Wow, it's been awhile... what I've been eating in June

The second half of spring has not been a prolific one for me on this blog, as you may well have noticed. Maybe it’s the improving weather keeping me far from my laptop. I have been trying to enjoy every last drop of outdoor sunshine, and getting into running more and more has meant when I do get home that the computer isn’t my first port of call. The bathtub beckons far louder, I’m afraid.

But that hasn’t meant I haven’t been eating! Far from it, of course. Here are some highlights of the past month:

Split pea and ham soup - I can’t claim this recipe for my own, I’m afraid, as it was borrowed from my husband’s boss. But it is ever so hearty and very tasty – you just need 750g smoked gammon, 500 g dried split peas, a leek, a chilli and a clove of garlic. It makes 10 first-course servings and freezes beautifully. I’m going to have another round out of the freezer later this week.

Asparagus and herb risotto – a la Rose Gray of River Café. Featured on Guardian’s Food for a Fiver week. Upped the mint and parsley quantities by three, dropped the butter, and used feta instead of parmesan for a lighter, more sprightly springy kick.

Leek and herb stuffed jackets – found this little one in the BBC Good Food magazine in May. Effortlessly simple – potatoes, cream cheese, leeks, parsley. Lovely.

Prawn linguine with yellow pepper sauce – now this I love. Faced with a glut of yellow peppers, I roasted these, peeled them and pureed the flesh and juice, which formed a sweet, smoky sauce with an utterly fabulous consistency. Raw prawns + linguine + flat leaf parsley + roasted cherry tomatoes and garlic = amazing! Will be making this again.

Grilled sausages with mustard and courgette cakes – love this combination. I didn’t even work very hard on the cakes, I’ll admit (I’d had a glass of wine…) Grated courgettes, sweated with salt, mixed with chopped spring onions, a tablespoon of flour, sautéed with some olive oil. My husband had three sausages, one courgette cake; I had one sausage, three courgette cakes. And we were both blissfully happy with that arrangement.

Steak and portobello mushroom sandwiches – well, steak for him, portobello mushroom for me. Mushrooms are supposed to be meat for vegetarians, aren’t they? (Not that I’m a vegetarian by any means, but still – goes to show how filling they can be). Grilled these in tandem, topped them with Leerdammer Light swiss cheese and a bun.

Smoked haddock with wilted spinach and pea puree – savoury, simple and strong. I was craving that earthy taste of wilted spinach and this hit the spot, mixed with sweet peas and smoky haddock. Very low calorie, but delicious. Added a poached egg for the husband, though I didn’t fancy it (I overegged myself earlier this year…)

Grilled lamb steaks with cumin-spiced broad bean puree and pitta – a healthy kebab really. The lamb was marinated in lemon juice, oregano and garlic and grilled for less than 10 minutes, while the broad beans took only minutes to steam and process. Warming the pitta bread for the last few minutes that the lamb is on makes for a lovely treat.

Tagliatelle with roasted red and yellow peppers, capers, garlic and anchovies – this may well be my combination of the summer. These peppers go so soft, and mixed with the other ingredients and a tablespoon of olive oil (and the leftover pasta water), they make any pasta absolutely to die for.

What do you think? Good/bad/ugly? Yummy/fun? What did you eat this month? I looooove a good bit of inspiration!

get the June bug

June = summer. It’s as simple as that really. Whether the weather is good or bad, deep down in your bones you know it’s true. The mornings start early, the evenings end late, the meals get lighter and more vibrant to match the days.

June makes me happy. It also makes my job a lot easier, as the produce stands for itself. There’s just no need to do anything but lightly cook the produce that June brings. Strawberries? Eat ‘em raw. (Or maybe with a bit of cream if you must.) Asparagus? Steam it. Jersey royals? Ditto. Tomatoes? They’re getting there. Here are some ideas for a selection of my favourite June produce.

Spinach
Spinach and potato cakes – this is actually an idea from the Asda magazine! It calls for bacon and leeks as well. Serve it alongside a fresh salad of spinach and tomato for a great light dinner. Plus: the cakes can be make ahead of time, and kept in the refrigerator until cooking.

Steamed or freshly wilted spinach makes a great side dish to fish. Just get as much water out of it as you can before serving.

Spinach makes a fantastic base for any salad - just add your favourite ingredients

Spinach, carrot and radish, chopped finely, make a lovely salad.

Swirl some clean spinach into a veggie soup or a curry to liven it up. (This especially works

Welsh lamb
It doesn’t have the same depth of flavour as its more mature counterparts, but nonetheless it’s ever so fresh and very local.

Try Nigel Slater’s lamb marinated with anchovy and mint (yum!). Serve with broad beans, perhaps?

Seared lamb chunks in tomatoes with feta, olives and spinach is really tasty. Cumin gives it a great Moroccan flavour.

Lamb burgers with harissa and tabbouleh tops my list of fabulous dinners. Go for lean lamb – otherwise, it’s a bit too greasy. And don’t forget that harissa’s got plenty of oil in it already.

Braised lamb with broad beans, peas, feta and thyme sounds like a perfect late spring/early summer dish. I imagine eating it on a late Sunday afternoon with the windows open.

Broad beans
Pasta salad with feta, mint, broad beans and peas – yet another Asda idea! I was impressed. However, I do recommend reducing the amount of oil called for in the recipe, as well as using reduced-fat feta.

Broad bean puree is one of my favourites – on its own or with mint, dill, thyme – take your pick really.

For a yummy Mexican tapas, toss broad beans with finely sliced shallots, some fresh chopped vine tomatoes, garlic and coriander.

Broad beans mixed with yogurt make great mezze.

Try just steaming fresh broad beans and serving with salmon.

Strawberries
These little babies are the star of the fruit world, in my opinion. Even early in the season, their juice just jumps off their skins and onto the tongue. It’s a shame they’re not as good all year-round.

They’re best on their own really. But if you must, a splash of cream wouldn’t hurt.

Sinking summer fruit into a jelly is a great way to up the fruit count. Though I wouldn’t do this until late summer really.

Another late summer treat is strawberry sorbet. Olive has a great recipe for it in this month’s issue. Like what you see? You can also browse a sample of the issue.