May
Seasonal stars don’t come any better than May’s offering of beautiful British asparagus, says Tom Norrington-Davies.
To Americans, they're fava beans, to ancient Romans (and Latin teachers) they're Vicia faba, to the delicious. web editor, they're the undisputed best vegetable in the world (hey, we've all got our favourites). Broadly speaking, if ever there was a month to be full of beans, it's May.
Nothing reminds us more of an English country summer than the aroma of elderflowers...
If you can't stand the bleats get out of the kitchen, because we love the delicate flavour of spring lamb.
There's a sense of summer in the air this month: enjoy juicy peas and broad beans, fresh beetroot, succulent spring lamb... and don't forget the short but sublime British asparagus season.
Celebrate rocket
Also known as 'rucola', this peppery-tasting veg could win a popularity contest.
History and nutritional content
It's
believed that rocket (as we'll call it here for the sake of argument)
is native to the Mediterranean. It's certainly been around in its time,
judging by the host of names it's known by – Americans know it as
'garden rocket', the French as 'roquette' (not to be confused with
Swedish rock duo 'Roxette' – hey, it's easily done), and the
Italians... ahhh, the Italians have at least five names for the feisty
salad leaf depending on the region: variations include 'arugula',
'rucola' and 'ruchetta'.
It's
rich in iron and vitamin C, so it's good for you, whereas and the
ancient Romans believed it was an aphrodisiac, which may explain its
phallic name...
Growing rocket
Rocket
grows wild but has become increasingly cultivated since the 1980s when
its appearance on our plates in restaurants led to an almost frenzied
craze for the stuff. If you love it, you'll be pleased to learn that
it's very easy to grow yourself, though it needs to be
planted in March or April, so pop a reminder in your diary for
next year.
If you don't grow your own, you can buy rocket all
year round in supermarkets, although the natural season in the UK is
May-October.
Recipes
Salad
greens are not usually known for their dominant tastes, so strong,
peppery rocket can be a unique addition to salads, although its
overpowering presence is not to everyone's liking.
Use
it to add intensity to salads, or do as the Italians do and throw some
onto pizza as a topping, and into pasta, risottos, and even pesto.