Ask Ali
Chef Ali is using the garden as her inspiration and creating some super seasonal, tasty recipes with the Yeo Valley Organic Garden’s fresh produce. From chutneys to chats with the garden team, #AskAli is the series for all budding horti’s and chefs out there!
Chilli and Lime Salsa & Chicken Taco Soup
Check out the recipes from Diggin Episode 2 where Chef Ali charred chillies for extra flavour and turned them into a chilli salsa all cooked up in the Yeo Valley Organic Red and Lime Garden. She then served the gardeners a chicken taco soup and the chilli and lime salsa added some fiery zest as a soup topping.
What have been the top tips for growing Chilli's this year?
Top Chilli Growing Tips
– Pots dry out quickly so keep an eye on them during warm weather.
– You can pinch them out to develop more side shoots for extra fruit.
– Water when pots feel light.
– Removing fruit when green will keep your plant producing. Or leave the fruit on the plant to change colour and develop more heat!
Pink Fir Potato & Malabar Spinach Stack Snack
So Chef Ali, can you tell us more about foraging and harvesting wild food?
Spring is an ideal time to collect wild food, the lush growth of the Summer hasn’t quite yet begun and there are plenty of plants that are easy to identify. In my latest recipe, I’ve collected nettles and wild garlic and whipped them into chermoula labneh that’s bursting with flavour. If you are foraging without gloves, to avoid getting stung by the nettles you should identify a stalk that isn’t surrounded by lots of leaves and before cutting, pinch it firmly to stop the stinging hairs from gently brushing pass your skin. When preparing the nettles for the chermoula, blanching them in hot water first will deaden the sting.
Make the most of your Winter veg
Looking for inspo to use up the last of the late-season parsnips? Chef Ali has dug up the last of the garden’s crop and created two new exciting recipes. Fancy a taste?
From veggie side to winter showstopper
Chef Ali is mixing up magic once again, using the humble brussel sprout in three new, delicious recipes that’ll get you excited to cook with this seasonal vegetable for the holidays.
Spiced Green Tomato Chutney Recipe
Our Yeo Valley Chef Ali has visited the Organic Garden for the last of the summer’s harvest to make this homegrown chutney.
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