EATING WATERCRESS RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.
  2. Trim the stalks from the beetroot bulbs, reserving the leaves, then slice into 1cm pieces. Place in a baking tin, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fill the tin to a depth of about 5cm with water.
  3. Cover the dish with tin foil, then bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a knife slips easily into the flesh and the skins slide off. Remove the beets from the tin and leave to cool.
  4. Peel and chop the onions into wedges, peel and finely chop the garlic, then drain and rinse the capers. Pick and chop all the herbs.
  5. On a baking tray, toss the onion wedges in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season well. Add these to the oven too, and roast for about 30 minutes, or until soft. Remove and set aside to cool.
  6. When the beetroot is cool enough to handle, rub off the skins, then cut into wedges (wear plastic gloves for this, or your hands will be pink for days). Set aside.
  7. Blanch the beetroot stalks and leaves in a pan of boiling salted water for about 2 minutes, then drain well.
  8. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a pan over a high heat, add the beetroot stalks and garlic and fry for a few minutes, until the garlic is golden. Then turn down the heat to medium, pour in the wine and cook for 10 minutes. Add the beetroot leaves, season, and cook until wilted.
  9. To make the vinaigrette, whisk the vinegar into the mustard, then stir in the olive oil and season to taste. Set aside.
  10. Now put the salad together. In a large serving bowl, gently toss the roasted beetroot and red onions with the stalk mixture, chopped herbs, capers and vinaigrette, then mix through the watercress and serve.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
  2. Pick the mint leaves and put half into a food processor, popping the rest into a cup of cold water for later.
  3. Drain the beans, roughly chop the pork fillet, and add both to the processor with 1 heaped teaspoon of mustard, the oats and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  4. Blitz into a coarse mince (don’t go too fine – keep it light and chunky in texture), then tip onto a board and roll into a long sausage. Chop into four equal pieces, divide each into five and, with wet hands, roll into twenty balls.
  5. To start your gravy, put 1 tablespoon of oil into a large high-sided roasting tray on a medium-high heat and add four of the balls, breaking them up with a wooden spoon.
  6. Peel and quarter the onions, break apart into petals and add to the tray, stirring regularly. Cut the apples into thin wedges, discarding the core, and stir them in, too.
  7. Cook it all for 5 minutes, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce and the remaining heaped teaspoon of mustard, followed by the flour.
  8. Stir for 2 minutes, then gradually stir in the stock, season and bring to the boil (it might seem like a lot of liquid, but it will reduce right down as it bakes).
  9. Plop in the remaining balls, spacing them out evenly, then transfer to the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden, shaking the tray halfway through. Warm the buns alongside for the last 5 minutes.
  10. Remove the tray from the oven and finely grate the Cheddar over the balls to melt. Drain and toss the remaining mint leaves with the watercress and/or rocket, and serve it all together, dunking the buns in the gravy as you tuck in.