Enjoy all that summer offers by eating down on courgettes, bell peppers, cauliflower, and asparagus in three delicious light meals that scream summer.
For the budget-friendly column – in which we’ve joined forces with Sorted Food in order to provide you with simple, inexpensive, fast, and (most importantly) delicious recipes each month, we’ve compiled three seasonal recipes that make the most of the staple ingredients while keeping your shopping list to a minimum.
We’ve also included a helpful shopping list of ingredients (though I’m sure that a lot of it is already in the cupboards) that are utilized throughout every recipe type to minimize food waste. The only thing you need to consider is which place to shop for the ingredients, whether locally or on the internet.
Shopping list
- Nine cloves garlic
- 20g fresh ginger
- Fresh basil, 30g
- Four red bell peppers
- Two courgettes
- Five spring onions
- 200g asparagus
- One lemon
- One cauliflower
- One red chilli
- Five spring onions
- 40g of unsalted butter
- 150g mozzarella ball
- 300g creme fraiche
- 1 x 250g ciabatta
- One vegetable stock cube
- 2 tbsp miso paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1 Tbsp mild chilli powder
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 10g pine nuts
- 400g chopped tomatoes in a tin
- 400g of butter beans in a tin
- Microwave Puy lentils 250g
- Olive oil
- Vegetable oil
- Sesame oil
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Basil soup and red pepper salsa
Soup can also be summery.
(Sorted)
If you can purchase Romano red peppers, Try them, as they can provide an extra sweetness.
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Red bell pepper
Four cloves garlic
6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 ciabatta (1x 250g)
Fresh basil 20g
10-g Pine Nuts
400g of chopped tomatoes tinned in a can
150g mozzarella ball
Method:
1. Preheat: Heat the oven to 180C.
2. Preparing the peppers: Peel and slice thinly four bell peppers. Peel and cut thinly three cloves of garlic. We will make use of the third clove later.
3. Prepare the pan for heating: Add two tablespoons of oil into a big pot and set it over the stove at a medium temperature.
4. Cook the garlic and peppers. When the oil starts to shimmer and get loose, add the garlic and peppers, as well as one teaspoon of salt. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, frequently stirring until the peppers are soft and jammy. Continue with the remainder of the dishes in the next steps while you sit.
5. Make the bread: cut one ciabatta into half and wrap the other half in clingfilm. We’ll use this to make another recipe from the package if you haven’t previously used it. Cut the remaining pieces into tiny 0.5cm cubes, then cut the remainder into bite-sized chunks.
6. Make sure you are ready to bake. Mix the small cubes with 1 tbsp oil and then a large amount of salt onto a small baking tray. Distribute everything in an evenly sized one on your tray.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden crispy and golden brown. Continue with the remaining recipe in the next step while you sit back and wait.
8. To make the salsa, add the 20g of leaves from basil to a measuring cup together with 10 g pine nuts, three tablespoons of olive oil, and a substantial amount of salt.
9. Blend the salsa until it is smooth and pesto-like. Then give the hand blender a clean as we’ll require it in the future.
10. Add the tomatoes. When the peppers are done, add 1 x 400g tin tomatoes and a generous amount of salt.
11. Add the bread to the soup and cook: add the cut-up pieces of bread from earlier (not the tiny cubes) as well as 150ml of the water. Continue to simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes until the bread begins to break down – this will make the soup thicker.
12. Clean up: While you are waiting until the bread begins to be broken into pieces, do a little washing.
13. Blend When the bread has dissolved slightly, remove the pan from the stove and blend until smooth. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
14. Serve the following: Divide 1 x 150g mozzarella ball between two serving bowls, and then ladle the soup over them. Serve the basil salsa sprinkle over the crisp ciabatta, then dive in!
Summer stew made with dukkah croutons
Keep winter’s most loved comfort food light and fresh by blending these flavors
(Sorted)
We make use of ground spices. However, when time is not in your favor, consider toasting whole spices and then mixing them to increase the flavor!
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
Two courgettes
5 Spring Onions
200g of asparagus
Two cloves garlic
400g of tinned butter beans
One vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp miso paste
40g of unsalted butter
1/2 ciabatta (1x 250g)
1/2 TSP ground cumin
1/2 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
2 tbsp sesame seeds
Three tablespoons vegetable oil
100g creme fraiche
Fresh basil 10g
1 Lemon
Method:
1. Preheat: Heat your oven to 180C. Which will be used for the bread to bake later.
2. Prepare the vegetables. Cut two courgettes half lengthways. Then, cut them crosswise at intervals of 1cm. Slice five spring onions into quarters across the width, and repeat by adding 200g of asparagus. Peel and finely grated two cloves of garlic.
3. To make the stew, add the spring onions courgettes along with the garlic in a medium-sized saucepan, along with an un-drained 400g tin, if you have it, made of butter beans. Add one cube of stock, one tablespoon of miso, and 40g of butter.
4. Make sure the stew is ready by adding 400ml of water and place the pan on the stove at a high temperature.
5. Simmer. When the stew has come up to a boil, turn down the temperature to medium and cook for 4-5 mins, or until the vegetables soften slightly. Then, continue with the remainder of the recipe as you are waiting.
6. Prepare for the bread. Cut one ciabatta into two pieces and wrap the other half in clingfilm. We can use this for a different recipe included in the package in case you haven’t previously. The rest of the bread is cut into chunks that are bite-sized and then placed on an oven tray that is large enough.
7. Prepare to roast: Mix your bread in 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander seed, two tablespoons of sesame seeds, and 3 tbsp of oil, as well as a large sprinkle of salt. Then, spread everything out in one uniform layer.
8. Bake In the oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden crispy and golden brown. Continue with the remainder of the dishes in the next steps while you are waiting.
9. Add the asparagus. Once the courgettes are slightly soft, then add the asparagus. Cook for another 4-5 minutes until the asparagus is soft but still has a little bite. Then, you can crack it open with a little water while you sit.
10. Season: When the stew is cooked, make a fine grate of the zest of a lemon. Then, season according to your taste using its juice and salt.
11. Serve. Divide the stew into bowls, and then spoon on 100g of crème fraiche. Add the basil leaves 10g of basil, and then tuck into!