The summer has gotten off to a pretty spectacular start here in the UK, and for me that can mean only one thing … al fresco dining. I love nothing more than eating outside on a balmy evening, glass of chilled wine in one hand and something delicious in the other. It’s also the perfect time to entertain, not least because it tends to be a much more relaxed affair when sunshine is involved. Even if you don’t necessarily want to light up the bbq, you can still inject a little fun with the right ingredients and at present I’m all about seasonal fruit. Here, I’ve selected three of my top picks that are perfect in both sweet and savoury dishes. Typically though, I always like to add a twist to proceedings and this time that comes in the form of dried oregano.
To kick off my menu I kept things beautifully simple with some crostini topped with cashew cream cheese, fresh blackberries and a seriously addictive maple drizzle infused with Schwartz oregano. It’s such an easy little kitchen hack that you can use with a multitude of herbs but works especially well with the earthy notes found in dried oregano. Simply fill a little muslin pouch or a fine mesh tea ball strainer (my choice) with a tablespoon of the aforementioned oregano and place it in a small pan with the maple syrup. Bring to a rolling boil and then reduce to a simmer until the syrup thickens and begins to take on the gentle but distinctive flavours from the herbs. Remove it from the heat and let the oregano steep for a further 10-15 mins to fully infuse … I tend to refrigerate the syrup afterwards for a short while, as it makes it much easier to drizzle – and considerably less messy to eat! Pair with a chilled rosé or glass of prosecco for a laid-back start to the evening.
Cashew cream cheese & Blackberry Crostini
With a oregano infused maple drizzle
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
20 ready-made crostini
150g blackberries
For the cashew cream cheese
200g soaked cashews
Juice ½ lemon
½ tbsp. cider vinegar
1 heaped tsp. dried oregano
Good pinch of salt
For the maple drizzle
100ml maple syrup
½ tbsp. dried oregano
Method
- Place the cashews in a bowl, cover with fresh and soak for 6 hrs. Alternatively, cover with freshly boiled water and let them steep for about 20 mins.
2. Drain, rinse and add to a food processor along with the lemon juice, cider vinegar, oregano and salt. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides from time to time. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Place the maple syrup in a small pot – I find a Turkish coffee pot works well. Wrap the dried oregano in some muslin cloth or in a tea strainer, and place in syrup. Bring to a gentle boil for around 4-5 mins, letting the maple syrup reduce slightly and thicken. Remove from heat and allow it to cool in the fridge along with the oregano for up to 10 mins to help it infuse further.
4. Spread each crostini with the cashew cream cheese and top each with a fresh blackberry. Arrange on a platter and spoon over the infused maple drizzle. Garnish with some fresh mint and some more dried oregano.
If, like me you often can’t be bothered to get a full-on bbq fired up but still want to add that inimitable charred element to any summery salad dish then the next best thing has got to be the griddle pan. Get it to pretty much smoking point before carefully placing on your vegetable of choice – in this instance, I’ve gone for sweetcorn cobettes, which I’ve cut into even smaller rounds for ease. For maximum char-factor be sure to rub them with coconut oil beforehand. The star of this particular salad show though has got to be the Roasted Strawberry & Oregano Dressing’ in all it’s bright pink glory. Expect many oo’s and ahh’s when you spoon it over the contrasting yellow and green hues of the platter. Roasting the strawberries with the dried oregano really intensifies the flavours in the most spectacular way. Don’t worry about it being too sweet either as the dijon mustard and red wine vinegar will balance everything out to perfection. If you’re not worries about mixing your drink this is pretty darn wonderful with a Mexican-style Michelada – it’s basically a beer-based cocktail that simply screams summer.
Super green salad with charred sweetcorn
& a roasted strawberry and oregano dressing
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
3 sweetcorn cobettes
1 tbsp. coconut oil
80g handfuls of Watercress
100g Edamame Beans
½ large cucumber, spiralised
Salad cress to garnish
For the dressing
250g strawberries
1 heaped tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tbsp. agave
Juice ½ lime
½ tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200c. Halve the strawberries (no need to hull or remove the tops) and toss with the oregano and black pepper. Roast for 10mins until they begin to exude their juices.
2. Let the strawberries cool slightly before placing them in a small blender or processor along with the Dijon, agave, lime juice, red wine vinegar and seasoning. Blend until smooth and refrigerate until needed.
3. Cut the cobettes into three sections and rub with coconut oil. Heat a griddle pan until smoking and add the sweetcorn, charring each side for 1-2 minutes or until they slightly blacken.
4. Fill a large serving plate with watercress and arrange the cucumber. Place the charred sweetcorn in the bowl and toss in the edamame. Drizzle over the roasted strawberry dressing and garnish with salad cress and a touch more oregano.
What summer menu would be complete, however, without something a little sweet for afters. No-bake tarts are ideal for this kind of weather, as they require very little prep but still look impressive – they’re kinda my go-to cheat dessert if I want to impress but don’t have the time to make a full on baked pie. Make sure you find the ripest peaches possible, and let them marinade for as long as possible in that luscious lemon, oregano and agave marinade. I have been known to store them in the fridge overnight for maximum flavour although at a pinch, 15 mins will totally suffice. The whipped coconut cream filling is deliberately not too sweet as to let the sliced peaches really shine. The fragrant oregano undertones are echoed further in the sweet ‘n’ salty pecan crust. I like to keep the pecans slightly nubbly (technical term, ahem) for added texture and should you not have any pecans to hand, try some walnuts, oats or almonds instead. A slice of this would be really lovely paired with a light frascati or something similar.
No-Bake Peach & Oregano Pie
With a crushed pecan crust
Serve 4-6
Ingredients
For the crust
200g pecans
3 medjool dates
1 tbsp. coconut oil
Pinch of salt
For the whipped coconut cream
400g chilled coconut cream
2 tbsp. agave
Zest of ½ lemon
For the peaches
2 ripe peaches
2 tsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. agave
Zest & juice ½ lemon
To garnish
1 tbsp. coconut palm sugar
½ tbsp. fried oregano
Method
- 1. Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the coconut oil, dates and salt, and blitz until it forms a fine rubble. Divide the mixture into two small flan tins and press firmly until it neatly meets the edges. Place in the freezer for at least 1 hr.
2. Add the coconut cream to a large bowl along with the agave and lemon zest. Whisk vigorously until light and fluffy. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Halve the peaches and carefully remove the stone. Slice thinly and gently toss with the lemon zest, juice, agave and oregano. Set aside to marinate for 30 mins
4. Remove the crusts from the freezer and remove from the flan tins. Fill each with a generous helping of whipped coconut cream. Arrange the peach slices on top. Combine the palm sugar and oregano before sprinkling over the pies. These pies are designed to be shared so place both on the table along with a selection of dessert forks and let everyone tuck in.
It goes without saying that for all these dishes you’ll want to use a high quality dried oregano, which is exactly what Schwartz do best. I was so thrilled when they said they wanted to collaborate on this post because my pantry is already full of their various herbs and spices. One of the many perks of blogging is that I sometimes get to work with brands I’ve been enjoying for years, so this partnership was an absolute no-brainer for me. I hope you love the recipes as much as I do – please do tag myself and schwartz on instagram (@schwartz.uk) or twitter (@SchwartzFlavour) if you do decide to make one. I simply adore seeing your pics so share away!
This is a paid collaboration with Schwartz UK but all thoughts, opinions and recipes are entirely my own.