July

 

Beetroot Tart Tatin with Frozen Broad Bean Crème Fraîche

(Serves 4)

Prepare some Beetroot Pickle in the following manner: add 300g sliced red onions and 350g peeled, finely grated raw beetroot to a medium saucepan containing 30g of melted unsalted butter. Sweat the onions and beetroot with seasoning until it starts to caramelise (approx 15 minutes). Add 30g muscavado sugar and 50ml raspberry vinegar; cook for further 10 minutes and add 1tsp chopped thyme. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

Grease 4 round shallow baking tins (approx 8cm x 2cm) with butter and ¾ fill each one with the beetroot pickle. Take a sheet of puff pastry and cut-out 4x9cm rounds. Lay the rounds of pastry over the beetroot pickle and tuck-in the edges so that it is completely covered. Allow the pastry to rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C and bake the tart tatins for 30 minutes.

Frozen Broad Bean Crème Fraîche: crush and season 40g of blanched fresh broad beans; mix with 40g of crème fraîche and freeze. Serve the tart tatin with a quenelle of the frozen broad bean crème fraîche and a salad of fresh broad beans and micro leaves.

Recipe by Madalene Bonvini-Hamel.

 

Spuds You’ll Like

Carroll’s Heritage Potatoes grow over 17 Potato Varieties at Tiptoe Farm in the beautiful River Till Valley in Northumberland, North East England, They are chosen to offer an exciting range of flavours, textures, colours, shapes, and a taste of history. Despite their northerly latitude, they already have three early varieties available and we have limited supplies of the following in stock at 4 Degrees C. Place your order now to avoid disappointment.

Epicure (1897): Bred by James Clark of Christchurch, Hampshire. Deliciously tasty new loose-skinned potatoes. Round, deep-eyed and floury.

Red Duke of York (1942): Delicious new season flavour with the attractive red skin. Pale yellow flesh which does not collapse on cooking. Boil or steam.

Sharpe’s Express (1900): A classic early produced by Charles Sharpe of Sleaford, Lincolnshire. Attractive pear-shaped with bright white flesh. Full flavour.

 

 

Kohlrabi Gratin

Preheat oven to 200C. Remove leaves from 6 Kohlrabi and set aside. Trim and peel  the Kohlrabi and cut into 5-6 mm slices, then into 1.5cm squares. Wash, de-stem and cut leaves into 5mm (approx) strips and cook them in plenty of Salted Water until just tender. Remove and drain. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbs Butter and cook 1 clove of thinly sliced Garlic and 3 large sliced Spring Onions for 2-3 minutes then set aside. Add 750ml of good Stock to the pan and bring to a low boil. Add the Kohlrabi pieces. Cook until just tender then remove from stock and set aside. Mix 250ml of Stock from the pan in a bowl with 3-4 tbs of Flour. Add this back to the rest of the stock in the pan and stir to blend in thoroughly. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Add cooked Spring Onion, Kohlrabi, and Kohlrabi Leaves. Coat with sauce. Add a little more stock if mixture is too dry. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a greased ovenproof dish. Top with grated strong Cheddar or other full-flavoured hard Cheese. Bake until Cheese is brown (approx.15 to 20 min). A great vegetarian main course.

 

MARROW BAKE
Cut a sliced, peeled, medium Marrow into 1cm thick circles. Steam until tender then pat  dry. Meanwhile heat oven to 220 C. Mix together 200g grated Parmesan, 2 tbs chopped Sage, 4 cloves finely chopped Garlic, 2tbs Breadcrumbs and plenty of Black Pepper.  Layer slices of Marrow alternately with the cheese mixture in a well-buttered baking dish, finishing with a layer of cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for about 35 minutes or until well browned.

 

GINGERED MARROW CHUTNEY
Peel, deseed and cube a Marrow. Sprinkle all the cubes with salt. Leave for 24 hours, then drain and dry.   Put 1 pint White Wine Vinegar, 8oz Stem Ginger (from a jar), 1lb chopped Onions, 1lb chopped Apples, 1 tsp ground Cinnamon, 8oz Sultanas and 3 tsp Salt in a large pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the Marrow and 1lb Sugar and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Spoon into sterilised hot jars and seal.

The July Fruitbowl

This month the main problem facing fruit basket and fruitbowl makers is not what to put in, but what to leave out. There’s just so much fruit around! Apples and Pears are likely to be  on the pricey side but there are still plenty of varieties to choose from. Pears start the month from South Africa but by mid-month Guyot should be in from Spain. In Apples, Golden, Reds, Grannies, Gala, Braeburns and even Pink Ladies are good.  In stone fruit Israeli and Spanish Plums, plus Apricots, Peaches and Nectarines from all over the continent shine all month.  Look out for treats like Flat Peaches, Peachcots and possibly even Flat Nectarines – usually expensive lines which occasionally turn up at bargain prices.

English Plums will be in by the end of the month and you can add interest by putting on Cherries, Strawberries and even ripe Gooseberries.

 

Saucy Borlottis

Shell 1kg of Borlotti Beans (weight includes shell), place them in a pan well covered with cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender (20-30 mins). Drain, leaving a little of the cooking water to cool with the beans.

Heat a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan and lightly fry 1 tsp of Paprika, 8 sliced Shallots and 6 sliced Garlic Cloves till transparent. Add a sliced (1/2-cm thick) Celery Heart and fry for a minute. Add the Beans and the reserved cooking water, 6 ripe, chopped Tomatoes and a handful of fresh Oregano and a good pinch of Salt and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasoning, add a cupful of chopped Parsley and stir. Finish with some Olive Oil and if you like, a scattering of Pecorino Cheese. Serve with a thick slice of crusty Bread or some Pasta.

 

Summer Pudding

Wash and prepare a kilo combination of Blackcurrants, Cherries, Gooseberries, Strawberries, Raspberries and Redcurrants. Boil 300ml of Water and add the fruit, rain in 400g of Sugar and cook gently until the fruit softens but still retains its shape, allow to cool slightly. Cut a round of Bread, to fit the base of a 1.1 litre (2 pint) pudding basin and line the sides of the basin with overlapping slices. Carefully pour the fruit into the prepared basin, retaining a little of the liquid. Shake the basin slightly to ensure the fruit fills to bowl. Cut a couple of slices of Bread to form a lid and cover the fruit. Cover with foil, and then place a saucer plate or saucer that just fits inside the bowl with a weight on top. Allow to cool. Place in the refrigerator and chill overnight. To serve, run a knife round the edge of the basin to loosen. Invert on to a serving dish. Pour the reserved liquid over the pudding. Garnish with fresh fruit and sprigs of mint. Serve with cream or chilled fresh custard.

 

Slow Roasted Kumatoes with Borlotti and Herb Salsa.

Criss Cross a couple of Kilos of Kumatoes and set into an oven-proof dish, Sprinkle with Rock Salt, Olive Oil, sliced Garlic a few handfuls of roughly chopped Soft Herbs and a little Runny Honey. Cook this gently in a medium hot oven until the Kumatoes break open, set aside to cool.

Shell a Kilo (starting weight) or so of fresh Borlotti Beans and cook together with a few chopped Shallots, Vegetable Stock and sliced Garlic, cook until soft. Add to this a teaspoon of Dijon Mustard and 250ml of Olive Oil, a dash of Sherry Vinegar and whisk together. Spoon over the baked Tomatoes for a tasty, seasonal treat.

Use this as a garnish, or as a starter with some shaved Ham or fresh Parmesan, or rest a chunky slice of pan-fried Cod or a Crispy 'Confit' Duck Leg on top! .

Goan Coconut Gobi

This dish combines three great tropical imports (milky Fresh Coconuts, glossy Ginger and fresh Turmeric), with in-season home-grown delights such as Fresh Coriander from Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire Caulis and Broccoli from the Vale of Evesham.

Fry 1 tsp each of Mustard and Coriander Seeds in 1 tbs Vegetable Oil until they begin to pop. Reduce the heat, add 1tsp each of minced Root Ginger and minced Red Chillies, 100g Chopped Almonds and 1 chopped large Onion. Stir and cook for 2 mins.

Add the florets from 2 med Caulis and 2 large heads of Broccoli, mix well, cover and cook for five minutes. Add 4 Tomatoes (chopped), a good handful of Green Beans, some minced fresh Turmeric, Salt and Water to just cover, cook for 5 minutes until the Broccoli and Cauliflower is just tender.

Finally add a tin of Coconut Milk and some shredded Fresh Coconut, Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is nice and thick. Serve garnished with freshly
chopped Coriander.

 

Pork with Shi-itake & Cucumber:

Poach 12 fresh Shi-itake Mushrooms in 75ml Water for 5 mins. Drain and reserve the liquid. Slice the mushrooms. De-seed two Cucumbers and cut into wedges. Heat 1 tbs Groundnut Oil in a wok and fry 600g tender Pork until browned all over. Add the vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes. Add half the mushroom liquid, cook for a further minute or two, season with Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper. Serve immediately, with fragrant rice and a sprinkling of Coriander and Spring Onions.

 

Spicy Basil Salsa

Grill 6 halved Green Peppers, 12 halved ripe Plum Tomatoes, and 6 halved Mild Chillies or Jalapenos until they blacken on the skin side. Place the vegetables in a warm bowl and cover tightly with cling film and allow to cool. Meanwhile, drizzle 12 cloves unpeeled Garlic with Olive Oil and bake in a double-thickness foil pouch, at 300F for 30 mins.

Peel the skin off of the blackened vegetables, chop the chillies finely and cut the Tomatoes and Peppers into chunks. Squeeze the pulp of the cooked garlic out of the skin and into the bowl. Add 1 Supasweet Onion (finely chopped), 6 tbs fresh Lime Juice, 1 tbs Honey and 200g of torn Basil Leaves. Mix together gently and add plenty of Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper (to taste). Leave for a couple of hours at room temperature for the flavours to blend. The salsa will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge. Delicious with oily fish, lamb or roast chicken.

 

Giroles, Vacherin & Roquette salad

In a large skillet, melt 1tbs Unsalted Butter over moderately high heat. Add the 500g Giroles and reduce the heat to moderately low. Cook slowly, allowing any exuded juices to evaporate, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat to high, season the mushrooms with Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tbs minced Shallots, 1tsp minced Garlic, and 1sp chopped Parsley and ½ tbs chopped Thyme and cook, stirring, for a minute, or two.

Serve on a salad of Roquette Leaves, cooked Haricots Verts and roasted Hazelnuts and Olive Oil oven-baked Croutons spread with Vacherin, or ripe Brie. Dress with Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Summer Berry Meringues with Mint and Raspberry Coulis

Whisk 6 large Egg Whites on a low speed until the whites are foamy. Switch the speed to medium and carry on whisking for 1 more minute. Finally, switch to high and continue until the stiff-peak stage is reached. Next, whisk in 330g of warmed Caster Sugar and the paste from a Vanilla Pod on fast speed, a little at a time, until you have a stiff and glossy mixture. Pipe small flat 'nests of this meringue mixture on to a prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Use the back of the spoon to hollow out the centres. Don't worry if they are not all the same shape.

Place on the middle shelf of a medium hot oven, immediately reduce the heat to gas mark 1(140°C) and leave them for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave to dry out overnight.

To finish, whisk together a kilo mixture of Raspberries, Strawberries and Redcurrants with 500g of sweetened Marscapone and spoon into each shell. Finish with Fresh Berries dusted with Icing Sugar and a sauce made with puréed Fresh Raspberries and Mint sweetened with Icing Sugar.

 

Cherry Brandy

Wash and de-stem 1kg Cherries. Dark Red or Black give the best colour and flavour. Cut a slit down one side of each cherry to expose the stone. Put the Cherries in a large, clean jar and cover with 1kg Sugar, stirring well to cover all the fruit. Let this mixture sit overnight in the fridge. This allows sugar to pull juices from the fruit.

Stir in 1 litre good Brandy (Armagnac works particularly well). Seal the jar and agitate until most of the sugar is dissolved. Store in a cool, dark place for 2-3 months minimum, shaking occasionally (about twice a month). For best results make now for use at Christmas. Allow to settle for a month undisturbed before decanting. Filter if necessary. The leftover cherries ore delicious served with icecream, or de-stoned and used to add richness to cakes puddings and other desserts.