Green vegetable crumble from Nigel Slater, and cucumber, microgreens and wasabi salad
Those early summer days with fresh young greens at the market and the garden sparkling with new growth are glorious. This week I stuffed large handfuls of spinach - thick stems, leaves as sharp as an arrow - into a deep pot, letting them cook for a minute or two on their own steam, then tossed them in with young beans in a classic, aromatic white sauce. The filling was then coated with butter crumbs and baked until the green freckle sauce was bubbling around the edges and the crumble was slightly crispy.
Deeper into summer, I made this recipe with lightly cooked green beans and shredded summer cabbage. Blanched asparagus can also come in, especially now that the price of local spears has come down. The crux is to make a really good sauce, using cloves, bay leaves and onion, but also to give your sauce the baptism of time. A béchamel, carefully seasoned and given a good 25 minutes or more over very low heat with barely a bubble to hear, is a cook's time well spent.
The sauce will enjoy greasy, cooked butter beans, crispy bacon nuggets or a spoonful of fried onions. You can add a handful of finely grated cheese to the crumble if you like, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
The crumble came to the table with a side salad crunchy: fresh cucumber and micro-sprouts (radish, broccoli and alfalfa sprouts) and wasabi paste punch. The contrasts of cool, crunchy, and hot made for a better cucumber salad than I can remember, one that I need to get out more often. Microgreens were more than purely cosmetic; they carry peppery notes that are worth it.
Green vegetable crumbleA soothing dish with sweet summer flavors. Note that the crumble can be assembled the day before and cooked as needed. For 4 people
milk 600mlbay leaves 3onion 1, small cloves 4corns of black pepper 6butter 50gplain flour 50gcream 100gepinach 500g, mixed peas large leaves 200g, pod weight 400g beans, pod weight
For the crumble: flour 100gbutter 100gbreadcrumbs 50g, tender fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon
< p class="dcr-8zipgp">Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the bay leaves and the peeled and halved onion, then add the cloves and whole peppercorns. Watch carefully, then when the milk comes to a boil, remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes.In a nonstick saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the flour. When you have a thick biscuit-colored batter, cook for a minute or two, stirring regularly, then pour in the milk, little by little, stirring constantly, retaining the aromatics in the pan (you can throw them away, they have cooked their job ).
Keep the sauce over low to moderate heat, stirring regularly, and cook for a good 20-25 minutes. If the sauce is lumpy, beat with a whisk until smooth. Incorporate the fresh cream. Check the seasoning and set aside.
Make the crumble: Put the flour in a mixing bowl and rub it with the butter with your fingertips (or give it a quick shot in a food processor) until it resembles the texture of coarse fresh breadcrumbs. Add the breadcrumbs, thyme leaves and 1 tablespoon of water. Shake the bowl from side to side until you get a good mixture of crumbs of different sizes, then set aside.
Wash the spinach and pile the leaves, again moist, in a saucepan, cover tightly with a lid and cook for a minute or two over high heat. When the leaves have relaxed (they cook in their own steam), drain them, then gently squeeze out most of the moisture and set aside. Fill the empty saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cook the peas for 3 or 4 minutes, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a boil, add the beans and cook for 6 or 7 minutes or until tender. Drain and mix with the peas.
Set the oven to 200°C/thermostat 6. Add the drained spinach to the peas and beans, then stir into the sauce. Check the seasoning for salt and black pepper, then pour into a casserole dish or other shallow ovenproof dish or, if you prefer, four individual baking dishes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the surface and bake for about 25 minutes until lightly browned.
Cucumber, microgreens, wasabi
Those early summer days with fresh young greens at the market and the garden sparkling with new growth are glorious. This week I stuffed large handfuls of spinach - thick stems, leaves as sharp as an arrow - into a deep pot, letting them cook for a minute or two on their own steam, then tossed them in with young beans in a classic, aromatic white sauce. The filling was then coated with butter crumbs and baked until the green freckle sauce was bubbling around the edges and the crumble was slightly crispy.
Deeper into summer, I made this recipe with lightly cooked green beans and shredded summer cabbage. Blanched asparagus can also come in, especially now that the price of local spears has come down. The crux is to make a really good sauce, using cloves, bay leaves and onion, but also to give your sauce the baptism of time. A béchamel, carefully seasoned and given a good 25 minutes or more over very low heat with barely a bubble to hear, is a cook's time well spent.
The sauce will enjoy greasy, cooked butter beans, crispy bacon nuggets or a spoonful of fried onions. You can add a handful of finely grated cheese to the crumble if you like, but I'm not sure that's necessary.
The crumble came to the table with a side salad crunchy: fresh cucumber and micro-sprouts (radish, broccoli and alfalfa sprouts) and wasabi paste punch. The contrasts of cool, crunchy, and hot made for a better cucumber salad than I can remember, one that I need to get out more often. Microgreens were more than purely cosmetic; they carry peppery notes that are worth it.
Green vegetable crumbleA soothing dish with sweet summer flavors. Note that the crumble can be assembled the day before and cooked as needed. For 4 people
milk 600mlbay leaves 3onion 1, small cloves 4corns of black pepper 6butter 50gplain flour 50gcream 100gepinach 500g, mixed peas large leaves 200g, pod weight 400g beans, pod weight
For the crumble: flour 100gbutter 100gbreadcrumbs 50g, tender fresh thyme leaves 1 tablespoon
< p class="dcr-8zipgp">Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the bay leaves and the peeled and halved onion, then add the cloves and whole peppercorns. Watch carefully, then when the milk comes to a boil, remove from the heat and let steep for 20 minutes.In a nonstick saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the flour. When you have a thick biscuit-colored batter, cook for a minute or two, stirring regularly, then pour in the milk, little by little, stirring constantly, retaining the aromatics in the pan (you can throw them away, they have cooked their job ).
Keep the sauce over low to moderate heat, stirring regularly, and cook for a good 20-25 minutes. If the sauce is lumpy, beat with a whisk until smooth. Incorporate the fresh cream. Check the seasoning and set aside.
Make the crumble: Put the flour in a mixing bowl and rub it with the butter with your fingertips (or give it a quick shot in a food processor) until it resembles the texture of coarse fresh breadcrumbs. Add the breadcrumbs, thyme leaves and 1 tablespoon of water. Shake the bowl from side to side until you get a good mixture of crumbs of different sizes, then set aside.
Wash the spinach and pile the leaves, again moist, in a saucepan, cover tightly with a lid and cook for a minute or two over high heat. When the leaves have relaxed (they cook in their own steam), drain them, then gently squeeze out most of the moisture and set aside. Fill the empty saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cook the peas for 3 or 4 minutes, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Bring the water back to a boil, add the beans and cook for 6 or 7 minutes or until tender. Drain and mix with the peas.
Set the oven to 200°C/thermostat 6. Add the drained spinach to the peas and beans, then stir into the sauce. Check the seasoning for salt and black pepper, then pour into a casserole dish or other shallow ovenproof dish or, if you prefer, four individual baking dishes. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the surface and bake for about 25 minutes until lightly browned.
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