MENU dorset issue 25 MENU25.dorset pdf issue 25.final | Page 10

 P
Dorset
L E N T Y 
From Farm to Fork
Five seasonal ingredients you should be eating this month
1
Asparagus
L them at their finest, and you certainly don’t want to overcook them. Just a quick 3-5
ike a good steak, you don’t want to do too much to slender stems of asparagus to enjoy
minute blanch or steam – or a quick blast in a hot oven or grill – and they’re ready to serve
with a lemony dressing, hollandaise or even a chimichurri sauce, If you do want to make a
meal of it, serve the spears in a quiche, soufflé or alongside Jersey Royals and scallops or, for
that matter, any fish that’s in season.
2
Peas
P new potatoes and in a tart – and they lose their spark soon after picking, but these
eas have a few things in common with asparagus – they’re great with salty ham, fish,
sweet, spherical seeds are much more versatile. For starters they’re wonderful raw – try
freshly picked peas with mozzarella and peppery leaves – and they’re also good in Indian
curries from side dishes such as muttar paneer and aloo dum to a classic keema, in which
peas are cooked with lamb mince, mint and spices.
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3
Strawberries
A to be a fruit), it’s a relief to welcome the first British berries of the year. Strawberries,
fter months when the only native fruit has been rhubarb (and that’s only pretending
gooseberies, blueberries – they’re all back and ready to be fooled and (eton) messed with.
You can eat strawberries any time of day – with fluffy American-style pancakes or your
bircher for breakfast, with avocado and a herby green goddess dressing for lunch and, more
classically, with cream for your after-dinner desert.
4
Fennel
I fennel. It has an amazing aniseed flavour that will elevate a plate of leaves, especially
f you want to add a bit of character to your salads this summer, try thinly sliced raw
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when paired with mint and a lemony dressing – throw in some of the fronds for good
measure. You can also stuff these herbs into the cavity of a sea bream, while roasting some
fennel wedges to go alongside the fish. Cooked, the aniseed flavour mellows a little; not that
it’s too overpowering in the first place – it’s not like eating liquorice allsorts with your crab
salad, thankfully.
Gooseberries
A gets a little forgotten – probably because the early-season fruits are too tart to pop
s everyone celebrates summer by tucking into strawberries and cream, the gooseberry
into your mouth straight from the bush. Far better to cook with them, and this is when
the gooseberry can actually beat the red berry. As we all know, British summers are
unpredictable, so on an inclement evening, get out the gooseberries and stew them in a pie
or a crumble. Missing rhubarb? You soon won’t be.
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