'tis the season to eat well! Centering your cooking around what's in season just now means that you are likely to eat more local food (meaning a smaller carbon footprint and better preserved nutrients due to shorter transport routes, and supporting local economy), save money, and add some funky new veg to your diet.
This database of tried-and-true recipes and other resources will hopefully help you to get into the swing of seasonal cooking, impress your flatmate, and figure out what to do with that weird looking root vegetable that came in your veg box and is just rotting away in the fridge because nobody knows what to do with it (we've all been there).
Before you dig into the resources, some prefacing thoughts:
This database of tried-and-true recipes and other resources will hopefully help you to get into the swing of seasonal cooking, impress your flatmate, and figure out what to do with that weird looking root vegetable that came in your veg box and is just rotting away in the fridge because nobody knows what to do with it (we've all been there).
Before you dig into the resources, some prefacing thoughts:
- Subscribing to a veg box scheme by a local farm is a great way to stay seasonal! See here for some veg box schemes and other local food providers around Edinburgh.
- Many of the recipes we list here are based on seasonal ingredients but may also include non-seasonal or imported ingredients. That's alright, we're not (always) trying to be perfect...
- Remember you can always supplement your recipes with all-year ingredients, or learn to preserve seasonal vegetables (pickle them, freeze them, etc.)
- This is a living and growing resource list. Join the effort by sending us your favourite seasonal recipe!
Wondering what's in season right now? Find out here!
Tip: print out a seasonal food calendar for your kitchen - they're often very pretty and also informative!
Recipe Inspiration (note that this is specific to the UK)
Tip: print out a seasonal food calendar for your kitchen - they're often very pretty and also informative!
Recipe Inspiration (note that this is specific to the UK)
- BBC Good Food, sorted by seasons
- BBC Food, sorted by month
- The Flexitarian, sorted by month
Winter (December - February) means: Beetroots, Brussel sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Chicory, Kale, Leek, Parsnips, Potatoes, Pruple-sprouting Broccoli, Shallots, Swedes, Turnip, and much more!
The Crispiest Oven Potatoes
Genuinely the crispiest oven potatoes that exist.
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For a more detailed version of the recipe, check out the original source here. |
CAULIFLOWER-POMEGRANATE Salad
Quick, easy, delicious!
- Grate 1/3 of a cauliflower and set aside.
- Cut the remaining cauliflower into small chunks and mix with a roughly diced onion, some oil and salt. Roast in the preheated oven (200°C) until golden-brown (ca. 20 minutes).
- Mix the grated and roasted cauliflower, along with some more olive oil, fresh mint leaves, pomegranate seeds (80g), chopped pistachios (30g), some cumin and lemon juice.
Mashed sweet potatoes WITH LIME
Sweet potatoes are usually grown in warmer climates, but some variants are sturdy enough to be grown in the cold UK. Limes are a bit more exotic and also not really in season... but yum!
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut sweet potatoes in half (lengthways) and drizzle some oil and salt on top. Put them on a baking tray, cut-side down and roast until soft (roughly 30 minutes). Peel off the skin once they are cooled down and mash potatoes into a smooth puree.
- Mix some tablespoons of olive oil with one finely chopped garlic clove, zest from 2 limes, some tablespoons of lime juice, and salt.
- Drizzle the oil-lime-salsa over the potato mash when serving.
BEETROOT SYRUP
Yes, what you've heard through the grapevine is true: beetroot can taste delicious, even if you're not into eating soil. This recipe turns the earthy, beautifully coloured root into a surprisingly yummy, sweet syrup to be used in drinks (funky cocktails!), salad dressings, seasonings, and elsewhere.
Peel 4 beetroots (and, if you want, an apple as well) and juice them with the help of a juicer. Add some lemon juice or citric acid to your liking, as well as 25-40g of sugar (depending on how sweet you like it) and bring to boil. Let it simmer for some minutes and fill into a glass bottle (previously sanitised with boiling water). Once opened, store it in the fridge.
Peel 4 beetroots (and, if you want, an apple as well) and juice them with the help of a juicer. Add some lemon juice or citric acid to your liking, as well as 25-40g of sugar (depending on how sweet you like it) and bring to boil. Let it simmer for some minutes and fill into a glass bottle (previously sanitised with boiling water). Once opened, store it in the fridge.
Beetroot Carpaccio
Cut beetroots into thin slices using a grater or a knife (you can use raw or cooked beetroot for this) and arrange on a plate. Roast some chopped walnuts in a pan without oil. Sprinkle walnuts, cut feta cheese, and - if you want - some rocket over the beetroot and top it off with some dressing out of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamico vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper - in whichever proportions you enjoy (or search the interweb for more specific instructions).
LEEK-FILLED PAN-BREAD
Boil 200ml water and mix with 270g flour. Knead until you have a smooth dough, then divide into five pieces and put in fridge for 30 minutes. Cut one leek into fine rings, crumble 200g sheep cheese (e.g. feta) and add to leek, along with some salt and pepper. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible and brush some oil on top. Sprinkle the leek-cheese mix on top (keep some for decoration). Roll up the dough and twist it into a spiral / snail-shape. Roll out again into a thin pan bread. Slowly fry in a pan from both sides, with some ghee / oil, until golden-brown. Sprinkle remaining leek-cheese mix on top and eat with some harissa paste (ready-made, or by mixing some olive oil, salt, and harissa spice).
Brussel Sprouts with Labneh-Cheese
Inspired by Lebanese cooking.
Cut 750g brussel sprouts in halves and mix with 50ml rapeseed oil, 4 tablespoons sesame oil, 4 tablespoons maple syrup, 50g sesame, and some teaspoons chili flakes, as well as some salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C. For the Labneh: add some salt to 400g yogurt and press through a clean cloth. Add some lemon zest.
Cut 750g brussel sprouts in halves and mix with 50ml rapeseed oil, 4 tablespoons sesame oil, 4 tablespoons maple syrup, 50g sesame, and some teaspoons chili flakes, as well as some salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C. For the Labneh: add some salt to 400g yogurt and press through a clean cloth. Add some lemon zest.
Spring (March - May) means: Cauliflower, Kale, Leek, Broccoli, Purple-sprouting Broccoli, Spinach, Spring Onions, Swede, Wild Nettles, Asparagus, Lettuce and Salad Leaves, Radishes, Rocket, Watercress, Carrots, Potatoes, Peas, Rhubarb and much more!
Spinach Pie
You need about 450g fresh spinach, 200g feta, 1 onion, 4 eggs, some pie pastry (filo, puff, butter – whatever floats your boat), a bunch of parsley, a clove or two of garlic, a pinch of chili, salt, pepper, and some dried coriander. Throw the spinach in a pan at low heat and cook until wilted. Strain and press as much of the liquid out as you can (otherwise everything will be soggy and just a bit nasty). Slice or dice the onion. Mix all the ingredients together (crumble the feta!) and pour into a pie dish. Cover with the pie pastry, smear some milk or butter or egg yolk on top and cook at 160C for 30-50 minutes or until the pastry is brown and crispy.
Summer (June - August) means: Artichoke, Asparagus, Aubergine, Beetroot, Berries, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Chard, Corn, Courgettes, Fennel, Kohlrabi, Potatoes, Lettuce and Salad Leaves, Mushrooms, Onions, Pak Choi, Peas, Peppers, Radishes, Rocket, Spinach, Spring Onions, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Nettles, and much more!
TOMATO-OVEN-RICE
Small effort, big effect. Vegan.
Preheat oven to 180°. Spread cherry tomatoes (800g), shallots/onions (200g, roughly chopped), coriander, thyme and 3-4 small sticks of cinnamon (alternatively som teaspoons ground cinnamon) in an oven dish and drizzle some olive oil and ground pepper on top. Roast for ca. 1 hour until tomatoes are cooked. Increase temperature to 220°. Sprinkle 300g rice on top and cover in 600ml boiling water. Cover dish in tinfoil and cook another 20-25 minutes until rice is cooked.
Preheat oven to 180°. Spread cherry tomatoes (800g), shallots/onions (200g, roughly chopped), coriander, thyme and 3-4 small sticks of cinnamon (alternatively som teaspoons ground cinnamon) in an oven dish and drizzle some olive oil and ground pepper on top. Roast for ca. 1 hour until tomatoes are cooked. Increase temperature to 220°. Sprinkle 300g rice on top and cover in 600ml boiling water. Cover dish in tinfoil and cook another 20-25 minutes until rice is cooked.
Fall (September - November) means: Artichoke, Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Courgettes, Cucumber, Fennel, French Beans, Garlic, Horseradish, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce and Salad Leaves, Onions, Pak Choi, Parsnips, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Shallots, Spring Onions, Sweetcorn, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Mushrooms, Apples, Elderberries, Pears, Berries, and much more!
Apple Crumble
You need about 1.5kg apples, about 2tbsp cinnamon, some fresh ginger, some nutmeg, some cloves, 100g room temperature butter, 70g sugar, 120g flour, and an extra knob of butter. Peel the apples at cut them into thin slices. Throw all the apples and spices together into a big pot along with the knob of butter and let simmer until your whole home smells like good things and the apples are softish. I usually double the recipe for the crumble but this is just because I love crumble. Cut the butter into chunks and pinch it into the flour and sugar so that you have some sizable (but not too sizable) chunks. Pour the apples into a dish and sprinkle with the crumble. Bake at 180C for 45 minutes, top with crème fraiche or cream.
Pumpkin / Butternut Soup
(Mostly from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015484-coconut-butternut-squash-soup)
I couldn’t find butternut so I made this with pumpkin. For the soup, you need about 700g of pumpkin/butternut cubes so 1 pumpkin or one large butternut will suffice, 1 onion (chopped), 2tsp curry powder, 1.5 cans coconut milk, about 3cm fresh ginger (grated), 1 apple (chopped), 2 cups broth, salt, and pepper. For the garnish, you need two red onions, 300g or so kale, some coconut oil or other oil, and if you’re feeling it, some maple syrup or a bit of balsamic. Fry the onion in some oil. When they’re soft (but not translucent) add in the ginger, curry powder, and apples. Fry for about 2 minutes at low heat. Boil the butternut/pumpkin cubes in the broth and of coconut milk until the they’re soft. Stir in the onion/apple mix from the previous step and let simmer for 10 minutes or so. Let it cool and then blend until smooth. It should be creamy but if not, add some more coconut milk or some cream. For the garnish, cut the kale off the stem. Then fry the onion until soft (and then drizzle a bit of balsamic or maple syrup over) and then add the kale. Cook for about 5 minutes until the kale is nice and green and just a bit soft. Top the soup with the garnish.
I couldn’t find butternut so I made this with pumpkin. For the soup, you need about 700g of pumpkin/butternut cubes so 1 pumpkin or one large butternut will suffice, 1 onion (chopped), 2tsp curry powder, 1.5 cans coconut milk, about 3cm fresh ginger (grated), 1 apple (chopped), 2 cups broth, salt, and pepper. For the garnish, you need two red onions, 300g or so kale, some coconut oil or other oil, and if you’re feeling it, some maple syrup or a bit of balsamic. Fry the onion in some oil. When they’re soft (but not translucent) add in the ginger, curry powder, and apples. Fry for about 2 minutes at low heat. Boil the butternut/pumpkin cubes in the broth and of coconut milk until the they’re soft. Stir in the onion/apple mix from the previous step and let simmer for 10 minutes or so. Let it cool and then blend until smooth. It should be creamy but if not, add some more coconut milk or some cream. For the garnish, cut the kale off the stem. Then fry the onion until soft (and then drizzle a bit of balsamic or maple syrup over) and then add the kale. Cook for about 5 minutes until the kale is nice and green and just a bit soft. Top the soup with the garnish.
