The Hackney Butchers Association

I had a go at these recently.  I small cup of polenta goes a very long way!  You end up with 4-5 cups of polenta...

Beetroot, Borlotti Beans , Cabbages, Cardoons , Chard, Fennel , Kohlrabi, Pumpkins , Rocket, Salsify , Spinach, Turnips , Apples, Crab Apples , Damsons, Pears , Quinces, Wild Mushrooms , Chestnuts, Walnuts , Thyme, Butternut Squash, Rosehip, Sloes , Rowanberries, Scottish Oysters , Parsnips, Guinea Fowl , Clementines, Wood Pigeon , Sea bass, Squid, Turbot, Venison , Elderberries, Figs , Grouse, Watercress Clams , Crabs, Duck , Grey Mullet, Goose , Haddock, Hake , Halibut, Hare , John Dory, Kale , Lemon Sole, Lobster , Mackerel, Mallard, Monkfish, Mussels , Onions, Partridges , Pheasant, Plaice , Plums, Rabbit, Scallops. That reminds me...  rabbits!  It's about time to make some rabbit stews again, phew.   Maybe like the Eagle pub's classic... Arroz con Conejo - Spanish Rice with Rabbit It's cold, but I love October!

These are what salted peanuts want to be when they grow up. This is a classic Spanish tapas.  It's very simple and very rewarding.  Gotta love the Spanish! To read how to do it click below

Beautiful tender meat infused with Caraway seeds and garlic, with a mountain of crispy crackling. This has to be one of the cheapest cuts of meat and massively under-valued.  The ones I bought yesterday (from Theobalds ) were £1.80 per knuckle.  There is a lot of meat on them, a big one can easily feed two hungry & greedy people, that's porky-heaven at 90p per person!  It's a fatty cut so not for everyone I guess.  It's like a cross between gammon & pork belly.  You can use them for a classic pea & ham soup, or braised Chinese style with cinnamon and star-anise, or plain roasted like they do in Germany.  The last route is the one I did last night.   Yum... The cooking time is quite long, 2-3 hours, so this would be perfect for a lazy Sunday lunch on a cold winter's day.  Log burning fire... bottle of wine...or two... mmmnnnn CLICK BELOW FOR RECIPE:

I was reminded recently about Beetroot Hummous (thanks Leila).  I had been meaning to make some for a while. A lot of recipes seem to mix roughly equal amounts of cooked beetroot and chick peas, with the usaual culprits, garlic, olive oil, tahini & lemon juice.  For maximum flavour use left-over roasted beetroot.  All well and good... but the recipe here is even better!  This recipe is quite different, the flavour comes from lots of toasted cumin & walnuts & garlic.  The slight bitterness of the walnuts with the sweetness of the beetroot makes a great balance.  This is rounded, delicious stuff. It looks amazing too.  It's insanely colorful as seen in the picture above. This has to be tried! RECIPE BELOW:

This is a fantastic way to spruce up lentils.  This is a satisfying dish with bags of flavour, it's very more-ish.  It has lots of cumin, coriander (cilantro) and garlic, so it's always going to be good!  Thankfully there is a little leftover of this batch for tomorrow. Phew.  It reheats really well, so can be made in advance and warmed up before serving.  Once cooked it will lst in the fridge for a few days. We had this tonight with some pan-fried fish, some beetroot, walnut & cannelini puree and some green beans.  It was awesome, if I do say so myself!... Don't forget to season it well at the end of cooking, it massively brings all the flavours to life. Oh, and if you know of any great lentil recipes please leave a comment below.  I'll try them out and post the results.  Thanks. FOR RECIPE CLICK BELOW:

Around October this starts to appear in the UK at the odd farmers market.  I'm yet to see it in a supermarket. It's really easy to cook and has a lovely nutty taste.  Like artichokes, they can discolour once peeled.   To avoid this, drop them into water with a little lemon juice in it, or just rub they directly in lemon juice. FOR RECIPES CLICK BELOW