Archive Article: 2001/08/17
August is hectic for us
cooks as we make the
most of the abundance
of fruit and vegetables,
writes Philippa Vine.
Cool dishes and light
meals are the focus of
our recipes this month
I LIKE to use locally produced ingredients where possible and these include peppers (capsicums), and even halloumi cheese, which I discovered at my local Farmers Market.
The cheese is made by Sussex High Weald from pasteurised sheeps milk and if you fry it, the taste is similar to bacon. It makes a wonderful warm salad. When I used this cheese in the Masterchef "Cook Off" one of the judges was so impressed that she insisted her London restaurant stock it.
August sunshine will have ripened tomatoes to make them fragrant and flavoursome and I only eat them in season. They are delicious on their own, in salads, roasted in the oven and can be frozen to use later in a winter stew or soup.
Another result of the August sunshine can be hot and bothered children (and parents!) and one thing that will cool them down is an ice lolly. Make your own to ensure they are free of extra sugar, artifical colorings and sweeteners. I was prompted to include a baby-food recipe this month after a friend of mine asked me about ideas for feeding her eight-month-old baby. I chose a dish that included summer vegetables which my own daughter Louisiana loved when she first started to eat proper meals.
The pastry for my savoury tart this month has a "hidden" ingredient to give it crispness – polenta. This is a coarse ground maize, yellow in colour and is available in good grocery shops.
Fruity ice lollies
Ice lolly moulds are cheap to buy and available in most grocery shops. Simply pour the chosen mixture into the mould and freeze until set. To prevent pulling the sticks out minus the lollies, run the moulds under hot water and leave for a minute or two before serving.
Frozen berry:
Simmer strawberries and/or raspberries with a little water and sugar to taste for a few minutes, until just soft, then pass the mixture through a sieve and mix with some blackcurrant juice.
Raspberry ripple:
Make a raspberry purée from fresh raspberries and a little sieved sugar and swirl this into whole-milk plain yogurt.
You can also buy fruit smoothies as drinks in shops (only choose the ones that are made with high fruit content) and use these to make excellent ice lollies.
Parcels of cheese with onion marmalade
This recipe is perfect for barbecues and not just for non-meat eaters. The onion marmalade keeps well in the fridge for three to four days and can be served as a relish with all sorts of dishes or sandwiches. These parcels can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge.
1 packet of halloumi cheese
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Black pepper
For the onion marmalade
4 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
100ml (31/2fl oz) red wine vinegar or sherry
Pinch of ground cumin
Cut the halloumi cheese into four equal squares and place in a large shallow dish in one layer. Pour over the oil, scatter the garlic and herbs on top and black pepper. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or over night. Meanwhile, get on with making the onion marmalade, heat the oil over a low heat, add the onions and cook slowly for 10-15 minutes until soft and tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook slowly for a further 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions become soft and syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Remove the cheese from the marinade. Lay four pieces of foil, each about 25cm (10in) square out on a table. Divide the onion mixture between each square (you may have some left over). Top each with a slice of the cheese and pour over the marinade equally. Bring the corners of the foil together and fold the top over to make a parcel. Place the parcels on a hot barbecue and cook for 5 minutes until the cheese just begins to soften.
Simply for babies – chicken with summer vegetables
I think it is important to make the effort to prepare home-made dishes for babies. Apart from being more economical, the nutritional value is far greater. Also, now that their taste buds are forming you can introduce fresh herbs.
Makes eight portions.
150g (5oz) rice
600ml (20fl oz) chicken stock, ideally home-made
150g (5oz) chicken breast, cut into pieces
50g (2oz) a mixture of peas and sweet corn
50g (2oz) green beans, chopped
50g (2oz) carrots, scrubbed and sliced
200ml (6fl oz) apple juice
Basil and parsley to taste
Cook the rice in the stock. When the rice is half-cooked, add the remaining ingredients and pour over the apple juice. Continue to cook until the rice is soft and the vegetables are tender. Do add more stock as needed and then using a food processor, blend to the desired consistency. This makes a large batch so extra portions can be frozen in ice cubes trays for later use.
Roasted pepper, mint an
This recipe has been adapted from a recipe that my mother-in-law kindly passed to me. It is good for using up left-over Stilton and surplus home-grown tomatoes. Delicious served with ciabatta to soak up all the wonderful juices, this is a quick lunch or supper dish for two.
6 tomatoes
110g (4oz) Stilton cheese
Plenty of black pepper and a little salt (remember that Stilton is fairly salty)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Slice the tomatoes very thinly. Arrange a layer of tomatoes together with crushed garlic in individual dishes, season with black pepper then crumble over half of the Stilton cheese and top with remaining sliced tomatoes and crushed garlic then finally put the stilton on the top. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has just started to melt. Serve with warm ciabatta or good wholemeal bread to dunk into the wonderful juices.
Sues layered tomatoes
This recipe has been adapted from a recipe that my mother-in-law kindly passed to me. It is good for using up left-over Stilton and surplus home-grown tomatoes. Delicious served with ciabatta to soak up all the wonderful juices, this is a quick lunch or supper dish for two.
6 tomatoes
110g (4oz) Stilton cheese
Plenty of black pepper and a little salt (remember that Stilton is fairly salty)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6. Slice the tomatoes very thinly. Arrange a layer of tomatoes together with crushed garlic in individual dishes, season with black pepper then crumble over half of the Stilton cheese and top with remaining sliced tomatoes and crushed garlic then finally put the stilton on the top. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has just started to melt. Serve with warm ciabatta or good wholemeal bread to dunk into the wonderful juices.