Wednesday 6 February 2008

PURPLE LOVE WEEK!



Valentine’s Day used to be a huge emotional challenge; arriving at school to the competitive chorus of “ how many did you get, then?”, I regret to say the answer was always the same- none. Just not the type of girl that guys send valentines to, I suppose….

Nothing’s really changed all these years later, but in case anyone is suffering the same fate, don’t worry, Eden Farms is providing your Valentines Day surprise in the form of our Purple Passion Pack!
Over the next week, we are celebrating “Purple Love Week”, a nationwide foodie event to remind everyone out there about the small independent food supplier- that’s us!!
No franchises, nationwide distribution services or wall to wall marketing campaigns, Eden Farms has made it to 25 years thanks to all you people , who seem to like what we do, and are genuinely interested in us! Thankyou!
Without being too cringe-makingly American about this, we love you too!!


PURPLE PASSION PACK
Eden Farms answer to bouquets of red roses, this box of purple vegetables contains Desiree potatoes(of course!), red onions, beetroot, sweet potatoes, red kale, red cabbage, purple sprouting broccoli (maybe- weather permitting), purple top swede, and Elstar apples.
And just in case you are wondering, beetroot and kale are reputed to have aphrodisiac qualities, and even appear on the walls of the brothel in Pompeii! (This could be worrying if your children are mad for them, but in the general run of things, that seems unlikely.)

Purple Passion is more likely to be unleashed if the partner who doesn’t usually cook volunteers to do so!
So here’s a sophisticated little number, grown-ups only, to impress the beloved:
Kale Pesto with Roast Root Veg: surprisingly delicious!
Peel the beetroot,sweet potato,carrot, swede and red onion, cut into finger-sized batons, and toss in a bowl with 4tbs olive oil, a nugget of chopped fresh ginger 1-2 tbs of maple syrup, and a good pinch of salt .
Stir around to coat the veg in this mixture, spread out on an earthenware roasting dish, and place in a medium oven for 45 mins -1 hour; stir occasionally to stop the edges getting tough and burned.
Meanwhile, wash your bunch of kale, remove the tough stems, and pop into a large pot of boiling water for just a couple of minutes until wilted. Tip into a sieve, and immediately hold under the cold tap, turning the kale until it has cooled right down.
Squeeze out the excess water, and put in a food processor with 1-2 medium cloves crushed garlic, 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Puree slowly, while pouring in 1/2 cup olive oil. Continue puréeing, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary, until all oil is incorporated and mixture is smooth, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper..
Serve your roasted veg accompanied by the dip- and make sure you both eat the garlicky pesto!
Red wine to match!

Now all we need is some brave users to tell us what a difference a beetroot made to their Valentine's Day!