The Harvester's Lunch
We’re going away for ten days; which in the bygone days of not being vegetable enthusiasts would've been a welcome break with the lead up spent sea dreaming, clock watching, and bikini packing excessively early. This year however, we are filled with dreadful anticipation, laced with reluctance, remorse and guilt. How will the sweetpeas pick themselves? We might miss darling little Tommy Tomatoes first blush. What if they pine for us and trash the place in unruly rebellion?
In preparation we put our armour on, (Gloves? Shears? Trugs and jugs? Check, check, check.) and battled through our last day of weeding, plucking, freezing, canning and jamming.
On this sort of day when in one’s mind you are a gardening God, a horticultural hero and the most prodigious picker that ever walked these green and pleasant lands, you want a lunch to match. Albeit one that requires little time, fleeting culinary concentration and moreover, maximises your feeling of agricultural conquest.
And so, amongst armful and jarfuls of sweetpeas and dahlias, I picked out the greenest of the greens to rustle up for our fare.
May I present you with what I have dubbed The Harvester’s Lunch. Please don’t misunderstand, this is not a lunch you might find at the UK's favourite great value family restaurant. Oh no. This is much better. So much better
If you don't have any tasty treats to be picked in the garden or you could use any vegetable longing to be used in your kitchen Find a simple grain or carbohydrate to go with it and serve with lashings of hard cheese and chopped herbs. Here's my version.
Ingredients
1 onion diced3 cloves of garlic2 courgettes sliced1 head of broccoli choppedA handful of tarragon, pastsley and chivesLashings of parmesan cheese shavingsA good glug of olive oilWholewheat pasta
Method
In a pan, heat the olive oil. Sautéed until golden. Put pasta on the boil in salted water. Add courgette and broccoli to your onions and sautée until tender. Add garlic. Cook for a couple more minutes. Season well. Drain the pasta and mix well into the pan. Serve with herbs and lots of Parmesan.