Following my discovery of an amazing book on seasonal eating last weekend, I spent an educational, tiring, yet very enjoyable week trying to create a tasty meal each evening using only home-grown, seasonal produce. I tried to stick to locally sourced ingredients, where possible, and avoided using anything made, grown, reared outside of the UK.
The result of working so hard to avoid the supermarkets, over-packaging and miles and miles of unnecessary transportation? A handful of lovely recipes to share on the Blog (after a week of silence - sorry regular readers!)... like this Summer Spaghetti, with bacon, British mushrooms and seasonal greens.
1 x finely chopped garlic clove
2 x rashers good quality smoked Bacon, chopped
Handful of British mushrooms, sliced - these were from Coton Farm Shop, although it is strictly the season for wild mushrooms in August
50ml dry white wine
Zest and juice of half a lemon
150ml crème fraîche
Generous handful grated cheese or Parmesan (if desired)
British greens, such as leeks, spinach, broad beans or fresh peas - leeks are new in season in August and the ones I picked up from Radmore Farm Shop were very fresh and very delicious!
Salt & black pepper
Fresh mint - picked from the garden
The bacon and cheese are optional - for vegetarians but also for those wishing to stick to fresh, seasonal veg only.
What to do:
1. Gently fry the garlic, leeks (if using) and bacon in a deep frying pan. When golden and soft, add the white wine, lemon juice and zest.
2. Simmer gently for a few minutes then add the mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook approximately 150g pasta or spaghetti according to instructions (we used organic spaghetti from the store cupboard).
4. Add the crème fraîche, cheese (if using) and spinach/beans/peas to the frying pan and heat until cooked through. Do not overcook the greens/peas as this impairs the freshness and flavours.
5. Drain the spaghetti and add to the frying pan. Combine the pasta with the mixture and season well. Sprinkle with torn mint leaves to serve and some extra lemon zest if desired. We added some delicious and sweet UK tomatoes from Coton Farm Shop as a side salad.
Enjoy! :-)
