Muristek
A slow-cooked, silky casserole and a bright, zesty dessert are both made for double helpings
For those of us who like to cook with the seasons, “late winter, early spring” seems to last forever. The sun may be beginning to warm the soil, life is stirring in the garden, on the farms and on our allotments, but we have a way to go yet. Long leeks, purple sprouting, cavolo nero and huge crinkly leaved Savoy cabbages still dominate the vegetable rack. There is fine rhubarb and crisp pears for breakfast and those neat, tight-skinned citrus fruits continue to lift our hearts.
It has been the imports that have caught my eye this week. A small mountain of Turkish aubergines, links of paprika-bright Spanish sausages and spirit-lifting blood oranges. I found fat, sweet figs, too – jolly fruits that we tore open and wolfed as I unpacked the shopping on the kitchen table. The aubergines and chorizo made a luscious casserole with sweet, glossy juices – a recipe that was just as good the next day, the dish given a spritz of zest and chopped mint leaves, the only soft herb in the garden right now.
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