Three recipes to try by gardener Patty Gay

Courtesy Patty Gay

Courtesy Patty Gay

Burrata and tomato garden salad

Ingredients

• 1 burrata cheese

• 2 bunches of cherry tomatoes (try mixing varieties of red, yellow and green, cut into halves).

• basil leaves

• assorted edible flowers and leaves (pansies, purple basil flowers, dill, etc)

• Parmesan cheese

• aged balsamic vinegar

• extra virgin olive oil

• basil and pistachio sauce (mix the following ingredients using electric mixer: a handful of fresh basil leaves, 20g of pistachio nuts, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt and pepper)

Place the burrata cheese in the middle of your serving plate.

Arrange the cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and Parmesan cheese around the burrata.

Pour your basil and pistachio sauce on top of the cheese, and garnish with assorted edible flowers and leaves. Season with freshly ground pepper and rock salt.

Tiger prawns with kiwi berries

Serves 3

For the prawns

• 3 large fresh tiger prawns

• 1 cup of water

• 1 lemon grass (crushed to release the fragrance into the water)

• 1 shallot

• 2 lime leaves

• sliced ginger to taste

• rock salt

Put the prawns to one side. Place all other ingredients in a pan, and bring to the boil. Add prawns, and simmer for two minutes. Remove from heat. Remove the prawns, and allow to cool. Then peel the shell, leaving the head attached.

For the sauce

• 1/4 cup orange juice

• juice of 1 lime

• 1 red chilli

• 50g of grated ginger

• 1 clove of garlic

• 4 basil leaves

• fine sea salt and pepper

• coriander

Chop all the ingredients for the sauce, and transfer to a jar. Add the juices, shake, and leave to infuse in the fridge for at least one hour.

Garnish for individual plates

• cherry tomatoes

• chives

• kiwi berries (a small variety of kiwi fruit with smooth, edible skin – or replace with slices of ripe peeled kiwi)

• edible flowers (try pansies, orange blossom and micro leaves or floral shoots of basil and parsley)

Cut the prawns in to small bite-sized pieces, and arrange on the plate, then garnish with tomatoes, chives and kiwi.

Strain the sauce, and drizzle over the salad with olive oil, or try your own homemade basil oil (leave basil leaves to infuse in regular olive oil for extra flavour).

Add edible flowers after sauce to avoid them being drenched – it will detract from their appearance.

Aloe vera smoothie

Ingredients

• Aloe vera gel from 3 medium sized leaves

• flesh of 1 ripe avocado

• 1 cucumber with skin

• squeezed juice of one lime

• 1 tbsp of good-quality honey

• ice cubes (optional)

Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend at high speed until smooth. Pour to serve (perhaps with the addition of some chia seeds).