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From Farm to Fork
Five seasonal ingredients you should be eating this month
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Kalettes
Wkalettes. These vegetables started to appear in supermarkets in 2016, but they’ve
hat do you get when you cross Brussels sprouts and kale? No, it’s not a joke. You get
actually been in development for 15 years. They’ve got the base of a sprout, the leafiness
of kale, and while they may taste a bit more sprouty that kale-y, they are great boiled or
steamed for a few minutes and then tossed with garlic butter or bacon and chestnuts. While
sprouts are often seen as being ‘just for Christmas’, we can imagine these new green veg
seeing in the New Year too.
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Cauliflower
Lafter the first frost, try it raw to enjoy it when it’s at its best and get its full health
ike kale, cauliflower is another vegetable that benefits from the colder weather. Sweeter
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benefits – uncooked cauliflower has 30% more protein and more antioxidants. It’s also
delicious, especially when grated and paired with Middle Eastern spices in a tabbouleh.
Cauliflower rice is a good low-carb accompaniment to curries, or you can forget about being
healthy and bake a bubbly cauliflower mac ‘n’ cheese – a real winter warmer.
Chicory
Tthere is one leaf that’s at its best right now. Like rhubarb (also in season), these pale
he fresh crunch of salad seems like a distant memory in this inclement weather, but
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hearts are forced through the winter, and they’re great for mopping up Christmas leftovers
– you won't eat a finer salad than one made with chicory, walnuts, blue cheese and apple.
Admittedly, they can be a little bitter for some tastes. but they’re hardy leaves and grilling or
blanching causes them to lose their edge and brings out a bit of sweetness.
Venison
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Mvenison is one of the healthiest meats you can eat as it’s leaner than beef, pork or lamb,
any people following a post-Christmas diet cut out carbs and pile on the protein. Well,
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but it’s still packed with a rich, gamey flavour. Try a venison carpaccio, searing the loin and
serving with thinly sliced beetroot (also in season). The saddle also makes a special Sunday
roast, but you need to cook it quickly as, unlike beef, it doesn't have the marbling to keep it
moist. Great with fruity sauces.
Oranges
Tabroad for sweet and juicy treats. This is when oranges are at their best, particularly
he cold winter months aren't a great time for seasonal British fruit, so we have to look
blood and Seville varieties, which aren’t available in the shops all year round. The uniquely
ruby red flesh of a blood orange adds vibrancy and sweetness to a bitter winter salad, while
its juice is great in classic cocktails, such as screwdrivers and cosmopolitans. Avid preservers
will also want to look out for Seville oranges for making marmalade in January.
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