In from the cold

Yes, spring is in sight. But winter still has plenty to offer where your kitchen is concerned. In these final weeks, embrace deep purple sprouting broccoli, tang y blood oranges and vivid forced rhubarb, says food writer Rosie Birkett. Photographs by Kris

Making a meal of winter’s finest ingredients

ONCE THE JUICE-FUELLED frenzy of January’s self-improving impulses and goal-setting optimism is behind us, February can give way to the doldrums of winter, and the stark reality that no, you aren’t going to lose a stone, double your salary or stick to neatly folding all of your clothes with Marie Kondostyle efficiency.

All the more reason for feasting, I say – for teasing out every bit of joyfulness and flavour you can from the food you’re making. And while it can’t be described as the most verdant month, there is good reason to hole yourself up in the warmth of your kitchen at this time of year. March is just around the corner, and at its tail end, the promise of spring. But before our fickle heads are turned by tufts of wild garlic and glossy spears of asparagus, we should stop to relish the treasures of now, as we have some of the season’s most beautiful gifts on hand.

The bittersweet pleasures of purple sprouting broccoli, with its tender stems, delicately curling leaves and purple florets, are temptation for any cook. My pasta recipe uses every part of the brassica, blitzing the poached stems into a punchy green sauce with garlic, chilli, lemon and plenty of olive oil, and blanching its more delicate parts to be stirred through the warm dish at the end. It’s truly a celebration of the plant.

I’ve used the vivid-pink, sherbet sourness of forced rhubarb – paired with creamy white chocolate and crunchy almonds – in gooey, moreish blondies that will have you fighting over the last one. Ideal for an afternoon gathering on a rainy day. They are amazingly simple and can be whipped up successfully by the laziest of bakers (I count myself firmly in that category).

The sweet, sharp sting of the blood orange is reserved for a fragrant marinade for gently baked hake, served with crispy, paprika-spiked potatoes alongside caramelised chicory. And the oftoverlooked leek, still abundant, which can lend its gentle green note to braises, soups and pie fillings, is used here in the fragrant stuffing for a rolled pork belly. I won’t go as far as to call it a porchetta, because it doesn’t constitute the belly grandly rolled around the pork loin, but this is a rather more home-cook-friendly, makeshift version, whose stuffing can be changed up depending on the seasons. I’ve done it with wild garlic in spring, or with dried fruit such as sour cherries and apricots at Christmastime.

This recipe calls on perfumed preserved lemons, which season the oil for the stuffing, mixed with sourdough breadcrumbs, pine nuts and parsley. It’s crucial for the dish – a ‘wow’ centrepiece for any dinner – that you ask your butcher for superior slow-reared pork belly, with thick fat and dry skin that will crackle to perfection. alotonherplate.com