👋+: Raspberry Beetroot Salad, Kohlrabi Hand Pies & Fennel Bean Piccata
recipes for a wet (or sunny) summer + what I like to keep in my pantry
Allô! 👋
Hello, and thank you for being here! Welcome (back) to the seasonal sundays section of the good food at home newsletter, where we take a closer peek at produce at its peak — with a short introduction, a recipe, and a (sometimes related) cooking Q&A. If you’re a new subscriber and would like to read the previous issues, you can click here to find them!
Happy Sunday! I hope your July’s been off to a good start — deliciously peppered with treasured moments of sunshine, delight, and relaxation. Mine (and most of Norway's) has been unusually grey, wet, and windy, but cheerful nonetheless.
On today’s menu, we begin with an intro to what’s in season right now (the answer is: nearly everything), then dig into rainy vs sunny summer recipes featuring raspberries, beetroot, kohlrabi, and fennel, before finishing with a double Q&A where I share my favourite pantry items and get specific about salt.
It’s a bit of a long one, but one I’m really proud of (and that I think you’ll really enjoy)! The main theme? In summer, there’s no need to cook — all you really have to do is shop, sometimes prep, and then jauntily assemble.
Happy reading,
— Simone
P.S. In case you missed it in the last newsletter, seasonal sundays is currently being dispatched every other week this summer.
Though summer may be one of the main calendar seasons, it also contains within it a multitude of micro-seasons, each with an overlapping and ever-evolving catalogue of produce to proudly display.
While sweet, plump, juicy fruit and popular veg require almost no introduction, other summer candidates — like beetroot, kohlrabi, and fennel — may benefit from getting a bit of extra love and attention.
Right now, it’s still early summer, and there’s already lots to choose from. Here are a few items to look for (and look forward to) in the coming days and weeks.
LATE SEASON
These are the things that are on their way out — either for the year or until the weather cools again in early fall — though local availability will of course depend on plant varieties, where the foods have grown, and if they must travel far to get to you:
• garlic scapes
• peas
• fava beans
• rhubarb
• wild strawberries
• cultivated strawberries (though some varieties continue to fruit throughout summer)
• haskap berries (blue honeysuckle)
PEAK SEASON
• raspberries
• beetroot
• carrots
• dill flower, nasturtiums, zucchini blossoms, and chamomile
• turnips
• gooseberries, red currants, and white currants
• new potatoes
• fresh / young onions
• fresh / young garlic
• fennel
• samphire
• an abundance of herbs
• brassicas like kohlrabi, cabbage, and chard
• cherries, peaches, and other stone fruit
EARLY SEASON & COMING SOON
• zucchini, patty pans, and other summer squash
• celery
• shelling beans and string beans
• cucumbers
• eggplant (aubergine)
• bilberries and blueberries
• tomatoes
• chanterelles
• corn
• melon
• peppers
• grapes
• honey
You may have gathered from the selection of photos I’ve chosen that, no matter what is growing around you at the moment, summer is great time to put things on toast.
Indeed, as it’s generally too hot to turn on an oven or stove, too sunny to stay indoors, and/or the produce just too good to fuss with, it’s generally a great season for doing barely any cooking at all. Generally, all you’ve got to do is shop for (or harvest) good ingredients, occasionally do a bit of prep, and finish with some low-effort assembly.
Generally.
As I alluded to in my opening note above, Norwegian summer seems to be on a holiday of its own this year.
More often than not, the days here have been windy, wet, cold, and dark — not exactly the type of weather that makes you want to languorously sip on chilled soups or playfully crunch on crisp cool salads. Hence the slightly more involved (and comforting) recipes below. As I know some of you are experiencing scorching weather, however, I’ve also provided low-effort, minimal fuss alternatives to each, so do read on if your summer is looking mostly sunny and hot.
In an effort to not make this newsletter too long, I’ve simplified the recipes as much as practical. Ingredients are highlighted in bold for ease of reference, as usual.
roast beetroot, raspberries, pistachios & feta ✨
You could finely slice your summer beets on a mandoline or shave them with a box grater for a quick cool salad, but there’s just something about a cooked beet that I find much more satisfying. Here, they are steam-roasted on a bed of salt so they can absorb maximum flavour from the raspberries (and keep their respective colours unmarred), but you could also simmer them in water with vinegar, salt, and sugar for a juicier result.
RASPBERRY BEETROOT SALAD WITH PISTACHIO FETA
serves 4 as a small plate or appetiser (or 2 if folks are especially hungry)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to good food at home to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.