Salad of Courgettes, Grilled Radish, Apricots & Almonds
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 green courgettes – washed and dried
- 2 yellow courgettes – washed and dried
- 1 bunch of radishes – washed and trimmed
- 150g almonds – oven or pan-roasted till slightly golden – Retain 50g for finishing the dish
- 1 bunch dill – pick a handful of the top of the dill, keep covered with a wet cloth for finishing the dish, the remaining is for the pesto
- 1 garlic clove – peeled and finely sliced
- 100ml olive oil
- 4 apricots – washed, halved, pit removed and cut into 6
- 60g peas – fresh if you can get them, but frozen are fine
- 1 orange zest and juice
- Sea salt
- Cracked pepper
Method
1. You will need a melon baller, scoop out as many small balls as you can from the courgettes. Retain the trimmed courgettes.
2. Blanch the courgette balls in salted water for 1 minute, drain then place into iced water, and remove after a minute and leave to dry on a clean cloth or kitchen towel.
3. Cut half of the radishes into halves (Lengthways), place flesh side down onto kitchen towel to remove a little moisture
4. Heat a griddle pan, place the halved radish (white flesh down) onto the pan, push down, then turn the radishes to the other side to give you a cross grill mark, each one will take about 30 seconds
5. Using a Japanese mandolin (and guard) finely shave the rest of the courgettes and place into a small bowl of iced water
6. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, add the courgettes, blanch for 12 seconds, and remove onto a kitchen towel
7. Place the dill, garlic, 50g courgettes trimmings, ½ the orange zest, most of the almonds, salt and olive oil into a blender, blend for 35-40 seconds till nice and green and pesto consistency
Please remember to retain a small amount of each ingredient, which you will use for garnishing the plate.
Plating up
Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl, add a spoonful of the almond pesto, mix, and taste for seasoning.
Once you have your serving plate, spoon on more of the almond pesto, be generous and spread evenly around the centre of the plate.
Finish with the retained, courgettes, radishes, almonds, dill, apricots, peas, orange zest and a good twist of cracked pepper
Recipe provided by Andy Aston. For more delicious recipes follow him on Instagram @aston_andrew. Or get in touch with him here.
About the author:
My earliest food memory was aged 8-9, I walked into our home kitchen, not feeling too happy, mum was singing, a big pot was simmering, the smells amazing, she was covered in flour and rolling something out with a glass milk bottle (Pastry for an apple pie) the atmosphere was calming, comforting and exciting, this experience shaped my future in Hospitality
Nothing beats the changing of the seasons when we get an abundance of what nature has to offer and the harvest that our producers work so hard to cultivate. This brings a lot of happiness to our kitchens and is something that I love to endorse.
Cooking has afforded me an incredible 28-year career that has taken me across the world and introduced me to some amazing cuisines and kitchens, these experiences have given me great knowledge and a passion for a style of cooking which is predominately plant-based.
With so many types of vegetables, fruit, grains, pulses and nuts, available throughout the year, we really can enjoy a much richer and varied diet and with a bit of creativity, you can have enjoyed some delicious experiences.
If you have any questions, need advice or just looking for a few tips, I’d love to hear from you.
Enjoy getting creative!
Andy
