Kat Riach runs an off-grid bakery from her farm in the Fife countryside. Here, she shows us how to use the best of what the season has to offer with a handy portable lunch idea.
Start of summer
We are looking forward with optimism to the official start of summer this week. Despite spring’s less than favourable weather offerings, there are some fresh, young determined shoots of spring onions and salad appearing in the vegetable garden. For optimum taste and nutritional value, these young tips are best eaten raw or very lightly cooked.
Noodles
For a really easy, healthy lunch, take a large glass jar or other heatproof container and put 1 nest of vermicelli rice noodles into the bottom. Finely chop some spring onion tips, spinach leaves and fine ribbons of carrot and courgette made with a vegetable peeler or spiralzer and pop on top of the noodles. Adding some leaves of your favourite herb, such as coriander or flat leaf parsley and some finely chopped ginger or garlic adds extra dimensions to the flavours, but you can amend to your taste, even adding in a teaspoon of Indian curry powder or thai curry paste for a spicy version.
Finishing off
A handful of fresh summer peas (or frozen if they are out of season) adds some sweetness and if you’re not wedded to a meat free option then I would recommend some cubed chorizo or ham. Season well and drizzle over 1-2 teaspoonfuls of soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast extract (both of these ingredients are available in a gluten free version if required). Pour over enough boiling water to cover all the ingredients. Cover and sit for five minutes to allow the ingredients to soften. Top with a squeeze of lime juice and some extra seasoning if required.
Prepared
This dish can be prepared in advance, up until the point of adding the boiling water, and is therefore a fantastic portable meal. As a larger variety of summer and autumn vegetables become available, this recipe can be altered to suit what’s in season.
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