Summer is well and truly here and with it an abundance of gorgeous summer fruit and vegetables. I’ve just joined a veg box scheme – which means I get a lovely box of fresh fruit and veg delivered to my door every Monday. First delivery is tomorrow, so I’m excited to see what recipes I can come up with! To get in the mood I decided to make a Fresh Summer Vegetable Bake!
This may sound odd, but generally as a family we don’t like dry meals. So a sauce or gravy is essential! For this Fresh Summer Vegetable Bake I made a delicious sauce using garlic, lemon, thyme and Olive oil. This was poured over the beautifully arranged veggies and WOW – even Snugs, our youngest daughter loved it!! Now she’s not exactly picky, especially compared to others the same age, however, let’s say her taste buds aren’t as accepting as the rest of our family. So for her to love this dish, well I knew I was onto a winner!
I used tomatoes, aubergines and green courgettes, but any squashes, potatoes, really any summer veg that you have an abundance of would work. Again the quantities I have given are for 4 adults, you could easily bulk this dish up with potatoes to make it go further, or even eat it as a main dish. The possibilities are endless!!
I’m excited to see what manner of unusual varieties of fruit and vegetables arrive in my veg box. I used to grow quite a few veggies with my lovely hubby’s help, one of the reasons being the ability to grow odd shaped squash or heirloom tomatoes. Most supermarkets only stock a scant supply of these during the summer months. Farmers Markets, however, are a treasure trove of different crops. I highly recommend, if you are able, to visit one. The experience itself is remarkable, with many stall holders happily sharing taste teasers of their wares. I’m waffling again……
Recipe : Serves 4 Adults as a Side
2 Medium Courgettes/Zucchini
2 Medium Aubergines/Egg Plant
6 Large Tomatoes
Juice of 2 Medium Lemons
Equal quantity of Olive oil (as lemons)
1 Clove Garlic – Crushed
Approx 1tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1tsp Sea Salt
50g/2oz Parmesan Cheese – finely grated
Method : Preheat the oven to 190C/175C fan
Firstly to make the sauce.
Place the lemon juice, oil, garlic, thyme, salt and a good grinding of pepper into a jug. Whisk until combined.
Next prepare all your vegetables by slicing them to the same thickness – approx 1cm/ 1/2″.
Now you can grate over the Parmesan.
Bake for 1 – 1 1/4 hours, until the vegetables are tender. Then remove from oven.
This light vegetable dish is perfect to accompany a Roast Chicken, baked fish – if the oven’s on let it do all the cooking!!!
I’d love to know if you are part of a veg box scheme, grow your own or enjoy Farmers Markets?
Sammie x
