Zucchini, strawberry and basil salad

There are a million reasons why to have your own vegie patch – because it makes vegies interesting, because you can grow truly organic produce, because everything tastes better when it’s home grown, because gardening is a superb form of meditation. 

My gorgeous yellow zucchini

But my number one reason is because there’s nothing so fulfilling as eating something amazing that was grown by you and picked only a few minutes earlier – it’s literally still growing! You don’t even need to know what you’re going to cook in advance.

Take this recipe for example. Up at my community garden plot I found my first zucchini of the season (hooray!), a good handful of strawberries that the slaters hadn’t found yet, and silverbeet that was super keen to be picked. Back home and my basil plants have doubled in size thanks to the recent rain. It only took about a minute to join the dots and come up with this fantastic salad.

Strawberries, silverbeet, zucchini and basil

Zucchini is so versatile – it can be steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, roasted, pickled, grated for fritters or spiralised into zoodles and used as a pasta substitute. But if you use it when it is super fresh, young and raw, it makes a slightly sweet and delicate addition to salads. It’s high in fibre, a swathe of vitamins and minerals and even omega 3 fatty acids. It’s easy to grow and – best news of all – it’s not late to plant them for a summer crop!

They’re best grown by planting the seed directly in a sunny spot, a metre apart, into soil that has been enriched with compost, manure and/or green manures. I have a slater plague in my garden, and one of their favourite foods is freshly germinated plant shoots, so I plant first into small pots and transplant the seedlings out when they reach about 10-15cm tall. If you do this, try to disturb the roots as little as possible during the transplant process.

Slaters love strawberries and young plants - and in my garden every other plant too!

Water regularly and protect the young plants from snails, slugs and other pests that can chew through the stalk overnight - natural options included crushed egg shells or human hair scattered around the plant. Try to water the roots and not the leaves to avoid disease, although they will probably still get powdery mildew as their health declines towards the end of summer – you can treat this through a range of organic means but it won’t typically affect the crop.

Zucchinis are super-fast and happy growers. I planted my seedlings out a month ago and have already picked my first two zucchinis, one from each plant. The fruit (yep, it’s not a vegetable!) also grow incredibly fast so check on them every day or two and pick when they’re at the desired size. Leave them for another week or two and they’ll be huge, still edible but relatively tasteless. Try to find a few different varieties to plant – I have the usual green type plus the vibrant yellow-skinned variety featured in this recipe.

Shaved zucchini

Zucchini, strawberry and basil salad

Serves 1 as a main, or 2 as side salad

One small zucchini

1-2 silverbeet leaves (or another young tender green)

A handful of strawberries

A sprig of fresh basil leaves

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Use a potato peeler to shave thin slices off the zucchini, stopping when you reach the seeds. Don’t throw the seed core out – I snack on it later, or use it in another meal or vegie stock. Put the slices in a bowl with the finely sliced silverbeet.

Put the vinegar, oil and a tiny pinch of salt and pepper into a small jar, screw the lid on tightly and shake vigorously. Pour over the zucchini mix and mix through with your hands to coat thoroughly. This will tenderise the vegies slightly as you prepare the strawberries.

Slice the strawberries in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and add with the chopped or torn basil to the bowl. Toss and serve immediately.

 
So easy, so good :)

Spectacularly beautiful beetroot and leek risotto

The garden is just so pretty this time of year when everything is “Spring”-ing into life. Even my leeks, which spent most of winter looking like sad chives, are now strong, tall architectural works of art.

This leek survived a cockatoo attack!

I find leeks easy to grow – they prefer a nice sunny spot but will take some shade, and like nice rich soil. I start them off in a shallow tray, by sowing them thick on the surface and covering them very lightly with seed raising mix. Keep them moist and they’ll sprout in a week or so. Let them grow up to 15-20 cm tall then either plant them in a 15 cm trench that you gradually fill in as they grow, or plant normally then hill the soil up around them when they're tall enough. Either method will ensure you get a long white section of stem – this is the part you eat.

I planted my leeks in Autumn using the trench method.

They’ll reach full size in several months but can be picked at any time before then. They’re also pretty forgiving – a cockatoo snapped one of mine down to the ground only six weeks ago and it has fully recovered!

Leeks are from the onion family, and they can be used in just about anything you’d use normally onions for. They caramelise beautifully when cooked low and slow. Before cooking a leek, cut off the tough green part of the leaves, cut the leek in half length-ways and rinse upside down under running water to remove any dirt and grit. The discarded greens can be used with other vegie scraps to make a great stock.

For this risotto, I’ve chosen to pair leeks with beetroots, which have fantastic health benefits as mentioned in my pear and beetroot salad blog article. This is truly the most beautiful, visually spectacular risotto you will ever make – it’s the most vibrant scarlet colour with lush greenery peeking through. It’s also absolutely delicious, slightly sweet while still being rich and satisfying. If you love this beetroot and leek risotto, you might also like to try my mushroom risotto,or if you’re grain-free, try substituting cauliflower for the rice, like my cauliflower risotto recipe here.

Beetroot and leek risotto

1 leek, white part of the stalks only, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium beetroot

Juice of ½ lemon

1 cup Arborio rice

3 cups hot vegetable stock

A small bunch of leafy greens – kale, silverbeet, spinach etc – finely sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place a medium saucepan on the stove over a low heat. Add a good slosh of olive oil, the leek and garlic. Stir then put the lid on for a few minutes to leave them to soften and caramelise. The leek will become translucent – don’t let it brown as that can create a bitter flavour.

Grate the beetroot or pulse it for a few seconds in a food processor until it’s finely chopped. Add to the leek mixture and stir through. Let it cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until it has a beautiful shine.

Turn the heat up to medium, add the rice and keep stirring for a couple of minutes so that the grains are all coated in oil and have started to heat up. Add the lemon juice, which should sizzle as it hits the pan, and stir through. After 30 seconds, pour in all of the stock and stir. Turn the heat back down to low, put the lid on and walk away!

Taste test the risotto after 20-25 minutes, when the rice should be starting to soften. When it’s nearly ready to serve, stir in the greens – you want to do this now so they have time to wilt but don’t lose their colour. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, serve immediately. 

Spectacularly beautiful beetroot and leek risotto