Cavolo nero is the new black

If someone were to ask you if you'd ever tried cavolo nero what would you say? Maybe: "Don't be so disgusting!" Or perhaps: "No, I don't eat fish." Or: "Yes, but I've got no sense of rhythm and I kept tripping over my own feet." Or, just possibly, you might give the correct answer: "Yes - it was the tastiest kale I'd ever eaten." It seems the former answers would be more likely, though, as a recent survey found that a whopping 80% of consumers didn't know that cavolo nero was a vegetable, let alone a type of kale. As a consequence, the Lincolnshire farmers who grow it in the UK want to rename cavolo nero 'black kale'.

Dedicated Harvest readers will no doubt already know that cavolo nero is a variety of kale and have tried our delicious recipe for portobello mushrooms stuffed with cavolo nero pesto that featured in Issue 2. But for everyone else, it's clear that a little more encouragement is needed to try out such an exotic-sounding food. And what better incentive than a name that leaves no question over its superfood status, a name that shouts from the rooftops that cavolo nero is a proud member of the kale club.

Cavolo nero is no stranger to a name change, having variously gone under the title of Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale and lacinato kale, to list but a few. Whether you call it by its throaty Italian name or its blunter English one, cavolo nero (alright, black kale) deserves greater recognition as the versatile, nutrition-packed vegetable it is.


Kale crisps to convert the cynics

Whether you can't get enough of cavolo nero and other types of kale or never want to see them on your plate again, kale crisps are a sure-fire winner. Harvest's editor swears by them - after all, she says, who doesn't like crisps?

INGREDIENTS
4oz (115g) curly kale or black kale
1 tbsp olive oil (or melted coconut oil or sesame oil)
Sea salt (or pink Himalayan rock salt)
Sesame seeds or minced garlic (optional)

Makes four servings

METHOD
1.    Preheat oven to 180C.
2.    Wash the kale thoroughly, then dry well to remove all water.
3.    Cut into 5cm pieces, taking care to remove all inner stems as these can be tough and bitter.
4.    Place in a large bowl and drizzle with your oil of choice. Toss the leaves well to cover as much of the surface of the kale as possible. Better still, get hands-on and work the oil over the leaves with your fingers.
5.    Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper and spread out the kale to a thin layer. Sprinkle with salt and, if desired, sesame seeds of garlic.
6.    Bake for 7-10 minutes, keeping a close eye to make sure that the kale doesn't burn.
7.    The crispy kale cools very quickly; serve immediately or leave to cool for a delicious cold and crispy snack!

Pancakes your way

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated in many places by eating pancakes, a delicious way of using up rich foods such as eggs, milk and sugar. Traditionally, many people decide to give up certain rich, fatty foods the day after, known as Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent. But what if you're already restricting your foods for dietary reasons?

So, in true Harvest style, we thought we'd offer a selection of pancake recipes to suit your own food needs. And, if the traditional splurge and purge of food festivals doesn't appeal to you, you can choose a healthier option this coming Pancake Day. As with every issue of the magazine, we have three recipes for you to try. Each recipe will make around 4-6 medium-sized pancakes, depending on your pan.

Classic pancakes

If you want a good old-fashioned reliable recipe, look no further. Serve hot with sugar and lemon juice, or load with fruit for a healthier option.

INGREDIENTS
4oz plain flour
1/2 pint semi-skimmed milk
1 medium egg
Pinch of salt

Optional extras:
1/2 oz melted butter
1 tbsp icing sugar

To serve:
Lemon juice
Sugar
Other toppings of choice

Add the flour and salt (plus optional icing sugar if using) to a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack the egg into the well, add two tablespoons of the milk and incorporate slowly with the dry ingredients using a whisk. You should end up with a thickish paste. Slowly add the rest of the milk, whisking continuously. If adding the melted butter, do this at the end before cooking, otherwise it might curdle the egg. The butter and icing sugar will make the batter very rich, sweet and creamy – a wonderful indulgence so long as you promise to give up something equally indulgent afterwards!

Heat a non-stick frying pan with one tablespoon of vegetable or sunflower oil (or coconut oil for a healthier alternative). Keep a small ovenproof container on the side and pour the excess oil into the container once your pan is ready (the oil should be smoking hot). Using a ladle or similar, pour the batter into the pan, getting good coverage over the entire surface. Cook on a medium-high heat, working round the edges and flip onto the other side after a few minutes, then cook on the other side for a similar length of time. Exact times will depend on your hob heat, thickness of your pan and how much batter you use for each pancake.

Serve hot with your topping of choice.

Ginger and banana pancakes
(dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free)

We found some banana chip flour in our local health food shop and thought it would be perfect for these pancakes, combined with a nice ripe sliced banana and a drizzle of honey to finish.

INGREDIENTS
2oz banana chip flour
2oz brown rice flour
1oz cold-milled flaxseed
1/2 pint almond milk
1 tsp ground ginger
1 ripe banana
 Pinch of sea salt

To serve:
Honey or agave nectar
Fruit of choice

Mix the flours, flaxseed, salt and ground ginger together in a bowl. Add the milk and whisk together. Leave to stand for five minutes (this helps the flaxseed bind the ingredients together, acting like the egg in classic pancakes). Following cooking instructions as above. These pancakes are thicker than the classic recipe and may take a minute or two longer to cook on each side.

Slice the banana thinly, or mash if preferred. When the pancake comes out of the pan, place the banana in the centre of the pancake and roll. Serve with a couple of extra slices of banana on top, then a drizzle of honey or agave nectar to finish.

Parsnip, apple and cinnamon pancakes
(dairy-free and processed sugar-free)

If you've ever indulged in an apple and cinnamon pancake at the Center Parc's Pancake House, you'll know that these two main ingredients are a winning combination. We've taken these a little further, adding a little extra sweetness courtesy of the parsnip and reducing the flour intake. They're also great with lemon and sugar or, for a healthier option, agave nectar. For nut allergy sufferers, swap the almond milk for your usual milk.

INGREDIENTS

2oz plain flour
2oz parsnip, peeled and finely grated
1 egg
5fl. oz. almond milk
1fl. oz. unsweetened apple juice
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt

To serve:
Stewed apple with cinnamon
Apple/orange slices

Add the flour, parsnip, cinnamon and sea salt in a bowl. Coat the parsnip in the flour mixture, then add the egg and mix well. Slowly add the milk and whisk continuously. Add the apple juice and stir well. (You can also replace half of the parsnip with finely grated apple, so long as your apples are not too juicy, otherwise they'll make the mixture too wet!)

Make some stewed apple by chopping up your favourite apple (Bramleys have the best flavour, but you may prefer something sweeter) and adding it to a pan with a drop of water and up to a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Cook your pancakes according to the classic pancake recipe. Serve immediately with the stewed apple rolled up inside each pancake and with slices of apple and/or orange. For the sweeter tooth, add a drizzle of honey or agave nectar.

What this year's bumper blackberries can do for you

You know autumn's fast on its way when you spot the first blackberries hanging plump from roadside bushes and along woodland walks. With its wet winter and sunny summer, 2014 has so far provided ideal conditions for brambles, resulting in a bumper blackberry crop.

Much like the taste explosion when you bite into them, the sighting of the first few blackberries of the year can be a bittersweet experience - on the one hand their appearance signals the end of long summer days, but on the other all those chilly autumn evenings provide the perfect excuse to curl up with a bowl of homemade blackberry and apple crumble.

Did you know?
As well as being delicious and - if you pick them yourself - free, blackberries are also full of fibre, vitamins (in particular vitamin C) and antioxidants. If you end up picking more blackberries than you know what to do with, simply store them in a container in the freezer, giving yourself instant access to a supply of tasty, healthy snacks all winter long.

Fact of the day: despite their name, blackberries aren't berries at all - each 'berry' is actually composed of many tiny fruits clumped together.

Un-learning junk food cravings

A pilot study has found that we may be able to learn to enjoy healthy food.

Born to eat
Similarly to other species of animal, humans have evolved to experience feelings of reward at the thought of eating. These feelings are necessary for our survival, as they ensure that we consume a sufficient amount of food to stay in good health. However, this reward system in our brain can through habit become more easily activated by high calorie foods than low calorie foods, making us more inclined to choose calorific options. In recent times, this combined with easy access to cheap, unhealthy food has led to a rise in obesity.

Healthy rewards
In the study, brain scans revealed that over time the overweight participants who were placed on a weight-loss programme experienced a considerable shift in brain activation. The parts of their brains linked to reward showed much greater activity when they viewed pictures of low-calorie food (as well as lower activity for high calorie food) after 6 months on the programme than before they had started the programme.

All in the head
This suggests that, with time, we can change the reward systems in our brains and reverse junk food cravings, replacing them with cravings for nutritious food. Though this was only a small pilot study, it provides hope for those of us who struggle with our weight, or those who dislike the taste of healthy food. Eat it for long enough and you might just trick yourself into liking it.

Hospital food to get health kick

We've all been unwell at some point in our lives. The last thing you want when you're feeling under the weather with no appetite is to have a plate of mushy, anaemic-looking food pushed under your nose - food that hospitals have something of a reputation for providing. Based on this, the government has announced rules to ensure hospitals provide better quality food to patients, staff and visitors.

Good health for all
According to the new rules, the dietary health needs of each individual patient should be met and a nutritional menu offered - whether this means fresh fruit and salads for obese patients or high-calorie food for frail and malnutritioned patients (who can comprise up to a third of hospital admissions).

Staff and visitors are to be given healthier, more balanced food too, with hospital canteens keeping within salt, fat and sugar recommendations. Canteen food must also be sustainably sourced, with consideration given to seasonality, animal welfare, product traceability and waste management.

Enjoyable food
The accompanying report states that hospital food should be 'a vehicle for improvement and a role model for food in the local community. Crucially, it should also be a source of pleasure and enjoyment.'

Is it enough?
The Campaign for Better Hospital Food have said the new rules don't go far enough and 'only reflect basic catering and care standards which are already commonly implemented in the NHS.'

Perhaps there is still work to be done before hospital food becomes both nutritious and palatable, but we think that any move towards a healthier, more sustainable menu is a step in the right direction.

 

The Great British Gadget Off

A new survey by Barclaycard has found that we are more in to our kitchen gadgets than ever before, with each kitchen owning an average of seven gadgets. The poll suggested that popular cooking shows including The Great British Bake Off and MasterChef have inspired many of us to pull on our chef's hats, open our recipe books and get creative in the kitchen. And with each TV cooking competition involving increasingly elaborate cooking methods, it seems the only way for us humble home cooks to keep up is by buying a few gadgets to help us along the way.

Healthy gadgets
The Great British Bake Off may be better known for its chocolate-smothered profiterole Eiffel towers than for its promotion of healthy eating but that doesn't mean that as a nation we don't try our best to make nutritious food - the survey indicated that just under a quarter of us own a juicer while just over a quarter own a steamer. However, we still like to treat ourselves now and again, with 1.6 million of us owning an ice cream maker.

Do we ever use them?
Whether our more gimmicky kitchen gadgets ever see daylight is a different matter; a question for a separate survey entirely. But here at Harvest we're glass half-full kinds of people and we reckon it's the intention that matters - owning a juicer in the first place surely counts towards your five a day by virtue of how hard you've tried.