March

Spring has sprung! Daffodils bloom, lambs gambol, and the fields are bursting with goodness. Bright, crisp radishes and spring onions (scallions to the Yanks) arrive but say a sad farewell to leeks, moreish mussels, rabbit, parsnips and sprouts.

Celebrate... cauliflower

Not only is it available all year round, it really does come in all these colours (we didn't believe it either so we've done a bit of research for you!)

Celebrate... radishes

Crunchy, peppery, juicy, colourful – with adjectives like these how could you resist the radishes? They've even got a festival in their honour!

Clamming up

Most people couldn’t describe a razor clam, as they can be tricky to find. But Tom Norrington-Davies thinks their flavour more than repays the effort of tracking them down.

Eat your purples

PSB is going through a purple patch and rightly so, says Man of all Seasons, Tom Norrington-Davies.

Depending on how you look at it, purple sprouting broccoli either took a while to find its true vocation or suffered a spectacular fall from grace. Back in the 17th century this leggy, blushing brassica was an ornamental plant in the gardens of the aristocracy. Nowadays it barely has time to flower before it is bundled off to the kitchen by some overexcited foodie.

If you are a serial reader of cookery books and magazines you will know what I mean by ‘overexcited’. PSB, as it is nicknamed in many a working kitchen, does tend to cause a stir among chefs and recipe writers.

For starters (no pun intended), it’s a beauty. Despite the name, it’s really a deep, dark green with a frosting of purple. The first sighting of it at the grocer’s can coax a little ‘ooh!’ from the back of your throat (before you have time to think how daft you sound).

More importantly, it’s one of an ever-decreasing number of truly seasonal vegetables. Shopping seasonally these days is about avoiding imitators. Supermarkets are a minefield – you need to spend the winter trying to ignore South American asparagus or Israeli strawberries to enjoy the local stuff in May or June. PSB is not big enough business to have earned its air miles. I’m glad.

As for being an unusual variety, it is one of many kinds of broccoli eaten worldwide. By far the most famous type is calabrese: the thick-stemmed green type, developed in Italy for canning and freezing. There’s nothing wrong with calabrese but PSB has a denser flavour and while it is in season should be your broccoli of choice.

All types of broccoli are sprouting, flowering cabbages with leaves as well as heads. What I love most about PSB is the mix of head, leaf and slender stalk, all of which are wonderfully edible.

If you come across the early, skinny stuff that seems to be all leaf and stalk, don’t be put off buying it. Simply cut off any woody looking bits and use everything else. The taste of the stem and the leaf is quite mustardy. This robustness means that PSB stands up to feisty flavours. Traditionally, it is often paired with anchovies but it goes well with chillies, garlic and ginger, too. It’s a great addition to a stir-fry (see the recipe, below) but if you’re a fan of noodles in soup or Thai-style curries don’t hesitate to use it in those.

"The mix of head, leaf and slender stalk are wonderfully edible"

By early April, as spring kicks in, the stems and leaves become thicker. If you buy it from a supermarket, PSB will most likely be trimmed and ready to eat. If not, it might be sold at markets ‘on the branch’. At this stage try simply trimming the bigger, lower leaves and the outer part of the stalk. Steam or blanch the stems and heads as you would asparagus and serve with hollandaise sauce, a poached egg or simply a few fillets of anchovies, your smartest olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. This makes an elegant starter for a meal.

A word of warning: PSB can be the most regal of shades when raw but goes green very quickly once cooked. It is not a problem but I know some people feel disappointed when this happens. One way to stop your PSB going green is to avoid blanching it. Personally, whenever a recipe calls for this I steam it instead. If you have to blanch PSB (or any broccoli), literally ‘show’ it the water – salted and at a rolling boil – for 30 seconds, tops. Let it steam itself for a further minute in the colander. After all, it is best eaten al dente, in terms of taste and nutritional value.

The following two recipes are easy to make. The broccoli takes centre stage but shares the limelight with equally robust flavours. Pasta and stir-fries are easiest when made for two, so these are great for a night in. If you want to cook the pasta for a larger group by all means up the quantities. With the stir-fry, another option is to pair it with a quite different one (using meat, fish or bean sprouts, for example) since you get more variety at the table and avoid the stress of a heavily loaded wok!