Simple and in Season August (Part One)

August was a wonderful month for Simple and in Seasoners! In Britain, baskets were bursting with foraged berries, whilst veg plots worked hard to produce tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans, aubergines and more. Tamarillos (tree tomatoes) found their way over to us from New Zealand and from the Pyrenees to Breton, seasonal French produce held its own, too!

1. We start with a glorious recipe from Rita over at Rita Cooks Italian, who shared her secrets on how to make Melanzane alla Parmigiana – Aubergine with Parmesan. Possibly one of the tastiest Italian dishes of all time to start off our summer round up! The tomato-onion sauce will make all the difference to this dish, so don’t forget to try Rita’s Sugo di Cipolla, too.

2. Next, Mark who writes a brilliant blog about the joys of growing your own garden of food at Mark’s Veg Plot shared his First Runner Beans of the Year. Mark’s post shows that the simple things really are the best when it comes to enjoying seasonal produce. Mark’s top seasonal tip is to: ”Slice them thinly, boil them for a few minutes until tender, and then serve them with black pepper, lashings of butter and some brown bread.

3. Laura from How to Cook Good Food has developed a passion for baking bread and pastry. Laura’s posts are always highly informative, with brilliant guidance for anyone trying her recipes for the first time. This month, Laura shared her Little and Large Peach and Marsala Pies, which look  so simple to make, yet are so delicious.

4. Caroline from Caroline Makes re-created a recipe she had seen on another blog and ended up with a wonderful Peach and Pistachio Caked Cheesecake all of her very own. Thanks for joining in Caroline!

5. A lovely recipe now from Leeks and Limoni, an Italian kitchen in Wales, for Grilled Aubergines. Again, simplicity is key with the addition of fresh mint, basil and garlic – the result is a versatile dish making the best of the mighty fine aubergine.

6. How do you make a healthy pizza? The ever-inspiring Kellie from Food to Glow created this nutrient-filled recipe for a Prawn, Pepper and Parsley Pesto Pizza with Chilli Chard to show us how. Kellie is always coming up with new ways to make the most of seasonal, healthy food and this is no exception. Inspired by her perfect-sounding Italian holiday in Lucca, this is one to try, for sure.

7. Over at The Garden Deli, Sarah shared a recipe for her Grilled Tomato and Peach Salsa. I can imagine that this flavour combination is one that really captures the flavours of summer. Thank you Sarah.

8. A sweet summery treat now from Gingey Bites who made Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble Muffins using Timperley rhubarb from her mum’s garden. Perfect with a cup of tea…

9. Back to the garden with this Courgette Bundt Cake, made by Linzi at Lancashire Food. I have to admit, I’ve never tried a courgette cake, so this one is firmly on the list to try!

10. As you know, I love a bit of chocolate and this Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Banana Loaf by Ros, The More than Occasional Baker,  looks too good to miss. It’s made with spelt flour too, so it’s even healthier than it already sounds!

 11. Urvashi Roe The Botanical Baker made these gorgeous Mini Blackberry Meringue Pies (with a blackberry curd made with foraged berries!) - perfect for entertaining guests at the height of summer. They are so pretty!

12. In the midst of Olympic fever, Charlotte from Lotties World of Cakes took to a spot of baking with these yummy looking Chocolate Dipped Rose and Strawberry Meringes. Beautifully decorated and served with in-season strawberries.  

13. Solange at Pebble Soup is a big fan of seasonal fruit and sorbet so her Black and Blueberry Sorbet was a perfect recipe for August, made with foraged fruit.

14. A glut of tomatoes inspired this Garden Pasta over at Chez Foti in the Pyrenees – a super recipe! 

15. I remember lusting after this cake when I saw it – Laura at Laura Loves Cakes made a stunning Peaches and Cream Upside Down Cake. I am very impressed by how well it held together and I’m definitely going to try this.

16. Bangers & Mash is a lovely blog written by Vanesther in Somerset. Here’s a wonderful entry for a creamy Fusilli with Broad Beans and Mint.

17. Lots of French-inspired cooking this month, this time, Jude from A Trifle Rushed shares some Breton cooking with her Artichokes and Seafood - très delicious!!

18. Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes sent across her No-Bake Summer Crumble, packed to the brim with seasonal, summer fruit.  

19. Tamarillos, or Tree Tomatoes (this is what I love about Simple and in Season!) inspired Mel at Sharky Oven Gloves over in New Zealand to bake this Tamarillo and Walnut Bake. So, if you ever come across them, you’ll know what to do with them!

20. Purple hands over at Yum and More as Karin almost scaled the local prison walls for her brambles to make Blackberry Sauce and Spicy Blackberry Ginger Mint Jam.  Great dedication to the cause here and a really lovely recipe to boot! You’ll need plenty of blackberries along with fresh mint and ginger oil to make this, but the end result is really worth it.

21. Anuja who writes at Simple Baking sent across her Peach and Walnut Bread - this would be perfect for tea time at our house with a nice cup of tea.

22. And at just over the half way mark, Caroline at Cakes, Crumbs and Cooking made Mediterranean Olive Bread Scrolls with a glut of peppers and a few green olives just before replacing her kitchen!

Look out for Part Two of the Simple and in Season round-up – I need a cup of tea!

Don’t forget, Katie at Feeding Boys and a Firefighter is hosting Simple and in Season in September.

Ren Behan

Ren Behan is a British-born food writer of Polish descent. She is a mum to two young children (6 and 3) and spends lots of time with them in the kitchen. Ren writes about seasonal, family-friendly food on her blog www.renbehan.com and about Polish food on her site www.mypolishkitchen.co.uk. She also contributes recipes and articles to online and print food publications. Ren holds a Diploma in Food Journalism with Distinction and has completed a Food Styling course at Leiths School of Food and Wine. Full Profile on Google+

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