Here are two of our favourite, go-to summer recipes, perfect for lunch or a light supper- the spoon salad is a great accompaniment for any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean style dish- for example our Persian Stew, our Seasonal Surplus Tagine or our Paella. Both recipes are easy to make and highlight the juicy deliciousness of seasonal local grown tomatoes in the best way possible!
Tomato, Fennel and Potato Stew
Ingredients:
450g mixed local seasonal tomatoes eg cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
750g new potatoes
1 kohlrabi, cut into bite size chunks
3 fennel bulbs, tops and bottoms trimmed and tougher outer layer removed.
Small handful of mixed fresh herbs, roughly chopped: we used rosemary, oregano and sage leaves
350g shallots, cut in half lengthways
3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1.5 tbsp of harissa paste
750ml of passata
150ml of water
a medium jar of butterbeans, drained
70g pitted olives- kalamata would be great here or a good quality green olive
a couple of thin slices of preserved lemon
salt and pepper
1.Pre-heat the oven to 170C (fan)
2. Cut the fennel bulb into quarters and place in a ver large baking tray along with the shallots, garlic, kohlrabi and new potatoes. Add the herbs, drizzle with the olive oil and then season well, mix everything well together.
3. Place the veggies in the oven and let it roast for 40 minutes.
4.Meanwhile, mix together the passata with the water and harissa paste.
5.When the vegetables are soft and tender, remove from the oven and pour the pasta mix over the top, give it a good toss and then add the butterbeans, olives, preserved lemon and fennel fronds. Mix well again.
6. Roast in the oven at 140C for another 15 minutes.
7.We served this with some Maftoul (giant cous cous). Bulgar wheat or any other grain like quinoa or spelt would work nicely as an accompaniment here.
Tomato Spoon Salad
Ingredients:
6 vine ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped into bite size chunks
1 red onion, finely sliced
A medium bunch of coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped
A medium bunch of mint leaves, roughly chopped
A small handful of torn basil leaves
1 heaped tbsp of harissa paste
2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
Juice of 1 large lemon
A large pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp of sumac
1 tbsp of olive oil
1. First pickle the sliced red onion. Place the sliced onion in a medium sized bowl, pour off the lemon juice and sprinkle with the sea salt. Scrunch it together using both your hands. Then set aside and leave to pickle.
2. Place the tomatoes, and herbs into a large bowl and sprinkle with the sumac, harissa and pomegranate molasses.
3. Add the pickled red onion then drizzle with olive oil and more lemon juice.
4.This is delicious served on flatbreads, toasted sourdough or focaccia and is also a brilliant side for many of our Dovebrook dishes.
