Tuesday, July 28, 2015

The Cottage Cooking Club - July Recipes


The month of July marks the fifthteenth month of our international online cooking group, The Cottage Cooking Club. As a group, recipe by recipe, we are cooking and learning our way through a wonderful vegetable cookbook written in 2011 by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, entitled „River Cottage Everyday Veg".




The Cottage Cooking Club is meant to be a project aimed at incorporating more vegetable dishes into our everyday cooking, learning about less known, forgotten or heritage vegetables, trying out new ways to prepare tasty and healthy dishes, and sharing them with family and friends.

One of the declared aims of our cooking group is to make a decided effort to use as much local, regional, organic and also seasonal produce as is reasonably possible.

Since I cooked nine of the ten chosen recipes plus re-visited two that I made before, I will write about each dish according to the order in which I prepared them. 

My first recipe for this summery July post was the Summer Couscous Salad (page 89), from the chapter "Hearty Salads“.




This recipe is a variation on the Couscous salad with herbs and walnuts that we made back in November 2014.  As I could not find get "giant" couscous, for this summery version, I used medium-size pearl barley instead. Then some fresh broad beans, sweet peas, as well as diced summer squash, tomatoes, aubergines, and zucchinis. Plus lots of freshly chopped chives, Italian parsley and basil. We love these kinds of salads. adding freshly squeezed lemon juice and some more salt and pepper just before serving gives this salad a nice fresh kick. The salad can be prepared well in advance, you can use whatever seasonal veg you have on hand and no doubt, be the star at any picnic as well - a great recipe to remember year round.




The second recipe that I prepared was Celery and blue cheese bruschetta (page 199) from the chapter „Bready Things“. Always game for trying out some new variations of our beloved bruschettas, I was quite sure that we would not enjoy this one. I followed the short and easy recipe but used Ricotta salata instead of the the blue cheeses such as Roquefort, Danablu, Cabrales, Gorgonzola and Blue Stilton are not really cheeses that we particularly enjoy.




But to my surprise, once I added the thinly sliced celery to the toasted slices of country-style baguette, then some local runny honey, French sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic, a mild olive oil and topped it all off with some fresh fennel fronds, we actually enjoyed this unusual bruschetta. It has an agreeable saltiness from the cheese, sweetness from the honey and a fresh crunch from the celery and the fennel fronds. Nice change from the tomatoes and I am quite taken by Hugh´s bruschetta ideas.




Recipe number three was supposed to be the Peperonata (page 20) from the chapter "Comfort foods & feasts" and ended up being the Caponata (page 307) from the chapter "Mezze & Tapas" -  I simply made a mistake and did not notice until it was too late - but no matter, since we already made this recipe back in August 2014. 




Served alongside a lovely huge loaf of Afghan bread, this is one of my very favorite recipes from the book - chock full of seasonal vegetables such as aubergines, onions, celery, garlic, and tomatoes plus some capers, green olives, sultanas and a small grating of dark chocolate, this must be one of the "must make summer dishes" from Hugh´s book. Perfect warm, on its own, as a topping for bruschetta, mixed into pasta...the uses seem endless. The Caponata has the perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess that I so crave in my summer recipes. and, yes, I will make the Peperonata as a "make-up" in August.




For the fourth recipe, I chose the delightfully summery Runner beans with tomatoes and garlic (page 375) from the chapter "Side dishes". Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall specifies that this "dish works well with French beans too". So that is what I used. I always do. I have prepared this dish many times, it is easy and the fresher the beans and the tomatoes that you use, the more you will enjoy the results. 

When it comes to cooking them, French beans can be called "the fast food of the leguminous world". You only need to boil them in salted water for a few minutes until just tender and they can take all kinds of dressings, from a simple, lemony vinaigrette to a more Asian-style dressing. On the other hand, you may need to string runner beans before you cook and then simmer for about 15 minutes until tender. 




This rather humble side dish combines easy-to-find ingredients. All you need are beans, grated tomatoes, onion (I use red here), and garlic. Then some of the freshest basil that you can get your hands on - I always try to go with green as well as red rubin basil. This basil variety has unusual reddish-purple leaves, and a stronger flavor than sweet basil. I believe it adds a delightful peppery note to this dish.




Onto recipe number five the Summer stir-fry with egg-fried rice (page 286) from the chapter "Pasta & Rice“. For starters, I did not serve this lovely, green dish with the egg-fried rice but with the kids current favorite Asian pasta - these wonderful green tea noodles




For the summer stir-fry I opted for an all green assortment of delicious, seasonal veg, namely zucchinis, French beans, sweet peas, broccoli, and spinach. Then freshly grated ginger, spring onions, chili, and ginger. It always amazes me how wonderful these easy to-follow stir fries can be and how much the kids enjoy eating them - may I add even for breakfast because the day I served this stir-fry was, yet again, another very rainy July day and I needed that picture - so, in summary, this stir-fry makes for a delicious lunch, dinner and even breakfast fare.




My sixth recipe was a repeat performance - the Marinated courgettes (zucchini) with mozzarella (page 314) from the chapter " Mezze & Tapas" that we made back in July last year.




This time I used summer squash - such a pretty yellow color - and I used that Ricotta salata again instead of the Mozzarella. Always such a delightful recipe, one of our all time favorites. Add some small capers ("surfines") and fresh oregano from the garden to this side dish and you will be a very happy vegetable eater.




Who can resist the undeniable charm of burgundy colored spring onions - I cannot, so I decided to add another repeat performance to the list and made the Spring Onion Galette (page 220) from the chapter "Store-cupboard Suppers" again. 




This recipe is another that you should have in the back of your mind when shopping for dinner - apart from the Parmegiano Reggiano that you probably have in your fridge anyways, all you need are spring onions and ready-made good quality puff pastry - voilà! You are all set for the most delightful appetizer or main dish with a lovely seasonal side salad.




It is these kinds of recipes that draw me to this book again and again - I admit that I know quite a few of them by heart now and that I even remember the pages they are on.....and I am just trying to point out how easy it is to incorporate the dishes from Hugh´s book into your everyday cooking. Yes, I am quite aware that we all have tons of cookbooks on our shelves and that we all have our favorite cookbook authors but at the end of the day most of us are looking for healthy delicious, easy to remember, no fuss recipes that we all enjoy. Every. Single. Day.




Having said that it is time to move onto Green beans, new potatoes and olives (page 222) from the chapter "Store-cupboard Suppers".

When I took the first taste of this salad, I said that it tastes like "River Cottage food" - having made most of the one hundred and forty recipes from the book by now, I am familiar with the taste and flavor combinations as well as the combination of textures from this book - they have become part of our lives and are familiar to us, they guide my taste buds when I make recipes from the book or my own. 




Since the kids adore yellow beans and I came across them the other day, I made this recipe with green as well as yellow French beans - just beans, olives, new potatoes, garlic, lemon and tons of fresh herbs - dinner, summertime dinner could not be easier or more delicious.




The recipe for Charred baby leeks with romesco (page 336) from the chapter " Roast, Grill & Barbecue" was the one that made me most curious this month. Many years ago, a friend of mine told me about the festival in the Catalan region of Spain that he always looked forward to every year - the "calçotada" -  a barbecue meal unique to the area and devoted to a variety of giant spring onions. First the fire-blackened outer layer of the onion is pulled away to reveal a juicy white core. Then the tip is dipped into romesco sauce and the dripping calçot is lowered into the mouth in one go. You get the picture. 




No dipping blackened spring onions into the delicious romesco sauce in this house - I went with grilled fennel instead. What a treat - as Hugh says this sauce is good with just about any grilled veg and I loved the flavors here that the ingredients brought to this sauce - the chilies, tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, toasted hazelnuts, red wine vinegar and that lovely, Spanish sweet smoked paprika a condiment I often use) as well as a thick slice of country bread (for thickening). wonderful new recipe to try - might add a bit more spice next time but will definitely serve it with my Antipasta spread in the future.




Recipe number ten was the easy one this month - the Marinated Cucumbers with Mint (page 1222) from the chapter "Raw assemblies".




As every month, I always try to include one very easy recipe. One that is like an afterthought of sorts, the one that you prepare while cooking yet another recipe from the book.




This one is also easy. A few minutes is all it takes. It is English cucumbers, a dressing of cider vinegar, some light oil, pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar plus fresh mint - very British, very fresh, very summery. The kids eats just about every herb there is on this planet but they do not do mint - so, I used our apple mint from the garden and just placed it on top of the salad plates - the apple mint definitely smells of green apples and mint, less strong and more agreeable than the other garden mint.




Last but not least my eleventh dish for this month the Mexican tomato and bean soup (page 138) from the chapter "Hefty Soups".




There is another dish, like the romesco sauce, that I had never prepared before - Mexican food is not that popular around here and it is not the one that comes to my mind first when making soup. But since I believe this was the winning dish for the kids this month, it will certainly grace our table many more times in the future. To me, a good soup has to look attractive, and balance its textures and flavors. More importantly, it must clearly taste of its ingredients, and this soup delivers on all accounts.




So much deep, warm tomato flavor, delightfully accented by onions, garlic, chilies, limes, black beans as well as the Mexican oregano that my dear friend David Scott Allan gifted me when he came for a visit all the way from lovely Tucson, AZ at the beginning of the month - what an utter delight to be able to meet him and Mark and to show him my hometown Cologne. A first US- European blogger meeting for me - I sincerely hope that it was not the last.




In summary, another month full of wonderful vegetable dishes – this month we were delighted to enjoy some of our favorite summer recipes from Hugh´s book for breakfast (HA!), lunch and dinner and, best of all, for relaxed al fresco dinners. What can possibly be better than to cook with fresh ingredients and true to our motto this month "Enjoy summer´s bounty" to the fullest?! So, what are you waiting for - it is time to enjoy the great outdoors. Pack a summer picnic basket with simple salads, breads and fresh fruits.




Please note, that for copyright reasons, we do NOT publish the recipes. If you enjoy the recipes in our series, hopefully, the wonderfully talented and enthusiastic members of The Cottage Cooking Club and their wonderful posts can convince you to get a copy of this lovely book. Better yet, do make sure to join us in this cooking adventure! There is still time!



26 comments:

  1. Always enjoy yours pictures Andrea and what lovely girl you have, all look amazing:)

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    1. Dear Gloria, that is very kind of you - thank you so much for your kind words!
      Andrea

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  2. Another mouth-watering spread, Andrea! I want to taste every single one of those dishes!
    And, your little helper is just so sweet.
    xoxo

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  3. Hi Andrea, what beautiful presentation and photos that really celebrate this summers bounty. Looks like you have some wonderful helpers.

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    1. Cheri, thank you - this busy girl is our youngest and she loves helping around the kitchen.
      Andrea

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  4. In this Post, Andrea, I was particularly impressed with your writing and your words. Your entire Post just exemplified what is so good about cooking from River Cottage Veg. You said what I feel. The many recipes you prepared look delicious and the photographs are delicious as well. (Imken's pictures are darling. Although I had seen the last photo on Facebook, the cover photo with her great big smile is wonderful. She seems to be a happy, happy young lady. Determined, I would say.) I don't know what your ten choices will be next month but I am going to throw in Peperonata also. I didn't make that and it's a must-do for August. Two of my friends have already bought Hugh's book. I am so glad about and grateful for your efforts to put CCC together.

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    1. Mary, funny enough, the most challenging thing this month turned out to be the picture taking - crazy weather - first a heatwave, now lots of rainy days and summer storms. What a crazy summer it has been so far and it is flying by. Hope I do not bore my readers to death with my personal thoughts and feelings about this book - cooking from it makes all of us happy and I am proud of all my happy veggie eaters at home - but we also enjoy chicken and do eat sausages - if you think that Imken looks like she is concentrating while deshelling those sweet peas and broad beans, you should have seen her with the Italian salsiccia and her kitchen gloves the other day...I could not get over it.
      Thank you for your wonderful comment - I always appreciate the time you take out of your busy days, you know that!
      Looking forward to your Peperonata in August then and "see" you soon!
      Andrea

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  5. Beautiful photos, as always, Andrea! There's a couple recipes that I didn't make, for various reasons, that I'll have to check out based only on your post. First, the caponata! I enjoyed the peperonata so much and the caponata sounds like it may be even a bit better, per my tastebuds. Second, the bruschetta also sounds lovely. I like blue cheese, but it can be a bit much in a bread and cheese situation, so I'd likely do a similar sub as you. In any case, the drizzle of honey, etc...yum! I chuckled a bit about the Mexican soup. Due to my proximity to the country, Mexican food is something I missed a lot when I did long research trips (multi-month) in Europe. I'd often bring a packet of taco seasoning with me. :) Once, in Paris, I tried a Mexican restaurant as it was becoming the rage there, but it wasn't quite the same. My kiddo, who is admittedly picky from time to time, loves Mexican food and flavors and asks for it pretty much all the time, so I'm not surprised it was a hit. That's also great you were able to use some Mexican oregano!

    Thanks for your continuing organization for the group! I'm enjoying working through the recipes!

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    1. Katie, what a lovely and kind comment - thank you so much! yes, it can be a bit daunting to try to find Mexican food in Europe - usually Mexican restaurants do not rank among the top ones...but who knows, that might change some day. Be that as it may, the kids adored the Mexican soup and it had a wonderful texture and flavor and since we are presently graced with such an abundance of tomatoes, I will certainly make this lovely soup again soon.
      The Caponata was a oversight (too tired, I guess to notice) but it was certainly a delicious oversight - that is a MUST recipe and I will make some more next week and keep it on hand in the fridge - plan on adding it to my pasta then and cannot wait.
      Thank you again for your participation and your support! So glad that you decided to stay on!
      "See" you soon,
      Andrea

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  6. Andrea - so nice to stop in for a visit. Your post has made me very determined to start delving into this book as soon as I move and have my cookbooks back from storage.
    Your daughter does look like she is having fun with helping out - she is a beauty :-)
    I hope that you and your family are having a lovely summer.

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    1. Cher - how very nice to hear from you, dear friend! Hope your move to the new house went smoothly! How are the girls doing?
      Hope you will find that wonderful cookbook once you have unpacked all those boxes - maybe we could even convince you to cook along with us for the last six-month leg of this wonderful culinary journey?!
      I will be over for a visit to your lovely blog and look forward to hearing from you again!
      Until then,
      Andrea

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  7. Hello Andrea, well I'm going a bit against my usual CCC monthly visits of making yours my final view and commenting, mainly as your post just popped into my in box after returning from running errands, though I've not enjoyed it a bit less for certain. Your daughter is so naturally pretty, love those pics! So, onto your gorgeous photos from the castle this month. I'm intrigued on the Spanish tradition associated with the spring leeks and romesco, sounds delicious, love your use of the fennel, a less likely vegetable for us to come across on the east coast during the summer months, and outrageously expensive if so. I do however, have some leeks growing in my garden soon ready for pulling so perhaps I shall give it a go, I am quite fond of Romesco sauce. The celery with the blue cheese was in fact fabulous, perhaps my fav of the month. Must note the stir-fry with the soba noodles- right up our alley- love it! I like the use of your summer squash switching out from the zucchini, and I've more than enough of it at present. Your variation with the barley for the couscous salad looks delish, cucumber salad, well, everything looks sensational really. Well, except that Spring Onion galette which has become like the thorn in my side- it perhaps being among the slight few recipes I haven't liked in the whole cookbook- and that everyone else in the group liked but me, lol. Nevertheless, I do concur the way you have prepared with those onion beauties looks quite appetizing, I might like a slice at your kitchen table. I also prepared the Mexican soup, but sorry to say, it was way not enough Mexican for me or the household, but I did appreciate its quick and easy preparation. Another great month with the Cottage Cooking Club. Thanks so much for everything Andrea and I'll see you in a few days as we move forward to month 16! What an amazing job you have done!

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    1. Peggy, what a comment, my dear - you are (almost) leaving me speechless - leeks from your garden sound so wonderful and the Spanish tradition of serving the romesco sauce during the festival is quite fun - I was always intrigued by that - one of these days, I will try to visit. In the meantime, grilled fennel is fantastic with this tasty Catalan sauce. Blue cheese is not good with the kids but I am sure that they will grow to enjoy it some day. The Spring Onion Galette is my favorite - not everybody agrees with me but that alright. As far as the Mexican soup goes, I am the first one to admit that I do not know the first thing about Mexican food but we did enjoy this soup, no matter what´s it called - guess you cannot go wrong with all those lovely ingredients.But I do know about Rick Bayless and I have read through some of his tasty recipes.
      I so appreciate you taking the time to leave me such a lovely and thoughtful comment - thank you, again, dear friend.
      And many greetings from "the castle",
      Andrea

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  8. I love the photos of your daughter! She's such an enthusiastic helper! And your food photos are gorgeous as always and everything looks so delicious. I have yet to make the caponata but you've reminded me that it's still on my "to do" list; it received such wonderful reviews from the group when they made it. I love your story about the Romesco sauce and spring onions. I had no idea. The sauce was a hit in my family, not just on the cauliflower but with grilled fish, and my daughter used the last of it on pasta! I'm sure it was fantastic with the fennel. Your family-friendly ricotta salata substitution in the celery bruschetta was a great idea.....it makes me want to try this recipe. July was a fantastic month but I think August will be just as good. There's so much more fresh produce to come (it's actually when tomatoes reach their peak here) and I'm looking forward to your choices.

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    1. Zosia, thank you for your kind comment - the caponata is a "must make" recipe (I might have mentioned that before) - it is now definitely one of my favorite recipes from the book. The substitution for the blue cheese was good - I quite enjoy the Ricoatta salata and it is bold and salty enough to stand up to the celery. The story behind the Romesco sauce is quite fun and I would love to take pictures at the festival one day.
      July was a fabulous month indeed but we all love August - so, stay tuned for more of those summery recipes
      Andrea

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  9. As always it is a pleasure to read your blog and look at the beautiful photos. What a great helper you have ! I never had good Mexican food in Germany, I ones went out with my family in Göttingen and it was horrible.

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    1. Gerlinde, sorry about that bad Mexican restaurant but, as you know, there is much more to life than a not so pleasant restaurant visit.
      Hope your summer is going well und liebe Grüsse nach Santa Cruz,
      Andrea

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  10. Delectable.
    I smell everything...including the little pink flower.
    Such a sweet touch.
    your photos are exquisite.
    Just loved this!! xxx

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    1. Kim, always such a joy to get such wonderful comments from you!
      Hope your summer is going well!
      Andrea

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  11. Love love the flower garnishes in your dishes. Brilliant colors as always! Great that everyone's is included and involved in the kitchen and the garden!

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    1. Emily, thank you for your comment - I appreciate your kind words. So nice to read that you enjoy the flower garnishes and colors!
      Great to have you on board the Cottage Cooking Club and see the results of all your lovely cooking adventures!
      Andrea

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  12. Well, first, dear Andrea, I start with the Mexican soup - I am so glad you enjoyed the Mexican oregano I brought! It is such a wonderful version of its Mediterranean cousin. The soup would look right at home here near the border!

    My other favorites form this month are the celery and blue cheese crostini, the caponata (always a favorite here), and marinated courgettes, and the spring onion galette.

    My biggest favorite were the photos of Imken! :)

    I love the book - but I have to say that you and your interpretations and photos, make Hugh's food so much more appealing to me. He should hire you!

    Happy Saturday - enjoy your weekend!

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    1. Dear David, the Mexican oregano is just a wonderful herb to add to the herbs that I love to use in my cooking - aromatic, bold, just different. We loved it in our Mexican inspired tomato soup.
      Yes, darling Imken is always smiling for the camera, she just loves to have her picture taken.
      Thank you for your wonderful comment and all your warm wishes, dear friend!
      Andrea

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  13. 11 out of 10 dishes. Andrea, you are Super-Woman! Each dish is more gorgeous than the next. Your careful styling and delicate flower garnishes are making me hungry. And your sous-chef is just darling. Having such enthusiasm for cooking at her age means she will eat well for all of her life!
    Howard doesn't eat aubergine or courgettes. I love those vegetables, so I'm jealous of those dishes. I know I could make them, but then I'd have to eat them all by myself, plus make him something else instead.
    I bought potatoes to make the potato salad this week, and my neighbor brought me some baby leeks from her farm share this weekend. I was going to make Gerard's mustard tart from AMFT but now I'm thinking maybe a romesco sauce is in my future.
    Thank you for continuing to inspire and motivate me with this group. It's a pleasure to be a part of it.
    Happy August!

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    1. Betsy, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comment - always so nice to hear from you! Too bad that the choices for the month of July were not quite up your alley but things are looking delicious in August I hope.My darling sous-chef is doing her best, always, all thee time...
      So cute , the 10 out of 11...your are just the best!
      Wishing you and Howard a wonderful an delicious month of August!
      Andrea

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