Category: Seasonal

Green Tomato fritter:
This is a great way of using any green tomatoes which you may have still on your plants, usually these get made into chutneys and preserves. But by simply frying them in a little seasoned plain flour they make the perfect lunch snack.

1. To begin wash and slice your green tomatoes into large slices, not too thick as you want to cook these in the pan (so around 2 cm).
2. Next place a large frying pan onto a high heat with a touch of olive oil,
once the oil is hot, get your tomatoes ready by lightly dusting them with seasoned flour (to give them a crispy coating), add your sliced tomatoes to the pan that have been.
3. Cook on both slides till golden and crisp, once at this point place onto a
oven tray and leave in the oven for around 10 minutes at 160 degrees to
ensure that they are cooked all of the way through.
4. Reserve in a warm place till required later on in the plating process.

Pickled Beetroot Slices:
300 ml of re wine vinegar
3 teaspoons of granulated sugar
2 bruised bay leaves

1. For this element of the dish 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.
3. Place the beetroots along with their pickling liquor into a clean and sterilised jar.

For the Marinated tomatoes:
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

1. Allow your tomatoes to stand in this mixture for at least an hour, as this enables them enough time to marinate and absorb the dressing, this basic dressing helps to elevate the humble tomato.
2. Stand at room temperature till required as the coolness of the fridge will mute their sweetness and freshness.

Crispy Sage:
Lightly fry off your sage leaves in a touch of olive oil till golden and crispy as they give amazing texture and mouth feel to the dish.

Fried egg:
1. To begin place a large frying pan onto a medium heat, add a little olive oil, once the oil is lightly warmed add your free range eggs.
2. Cook till the white is hard a little crisp and the yolk golden and runny.
3. By cooking your egg on a low and slow heat you help to ensure the fat
doesn’t spit everywhere but also you have more control over the cooking
process. Once your egg is ready, remove and place onto a piece of j cloth to
absorb any leftover cooking oil.

Raw carrot:
Freshly pulled carrots taste best literally quickly washed and sliced thinly
embracing their natural sweetness and crunch.

Plate onto a pre-heated artisan plate add your fried egg to the right finished
with a twist of pepper and sprinkle of pink sea salt.
Then add your green tomato fritter slices, next top with your pickled beetroot slices, raw carrot and lastly your marinated tomatoes. Not forgetting your crispy sage!

This dish works perfectly for a Chef’s Lunch or a light dinner.
The GG

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. 

Ingredients
• 150 grams raw beetroot (i pulled mine from the veggie patch)

• 100 grams of carrot peeled and grated on a fine grater

• 80 grams of rolled oats

• ½ a pack of finely chopped parsley

• ½ a pack of finely chopped dill

• Salt

• Black pepper

• Olive oil to cook the burgers

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

2. To begin, add your ingredients into a large mixing bowl mix with your hands, adjust the seasoning of the burger mix.

3. Shape

4. Lightly flour the outside

5. Allow to set in the fridge, as this and the flour helps to ensure your burgers don’t break up.

6. Place a large saucepan onto a medium heat, once the pan begins to lightly smoke add a dash of vegetable oil and allow to warm through.

7. Add your patties to the pan, allow to colour on both sides until lightly golden brown and crisp. Place onto a lined baking tray and into your oven for 20 minutes, until warmed through.

These burgers are a great healthy meal which are high in minerals and low in fat and most importantly VEGAN.

Roasted Carrots with garlic and sage:

1. To begin this side dish wash but don’t peel your carrots, cut them insure they are the same size pieces so that they roast at the same time

2. To finish them off, add half a bulb of garlic, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and black pepper, lastly add a selection of woody garden herbs.

3. Roast in a pre-heated oven of 200 degrees and roast till golden sweet and you can even cover the carrots with foil to allow them to stem a little. 

4. Whilst they’re still hot drizzle over a little runny organic Ripley honey.

Garden bean salsa:

1. Blanch and trim your beans (I have used an assortment of beans grown in the garden)

2. To make a buttery emulsion add butter, water and lemon in a pan. 

3. Once the beans are blanched add them to emulsion, hit with black pepper, a little sea salt and lastly a selection of garden herbs (soft herbs work best like oregano, parsley)

Lastly for your buns I’d suggest using artisan breads, for my burgers I used the GG spelt sourdough loaves which you will have seen! 

Veggie Patch stew: Heritage tomatoes and seasonal garden bean selection 

For your base of the stew:
• 2 white onions from the garden sliced finely

 • 1 chilli sliced with seeds left in for a little heat

• 2 garlic cloves crushed and pureed

• 2 large vine tomatoes sliced

 • 1 seasonal large potato from the veggie patch / sweet potato peeled and diced small. 

1. To begin add a good glug of olive oil to the large range master saucepan, then add your chilli and onions along with a pinch of sea salt and cook down till soft with a little colour as colour equals flavour.

 2. Next add your garlic and long with the diced potato as this will help to thicken the stew, once the base is soft add your tomatoes to deglaze and remove all of the cooked one goodness form the bottom of the pan. 

Add 1 litre of good quality simple GG Vegetable stock :

• Carrot 

• Leek tops

• Celery 

• White onions and peel

 • Bay leaves 

• Black pepper 

• White wine to deglaze 

• Water to cover 

• Black peppercorns. 

For this dish is used a selection of seasonal beans consisting of fine, runner and white beans but you can use any the seasonal beans which can be found in your garden or allotment as this time of the year. 

Slice into thin slices as this ensures for better texture ensuring they are cooked all the way through and they the beans inside can be released to give further body to the stew. 

Add one glass of the water along with one more large garden tomato and then allow to cook and simmer for at least two hours as this will help to ensure for further depth of flavour season with a good pinch of black pepper. 

To finish:

• Sliced tomatoes from the garden

 • Fresh selection of garden herbs – sage, purple sage, parsley, organeo, thyme.

 • Olive oil for gloss and shine to finish. 

Pair with GG sourdough and sea salted butter.