How Green Is My Potager

Gosh, the combination of early summer rainfall with penetrating sunshine has certainly boosted this year's chlorophyl quotient in the 'potager', as well as our lawns and the surrounding countryside. Even the hitherto barren space in front of the barn is verging towards the emerald of my youth. It's a joy to behold, although it was a bit of a pain for our 'locateurs' who yearned for the sunshine of Provence. Unfortunately, so I hear, 'ils l'ont emporte avec eux' and it chucked it down there too. All is well now that there is little to do but watch the heritage tomatoes ripen before our eyes. I spend my days dreaming up ways of fully utilising our bounty. August really is a month for savouring.

Each year I seem to evolve favourite recipes, which come about through trial and error. I still make my raw ribbons of courgette salad with mint but this year, for variation, I have been making a pickled cucumber salad to go with fish. Sicilian 'peperonata', roasted tomatoes Italian style [with lashings of garlic, freshly picked parsley and the best extra virgin olive oil I can find added at the end] and my griddled aubergine salad remain firm family favourites but this year I'm heavily into all things green - 'gazpacho' made with baby spinach instead of tomatoes, a delicious broad bean puree, which I use either as a crostini style starter or as a salad in its own right, and a Thai green curry paste, which I store in the fridge and use endlessly to make light, summery curries.

Herbs are the stuff of legend and, fresh from the potager and baked in the sunshine, they provide that essential taste of summer. More than anything, I want my children to remember what real summer food tasted like. The smell of freshly picked thyme, or oregano, or mint, or tarragon, or basil, will live in the olfactory memory forever; for it is the scent of lazy days and balmy, carefree nights. 'Sauce vierges', silky herby mayonnaises and barbecue marinades become central to a dish, rather than a bland addition plucked from a supermarket shelf in a rush.

I use anything and everything and no two outings of the same dish are ever the same. Whatever I've bought from the market in St Girons gets utilised alongside the day's gatherings, and I would be lying if I didn't admit to livening up the odd 'offre speciale' from Intermarche along the way. Summer is the best time to be creative with food because the colours provide you with a palette to play with worthy of Miro or Vincent. How you serve your food is, likewise, as essential an ingredient as what you put into it. The colours of a serving dish or plate really do matter, for there is nothing in this world more joyful on a summer's day than seeing food beautifully laid out on an outside table [and, equally, there is nothing more soul destroying than seeing guests throw a few bits and pieces onto plates, some still in their wrapping!].

GREEN GAZPACHO

Serves 6

Quantities of greenery can vary, depending upon what you have to hand,but I do think that a whole cucumber, a large mound of freshly picked spinach, some fresh herbs, a green pepper and a green chilli are essential.

1 large cucumber, skin removed
1 or 2 celery sticks
large green pepper, seeds removed
small bunch spring onions
2 or 3 garlic cloves
green chilli, seeds removed
half a stale baguette, crusts removed
bunch basil
bunch parsley
pinch sugar
3 tbs sherry vinegar [very important]
a dozen or so toasted almonds or walnuts
6-8 tbs olive oil [I use half extra virgin, half regular but it must be of good quality]
water [add until you get the consistency that you want]
salt and pepper
4-6 tbs Greek style yoghurt to garnish
some finely diced cucumber, spring onions and chopped parsley to garnish
croutons [made with 2cm squares of baguette tossed in olive oil and salt and baked in the oven at 190C for 10 minutes]

Chop the nuts in the blender and blitz. Throw everything else in, except the yoghurt, spinach last, adding water as you go. You will need to judge this for yourself. Taste and season and chill for at least an hour, preferably two or three.

Serve over a couple of ice cubes with croutons and some finely chopped cucumber, spring onion and chopped parsley and a swirl of Greek yoghurt if desired.

Sometimes I add a ripe avocado and skip the nuts and bread and most of the olive oil.


BROAD BEAN PUREE

Serves 6

500g shelled broad beans, steamed for a few minutes then refreshed in cold water. Allow to dry then peel.
2 garlic cloves, chopped
small bunch mint, stalks removed, finely chopped [or fresh coriander]
5/6 dill fronds, finely chopped
half tsp cumin seeds, ground in a mortar
pinch paprika
juice of half a lemon
50 mls extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper to serve
lemon wedges to serve

Either pulse the beans in a food processor with the garlic [do not overdo otherwise the texture will be too smooth] or mash with a potato masher. Add the herbs, cumin, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil until you have a chunky paste. Serve in a shallow bowl with a fine dusting of cayenne pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon wedges.

I do occasionally use a couple of tablespoonfuls of tahini paste to ring the changes, adding a few green Greek olives for extra punch.


PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD

2 cucumbers
salt
50mls rice wine vinegar
1 Marrakesh mint tea bag
1-2 tsp caster sugar
bunch fresh mint leaves, washed and and finely sliced [to do this, roll up the leaves 3 or 4 at a time]
sea salt

Peel and slice the cucumbers. Layer in a colander with salt between each layer and leave to drain for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly and dry with kitchen paper.

In a small saucepan, gently heat the vinegar and sugar with the tea bag. Once the sugar has dissolved, take off the heat, remove the tea bag and allow to cool.

Put the sliced cucumbers into a [blue?] shallow dish together with the chopped mint and sea salt. Pour the cooled vinegar over the cucumbers and toss together to serve.

I sometimes use white wine or tarragon vinegar, an Earl Grey tea bag and dill for a different take.


THAI GREEN CURRY PASTE

[Krung Khaeng Keo-Wan]

This recipe is from Pat Chapman, the founder of 'The Curry Club'. You may not be able to get all the ingredients in Ariege but there is an Asian supermarket in Toulouse. I bring fish sauce back from the UK. It's a good idea to make up quite a few batches and freeze them for winter.

Makes enough paste for one green curry.

2 tbs sunflower oil
2 tbs chopped green bell pepper
1 - 7 green cayenne chillies
3 cm ginger or galangal, chopped
60g spring onion leaves
2 cloves garlic, halved
half tsp ground coriander seed
half tsp ground cumin
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp finely chopped lemongrass
half tsp shrimp paste*
1 tsp fish sauce [the best quality Thai brand is 'Tipparous']

Mulch everything down in the food processor, using just enough water to achieve a thick paste

*To make shrimp paste at home, blend 175g prawns from a tub, 100mls of the brine, 60g packet dried prawns and 2tbs fish sauce to make a fine but thick puree.


TARRAGON MAYONNAISE

This is delicious with cold salmon, seafood, artichoke hearts or anything else you feel like dunking.

3 egg yolks
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs white wine vinegar
small handful of fresh tarragon leaves
a little hot water
salt
good quality olive oil [I use extra virgin but some people would disagree and prefer regular, or a flavourless alternative oil]

Put the egg yolks into the food processor, with the mustard, vinegar and tarragon. Blend continuously until pale and light. Begin to drizzle the olive oil through the funnel of the food processor very, very slowly. You will feel the mayonnaise slowly beginning to emulsify. Do not be tempted to rush. Add a small amount of hot water if required. Season with salt to taste. Heavenly!