10 Simple Recipes For Honey Fermented Garlic #8
Some of my favourite meals and snacks
Hi,
And welcome to another dip into the world of honey fermented garlic, this time, with a series of recipes and some of my favourite ways to weave it into breakfasts, lunches and dinners. You’ll spot that a running theme for pairings is often umami, dairy, and in season vegetables, all of which compliment the sweet, tangy garlic wonderfully.
If you’ve come across this newsletter and wonder what on earth honey fermented garlic is and how you can make your own, click the article below to read my in depth recipe from last week.
Honey Fermented Garlic (The Safe Way) # 7
Hi, This week I wanted to explore cured garlic and my version of a much loved ferment that is a lot safer (and tastier) than most people make it, honey fermented garlic. Which is my favourite way to preserve and elevate garlic for the hungry gap. Along with a little update from the farm this week, and our official first frost date for this year.
And if you’ve already made some but don’t want to wait to make these recipes, most of them also work with raw garlic, honey, and a splash of sherry or cider vinegar.
A quick note before we jump into the good stuff, I haven’t had time to record an audio reading of this newsletter. My apologies, but as we rev up with harvests at the farm, so too does my time in the kitchen. I’m also dedicating time to prepare for October, when I’ll be doing more to promote my new book, which comes out in November, so every spare minute counts. I’ll return to audio readings once I’m on top of things again. Thank you for understanding.
Cook’s Almanac
September
As we race towards the end of September (can you believe it?) we approach an interesting micro season in the food calendar. There are a few ingredients that I believe are at their best this time of year and well worth making the most of before they pass. As I write this, I’m sitting within an arm’s reach of the stove, where a large pot of fresh tomatoes is gently reducing to a rustic sauce for canning. At this time of year, most tomato plants are naked, twisting vines, having had nearly all their leaves stripped in an attempt to ripen fruit and avoid blight. Heavy to the point of self sabotage with little else to do but focus on fruit, the plants provide thick and fast, to the point where it’s impossible to keep up with them if you’re eating them fresh. For me, this time of year is when tomatoes are at their best, which means they’re also most abundant and cheap. It was hard to only feature them in one of the following recipes.
Another ingredient that’s about to vanish for another year are figs, which you’ll also see featured in an upcoming recipe later in this newsletter. If you see figs in a local shop, snap them up, eat them fresh, cook them into sauces, make jams, jellies, compote, or coulis. As autumn approaches, there’s all sorts of foods that compliment a beautiful fig and red wine sauce.
Two foragable delights are also at peak abundance right now for us, although regional variations can be huge. Namely, rosehips and rowan berries. In an upcoming newsletter I want to share a delicious method for rosehip that unlocks more flavour than I’ve managed in any other technique (and as a valuable source of vitamin C, these plump, tasty ingredients fill a gap before citrus appears in winter). And rowan (mountain ash), for which I’ve made a classic rowan and raspberry jelly, which I can only describe as a rounded, balanced grapefruit flavour. Which, come to think of it, would make a delicious vinegar… Perhaps a winter project?
And finally, speaking of foragable ingredients, we’re soon to bid farewell to marsh samphire again until next spring, so of course I had to give a recipe that shows this small, strange, salty plant’s qualities.
Honey Fermented Garlic Recipes
Fig, Mature Goats Log, and Rosemary Tortas
Does it ever get better than fig and punchy goats cheese? Yes. With a drizzle of honey fermented garlic. This light snack, lunch, or side is rich, sweet, fragrant, and fruity, with the much needed bite of a biscuity rosemary torta. Finished with a peppery olive oil that provides warmth, this dripping, sticky mess of figs, cheese, honey, garlic, is a naughty snack you can whip up in minutes.
Serves 2
Ingredients
4-5 figs
130g mature goats log*
4 tortas (biscuits)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbsp honey fermented garlic
* If you can find one with a bloomy white rind, even better. These crisp up beautifully when grilled.
Homemade Tortas
½ tsp dried yeast
40ml water
30ml extra virgin olive oil
80g plain flour (all purpose)
2-3 tips of fresh rosemary
A pinch of salt
If making your own tortas, preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F) and grease a large baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil.
Mix the yeast with the water and extra virgin olive oil, making sure to warm the water a little to encourage the yeast. Leave it for 5 minutes.
Measure the flour, salt, and rosemary needles into a mixing bowl and pour the yeast mixture in, stirring until a smooth dough forms.
Dust a work surface with flour and cut the dough into 4 even sized pieces. Roll them into balls, then flatten them out with a rolling pin, or the heel of your hand.
Transfer them to the oiled tray and bake for 10 minutes. These biscuits puff up in an uneven way, providing a short, crispy base for our lunch.
Turn the oven off and the grill on.
Whilst it gets hot, break the goats cheese into chunks and place them in the middle of each torta. Drizzle with olive oil and slide them back into the oven under the grill.
Cut the figs into quarters and, when the cheese starts to bubble, top each one with 3-4 pieces. Slide them back into the oven to warm for 1-2 minutes.
Serve on a sharing platter, drizzled with honey fermented garlic, a few small cloves, and a little extra olive oil for good measure.
Heritage Tomato Tarte Tatin
Finished under a grill
Tarte tatin are one of the easiest ways to make a quick tart and guarantee crispy pastry. If you haven’t made one before, it can feel a little odd as you construct it upside down. For this recipe, I opted to make the whole tart in one large baking tray, but you can easily make individual tarts if you’d like to make something a little more refined.
Serves 3
Ingredients
400g puff pastry
500g fresh tomatoes*
2tbsp wholegrain mustard
4-5tbsp honey fermented garlic
A really good drizzle of olive oil
2tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tips of fresh basil
A pinch of sea salt
Cracked black pepper
* To be honest, I didn’t weigh the tomatoes. I sliced them up and layered them into the tray until it was deep enough. If you find this weight is a little too much then eat the spare whilst you wait for it to cook. Also, if (like me) your basil dies every time you look the other way, feel free to swap it out for oregano, thyme, or marjoram.
22-32cm baking tray x2
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).
For the sake of keeping this newsletter word count down, I’ll assume you’ve either made your own puff pastry, rough puff, or bought some. But I’m happy to share my recipe for rough puff in a future newsletter if you’d like.
Clean and prepare your tomatoes by cutting them into slices and chunks. Using a selection of heritage varieties gives a lovely pallet of colour and texture in the finished dish.
Drizzle some olive oil over the baking tray and layer up the tomatoes so they’re no more than 2-3cm (1 inch) deep.
Pour the balsamic vinegar and honey fermented garlic over them, along with salt and pepper to taste.
Roll out the pastry so that it’s 2cm (1 inch) wider and longer than the baking tray.
Spread a thin layer of mustard over the middle of it, leaving the edges clear, then carefully transfer it (mustard side down) over the tomatoes.
Tuck the edges of pastry down within the baking tray, then slide the whole lot into the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove it from the oven. Place the second tray over the top, then flip the whole lot over and lift the hot tray away. The tomatoes may have released a lot of hot, sugary juices, so make sure to cover your hands with a tea towel and do this over the sink so avoid making a mess.
Slide the tart back into the oven for 10 minutes, then switch the oven from bake to grill and give it an extra few minutes to scorch and char.
Whilst the tart finishes off, hook some extra garlic from the honey and thinly slice it. When the tart is done, dress with a little more honey, sliced garlic, and fresh basil.
Serve warm with a fresh salad or top with rocket and capers.
If you enjoyed this version and want something fun to mix it up, add a layer of good melting cheese on top of the tomatoes before adding the pastry.
Haddock, Samphire and Green Lemon Risotto
Incredible moorish, creamy, and smokey with velvety soft flakes of haddock, this risotto is my take on an Italian chef’s favourite who I used to work with. Whilst his favourite was a tomato base, mine is a clean, bold, white risotto that replaces white wine with a splash of sherry vinegar and two wedges of green lemon, fried until they turn yellow. The bitterness they release compliments the smoked cheese, salty samphire, and sweet honey fermented garlic, balancing the whole dish, which is tied together by the poached haddock.
Serves 2 (as a main)
Ingredients
400g haddock fillet
150g arborio rice
650ml water
100g smoked ewes cheese (I used Idiazabal)
1tbsp sherry vinegar
50g samphire
½ lemon (preferably green)
1 carrot, diced
3tbsp honey fermented garlic
Fresh flat leaf parsley
3tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
Cracked black pepper
Peel and dice the carrot whilst warming a frying pan over a medium low heat. When hot, add the oil, honey, half a lemon, and carrot, then thinly slice the fermented garlic and add it too. Crack the peppercorns in and gently sautee for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, fill a small saucepan with the cold water and add the haddock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to remove the fish and rest it to one side. Keep the pan of fish water at a gentle simmer and drop in a bay leaf.
Add the samphire to a bowl of cold water and set aside. I do this to remove some of the saltiness, but if you love salt then skip this stage.
When the carrot and garlic have softened, add the rice and fry it until translucent around the edges. Then, add a splash of vinegar, which will reduce in seconds, then start feeding the risotto with the fish water one ladle at a time, stirring the risotto slowly. At this point you can raise the temperature of the frying pan to medium high.
Between stirring, finely grate the cheese, chop up the parsley, and take a peeler to the remaining half a lemon. Remove one or two thin strips of rind and very thinly shred them with a knife.
After 20 minutes or so, the rice should be fluffy and springy. Take care not to flood the pan with more water, but instead, add the cheese and samphire, lower the heat, and stir it all in for 2-3 minutes.
Finally, flake the fish into the risotto by hand, top with parsley and shredded lemon rind, and serve right away.
Beer Braised Oyster Mushrooms and Sweet Chestnuts
I thought I’d share a honey garlic recipe that warms you from the inside with rich, hoppy, nutty flavours. I chose to make this recipe with slow dried malloreddus pasta, but you can just as easily serve it on buttered crusty toast, or freshly steamed rice. Pick your carb of choice.
What is important is the kind of beer you use. I used a Welsh bitter called Cwrw Glaslyn, which provided sweet, smooth, fruity notes and a gentle hopped bitterness. Anything in the range of a blonde ale will work nicely. Anything too strong will leave an overpowering bitterness.
Serves 2
Ingredients
250g oyster mushrooms
80g roasted sweet chestnuts
150ml ale
200g green beans
200ml single pouring cream
180g malloreddus pasta
1 chicory
1tsp wholegrain mustard
1tbsp honey fermented garlic
1tsp worcestershire sauce
A drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Warm a frying pan over a high heat and tear the oyster mushrooms into pieces. Fresh oyster mushrooms have downwards facing caps and are soft and tender. Ripping them by hand instead of cutting them with a knife leaves an unclean edge that crisps nicely in the pan.
When the pan is hot, add a splash of oil and toss the mushrooms in. Spread them out and, if you have a weight, compress them. If not, just leave them where they are and don’t be tempted to stir or prod them for the next 4-5 minutes.
Whilst the mushrooms fry, bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid.
When the mushrooms start to smell good (a little like a nutty fried chicken), flip them over and continue to cook.
Clean and prepare the other ingredients. Top and tail the green beans, then cut them into manageable pieces. Remove the end of the chicory and pull the layers apart. And thinly slice the fermented garlic.
Lower the heat on the frying pan to a medium and add the honey and garlic, along with the green beans, chicory, chestnuts, and seasoning. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, then deglaze the pan with the ale.
Cook the ale down for 3 minutes or so, then add the worcestershire sauce, mustard, and cream, stir once or twice, then remove the pan from the heat. If the sauce over thickens or threatens to split from the heat, add a splash of water from the pasta pan and stir to bring it together again.
Drain the pasta and mix it in with the frying pan ingredients. Serve with a glass of leftover beer.
Cucumber and Yoghurt Salad, With Golden Sultanas and Rose
Dressed with honey fermented garlic
It’s that time of year when it’s impossible to keep up with all the cucumbers coming out of the garden, but this salad is a great way to enjoy a lot of cucumber without getting sick of it. Best served as part of a larger spread, this salad is refreshing, sweet, and fragrant, with rose, fruit, honey, and garlic offering a delicious balance of sweet and sour.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 cucumbers
100g greek yoghurt
30g golden sultanas
20g dried apricot
1tbsp dried rose petals
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp honey fermented garlic
A pinch of cracked mixed peppercorns
Mince the garlic from the honey fermented garlic and mix it into the yoghurt along with the honey.
Cut up the cucumbers into 1-2cm chunks. These can be a bit chaotic in shape, leading to various sizes and shapes in the finished salad.
Dress the cucumber in the yoghurt and spread it onto a large plate or platter.
Sprinkle the sultanas, chopped dried apricots, rose petals, and season to taste with salt and mixed peppercorns (the heat from which goes nicely with the rose).
Drizzle with olive oil and serve straight away.
Some Extra Suggestions
At this point in the newsletter, I ususally get a little warning at the top of my browser saying I’ve reached the limit for this email, so I’ll shorten the following recipes to suggestions and keep them concise. If you’d like more recipes than Substack can clearly handle and aren’t subscribed to my newsletter, consider subcribing and click the button below.
Mix the honey 1:1 with water and brush freshly baked bread like focaccia, potato bun, or cheese loaf straight from the oven to glaze the crust.
Dress slow roasted root vegetables or pickled vegetable side dishes (such as pickled artichoke hearts or asparagus) with 3:1:1 olive oil, vinegar, and honey fermented garlic.
Whipped feta with honey fermented garlic makes an amazing dip.
Use as a glaze for roast pork, beef, and duck.
Shredded winter cabbage and mushroom stuffed gyoza (dumplings) with soy sauce and honey fermented garlic dip.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this collection of honey fermented garlic recipes. If you haven’t made honey fermented garlic yet but you’re keen to know how, click here to read my in depth recipe from last week. If you have no intension of making it but think these recipes look tasty (or you can’t wait for 4-6 months it takes to fully ferment) you can replace this element to each dish with fresh garlic, honey, and a small splash of sherry or cider vinegar. But make sure to cook the garlic for longer, as raw garlic is much more potent than fermented. The only recipe I’d say won’t work is the cucumber and yoghurt salad, which is really made by the honey fermented garlic.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider sharing it. And let me know what you think of these recipes by leaving a comment. I always aim to make them simple, elegant, balanced, and above all else, delicious.
The tortas, fig and goats cheese recipe is dangerously addictive... Sweet and savoury with a perfect balance of textures - the creamy cheese, the juicy figs and the crunch of the tortas all tied together nicely by the sticky fermented garlic honey. Incredible.
This makes me eager for your cookbook to release!