Garden Chorus

This dish is a chorus of the seasonal produce which I have harvested from my veggie patch. 

Raw and Pickled red beetroots:
Freshly pulled from the ground, for this part of the dish to really celebrate the beet, I decided to serve them both raw and pickled, to impart different texture.

1. For the raw option, wash your beetroot really well to remove any mud.
2. Trim the top and bottoms off the beetroots using a sharp knife, sliced thinly and leave them to one side for later.

For the pickled element:

• 300 ml of red wine vinegar
• 3 teaspoons of granulated sugar
• 2 bruised bay leaves

1. Add your ingredients into a small saucepan, bring to the boil so that the sugar has dissolved and allow to stand.
2. Place your beetroot slices into the liquor whilst it is still warm as this will begin to cook and pickle the beetroot slices gently.

Marinated and Roasted tomatoes:
This element of the dish really celebrates the beautiful tomatoes which were one of the best crops this year, offering different colours texture and aromas.

For the roasted tomatoes:

1. Select your largest tomatoes, wash and slice them in half and place them onto a lined baking tray with baking parchment.
2. Once your tomatoes are sliced season with sea salt and black pepper. 
3. Next add some fresh garden sage and garlic cloves that have just been pressed with the back of the knife to open them up to release their perfume and aromas. 
4. At this point pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees. 
5. To finish drizzle with olive oil and place into a preheated oven of 160 degrees, as you want to cook the tomatoes low and slow to effectively confit them in their own juices.
6. Once the tomatoes are ready allow them to cool in the oven and rest till required later on in the plating process. 

For the Marinated tomatoes:

1. To begin if your tomatoes are a little split then this dish is perfect, as it allows the tomatoes to bleed their natural juices into the basic dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar and pinch of both sea salt and black pepper allow your tomatoes to stand for at least a hour. 
2. Allowing enough time to marinate and absorb the dressing, this basic dressing helps to elevate the humble tomato. 
3. Stand at room temperature till required as the coolness of the fridge will mute their sweetness and freshness. 

An assortment of beans:
For this dish I used a selection of beans ranging from fine French beans, purple fine beans and yellow hanging beans, each imparting their individual flavour profile and texture.

For this element I wanted the bean to sing so…

1. Simply top and slice in half so that they cook at the same time and are a little easier to eat.
2. To cook your beans blanch them in to boiling salty water and cook for around 3-4 minutes so that they still keep a little bite. 
3. Once your beans are ready and still warm place them in the garden basil pesto as they want to absorb flavour whilst they are still warm. 

Garden Basil Pesto:

• 60 grams of lightly toasted pine nuts to release their natural oils  
• Two bunches mint basil and Basic from the garden around
• 4 garlic cloves pureed 
• Pinch of sea salt 
• Pinch of black pepper 
• Lemon zest 
• Lemon juice of one lemon
• Good quality olive oil 80 ml (don’t worry if you don’t use all of this)
• 50 grams of grated Parmesan

1. To begin add your toasted pine nuts to a large pestle and mortar, crush them to make a thick paste.
2. Next add your garlic cloves that have been pureed, and muddle together with a little olive oil. 
3. Now add your pinch of sea salt and black pepper along with your grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Then add your roughly chopped basil and pound together to make a thick pesto. 
5. To finish adjust your seasoning, add your lemon zest and juice along with a little olive oil, the consistency of the pesto will be quite chunky and rustic but this fits the dish profile. 

(You can by all means use a food processor to make this pesto) 

If you have any left over, jar this up and keep it in the fridge for at least four days, with a film of olive oil to protect from any moulds, as this forms an air- tight seal. 

Bulgur Wheat:

• 400 grams of washed Bulgur wheat
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pinch of black pepper 
• Drizzle of olive oil 

1. To begin rinse your bulgur wheat under cold running water as this removes any excess starch.
2. Next add your wheat to a heatproof bowl. Boil the kettle, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper to your wheat along with a drizzle of olive oil. 
3. Cover with the boiling water and then seal with a tight lid to allow the water to gently cook the Bulgur wheat.
4. Once the water has been absorbed and the bulgur wheat is al dente, adjust the seasoning, you may need to add a little zest and juice of lemon to lift the dish. 

To plate:

1. Onto a pre-warmed artisan plate; on the right had side place your roasted tomatoes
2. Next add your raw slices of beetroot on top as this gives temperature difference between the warm tomatoes and the cool raw beetroots. 
3. Now lay a bed of your bulgur wheat, onto the centre of the plate and top with your dressed bean assortment.
4. To finish off the dish, top with your pickled beetroot slices and a drizzle of olive oil. 
5. Enjoy with family and friends, additionally this dish pairs exceedingly well with the GG artisan Spelt loaf.