February, time to celebrate five seasonal foods

It's hard to believe we are more than half way through February. I wonder have you been celebrating the best of seasonal produce by filling your meals with all the fruit and vegetables February has to offer. Hardy celeriac, a low carb favourite and turnips are both versatile and plentiful, making vegetarian cooking easy. Crisp chicory comes in delicate yellow or bold red varieties and is perfect for adding crisp crunch to winter salads. For sweeter treats, beautiful blood oranges and tropical passion fruit add vibrant colour to any grey winter days.

Blood Oranges

Bold blood oranges brighten up your kitchen brilliantly during their short winter season. Blood oranges range from a delicate blush pink to deep red, adding intense colour to classic citrus dishes. They are at their sweetest in January and February, when warm Mediterranean days followed by cold nights cause the brightest coloured fruit.

Orange, Mozzarella and Rocket (Arugula) Salad - see details here

Moroccan Orange & Cardamom Cake - see details here 

Celeriac

Don't be put off by its appearance – there's beauty beneath celeriac's imperfect skin. A variety of celery cultivated for its edible roots, celeriac has a tough, knobbly outer layer that hides creamy white flesh underneath. Once peeled it will discolour quickly, so submerge in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon to keep it fresh.

Great Grub Celeriac - see details here

Cream of Celeriac Soup - see details here 

Chicory 

Also known as endive, chicory has crisp, tightly packed leaves and a delicate, slightly bitter flavour. A forced crop, grown in darkness so it grows quickly in search of light, chicory has white leaves with pale yellow or red tips.

Chicken with baked chicory in a sage and Dijon mustard sauce - see details here

Parma ham, walnut and Roquefort salad with chicory - see details here

Passion fruit 

Passion fruit bring the sunshine to grey February days. These South American tropical fruits have a tough, inedible skin that is brown or purple in colour. Passion fruit skin shrivels as the fruit ripens, so for the sweetest flesh choose wrinkly fruit, or leave to ripen on a windowsill at home. 
Grilled prawns with passion fruit dressing - see details here 
Passion fruit jellies - see details here

Turnips 

Hearty turnips are a classic British winter veg that are in plentiful supply at this time of year. Winter turnips have a peppery flavour that is perfect in warming casseroles, stews and easy one-pot dishes.
Mustard Chicken with winter vegetables, including turnips - see details here

Turkey Soup, using a mix of vegetables, turnips if liked - see details here

You will find a variety of articles, studies etc. plus recent news/views and recipe ideas within this blog, we hope something for everyone to read and enjoy ... but please note, not all may be suitable for you.

If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan