After much success of the first volume, Miranda York offers a second helping of The Food Almanac - Recipes and Stories For A Year At The Table, Volume 2, with the same amount of collaboration and food enjoyment. New contributors and new recipes fill the pages and months as it still retains much of the same focus on seasonal ingredients, monthly menus, spotlighting ingredients, food history as well as poetry, stories, culinary reading lists and culinary memories.
As much as I liked the first volume I have throughly enjoyed the second volume and there is enough insightful information and new recipes to carry you throughout the year. It's eclectic, diverse and delightful with charming illustrations. A book to always come back and dive into.
Since June is here, I thought I would share a fresh recipe selected for this month.
"The vibrant soup is just as great enjoyed curled up on the sofa as served at a dinner party. If you have pea shoots to hand, use them to adorn each bowl. Buttered, toasted naan or bread is a must."
Spiced Pea Soup by Nik Sharma
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Serves 4
60g (2 1/4 oz) ghee or unsalted butter
1 large white or yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, trimmed, peeled and diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder or 1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
300g (10 oz) fresh or frozen peas (no need to thaw)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fine sea salt
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Pea shoots, to garnish (optional)
Heat half the ghee in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the carrot and celery and sauté until tender and the vegetables are just starting to brown. Stir in the ginger, garlic, garam masala and chilli powder and cook until just fragrant. Add the peas along with 840ml (28 fl oz) water, and bring to the boil. Cook until the peas are tender, then remove from the heat. Blitz in a blender until velvety smooth, then return the soup to the pan. Keep it simmering over low heat. Stir in the black pepper and season with salt.
Heat the remaining ghee in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the nigella and cumin seeds to the hot fat; they will sizzle and turn fragrant. Remove from the heat and drizzle over the pea soup. Serve warm, garnished with fresh pea shoots alongside buttered slices of naan.