These Bird's Eye chillies are a feast for the eyes. But can you guess the ingredient below...?
I'll give you a clue - it's an exotic spotted at Gilgrove, kindly modelled by a passing trader. Often sold dried or pickled, it's rare to see it so squeaky fresh.
No question as to what's the British-grown highlight for February - Yorkshire forced rhubarb. Here they're loading up an order at H G Walker.
Here you can see the slimmer Grade 2 rhubarb - often used for desserts and drinks. You'll find much more detail on this amazing ingredient in last month's Chef's Guide.
For British veg, it's the roots and brassicas that impress. There's some excellent homegrown Jerusalem artichokes about. (Try S Thorogood & Sons).
Cauliflowers, purple sprouting, kales, broccoli, turnips and parsnips are all a good call.
Some will also hail from across the Channel, such as these carrots (from Italy) or Hispi (Portugal).
Other prime ingredients from the Continent include artichokes, agretti, radicchio, celery, watercress, garlic, puntarelle, cime di rapa, winter tomatoes (e.g. Camone), peppers, radish (red heart; blue; winter), and courgettes and aubergines in all shapes and sizes.
It's slowly edging towards the end of the season for citrus from Southern Europe - blood oranges, clementines, Navel oranges, cedro and bergamot.
If you hunt hard, there are small batches of peas and broad beans - an early taste of spring - from Spain and Italy.
South African grapes and stone fruit (including cherries) are still going strong. (You'll also find plenty of strawberries for Valentine's - but their flavour may be wanting at this time of year.)
Other fruit that caught my eye include these figs and air-freight pineapple from Worldwide Exotics.
By the way, the answer to the quiz question is Lesser Ginger, a.k.a. Kra Chai. This rhizome is a favourite in authentic Thai cooking. More info can be found here. See you next month ..
Comments