Orzo with Merguez, Olives and Purple Sprouting Broccoli
A Seasonal Supper for March in "the Hungry Gap"
It’s always hard to write a Seasonal Supper at this time of year, because we have entered a period known in farming as “The Hungry Gap”. To briefly summarise, at this time of year (March to May-ish) we are running out of the winter crops, and the new seasons crops have not matured enough for harvest. Suddenly here in the UK, we find ourselves with fewer locally grown vegetables and typically we tend to rely on imported vegetables. There are however a few good, hardy greens knocking about like Spring Greens, cabbages and my old fave Purple Sprouting Broccoli. And of course, there is everyones favourite foraging prize - wild garlic. I would have happily done this episode on wild garlic but truthfully timing didn’t allow it. I am going to my parents in Somerset this weekend where it is incredibly abundant, and therefore spending £4 on 100g from a London grocer a mere week before felt bonkers. (I should mention, next week’s newsletter will be out a day later as I am taking a long weekend at my parents! Keep an eye on your inboxes on Tuesday 25th).
Purple Sprouting Broccoli is a vegetable I lean on a lot when it comes into season. Broccoli in general is one of my favourite midweek culinary weapons. It tastes amazing, is a vehicle for good strong flavours and is packed full of nutrients. It might not be the culinary focus of today’s recipe as such - it’s more of a topping, but this is a great way to “make a meal of it” , as it were.
Merguez sausages are another of my favourite culinary weapons. A deeply spiced lamb sausage from North Africa, they are bursting with richness and work brilliantly as a meat base for soups, stews, rice dishes or this lovely little one-pot orzo. A bit like chorizo, as they fry they release heady, spiced fat that perfumes the whole dish. The orzo is cooked in one pot, like a risotto, and finished with olives. Topped with some yoghurt, our lush PSB, feta and dill, you end up with a supremely easy, comforting and scrumptious dinner ready in under 30 minutes.
