JUNE - THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER

Juno (Hera) and Jupiter (Zeus) 

The name of the month of June derives from the Latin Juno, the Roman mythological goddess of marriage and queen of the gods.  The Romans absorbed the ancient Greek pantheon of the 12 gods of Olympus, giving them Latin names.

June is the first month of summer in the northern hemisphere.   The weather is mild, with occasional showers, a wonderful time of the year, when gardens and parks are in full bloom.  

Tomorrow, Sunday the 2nd June, we have repetitive municipal elections for Attica’s Governor and we are certain and happy that our favoured candidate will be elected. 

Here are a few recipes for dishes with spring and early summer vegetables.

                                                  ROAST ASPARAGUSES

Greek asparaguses are of excellent quality and much sought after.

1 bunch of Greek, green asparagus, trimmed

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1½ tbsp. finely grated San Mihalis or Parmesan

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).   Place the asparagus in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat the spears.  Sprinkle with grated cheese, minced garlic and salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Arrange the asparagus spears on a baking tin lined with baking parchment and roast, in a single layer, for 12-15 minutes or until just tender.  Drizzle with lemon juice before serving.

                            

                           FENNEL BULBS AND ARTICHOKES AU GRATIN

This is quite delicious.

4 fennel bulbs, weighing about 1 kg (2 lbs)

6 medium sized artichokes

1 lemon, halved

3 tbsp olive oil

3 spring onions, chopped

1 tbsp fennel leaves finely chopped

1 tbsp dill leaves, finely chopped

Vegetable stock, (made with the fennel bulb trimmings, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 tender

                         celery stalks, simmered in salted water until the vegetables are done) 

                                                            

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Butter to grease the dish

300 ml (1 1\3 cup) cream

2-3 tbsp grated kasseri, or Gouda, or Emmenthal

2-3 tbsp grated San Mihalis or Parmesan

Salt and pepper

 Remove the tough, stringy leaves from the fennel bulbs and cut them into quarters

from stem to root, removing the thick parts.  Prepare the artichokes by cutting off the hard stem and hard leaves, removing the chokes and rubbing them with lemon juice.  

Simmer the spring onions in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, until soft.   Add the artichokes and the fennel bulbs and sauté gently for 5-7 minutes.  Add some hot vegetable stock, salt, pepper and the fennel and dill leaves, and simmer covered, until the vegetables are tender but not falling apart. 

Strain and pat dry with kitchen paper.   Arrange the vegetables in a single layer, in a well-buttered ovenproof dish.  Mix the three kinds of grated cheese, sprinkle over the vegetables and pour the cream over.   Bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 20 minutes.  Serve very hot.

                                  ARTICHOKE AND FENNEL BULB BAKE

This is a delicious first dish made with spring vegetables.

1 kg (2 lb) fennel bulbs, about 4 pieces

6 medium-sized artichokes

2 carrots, scraped and cut into batons

1 lemon, halved

2 tbsp olive oil

3 spring onions, finely chopped

2 fennel sprigs

2 dill sprigs

Salt and pepper

Vegetable stock (please see below)

A good knob of butter to grease the dish

2-3 tbsp kasseri or Cheddar, thickly grated

2-3 tbsp San Mihalis or Parmesan, finely grated

375 ml (1½ cups) cream, low fat if preferred

Salt and freshly ground white  pepper

Remove the hard leaves off the fennel bulbs, quarter them from stem to root, discarding the hard part of the core.   Cut the stems off the artichokes, strip off the hard outer leaves, trim the hearts, remove the choke and quickly rub them with half a lemon and plunge them into water with lemon juice, to prevent discolouring.

In a large flat saucepan, sauté the spring onions in olive oil and a little salt and simmer for two minutes.   Then add the carrots, fennel bulbs and artichokes, sprinkle with a little salt and sauté them very gently for about 10 minutes on all sides.   Add enough hot vegetable stock to cover the vegetables, add the herbs, cover the saucepan and cook until tender but not falling apart.

Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F).    Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and arrange them in a well buttered baking dish.   Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and grated cheese, drizzle with cream and bake for 15-20 minutes.   Serve hot sprinkled with freshly ground white pepper chopped fennel leaves.

                                PICKLED BABY ARTICHOKES IN OLIVE OIL

                                         

Serve this pickle with fish, meat or poultry or only with fresh, brown bread.  If you like artichokes, try this very easy recipe.

750 g (1.5 lb) baby artichokes (stems and hard leaves cut off, and chokes removed if

                      possible) or, use frozen baby artichokes

500 ml (2 cups) water

125 ml (½ cup) good wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

Olive oil, please see below         

Lemon slices

Place the artichokes in a saucepan, pour in the water, vinegar and salt and bring to the boil.  Lower the heat and cover with baking parchment and the lid, and simmer gently until the artichokes are tender but not falling apart.  Then strain, cool and pat dry with kitchen paper.  

Pile the artichokes in sterilised jars, add 2-3 lemon slices per jar and pour in enough olive oil to cover and seal.