Summer Recipes

The following recipes have been kindly shared with us by Riverford Organic Farmers, perfect to enjoy on a lovely summer evening.

Broad Bean, Saffron & New Potato Salad (Serves 4)

This warm salad combines two of the best veg Britain has to offer at this time of year. The bright red saffron threads add a wonderful colour and subtle flavour but use it sparingly, or the flavour can be cloying. Try using a handful of chervil for a slightly different flavour to parsley, or alternatively some chopped chives.

What you need:

800g new potatoes (scrubbed clean & cut in halves or quarters if large), Good pinch of saffron threads, 200g podded broad beans (about 600g in their pods), 4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves, juice of ½ lemon (to taste), salt & pepper.

How you do it:

1. 01. Put the potatoes in a saucepan & add just enough water to cover them, along with a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil & cook for 12–15 minutes, until tender.
2. 02. Once the water comes to the boil, put the saffron threads in a large bowl & add 1 tablespoon of the boiling water. Leave the saffron to steep. While the potatoes are cooking, bring another pan of water to the boil.
3. 03. Add the podded beans to the pan & boil for 3 minutes. Drain & refresh in a bowl of cold water, then drain again. If the beans are large, you might want to double-pod them, but there’s no need to do so if they’re small & the skins are tender.
4. 04. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain & toss them in the saffron liquid. Leave to cool. Add the broad beans. Toss in the olive oil and parsley and add salt, pepper & lemon juice to taste.

Roast Pork with Apple, Ginger & Onion Sauce (Serves 6)

A very good recipe for a weekend or celebratory meal. For heavenly gravy, sit the joint over a couple of split leeks — they will brown and impart both colour & flavour & may be discarded after making the sauce. Because the pork & crackling are so deliciously sweet & rich this simple apple sauce works well as a sharp foil for it.

What you need:

1.1kg pork roast, sea salt, 25g butter, 1 small onion (chopped), 3cm fresh ginger (peeled & finely grated), runny honey (to taste), 1 large Bramley apple (peeled, cored & cut into small dice), salt & pepper.

How you do it:

1. 01. Preheat oven to 200°C / Gas 6.
2. 02. Rub salt over the skin of the pork & roast for 10 minutes then drop the oven temperature to 180°C / Gas 4 for the rest of roasting time (which is as a guide — 30 minutes / 450g plus 30 minutes, but it will also depend on thickness of the joint so test after 1 hour 15 minutes & then continue if not cooked).
3. 03. Rest for 10 minutes in a warm place before carving.
4. 04. For the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan & sweat the onion & ginger together for a few minutes.
5. 05. Add the diced apple & turn in to the mixture with seasoning. Cover & cook until the apple has become a purée. If you find the sauce too sharp then add a touch of honey to taste.

Tip: The age old culinary question, how do you get crispy crackling on your pork? For best results make sure that the rind is dry, rub with sea salt and roast for the initial 10 minutes in a hot oven to cause the fat to begin to bubble out & crisp the rind then lower the oven temperature to moderate for the rest of cooking time. And do not baste with meat juices!