EASY SUMMER RECIPES PERFECT FOR AL FRESCO DINING
Take some culinary inspiration from Ballymaloe Foods
Summer is just around the corner and the arrival of warmer weather means it’s time to change up the weeknight routine with some lighter dishes. Why not try one of these great recipes put together by Ballymaloe Foods.
Sarah Collins, Marketing Manager with Ballymaloe Foods says, “The evenings are getting brighter and longer so many of us are choosing to dine outdoors with our families. Now is the perfect time to try out some great summer dishes packed full with fresh, seasonal ingredients. We’ve put together four of our favourite recipes that are guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family. These dishes can be served as a main course or a side dish.”
SUMMER RECIPES:
Smashed Crispy Sweet Potato Warm Salad
Green Garden Quiche
Vegetarian Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Stuffed Roasted Irish Peppers
Smashed Crispy Sweet Potato Warm Salad (serves 5)
Ingredients
5 small, sweet potatoes (or 2 large)
10 baby potatoes
6/8 tbsps. olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Bulgar salad
100g/ 40z bulgar wheat
10 floz boiling water
Pinch of salt
2 tbsps. of pumpkin seeds
½ pomegranate seeded
2 small thinly sliced spring onion
2 tbsps. olive oil
Dressing
3 heaped tbsps. of natural live yoghurt
1 finely grated clove of garlic
1 or 2 generous tsp of Ballymaloe Fiery Relish
Pinch of sea salt
Optional Extra Toppings
Pulled roast chicken, feta crumbled, grilled halloumi, sweet chilli baked salmon, crispy bacon, pulled ham hock or roast pork.
Method
Preheat your oven to 250°C (conventional)
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water & drain.
Place the potatoes on a clean chopping board & apply pressure to flatten, skins included.
Using a pastry brush, coat the potatoes in your infused oil.
Pop the potatoes on a roasting tray & into the oven. Roast until rich golden brown and crispy.
In a saucepan bring 10 fl oz of water to the boil & stir in the bulgur & a pinch of sea salt. Bring back to a boil & simmer gently for 10 mins.
Place into a nylon sieve to remove any excess water.
In a large bowl place the cooked bulgur, sliced spring onions, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds & olive oil. Stir gently to combine, season & taste.
For the dressing, stir everything together, taste & adjust seasoning if necessary.
Assemble using a warm wide bowl, spoon on 2 tbsps. of bulgur salad, topped with 1 warm crispy sweet potato and two warm crispy baby potatoes, drizzle over the fiery dressing and serve.
Green Garden Quiche (serves 6)
Shortcrust pastry
8oz plain white flour sieved
4 oz butter
1 egg beaten
1 dessertspoon of water (slow addition)
Filling
100g broccoli - split each floret into 4
100g peas
100g green beans
3 eggs
6 fl oz cream
100g vintage Irish cheddar grated
Ballymaloe Pepper Relish to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 250°C. (conventional)
For the pastry, use a blender to combine the flour & butter. Add the beaten egg & barely blitz until it resembles large breadcrumbs.
Remove from the blender & place onto your clean work top & bring together quickly.
Flatten the pastry into a round & wrap & chill for 30 mins.
Pop the prepped broccoli, peas & green beans into well-seasoned boiling water & cook for 3 mins.
Place your chilled pastry on a floured bench. Flour your clean rolling pin & roll the pastry into a round roughly 11” round. Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin & drape evenly over your 9” tart tin.
Line with crumpled parchment & fill with baking beans. Freeze for 15 mins.
Place the frozen tart shell into a preheated oven at 250°C & ‘bake blind’ for 25 - 45 mins.
Remove the beans & brush the base halfway up the sides with egg wash & place back in your oven for 3-5 mins until sealed. Remove to a wire rack.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well, stir in the cream, grated cheese & fully drained veg. Add a generous pinch of sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper.
Pour into the tart shell & continue to bake for about 25-30 mins. Then cool on a wire rack for 5 mins.
Serve with an Irish Root Veg Slaw & a great big dollop of Ballymaloe Pepper Relish on each slice of quiche.
Vegetarian Vietnamese Spring Rolls (serves 5)
Ingredients
Julienne into 3” sticks:
½ red pepper
2 spring onions
1 small cucumber
1 large carrot
5 broccolini, split into quarters on the length
10 green beans, split in half on the length
Dressing
1 tsp honey
3 tsp rice wine vinegar
Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
10 sheets of rice paper wrappers
40 grams of rice vermicelli noodles
20 lettuce leaves (cos & butterhead)
20 large mint leaves
Dipping sauce
8 tbsps. light soy sauce
3 tsp Ballymaloe fiery relish
2 tsp honey
Method
Place the prepared julienne of veg into ten mixed bundles & place onto a baking tray.
Mix the dressing well & sprinkle over each mound of vegetables. Leave to infuse for 20 mins, turn each bundle halfway through to ensure flavour is dispersed.
In a large bowl pour in boiling water, top up with cold water to create a very warm bath.
Take a rice paper sheet into the bath & feel as the heat turns it into a pliable sheet, remove carefully & place on your clean worktop. Flatten into a round.
Place a mint leaf in the centre, top with some cooled rice noodles, then your seasoned bundle of veg and lastly a piece of butterhead.
Pull the base up over the centre and pull the top down to seal both ends. Now start to roll from the sides applying pressure to create a firm bundle.
Wrap until fully enclosed a firm sausage shape is achieved. Place on a well oiled (olive oil) clean baking tray. Ensure they do not stick together & cover in a well-oiled piece of cling film.
Mix the dipping sauce ingredients together & taste.
To serve: in a box place two cos leaves & pop a spring roll on each. Pop in some dipping sauce (in a container) & serve.
Stuffed Roasted Irish Peppers (serves 2)
Ingredients
2 red peppers (200g each)
40g lentils
Olive oil
100g courgette, diced ⅓”
100g aubergine, diced ⅓”
2 cloves of garlic, peeled & finely chopped
50g celery chopped
1 tbsp. Ballymaloe Pepper Relish
1-2 tsp Ballymaloe Fiery Relish
Fresh basil leaves
Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
Method
Preheat your oven to 250°C. (conventional)
Wash the lentils until the water runs clear, then place the lentils into a saucepan & cover in water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 mins or until just cooked. Drain into a nylon sieve to drain
In a large frying pan, add 4 tbsps. of water & start to cook the diced courgette & aubergine, season well.
Once the water evaporates, add 2 tbsps. of olive oil & continue to cook & colour. Now add the chopped garlic & cook for a further two mins.
Remove to a bowl & add in the cooked & well drained lentils, pepper relish & fiery relish. Stir well to combine. Taste & adjust seasoning if necessary, by adding sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Set aside.
Carefully remove the lid of each pepper & then carefully remove the core & seeds.
Season the base of each pepper with a sprinkle of sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper & pop in 3 leaves of fresh basil.
Place half of the veggie lentil mix into each pepper, top each with a large basil leaf & close by replacing the pepper lid.
Place in a tight-fitting dish & bake in your preheated oven for 25 mins or until the pepper is just cooked.
Remove from the oven & allow to cool or serve immediately.
