Make an Easy Seasonal Meal in June

[blog-archive-images]

Eating seasonal produce has so many benefits for you and the planet.

Slow Food UK has teamed up with two culinary experts to show you how easy it is to whip up delicious dishes that connect you to your community, the natural cycles of the seasons and the Slow Food ethos.

Here’s just a few reasons why eating seasonal produce is important:

1. It’s cheaper – Eating seasonally allows local produce to be grown in natural conditions and transported easily, making it more affordable.
2. It’s healthier – Seasonal food is tastier and more nutritious since it doesn’t travel far. Out of season produce often uses pesticides, waxes and preservatives because fruit and veg lose nutrients soon after picking. The faster they reach your plate, the better.
3. It’s better for the environment – Less travel and less chemicals gives seasonal produce a much smaller carbon footprint.
4. It supports local producers – You are channelling profits back into your community.

Without further ado, here are two delicious recipes, celebrating the goodness of local produce and the colour and flavour explosion of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Roast Vegetable Summer Salad With Whipped Feta, by Laoise Casey

Roasted vegetables served on a bed of creamy whipped feta, topped with crunchy
radishes and zingy fresh mint.

This one has all the elements of a perfect salad – seasonal vegetables, maximum
flavour and a satisfying blend of both crunchy and soft textures. Think of this as a
salad template to use all year round! Here we are using the last of seasonal asparagus,
newly ripe courgettes and radishes as the star as the show, but simply adapt according to the
time of year.

Lightly roasting the courgette and asparagus allows their natural flavour to shine,
then plate them up on a layer of the softest whipped feta. Blending feta with a dollop
of natural yoghurt transforms it into a versatile element to elevate your salads.
Serving suggestions – a starter option for a summer BBQ or party, as a side with fish
or chicken.

Substitutes – swap the asparagus and courgette for whatever is best in season. This
would work so well with fresh or roast tomatoes piled onto the whipped feta and a
pinch of za’atar to make the tomatoes sing. Sweet potatoes and beetroot are also
great options. If you don’t have time to make the whipped feta simply swap this out
for some thick natural yoghurt seasoned with a dash of lemon juice, to add that tangy
kick.

Roasted vegetables served on a bed of creamy whipped feta, topped with crunchy
radishes and zingy fresh mint.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)
2 courgettes, sliced
300g asparagus
Olive oil, as needed
200g feta, crumbled
80g natural yoghurt
Small handful mixed radishes, sliced
Small handful watercress or fresh mint leaves
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
2. Slice the courgettes into chunky coins. Trim any very woody ends off the
asparagus (you can thinly slice these woody ends and blanch them in boiling
water then dress with olive oil, salt and pepper and they are great!).
3. Add the courgettes to one baking tray, and the asparagus to another tray, then
toss them both well with a generous glug of olive oil and season with salt and
pepper.
4. Pop the trays in the oven and roast the asparagus for 12 minutes and the
courgettes for 15 – 18 minutes, until just starting to brown. Alternatively, if you
prefer you can pan-fry them or air fry at 180°C.
5. Meanwhile, make the whipped feta. Crumble the feta into a blender or food
processor, along with the yoghurt. Add a pinch of black pepper. Be careful
about adding extra salt as feta can be quite salty. Blend until creamy and
smooth, then set aside until ready to use.
6. Thinly slice the radishes. If you are assembling this ahead of time, simply pop
the radishes into a small bowl of iced water to keep them super crunchy, then
drain well before using.
7. With the back of a spoon, spread the whipped feta onto a platter or serving
plates. Scatter over the roast asparagus and courgette. Top with the radishes
and watercress or mint, drizzle with a little olive oil and tuck in.

Local producers

Ingredients sourced from Slow Food partner Borough Market and fresh herbs from my garden

Acknowledgements

Recipe created and photographed by Laoise Casey.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/laoisecooks

Elderflower panna cotta and British strawberries, by Cheryl Minton

I’m fortunate to live in a thriving market town called Ludlow in South Shropshire, where I can find many independent shops and producers who support the sustainable slow food ethos and where I bought my ingredients for this beautiful, easy-to-make summer dessert. I sourced dairy from Myriad Organics, British grown strawberries from Ludlow Market and made my own elderflower cordial from flowers I picked down a country lane behind my house.

I have chosen a simple panna cotta recipe that can be adapted easily with seasonal ingredients that you can buy, grow or forage locally.

Elderflower panna cotta and British strawberries

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the panna cotta
2 x 2g gelatine leaves
300ml double cream
50g caster sugar
60ml elderflower cordial (foraged and homemade is best)
100ml full-fat milk
50ml buttermilk
Vegetable oil, to grease moulds

For the strawberries
A punnet of local, new-season strawberries, washed and at room temperature before removing husks and quartered.
Elderflower cordial

For the strawberry and elderflower jelly (optional)
A punnet of strawberries
200ml of elderflower cordial
2 x 2g gelatine leaves

Equipment
4 x pudding moulds

How to make the panna cotta

1. Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes

2. Pour the cream and sugar into a pan on a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring the cream to a simmer and then take off the heat.

3. Take out the gelatin leaves and squeeze out the water and add them to the warm cream mixture and stir until dissolved.

4. Pour the mixture through a sieve (to catch any unmelted bits) into a clean bowl then stir in the milk, buttermilk and elderflower cordial.

5. Grease the inside of 4 small moulds with oil then divide the mixture between them.

5. Cool the mixture and place in the fridge for 4-6 hours.

7. To prepare the strawberries, quarter them and place in a bowl with the elderflower cordial and leave to macerate for at least 30 minutes or leave them in the fridge for when the panna cotta is set.

8. To release the panna cotta from their moulds, carefully lower each one into a bowl of hot water from the tap for a few seconds, then upturn onto a saucer or dish and serve with the strawberries.

9. Decorate each panna cotta with seasonal edible flowers (elderflowers or rose petals work well with this recipe).

Adapting the recipe

This recipe is versatile and can be adapted in many ways to work with what you can buy or forage seasonally. When I made the recipe in late May, Elderflowers were in bloom, but later in the summer you can use other edible flowers like roses to create a homemade syrup to flavour the panna cotta and garnish the dish with its petals. You can change the fruit too and experiment with different flavours.

To add elderflower strawberry jelly to the panna cotta (optional)

10. To make the dessert look extra special, when adding the panna cotta mixture to the mould, leave enough room to add a layer of elderflower and strawberry jelly after the panna cotta has set.

11. To make the jelly, quarter a punnet of strawberries and place them in a bowl with elderflower cordial and leave to macerate for at least 30 minutes

12. Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5 minutes.

13. Pour the liquid from the strawberries into a small pan and heat very gently.

14. Take out the gelatin leaves and squeeze out the water and add them to the warm elderflower liquid and stir to dissolve.

15. Add a layer of macerated strawberries to the top of the set panna cotta in the mould, then pour over the jelly mixture to cover the strawberries.

16. Place the mould back into the fridge for another 4-6 hours for the jelly to set

17. To release the panna cotta from their moulds, carefully lower each one into a bowl of hot water from the tap for a few seconds, then upturn onto a saucer.

Local producers

Here’s where I sourced my ingredients in Shropshire

Slow Food Ludlow