A feast from the garden
Earlier this year I wrote about my difficult decision to give up my allotment (Goodbye to little bit of England) and concentrate on growing more in my garden. It's been a little hit and miss, although South facing the garden is walled, which, along with the neighbours large trees provide too much shade for most plants in the borders. We also have a rather strange lettuce eating cat, who is very keen on gardening and likes to sample most plants I'm trying to grow. Despite this we have been pretty successful with pots and bags around the kitchen window and with the warm and wet weather there is already plenty to eat. For our first BBQ of the summer I was able to knock up a summery feast with a few additional items from the fridge.
Summer's first salad (serves 2)
This is a simple salad which you can make with any fresh ingredients but it's especially satisfying if you've grown most of them yourself.
Small courgettes, a handful, sliced into ribbons with vegetable peeler
Radishes, a handful, sliced thinly
Lettuce, any variety, roughly torn
Carrot, one large, grated
Fennel, sliced very thinly, fronds included
Toss gently to combine and dress at the table with a pinch of sea salt, a splash of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
BBQ New Potatoes (serves 2)
This is something I do often when doing a BBQ and basically came about because it was too hot to cook in the kitchen (and I was too lazy to do any washing up). It works great with really fresh new potatoes.
New potatoes, any amount but bear in mind the size of your BBQ (for a small throwaway BBQ 500g will be fine)
Sea salt
2-3 tbsp good quality chilli oil (I use Farringtons Mellow Yellow Chilli Oil, which is made using rapeseed oil)
Silver foil
Tear off a two large rectangles of silver foil and put one on top of the other with the shiny side facing down. Slice the potatoes about 1/2 cm thick and toss with the oil and a pinch of sea salt. Pile them up on the foil and fold the sides over to form a tight parcel. Place on the edge of the BBQ for about 15 minutes. You will have to check now and again if they are cooked and depending on the heat of your BBQ some potatoes at the bottom may get a little crispy but these are the best bits.
To supplement the salad and potatoes I made a simple Greek style salad with feta, cucumber, tomatoes and a huge handful of parsley and basil from the garden (and large drizzle of extra virgin olive oil). Following the Mediterranean theme, some English lamb chops seasoned with salt and pepper shared the BBQ with the potato parcel (I don't have a fancy BBQ and just use a small throwaway version balanced on an old step ladder to keep away from the cat).
Served with plenty of wine and late evening sunshine, this was a feast indeed. The first of many more to come.
Summer's first salad (serves 2)
This is a simple salad which you can make with any fresh ingredients but it's especially satisfying if you've grown most of them yourself.
Small courgettes, a handful, sliced into ribbons with vegetable peeler
Radishes, a handful, sliced thinly
Lettuce, any variety, roughly torn
Carrot, one large, grated
Fennel, sliced very thinly, fronds included
Toss gently to combine and dress at the table with a pinch of sea salt, a splash of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.
BBQ New Potatoes (serves 2)
This is something I do often when doing a BBQ and basically came about because it was too hot to cook in the kitchen (and I was too lazy to do any washing up). It works great with really fresh new potatoes.
New potatoes, any amount but bear in mind the size of your BBQ (for a small throwaway BBQ 500g will be fine)
Sea salt
2-3 tbsp good quality chilli oil (I use Farringtons Mellow Yellow Chilli Oil, which is made using rapeseed oil)
Silver foil
Tear off a two large rectangles of silver foil and put one on top of the other with the shiny side facing down. Slice the potatoes about 1/2 cm thick and toss with the oil and a pinch of sea salt. Pile them up on the foil and fold the sides over to form a tight parcel. Place on the edge of the BBQ for about 15 minutes. You will have to check now and again if they are cooked and depending on the heat of your BBQ some potatoes at the bottom may get a little crispy but these are the best bits.
To supplement the salad and potatoes I made a simple Greek style salad with feta, cucumber, tomatoes and a huge handful of parsley and basil from the garden (and large drizzle of extra virgin olive oil). Following the Mediterranean theme, some English lamb chops seasoned with salt and pepper shared the BBQ with the potato parcel (I don't have a fancy BBQ and just use a small throwaway version balanced on an old step ladder to keep away from the cat).
Served with plenty of wine and late evening sunshine, this was a feast indeed. The first of many more to come.
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