For those with an allotment, or a garden packed with produce, it’s also the season of abundance.
We’ve pulled five recipes straight out the soil for you to enjoy. Each is drizzled with zesty freshness, thanks to a good dousing of lemon. And each is perfect for a languid al fresco lunch. Enjoy them with a crisp white wine or grape juice and some convivial company. Bon Appetit!
Lemon roast potatoes
Lovely summery spuds. They’re almost a meal in themselves. But add lightly steamed fish (white or salmon works well) for a tasty lunch or a sun-dropping dinner.
Ingredients
- 1kg waxy potatoes
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- Teaspoon yellow mustard
- Juice and zest of a lemon
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ cup olive oil
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons of water
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 200C
- Cut potatoes into chunky wedges and place in baking pan
- Mix all other ingredients together and coat the potatoes with this dressing
- Cover baking pan tightly with foil and cook for an hour
- Remove foil, baste potatoes with the pan juices, then roast, uncovered, for another 30 minutes or so (more if you want them very crispy)
Note – you can use thyme or rosemary in place of the oregano if you prefer.
Cauliflower couscous
Despite its name, there’s a distinct lack of couscous in this recipe. This is because it’s the grated cauliflower itself that resembles grain. The result is a tasty alternative to rice that goes particularly well with roast lamb or chicken and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.
Ingredients
- A small cauliflower
- A tablespoon olive oil
- Handful of fresh parsley
- Juice of a lemon
- ½ red onion
- 50g toasted, skinless almonds
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 180C
- Grate or pulse cauliflower in a food processor, so it resembles large breadcrumbs
- Place in a bowl and drizzle with the oil
- Scatter on a large baking tray and sprinkle with the seasoning
- Roast for 25 minutes
- Once cooked, put back into the bowl, add parsley, lemon juice, finely chopped red onion and toasted almonds
- Serve warm
Broad beans with garlic and lemon
Eating the pods as well as the beans makes this recipe a great way to make the most of your allotment veg. These greens can be served in a bowl of couscous for a tasty light lunch. Otherwise, prepare in advance and pop them onto the barbecue table as a great accompaniment to burgers and chargrilled chicken.
Ingredients
- Two cupful's of podded beans, blanched for three minutes
- Two large handfuls of rinsed young pods, trimmed and cut into 2-3 cm pieces, blanched for three minutes
- Two tablespoons olive oil
- Two large cloves finely chopped garlic
- Juice and zest of a lemon
- Teaspoon of thyme
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Blanch and rinse the beans and pods
- Mix all the other ingredients together to make a dressing
- Place beans and pods in a bowl and coat with the dressing
- Mix well and serve
Leek, mushroom and lemon risotto
Ingredients
- 200g trimmed leeks
- 250g mushrooms
- Two tablespoons olive oil
- Three cloves of finely chopped garlic
- 75g butter
- A large, finely chopped onion
- 325g arborio rice
- Two pints hot veg stock
- Grated zest and juice of a lemon
- 50g freshly grated parmesan
- 50g freshly chopped herbs (parsley and chives go well)
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Rinse and thinly slice leeks
- Peel and chop mushrooms
- Heat olive oil in a large pan and gently fry the garlic for 30 seconds
- Add the leeks, mushrooms and plenty of seasoning
- Cook until soft and brown (10-12 mins) before setting aside, off the stove
- Add half the butter to another pan and gently cook the onion for 10 minutes
- Stir in the rice and cook for one minute
- Add a ladleful of hot stock
- Stir and cook until the stock has been absorbed by the rice
- Continue adding single ladlefuls of hot stock for 20-25 minutes until the rice is tender
- Add the leek and mushroom mixture to the pan of rice
- Stir in the remaining butter, lemon zest and half the parmesan and herbs
- Serve in warm bowls, adding lemon juice before sprinking with the remaining parmesan and herbs
Carrot and beetroot salad
The sweetness of juicy carrots is the perfect complement to the earthy taste of raw beetroot. No cooking is needed for this gorgeous summer salad. Serve with fresh crusty bread if your tummy is rumbling.
Ingredients
- A big raw beetroot, peeled and grated
- The same amount of grated carrots
- A finely chopped spring onion
- A cupful of sultanas
- A tablespoon olive oil (not virgin)
- Juice of half a lemon (and grated zest if you want extra zing)
- A handful of fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
Method
This really couldn’t be simpler. Just mix everything together in a bowl and taste to see if you have added enough seasoning. The flavours mingle together particularly well if you can leave it covered overnight in the fridge.