August: Summer Tray Bake
This month’s recipe is hardly a recipe at all, it is simply a tray of season vegetable with a little oil and some dried mixed herbs, cooked alongside a protein. I have used some pork sausages from the butchers. You could use vegetarian sausages, butter beans, chicken, Quorn etc- it’s up to you. I made enough for the whole family, but you could easily reduce the number of vegetables to suit your household. At Frome Medical Practice we have been growing vegetables in the staff wellbeing garden and the courgette plant has done well and I used a home grown courgette here, you can of course change any of the vegetables to suit your taste. The same recipe could be followed at any time of the year and be adapted to suit the seasons. The key is making sure the vegetables are roughly the same size so they cook together. The best part is there is only one tray to wash-up!
Serves 4 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 30 minutes
Example Ingredients
- A packet of sausages
- 6 tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 large red onion, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 2 peppers, sliced chopped into bite sixed pieces
- 250g New potatoes or potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon of fried mixed herbs– Italian or Mediterranean style works well.
Instructions
- Wash and chop the vegetables and add to a baking tray– use a big enough tray that the vegetables are in a single layer. Sprinkle over some seasoning and dried mixed herbs. And a tablespoon of cooking oil– stir it all together.
- Add your protein to the tray and cook altogether for about 30 minutes at 180oc. You may need to turn the sausage (if using) halfway through.
You can print the written recipe HERE
You can print the photo recipe HERE
You can print the shopping list HERE
What’s in season this month?
Summer is a great time to actively try and eat seasonally. Here in the UK heat loving plants like tomatoes and aubergines are at their best and would work well in this tray bake recipe. Have a look at the local market. The following vegetables and fruits are also in season now.
Aubergines, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrots, Celery, Chard, Courgettes and summer squash, Cucumbers, Fennel, French beans, Lettuce and other salad leaves, Potatoes, Peas and mangetout, Peppers and chilies, Runner beans, Tomatoes, Spring onions and Sweetcorn.
Fruits in season right now are Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Plums and Early apple varieties such as ‘Discovery’.