Marcus Wareing - Marcus Everyday

Courgettes seem to grow in abundance in my garden, especially in prolonged heat, like we had in summer 2018, when I ended up with quite a few marrows as I didn’t pick them soon enough. I enjoy using the plants’ flowers too, which I stuff with this goats’ cheese mix, coat in batter and fry.

SERVES: 4 AS A STARTER OR SNACK | PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES, PLUS OVERNIGHT INFUSING | COOKING TIME: 25 MINUTES

200g soft goats’ cheese

1 tbsp finely chopped marjoram or oregano

grated zest of ½ lemon

4 courgettes, cut into 5mm-thick rounds

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE LAVENDER HONEY

6 tbsp runny honey

2 heads of lavender flowers

FOR THE TEMPURA BATTER

100g cornflour

100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

generous pinch of salt

130–140ml soda water

1 The day before you want to make and serve the dish, place the honey in a small clean jar. Break up the lavender flowers and add them to the honey. Cover and leave in a warm place to infuse.

2 Put the goats’ cheese, marjoram or oregano, lemon zest and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a small food processor and blitz (or put them in a bowl and use a stick blender) until semi smooth.

3 To make the tempura batter, mix the cornflour and flour together in a bowl with the salt. Gradually whisk in enough of the soda water to make a thick batter.

4 Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep saucepan or deep-fat fryer to come up to about 5cm and place over medium heat. If using a deep-fat fryer or if you have a thermometer, heat the oil to 170°C. If not, to check the oil is at the right temperature, drop a 2–3cm cube of bread into the hot oil – it should turn golden and crisp in 1 minute.

5 Season the courgette slices with salt then dust them with flour. One by one, dip them in the tempura batter and, straight away, carefully place them in the hot oil. Fry in batches for 3–4 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon, shake off any excess oil and transfer to kitchen paper. Season again with salt while they are hot.

6 Place the fried courgettes on a large serving plate and dollop the goats’ cheese on top, then drizzle with the lavender honey. Serve immediately, while they are hot and crispy!

MARCUS’ TIP:

If goats’ cheese is not to your liking, soft cream cheese works well, or mild Cheddar grated and mixed with a little mascarpone.

Tomato, Wild Garlic and Burrata Salad

Wild garlic grows like a weed in the right environment – it likes a little dampness – and the smell of it always signifies that spring is on the way. It does have a relatively short season, however, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. When it isn’t available, use chives instead. They are a great substitute. Any leftover dressing will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days.

SERVES: 4 AS A SUMMER LUNCH OR STARTER | PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES

8–12 tomatoes

4 × 100g or 2 × 200g balls of burrata

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE WILD GARLIC DRESSING

2 tbsp pine nuts

16 wild garlic leaves, or 1 bunch of chives

125ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.

2 Put the pine nuts on a baking tray and toast them in the oven for 6 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.

3 Put all of the ingredients for the wild garlic dressing in a small blender or food processor and pulse until a chunky dressing is formed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4 Cut the tomatoes into slices and wedges, and season well with salt and pepper. Arrange them on serving plates and spoon half of the wild garlic dressing on top.

5 Just before serving, cut the burrata balls in half, if using 100g balls, or into quarters if using 200g balls and place the cut burrata on the plates with the tomatoes. Season the inside of the balls with a little more salt and pepper then spoon over the remaining dressing.

MARCUS’ TIP:

Keep tomatoes out of the fridge, until they are becoming overripe, and never serve a cold tomato, as the flavour is dulled.

Chilled Summer Garden Soup with Lemon and Mackerel

I created this refreshing soup when I had an abundance of beautiful vegetables in my garden, and the weather was very warm, so turning on the oven was not really on the agenda! This recipe features the vegetables I used, but please regard it just as a guide and feel free to use what you have in abundance, or available in your fridge. I use the whole pea pods in this recipe as they contain lots of juice and flavour. The mackerel – a little bit of luxury on the top – is simply cured, so ensure it is as fresh as possible, or use smoked mackerel instead.

SERVES: 4 | PREP TIME: 40 MINUTES

FOR THE SUMMER GARDEN SOUP

16 tender peas in their pods (tops and strings removed) (about 130g)

1 cucumber, skin on, roughly chopped (about 250g)

2 pickled gherkins (40g)

50ml gherkin pickling liquor

100g day-old sliced bread (preferably sourdough), torn

2 courgettes, grated (about 475g)

½ bunch of chives

½ bunch of dill

1 iceberg lettuce, cored and roughly chopped (about 250g)

100g Greek yoghurt

25ml olive oil

8 ice cubes

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE MACKEREL

grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

50ml gherkin pickling liquor

4 mackerel fillets, pin-boned and skin on, cut into 5mm-thick slices

1 Put the peas (including pods), cucumber, gherkins and gherkin pickle liquor in a blender or food processor and blitz until as smooth as possible. Pass through a fine sieve, retaining the liquid. Add the torn bread and leave for 10 minutes.

2 Place the liquid with the bread in the blender or food processor with the remaining ingredients for the soup and blitz until smooth. Season well.

3 For the mackerel, mix the lemon zest and juice into the pickling liquor. Season the mackerel with salt and place in a shallow dish. Pour over the liquid and leave for 10 minutes, then strain off the liquid.

4 Serve the soup in bowls with the mackerel on top.

Asparagus with Bagna Cáuda and Parmesan

The arrival of British asparagus is one of the first signs of spring that I most look forward to, and I like to take advantage of its fleeting season as often as possible. Bagna cáuda originates from Piedmont in Italy and is traditionally a pungent sauce made with anchovies, olive oil and garlic. It pairs so well with the delicate flavour and texture of asparagus. Heaped with freshly shaved Parmesan, it is a dish I can eat over and over again.

SERVES: 4–6 AS A STARTER | PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 1 HOUR