July Recipes
Asparagus Salad
Fresh asparagus
olive oil
lemon juice
lemon zest
Dijon mustard
small shallot or couple of spring onions finely chopped
Parmesan cheese grated or in small thin slices
Blanch the asparagus – bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and add a good pinch of salt. Add the asparagus and bring it back to a boil. As soon as it boils, drain the asparagus and plunge it into cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain when it is chilled and set aside.
Whisk together the Dijon mustard and lemon juice until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream, whisking all the while.
​
Pile the asparagus into a bowl, mix in the lemon zest, chopped shallots and Parmesan cheese to the asparagus and sprinkle over the dressing.
450 g strawberries
150 g caster sugar
700 ml gin
Strawberry Gin
Roughly crush the strawberries with a fork or potato masher. Spoon them into a storage jar then add the caster sugar and gin. Give it a little shake.
Leave the jar at room temperature for three days, giving it a gentle shake twice a day so that the sugar dissolves.
Strain the mixture then decant into a 1 litre bottle. Seal well with a screw topped lid, cork or clip top. Serve over crushed ice.
Seared Beef Salad
150g new potatoes, thickly sliced
160g fine green beans, trimmed and halved
160g frozen peas
rapeseed oil, for brushing
200g lean fillet steak, trimmed of any fat
160g lettuce, roughly torn into pieces
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar
½ tsp English mustard powder
2 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp chopped basil
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp capers
Cook the potatoes in a pan of simmering water for 5 mins. Add the beans and cook 5 mins more, then tip in the peas and cook for 2 mins until all the vegetables are just tender. Drain.
Measure all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and season with black pepper. Stir and crush the herbs and capers with the back of a spoon to intensify their flavours.
Brush a little oil over the steak and grind over some black pepper. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and cook the steak for 4 mins on one side and 2-3 mins on the other, depending on the thickness and how rare you like it. Transfer to a plate to rest.
Mix the warm vegetables into the dressing until well coated, then add the lettuce and toss again. Pile onto plates. Slice the steak and turn in any dressing left in the bowl, add to the salad and serve while still warm.