I was lucky enough to have recently been sent some delicious goodies from
Laverstoke Park Farm to try out and see what I could do with! If you don't already know, Laverstoke is "2,500 acres of bio-dynamic and organic farming in Hampshire ... owned and run by ex-racing driver and Formula
One World Champion Jody Scheckter. He wanted to create a
farming environment that would follow nature as closely as
possible, combining 21st century science, together with the
most environmentally friendly farming methods available," with a view to creating "Better tasting, healthy food.
Without compromise."
The cheeses are all produced from the milk of the Asian water Buffalo herd who graze freely on organic pasture, full of 31 different herbs, grasses and clovers. Meanwhile, their kitchen is one of the few in the UK who use fresh pig’s blood in their black pudding. This is made using a
rare Scottish Hebridian style recipe that uses medium sized oatmeal as
opposed to fat additives and has no added nitrates, preservatives or colours. Even reminding my 6 year old it's prime ingredient was fresh pig's blood, didn't put her off - she just loves black pudding!
I began my recipe ideas by trawling the internet to see more traditional pairings and recipes for the cheeses I was sent: Buffalo Mozzarella and Buffalo Ricotta. And also for the Black Pudding. Then I narrowed down what I'd like to do with it and began devising my own! Obviously, crusty bread is a big winner with both cheese and the black pudding, so that features heavily, but also the freshness and cleanliness of ripe, crispy fruit, such as pears and apples works well with both and cuts through the creaminess of the cheese. I always feel ricotta needs a little help to encourage the flavours to come through and develop too, so tend to add black pepper, thyme, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to this. In fact, a very simple recipe is to do just that and smear onto hunks of sourdough!
A quick idea is to add a big dollop of the ricotta to tomato based stews. This was the first thing I did as I was part way through cooking a sausage, chorizo, mushroom and paprika stew type thing when the produce arrived and I just couldn't resist adding a mild creaminess to it. Simply fry off chopped sausages and chorizo with olive oil. Add mushrooms, smoked paprika and a tin of chopped tomatoes. And, as usual, a pinch of sugar to counteract the acidity form the tomatoes. Bubble until thickened. Take off the heat, season well and add a large spoonful of ricotta, stirring through before serving.
Black Pudding Huevos Rancheros
This very British take on a classic Mexican egg dish is very quick and easy, especially for a weekend brunch.
Ingredients: Serves 4 as a small brunch portion
Half a red onion, sliced
2 crushed garlic cloves
Small piece of chorizo - cubed
Small piece of Laverstoke Park Farm black pudding - cubed
flat tsp smoked paprika
Can of chopped tomatoes
half tsp dried oregano
pinch of sugar
4 eggs
Method:
Fry black pudding and chorizo in a tiny little bit of olive oil over a high heat.
Sprinkle over smoked
paprika and toss in the pan for half a minute.
Add sliced red onions and crushed garlic. Keep the ingredients moving and fry until beginning to soften. Turn heat down
lower and leave.
Once softened, add can tomatoes and dried oregano and a pinch of
sugar. Keep simmering to reduce liquid.
Once at your desired consistency pour into one large of 4 individual oven dishes, top with
egg and bake until white is cooked and the yolk still runny.
Serve with crispy dippable bread.
Disclaimer: The products I received were complimentary for review and recipe development purposes. All opinions given are my own, honest and truthful.
