In Good Taste: A taste of honey
It’s hard to know what to eat first at this time of the year. Nature’s abundance all looks and tastes so very good. We are eating a lot of salads still, using the more robust radicchio lettuce which has only the slightest of bitterness to it, mixed with fresh sliced pears and new season’s hazelnuts. Or the pears and nuts are swapped for apples and walnuts, which taste just as good with the radicchio, as does crumbled goat’s cheese and grilled figs…not to mention roasted beets and feta. You see what I mean; we are literally spoiled for choice.
At this time it’s worth considering Bee Week, which runs from 4-8 May. It brings awareness to the value and precariousness of bees and beekeeping in this country—and how the bee relies on us for its survival. Considering that bees must pollinate roughly one-third of everything we eat, their survival is crucial to our own.
The honey our bees produce is hard to beat, and as we turn further away from refined sugar, honey is the perfect natural alternative. There are flavours to suit any palate, and you can have great fun experimenting with the stronger, herbal or floral tastes depending on whether you’re cooking a sweet or savoury meal. If you have always eaten the same brand and variety for as long as you can remember, then take a closer look at the honey section next time you’re shopping and try something new.
Combining all of these ideas forms the basis for the perfect autumn lunch…never a better reason to sit outside under the falling leaves of your largest tree and enjoy the last warm rays of sunshine with some good friends. This dish can be prepared beforehand, so that all you have to do as your friends sit down is pop the salmon under the grill for about eight minutes and warm the couscous or rice. You can tart this up or not as you wish; I like to add some roasted corn kernels and fresh coriander that has been roughly chopped and mixed through the couscous at the last minute. Light and flavourful, this is full of autumn colour and needs only a crisp green salad to accompany it.
Grilled Salmon with Indian spices
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
3 cloves
1 teaspoon of turmeric
¼ teaspoon of cayenne
6 pieces of salmon
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Yoghurt sauce (recipe follows)
Couscous or rice to serve, (heated through)
A handful of fresh mint leaves to serve
In a dry frying pan toast the cumin, coriander, fennel and cloves until fragrant (a couple of minutes). Grind in a mortar until fine and add the turmeric and cayenne. Lay the fish in a glass dish and drizzle the oil over it. Rub the spice mixture into the fish, cover and return to the fridge for a few hours. When it’s time to serve, pre-heat your grill and cook the salmon for about eight minutes. You shouldn’t need to turn it, but check that it is cooked to everyone’s liking. Place the couscous on a serving platter and place the fish on top. Scatter with the mint and serve immediately with the yoghurt sauce and green salad.
Yoghurt sauce
1 cup of plain thick unsweetened yoghurt
1 small cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise and de-seeded.
Salt and pepper
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon grated horseradish (optional)
Slice the cucumber into half moons and place in a sieve. Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 5 minutes. Dry the slices in a clean towel and add to the remaining ingredients. Mix gently and place in a serving bowl.
Instead of dessert, celebrate some of autumn’s star attractions. A platter with some of Averill Turnbull goat cheese drizzled with local honey (looks great on a fig leaf), a pile of new season walnuts alongside, and you could be in heaven. Add some grilled figs (oh, how luscious are the autumn figs!) or some sticky-sweet red grapes…. and life can’t be much better.
Fiona Feasey
