Purple Sprouting Broccoli

[Millymollymandy]

That's one of the few French cheeses that I will eat but it's funny that you think it tastes like Stilton because I can't bear Stilton which is crumbly and very salty and strong, whereas Bleu de Bresse is a mild and creamy soft cheese.

Odsox I was reading Wikipedia in English about the St Paulin.

Anyway the only French cheese we buy is Cantal Entre-Deux which we call poor man's cheddar. It's a cheese and pickle sandwich type of cheese (that kind of cheese with an English cheese texture is rare in France) and is perfectly nice - just as long as you don't do a taste comparison with cheddar, when it suddenly turns very boring and tasteless! It costs €7.59 to €7.99 from Lidl although the supermarkets charge about €10 a kilo for it (and this is a cheap cheese), so you can see why we don't use cheese much in cooking because most cheese in France is outrageously expensive.

[Millymollymandy]

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-paulin

sorry it was french wiki and st paulin is in canada apparently.

Green Aura are you sure you don't mean Roquefort which is more the texture of stilton?

My internet connection has gone really ropey and taking 10 times longer than dial up so I'm signing off now before I go mad!

[theabsinthefairy]

Monika - I don't see why you shouldn't be able to grow them because I grew them in Ain at altitude with a climate like yours. The only problem is that our weather went from winter to too warm too quickly for a crop like that.

I thought so too - but the metre of snow that fell on them followed by two weeks of -16 when everything froze solid seemed to do them in.

I did the anchovies recipe for a dinner party, at which when the discussion turned to foods and things you don't eat, one of the guests declared she hated anchovies - I explained she had just eaten them and she was very surprised not to have picked out the flavour of them - I think they just added saltiness and the chillies just flavour everything quite strongly anyway.

[Mrs Moustoir]

We've been picking PSB for about three weeks now and it will probably go on until at least mid April. It's lovely though and there's no comparison with the shop bought stuff. I've given my neighbours some and a Lidl carrot box full to my sister who loves it too. Last night we had chicken and PSB stirfry with a chilli sauce.

Keep on picking it MMM, and the spears will keep on coming. If you let as much is one sprout turn into yellow flowers - the plant stops producing the purpley sprouts.

It was worth picking and squidging all those caterpillars last summer and autumn!!

Bon appetit!

[Millymollymandy]

OK Monika I concede that is colder than it was when I grew it near to Geneva!

Mrs M do you have to remind us of the caterpillars - I forgot to look and see if there were any hiding when I ate my PSB.

[theabsinthefairy]

Mrs M do you have to remind us of the caterpillars - I forgot to look and see if there were any hiding when I ate my PSB.

HA HA - wait till you tip a load into a pan, and find the cryogentically frozen now revitalised ones crawling up out of the hot water!!!

[Millymollymandy]

Oh my god - do they actually come back to life again like frozen lobsters?

[Peggy Sue]

Oh stop it you lot, last year I ate PSB every day for 2 and a half months and couldn't get enough of it- the rabbits ate the lot this year breaking in during the snow

I understand the crop period is very weather dependant, it doesn't like to be too hot (goes to seed) hence last years cold spring was ideal. Hot climates I guess will lead to a premature demise.

Anyone for rabbit pie?

[Mrs Moustoir]

MMM - you reminded me about this thread on the Brittany forum!

PSB is still going strong and some is going in a quiche with some of my neighbour's bantam eggs today. Haven't found any caterpillars only a few blackfly...they don't like being steamed though.

And Peggy Sue, does wabbit pie go well with PSB? (sorry).

Planted next years seeds last week and they have just popped their heads up.

[Peggy Sue]

Mrs M you are so cruel!

[Millymollymandy]

MMM - you reminded me about this thread on the Brittany forum!

You've been peeking this morning then! I've been requested to link this thread to there cos of the recipes.

Last night I tried some steamed then drizzled with olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. It was wonderful! Haven't even had it dripping in butter yet cos I'm worried about the OH's slightly too high cholesterol.

[Peggy Sue]

OK I can't stand it anymore I'm not reading this thread again til next year!!

[Millymollymandy]

I'm so sorry Peggy Sue!

[Annpan]

We grew it for the first time this year I'm not that impressed and I have only had it a few times.... It is very bitter and strong (maybe it is the variety.)

I do intend to make up some pakora batter for some of it.

[Peggy Sue]

The first time you eat your own broccoli it's a wake up call! Wean yourself onto it as the taste is so strong- but beware shop stuff will never be the same again.

You can always send it down to me if you don't like it