Ah summertime .......

it’s that wonderful time of year for fruits and, if you’re lucky enough, to start picking tomatoes and other goodies from your gardens whether they be extensive or a few simple pots. Herbs should be going wild so now’s the time to collect bunches for drying. My marjoram is about taking over the side terrace just from a small pot - perhaps that’s an exaggeration but .... 

our basil is looking good! Nothin better than breakfast bruschetta especially made with herbs straight out of the garden. If you have lots of herbs think about turning them into pestos or gremolata (recipe recently posted). And don’t forget Asian salads. Herbs remind me of Armenia and the banquets they laid for us each meal - all with fresh herb salads. One other word- tabouli!  

Pickle the seeds from your nasturtium, they taste akin to capers. And all that mint that spreads out like benign triffids - make mint jelly now for winter roasts. 

And soon it will be time for jams and sauces so start digging out those jars in readiness. 

And if you don’t consume a lot of these yummy things, think gifts. 

Berries abound so it time for syllabubs, fools, summer puddings and Champaign fruit jellies - if you have any left over! Stock up on cream or yogurt. 

Of course fruit et al will be plentiful, fresh and lovely at the Markets so look out the bargains. Marinated mushrooms or eggplant are good for antipasto. So many things you can do - let your eyes and taste buds inspire you! 

Recipes for some of the ideas above I have posted earlier. Just use the search tool on the blog site. 

Happy harvesting!

Raspberry Syllabub

This is a pic of Jamie's syllabub - the two recipes are similar.

Ingredients
500-600g of raspberries
3+ Tbsp caster sugar (depends on how seeet you like it)
Zest of 1 orange
2-3 Tbsp of sweet dessert wine and/or orange juice 
600ml double cream or 300ml cream and 200-300gm plain yogurt 
Servings: 6

Method
Place the raspberries and zest in a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and drizzle over the wine, then set aside for a few minutes to macerate.
Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks in a separate bowl - and add yogurt if using. Fold raspberries into the cream mix into the raspberry mixture. 
Either divide between serving glasses or pile into large pretty bowl.
Top with a sprig mint if desired. 

Chook's note: you can use drained tinned or frozen raspberries. Or try other berries. 

Osso Buco with anchovies and sage

Sorry I didn't take any pix - we just dug in and forgot! The flavours are sensational. (This pic is via NYT cooking.)
Ingredient
Flour for dredging meat
4-6 veal or lamb shanks, cut into chunks 3-4 cm thick if possible
½ cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
4 more or less anchovy fillets
10 leaves fresh sage (or 1 1/2 tsp dried at a stretch)
1-2 cups dry white wine
Chicken stock as needed
1 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Serves 4-6

Method
Preheat oven to 180C.
Dredge shanks in flour and shake off excess. Pour olive oil into a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add shanks and brown on all sides. Remove meat from pan, and place in large ovenproof casserole dish.
Pour off oil leaving 2 Tbsp in the pan. Add garlic, anchovies and sage, and saute for 2 mins. Add white wine and bring to a boil, scraping bottom of the pan. Pour liquid over meat in casserole. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 2 -3 hrs, or until meat is soft.
Remove meat to a serving platter. Pour juices in the casserole into a saucepan. There should be about 1 1/2 cups – if not make up with chicken stock. Reduce liquid by half - about 10 to 15 mins over high heat. Swirl in the butter, seasoning to taste, and pour liquid over the meat.

Chook’s note:  I like to serve it with either good mash or Milanese risotto with gremolata on the side (see recipe 26 November 2018).  This is a very forgiving recipe so tweak the quantities of  sage and/or anchovies to your own taste. I love the anchovies, they just melt into the sauce and give a rich but subtle saltiness. 
I sometimes cook this the day before so I can lift off the fat - there's so much especially if you use lamb shanks. 

Italian mustard fruits

This traditional Italian preserve is quick and easy to make, and is wonderful served with pate, roast pork, grilled quail or hams and cheeses. I'm sure you can think of other serving ideas!
Ingredients
500 ml white wine vinegar or 400ml plus 100ml water
2 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
1 kg dried apricots
½ cup lemon juice and rind of 1 lemon, thinly sliced
600g white sugar
1 tsp minced horseradish
1 cinnamon stick + 12 whole cloves
Makes 1.6 to 1.8 depends on the fruit (1/2 measure made 3x300ml jars).

Method
Bring the vinegar, water and mustard seeds to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Leave to cool and infuse for 1 hour. Discard half the mustard seeds.
Prepare the fruit by washing, removing the stones or pips and cutting up any larger fruits.
Cook the sugar and spices to the vinegar over gentle heat until the sugar is dissolved stirring all the while.
Add lemon juice and rind, horseradish and fruit and cook gently a few minutes or until just soften.
Pack the fruit and spices into the sterilised warm jar/s and pour over the syrup. Seal jars immediately and leave for a minimum of 1 month before eating (if you can wait that long!).

Chook’s note: I like and have used dried apricots, but you could use mixed fruit - peaches, apricots, plums, cherries & figs. 
Save the extra mustard seeds to mix into something else – mayo, oil, vinegar, or what about mustard butter for crusty bread or on sangers.

Muesli Biscuits with Golden Syrup

I needed to use up some good natural muesli and found this recipe. They are buttery and chewy - depending on how long you cook them,

Ingredients
2 Tbsp boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
125 g butter, melted, cooled
2 Tbsp maple syrup/golden syrup
220 g natural muesli
150 g firmly packed) brown sugar
150 g plain flour

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 large baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Combine the water and bicarbonate of soda. Add to the melted butter and syrup and stir to combine.
Place the muesli, brown sugar and flour in a large mixing bowl. Pour in butter mixture and use a wooden spoon to mix until well combined.
Place teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the lined trays about 5cm apart.
Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Stand on baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

Chook's note: you could use maple syrup instead of golden syrup. You may need to adjust the flour up if the muesli has lots of fruit in it as that can make the biscuits more moist - still yummy though!