Here is August and I can’t see one bit of that sun we were promised by the Met Office which is seriously disappointing, mainly because it means we won’t be able to have as many barbeques as we would like.
Still, not a reason to not enjoy this month’s fresh produce and cheer ourselves up with some good grub, right?!
I will certainly be tucking into classics like melon with Parma ham, fresh tomatoes with mozzarella, olive oil and salt, blueberry jam on toast and griddled courgettes with lemon juice, parsley, olive oil and chili.
BUT should the weather hold and the sun grace us long enough one evening to get the grill out and the coal on fire I recommend one of the recipes below for a special side dish (and make sure you enter our Champagne Competition to have a special tipple to go with it too!)
Escalivada (this is a typical Catalan dish I have recently discovered. Simply delicious)
Serves 4
One big aubergine
3 red peppers
4 medium red onions peeled
4 big tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
4 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Place the vegetables in a baking tray with half of the olive oil and roast for about 20 minutes at 175C.
Once done, let them cool slighlty, peel, leave the garlic to one side and cut the rest in thin slices.
Put the garlic in a bowl, mash it and mix it with the rest of the olive oil, salt, pepper, vinegar and parsley and pour over the roasted vegetables.
You can serve this hot or cold with barbequed meat and crusty bread.
Sweetcorn with a kick (Jamie Oliver makes something similar - I like to think my version is equally delicious)
Serves 4
4 corn cobs
50 g Pecorino (mature sheep cheese) grated
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (and please stick to the measurement. I’m telling you from experience: that stuff is hot!)
Juice of 1 lime
Butter
Very simply barbeque the corn and once it’s done put it in a bowl with all the other ingredients and mix it until it’s well coated.
Serve with fish or chicken.
