Summer Recipes
This month Angela shares with us some of her favourite summer recipes using the fruits of her labours.
There’s a four-letter word that sums up this time of year in the garden – GLUT! Yes, after the excitement and wonder of digging up the early new potatoes, picking the first runner beans and waiting for the tomatoes to ripen, I am now desperately trying to harvest and cook them fast enough. Of course, potatoes can be stored, tomatoes cooked as sauces and runner beans frozen (although they’re never as nice), but eating vegetables when they are fresh and in season is one of the main reasons we grow them. So, as the title of this piece can refer to a culinary as well as a garden fork, this month I’m sharing some recipes which are excellent for using up a surfeit of vegetables.
In my gap year I lived in Madrid sharing a flat with two girls, one of whom had been the Spanish assistant at Gowerton School and has remained a very good friend. Spain in 1980 was rather different to today and everyone still did their shopping at the local market, as supermarkets were few and far between. I had very little money and so learned to make simple dishes which used the wonderful fresh produce available.
Tortilla (pronounced torteeya) in Spain means an omelette and the most common is the tortilla de patata, which is basically fried potato and onion, lightly bound together with eggs to form a solid cake. I have seen English recipe books suggest it as a way of using up leftover cooked potato, but this can be rather tasteless. I think that the British shy away from frying the potato because of the amount of oil involved. They see it as “fatty” – yet olive oil is very good for you and as a nation we ingest frightening amounts of unhealthy fats in processed foods! For a large tortilla (30cm diameter non-stick frying pan), you need a large onion, 1200 grams (unpeeled weight) of potatoes, 5-6 large eggs, 150 ml of olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the frying pan, peel and finely slice the onion and potatoes and put them in gradually, so they don’t clump together and keep turning them over to cook evenly. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and season. When the potatoes are soft, tip the mixture into the eggs and stir. (If you are concerned about oil, you could strain some off at this stage). Return the mixture to the pan and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Then place a large plate over the top of the pan and invert the pan so that the tortilla ends up on the plate, cooked side up. The bottom will still be runny, so do this over a work surface. Slide the tortilla back into the pan, pushing gently with a spatula and leave the other side to cook for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a plate when just cooked through and leave to cool. It is best eaten at room temperature, with salad.
Gazpacho is a raw, cold soup which can also be anathema to Brits who like their soups hot and hearty. However, it is very quick to make, incredibly healthy and delicious. It comes from Andalucia, where it is often served with ice cubes floating in it, but this can be welcome when the temperature is in the 40’s C. Each family will have their own recipe, so my instructions are approximate, as you will want to adjust it to suit your taste. Roughly chop 600gm of ripe tomatoes, a peeled onion, a green pepper, a third of a cucumber and put into a blender with100ml of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, tablespoon of sherry or wine vinegar, 150 ml of water, salt and pepper to taste. Blend for about 30 seconds and then taste. I like an acid/vinegary flavour, but you may want to add more oil or water. Many recipes add a clove of garlic too – I just don’t like raw garlic. Put into a large bowl and chill until needed. It is often served with garnishes such as chopped boiled egg, diced cucumber or pepper.
Finally to use up courgettes (but not the tasteless marrow-sized monsters), finely slice 1 kg small or medium courgettes and fry for 5 minutes in 25g of butter in a large pan, add half a 200g tub of Dairylea cheese (not the “light” version) and enough water or vegetable stock to cover the courgettes. Bring to the boil and simmer until the courgettes are very soft, then blend and season to taste. Crema de calabacin (pronounced calabatheen) can be served hot or at room temperature.
Suggested Reading – Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook
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