Leek, Potato and Lavender Soup

The world continues to be a frightful place.

I spent a little time in the garden with D,  fixing the greenhouse after the storms of the week that blew out a number of window panes.  This fixing the greenhouse is an annual expectation, in fact it happens at least four times a year. Our fingers were freezing, slotting them back into place. Then came the hail stones. I was glad to get back inside and do a  bit of cooking for the working week ahead, including making this frugal  Leek and Potato Soup that was made luxurious with a hint of lavender. 

Whilst out in the garden, D pulled out some homegrown leeks.  

This gives me an excuse to also join in with Harvest Monday tomorrow hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

We also spotted some purple sprouting broccoli, the only brassica family surviving in the garden.    

Here is some of the purple sprouting broccoli close up - pretty.  We will probably just steam it and coat it in some garlicky butter and serve it as a side dish.

Anyway, back to the soup made with homegrown leeks, potato and lavender soup. 

I haven't cooked with lavender for a while, i think the last time was for a Lavender cake. I was motivated by a recipe whilst flicking through a cookbook and remembering that i had some dried lavender in a jar.  Lavender is very potent, so be careful to stick to the quantity recommended.  

On eating though, I could hardly taste it, but I could smell it  and it had somewhat of a calming effect on me, unless i was imagining it.  It was also very rich, in thickness and leek flavour which i guess should not have been surprising, as they were literally harvested less than an hour or two before cooking. I am sharing this Leek, Potato and Lavender Soup with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Little Late for Harvest Monday

It's October and the colours in the garden are changing and the sunflower petals waning. 

I feel the same with my energy. 

The greenhouse is still producing tomatoes

Even though we have harvest many tomatoes, they have not been as abundant as in previous years.  D has said he will not grow many of these red beefy ones - whose name i have forgotten.

He also won't grow many of the red Zebra and green Zebra Tomatoes, maybe a couple of the pale yellow ones called Lotos.  But he will definitely be growing the yellow Galina Cherry tomatoes and Chocolate Cherry tomatoes.

Some cooking apples had fallen to the ground, I made this Upside Down Apple Cake.  The apples stuck to the bottom of the pan. 

The Upside Down Apple Cake tasted good though and would have benefitted from a squirt of  or dollop of cream.

Below is generous bunch of Parsley and a black Mexican chilli pepper given to us by our neighbour.  Again, I am sorry I cannot remember the name, but my neighbour told me its not one we would ever find at the supermarket. He's right, i have never seen anything like it for real before.   I have roasted it and hope to either add it to a Chilli Bean recipe or a Tomato Pasta recipe. 

I am sharing this blog post with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

Feasting on Tomatoes for the week

Its nearly the end of the weekend and i am trying hard not to think too much about the working week ahead, it's going to be a busy one.  

Since Covid-19 - work has been a roller coaster and there still no calm in sight, with a Second Wave being ushered in slowly.  I am tired.  I have taken annual leave (twice) to recharge, rather than enjoy. The weekends come and i try to recharge and catch up with neglected house chores.  I thought working from home, I would be up-to-date with household things, not at all.  

Thank goodness the garden has been a little more easier this year, I think the time and work we put in March has made it so.  It's been a rather therapeutic weeding!

Tomatoes are starting to dwindle, but a i say that - we have had loads of Tomato based dishes in the last couple of weeks. 

I made this Tomato Tarte Tartin with a Black Olive Scone Dough. It was very different from the Tart Tartin that I make with puff pastry. The pastry was sturdy. 

Bowl of colourful tomatoes.  

Tomato Tart - the base is smothered with pesto, then topped with cherry tomatoes and black olives. Simplicity.  

Another Tomato tart this time topped with Feta cheese - honestly, its a different tart! 

I've only ever enjoyed eating Greek-Cypriot Salad on holidays.  I come back to the UK, hope to evoke those memories, but the tomatoes we get from the supermarket disappoint. So I don't make Greek -Cypriot Salad at home, but I did twice this week with homegrown tomatoes.  The first time it was delicious, the lettuce was crisp with crunch. The second time (photographed above), I messed up, as i made it in advance and the lettuce went limp and soggy from the tomato juices.  It was still one of the best Greek Salads I have made at home. 

I am sharing this Greek-Cypriot Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

I also made a  Cypriot recipe called Baby Tomato Kofta with tomato sauce served over pasta.  The tomato kofta were very reminisce of onion bhaji's minus the spice.  

We still have some more tomatoes growing.  

D is thinking about clearing them out of the greenhouse in readiness for winter, but I am going to try and persuade him to leave it until mid October.  

I can always make Green Tomato Chutney.

Tomato Tarte Tartin

For the topping

60g butter, plus extra for greasing 

30g soft brown sugar

Enough tomatoes, to cover base of baking tin or pan

For the scone dough

110g self raisin flour

Pinch of baking powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 black olives, stones removed and minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg 1-2 tablespoons milk

Method

For the topping: grease a 8 inch ovenproof pan with butter.

Melt the butter in the pan with the sugar and cook over low heat until the mixture begins to caramelize.

Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways.

arrange the tomatoes, cut side down, to cover the base of the pan completely.

Preheat oven to gas mark 7/220oC.

Make the scone dough: Sift the flour with the baking powder and cayenne pepper into a large mixing bowl.

Add the oil and mix together into a large bowl.

Add the oil and mix with a palette knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

St in the olives and season with salt and pepper.

Bind to a dough with the egg and milk.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.

Roll out to a circle to fit the top of the pan.

Lay it on top of the tomatoes and press down lightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes until the scone dough feels firm and golden.

Loosen the edged with a knife, cover with a serving plate and invert to turn out.

Serve immediately

Adapted from Leith's Vegetarian Bible

Oh I also made Spiced Tomato Coconut Curry also from Leith's Vegetarian Bible. This Tomato Coconut Curry did not photograph well. Partly my fault, i chucked in a whole can of coconut milk, when it should have been just 225, so the tomatoes were a bit drowned - soup like, but enjoyable, nonetheless. By the way if you are looking for further Tomato recipe inspiration check out this link. 

I am sharing this blog post with Harvest Monday hosted by Dave from Happy Acres.  

And please do come back next week, when i will be harvesting and cooking with homegrown carrots.

Harvest Monday In My Kitchen

We finally have some homegrown tomatoes

Here we have yellow Galina Cherry tomatoes and chocolate cherry tomatoes - no red ones yet though, they are coming though.

I made this Tomato Orzo Pasta Salad - scroll down for the recipe. 

The yellow Burpees golden courgettes have been disappointing - i think the erratic weather may have caused poor growth, so I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt and grow them again next year.

Same with the courgettes, but i take responsibility for them this time.  As they were a trailing variety unlike those i've grown in the past.

Also I kept forgetting to harvest those were growing until they had become a monster marrow.

Some of this marrow was used in a tempura recipe.  Scroll down for the recipe. 

Fluffy Fresh Pea Pancakes made with the last of the peas.  These were delightful to eat - straight hot off the pan. I slathered some of them with cream cheese. Scroll down for the recipe

As I've said before, the runner beans, purple and neckargold French Beans, that have been quite prolific.

I've made lots of recipes with them, mostly side dishes but this was a South Asian style curry adapted from this Courgette and Runner Bean Curry that is quite popular at the moment (see my side bar). 

The plums are ready, so ready they are falling off the tree, rolling down the path and being crushed for the wasps to enjoy. 

I also picked a load off the plum tree - enough to make plum and apple cinnamon jam and cinnamon plum jam. 

I am sharing this blog post with Harvest Monday where vegetable growers from around the world share homegrown fruit and vegetables with Dave from Happy Acres.  

I am sharing this Cherry Tomato Orzo Pasta Salad with Soup, Salad and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Orzo Cherry Tomato Salad

Serves 4

For the dressing

1 tablespoon white or red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

200 orzo pasta, cooked

500g mixed cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered

1 red onion, finally sliced

1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Method

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bow, then stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined.  

Allow to sit for a few hours before serving. 

The recipe for the Vegetable Tempura (onion, courgettes, green beans, marrow slices) comes from Sarah Beattie's cookbook Meat Free Any Day. Please do check out Sarah Beatties Facebook Page for the recipe. 

Fresh Pea Pancake recipe was adapted from this Three Berries Pancake recipe. I removed the sugar and replaced the berries with uncooked peas. 

I  am also sharing this post with Sherry's Pickings who host the In My Kitchen series as much of what is in my kitchen has been coming from the garden (or kitchen cupboards) since the Pandemic. 

Dwarf Fantasy Sunflowers and Blue Berries

Last week, I shared the echinacea growing in my vegetable garden plot.

Today its the turn of sunflowers. 

Although they have not been as tall and magnificent compared to years gone, they are still adding cheer and colour to the garden - so much so, our neighbours went to the garden centre and bought some potted sunflowers to put outside their front door. 

Ours came out of a packet called Dwarf Fantasy Mixed Sunflowers and were started from seed.

Indeed all are different and even different shades of yellow.

I think this is Sunzilla sunflower - very, very big sunflower - its still growing and taller than me, over five foot and came in a packet of its own.  

We do also have some Russian Sunflowers growing too, but more about them next time. 

Okay, so this is supposed to be Harvest Monday where I share homegrown fruit and vegetables with Dave from Happy Acres.  

So i have some homegrown blueberries to share. 

Turned into a Blueberry Loaf Cake adapted from this Cranberry , Carrot and Orange Bread recipe.

One Long Fiorentino Courgette with which i made pasta dish.

A handful of runner beans.

If you look closer, you will see that i also harvest the first yellow Neckargold French bean buts its looking more like a yellow runner bean. 

I f you look closely, you will note how closely have put vegetables together to make the most of the space this year.  From the right hand corner - Dazzling Blue Kale, then Perpetual Spinach, the  Long Fiorentino Courgette  and then Runner Bean wigwams and right at the back the Tall Climbing Pea frames (and some crocosmia creeping  in between the fencing from the neighbours).