Supplemental #8 | August's recipe roundup
What's been cooking in the papers and online over the last month?
These #Supplemental round-ups are free for everyone to read. Currently my monthly ‘family-style’ recipe posts, like this tomato puff tart, are free too (although after a couple of weeks they get archived).
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Back to school
August’s recipes were bright, sunny and optimistic. Which was entirely appropriate for the third, final and most summery month of the year — the one that covers the bulk of school holidays.
Yet I sit here on a distinctly dank day only six days on from August flipping over to September, and many of those warm and carefree recipes don’t seem so relevant to the next few weeks worth of cooking.
Thankfully, such is the volume of recipes published each month, I’ve still (easily) gathered a significant clutch of recipes that should still both intrigue and suit the moment, plus some gems that shouldn’t be missed.
Basically: there’s plenty of inspiration below, so without further delay here are the most noteworthy recipes published through August.
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Seasonal fruits
In the UK right now it’s plum time.
This is a fleeting and rapidly changing window. Arghgh, have the greengages gone already?.. Certainly other varieties of late summer/early autumn plums have already moved on … My personal hope for this weekend is that damsons are still an option …
It’s panicked and confusing. So in short: if you see any variety of plum that has grown locally to you, grab them. A juicy, aromatic, genuinely in season plum is very worth seeking out. (In total contrast to the firm and flavourless imitations that sit on supermarket shelves through the rest of the year.)
Once the goods are secured, try Nigel Slater’s rustic plum tart from The Observer Magazine. It’s essentially shortbread topped with plums and crumble, cooked until juices have bubbled and spread. Earlier in the month he offered readers a plum and apricot chutney. Also some simply stewed plums to be served with ginger cake and vanilla ice cream.
Staying on a baking theme, you might try
’s plum and brown butter cake from The Guardian’s Feast supplement. Or, if bright and juicy peaches are still to hand, consider her peach melba meringue cake from a few week’s prior.On which note, I like the sound of these poached peaches, topped with fruit jelly and sloe gin. And Meera Sodha’s roast peaches with salted jaggery kulfi (YUM).
Are good apricots still available? Try this tart by Ravinder Bhogal. Or if you happen upon a late season glut of them, what about Georgina Hayden’s roast apricot jam, which she suggests slathering within a fried halloumi sandwich. Into it.
Too specific? Maybe just make something that includes as many stone and hedgerow fruits as you can find?
’s brioche-based, late summer fruit panzanella (pictured at the top) is such a good idea. Surpassed only by his windy introduction to the recipe.The Anna Jones Newsletter takes a similar all-or-nothing approach via Anna’s peach, apricot and plum pavlova.
Also, although you’ll find no stones … FIGS ARE IN. For at least a little while longer. Get some. Then eat the first two without embellishment. The next one or two with a little honey, or blue cheese, or both. And then make Rachel Roddy’s fig compote to go with hazelnut and walnut cake plus mascarpone. (Black coffee or (better) a glass of Marsala on the side.)
Tomatoes
We’ve a few more weeks (maybe the best weeks?) to go of actually quite good tomatoes. The following ideas will help you make the most of them.
Nigel’s carrot and tomato soup looks good. I like the addition of feta for that salty/tangy interest. And yes please to tomato fritters with coriander mayonnaise.
Alex Jackson (formerly of Sardine and Noble Rot, and the author of two excellent cookbooks on regional French cuisine) is stuffing tomatoes for FT Weekend readers.
We’ve moved on from that point in the summer when ‘no cooking’ is the best method. BUT I do think
’s cold tomatoes stuffed with cucumber, olives and feta will be fun to eat (via The Sunday Times Magazine).Eric Kim presented a tasty tomato curry to New York Times Cooking subs. And see more of that sort of thing (and more) in my making tomatoes the main thing recipe post last week.
And if you’re not actually ready to sink into autumn, consider
’s salad-like version of an aubergine Parmigiana. I like the clash of raw, acidic tomatoes against singed and soggy aubergines, and creamy mozzarella crash mats/ Plus the of from garlicky breadcrumbs, ofc.Miscellaneous good things
Many of Diana Henry’s recipes in The Telegraph Magazine were so summery they don’t feel right for now. But then, if you are still attached to all things hot and happy, Diana’s spiced pork belly with quick pickled watermelon is something that could be enjoyed all year round. Her potato, rocket and garlic soup with chilli oil feels ripe for now too.
Meera Sodha’s Thai-style corn, bean and smoked tofu salad with rice was inspired by a memory of eating tum tang khao pod in 40C heat. But I’d wager it’ll provide a spark on a dull evening. Definitely worth a try.
See also
’s lime caramel pork belly noodles. And ’s slow-braised coconut caramel chicken with pickles.Classic twists
Everything’s been done before and people put unnecessary twists on things to make a recipe ‘theirs’.
That’s certainly one way of looking at things.
However, some twists can be smart — as are
’s in his latest set for The Sunday Times Magazine: see for e.g. Eton Mess with a swirl of lemon curd; and aubergine curry enriched with peanut butter. Lovely. Is Bon Appetit’s ‘Mapo Chile Mac’ a fusion to far, though? (Elbow macaroni, cheesy sauce, then mapo tofu.)If you’re one of the half dozen British home cooks who could be tempted into frying oysters and serving them over seaweed, click into Mark Hix’s oysters and laverbread on toast. Less adventurous were Mark’s four ideas for mackerel, all of which will be enjoyable, but I’m particularly tempted by the Sichuan mackerel with shredded potato salad.
And if you fancy trialling a not actually tricky but impressive weekend centrepiece, then have a crack at a timballo. Felicity Cloake explains how.
Last, but definitely not least, this Ottolenghi soy chicken and mushroom biryani looks spectacular to me (largely thanks to the crisp base). The meeting point between Cantonese chicken, Hainanese chicken rice, and a Persian biryiani with crisp base. So good.
Extracts from new books
Speaking of which, the big book this month is (probably) Comfort, from the Ottolenghi stable (Yotam, with co-authors Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley). I like their summation of comfort food as ‘right dish, right time, right place’. And it was good to browse a selection of recipes in The Guardian, as they provide a neat tease of the eclectic mix of dishes that lie within. I was drawn, in particular, to the umami-packed (and autumnal) mushroom ragu, plus the cauliflower and butternut pakoras. If you’re a Times subscriber, there are a few more recipe samples here.
Don’t miss
’s Good Time Cooking, which is an outstanding debut, arranged around dinner party menus. Not stuffy gatherings; instead, fun, filling and f*****g delicious ones. I’m not sure I’ve seen a newspaper extract yet, but that’s likely an oversight (either by me, or by editorial teams…). In any event, those of you who subscribe to Rosie’s newsletter will already know how on-point her taste and how lip-smacking her recipes are.Thankfully there have definitely been press samples of Edd Kimber’s latest clever cookbook, Small Batch Cookies. Edd’s hit upon a really useful niche of sweet treats that don’t need to be baked by the two dozen. See, for example, these timely recipes for apple cider doughnut cookies, and chai pumpkin snickerdoodles. And this trio of chocolate cookies, one crispy, one chewy, one gooey.
And as a timely reminder that good cookbooks are for life, not just for publication month, Diana Henry’s Crazy Water Pickled Lemons has been given a facelift and rereleased, in case you missed it back in 2012.
Round the corner?
Winter squash and pumpkins are imminent. If you, like me, are looking forward to this, take a look at
on Sicilian pumpkin caponata. (Her cook-strips are always fab).Maybe you'‘d like to have a crack at my squash, harissa and chickpea lasagne for MOB? I’ve got another set of recipes dropping soon, too. Keep your eyes (and squash) peeled for that.
This Month’s Menu
Fried oysters and laverbread on toast, Mark Hix, The Telegraph Magazine
Soy chicken and mushroom biryani with cucumber and coriander salad, Yotam Ottolenghi, The Guardian, Feast
Hazelnut and walnut cake with fig compote and mascarpone, Rachel Roddy, The Guardian, Feast
You made it to the end! Thanks for reading and see you next week. Ed.
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Such incredible fruit here in Ukraine where it is still around 27 Celsius (a bit too hot when there’s not much electricity working..) but we did get amazing apricots, plums, watermelon and grapes at the huge produce market in Kyiv yesterday. Plus you would have loved the enormous and very beautiful yellow tomato, I have never seen one so large!
Incredible recipe roundup, as always