Summer Fare at the Farmer's Market - Fast Food Post

Clockwise from top

Kohlrabi salad - bowl of cherries - beetroot & goat cheese with dill - crostini toasts

Gazpacho - vegetable kraut - plums  - kale & miso salad in centre

Getting back from the farmer's market laden with freshly harvested local produce, this simple spread was ready in one hour flat.

Following the picture above and working clockwise:

Kohlrabi is a round bulbous root with random shoots.  I like to keep this under appreciated vegetable very simple; keep it raw - peeling, grating and serving.  Note, that as it will brown quickly, add lemon juice.  It's simple presentation improved by adding parsley or any herbs.

The first thing I did when I returned home was to roast some beetroot in the oven, which renders it's earthy flavour sweet and smooth.  After roasting about an hour, (though these were small beetroot) peel and chop, add crumbled goat cheese and dill and a lacing of olive oil and seasoning.


The crostini provides a crunchy base for the beetroot and goat cheese; a great way for using up stale bread, sliced thin and baked with a light brushing of rapeseed oil in a medium oven for 10 minutes or so. Just be sure to keep a keen eye as it turns in a flash.


Gazpacho made with tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, garlic, chill, olive oil & sherry vinegar, thinned with water. See my Gazpacho recipe here.

Kale salad with a miso dressing.  How I love the squeaky texture of kale, when it's freshly harvested and booming with vitality.  The metalic taste of kale is tamed with this miso dressing as it renders the robust leaves soft and yielding to this meaty dressing.  You can use a pale yellow miso paste, which is sweeter than the longer fermented darker miso pastes. To make this whopping salad, remove the tough stalks and slice the squeaky fresh leaves very finely.  Mix about a dessert spoon of miso paste with about 2 table spoons of warm water,  top up with hemp oil, lemon juice and seasoning. Toss very well and allow to stand for as long as possible to render the kale soft.