Summer fruits taste great and can be used in salads and savoury dishes as well as sweet ones
I KNOW I'VE always espoused to make sure ingredients featured in these recipes are pretty run of the mill, but every now and then fruit miles and seasonal sensibilities go out the window, and I feel a need to cook with something a bit
more sunny. Papayas are packed full of vitamin C and when they’re ripe, they feel a bit like an avocado but with orange skin. Slice them in half, scoop out the seeds and eat with a spoon, with a splash of lime juice, same as you would an avocado. If you happen to see them in your local shop, grab a bunch and make this papaya salad which is based on a Rick Stein recipe and is delicious with any spicy grilled chicken or fish dish.
Another fruit is the raspberry, which I’m glad to say is pretty local. On the one hand, they’re a delicious fruit, packed full of phytonutrients, antioxidants and B vitamins, as well as being an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C. And on the other, they’re caught up in the middle of modern-day culture. “Blowing a raspberry” is described as making a noise by sticking out the tongue and creating an “unvoiced linguolabial trill” or a noise that resembles the sound of flatulence. Nice.
Raspberries qualify as “excellent” in terms of dietary fibre, and their unique combination of nutrients makes them a great fruit choice for having minimal impact on blood sugars. If you Google “Wicklow raspberries” you’ll find a great site for Conroy’s farm in Kilmacanogue, with recipes and loads of info. I have taken their raspberry loaf and fiddled around with it a bit. The result is a dense loaf that tastes much better the day after it is made – especially when chilled and served with a big blob of sweetened vanilla cream and even more fresh raspberries. It is flour free, so is also good for coeliacs. If you can’t be bothered baking, I suggest crushing a big pile of raspberries in a bowl, with some meringue and a splash of cream or some Greek yoghurt and a little sugar, and relishing the taste of Irish “razzies”.
Rich chocolate raspberry loaf
300g dark chocolate
100g butter
6 eggs, separated
200g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
a punnet of raspberries (approx 150g)
Grease and line a big loaf tin, or two small ones. Preheat an oven to 170 degrees/gas four. Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the egg whites till they form soft peaks.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Do this for about five minutes, so that they get good volume. Lightly whisk the melted chocolate, almonds and raspberries into the egg yolks and sugar mixture. Then fold in the egg whites. Pour into the prepared loaf tin and place on a baking tray (making it easier to pull in and out of the oven).
Bake for 30 minutes, though you might need to cover the top with buttered tinfoil if it’s starting to burn. Cook until a skewer comes out relatively clean. Allow to cool fully in the tin and then chill overnight in the fridge. Remove from the tin, cut into slices and serve with more fresh raspberries and sweetened vanilla cream, which you can make by whisking a carton of cream, adding a good tablespoon of icing sugar and two teaspoons of vanilla essence.
Papaya salad (serves 4)
200g green beans
4 papayas
4 tbs light brown muscavado sugar
2 tbs olive oil
Few drops sesame oil
2 tbs fish sauce
Juice of 4 limes
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 bird’s eye chillies, seeded and finely chopped
Punnet of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Bunch of coriander
Salt and pepper
Sesame seeds
Cook the green beans in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then drain and rinse them till they are cold. Chop a small bit off the bottom of the papayas, so that they stand up on their own. Using a small knife, pare away the skin. Then cut them in half, scoop out and discard the black seeds and then thinly slice the papayas. Mix the brown sugar with the olive oil, sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and sliced chillies. Taste and season.
Toss the sliced papaya and the dressing just before serving with the green beans, cherry tomatoes, coriander, and a few mixed leaves if you like. Taste and sprinkle with some toasted sesame seeds or more coriander or spring onions.
dkemp@irishtimes.com
See also www.itsa.ie
Food cooked and styled by Domini Kemp.PHOTOGRAPH: ALAN BETSON
