Recipe | Sausages with Green Lentils & Salsa Verde

Move over mash! Pair your bangers with lentils for a rich and filling feast with a little kick.

Serves 4

300g green lentils (we got ours from hodmedods.co.uk)

Olive oil

250g bacon lardons

1 onion, finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely diced

2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 bay leaves

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6 pork sausages

A splash of cider vinegar

For the salsa verde:

1 small bunch of basil, finely chopped

1 small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 small bunch of mint, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp capers, rinsed and finely chopped

1 tbsp cider vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil

3-4 anchovy fillets

How to make

1 Rinse the lentils in cold water and leave to soak for 30 mins.

2 To make the salsa verde, place the herbs, garlic and capers in a blender. Add the vinegar, olive oil and anchovies, along with a good pinch of salt and black pepper, blitz to combine. Check the seasoning, adding more if necessary.

3 Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the lardons and fry for about 5 mins, or until crispy and golden. Add the onion, celery, carrots and bay leaves and cook for 10 mins more over a medium–low heat, or until they’re very, very soft but without much colour. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 mins.

4 Add the soaked and drained lentils and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir until they’re well coated with the oil and veg, then add enough cold water to cover the lentils by about 1cm. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 mins, or until tender, topping up with a little more boiling water if necessary.

5 With the lentils cooking, fry the sausages in a little oil for 8–10 mins, or until cooked. Remove from heat.

6 Remove the lentils from the heat and add a splash of vinegar to taste. Check the seasoning. Serve the lentils with the sausages and a big dollop of the salsa verde.

This recipe is taken from Pipers Farm: The Sustainable Meat Cookbook by Abby Allen & Rachel Lovell (Kyle Books). Photography: Matt Austin. The sausages with lentils are just one of the ideas for autumnal recipes featured in our November issue.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More autumnal recipes…

More from our November issue…

Recipe | Roasted Squash Polenta

SERVES 4 (as a side with leftovers, or two as a main)

1 large or 2 smaller squash, such as Butternut, Crown Prince or Kuri (approx 1kg)
1 bulb of garlic
A handful of fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme and bay ~
1.5ltr chicken or veg stock
2 tbsp butter
12 sage leaves (optional)
200g instant cook polenta
75–100g freshly grated cheese, such as parmesan or a nuttier, creamier, fondue-style cheese, like gruyère

1 Preheat your oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas 6. Put a roasting tin in the oven, on the top shelf, to warm up.

2 Carefully halve your squash. Scoop out the seeds and discard (or save for roasting or grow to make pumpkin microgreens). Season the squash. Halve the garlic bulb horizontally. Tuck the garlic halves and herbs in the ‘bowl’ of the squash. Slide into the oven and roast for 45 mins, or until the squash is tender and nicely coloured. Check a few times during cooking. Remove the garlic once it’s squeezably tender as it may finish cooking before the squash.

3 Once the squash is cooked, bring your stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Scoop the squash flesh out, discarding the herbs. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins. Mash the squash and garlic with the back of a fork; set aside.

4 Heat a large saucepan or pot. Add 2 tbsp butter. Gently fry the sage leaves in the melted butter until just crisp. Remove the leaves with a fork, leaving any residual butter in the pan.

5 Add the polenta and half of the simmering stock to the sage buttered pan or pot. Whisk until smooth, slowly adding more stock until it’s a nice texture – like a creamy maize porridge. Fold in the mashed garlicky squash and most of the grated cheese. Add more stock to ensure a smooth, creamy consistency, as needed.

6 Take off the heat if it thickens too quickly. Pour the polenta into dishes or on to a platter. Top with crispy sage leaves, extra pepper and the remaining cheese.

Cook’s note: While heavenly with autumnal game or red meat dishes, you could also serve this as a vegetarian main (just check that your cheese has vegetarian rennet).

This polenta recipe is from our regular Home Economics series by Rachel de Thample. The feature includes a recipe for Polenta Gnocchi, which you can make with the leftovers from your roasted squash polenta, as well as a raft of ideas using autumnal venison, mushrooms, hazelnuts and more.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More home economics…

More from our October issue…

Recipe | Bobbing Apples Cake

An excellent cake for October, or any time really. Good warm or cold

Serves 10-12

150g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
3-4 large dessert apples
1 lemon, finely grated zest and 2 tbsp juice
150g golden caster sugar, plus 4 tsp
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
300ml soured cream
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
150ml double cream
2 tbsp Calvados

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4. Butter a 23cm springform cake tin.

2 Use a melon baller to make rounds of apple (keep the skin on). Aim for 36 balls.

3 Mix the lemon juice with 3 tsp of caster sugar; stir through the apple balls. Set aside.

4 Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla extract and 200ml soured cream.

5 Fold in the flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and the lemon zest. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and push the apple balls into the cake mix, skin-side up. Bake for 50 mins until firm to the touch.

6 As soon as the cake is out of the oven, sprinkle over 1 tsp of caster sugar. Leave to cool for 15 mins then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

7 Whip the double cream to soft peaks, then whisk in the remaining soured cream and Calvados. Serve the slices of cool or warmed cake with the Calvados cream.

Cook’s note: If you don’t have a melon baller, you can cut the apple into chunks. You can also add a little ground cinnamon to the cake mixture if you like. If you don’t have Calvados, you could mix the cream with elderflower cordial instead.

Taken from the Four Seasons cookbook, a collection of recipes that champion British ingredients and reflect the influence of the seasons. By Emily Davenport, Kathryn Hawkins, Clare Lewis and Wendy Veale. Photography by Steve Lee. Available from dairydiary.co.uk

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More cake for your cake tin…

More from our blog…

Tipple | Hedgerow Fruits Gin

You might find windfall fruit on your adventures, or snaffle some sloes to make a gin – a bottle has great gift potential.

Makes 34 servings

You will need

600ml good quality gin

150g light brown muscovado sugar

Plums or damsons (about 450g, halved, stoned and sliced; you could also use bullaces which are in season from October to November), or sloes (approx 500g, each pricked with a fork; like rosehips, sloes should be picked after the first frosts)

How to make

1 Pour the gin into a large sterilised jar and add the sugar. Stir well until the sugar has dissolved.

2 Wash the fruit and add to the jar then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a cool, dark place for about 3 months, stirring weekly.

3 When the gin has developed a good, fruity flavour, strain it through muslin, discard the fruit and pour into sterilised bottles. Store for at least 1 month before drinking.

4 Serve the gin chilled, over ice. For a long drink, top up a shot of the fruity gin with apple juice or elderflower tonic, or add a dash of cherry brandy and pour in champagne for a cocktail.

Cook’s note: Sloes are tarter than plums/damsons, so you may want to increase the sugar to 225g. If you don’t want to prick the sloes, you can freeze them overnight to split the skins.

Tipple taken from the Four Seasons cookbook, a collection of recipes that champion British ingredients. Available from dairydiary.co.uk. Our Gathering pages feature recipes by Matt Long and photography by Jonathan Cherry.

The Hedgerow Fruits Gin is just one of the recipes from our October Gathering pages, which we’ve called ‘To The Woods!’ The ideas are inspired by Scouting adventures and include Pickled Elderberry Capers, Hot Rosehip Drink, Potato Salad, White Cabbage Sauerkraut, and Walnut & Tahini Brownies, as well as plenty of things to make, do and play out in the woods this autumn.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things to find in the hedgerows…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Green Tomato Salsa

This simple side dish adds some gentle heat and vivid colour to any meal, from barbecued fish and meats to an omelette or cheese on toast. Best eaten in the garden.

Serves 1, or 2 as a garnish

125g green tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 small red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Combine everything in a bowl and leave for 10 mins so the flavours can mingle before serving.

This recipe is from our Veg Patch Pantry feature in our September issue. The recipes, which use seasonal vegetables, include a Traybake of White Fish with Courgettes, Tomatoes and Peppers, Hedgerow Blondies and Thyme Buttered Plums with No-Churn Plum and Clotted Cream Ice Cream. The recipes are by Kathy Slack and the photography by Kirstie Young.

More ideas for a glut of tomatoes…

More from our September issue…

Tipple | Turmeric Gingerade

A refreshing tipple for grown-up fans of a Blytonesque picnic

You can make this gingerade in advance and keep it in the fridge ready to add to your picnic hamper just before you leave the house.

Serves 6–8

1.3 ltr fresh apple juice

1 tbsp fresh turmeric root, grated

1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated

Juice of 2 large lemons

1 bottle of sparkling water

1 fresh orange, sliced, to serve

Handful of fresh mint sprigs, to serve

1 Place the apple juice, turmeric, ginger and lemon juice into a blender and blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches).

2 Pour into a glass bottle or Thermos flask and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

3 To serve, fill a glass two thirds full with the apple juice mix and top up with sparkling water to taste. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a slice of orange.

The Turmeric Gingerade is just one of the recipes from our feature ‘Take the Lead’ in our September issue, which is a menu and ideas for a picnic and dog walk with friends. The other recipes include Veggie Frittata, Late Summer Salad, Roasted Goats’ Cheese Stuffed Figs and Apple & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Muffins. There’s even a recipe for some homemade dog treats! The recipes are by Kay Prestney and the photography by Rebecca Lewis.

More picnic ideas…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Tandoor Lemon Chicken with Mango & Coriander Salad

In our September issue you’ll find a Weekend Project to help you make your very own Flowerpot Tandoor. Moist and full of flavour, this a great recipe to test out on your tandoor. You’ll find the instructions for the Tandoor on page 96 of the September issue.

Serves 4

8 chicken thighs, slashed through the skin to the bone a few times

For the marinade:

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 small shallot (or ½ small red onion), roughly chopped

2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp light brown sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)

1 tsp Chinese five-spice

For the salad:

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp light brown sugar

3 tbsp cold water

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 unripe mango, cut into thin matchsticks

1 small shallot (or ½ small red onion), thinly sliced

A small bunch of coriander, finely chopped

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 In a blender, whizz all the marinade ingredients together to form a coarse paste, then toss the chicken in the marinade until thoroughly coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr, preferably overnight if possible.

2 When ready to cook, preheat the tandoor to a medium heat. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 20 mins before you plan to cook it, to bring it up to room temperature.

3 Thread the chicken onto metal skewers (long enough for the top of the skewer to be easy to grab out of the tandoor) and cook for about 15–20 mins, or until the skin is crisp and richly browned. Remove and brush with the remaining marinade, then cook for a further 15 mins, or until the meat is cooked through. Take out of the tandoor and set aside to rest for 5 mins.

4 Meanwhile, place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Serve alongside the chicken.

Cook’s note: Cooking times can vary with the tandoor, so check your chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving.

Taken from The DIY BBQ Cook Book: How To Build Your Own BBQ And Cook Up A Feast by James Whetlor (Quadrille). Photography: Sam Folan

More from our blog…

More inspiration for eating outdoors…

Recipe | Summer Panzanella with Anchovies

Pretty tins and the canned fish inside them make for fresh summer dishes that can transport you from the back garden to the Medterranean or Atlantic coast. Mackerel, tuna, sardines and anchovies have been storecupboard staples for over 200 years, now enjoying a renaissance – good for you too.

Serves 4

300g Sourdough bread, 2–3 days old, cut into cubes
300g mixed tomatoes
1 small cucumber, peeled, sliced and cubed
½ red onion, thinly sliced
Small jar mixed olives
1 x 50g tin anchovies, drained and cut into small pieces
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for the bread)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Bunch of basil, torn into pieces

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/Gas 6. Add the cubed sourdough to a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season. Bake for 10 mins until golden, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

2 Add the tomatoes to a bowl, sprinkle with salt and leave for 5 mins. Then add the cucumber, onion, olives and anchovies and mix.

3 Add the bread and pour over the olive oil and vinegar, followed by salt, pepper and the torn basil. Mix together thoroughly, taste, and adjust the oil or vinegar as needed. Serve with fresh basil as a garnish

This recipe is one of the ideas from Catherine Frawley’s feature, Changing Your Tuna, in our July issue, which includes several recipes for tinned fish, including Mackerel Burgers, Nicoise Salad, Spaghetti with Sardines and Capers and Sardine Traybake.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More fish recipes…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Charred Peach Eton Mess

Peaches and cream, with added amaretti and amaretto – a summer stone-fruit treat, cooked over an open fire…

Serves 8

8 flat peaches, halved and stoned
600ml double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
300g raspberries
100g blackcurrants
30g fresh mint, chopped
100g toasted flaked almonds 
300g soft amaretti biscuits
60ml amaretto (optional)

1 When the embers are ready, place a cast-iron skillet or pan over the fire. Place the peach halves, cutside down, on the warming skillet.

2 Pour the cream into a bowl, add the sugar and gently whip until it thickens. Add the raspberries, blackcurrants mint, some of the almonds and some of the amaretti biscuits, leaving some back for garnishing at the end. Mix through the amaretto, if using.

3 Keep gently turning the peaches until they’re soft and golden. Once done, take them off the heat and place one half, cut side up in a desert bowl. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then add a generous dollop of the cream mixture on top. Place a second peach half into the cream and top with a few mint leaves, some flaked almonds and one final crush of amaretti biscuits before serving.

This recipe is just one of the ideas from our Gathering feature in our August issue, which is a feast over fire for friends. The menu also includes Pisco and Vanilla Sours, Burnt Lemon Broad Bean Houmous, Charred Crudites, Charred Greens with Dill Mustard Sauce, Woodfired Side of Trout with Dill & Caper Creme Fraiche, Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Woodfired Focaccia. Wash it all down with a Peach, Blackberry & Mint Iced Tea. The recipes and styling are by Amy Moore and the photography is by Emma Croman.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our blog…

More ideas for eating outdoors…

Bake | A Lammas loaf

Toasted basil and blackberry brioche with summer berries for Lammas

A berry- and herb-studded brioche is a great way to celebrate this moment of wheat and berries, but to say making brioche is a bit of a faff would be quite the understatement. It’s a fun project but this dessert will work beautifully with thick, toasted slices of a good-quality bought brioche loaf if you don’t have the time to make your own. The brioche recipe is based on a recipe from River Cottage Baking, with a few additions. Ideally, start making this the day before you need it, as the dough benefits from spending a night in the fridge.

Serves 4-6

For the basil and blackberry brioche

Makes 2 small loaves

400g strong white bread flour

5g powdered dried yeast

10g salt

90ml warm milk

2 tbsp caster sugar

100g butter, softened

4 eggs, beaten

a handful of blackberries per loaf

basil leaves

To glaze

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

For the fruits

210g blueberries

170g blackberries

4 figs, quartered

a few sprigs of thyme

1 For the brioche, put all of the ingredients except the basil, the berries and the glaze ingredients into a large bowl and bring it all together into a dough. Knead for ten minutes (or put the dough into the bowl of your food processor and use the dough hook on it for ten minutes). Place it in a bowl, cover, and chill overnight. The next morning, remove it from the fridge and shape it into your loaves – I put mine into a round cake tin or small loaf tins – then leave them somewhere warm to prove. This could take several hours as the dough will be starting from cold.

2 Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180/400F. Once the loaves have doubled in size, decorate them by pushing the blackberries into the surface and laying the basil leaves across it, then beat the egg and the milk together and paint it across the surface. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven setting to 180C/Fan 160/350F and bake for a further 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

3 Place the fruits and thyme into a saucepan and simmer gently until the berries have burst, the juice is released and the figs are turned the colour of the blackberries. Slice the brioche and toast a piece per person. Serve each person a small bowlful and a piece of toasted brioche to scoop up the warm, herby fruit and to dip into the juices.

This recipe by Lia Leendertz with photography by Kirstie Young was first published in issue 50 of The Simple Things. You can read more about Lammas celebrations in our current August issue.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our blog…

More things to do with blackberries…

Recipe | Barbecue Condiments

In our August issue, our ‘Gathering’ feature includes recipes for a feast over fire. From wood-fired side of trout and charred crudities to focaccia and charred peach Eton mess, there are plenty of ideas to keep your fire party going. But, as we all know, at any outdoor feast, it’s the homemade condiments that really make a barbecue and we have two corkers for you here: Mint Chimichurri and Lime Pickled Onions…

Mint Chimichurri  

1 shallot finely chopped  

1 tsp chilli flakes  

3 cloves garlic, grated  

125ml cup red wine vinegar  

16g fresh coriander  

½ fresh mint leaves  

16g flat leaf parsley  

1 tbsp dried oregano  

½ tbsp of caster sugar 

1 lemon  

250ml extra virgin olive oil  

Salt to taste 

1 Place the fresh herbs (coriander, mint and parsley) in a large wooden board and chop until really finely chopped, place in a bowl. 

2 Add the shallots and garlic to the bowl, along with the olive oil, vinegar, chilli flakes, oregano, sugar, and the lemon zested and juiced. Mix together season with salt to taste  

3 If it’s too thick, add a little water or more olive oil. You’re looking for a glossy consistency.  

Lime Pickled Onions 

1 red onion  

1 lime  

½ tsp caster sugar  

Pinch of sea salt  

1 Peel the onion and chop it in half. Finely slice in half moon rounds, as thinly as you can and place in a bowl.  

2 Squeeze the juice of the whole lime over the chopped onions, the acidity will start to turn the onions bright pink. Add the sugar and salt and mix together well. Usually I will scrunch it all together with my hands to really get the marinade into the onion flesh. Be careful if you have any cuts as the lime juice will cause them to sting. Leave for at least an hour to marinade, or overnight in the fridge is best.  

Cook’s note: These onions will last up to five days in the fridge in an airtight container.  

You can find the rest of the recipes for a feast over fire in our August issue. The recipes are by Amy Moore and the photography by Emma Croman.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More recipes for barbecue cooking…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Tomato Tatin with Thyme Honey

A tatin typically features a fair amount of sugar but this has a lighter approach – caramelised, slow-roast tomatoes, crisp, golden pastry and thyme-infused honey. A not-too-sweet treat.

SERVES 4–6

150g honey
12 sprigs fresh thyme ~
200g plain white flour
A pinch of sea salt
125g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed, plus 2 tbsp for the tomatoes
1 egg yolk
500g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
A generous sprinkling of thyme leaves, plus extra to finish
Herbs and edible flowers (such as chive blossom, tarragon, soft lemon verbena leaves, basil, thyme, rosemary, or oregano)

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ Fan 180C/Gas 6. Start infusing your honey by mixing in the thyme (you’ll have more honey than you need).

2 Make the pastry by sifting the flour into a large mixing bowl or food processor and adding the salt. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the flour, or pulse the ingredients in the processor until they resemble breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tbsp ice-cold water, then, using a blunt knife, stir just enough of this mixture into the dough to make it come together. Wrap in a clean tea towel and put in the fridge to firm up.

3 Season the tomatoes and garlic with salt and pepper. Set a 20cm ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add the 2 tbsp butter. Once melted, arrange the tomatoes in the pan, cut side down. Scatter the garlic over the top and cut any remaining tomatoes in half again (so they’ll be quartered now) and nestle them in a layer on top and in the gaps of the base tomato layer.

4 On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the pastry to a large round and trim to a circle 2cm larger all round than the pan. Drape the pastry over the tomatoes and tuck the edges down around the inside of the pan, so it’s snugly blanketing them. Bake in the oven for 30 mins, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden.

5 Leave to rest for 1 minute, then invert the tart tatin onto a baking tray and cook a further 10-15 mins to help crisp up the pastry and caramelise the tomatoes further.

6 Once cooked, give the tomatoes a generous (1–2 tbsp) gloss of the thyme-infused honey (or your favourite honey, of course). Finish with a decent pinch of sea salt, a hearty grinding of black pepper and extra thyme leaves or other edible herbs and flowers. Delicious served hot or at room temperature.

Cook’s note: Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated to warm through. Any extra thyme honey will keep happily for months, if not longer – it’s a delicious way of lapping up the flavour as well as the medicinal properties of the thyme. Use in dressings, marinades and more.

This recipe is one of the ideas from our Home Economics feature in our July issue, which this month is all about honey and beeswax. It also includes recipes and ideas for a Honeyed Carrot Cake and a Honey Ripple Ice Cream as well as Beeswax Candles and Beeswax Lip & Body Balm. The feature is by Rachel de Thample and the photography by Ali Allen.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More treats from the bees…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Ginger & Orange Chocolate Biscuit Fridge Cake

This cool but sweet and sticky fridge cake is easy to make, ideal for sharing and better still, you don’t even need to put the oven on.

Makes 12

400g dark-chocolate digestive biscuits

400g orange-flavoured dark chocolate

200g unsalted butter

50g chopped crystalised ginger

50g white chocolate

1 Grease and line a 25cm-square baking tin.

2 Using a pestle and an aluminium baking bowl, break up the biscuits until they’re in small pieces, but not too finely crushed. Or place the biscuits in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin on them.

3 Break up the dark chocolate into small pieces and place into a bain-marie. Melt the dark chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.

4 In a large bowl, mix the crushed biscuits, the ginger and the melted butter and chocolate until combined.

5 Pour the mixture into the baking tin and use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the tray, getting into all the corners and flattening the top. Allow to cool and then cover with foil or baking paper and place in the fridge overnight to harden.

6 Once hardened, grate the white chocolate over the top.

Cook’s note: This will store in the fridge for up to a fortnight and also freezes well.  

This recipe is just one of the ideas for a picnic in the park (with games!) from our July issue by Kay Prestney, with photography by Rebecca Lewis. The feature also includes recipes for Watermelon Slushies, Fennel & Poppy Seed Sausage Rolls and a Halloumi and Giant Couscous Salad. When you’ve finished your park picnic, let the games commence. We have lots of ideas, including DIY Coits, Football Skittles and ‘Foxes and Rabbits’. See you in the park!

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More recipes for a picnic in the park…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Summer Weekend Roast

A weekend roast lunch for lighter, brighter days

This lamb with buttered greens and herbs is a light, summery dish using lots of the season’s best veg. Delicate, pink lamb nestled among a platter of buttery, greens along with an abundance of fragrant herbs is one of our favourite summer Sunday lunches. Just add friends.

Serves 2, generously

You will need

150g broccoli, cut into small florets
450g rack of lamb
65g butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
250g (podded weight) of peas, mange tout, green beans
100ml white wine
Generous handful leafy green herbs (such as parsley, fennel, chervil, chives and mint)

To make

1 Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas 7.

2 Steam the broccoli florets over a double boiler for 2–3 mins, or until al dente, then refresh in cold water to stop them over cooking. Set aside.

3 Season the lamb well. Place 15g butter and the sunflower oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Once sizzling, sear the lamb on all sides for about 5 mins, or until nicely brown.

4 Transfer to the oven for 10–12 mins. Remove and leave to rest for at least 10 mins while you finish the greens.

5 In the pan that you seared the lamb in, melt the rest of the butter over a medium heat then add the peas/ mange tout/beans, plus the broccoli and the wine. Bubble for 2–3 mins so that the alcohol evaporates and the greens cook through. Then add the herbs and check the seasoning.

6 To serve, pile the greens and all the buttery juices onto a warm platter. Slice the lamb into single cutlets and arrange on top.

Cook’s note: Just adjust the greens to whatever you have in stock or in the garden – runner beans, green beans, sugar snaps are all welcome, in any combination that you prefer.

This recipe is from our Veg Patch Pantry pages in our June issue, in which Kathy Slack shares how to enjoy the month’s vegetables from her own garden patch. This month’s recipes also include Raw Courgette Salad with Mozzarella and Parma Ham, Cucumber Cooler Cocktails and Strawberry Ice Cream with Lemon Verbena Shortbread.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our Veg Patch Pantry…

More from our blog…

Recipe | Midsommartårta

A Midsommartårta (Midsummer Strawberry Cake) is always enjoyed at midsummer festivities in Sweden – this light version is moreishly bite-sized, so don't expect any left at the end of the party...

Makes 8-12 cakes

You will need

6 egg whites
A pinch of sea salt
150g golden caster sugar
2 tsp rose water (or 1 tbsp ground dried rose petals)
150g ground almonds
A little olive or coconut oil, to grease the pan
300ml double cream
1kg strawberries, hulled
4 tbsp strawberry, raspberry or rhubarb jam
To serve: Edible flowers and wild berries

To make

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of sea salt until glossy and meringuelike then gradually add the sugar, whipping until it holds a medium peak. Whisk in the rose water.

2 Shake in the ground almonds slowly, whisking to keep the air in the whites.

3 Brush the inside of a muffin tin or a mini bundt tin with a little oil. Divide the batter between the holes in the tin, filling each just to the top – you should have 8-12 cakes.

4 Slide into the centre of the oven and bake for 12 mins, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool for 5-10 mins before removing from the tin.

5 While the cakes cool, trim the green tops from the strawberries, halve or quarter any larger berries. Mix with the jam and set aside. Whip the cream until just thickened.

6 Once the cakes have cooled, run a knife around the edges to help release them from the tin. If the cakes are a little pale on top, you can flash them in the oven. Upturn to lightly toast them on the top or until lightly golden.

Serve with the strawberries and cream and garnish with edible flowers (and/or wild berries, if you can find some). Cook’s note: The cakes are best served on the day of making but they’ll keep in an airtight tin (once fully cooled) for 1–2 days. You can also freeze, defrost in the fridge and flash in a warm oven to take the chill off, before serving.

This recipe, by Rachel de Thample, is part of our ‘Midsummer Feast’ ‘gathering menu. It features Scandi dishes including Cold Cucumber Soup with Summer Flowers, Roast Beetroot Salad with Crispy Capers, Home Pickled Herring with Fennel, Pommes Anna with Dill Sour Cream and Ryeknäckebröd with Caraway. There’s also an idea for a Meadowsweet and Strawberry Schnapps to wash it all down. Midsummer Feast, it may be, but we think you can enjoy it any day this summer. If you’re making a day of it you may also like to try your hand at the Floral Crowns or some of the other Midsummer traditions on the pages. All in the June issue.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More Midsummer Magic…

More from our blog…

Royal Recipes | Battenberg Cake

A right royal retro treat for street parties and home scoffing alike.

Battenberg cake was first baked in 1884 to celebrate Princess Victoria’s (Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and Prince Philip’s grandmother – making her King Charles’ great-grandmother) marriage to Prince Louis of Battenberg. Early cakes could have as many as 25 squares!

Serves 6

You will need

125g butter, softened
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp almond extract
100g self-raising flour
50g ground almonds
2 tbsp milk
Red food colouring (this uses Dr Oetker’s gel food colouring, nearly the whole tube)
Pinch of salt
100g apricot jam
350g marzipan
Icing sugar, for dusting

To make

1 Heat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Using a triple layer of foil, make a barrier down the centre of a 20cm square tin, then line each compartment with two pieces of baking paper.

2 To make the sponge, cream the butter then whisk in the sugar a couple of tablespoons at a time.

3 Whisk the eggs and add the almond extract. Gradually beat this into the butter mixture.

4 Sift the flour, salt and ground almonds into the bowl. Finally, add the milk and carefully fold everything together with a metal spoon. Measure half the mixture and place that into another bowl. Add the food colouring a drop at a time into one of the bowls until you get a really vibrant pink batter. Carefully spoon the uncoloured mixture into one half of the tin and level the top, then spoon the pink portion into the other half and do the same. Bake for 20 to 25 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for a couple of minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

5 Cut each sponge in half lengthways, so that you end up with two pink and two yellow strips.

6 Warm the apricot jam in a saucepan with a tablespoon of water, then press it through a sieve. Take a pink cake strip and brush one side with the jam. Place a yellow piece next to it, jam sides facing, and push the two gently together. Brush the top surface with jam and place a piece of yellow cake atop the pink piece and vice versa with the yellow. Brush all the outside edges with yet more jam glaze.

7 On a surface dusted with icing sugar, knead, then roll out your marzipan into a 30cm x 20cm rectangle, large enough to wrap the cake.

8 Roll the cakes tightly in the marzipan, gently smoothing the marzipan with your hands to neaten it. Turn the cake back over with the seam underneath, trim a slice off each end and serve.

Taken from The Hebridean Baker: My Scottish Island Kitchen by Coinneach Macleod (Black and White Publishing). Photography: Susie Lowe

---

Having a Coronation gathering yourself? As well as serving up this Battenberg Cake, you could take inspiration from Royal Knees Ups of years gone by…

A Tarragon, Spinach and Broad Bean Quiche has been chosen as the official dish to celebrate for King Charles III’s coronation, but that’s the ‘official dish’ for those of us celebrating at home. The coronation banquet on the day is likely to be much more fancy.

Should you choose to push the boat out for your own celebrations, you could do worse than recreate the meal served for Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation State Banquet on 3 June 1953. 

The feast began with Tortue Claire Sandringham (clear turtle soup). Turtle is most definitely off the menu these days, so you could make it a Mock Turtle Soup instead and use beef mince. The fish course was Delices des Soles Prince Charles - easy enough to recreate, as is the rack of lamb and vegetables that followed. After that was Asparagus with Sauce Mouselline (we’re not posh enough to know why a random vegetable course appears between the main and dessert, but we’re going to assume it is called ‘The Asparagus Course’ and try it at home. Why not?) The Coronation Banquet ended with Boites de Fraises Reine Elizabeth, which we’re hoping was fancier than a punnet of strawberries, alongside assorted ‘friandises’, which we have discovered to be ‘tiny little cakes and things’. 

If you wanted to go properly historical, how about a pheasant platter with pigeon and partridge, which was served at Richard III’s Coronation Banquet in 1483? He rounded it off with baked quinces and oranges for pud.

Feeling ambitious? Vegetarians should definitely look away now: Henry VIII’s coronation banquet of 1509 is said to have included swans and peacocks served with their feathers fanned decoratively, as if they were still alive. (Bet they tasted like chicken…)

Meanwhile, an entirely edible model temple made from sweet meats and marzipans as in George IV’s coronation meal, would definitely get you a Hollywood Handshake from your guests, too. 

Don’t forget the entertainment. Tradition dictates that the King’s champion rides into the banqueting hall on horseback, battle ready and challenge any guests who may want to deny the King his throne to a duel. We’re not saying you need to hire an actual knight for your coronation gathering, but it would be more fun than a round of Monopoly after dinner, wouldn’t it?

You’ll find the Battenberg Cake and more ideas for a royally good gathering in our May issue.
Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More celebratory cakes…

More from our blog…

Idea | Radish Slammers

Swoosh, salt and scoff – the most fun to have with a radish

Serves 4 as nibbles

1 bunch of radishes
100g salted butter, softened
3 tbsp flaky sea salt

1 Wash the radishes and pick off any soggy leaves. Pat dry – they need to be very dry otherwise the butter won’t stick to them.

2 Arrange the radishes on a board with a mound of salt next to them and a slab of softened butter. Encourage people to pick a radish, swoosh it through the butter then dunk it in the salt before tucking in.

The radish slammers are just one of the ideas from this month’s Veg Patch Pantry feature by Kathy Slack, which also includes recipes for Chard & Herb Frittata, Whole Poached Chicken with Kale & Mushroom Broth with Barley and Caramelised Radish and Feta Salad.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More ideas from the veg patch and the veg box…

More from the April issue…

Recipe | Easter Pie (Torta Pasqualina)

A traditional Easter pie from Liguria, Italy, that can be traced back to the 1500s and still enjoyed today

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

500g whole milk ricotta
550g chard, spinach, or a mix
160g parmesan, finely grated, or a mix of parmesan and aged pecorino
5 medium eggs
Nutmeg (optional)
Olive oil or melted butter, to brush
1 pack filo pastry (around 270g)
Fine salt

To make

1 If your ricotta is watery, drain it for 30 mins in a sieve set over a bowl.

2 Discard any tough stems from the greens. Rinse and divide across 2 large pans and allow to wilt, stirring occasionally over a medium heat (or blanch in a pot of boiling water for a minute or two, just until wilted), then refresh under cold water. Transfer to a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible, then chop finely.

3 In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the greens, parmesan and 1 egg. Add a few gratings of nutmeg and season with salt to taste.

4 Preheat the oven to 210C/Fan 190C/Gas 6–7 and brush a deep, 23cm springform tin with olive oil or melted butter.

5 Layer sheets of filo over your tin, letting them settle so they cover the base and drape over the sides. Brush each sheet with oil or butter as you layer. Reserve 1 sheet for the top.

6 Spoon the ricotta mixture into the pastry, level out with the back of a spoon, then use the spoon to create 4 small hollows in the filling.

7 Crack the remaining 4 eggs into the holes and season the yolks. Dot a little butter onto each egg. Fold the overhanging pastry over the top and use the remaining sheet, to cover any gaps. Brush oil or butter over the top.

8 Cook for 40 mins until golden on top, then cover with baking paper. Cook for a further 20–30 mins.

Cook’s note: Can be stored in the fridge for 5 days and eaten cold, or gently reheated. Traditionally, families without ovens took their pie to a local bakery to be cooked, carving their initials into the crust so that the right pie came home for Easter Sunday

Taken from: Stagioni: Contemporary Italian Cooking to Celebrate the Seasons by Olivia Cavalli (Pavilion, HarperCollins Publishers). Photography: Sophie Davidson

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More makes and bakes for the Easter weekend…

More from our April issue…

Recipe: Easter rabbit biscuits

Studded with juicy currants and scattered with caster sugar, these biscuits would make an alternative sweet treat when chocolate eggs are beginning to cloy. Who says you can’t eat the Easter bunny?

MAKES 14
120g unsalted butter, softened
80g golden caster sugar, plus more to sprinkle
1 egg, separated
200g plain flour, plus more to dust
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp mixed spice
Pinch of salt
80g currants
1 tbsp whole milk 

TOOLS
10cm rabbit cutter, or other shape

1 Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Using a food mixer or a large bowl with hand-held electric whisk or wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar together and beat in the egg yolk. Sift in the flour, spices and salt. Stir in the currants and milk to make a pliable dough. Do not over-mix, or the biscuits will become tough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170/375F.
2 Lightly flour a work top and a rolling pin and roll the dough out to 5-6mm thick. Cut biscuits out quite close together. You need to press down hard to cut through the currants! Re-roll the dough and cut out the
biscuits until all the dough is used. (At this point, you can freeze the cut-out biscuits.) Place on the baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 mins.
3 Remove from the oven, brush each biscuit with a little ofthe egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar. Return to the oven for 5–7 mins, until golden. If you’ve used a smaller cutter, bear in mind that the baking time will be slightly less than for these 10cm-long rabbits,
so keep an eye on them.
4 Leave on the tray for a few mins to harden a bit, then carefully remove to cool on a wire rack. These will keep well in an airtight container for a few days.

Recipe taken from Seasonal Baking by Fiona Cairns (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, £17). This recipe was originally published in The Simple Things for Easter 2015.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from the April issue…

More Easter inspiration…

Tipple | Aperol Tonics

A more substantial take on the much-loved spritz. Still refreshing, but with added depth.

Makes 1

50ml Aperol
25ml grenadine
1 tbsp lemon juice
125ml tonic water
Ice
Orange slices, to serve

1 Combine the Aperol, grenadine and lemon juice together in a glass and add ice.

2 Top with the tonic water, garnish with orange slices and serve.

Cook’s note: Serve with moreish taralli (traditional Italian nibbles) or breadsticks.

This aperol tonic recipe is just one of the ideas from our April issue for a Sunday Roast with an Italian twist, including Roast Fillet of Beef with Salsa Verde, Crispy Roast Gnocchi and Peperonata, Simple Shaved Asparagus Salad, Roasted Parmesan Cabbage and Lentils and a Traditional Colomba Cake. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the Photography by Kym Grimshaw.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More things to do on Sundays…

More from our blog…