Darina Allen: A particularly delicious peach and gorgonzola salad

And more of my favourite summer salads to tuck into and enjoy 

It seems that you really loved those summer salads in my column of several weeks ago so here as promised are a few more combinations to add to your repertoire. Pile your salads high and tuck in and enjoy.

For those of us who love to garden and grow some of our own food, this is the most fantastic time of the year. Problem is, there are scarcely enough meal slots to enjoy all the produce.

I’m crazy about beetroot – we’ve got a glut of gorgeous tender beets at present, so we’ve been enjoying it in every shape and form, roast, boiled, pickled, made into crisps, and of course in both hot and cold soups. This Beetroot, Almond and Mint Leaf salad has been getting an enthusiastic response. If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, buy a bottle whenever you find it but meanwhile, substitute runny honey and lime juice.

Swiss chard is another brilliant vegetable that provides double value for money and keeps on giving. Of course, it’s delicious cooked simply or in a gratin but how about combining it with a tahini dressing, some fat juicy raisins and toasted cashew nuts. I particularly love it with a sprinkling of paprika and warm flatbreads.

Several of our teachers and gardeners go out fishing on these Summer evenings. We’ve been getting some gorgeous fresh pollock and mackerel and an occasional turbot. We love to hot-smoke the fish in a biscuit tin over a gas jet – super simple and combine it with the first of the new season’s marsh samphire and some roast red and yellow peppers. This was a huge hit when Rory O’Connell first served it at a Long Table Dinner in the greenhouses pre-Covid.

And last but not least for this week, a salad to showcase a few of the white peaches that grow along the south-facing wall of the Green dining room here at the cookery school – we are inordinately proud of our home-grown stone fruit, not all of them look picture perfect but even the wonky ones are delicious in salads. Try this combination but we also love them with blanched French beans and roasted almonds, a sprinkling of chives and a lime dressing, this recipe was inspired by a past student, Thomas Straker – follow him on Instagram: @thomas_straker - he’s got lots of really scrummy ideas in 60-second videos.

Those of you who have my Grow Cook Nourish, book published in 2017 by Kyle Books will find lots of inspiration in there too with 500 recipes to make the most of the Summer harvest from your own garden or the Farmers Market. This is about all I can squash into this column but there’s so much more…Just one of these salads make a delicious Summer lunch and several can also be served as a starter.

Beetroot, almond and fresh mint leaf salad

We’re crazy about beetroot and continue to dream up new ways to enjoy them, including this particularly delicious combination that can be served as a starter or as part of a mezze

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 25 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp blanched, unskinned almonds or roasted Marcona almonds

• 450g cooked beetroot 

• 2 tbsp shredded mint leaves

• 2 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds

• For the pomegranate dressing:

• 1 large pomegranate

• 1 tbsp Forum Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar or a good red wine vinegar

• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. To cook the beetroot, leave 5cm of leaf stalks on top and the whole root on the ‘tail’. Save the stalks and young leaves. Hold the beetroot under a running tap and wash off the mud with your hands, so that you don't damage the skin; otherwise, the beetroot will bleed during cooking. Cover with cold water and add a little salt and sugar. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer on the hob or cook in the oven (230°C), for 1-2 hours depending on size. Beetroot are usually cooked if the skin rubs off easily and if they dent when pressed with a finger. If in doubt, test with a skewer or the tip of a knife.

2. If using blanched almonds, roast them in the oven at 150°C for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove and leave to cool, then roughly chop.

3. Peel and slice the beetroot into wedges.

4. To make the pomegranate dressing, cut the pomegranate in half and juice on a citrus juicer. Alternatively, remove the seeds and discard any bitter skin or white pith. Put the seeds in a nylon sieve and press them with the back of a spoon to extract all the juice, discarding any skin or hard seeds. Put the juice and the remaining dressing ingredients into a jam jar with a lid, season with salt and pepper and shake well.

5. Pour the dressing over the beetroot, then scatter over the almonds, mint and pomegranate seeds. Mix gently, taste and serve.
   From Grow, Cook, Nourish published by Kyle Books

Warm smoked pollock with roast peppers and marsh samphire

For a tempting seasonal starter dish, marsh samphire pairs beutifully with salty pollock and vibrant red and yellow peppers

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 3 hours 20 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 50 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 450g-700g pollock, skin on

• 2 red and yellow peppers

• 110g-160g marsh samphire

• extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Lay the fish fillets flesh-side up on a tray, then sprinkle the unskinned Pollock with salt as though you were seasoning generously. Leave for at least an hour but not more than 3 hours. Dry the fillets with kitchen paper, place on a wire rack and leave to dry in a cool, airy place for about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 250°C.

3. Put the peppers on a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes until the skin blisters and the flesh is soft.

4. Alternatively, put a wire rack over a mild gas flame and roast the peppers on all sides. When they are charred, remove. When roasted, put the peppers into a bowl and cover with an upturned plate for a few minutes, which will make them much easier to peel. Peel, deseed and cut into strips.

5. To smoke the pollock, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sawdust (we use apple wood) on the base of a rectangular biscuit tin or smoking box. Put a wire rack into the tin and lay the fish, flesh-side up on top. Put the box on a gas flame over a high heat for a minute or so until the sawdust starts to smoulder. Cover the box with a lid or tightly with tin foil, then reduce the heat and smoke for 6-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to sit, unopened, for 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, put the samphire into a saucepan of boiling water (not salted), return to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain off the water (refresh in cold water if serving later). Toss the samphire in extra virgin olive but do not add salt because samphire has a natural salty tang.

7. To serve, divide the smoked pollock into nice flaky pieces, arrange on a serving platter with strips of red and yellow pepper and sprigs of samphire on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground pepper and a few flakes of sea salt. Serve with homemade mayonnaise.
   From Grow, Cook, Nourish published by Kyle Books

Swiss chard with tahini, yoghurt, cashew nuts and crisps

Chard adds a depth of flavour to contrast with the appealing sweetness of the currants, with yoghurt and tahini paste for a hit of spicy, creamy texture

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 1.3kg Swiss chard

• 25g butter

• 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra to serve

• 40g fresh cashew nuts or almonds, roughly chopped

• 1 garlic clove, very thinly sliced

• 4 tbsp currants, sultanas or raisins

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• sweet paprika, vegetable or potato crisps to garnish (optional)

• flatbread or pitta, to serve

• For the tahini and yoghurt:

• 50g light ‘untoasted’ tahini paste

• 50g thick natural yoghurt

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• a little honey, if necessary

Method

1. First make the Tahini sauce. Put all the ingredients into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, season with a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth. Taste and add a little honey, if necessary. Set aside.

2. Separate the green chard leaves from the white stalks. Cut both into 2cm wide slices but keep them separate. Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil, add the chard stalks, simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add the leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and squeeze the chard well until it is completely dry.

3. Next, put the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the nuts and toss them in the pan for about 2 minutes until golden. Add the garlic and dried fruit and toss until they begin to turn golden. Return the chard to the pan and toss until warm. Season to taste.

4. Serve the chard with some of the tahini sauce on top. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, scatter with vegetable or potato crisps and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve with freshly cooked flatbread or pitta.
   From Grow, Cook, Nourish published by Kyle Books

Peach, gorgonzola and watercress salad

The saltiness of the blue cheese, freshness of the spring onions and vibrant flavour of fresh, juicy peaches is a gorgeous summer salad, made in minutes

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 4 ripe peaches or nectarines

• 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little honey, sprinkled over the peaches to stop them discolouring

• small watercress or rocket leaves

• 225g blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Crozier or Wicklow Blue)

• 110g walnut halves, coarsely chopped

• 4 scallions or spring onions, thinly sliced

• For the dressing:

• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 6 tbsp walnut oil or extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard

• 1 tsp wildflower honey

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. First make the dressing. Whisk all the ingredients together in a little bowl with a fork. Season to taste.

2. Choose perfectly ripe peaches or nectarines. Slice in 6-8 pieces and sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey if not serving immediately.

3. Scatter a few watercress sprigs or rocket leaves on each plate, tuck a few peach slices in here and there, crumble some Gorgonzola or other blue cheese over the top. Drizzle a little dressing over the salad, sprinkle some toasted walnuts and thinly sliced scallions or spring onions over the top. Serve immediately.
   From Grow, Cook, Nourish published by Kyle Books

Wild Food of the Week

Marsh Samphire (Salicornia europea) which looks a bit like a miniature cactus without the prickles, grows, as the name suggests, in salt marshes close to the sea. It’s easy to gather if you don’t mind the odd scratch from surrounding bushes and getting covered in mud. Pinch off the young shoots above the root. Later in the season, marsh samphire develops a tough fibrous core, so the earlier you harvest it, the better. The fresher it is, the more vibrant the flavour, but it keeps remarkably well for 1–2 weeks. Marsh samphire is now much sought after by creative young chefs who are putting it onto their menus. We sell it at the farmers’ market and people who aren’t familiar with it fall in love with its salty flavour and crunchy texture.

HOT TIPS

Outdoors Yoga and Sound Bath

Excitement in the Pond Gardens at Ballymaloe Cookery School – a morning of yoga exercises, breath-work, meditation and a deep relaxation guided by the healing sounds of the gong and other enchanting instruments which will take place in the ‘plein air’…on Saturday, 24th July from 10am – 12pm. For more information, see @yogahealingwithshama on Instagram or telephone [phone]

Garlic and Horseradish Pesto

A new find from Brin Perrin of West Cork Garlic. Brin whizzes up his Elephant garlic scapes with Parmesan and horseradish with delicious results. He also sells the fresh scapes (shoots of the garlic plant) at Bantry Farmers Market. Look out for the huge bulbs of Elephant garlic and a selection of other varieties grown in West Cork.

For more information, see @west_cork_garlic on Instagram

Bhelpuri Mix

If you are tempted to make this delicious crunchy Indian street food salad, seek out bhelpuri Mix in your closest Indian shop. I sourced it in Khan Spices located on North Main St., or Spice House on Bridge Street in Cork City. Bhelpuri is a mix of puffed rice, roasted peanuts, sev (chickpea flour crisps), masala chana dahl and puri. Brands will vary – crisp and delish even as a snack!