BBC Good Food - 04.2020

in season

March to

November

56 bbcgoodfood.com APRIL 2020

april highlights

grow it, cook it!

Chard, sweet potato & peanut stew

Heat2 tbsp sunflower oilin a large saucepan over a medium

heat and fry1 large chopped onionuntil light golden. Stir in

1 tsp cumin seedsand cook for 1 min, then add400g sweet

potatoes, chopped into medium-sized chunks,^1 / 2 tsp chilli

flakes,400g can tomatoesand750ml water. Stir, cover

and bring to the boil, then uncover and simmer for 15 mins.

Meanwhile, whizz140g peanutsin a food processor until finely

ground, stopping before it becomes smooth like peanut butter.

Add to the stew, stir and taste for seasoning. Simmer for a further

15 mins, stirring frequently. Finally, add250g roughly chopped

chard. Return to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered,

for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until the chard is cooked.

Season with plenty offreshly ground black pepper and serve

with rice.Serves 4.

T

his is a tricky time of year for fresh produce, as

only a few bits and pieces are available while we

patiently wait for the abundance of summer. But,

all is not lost – if you can grow a few simple plants on

your windowsill, such as cress and spring onions, or

cleverly time the sowing of the vegetables in your

garden (see Emma’s advice below and on p58), you’ll

have a decent crop of produce in April. This month, I’ve

chosen easy recipes to see you through. While there’s

not a huge amount of variety around, the produce that

is available can be really versatile. Try roasting or

griddling asparagus and spring onions, use a handful

of cress in a burrito or scattered over a spring green

risotto, or pickle chard stems – they’re particularly

good with cheese or in a hummus and falafel wrap.

BBCGood Food’sMiriam Nicehas

teamed up withEmma Crawforth

ofGardeners’ Worldto help you grow,

cook and eat the best of the season

• Miriam Nice is a
  published author
  and illustrator. She
  has written over
  350 recipes for
  BBCGood Food.
  @miriamjsnice
  
  
  • Emma Crawforth is a
    qualiied horticulturist,
    trained at the Royal
    Botanic Gardens, Kew,
    and is the gardening
    editor for BBC
    Gardeners’ World.
    @emma_crawforth
  
  
  
  

Swiss chard

This time of year is ‘the hungry gap’, when winter

crops have finished and summer’s are still to come. To

bridge the gap with Swiss chard, sow the seeds in mid-

to-late summer. The plants will mature over winter,

but may need protection from hungry pigeons!Emma