Black Luxurious Elderberry Compote

Black Luxurious Elderberry Compote

OMG...so simple...so humble...amazing

Seasonally this post is a bit late...(Well err... about a month actually so apologies for not being seasonal and in real time...life is just taking over at the moment but it's all good).

This is heaven on a plate. The simplicity of this compote astounds me and it's great for you. Have this with a few dollops of natural Greek yogurt and fruit and it is enough to leave you truly satisfied. It's eye candy in a bowl so lush and rewarding. I tried this last year with just a few handfuls of elderberries and loved it. I was sad to see them go but they are back and here for a little while. Be quick if you want some the birds love them.

© Fig.1.L.Moore Black Luxury Elderberry Compote  

Ingredients

I pint of elderberries (more or less it does not matter) 

About a cup of sugar (taste as you go) 

Water to cover berries

Ok So to make your easy compote collect about a pint of elderberries (or a bowl). Using a folk comb through your berries and let them fall into a pan. Now just cover them with water and simmer in a pan for about 10 mins until soft. Use a masher and mash them just a little to get a little more juice out of them. Add sugar (about a cup) and stir until dissolved. Simmer for no more than 5 mins (otherwise you will get a syrup) and Ta dah... it's ready. I would recommend tasting your black luxury before you store it and add more sugar if you want to (or less...taste it as you are making it).

I normally put it in the fridge and use it over a week. I have it dolloped on top of some Greek yogurt and it's delicious...a great start to the day...and packed with lovely anti oxidants...and it's free YAY. You could of course add vanilla etc. to your compote to add a bit more flavor but experiment. 

The benefits of Elderberries is astounding. They have a high Vitamin A content, potassium, iron, B6, beta carotene, lots of flavanoids and they contain 87% of our daily vitamin C. 

Jack by the hedge pesto with cream cheese

Jack pesto with cream cheese


It's free...it's delicious...and it is everywhere at the moment.

© Fig.1.L.Moore 'Jack by the hedge pesto with cream cheese'

This is so versatile and can be used in a number of ways. It can be used in pasta to turn the ordinary into extraordinary.You can put it on toast with some cheese...yum, it can be added to a pot of lovely new potatoes, plonked on a cracker, added to your favorite sandwich and more. I love Jack by the hedge (or commonly called garlic mustard). Next time you go walking have a look around. At the moment there is a lot of it about and it is quite easy to recognize. If you think you have spotted crush the leaves between your fingers. You can't mistake the lovely garlic/mustard smell. Of course if in doubt then leave it out.

You will find this garlic mustard in field margins, road verges, hedges, river and stream banks, edges of woods and ditches. This is a native biennial. First year growth have long stalked cordate (heart shaped) leaves with regular saw-like teeth and a crinkly looking network of veins. The main stem that appears in the spring of the second year has paler green nettle like leaves. It grows tall and thin like nettles. The leaves have the distinct smell of garlic when crushed. Small white flowers (6 mm wide) appear in clusters from mid April;seed pods are long, up to 60 mm, and 2 - 3 mm thick curving out from the stem.

It is a slightly bitter plant and needs to be mixed with ingredients that accompany such as fatty meats and salt fish. However I love it mixed with a number of ingredients such as goats cheese and nettle pasta or pirogi, and/or mushroom and salmon pirogi...yum. My Polish friend taught me how to make pirogi and it's stunning in a lot of my recipes.

You can eat the leaves sparingly in salads and sandwiches, add to risottos and the flowers are also a delightful ingredient in garnishes salads. This is one of my favorite free wild edibles which you can't get in a supermarket. I have used the roots grated which is amazing and similar to horseradish mixed with yogurt and served with beef.You can even use the green seed pods as spices and use as you would as mustard seeds.

Get out and find Jack...you will be amazed and so proud of your find. Share the love with this stunning wild edible. When I first came across 'Jack' I can't tell you how liberating it was. I was taking a walk one day along a common pathway I use everyday. I looked down and thought 'that looks like Jack'. I gave it a crush between my fingers and got the unmistakable whiff. OMG I could not believe my luck. It was one of my first finds and I wanted to share it with the world. Yep I nearly shoved it up a strangers nose but I contained my excitement and shared it with my partners nose instead when I got home. Now I see it everywhere and I am sharing it with you.

If you have any 'Jack' recipes to share then please contact me I would love to hear about your experiments.

Jack pesto with cream cheese

1 handful of lightly toasted pine nuts
3 handfuls of Jack
3 cloves of garlic
1 handful of grated parmesan cheese
a few glugs of olive oil (to your taste and consistency)
black pepper
salt to taste
2 tbs lime juice
2-3 tablespoons of Philadelphia cheese (or any of your choice)

Place all ingredients into a bowl and blitz with your hand held blender or machine. It will keep longer in the fridge if you pour some olive oil over the top of it. Enjoy this with anything or as you would any pesto. I tried mine with pirogi filled with goats cheese and nettles and smoked salmon and mushroom pirogi. The photographs you see are taken when I tried this pesto with roasted butternut squash. For me the squash was too sweet with Jack but as with all my recipes you can experiment with this strong flavored pesto.

© Fig.2.L.Moore close up of Jack by the hedge

© Fig.3. L.Moore 'Jack pesto'

© Fig.4. L.Moore Pirogi with jack pesto  

 Source
Irving, M. (2009) The Forager Handbook: A Guide to the Edible Plants of Britain, Ebury Press,  pp, 76-77

© Fig.5. L.Moore an young Jack to scale with a ten pence piece