We still have plenty of beetroot and radishes. I found a delicious new way to serve squid which has the added advantage of using some of the beetroot leaves along with spinach. For four, saute a finely chopped red onion in a little olive oil then add 500g squid sliced into rings, with 1/4 cup white rice. It may not seem like much rice but it is enough. You don't want the rice to overwhelm. The squid & spinach are the stars here. Cook 3 minutes or so then add a tin of tomatoes and a handful of roughly chopped spinach & beetroot leaves with 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Simmer 10 mins or until rice & squid are cooked. Delicious.
Remember
spicy bean stew? This a herby version. Saute a sliced leek in olive oil until soft then add 2 cloves chopped garlic and cook a minute or two. Add a tin of tomatoes and a good handful of finely chopped herbs - parsley, thyme, chervil. Cook about 10 minutes and if it looks dry add a splash of water. At the end add some finely sliced spinach & beetroot leaves with a drained tin of canellini beans and cook until the greens are wilted and the beans are heated through. Add a sprinkling of herbs to serve.
We went to friends for dinner, were served a wonderful meal and sent home with a bag of freshly picked runner beans. I cooked these with herbs and served with steak and a corn and avocado salad. For the beans, slice them thinly and cook in water about 10 mins & drain. There were about 400g. Heat a little olive oil & add a good handful of chopped mint, parsley, chervil & dill with 4 tsp capers, juice and zest of a lemon, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 small shallots finely chopped. Stir in the beans & serve. Add any leftovers to a salad the next day.
For the corn salad, combine kernels from 2 cooked corn cobs or about 2 1/2 cups frozen, 4-5 tomatoes cut into wedges, 2 diced avocados & handful of basil leaves. Toss with a herb dressing made by mixing in a food processor 3 handfuls basil leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, zest of a lemon, 1 1/2 cups olive oil & a pinch of salt. This will keep in a jar in the fridge for a week & is also great with fish & freshly dug potatoes.
The garden is certainly serving us well. On Sunday I tried to finish up odds and ends. We bought some fish from the market & served with the last of the potatoes & aforementioned oil, a corn cob mixed with the last of the peas and the lone leek sauteed with the lone courgette. The courgettes got off to a slow start but are coming on now. I think it may have been the lack of sun as there was a shortage of female flowers on the plants and apparently they appear as the weather warms up.
I have been reading about Isabel (Mrs) Beeton's carrot jam which was intended as a kind of substitute for apricot jam. On further investigation, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of
vegetable jams from our old friend Hugh F-W. Not chutney, but vegetable jams. I started with the carrot version, which resembles a spicy marmalade with lots of peel and is delicious. I am keen to try the green tomato but we didn't put in any tomatoes this year. I may be able to muster up the pumpkin jam as we have a splendid crop and if the courgettes improve look out for courgette and lemon jam.
With the pumpkin I have already made what looks like the winter's supply of pumpkin soup. I will be looking for smart ideas for pumpkin shortly.
You really can eat beetroot every day. Beetroot burgers will please both omnivores and herbivores. Saute 1 finely chopped onion for about 5 mins until soft then add 1 peeled coarsely grated beetroot, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp zahtar with a pinch of salt & cook 5 mins. Stir frequently to prevent the mix catching. Put the cooked mix into a food processor with 2 tins drained chickpeas, 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, zest of a lemon, 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs. Season and pulse until well combined but not completely smooth. Divide into patties of a size you want and chill for 30 minutes. Cook the patties in oil 3 mins each side. You can serve them on buns but if you think the addition of two hefty pieces of bread is too much, do as we did and just serve with the toppings. Consider lettuce, avocado, grated carrot or beetroot, sprouts, tomato, feta or even a fried egg.
Beetroot risotto is a favourite of mine. In one pan slowly steam a finely grated beetroot and in the other make a risotto base. The beetroot will take 40 mins or so to soften so start it first. This is the same principle as the beetroot relish I developed a while ago and you could add onions but you will also have shallots or leeks in your risotto base. When both components are ready combine in the risotto pan and add juice and zest of a lemon with a knob of butter. Cover & rest 5 minutes. Season and serve dotted with ricotta or feta. I had some unused ricotta in the fridge and that worked wonderfully. I think it is better than Parmesan with the beetroot. Make risotto cakes with the leftovers & serve with a poached egg..JPG)
As an aside, I used the rest of the ricotta in beefburgers which was a Nigel Slater idea and made wonderful moist burgers. We had bought the ricotta to stuff courgette flowers and not done it. Really I think that it is a fiddly job and I'd rather let a cafe do the work. Floriditas do them beautifully. We served the burgers with our now flourishing courgettes and the last of the cranberry sauce. Nigel suggests a tomato relish but I think that almost any relish you have in the fridge will do.
You will really impress with this colourful beetroot salad. In a large bowl mix 3 peeled grated carrots, 2-3 radishes mandolined (you could substitute 1/2 celeriac), 2-3 beetroot peeled and grated (use 2 colours of you have them), 1 grated apple spritzed with lemon juice to prevent discolouration. Make a dressing with 1 tbsp horseradish sauce, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice, 1 tsp English mustard, 1 clove crushed garlic, salt & pepper. Combine with salad and garnish with cumin & pumpkin seeds and parsley. We had it on it's own but it would go well with any lean meat or fish or just a side of roasted potatoes.
Lastly a beetroot soup. Put a largish beetroot in a baking tray with 1 cm water and bake at 200 for about an hour. Cool (under cold water is fine) and peel. In a pan soften 2 finely chopped onions then add 2 apples quartered (with a squeeze of lemon) and the beetroot roughly chopped. Pour on 1 1/2 litres chicken or vegetable stock, add 2 star anise & simmer 15 mins. remove the star anise and blend with a hand blender until smooth. Serve with snipped chives and a dollop of yoghurt mixed with horseradish.
