Hello from NL No. 28.
We’ve reached August, Leo season is upon us, and whilst this is not a newsletter that generally notes the scopes, it is one that enjoys exploring the deep connection between people and food. Two people of prominent note in my life (by blood and marriage) are born under this zodiacal sign; they share the same birthday and have co-celebrated for the last seventeen years. Anatomically one is my right arm and one my left, essential appendages that have got me to this place, helped lift and guide and waved and cheered their own limbs with abandon to champion me.
One represents the fiercest traits associated with Leo; a lion on a hunt (in a good way), ambitious, courageous; the other is more placid, the lion post hunt (in a good way), laid back, relaxed, cool, calm and collected. Both have huge hearts, which I try not to clog with too much butter, cream and sugar whilst showering with love in the form of cake, pastries and ice cream.
Naturally, my mind is thinking of all the ways to celebrate their day and inspiration is all around. August is fortuitous on the fruit front, with various degrees of abundance coming from all directions; my penchant for things only I love to consume daily…courgettes, for example, lead to gluts when no one loves them quite like I do. The amorous blood peaches and black figs are scooped up, seemingly magnetised to every customer in the bakery.
Whilst courgette cakes are a thing, most surely agree they don’t hit the requisite notes to celebrate good times. They skew more towards coffee morning, afternoon pick me up, and snack cakes dressed in a deceptive cloak of health.
I’ll pass on that one and look to my books on pickling and preserving to put the courgettes to better use. I have Zucchini Relish in mind from The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich, and this salad by Ali Slagle will be added to my list of 100 ways with Courgette for next week.
Along with the blood peaches and figs, red currants are ready for the taking. If you can carve out time to find a PYO, don’t skip the redcurrants. It can seem like the most tiresome fruit to pick, but they are worth it, and bushes will be dripping with dazzling strings. Raw, they’re great in summer salads; pair them with nectarines or peaches to tame sweetness and bring wanted acidity to pies and freeze as many as you can to boost natural pectin in future jams and jellies.
I find the best foil for summer’s sweetest fruit is to combine it with hardy herbs that offer up tender tips, think rosemary and sage. Blackberry and sage is a winning combination, as is rosemary with plums. Both pairings would be welcome on a very British back garden-inspired Schiacciata. Go big on crunchy crystals of Demerara and the fruitiest EVOO.
And crackers are a summer requisite, perfect for snacking and dipping, and I’ve got my mind set on oregano and nasturtium-infused ones to eat with the jammiest figs and softest cheese.
As I continue to muse and imagine all the ways I can combine everything I love about August into something celebratory for those I love most, I will leave you with a few things I’ve enjoyed on Substack this week…and for Extra Credit readers, a soft sage-infused caramel that yields a buttery delight to pour over ice cream with bonus crispy candied sage leaves to crumble on top.
Body and Mind by Clare Michaud, and not just because she was nice enough to quote me with words I forgot I wrote.
Lost Arts and Lughnasadh by Ciara O Hartghaile because Loaf-Mass rivals Christmas as this year’s harvests begin.
Peach Olive Oil Semifreddo with Almond Sesame Cookies by Ruth Barry because tasting this year’s blood peaches was a pleasure so fresh it obliterated all memories of any other peach (aside from the canned variety, which I attest are reliably the best) plus, everyone always needs another cookie recipe that calls for a solo egg white.