Smashing spelt recipes
Great British Spelt Recipes has launched online (www.greatbritishspeltrecipes.com) to mark the start of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
As spelt is a grain with many health benefits including high levels of fibre, and diet – especially fibre intake – which makes such a difference in reducing the risk of developing bowel cancer, Sharpham Park and Bowel Cancer UK hope Great British Spelt Recipes will inspire people to improve their diet and stack their odds against the UK's second biggest cancer killer.
The recipes in the collection have been donated by 30 of the UK's top chefs, including Yotam Ottolenghi, Tom Aikens, Rachel Green, Sally Clarke, Mark Hix, Gizzi Erskine, The Fabulous Baker Brothers, Signe Johansen.
And Sharpham Park's Great British Spelt Recipes pop up will run for two weeks (Tuesday 16 April - Sunday 28 April) in Fortnum & Mason's pop up bakery.
But in the mean time here are three recipes to get you going...
Serves 4
This isn't a risotto in the true sense of the word but more a sort of British version of Spanish arroz negro. You can use cuttlefish or squid for this dish and you will need to order the little sachets of ink from your fishmonger in advance.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the drained spelt and stir on a low heat for a minute or so, without allowing it to colour. Add the squid ink, stir well, then slowly add the stock, a ladle or two at a time, ensuring that all the liquid has been absorbed before adding more, stirring constantly.
When the spelt is tender and cooked, stir in two-thirds of the butter and a little more of the stock if the risotto seems a bit too dry; the consistency should be wet but not runny. Meanwhile, heat a heavy frying pan with the rest of the butter and cook the squid on a high heat for a minute or so, then stir in the herbs.
To serve, spoon the spelt on to warmed serving plates and scatter the squid over
I blooming love meatballs, and these are rather special – the chorizo and chilli pepper give them fire, the fennel lends aroma, and the fresh tomato sauce sets the whole thing off. I’m using spelt spaghetti here; I’m a huge fan of spelt. It’s easy to digest, people with wheat intolerances can eat it and it tastes really good. It’s by far the best wheat-free pasta out there. The spaghetti portion here may seem small, but remember, we eat way too many carbs and I promise you’ll still be full after eating this.
Put the minced pork, chorizo, onion, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and mix the lot together with your hands (the chorizo takes a bit of work as it’s much firmer than the pork mince).
Divide into 12 balls. Pop them on a baking tray, cover with clingfilm and set aside to chill in the fridge. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Bash the chilli, fennel and garlic together in a pestle and mortar until they break down.
Heat the oil in a pan, then add the onions and cook slowly for 8–10 minutes, or until the onions have softened and started to go golden. Add in the crushed garlic, chilli and fennel seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes, add the vinegar and sugar and simmer very gently, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Spritz a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil, then add the meatballs and fry gently over a low heat for 10 minutes, turning them over once. (You may need to do this in batches if your pan is not very big.)
Drain off any excess fat, pour in the sauce and cook for a further 15 minutes, then stir through the basil. Meanwhile, bring a big saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes, or until al dente. Stir the sauce and meatballs through the pasta and divide equally among bowls.
(Extracted from Love Good Food by Sophie Michell published by Duncan Baird Publishers London)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
I have used butternut squash and sage for the flavourings in this hearty risotto, but wild mushrooms, chicken, asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes would all work well too.
to serve
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the butternut squash on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until cooked. Meanwhile, put the stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
At the same time, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the spelt grains and stir to coat with the oil. Pour in the wine and stir until it is all absorbed, then add a ladleful of the hot stock and stir until it is fully absorbed by the spelt.
Continue to add the stock, ladleful by ladleful, stirring the spelt to absorb the stock after each addition. This will take 30–40 minutes in total. About 20 minutes into the spelt cooking time, add the butternut squash and sage.
During the latter part of the cooking process, check the spelt regularly. You want it to be cooked but still with a little bite, and you may not need all the stock. When it is just about the desired consistency, add the butter and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
Serve the risotto with the rocket leaves and pumpkin seeds sprinkled over the top and a good drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
As spelt is a grain with many health benefits including high levels of fibre, and diet – especially fibre intake – which makes such a difference in reducing the risk of developing bowel cancer, Sharpham Park and Bowel Cancer UK hope Great British Spelt Recipes will inspire people to improve their diet and stack their odds against the UK's second biggest cancer killer.
The recipes in the collection have been donated by 30 of the UK's top chefs, including Yotam Ottolenghi, Tom Aikens, Rachel Green, Sally Clarke, Mark Hix, Gizzi Erskine, The Fabulous Baker Brothers, Signe Johansen.
And Sharpham Park's Great British Spelt Recipes pop up will run for two weeks (Tuesday 16 April - Sunday 28 April) in Fortnum & Mason's pop up bakery.
But in the mean time here are three recipes to get you going...
Mark Hix's Spelt cooked in ink with squid and herbs
Serves 4
This isn't a risotto in the true sense of the word but more a sort of British version of Spanish arroz negro. You can use cuttlefish or squid for this dish and you will need to order the little sachets of ink from your fishmonger in advance.
- 2tbsp rapeseed oil
- 50g (6 sachets) squid ink (available to order from good fishmonger's)
- 200g spelt, soaked in cold water for 3-4 hours
- 1ltr fish stock
- 120g butter
- 150g cleaned squid, cut into small, rough 2-3cm squares
- 1tbsp chopped hedgerow or three-cornered garlic or garlic chives
- 1tbsp chopped parsley
- 1tbsp chopped chervil
Heat the rapeseed oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the drained spelt and stir on a low heat for a minute or so, without allowing it to colour. Add the squid ink, stir well, then slowly add the stock, a ladle or two at a time, ensuring that all the liquid has been absorbed before adding more, stirring constantly.
When the spelt is tender and cooked, stir in two-thirds of the butter and a little more of the stock if the risotto seems a bit too dry; the consistency should be wet but not runny. Meanwhile, heat a heavy frying pan with the rest of the butter and cook the squid on a high heat for a minute or so, then stir in the herbs.
To serve, spoon the spelt on to warmed serving plates and scatter the squid over
Gizzi Erskine's Pork and chorizo meatballs with spaghetti
I blooming love meatballs, and these are rather special – the chorizo and chilli pepper give them fire, the fennel lends aroma, and the fresh tomato sauce sets the whole thing off. I’m using spelt spaghetti here; I’m a huge fan of spelt. It’s easy to digest, people with wheat intolerances can eat it and it tastes really good. It’s by far the best wheat-free pasta out there. The spaghetti portion here may seem small, but remember, we eat way too many carbs and I promise you’ll still be full after eating this. - 200g lean minced pork (10% fat)
- 150g fresh chorizo sausage, the meat extracted from the skin
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- a few sprigs of oregano, leaves removed
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil spray
- 320g spelt spaghetti for the sauce
- 1 small dried red chilli
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 800g vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp red-wine vinegar
- a pinch of sugar a handful of fresh basil leaves
Put the minced pork, chorizo, onion, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl and mix the lot together with your hands (the chorizo takes a bit of work as it’s much firmer than the pork mince).
Divide into 12 balls. Pop them on a baking tray, cover with clingfilm and set aside to chill in the fridge. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Bash the chilli, fennel and garlic together in a pestle and mortar until they break down.
Heat the oil in a pan, then add the onions and cook slowly for 8–10 minutes, or until the onions have softened and started to go golden. Add in the crushed garlic, chilli and fennel seeds and fry for 2 minutes. Tip in the tomatoes, add the vinegar and sugar and simmer very gently, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Spritz a non-stick frying pan with a little olive oil, then add the meatballs and fry gently over a low heat for 10 minutes, turning them over once. (You may need to do this in batches if your pan is not very big.)
Drain off any excess fat, pour in the sauce and cook for a further 15 minutes, then stir through the basil. Meanwhile, bring a big saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook for 7 minutes, or until al dente. Stir the sauce and meatballs through the pasta and divide equally among bowls.
Sophie Michell's Spelt & Roast Butternut Squash Risotto
(Extracted from Love Good Food by Sophie Michell published by Duncan Baird Publishers London) Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
I have used butternut squash and sage for the flavourings in this hearty risotto, but wild mushrooms, chicken, asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes would all work well too.
- 350g/12oz butternut squash, halved, deseeded, peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 litre/35fl oz/4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g/7oz spelt grains
- 100ml/31/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 25g/1oz butter
- 50g/13/4oz Parmesan cheese, grated
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
to serve
- 25g/1oz rocket leaves
- 25g/1oz pumpkin seeds
- balsamic vinegar
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the butternut squash on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until cooked. Meanwhile, put the stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
At the same time, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the spelt grains and stir to coat with the oil. Pour in the wine and stir until it is all absorbed, then add a ladleful of the hot stock and stir until it is fully absorbed by the spelt.
Continue to add the stock, ladleful by ladleful, stirring the spelt to absorb the stock after each addition. This will take 30–40 minutes in total. About 20 minutes into the spelt cooking time, add the butternut squash and sage.
During the latter part of the cooking process, check the spelt regularly. You want it to be cooked but still with a little bite, and you may not need all the stock. When it is just about the desired consistency, add the butter and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
Serve the risotto with the rocket leaves and pumpkin seeds sprinkled over the top and a good drizzle of balsamic vinegar.