It's a short-lived season, much like the elderflowers that grow at the bottom of the garden, but it's one, rather like the flowering of the magnolia tree, that brings me great happiness. In the past, I have tended to use wild garlic only for a risotto. Failing that, I just lie face down among the leaves and breathe deeply, occasionally chomping on a flower like a demented Eeyore.Summer is here more or less and the cupboards and fridge groans with colour and often fruit flies if I'm forgetful. It's the season that makes cooking easy. When you've got such fresh and vibrant ingredients readily available, if not in your garden then on your greengrocers shelves and market stalls, meals can be put together in hardly any time and with the minimum of fuss.This morning, I popped into my in-laws for a cup of coffee after taking the children to school and returned home with a bag full of snails, ladybirds, a bit of a slug and some other unidentified black dots with legs. Among the wildlife, I managed to fit in a few bunches of wild garlic leaves and the seed pods, I've missed the flowers this year.After a good wash of both the leaves and me (I feel I still have an insect or two lurking somewhere about my person), I quickly pulsed them in the processor and set about this dish with the enthusiastic thought of lunch. Feel free to replace the haddock with clams or perhaps monkfish.. It's just what I had in the fridge. And if you don't have any lapsang, just a little vegetable stock will work just as well.Ingredients20 wild garlic leaves50-75ml olive oil1tsp fennel seedsA small handful of pistachios2tbsp lemon juiceOne and a half small red onions, finely slicedOne celery stick, finely dicedSome thymeA spoonful of butterA handful of pearl barleyA mug of lightly brewed and strained lapsang suchong tea200g haddock, in chunksSalt to tasteA pinch of chilli flakesSome lemon zestA few fennel fronds if you have themMethodPulse the leaves, oil, fennel seeds, pistachios, oil and lemon juice together until you have a coarse paste. Taste and season if needed.Melt the butter in a saucepan and add 3/4 of the onion, thyme and the celery. Cook until softened, season and add the pearl barley. Cook for a minute or two before adding the lapsang then simmer for about 10-15 minutes until cooked, but with bite.Add the fish and cook gently for about three to four minutes.Remove the fish from the pan and stir through a little of the pesto and the remaining red onion. Serve the barley with the fish, a drizzle more of the pesto, the chilli flakes, lemon zest and fennel.
red onions
Rib Tickler
in Meat, vegetables
As Phil Collins once said in Genesis, "He took one of his ribs, and from the rib he made a woman."Now I'm not as talented as Phil, so I took a rib rack from the butcher's, covered it in spices and cooked it for four hours on a low heat. I could have put some potatoes in too, but I thought there was no jacket required.And at the end, I hadn't made a woman, just a delicious manly supper. Bee was out with the 'Rock Mums' for the evening, so while this portion could have been for two, I ate the whole lot in one messy session. I didn't leave a rib spare.To stay on the healthy side, with one hour's cooking left I put in a tray of vegetables to soften and caramelise. Bright rainbow chard, patty pan squash, red onions (one of my favourite roasted things), garlic and a load of tarragon, olive oil, salt and pepper.Ingredients1 rack of pork ribsLove rub seasoning2 bunches of rainbow chard6 patty pan squash. Failing that, use baby courgettes1 bulb of garlic, halved2 red onions, quarteredA few tarragon sprigsOlive oilSalt and pepper to seasonMethodTo cook the ribs, heat the oven to 140c. Get your friend Linda Schindler to send you a jar of California's finest 'love rub', rub it all over the ribs, stick them in a tray with an inch of water and roast away.You can make your own rub if Linda has run out, from sugar, salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon and cumin. About three tablespoons of each, apart from the cinnamon. Hold back on that a bit.Rub that all over then pour on some olive oil and give it a good juicy massage.Put all the veg in a roasting tray, season and drizzle over olive oil and the tarragon. After the ribs have been in for three hours put the veg in the oven. One hour later, it's all ready.Serve with chilli sauce and paper towels and eat in private.