I'm quite sure that you are the same as me when it comes to the amount of time spent in the kitchen during the different seasons. I'll explain further. On a cold day in November or December I am happy to stand by the warmth of the oven and tend to a stew. I shall lovingly cut up the meat and veggies and place them in the pot. I'll happily take it out and check on it from time to time, excusing myself from the book I am reading in the kitchen at that moment. I'll bring whatever it is I am doing into the kitchen and stay there for the duration.
This is not the case when the sun is shining on a glorious day in England. I want to be in and out of the kitchen very quickly indeed so I can re-join the others in the garden. This is why I am a huge fan of very easy and quick to prepare dishes at this time of year. I adore kitchen gardens as it means that so much more can be done outside and the thought of standing by a hot oven for any length of time fills me with dread.
Having just returned from Italy I can assure you that there will be an abundance of fresh produce and big plate recipes to follow in the next few posts but I'll start with a tasty side dish that went very well with the first chicken that I roasted in my new oven.
Cherry's Anya's & Cress
Serves four as a side dish with chicken or fish
Boil 500g of the small Anya variety of potatoes. If you can't find these any baby or new potato will do but do try and stick the small ones. When the potatoes are almost soft and ready to eat place a large handful of cubed pancetta into some olive oil and saute until it's slightly crispy on the outside. When the potatoes are ready, drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the pancetta and a little bit of the oil from the pan and mix well with a large spoon allowing the oil to slightly coat the potatoes. Add 1 chopped avocado and an entire tub of English mustard cress (alfalfa sprouts). Mix well once again and drizzle a little more olive oil over the bowl if it looks a little dry. Get it to the table as soon as you can and scoff in the sun with those you love around you.
This dish should take you no longer than 10 mins depending on how long the potatoes take to go soft. We don't use cress enough in our summer salads so you'll see the little fellas popping up rather a lot this season. What fun, I do like them!!
