New summer produce is ready to party on your plate
Nectar(ines) of the gods
Culturally, peaches tend to get more of the limelight than nectarines: you can have a “peaches and cream” complexion or things can be “looking peachy”. But while “nectarine-y keen” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, genetically you could easily make a swap between the two stone fruit – a nectarine is just a peach that has the smooth skin recessive gene.
As long as the weather continues to play nice, it’s shaping up to be a good nectarine season this summer and early season nectarines like Spring Bright are already in the Market. If you’re unsure about which colour to pick, the white varieties tend to have a sweeter, more honey like flavour than the yellow due to their lower acidity.
To reduce spoilage, nectarines are often a couple of days off perfection when they are on the shelf at the Market, so Joe from Frank's Quality Fruit and Veg advises planning ahead. We’ve all been guilty of desperately squeezing multiple fruit (especially avocados) in the hope of finding ripe ones ready to use that day - not good for the fruit nor your stress levels when you have to make last minute menu changes!
Look for nectarines that have a golden/creamy undertone as even if they are firm they will still taste delicious when ripe. If they have greenish undertones they’ve been picked before their sweetness can fully develop and will never be great.
Once home, store them out of direct sunlight to ripen and ideally somewhere not too hot – once it hits 25°C they’ll start to wrinkle before they soften - and then store in the fridge until ready to use.
A perfect, juicy nectarine is a treat in and of itself, but they also make a gorgeous summer dessert. These white wine poached nectarines with sweetened mint cream and toasted hazelnuts can easily be made ahead of time for a summer BBQ.
Or, go easy on yourself and buy some butter shortcrust pastry from Pickadeli to make a quick and easy Nectarine Galette. It won’t be the traditional round shape, but it will taste just as good:
Slice four large nectarines, toss through about 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cornflour, 1 tsp of vanilla or almond essence and then 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of a spice: try cinnamon, ginger or cardamom for a more classic flavour combo or some ground fennel seed, rosemary sprigs or thyme leaves for something a little bit different.
Place the pastry on a baking paper lined tray and then spoon the nectarine mixture on the middle of your pastry, leaving about 5cm free on the edges. Fold the edges over the mix, use some milk or egg wash to brush the pastry and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40-50 minutes.
Visit one of our fishmongers and make this nectarine salsa with trout from A Better Choice.
Leave to cool a little before serving with a scoop of ice cream from one of Fritz Gelato's take-home tubs.
Nectarines’ acidity also makes them great in savoury dishes like this nectarine salsa with pan roasted trout or serve sliced on a platter with some jamon and salted Spanish almonds from La Central.
Seek out snake beans
Summer isn’t always a great time for green beans but its underutilised cousin the snake bean thrives in hot and humid weather. With its slightly nutty, almost asparagus like flavour and crunchy snap, they’re worth seeking out at the Market.
Snake beans are easy to distinguish from green beans by their length - varying from 30cm to 75cm long - and a skin texture that’s more akin to rugged farmer than beauty influencer. Golden Dragon Asian Grocer include them in the small but mighty selection of Asian vegetables at their store and you’ll also find them on the shelves at Fruits on Coventry.
Snake beans are popular in Asian and Indian dishes like stir fries and curries so when you see recipes from these cuisines calling for green beans, the snake bean is an ideal substitute. In fact, there’s a very good chance that snake beans are the traditional option but were changed to make the recipe more accessible - not everyone is lucky enough to have South Melbourne Market to visit!
Protect yourself from wok splatter while cooking your snake beans with an apron designed by our very own Suki MacMaster.
While you're there, pick up some Ginseng Goji Berry Energising Face Mist from Markee Skincare. Made by Suki's brother Mark, a refreshing spritz is just what you need on Christmas day when the kitchen (or in-law) has your temperature rising.
Part of the reason snake bean stir fries like Sichuan dry fried beans taste so good at restaurants is because they are deep fried first or cooked on a commercial wok flame hot enough to get that blistered, wrinkly texture that makes them so morish. At home, try putting oil coated beans in an air fryer or under a grill first to get that same delicious texture, then finish in the wok with the rest of the ingredients. Or keep it simple and visit Georgie’s Harvest for locally made condiments like spicy sambar or spring onion oil that you can just stir the cooked beans through and serve.
Time for a celery increase
If there was an award for best supporting vegetable, celery would be a serious contender (probably just losing out to the indomitable onion). It’s a humble flavor base used in a range of dishes across the globe and reliable vehicle for consuming dips or peanut butter. But with its herby, minerally, slightly sweet flavor and refreshing crunch, celery also deserves to have a starring role.
Celery is perfect for summer salads, especially when lettuce is looking a bit sad due to the heat. Yes, Waldorf is a classic that, like re-runs of Faulty Towers, has a time and a place, but there’s an abundance of brighter, fresher celery salads that you’ll easily eat a whole bowl of.
Make a lemony, slightly garlicky, olive oil dressing, slice, shave or dice some celery and try it with one of the following combos:
Thai Celery Salad from A Better Choice
- Torn mint leaves + pistachios + chopped dried apricots: quick and easy alongside a pre-roasted chook from South Melbourne Poultry
- Torn basil leaves + toasted pinenuts + shaved parmesan: try with a burrata nestled on top and some focaccia from Cobb Lane Bakery
- Dill fronds + almonds + chopped dates + feta: great with lamb backstrap sourced from Kirkpatrick’s Meat's farm on the Murray
If you're feeling like something Asian, try this zingy Thai Salad that doubles the crunch with both celery and peanuts. You can easily take it in a more Chinese direction by swapping out fish sauce for soy and lime juice for some rice vinegar. Or keep it simple and use this ponzu sauce from Sam’s Grocer as a dressing and replace the peanuts with toasted sesame seeds for a more Japanese influence.
Celery is also beautiful braised, its flavour becoming softer and sweeter, and couldn’t be simpler when done in the oven. In a large baking dish lay down the stalks from one large head of celery (about 500g) then add 2 cups chicken or veg stock, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil, a few bay leaves, a teaspoon or so of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cover the baking dish – an upturned tray is a sustainable ideal but if not use foil – and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 45 minutes.
It’s an affordable side to have at your Christmas table and is easily adaptable depending on what you're serving:
- Pork: try orange slices and some fennel seeds
- Turkey, chicken or salmon: try some thyme sprigs and lemon slices
- Lamb: add some cherry tomatoes, oregano and capers.
- Beef: add some rosemary and onion slices
If you need one last reason to eat more celery, it really does punch above its weight when it comes to nutrients. Amongst its many benefits, celery contains high amounts of anti-inflammatory antioxidants and vitamin K which is essential for helping to prevent low bone density – one 100g serve contains almost a third of your daily need.
Need a new baking dish? Penny and Aphrodite at W.B. Smith and Co Kitchenware have an Aladdin's Cave where all your cookware wishes will come true - no genie required.
Also in season
Apricots, berries (all are great), cantaloupe, capsicum, cherries, corn, cucumber, daikon, dragon fruit, eggplant, lettuce, lychee, mango, passionfruit, peaches, peas, radish, rambutan, snow and sugar snap peas, spring onion, squash, tamarillo, tomato, watermelon, zucchini