journal Archives - Page 5 of 9

April’s Best Seasonal Produce

The shop is already overflowing with asparagus this month and the UK’s season has started early thanks to a warm March: you find purple, white Italian, English, baby, wild and more. Roast in the oven and sprinkling lemon juice and freshly grated parmesan over the top or char and serve with smoked salmon.

Morel mushrooms

Much like truffles, morels only grow in the wild. With a short season (March-June) and delicate nature due to their hollow middles, no wonder they are a darling of farmer’s markets. Toss into a delicate, creamy white wine sauce and pour over chicken.

Radishes

Peppery crisp & crunchy, try different varieties of radishes from French Breakfast, Mirabeau or Plum Purple. Or a white Daikon, longer like a carrot and more mild in flavour.

Fun fact: UK growers harvest over half a billion radishes between April and October. We enjoy them as the Belgians do in a “tartine”: sliced over fromage blanc on a slice of sourdough with fresh black pepper cracked on top.

Watercress

This close cousin of mustard bursts with nutrition, including iron, calcium and vitamins A, C and E. Sprinkle on your morning omlette for a satisfying, fresh crunch.

Also in season: Cauliflower, Grapefruit, Lemons, Mint, Rocket, Rhubarb, Spinach, Spring Greens

Spring Greens Soup Recipe

A Panzer’s bestseller in store, this comforting and healthy soup is the perfect transitional meal from winter to spring!

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1 large shallots(julienne)
2 celery sticks (sliced)
1 garlic clove (sliced)
1/2 leek (julianne)
1 fennel (sliced)
1 bunch spring greens (finely chopped)
1/2 hispi cabbage or savoy cabbage (finely chopped)
1/2 bunch lemon thyme (finely chopped)
3 litres chicken stock (low in sodium)
2 corn fed chicken legs
8 gr smoked salt
3 gr ground black pepper.
15 g olive oil extra virgin

Method:

In a large pot, add the olive oil, shallots, celery, garlic, leeks and fennel and cook until the vegetables are tender.
Add the lemon, thyme and chicken stock. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Add the chicken leg and 3 litres of vegetable stock and boil for 5 mins, then simmer for 30-35 mins. Season again with salt & pepper to taste.
Remove the chicken leg, let it cool and remove the meat from the bone.
Add the chicken meat back to the soup, along with the hispi cabbage and spring greens.
Simmer for a final 10 mins and serve with your favourite crusty bread.

If you are short of time to make it, you can always order from the shop, made freshly in our kitchen while in season.

Must try chocolate – Russell & Atwell

Quite possibly the best kept secret in our dessert fridge.

Founders Giles and Steve racked up a combined 30 years of expertise in the chocolate industry before founding their fresh chocolate brand, Russell & Atwell. They asked themselves a key question: “If everything tastes better fresh, why are people still eating long-life chocolate?” And we tell you… they are onto something.

After hundreds of prototypes made in their kitchens, their blended fresh chocolate favourites grace our fridges in hand-finished batches, with organic fresh cream instead of palm oil and wild honey instead of preservatives. Melt-in-your-mouth-and-savour-it kind of chocolate.

Simply a must try. Just start looking for your chocolate in the refrigerated section.

Currently only available to purchase in store.

NEW – Dr Kavvadia Olive Oil

A remarkable olive oil from one of our favourite places on earth: Corfu. We spoke to owner Apostolos Porsanidis-Kavvadias about the sustainable family farm he is building in memory of his grandfather.

Tell us about the origins of Dr Kavvadia Olive Oil

Dr. Kavvadia was my grandfather, an orthopaedic surgeon and olive oil aficionado. He bought our farm in the 50’s. Fast forward years later and my partner and I live and raise our family here. Dr. Kavvadia Olive Oil was born in 2012 and last year we opened for farmstay vacations.

What makes you excited on the farm today?

We’re acquiring an olive press and will soon control every aspect of production. Nothing goes to waste: olives are made into olive oil, leaves become compost. Chickens bring us their tasty eggs and we use their manure to fertilise our organic vegetable garden. The cycle of life on the farm is exciting and holds an important lesson: life goes on no matter what!

Where are your favourite spots on Corfu?

I love Old Perithia, an abandoned village on the top of mount Pantokrator. The north west coast is amazing, with breathtaking views and a forest of olive and cypress trees.

Food you can’t live without

Has to be olive oil! Haha, what else! It is a flavour enhancer, as any fat is, but olive oil is also super healthy and natural. We use it on every dish we cook, instead of butter, as all Greeks do!

Favourite way to use olive oil

Raw with fresh tomatoes, on toasted bread… Also raw on cooked dishes as it boosts the flavour! It goes really well with dark chocolate. Our friends at Corfu’s Cake Boutique are making macarons with our olive oil. Super tasty!

Currently available to purchase in store.

NEW: The power of Australian Seaweed

We are thrilled to be launching Dr Pia Winberg’s PhycoHealth Seaweed Sciences products at Panzer’s this month. Over some 20 years of research as a marine ecologist in Australia, Pia has shown how seaweed fills the gap for so many missing nutrients in our diets. An excellent source of protein, iron and so much more, consuming a little bit of seaweed once a day can mean good news for your gut. And Pia’s products have made it easy to fit into a daily routine.

Try Phetuccine or Seaspirals: emerald-coloured pasta made from wheat semolina and eggs with 10% seaweed. You’ll find Phukka Seaweed Dukkah, a blend of Australian seaweed, pistachio and Mediterranean herbs to layer over smashed ago or stir into salads. Sprinkle Phycosalt over your favourite steak to bring out a deeper umami flavour. Phybre is a triple fibre blend great for smoothies or you can wake up to a bowl of crunchy Phycomuesli granola.

We also have supplements to up your fibre intake or you can add seaweed to your skincare routine with moisturisers, cleansers, masks and more.

A true dose of Australian ocean power to fuel the British winter days.

Shop the range online here or find more in store.

January Seasonal Produce

GRAPEFRUIT

High in nutrients and antioxidants. Low in calories. And a perfectly pink January pick me up. Eat a half for breakfast in the morning to kick start the system. Pair with soy sauce for an excellent chicken marinade. Or toss in a salad with cooked shrimp.

LEEKS

January marks the end of the long UK harvest season for these hearty veg. Delicate but flavourful enough to hold their own, does anything beat a warming leek and potato soup or cheesy leeks loaded with garlic and thyme? We think not.

CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower – This close runner up for best winter soup ingredient can be grown year-round in the UK. So plenty of time to plan innovative uses. Love loaded potatoes? Try replacing your potatoes with cauliflower. Caramelise a cauli steak and toss with buttery capers. And cauliflower loves a curry. Toss it in for a satisfying plant alternative to your usual meats.

Also in season: Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Chicory, Grapefruit, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Leeks, Lemons, Seville Oranges, Radicchio, Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb, Swede

Thanksgiving bites recipe

A Thanksgiving appetiser recipe

Nothing’s better than that glorious moment when you take the turkey out of the oven to let it rest … But let’s face it, turkeys need to rest for a while.

To keep everyone going until you can sit down to feast, we asked SW London food photographer & blogger (and California native) Gemma Sokol for a festive snack recipe built from Panzer’s pantry.

Simple and oh-so-satisfying.

Stack the following in order:

Island Bakery oat cracker
Brie
Cranberrry sauce
Apple slices (we recommend Brogdale)
Proscuitto, wrapped around and tucked under cracker
Honey drizzle (we’ve used Waddesdon Estate blue flower honey from Buckinghamshire)
A sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves

You’ll find tons more inspiration from Gemma on her Instagram @gemtakesfoodpics

November seasonal produce

A few favourites which will be appearing in the greengrocers though the course of this month!

Bergamot

Best known as the magical citrus touch in Earl Grey tea, Bergamot is having a bit of a hey-day. While bitter and inedible plain, replace the lemon juice & zest in your favourite roast chicken recipe or zest over a Parmesan risotto. You’ll be looking forward to bergamot season each year.

Parsnips

Nutty & sweet, these funky-looking root veg are great in soups or mashed with buttery potatoes. We also love them à la Jamie Oliver: tossed in flour and parmesan before roasting.

Sloes

Sloe gin making time! The longer you leave a sloe before picking, the more time they’ve had to mature. We think the beginning of November yields the best. Choose them squishy and a rich, dark purple. (And try drizzling your slow gin over ice cream!)

Also in season: Apples (UK), Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cavolo Nero, Chestnuts, Clementines, Cranberries, Dates, Jerusalem Artichokes, Juniper, Leeks, Medlar, Pears, Pumpkin, Potatoes, Quince, Squash, Swiss Chard, Swede, Truffles (Black & White), Wild mushrooms

Producer of the month: TiramisUGO

This is life-changing tiramisu with a heart-warming story behind it. Made from a treasured family recipe with the best of ingredients from Italy and Cornwall, our team could not get enough when we first tasted it. We sat down with founder Ugo for a chat.

What makes the perfect Tiramisu?

Balance and simplicity. Tiramisu is a magical dessert. It seems too easy to make to then become the most famous Italian dessert in the world. However few people know that the authentic tiramisu is made of only 6 ingredients: mascarpone, eggs, coffee, ladyfingers, cocoa powder, sugar. Perfection is achieved not only by balancing the coffee with the Savoiardi but through a perfect viscosity of mascarpone cream – genuine, fresh free-range eggs help.

Life-changing foodie moment?

My life is full of foodie moments – but if I had to choose one, I would say being a Judge at the Tiramisu World Cup in Treviso in 2019. It was like entering a magical world made of tiramisu and friends.

Where is your favourite place in Cornwall?

Porthgwarra (to relax) – a real smugglers harbour where time stopped and where you can think with a lighter head. Truro Farmer’s Market (for friends) – I love being part of the market family. A place where you can share stories and hard work with like-minded people. A wonderful place to be every Saturday to engage with the local community.

Where is your favourite place in Italy?

Alpe Motta (Madesimo, Sondrio) – The mountains where I ski with my friends. My passion beyond cooking and the arts.

What’s next for you & TiramisUGO?

To make my dad proud and try my best to make this pud the most iconic tiramisu brand in the UK. To forever change how tiramisu is enjoyed in this Country. To launch our ready meals through “The Cornish Italian,” created under lockdown. And, as for my life, I shall continue to live in Cornwall with my new wife Laura, enjoying little/big things nature offers.

You’ll find TiramisUGO in the dessert fridge close to our cashier’s. And a bit more about Ugo’s current projects in our Journal on www.panzers.co.uk

NEW! Panzer’s Ice Cream & Chocolate Mousse

We asked the creator of Panzer’s new Ice Cream and Chocolate Mousse – Richard Stafford – about how he creates our newest grocery hit. Flying off the shelves, keep an eye out for new batches each Thursday!

Panzers’ ice cream is made only with the very freshest ingredients, no preservatives whatsoever, and fits squarely into the definition for ‘artisanal’. It means the shelf life of the ice creams are a little shorter than those sold in supermarkets, but the taste is a million times better. Everything, apart from the churning, is done by hand.

We use only the best ingredients: hazelnut paste from Piedmont, in Italy; pistachio paste from Bronte, Sicily; Earl Grey tea from the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall; chocolate from a single estate in the Caribbean.

With so much competition in the ice cream sector, I try and create a point of difference with flavour combinations. I take my inspiration from desserts and puddings on restaurant menus. If I like the look or taste of something, my first thought is, will that work as an ice cream, and if so, how? And so, I make a Key Lime Pie ice cream, a Panforte ice cream, a Sticky Toffee Pudding ice cream, a Burnt Basque Vanilla Cheesecake ice cream, a Southern Blueberry Cobbler ice cream… and so on.

I’m old enough to remember the dull, flavourless ice creams of the 70s in the UK. It wasn’t until I first went to America that I discovered how inventive ice creams could be. I fell in love with Cookies ’n Cream, eating more than was healthy, and ever since I’ve loved ice creams with ‘bits’ in them – or mix-ins, as they’re called in America. I do my own version of Cookies ’n Cream now: Chocolate Milk and Cookies. In my opinion, it knocks the commercially-produced one out of the water. You’ll find quite a few of my ice creams at Panzers have mix-ins – chocolate crumble in the Piedmont Hazelnut ice cream, pieces of gooey rosewater meringue in a Lemon Ice Cream, soft chocolate flake in a Mocha, and pieces of lemon cake in an Earl Grey Tea ice cream (called Tea & Cake Ice Cream!).

One of the best aspects of making ice cream is good old-fashioned R&D. Sometimes it takes several iterations to get an ice cream right, and I confess to having had to throw away an ice cream straight from the churner once or twice. That’s the price of experimentation, but when it succeeds, the results are so worth it. For example, it took five attempts to perfect my Wholemeal Sourdough Ice Cream with Seville Orange Marmalade, made with a dark sugar ice cream base, kernels of crunchy wholemeal sourdough, and swirled through with Seville marmalade. It was worth all the failed attempts.

In the interests of good kitchen economy, I ensure the many egg whites left over from the ice cream making are put to good use. I also make a chocolate mousse, one of the most enduring puddings. I’m not going to disclose the recipe, but it’s underpinned by the delicious aforementioned single-estate chocolate from the Caribbean. And again, it’s made by my aching hand!

Thank you, Richard, we’re all sweetly in love with your creations!

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