You don't need a massive garden to grow food to eat. Gizzi Erskine, chef and food writer suggests three recipes to make the most of your window ledge veg.
Sea bass with sautéed chorizo, new potatoes, rainbow chard and spinach
'There still isn’t much that beats the whole flakey fish and meaty chorizo combination and you can bet your bottom dollar that once combined with the bitter sweet flavour of rainbow chard, spinach and crisp, comforting sautéed potatoes all cut through with a hint of lemon – we’re talking a proper delicious and robust meal. Not what you’d expect from your average window box, but then who wants to be average anyway?'
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 semi dried chorizo sausage, chopped into chunks
- 300g new potatoes, parboiled
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 150g rainbow chard, washed and trimmed
- 150g spinach, washed and trimmed
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 x 120g fillets of Seabass, (or sea bream) skin on
Heat the oil in a large frying or sauté pan and throw in the chorizo. Fry for 2 minutes then throw in the potatoes, then fry over a high-ish heat for a further 5 minutes or until the potatoes start to crisp and go golden. For the last minute of cooking add the garlic to the pan.
Add the chard and spinach leaves to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until they have wilted down but still kept some shape. Take off the heat and season with a spot of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Split between the plates, and then wipe the pan clean.
Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining oil in the pan then lay the fish skin side down. Pan fry for 3 minutes then flip over and finish cooking for a further minute on the other side. Lay the fish on top of the veggies and bobs your uncle a delicious meal from window box to plate in minutes.
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Picked summer salad
Being able to pick a salad from your window boxes must be up there as one of life’s little wonders. My personal favourite are radishes which are frankly the easiest things to grow and never taste more peppery or have a better crunch than when straight out of the soil. The mint and spring onion adds an aromatic lift while the dressing really brings it all together and makes this salad a joy to eat as an accompaniment with almost anything - or even on its own. Preparation time 10 minutes
- Mixed lettuce from whatever you’ve grown. I grew little gems, red cos and a boston bib
- 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
- 10 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 10 mint leaves, torn
- for the dressing
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- a squeeze of lemon
- 1 teaspoon runny honey
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, the best you can afford
Separate the lettuce leaves by pulling them apart from the stalks or simply cutting through the root of the lettuce. Rinse them in iced water and give them a good whiz around. Drain the lettuce and then dry by either putting into a salad whizzer or dabbing with kitchen paper.
Place the leaves into a salad bowl along with the cucumber, radishes, spring onions and mint.
Place all the dressing ingredients into a jam jar and shake it like crazy until they have emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad, then with your hands give them a good mix up. Serve the salad either on plates or in a salad bowl and eat immediately or it’ll go soggy.
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Beetroot, courgette and goats cheese risotto
You may think that grating the courgette in with such a strong flavour as beetroot would be a waste, but in actual fact it really compliments the sweetness and earthiness of the humble beetroot. With the addition of a sharp goats cheese to balance the dish this already dazzling risotto only shines more from its sensational bright purple colour. Preparation time 10 minutes. Cooking time 30 minutes.
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 raw beetroots, grated
- 2 courgettes, grated
- 250g risotto rice, I love aborrio or carnolli
- 1 large glass white wine
- 600ml/1 pint stock, vegetable or chicken would be perfect
- 100g creamy goats cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 30g Parmesan cheese
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry the onion over a low-ish heat for 10 minutes or until the pancetta has gone golden and the onions have softened. For the last minute of cooking add the garlic to the pan. Add the beetroot and courgette to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add the rice and stir for a minute or two to coat the grains of rice. Pour over the glass of wine and keep stirring while the wine is absorbed into the grain. Gradually ladle the hot stock into the risotto letting it absorb between each ladle. Keep stirring it as this encourages the starch to come out which is what makes risotto have that creamy texture. The risotto will turn a gorgeous rich bright pinky purple
The rice is ready when the grains are cooked but still have a little bite and the rice is loose but not soupy. Add in the goats cheese, butter and Parmesan, which will become rich and velvety. Serve the risotto with a scattering of basil leaves and for the extra wicked of you, why not have some more Parmesan.
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