Ren Behan - Author Wild Honey and Rye

Food Writer

Peppers

Roasted Summer Vegetables with British Goat’s Cheese #TasteOfSummer

Roasted Summer Vegetables

Roasted Summer Vegetables with British Goat’s Cheese

Most of the time we associate roasted vegetables with autumn or winter, in that root vegetables roast so well and sweeten up in the process. But I find that certain summer vegetables get on very well with a drizzle of cold-pressed rapeseed oil in a roasting tin before going into a hot oven. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been roasting plenty of British asparagus during the asparagus season – now sadly pretty much at an end. I actually used salad potatoes in this recipe, which I wouldn’t normally roast, but after par-boiling them for a few minutes I decided to throw them into the tin, too, along with some mini peppers. The salad potatoes actually roasted beautifully and became lovely and fluffy on the inside and a little bit crisp on the outside. Any waxy or new potato variety would work well, too. Another ‘first’ this summer was tasting a salad with roasted grapes and walnuts. I also love roasted summer courgettes or carrots with a sprinkle of caraway seeds. Roasted summer vegetables can be eaten warm just as they are, or, as in this recipe, with the addition of some British goat’s cheese. You can also serve the roasted vegetables cold, mixed with a little cream cheese as a filling for roasted sweet potatoes.

#tasteofsummer

All of these ideas speak to me of summer and so I thought this recipe would make the perfect addition to the Waitrose #TasteOf Summer campaign, currently ongoing.

Over the next few weeks, up until 26th August 2015, Waitrose are asking you to tell them your favourite #TasteOfSummer and to share your creations on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the chance to win one of their three summer food experiences –

  • You could win a pair of tickets to an exclusive barbecue event with Heston Blumenthal, at his pub, The Crown Inn, located in Bray, Berkshire. Winners must be available to attend the event on Saturday 25 July.
  • Or, you could win a ticket to their ‘Cocktails & Party Bites’ evening course at the Waitrose Finchley Road Cookery School in London on Thursday 13 August.
  • Or, you could win a complete summer party menu as chosen by the Waitrose Entertaining and Waitrose Cellar specialists – so all you’d need to do then is invite your friends over and crack open the bubbles!

Every week, Waitrose are also showcasing the most popular summer flavours across their social media channels.

To enter, you just have to share your favourite summer food or drink on Facebook (find the Facebook page here) Twitter (follow @Waitrose) or Instagram @Waitrose using the #TasteOfSummer hashtag.

Roasted Summer Vegetables
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So, whether you’re enjoying an ice cream at the seaside, or perhaps some freshly caught fish and chips, a barbecue in the garden, a simple summer salad, scones, strawberries and clotted cream whilst watching the tennis or even a slice freshly baked cake topped with fruit at the summer fair – there are lots of chances to win a great summer food experience.

Linking up to July and August’s Simple and in Season, too!

Simple in Season

Disclosure: I have been commissioned to create this recipe by Waitrose to help promote their Taste of Summer Campaign and received some vouchers in consideration. 

Roasted Peppers with Quinoa and Capricorn Goats Cheese

There has been a little goat on Twitter making me chuckle. Her name is Ethel and she lives in Somerset. She produces some lovely milk along with her friends in the West Country and with it, Capricorn make a lovely creamy cheese at the nearby Lubburn Creamery.  Capricorn Goats Cheese is made with pasteurised goats’ milk and happily, it is suitable for vegetarians, too. I’ve created a lovely recipe for Ethel as part of the #CapricornChallenge, which I hope Ethel and her friends will approve of.  Interestingly, the cheese continues to ripen, so for a milder flavour, use it as soon as you buy it. For a stronger flavour and more creaminess, use it closer to the use by date (but still store it in the fridge). This is a perfect summer’s evening supper, with a little glass of wine on the side for good measure.

If you haven’t tried quinoa, I would give it a go, but as an alternative, you could use some cous cous to fill up the peppers. I’m quite fond of quinoa as it is highly nutritious and known as a grain made up of complete protein. I’ve added a handful of pumpkin seeds to add an extra nutrient boost, too.

 Bake some peppers (halved and de-seeded) in the oven until soft…

Fill the peppers with cooked quinoi with pumkin seeds. Lay a slice of Capricorn Goats Cheese over the top…

 Bake again until the cheese has melted…

 Serve with some fresh salad and a glass of wine…

Here’s the recipe in full.

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Roasted Peppers with Quinoa and Capricorn Goats Cheese

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Cook

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Ingredients

  • 4 red peppers
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 200g quinoa, uncooked
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 2 x 100g drum Capricorn Goats Cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Salad/watercress to serve

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/160 fan.
  2. Carefully slice the red peppers in half through the core and remove the seeds using a small sharp knife. Put the peppers in a baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil and a twist of black pepper in each.
  3. Place the baking tray and peppers in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  4. In the meantime, cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions – usually, in a large pan of boiling for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, drain and then stir through the pumpkin seeds.
  5. Take the peppers out of the oven and carefully pour any juice and oil inside the peppers onto the quinoi.
  6. Using a tablespoon, carefully fill the pepper halves with quinoi.
  7. Slice the Capricorn Goats Cheese into four discs and place one disc over each of the filled pepper halves.
  8. Put the stuffed peppers and goats cheese back into the oven and bake again for 10 minutes, or until the goat’s cheese is bubbling and melted. Serve immediately with a side salad.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 4

Amount Per Serving

% Daily Value

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

With many thanks to Ethel and the Capricorn Goats Cheese herd and team for sending me a hamper full of lovely goodies as inspiration to create this recipe for the #CapricornChallenge. I’m also in with a chance of winning a weekend in Somerset – fingers crossed! You can find more delicious recipes here in Ethel’s kitchen. Capricorn Goats Cheese is available in Waitrose, ASDA and Tesco. You can follow @EtheltheGoat on Twitter.

Have you tried any British goats cheese? If so, what’s your favourite way of eating it?