We all know we should try to eat fruits and veggies that are in season. They have been freshly harvested so offer the ultimate levels of nutrition; they haven’t languished in cold storage so they are crisp, fresh and taste infinitely better; they are local so haven’t clocked up carbon miles behind the scenes; and they are often locally grown with love and care… Unfortunately, with our supermarket shelves packed with produce that has been flown in from far and wide, it can be hard to know what is fresh off the farm, so we’ve compiled this quick guide to show you at a glance what ingredients you should be planning your menus around.
WINTER: JUNE, JULY & AUGUST
Note that availability varies according to weather and region. First prize is to shop for your produce at your local farmers’ markets, where the fruit and veggies are fresh from the field and you can find a good supply organic produce or free-range offerings, too.
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CELEBRATE THE SEASON
Sticking to local seasonal produce can challenge your culinary expertise as it sometimes means you encounter unfamiliar fruit and vegetables. If you’re stuck for cooking inspiration, pop over to our Le Creuset Recipes website to find delicious recipes we guarantee will soon become family favourites, or try your hand at one of these delicious dishes.
Cauliflower Cheese Gratin with Crispy Bacon
This is classic comfort food: cauliflower cooked gently to retain a little crunch, in a velvety, rich cheese sauce, grilled gratin-style and served with a topping of crispy bacon. Satisfying as a main meal served with a wedge of granary bread or alternatively as an accompaniment to other dishes.
Rosemary and Honey Roasted Vegetables
Sauté baby carrots, baby leeks, parsnips, sweet potatoes and garlic cloves in batches until golden, and then toss them with lemon, honey, rosemary, salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast in the oven for half an hour until caramelised and delicious.
Roast Pork Belly with Spiced Apple Sauce
Tangy, spicy apple sauce is the perfect complement to the richness of roast pork belly. It is also incredibly easy to make from scratch: simply simmer apples, butter, water, castor sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small pot until very soft and then mash until smooth. The pork belly is also straightforward to make: rub dry-toasted cumin, coriander and fennel seeds and salt into the scored fat and then roast for 2½ hours at 160˚C. The finishing touch is turning up the oven to 200˚C right at the end to allow the crackling to puff up and become deliciously crisp.
Clementine Crêpe Cake
This unusual celebration cake is made up of an elegant stack of crêpes sandwiched with a tangy clementine-ricotta filling drizzled with a scrumptious clementine syrup. Arrange it on a cake stand to really create a fabulous impression. (You can use lemons instead of clementines if you prefer.)
Passionfruit Tartlets
Passionfruit – or granadilla – has a tangy, deliciously sour flavour that perfectly complements the sweetness of the creamy filling of these tartlets, made in individual fluted Mini Pie Dishes lined with a buttery crushed Tennis Biscuit crust.
To view our full range of products, visit our online shop at www.lecreuset.co.za or pop into your nearest Le Creuset Boutique store.
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