In season baking recipes for May

May is finally here and we’re excited that the weather has been lovely and the world seems to be moving towards a positive direction!

We’re also excited to share our favourite recipes using our Matthews Cotswold flour! Check out our cooking and baking recipes below:

Asparagus and cheese tart with Matthews Cotswold Flour puff pastry

 

Ingredients

• 500g asparagus, trimmed
• 250g Matthews Cotswold Flour puff pastry
• Self raising flour for dusting
• 100g grated fontina cheese
• 100g grated comte or gruyere cheese
• 1 finely chopped shallot
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Instructions

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the asparagus and cook until bright green and crisp-tender for 2 to 5 minutes.
2. Drain and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking; drain and pat dry.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. 
4. Roll out the puff pastry into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork.
5. Bake until light golden brown (about 12 minutes).
6. Mix the fontina, comte, shallot, egg yolks, milk, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl until combined.
7. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.
8. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.
9. Arrange the asparagus on the tart and bake until the cheese mixture is slightly puffy, 15 to 20 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with the lemon zest. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spring Greens soup with homemade cotswold flour crusty bread

Spring green soup recipe

Ingredients

For the soup

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 12 stalks of asparagus, woody ends trimmed off and roughly chopped
• 1 aubergine, roughly chopped
• 700ml vegetable stock
• 1/4 tsp of chopped red or chilli pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 100g of spinach

For the topping

• A sprinkle of basil and chives, roughly chopped
• 30g almonds, roughly chopped
• 30g good quality olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 30g raw asparagus tips, thinly sliced
• 30g raw aubergine, thinly julienned

Instructions

1. Heat up olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot
2. Saute garlic until it starts to turn golden.
3. Add asparagus, aubergine (make sure to reserve a few asparagus tips and about 2 inches of your aubergine for the topping), stock, chopped red pepper or chilli pepper and season with salt and pepper.
4. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add spinach and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Let the soup cool down slightly and blend until smooth.
6. Serve with topping.

Homemade Crusty Bread

 

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 240 ml warm water
• 300g self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir in 300g flour and salt to form a soft, sticky dough. Do not knead. Cover and let rise at room temperature 1 hour.
2. Stir down dough and turn it onto a floured surface; with floured hands pat into a 9-in. Square.
3. Fold square into thirds, forming a 9×3-in. rectangle. Fold rectangle into thirds, forming a 3-in. Square.
4. Place in a large greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 hour.
5. Punch down dough and repeat the folding process. Return dough to the bowl; refrigerated and covered overnight.
6. Grease the bottom of a disposable foil roasting pan with at least 4-in.-high sides; dust pan with cornmeal. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead gently 6-8 times; shape into a 6-in. round loaf. Place into the prepared pan; dust top with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Cover pan and let rise at room temperature until dough expands to a 7-1/2-in. Loaf for about 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 260 degrees Celsius.
8. Make a slash (1/4 in. deep) across top of the loaf.
9. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake on the lowest oven rack for 25 minutes.
10. Reduce oven setting to 230°. Remove foil; bake bread until deep golden brown for 25-30 minutes. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool.

Samphire & prawns lemon with homemade Matthews Tipo 00  Flour pasta

 

Homemade pasta (Serves two people)

Ingredients

• 65g of Matthews Tipo 00 flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
• 3 large eggs

Instructions

1. Combine flour and salt.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour, and add the eggs.
3. Gently begin to mix the eggs, gradually drawing in flour with each stroke. Form a stiff dough.
4. Knead the pasta dough for 8-10 minutes.
5. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of water if the dough is too dry and won’t stick together. If it is too sticky, sprinkle in a bit more flour.
6. Cover the well-kneaded dough tightly with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for around 45 minutes.
7. After the resting period, divide the dough into four portions.
8. Roll each portion of dough out on a well-floured surface and then cut into thin strips. The thickness of the pasta can vary depending on your preference.
9. Once the dough has been cut into thin strips, you can either cook your pasta right away (3-4 minutes in boiling water) or dry it and store it in a freezer.

Samphire & prawns lemon with homemade pasta

Ingredients

• Tablespoon olive oil
• 2/3 cloves of garlic
• 200g pre-cooked prawns
• 115g samphire
• Juice of one lemon
• Salt (ideally sea salt) and black pepper
• Spaghetti or homemade pasta (allow 75g – 100g per person)
• 200ml crème fraiche

Instructions

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and then add the spaghetti (cook for 8 – 10 minutes)
2. Meanwhile, add the oil and crushed garlic to a frying pan and cook gently for a minute.
3. Tumble in the prawns, coating in the garlicky oil and cook for another minute
4. Pile in the samphire, the lemon juice and a really good grind of black pepper
5. Add the crème fraiche, stir it around and simmer gently until the pasta is cooked
6. Drain the spaghetti, adding a bit of the cooking water to the prawns and samphire mix as you do, just enough to loosen the sauce up a little
7. Add the spaghetti to the frying pan, moving it around, coating in the sauce
8. Serve it with a grind of black pepper