Recipe by Jen Pomeroy of The Modern Mess.
August — The final month of winter — spring is on its way!
But we’re not there yet. Late winter storms still work hard for us in the garden — the heavy rains are cleaning up unwelcome insect life around the garden, the winds are removing dead debris and leaves from trees and tidying the garden. Nature is at work.
In the garden you can start preparing soil for spring planting with compost and sheep manure/pellets in your garden beds. Continue mulching and feed plants with liquid feeds, like fertiliser teas.
For our August harvest, we’ve got a hearty seasonal recipe from chef Jen Pomeroy of The Modern Mess – an incredible resource of seasonal recipes. In this recipe Jen focusses on cauliflower.
But first, some tips on in-season produce this month…
August — Harvest
Citrus is still filling our fruit bowls in August.
Brassicas, roots like carrots and parsnips.
Avocados are also ready for harvest.
August — In season, in store
In reality, despite our best efforts, not many of us can grow everything we need in the vegetable garden. Time, space, knowledge, climate & patience are all factors.
If you can, find a local grower and buy the fresh seasonal produce you need.
Here’s a list of what you should be able to find at your local produce store or supermarket for a reasonable price this month:
- Avos
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Kiwifruit
- Leeks
- Lemons
- Mandarins
- Onions
- Oranges
- Pak choi
- Parsnips
- Pears
- Yams
Cauli tips: by Jen Pomeroy
- I usually just pop the cauliflower in the vegetable draw but it does keep a bit longer if you pop it in a bag.
- I had success planting mine amongst my wild flowers last season and the white butterfly didn’t get it!
- To prepare, I peel off any damaged leaves and keep the smaller fresh ones to use. Trim off the last 2-3cm of the stalk, then slice or grate it for using. I like to cut the florets from the underside so they still look natural.
- Pair it with: Bacon, ham, pork, chorizo and any cheese. It also loves being paired with capers, almonds, anchovies, breadcrumbs, broccoli, herbs and butter. It also loves spice.
Recipe | Cheesy leek and spicy cauliflower pasta
Serves 4
I really love leeks cooked slowly at the beginning of a cheese sauce, so yum!
I’ve added a spicy cauliflower topping and extra chilli oil for something a bit different.
Ingredients
Spicy cauliflower
1 cauliflower, cut into florets, use the smaller leaves too
2-3 T chilli oil (like this)
Salt
Cheesy leek sauce
1 T olive oil
1 large leek, cleaned and sliced
2 cloves garlic
50g butter
40g flour
2 cups milk
75g smoked cheese, grated – I used smoked provolone
75g Parmesan or similar, grated
Salt and pepper
400-500g pasta – I used caserecce
Method
Pre heat the oven to 220 fan. Bring a large pot of water to the boil for the pasta.
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the leeks and garlic and a pinch of salt and cook the leeks for 15-20 minutes or until nice and soft and they are just starting to colour caramelise on the edges.
While the leek is cooking, cut up the cauliflower and toss with the chilli oil and salt. Roast the cauliflower at 220 fan bake for 15-20 minutes.
Once the leek is cooked, add in the butter, once melted add the flour and stir to combine and cook until toasty. Whisk the milk in a little at the time until the sauce thickens. Add in the cheese and stir to melt and then season to taste. Reduced the heat to low so it stays warm.
Season the boiled water well with salt. Add in the pasta and cook to the packet instructions.
Drained the cooked pasta, reserving some pasta cooking liquid to loosen the cheese sauce. Add the cooked pasta into the sauce and stir to coat. Add in the pasta cooking liquid to loosen the sauce if is a little thick, I added in about half a cup.
Serve immediately and top with the roast cauliflower and extra chilli oil.
