Savoury Chard & Potato Swirls
wet summer woes + how I make flaky, portable börek at home ✨
Allô! 👋
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This month has been unusually wet. Cool, cloudy, windy. And wet.
But it’s also been beautiful — and bountiful — with occasional pockets of sunshine and warmth. A delicious lesson in acceptance and abundance. Seize the season while you can, and be grateful for the good things in life.
Late July marks a distinct shift in the summer season. The electric pale greens of early summer now replaced by deeper hues of viridescence. Less and less birdsong with each passing day. Sunsets somehow becoming increasingly golden as they progressively hasten.
It’s a good time for picnics (indoor or out), for cooking over fire (sheltered or in full sun), and for packing snacks that can survive the freedom and adventure that come with spending un-rushed and unscheduled hours frolicking through city parks, by refreshing waterfronts, around botanical gardens, on forest trails, and up gently sloping mountain tops — or in museums, movie theatres, and libraries; relaxing refuges that can offer respite not only from one’s inner reality, but also from external realities like excessive heat or rain.
Summer cooking is easy, breezy, and it’s familiar too: serving tomatoes with basil and mozzarella every chance you get, making homemade lemon- and limeade on a scorching hot day, enjoying watermelon on repeat with lime, chili, or feta, dishing up quick Spanish omelettes, pasta salads, capreses, coleslaws and panzanellas, gathering family and friends to make personalised pizzas, tacos, hot dogs and burgers — and firing up the BBQ to grill any and all veggies as often as one can. Why reinvent the wheel when you’re already on a roll?
It’s also the start of preserving season: fruit into jams and vegetables into pickles, beans and peas dried, and almost anything frozen for later. So far I’ve made sauerkraut from cabbage, jam from bilberries, and have popped the following into my freezer: chard (leaves and stems apart), blue honeysuckle, dinosaur kale, red currants, cherries, cultivated and wild strawberries, black raspberries, and more bilberries, too.
For my tips on freezing fruit well, check out the last newsletter issue.
In this issue, you’ll find tips for which produce to buy and ideas for how to cook at this time of year, as well as a recipe for chard and potato börekler (they’re so good; the images I took of them really do not do them justice), plus some recent links on food and public health (including a mini-rant involving the Olympics).
As always, I hope you’ll enjoy.
Wishing you a lovely August ahead,
👋simone
it's mid-summer: what to shop for?
🍑🍯🥒
The nice thing about fresh food being so diverse and abundant in summer is that you really don’t have to do much to enjoy flavoursome, non-repetitive meals — nature (and those who work with it) have already done most of the work for you. All you have to do is make sure you’re not missing out on what’s at peak.
Below are some items to seek out, plus ideas for slightly more elaborate (but still very simple) meals to celebrate and make the most of mid-summer produce.
gooseberries, currants and physalis 🍓 sure, strawberries and blueberries are perfect for topping your morning yogurt / muesli / porridge (and an obvious snack for a countryside drive or saturday picnic), but so are all sorts of other small berries! these all bake beautifully into crumbles or cakes — they make for nice fools too — and are a natural accompaniment to charcuterie boards and cheese platters. pairs well with: almonds, woody herbs, cured meats, strong cheeses, dairy-based desserts.
kohlrabi, cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cauliflower 🥦 it’s official: brassica season has begun! lovely in curries, salads, or roasted, you can also char them, lacto-ferment them, or easily pop them into a sauce or pie without overwhelming other flavours. pairs well with: garlic, cashews, yogurt, red meat, pine nuts, and cinnamon.
sea vegetables 🌊 an often forgotten category of veg, though it certainly doesn't have to be — if you think nori rolls and seaweed snacks are lovely year-round and that furikake is a must-have condiment in your house, you may already be making the most of samphire season all while dreaming up your next sea purslane dinner. if not, seek these delightful sea vegetables out and give them a shot! you might just find that you love them. pairs well with: mint, fresh cheeses, cucumber, seafood, lemon.
honey 🍯 now’s the time. you know what to do. pairs well with: sesame seeds, halloumi, matcha, hot chilies, ginger, mint.
stone fruit (drupes) 🍒 as with most fruit, these are usually fantastic enjoyed as is. consider slow-roasting, poaching, barbecuing, or adding them to salads, tarts, and cakes alike. from cherries to pluots and nectarines to greengages, each comes in a wide variety of colours, shapes and sizes, so try to find and enjoy as many as you can. pairs well with: tender herbs, olive oil, grilled meats, fresh cheeses, tomatoes, whipped creams, ice creams, and custards.
fresh shell beans 🌱 beans, those pantry staples we are oh-so-grateful to rely on, are typically harvested from mid- to late summer before being dried for long-term storage. if you’re lucky to find some, you can have yourself fresh cooked beans in under 30 minutes, tasting creamier and sweeter than at any other time of year — so best make the most of them while you can! pairs well with: everything, really.
summer squash 🥒 while dark green zucchini is what usually comes to mind (and is most easy to find), don't forget other summer squashes like pattypans, yellow squash, speckled pale green squash, part-yellow part-green squash, and multicoloured round varieties too. wonderfully delicate when thinly sliced and raw, these are also fantastic grilled, stuffed, confited, marinated, tossed through pasta or baked into a cake — don't forget their edible flowers! pairs well with: garlic, pine nuts, corn, tomatoes, peppers, chocolate.
beets, turnips, and carrots 🥕 these can be nice shredded raw (especially if served in a creamy rémoulade) and all make for great pickles, but they are perhaps best enjoyed in the summer roasted over high heat or grilled on the BBQ and served with lots of herbs. pairs well with: tahini, yogurt, soft fresh cheeses, bulgur, thyme, balsamic vinegar.
early late-summer fruit and veg 🍈🍉🍅🌽🌶️🍇🍆 although tomatoes and eggplants are available on supermarket shelves year-round, they — along with grapes, corn, peppers, melons, green beans, and blackberries — usually aren’t at their very best until mid- to late mid-summer and into late summer (so, starting in around two weeks’ time if your climate is continental like the one I’m used to, or already in recent weeks if you’re in a more temperate climate). keep an eye out for juicy ones and get ready to pounce!
latest recipes from seasonal sundays 💌
In case you missed them, here’s what we’ve been enjoying over on seasonal sundays this month (plus, some more midsummer meals from the archive, open to all):
raspberry beetroot salad with pistachios & feta ✨
If this recipe teaches you anything, I hope it’s how to make and enjoy your own raspberry vinegar and pistachio paste. The shallot-y vinaigrette and pistachio-feta cream are just the cherry (or beetroot) on top.
fennel bean piccata with frizzled fennel, shallots & lemon 🍋
Who knew piccata worked for more than just chicken? The key here is to crisp up some (or all) of your big, beautiful butter beans before enveloping them with the wine-caper sauce and topping them with the frizzled fennel.
lentil & kohlrabi hand pies 🥧
Kohlrabi is lovely raw in a slaw, but it’s also a special treat in the summer when it is fresh off the farm. If you’re already got the BBQ raring, simply slice some wedges up and slap them onto the hot grill — all that’s left to is whip up a quick tzatziki to go with it, and Bob’s your uncle.
a mid-summer fruit custard tart 🍑🍒🥧✨
Whether you’ve got a glut of raspberries, bilberries, nectarines, or plums on your hand, this light pâtisserie-inspired shortcrust custard tart is the perfect excuse to showcase your mid-summer fruit.
...and more (open to all):
garlicky broccoli with hazelnuts
zucchini blossoms with a whipped herb cream
a gooseberry “fool”
charred cabbage with smoky tahini
chard or potato börek swirls 🌀🌀
The only independent greengrocer in my area is one quietly tucked away across the valley. There, they sell the best fresh herbs, the best dried pastas, and the best jarred beans in town. They also sell yufka (if you’re not familiar with it but know of phyllo / filo, it’s a very similar sheet-like dough that is a little thicker and a little softer) — perfect for making börek.
There’s nothing particularly authentic about the börek recipe below: I’ve yet to visit Turkey (or any of the many other countries where borek pastries are common) so I’ve only ever eaten börekler abroad, and I’ve never seen them in this form before (the ones I’m used to are oblong). I’ve done some research as to how they ought to be made and, as an avid börek-muncher, I think these make a good homage to the pastries I adore from afar but, just so you know, I am basically a börek-buffoon.
The idea to roll them up came from wanting to have something very portable — like a savoury cinnamon roll or pain aux raisins — that could easily travel for picnics and day trips all while having some of filling on the outside so it could get more heat in the oven. To achieve this with yufka, I opted to add filling to each swirl in two different ways. (It is, in effect, a pastry so nice, you fill it twice.) The result is layered, crisp, and marvellous.
börek swirls — with onion, chard & feta, or onion, potato & peppers 🥔🌶️
makes 6 rolls
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FILLING
if choosing chard:
• one medium onion, ∼150g
• one or two bunches of chard, ∼300g
• garlic fresh, 4 medium cloves
• (optional) feta, 120-180g
• water
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper freshly cracked
or, if choosing potato:
• one medium onion, ∼150g
• new or waxy potatoes, ∼220g
• marinated grilled peppers, ∼65g
• water
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper freshly cracked
FOR THE LAYERS
• butter melted, 40g
• egg, 1
• Turkish or Greek yogurt plain, 40g
• yufka or phyllo*, 6 ∼28x28cm (∼11"x11") quarter sheets
• sea salt
• black pepper freshly cracked
FOR THE TOPPING
• egg, 1
• sesame seeds and nigella seeds, or za’atar
*EDIT: if using phyllo, you may want to double up the sheets as they will be thinner than yufka! in which case, you will need 12 ∼28x28cm (∼11"x11") sheets instead of 6
METHOD
1. Place a large frying pan over medium-low heat. While it warms, peel and slice a medium onion into thin strips or a fine dice (I prefer strips for the potatoes, and a dice for the chard).
Add a small splash of olive oil to the pan, then slide the onion into the oil. Immediately season with a small pinch of salt, and give everything a stir so as to thinly coat all the pieces. Let the onion cook without frying for at least 20 minutes and ideally up to 40, adjusting the heat if necessary, until softened and partly caramelised. You’ll need to stir the onions occasionally and give them a small splash of water once or twice to make sure they don’t catch or start to fry.
If choosing chard:
2/a While the onion cooks, clean a large bunch or two smaller bunches of chard and separate the stems from the leaves. Dice the stems, then roughly chop up the leaves into medium-small pieces. Add the chopped stems to the onions once the onions have started to smell caramelised (after at least 20 minutes in the pan). While the stems soften, peel and thinly slice four cloves of garlic. Once the stems have become tender, after 6 or so minutes of cooking, make a small gap in the centre of the pan. Add a splash of olive oil to the empty space, then add in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, a minute or two, then add in all the chopped leaves. Cook them only long enough to wilt, around two minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If choosing potatoes:
2/b While the onion cooks, clean around 220 grams of new or waxy potatoes and shred them on the large holes of a box grater. Once the onion is looking caramelised (after at least 30 minutes of cooking), add in the shredded potato along with a small splash of water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat just until the potatoes are barely cooked, around 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Combine 40 grams of melted butter, one egg, and 40 grams of thick yogurt in a mug or jug. Season with pepper (and a little salt too, if your butter is unsalted). You can blend them together with an immersion blender you want to achieve a silky smooth paste, but it isn’t necessary (just know that if you mix them with a whisk or fork, the mixture will be a little clumpy).
4. Lightly grease a sheet pan with a bit of oil or butter, and preheat the oven to 175°C / 347°F.
5. Gently unfold your yukfa or phyllo and cut them if necessary so you have six ∼28cm x 28cm (∼11"x11") sheets shaped like a square or a baseball diamond. Keep your sheets under a lightly moistened dishtowel until ready to use, so they don’t dry out.
6. Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of the butter-egg-yogurt blend on one side of the first sheet, then flip it over and brush the other side (yes, things will get messy — embrace it).
7. Roughly divide the filling in your pan into six little mounds, then sprinkle half a mound’s worth of filling onto the dough. For the chard filling, you can add in some crumbled feta at this point as well. For the potato filling, feel free to add in some thinly sliced marinated bell peppers. Both are optional; you can get creative and add other mix-ins as well.
Tightly roll the dough up into a thin log, then spread the second half of the mound’s filling next to the log.
Coil the log and filling onto themselves so as to make a swirled pastry that looks a bit like a savoury pain aux raisins. Transfer the swirled börek to the prepared sheet pan, and repeat the process with the rest of the filling.
8. Crack an egg into a small bowl and whisk it up. Brush the egg wash over the top of each pastry. If making chard börekler I recommend topping each with za’atar, and if making potato boreks I recommend a mix of white sesame seeds and nigella seeds (but you can of course choose to use whatever you prefer).
9. Transfer the baking sheet with the six börek swirls to the oven and bake for 35 minutes or so, until the tops are crisp and golden. Let cool for 5 minutes or so before transferring to a rack to cool fully.
Or, enjoy hot and crisp straight away.
Store refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. Mine never last that long.
last, but not least:
the public health corner 🔗
In case you didn’t know, public health is my jam (more on that here, here, and here) — it informs everything I do! And, as always, I like to leave you with a few parting links relating to the topic, as food for thought:
🗒️ ONE ARTICLE
The deep pockets of health-harming industries, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology
(if you’d like further reading, the article above refers to this article here)
🎧 ONE PODCAST EPISODE
Less and Better? Ep 1: It’s Complicated, Feed / Farmerama Radio
📘 ONE BOOK
Field Guide to Urban Gardening, by Kevin Espiritu (Cool Springs Press)
📺 ONE VIDEO / 📝 ONE PETITION
Harmful to both health and the environment, you’d think it was weird to see cigarettes being promoted at the Olympics — but that’s exactly how it used to be: tobacco companies were official sponsors for the Games until 1988 (and have been circumventing their sponsorship ban in numerous ways ever since). We know that sweetened and flavoured beverages are harmful commodities too, so why are we still letting them sponsor the Olympics in 2024?
p.s. I usually have a hard time just picking one of each so, in case you're interested, there's plenty more where that came from
That's all from me this time — see you again next month 💛
The swirls look and sound amazing. Must try!
Wow, the swirls look seriously stunning!