This dish, or collection of dishes, is called ‘All the Garden Gathered’ in our house, because it uses pretty much everything available in the summer patch. It is perfect for eating al fresco on the lawn, with a chilled glass of rosé and friends around you. After all, that is how the best meals are eaten: rustically. (see photo)
Serves 4 (assuming everyone has a bit of everything)
FOR THE COURGETTE AND SALTIMBOCCA:
2 aubergines
2 courgettes
Extra virgin olive oil, for frying
12 slices of prosciutto
Small bunch of basil, leaves picked
FOR THE BULGAR WHEAT SALAD:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 spring onions or 1 salad onion
1 garlic clove 1 tbsp tomato purée
¼ tsp chilli flakes
150g bulgur wheat
300g tomatoes
½ lemon, zest and juice
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pine nuts,
toasted 1 heaped tbsp baby capers 2
tbsp sultanas
6 green Gordal olives, pitted and torn
FOR THE BEAN SALAD:
300g French beans, topped and tailed
1 tsp apple cider vinegar ½ orange, zest and juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp faked almonds, toasted
FOR THE SAUCE:
300ml strained Greek yoghurt
75g leafy green herbs (parsley, fennel, mint, hyssop, chervil, sorrel…),
finely chopped ½ cucumber, grated, and all the water squeezed out
1 tsp apple cider vinegar Edible flowers, if you have some
FOR THE SALTIMBOCCA:
Slice the aubergines from top to bottom into crosssections around 1cm thick. Do the same with the courgettes but slice them thinner, around 5mm. You should get around three ‘steaks’ and two stubby ends (which can be saved for another recipe) from each fruit.
Drizzle the steaks with one or two tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, and fry in a hot frying pan for 3–4 minutes on each side until browned. Lift the slices out of the pan and onto a plate lined with kitchen paper.
Lay a piece of prosciutto on a board and place one aubergine or courgette ‘steak’ on top at a 45-degree angle. Arrange four basil leaves evenly on top of the aubergine/ courgette, then wrap the prosciutto over the steak to enclose everything and cover the basil. Repeat with the remaining slices of prosciutto, aubergine and courgette.
In the same frying pan, now set to a medium-high heat, warm the remaining oil, then fry the wrapped ‘steaks’ for two minutes on each side so the prosciutto turns golden and crisp.
FOR THE BULGAR WHEAT
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low-medium heat. Chop the spring onions and cook gently for 3 minutes. Crush the garlic (with a little salt and the fat of a knife) then add that to the pan too, continuing to cook gently for 2 more minutes, until soft but not browned. Add the tomato purée and the chilli flakes and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour in the bulgur wheat, together with 150ml of hot water. Bring everything to the boil then turn the heat of, cover the pan with a lid, and leave for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into quarters or rough slices. Once the bulgur wheat is done add the lemon juice and stir it with a fork to loosen the grains. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients and combine. Check the seasoning – it may need more salt, then transfer to a bowl ready to serve.
FOR THE BEANS:
Boil the beans in salted water for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water. Pat dry and transfer to a serving bowl.
For the dressing, put the vinegar, orange zest and juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt into a jam jar and give it a good shake. Pour over the beans, add the almonds and mix.
FOR THE SAUCE:
Simply mix everything together with a big pinch of salt.
To serve, load the aubergine and courgette steaks onto a big board and take them to the table with the bean salad and bulgur wheat. Serve with dollops of herby yoghurt sauce. Make a toast to the harvest and to happiness and dig in.
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Award winning grower cook Kathy Slack will be sharing four exclusive seasonal recipes with us over the coming year.
Her book, From the Veg Patch cookbook was highly acclaimed for its simple delicious recipes - transforming ten easily grown garden vegetables, into one hundred readily made inspiring dishes.
Very excitingly, her book Rough Patch – a memoir with recipes, is due out in spring 2025.
We can’t wait to post her first recipe in the series - it will be featured during October, and will use produce of the season.
Kathy is not only a brilliant cook and grower, she also uses Dalefoot Composts. In her own words she describes it as, ‘The caviar of composts…not cheap, but it’s really marvellous stuff.’ Quoted from her book, From the Veg Patch, Ebury publishing, 2021.
Visit her website at www.kathyslack.com
Follow her on Instagram @gluts_gluttony
Subscribe to her blog kathyslack.substack.com