Stir in Summer
Stir in Summer
In summer nature’s song sings itself while the garden joins in glowing chorus.
Wow, the colour scent and sound of the summer walled garden. Even more so to wander through Mother nature’s diverse palette of vibrant colour, imbued with the subtle scent of herb and flower, as bees hum and thrum their summer lullaby. The apricot trees laden with golden fruit, apples in scarlets and greens ripening in step over trees at their feet an abiding sun blessing the garden’s fruit and vegetables with wholesome ripeness.
The gardener’s work is in continuous progress, always planning ahead. However, it is now they can see the fruits of their labours, produce is ripening thick and fast, all is hustle and bustle in the Potting Shed shop where shelves empty as quickly as they are filled with the pick of the day!!
A cornucopia of fabulous freshly picked garden produce and no mistake.
Time to give something back to cook up flavours redolent of such a summer garden experience. So it was that I had a wonderful Walled garden ‘cook in’ to create a buffet lunch for the gardeners and volunteers. Recipes to share so you too can stir in a taste of the summer garden.
The Stir in Summer Menu: Chapter One
Mustard seed spiced potato salad
Moroccan spiced golden beetroot
Stir fried cauliflower with chilli and Indian spices
Pancetta fried kale with vine fruit and walnuts
Bere barley risotto with pancetta, spinach and parmesan
Chinese style sprouting broccoli
————o0o————
Blackberry cream crowdie
Blackberry coulis with ice cream
Beetroot brownies
blackcurrant cordial
New potatoes
Mustard seed spiced potato salad
Serve warm with curries, or cooled as a salad.
Serves 4 to 6 people
800g cleaned new potatoes cut into even sizes and cooked as above.
Sauce:-
2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
3 spring onions – peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons each of mustard and cumin seeds
pinch of chilli flakes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 level teaspoon sugar
1 tsp sea salt
Black pepper
Chopped chives or parsley
Heat the oil on medium heat, add onions, cook stirring to soften a little. Add mustard and cumin seed and continue to cook till they begin to pop. Stir in the vinegar and seasonings. Toss the steamed warm potatoes into a serving dish. Pour over the dressing and stir well to coat. Cover and leave to infuse flavours. Serve freshly made.
Beetroot
Beetroot are best washed and boiled in their jackets till tender. Cool then peel wearing gloves to avoid purple hands.
Great chopped or sliced with salads, try sprinkled with a little balsamic vinegar.
Moroccan spiced beetroot
Serves 4 people
1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
2 shallots – peeled and finely chopped
1 large eating apple- peeled, cored and sliced
4 golden or purple beetroot – cooked, peeled and chopped
Drizzle of golden syrup
1 level teaspoon Rasel – Hanout spice
10mls balsamic vinegar
30mls water
Sea salt
water
Heat the oil on medium heat, add the onion and stir cook to soften but not colour, Add apple and beetroot and stir to heat. Add syrup, spice, vinegar and water, simmer covered on a low heat for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, turn up the heat to evaporate the liquid. Season lightly with sea salt and serve hot or cold.
A great root vegetable recipe to which you can add pears if liked. Delicious made with carrot, parsnip, pears and some caraway seed in the mix.
Beetroot brownies
Makes a tin 23cm square
250g margarine melted with 220g milk or dark chocolate – cooled a little
3 eggs whisked with 220g caster sugar
220g cooked peeled beetroot – grated.
150g self raising flour
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan) 350F, Gas 4. Oil and line the tin. Arrange a shelf in the middle of the oven. Gently stir the chocolate and egg mixture together, sift in the flour and fold in. Lastly fold in the grated beetroot and spread evenly in the prepared tin. Bake in the middle of the oven till risen, firm and the point of a skewer inserted in the middle comes out cleanly – about 20minutes. Cool in the tin. Dust with icing sugar if liked. Cut into 16 and enjoy freshly baked.
Cauliflower
Home grown cauliflowers seem to be ready all at once so here are some ideas to try.
Preparation is simple. Remove outer leaves and the thick central stalk. Carefully cut into sprigs and soak in cold salted water for a few minutes to remove an extra wild life!
Steam, or boil in salted water till tender and serve simply topped with chopped parsley, toasted chopped walnuts or grated cheese.
Stir fried cauliflower with chilli and Indian spices.
Serves 2 people
Allow 175g cauliflower per person.
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic – crushed
1 tsp each mustard seed, cumin seed, coriander and ground turmeric
Generous pinch of chilli flakes
Blanch sprigs of cauliflower in boiling salted water till just tender, drain and plunge into cold water to refresh. Drain. Heat the oil over medium heat and gently stir fry the garlic, add the spices and stir to toast. Add the cauliflower and stir well together. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of water, turn the heat to low, cover the pan to steam cook for 5 minutes. Check seasoning to taste. Serve hot or cold.
Kale
A vegetable that keep on giving; there is always a recipe to invent
Simple to prepare – wash leaves and remove tough stalks.
Pancetta fried kale with raisins and walnuts
Serves 2 people
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic – crushed
115g chopped pancetta or streaky bacon
5 large leaves of kale – washed, trimmed and shredded
30g sugar
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp raisins – soaked in a little boiling water
45g chopped walnuts
Heat the oil and toast the garlic and pancetta till the meat is crisping. Add the kale and stir well together. Sprinkle with sugar, season with salt and pepper, stir in the raisins and soaking water then steam cook, covered on a low heat for 10 minutes till the liquid is absorbed. Serve topped with chopped walnuts.
Spinach, chard or pak choi
Bere Barley risotto with pancetta, spinach and parmesan
I used bere berries from The Barony Mill in Orkney however you can use ordinary pearl barley instead.
Serves 2 people
60g bere berries cooked till tender in boiling salted water and well drained.
Risotto
15mls olive oil
60g chopped pancetta
1 shallot – peeled and diced
45 g spinach
100mls vegetable stock
1 tbsp crème fraiche
20g grated parmesan ( or cheddar cheese)
Fry the pancetta and shallot in the olive oil till soft but not coloured. Add the barley and stir to heat. Add the spinach and stock. Cover to simmer till the spinach is tender. Stir in the crème fraiche and cheese then simmer to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper then serve hot garnished with chopped herbs such as parsley, mint, chives or coriander
Chinese style sprouting broccoli
A basic recipe for any ripe vegetables such as courgettes, runner beans, broad beans or cauliflower.
Serves 2 people
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 cloves garlic – crushed
1 shallot or small onion – peeled and diced
115g trimmed sprouting broccoli
Handful of shredded peppers or carrots
15mls soy sauce
1 level tsp five spice powder
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
Courgettes
Mediterranean courgettes
Not so much a recipe more a way of using fresh vegetables.
Serves 4 people
2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
Chopped leeks or spring onions
1 clove garlic crushed
1 large courgette – cut into four along the length then sliced
4 soft over ripe tomatoes – chopped
1 teaspoon mixed herbs or Herbe de Provence
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan. Gently cook the leek or onion and garlic till soft. Add the courgettes and tomatoes along with the herbs. Season with salt and pepper then reduce the heat to very low, cover the pan and leave to cook for 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally till the courgettes are cooked but not mushy. Delicious hot or cold. Add grated carrot, sliced green beans or garden peas if liked.
Cucamelons
Could these be the marmite of the vegetable garden?
Cucamelon pickle
Heat 2 tbsps olive or sunflower oil in a saucepan, add chopped leek or spring onion, 1 tsp each of ground turmeric, and mustard and cumin seeds and a generous pinch of chilli flakes. Simmer gently for a few minutes till the seeds begin to pop. Add 115g sliced cucamelon and 140g grated carrot. Stir well. Add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 level tsp salt and 1 level tbsp sugar. Cover the pan and cook very, very slowly till the carrots are softened. Spoon into sterile jars, seal and cool. Label and store in cool place for up to 4 weeks. Once opened store in the fridge and use within 3 days.
Blackberries
Blackberry cream crowdie
A quick healthy version of an old recipe commonly served in Scottish farmhouses on festive occasions.
Serves 4 people
Mix 200mls Greek yoghurt, 100mls crème fraiche, 100g soft brown sugar and 60g toasted oatmeal together. Fold in 100g fresh blackberries, or raspberries or a fruity mixture. Chill for an hour or overnight to allow the oatmeal to swell and flavours to develop. Enjoy
Warm blackberry coulis
Put the fresh fruit into a saucepan over a very low heat. Add a little water and leave to cook slowly to allow the juices to flow. Turn off the heat then pass through a sieve to remove the seeds. Sweeten to taste with icing sugar serve warm over ice cream or with milk puddings.
Black currants are delicious cooked this way.
Blackcurrants
Blackcurrant cordial
Makes 800mls
450g black currants
200g granulated sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon or lime
Put the blackcurrants and sugar into a deep pan, add 150mls water and heat on medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmering boil using the back of the wooden spoon to break up the fruit. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and a large strip of lemon zest. Leave to cool. Strain through a sieve lined with muslin. Pour into a sterile bottles or jars, label and store in the fridge. Once opened use within 5 days. Keep chilled.
You can add 1 teaspoon citric acid if liked to prolong the shelf life.
Fresh black currant cordial conserve
The fruit left in the muslin lined sieve is delicious as a conserve or heated as a sauce to pour over ice cream.
