 3 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the squash, stock and cheese rind. Heat until the mixture is just simmering, then partially cover with a lid and cook gently for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and tender.
  3. Remove the rind from the pan and discard. Purée the mixture with most of the grated cheese until smooth (reserve just a little for the garnish). Return the soup to the pan, add the milk and salt and pepper to taste and stir to mix. Reheat until piping hot.
  4. Meanwhile, toast the bread, sprinkle with the reserved cheese and grill or bake to melt.
  5. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top each with a piece of French toast. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or thyme and serve at once

Tip

Other edible squashes can be used to make this soup. If using small round squash why not keep the scooped out shells and ladle the soup into them for serving? Takes care of the washing up too!

Tagged With: Grill, Hotplate, Ovens, Quick Meals, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

Ginger and carrot soup with lemon herb cream

5th July 2022 by Dan

This colourful and vibrant ginger and carrot soup is deliciously smooth and comforting but does have a bit of a kick. Don’t be tempted to omit the lemon herb cream topping… it lifts this soup into the luxury class. Serve with crusty wholemeal bread for a substantial starter or lunch dish. If freezing the soup do so without the topping.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 600g carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp medium curry powder
  • 1.5 litres good vegetable stock
  • pared rind of 1 lemon
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Lemon Herb Cream:
  • 200g crème fraiche
  • finely grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tsp snipped chives
  • 1 carrot, peeled and grated, to garnish (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the carrots and onions and cook gently for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Add the stock, lemon strips and salt and pepper to taste. Half cover the pan with its lid, and simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are very tender.
  3. Cool slightly then puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pan, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary and reheat to serve.
  4. To make the topping, mix the crème fraiche with the lemon rind, parsley and chives.
  5. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top each with a spoonful of the prepared lemon herb cream. Garnish with a little grated carrot if liked.

Tip

If preferred top the soup with fried bread croutons but toss them in grated Parmesan cheese after cooking for a crunchy topping with attitude!

Tagged With: Hotplate, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

Roasted British Asparagus With Chilli And Lime Butter

16th May 2022 by Dan

Roasting asparagus, instead of boiling or steaming, produces a starter or vegetable dish with a good intense flavour. Here it is served with a butter that has a zesty kick. It would make a wonderful light Spring lunch dish or a superb accompaniment for a simple poached or baked salmon.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 100g butter
  • 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds, roughly ground
  • juice of ½ lime
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 bundles British asparagus
  • olive oil
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Esse Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be in the middle of HOT).
  2. Bring the butter to room temperature then mix in the chilli, coriander, cumin, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Place on a sheet of cling film, roll into a sausage shape then chill until firm.
  3. Trim the ends of the asparagus and place on a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the oven for 6-8 minutes until just tender but still with a little bite.
  4. Transfer to 4 warmed serving plates. Top each with a slice of the prepared butter and a wedge of lime. Serve at once.

Get Ahead!

The butter can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator, ready for slicing when required. It is also delicious to serve with simply cooked fish fillets and chicken breasts.

Tagged With: Ovens, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

Fresh spring asparagus and halloumi cheese

12th May 2020 by Dan

Ingredients

  • Fresh spring asparagus
  • Halloumi cheese
  • Bread
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic leaves (you can use lettuce if you have some, or parsley)
  • Lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

  1. Griddle some fresh spring asparagus and halloumi cheese direct on the hotplate.
  2. Toast some old bits of bread left over in the hot oven, drizzling it with oil.
  3. Add some wild garlic leaves (you can use lettuce if you have some, or parsley) then mix it all together and toss with fresh lemon juice, olive oil salt and pepper.

Simple – quick – and seasonally delicious!

Recipe by Philippa Vine at Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen

Tagged With: Hotplate, Ovens, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

Humble Homity Pie

7th May 2020 by Dan

Serves

6 people

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry made with wholemeal flour

  • 180g / 6oz flour
  • 90g / 3oz butter
  • 1 tablespoon water.

Pastry needs to be rolled and chilled in the tin.

Then bake blind at 180 for 10 minutes and without the baking beans for another 5 minutes. I am a great believer in baking blind even if it doesn’t mention it in a recipe. I hate soggy bottoms.

Filling

  • 3 potatoes, peeled, halved and boiled
  • 30g butter
  • 3-4 tbsp milk or cream (I used 2 tbsp crème fraiche and 2 tablespoons milk)
  • 450g / 1lb onions finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley or mix parsley, chives and thyme (I scattered thyme on top of the tomatoes)
  • 120g of hard cheese – I mixed Cheddar, Comte and Gruyere
  • Salt, pepper and two ripe tomatoes sliced for top of tart

Method

  1. Roll pastry thinly and line large tart case or 6 small ones. Bake Blind for 10 mins, then another 5 mins without beans.
  2. Finely chop the onions and garlic and sauté in the olive oil slowly in a frying pan on a low heat. If they need a little water towards the end to keep softening add a tablespoon.
  3. Boil the potatoes until cooked. Drain and leave to steam for a little.
  4. Mash them with the butter and milk / crème fraiche. Add the onions and herbs and half of the grated cheese to the mashed potatoes. Season well.
  5. Leave to mash to cool to tepid. Pop into the tart case and smooth.
  6. Sprinkle on the remainder of the cheese. Top with the sliced tomatoes and thyme.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes until gratinéed and bubbling.
  8. Leave to cool and serve with a green salad or wrap and take on your picnic.

Recipe by Miranda Shearer, Sandpits Heating Centre.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Ovens, Picnic, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

Scallops with Jerusalem artichokes and pancetta

16th June 2017 by Dan

Enjoy the best of British food with ESSE range recipes with the help of River Cottage head chef, Gill Meller.

Here, Gill Meller takes us through a step-by-step demonstration recipe, cooking scallops with jerusalem artichokes cooked using the ESSE flued Gas range cooker with Plus 2 companion.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Ovens, Savoury, Starter

Gill Meller cooks Winter Soup on an ESSE

16th June 2017 by Dan

Enjoy the best of British food with ESSE range recipes with the help of River Cottage head chef, Gill Meller.

Here, Gill Meller takes us through a step-by-step demonstration recipe, cooking his favourite Winter Soup with beans and winter veg – cooked on an ESSE flued Gas range.

Tagged With: Hotplate, Savoury, Starter, Vegetarian

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