Fruits of your labour
Home grown or pick your own, the harvest is looking berry good just now
Bryony, our kitchen gardener, is doing an amazing job. Not only is the garden looking stunning (nature does take some of the glory for this), but the harvests are incredible. Nothing is looking more abundant than the blackcurrants. If you don’t see me for the rest of the month, I’ll be knee deep in juice from harvesting all those currants. It’s like collecting a string of pearls. Straight into the basket, usually held by an unwilling teenager, though when they get their summer wages, they won’t be quite as moody.
I’m sure, if you’re like me, you’ll have noticed how little fruit, especially currants and berries, you get for your punnet and for your pocket. I’m sure the “pick your own” at Craigie’s Farm, South Queensferry, is still the most cost effective if you want to get the jam or jelly pot out. The consequences of Brexit are affecting our shopping basket, at least as far as labour force is concerned. Shortages of pickers up and down the country is resulting in fruit rotting in the fields and higher prices at the checkout.
Not many of us have a few acres of land in our back gardens to grow on the scale we do for our business, but the benefits of homegrown are tangible. For us, we get seasonal produce and we get a story. Finally – I’ve found one benefit of Brexit!
Prosciutto with mozzarella and blackcurrant salsa
You may not think this combination would work, but trust us, it does.
Ingredients (per person)
2 very thinly sliced slices of Prosciutto di Parma (preferably from a deli not vacuum packed) ½ ball mozzarella di bufala, cut in half 1-2 tsp blackcurrant jam (we make it wetter than the jam recipe below so don’t let it boil as long, just long enough that it has turned syrupy) baby herbs such as basil, rocket and red amaranth good quality extra virgin olive oil salt and black pepper
1 Place the prosciutto on a plate and arrange the mozzarella beside it. Scatter the herbs lightly on top.
2 Drizzle with the olive oil, season, then dot on some of the blackcurrant jam. Serve.
Pan fried halibut
Halibut is by far the king of fish. I’ve loved its white flaky flesh and texture since the first time I tasted it. You’ll need a good fishmonger to find it and maybe an overdraft, but it’s a treat for special occasions.
Serves two
2 x 200g halibut steaks plain flour, for dusting light olive oil, for frying sprouting broccoli, washed well and stalks cut in half lengthways 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, sliced 1 fresh red chilli, sliced 2 wedges of unwaxed lemon, plus the juice of an additional lemon a few sprigs of sweet cicely and chive flowers, to garnish seasoning
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/gas Mark 4. 2 Wash and dry the halibut with kitchen paper and set aside. Sieve some flour onto a large plate and season with a little salt.
3 Pour at least a 5mm depth of light olive oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat. Dip the halibut in the flour to coat it lightly on all sides. Shake off any loose flour and gently place the fish in the hot oil. The halibut should sizzle but the oil should not spark. Very gently move
the halibut in the pan to prevent it from sticking. Fry for about 3 minutes, depending on the thickness. The underside should be golden but not brown. Very carefully turn the fish over and continue cooking. It will be ready when you can easily remove the flesh from the central bone.
4 While the fish is cooking, place all the remaining ingredients (apart from the garnishes and lemon) in a roasting dish and mix the extra virgin olive oil and seasoning through the broccoli. Add two tablespoons of water to help steam the greens.
5 Roast in a high oven for about 10 minutes until as soft or as crispy as you wish.
6 Divide the broccoli between two plates, then add the fish, the lemon wedges and garnish.
Blackcurrant jam
My husband Victor’s mum was a jam making expert. We miss her. One of my favourite treats from her was a slice of really good, thick-cut brown bread, generously buttered, with sliced banana and an even more generous dod of blackcurrant jam. A perfect tea combination.
Makes two 500g jars 400g fresh blackcurrants 400g granulated sugar 1 lemon, juiced
1 Remove the fruit from the stalks and place in a jam pan. Cover with 330ml of water and gently bring to the boil.
2 Simmer until tender and the liquid has almost gone. Add the sugar and lemon juice and cook until the jam temperature has reached 220F.
3 Cool slightly, then transfer into two x 500g sterilised jam jars.