The back catalogue – a couple of photos and the jam

The damsons - before and after photos :

Plumptious!

Eat me!

I served the “test run” cold with vanilla ice cream. Verdict – oh boy, yum – bring on the crumble!

A week later I harvested the next batch – another 7kg and for those who don't like metric measurements 1kg is equal to 2.2lbs in old money – it's time to call friends. There's no way I can keep pace with the volume and the tree is still loaded.

I gave away 4kgs together with recipe sheets and roasted my way through the remaining 3kgs – then transferred the treasure to the chest – freezer!

Time to take a breath!

Here's the jam recipe :

Damson jam

1kg damsons

300ml water

1kg jam sugar

Wash the damsons and remove any stalks. Place them in a large wide pan with the water and simmer gently until the fruit is soft. Press the damsons against the side of the pan as they cook to help the fruit give up the stones. Use a slotted spoon to remove the stones from the pan.

Simmer the jam until it has reduced by approximately half.

Add the sugar, stir until dissolved. Bring the jam to the boil and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes until the jam sets when tested.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove the scum with a slotted spoon. Pour into warmed sterilised jars, fill right to the top then cover immediately with waxed discs and cellophane tops or lids.

To test for a setting point you can be fancy and spend money if you like and buy a sugar thermometer, boiling the jam until it reaches 105c or, the old fashioned way, place a saucer in the fridge. When the jam has boiled for 5 minutes place a teaspoon of jam on the saucer and return it to the fridge. After a couple of minutes, run your finger through the jam, it should wrinkle and feel thicker. If it's runny then continue boiling and test again. Don't continue to cook the jam whilst testing – you can overcook it, so turn the heat down as low as it will go.

The jam will keep in a cool, dark place for up to a year – if it lasts that long!

You can buy jam sugar – here's what it looks like :

I wasn't hopeful when shopping – who knows these days what's available.

Joy of joys!

Next … a back catalogue ice cream and a new crumble.

The back catalogue – a diversion

Before I continue with more easy, make ahead al fresco picnic ideas I'm interrupting myself – I've been overtaken by events … the damson harvest.

To recap damsons are tiny sour plums too bitter to eat like you would a plum - but they do make great jam and other stuff too.

You have to be quick – those that fall - “windfalls” are easy prey for the wasps and bruise. The last good harvest was way back in August 2017 the yield has been so poor since there weren't enough to make a batch of jam or anything much else for that matter.

This year the tree is heaving and with the hot weather and intermittent storms I don't want to risk losing them.

Here's the tree :

Now is the time I'm grateful for my back catalogue stash of damson recipes!

The damsons are early this year. As a test run I picked a kilo of fruit the first week in August, left the damsons spread out on kitchen roll to ripen a little more and then begin cooking. If I had a tip at this early stage it would be to choose a recipe/dish that takes a kilo of damsons. You'll get fed up very quickly with looking at heaps of damsons. Bag them in kilos and fridge.

I began with my favourite damson recipe – roasting them. I halved the following recipe which took no time at all.

Roasting damsons

2kg plums – halved and stoned – prepped as suggested

150 caster sugar

Pre heat your oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6.

Toss the plum halves in the sugar and place in a large roasting tray – the one I used measures 42x30cms and 2.5cms deep.

Roast for 25/30 minutes until the fruit is soft.

Cover and leave to cool before using.

Cooking is personal - there are heaps of damson recipes out there but for me roasting suits my purpose since a crumble or a pie base is very popular in my house. They freeze well too so no waste!

Next up a couple of photos and the jam.

The back catalogue - Garlic roti

This recipe came from “Mildreds” - a vegetarian restaurant in Soho. Whilst it may not be safe and convenient for everyone to visit at the moment, I can confirm that as at today, it's open for business. For future reference Mildreds is at 45 Lexington Street, London W1F 9AN – www.mildreds.co.uk.

In the meantime, if you feel like treating yourself to their cookery book, Mildreds is the one! It's full and great ideas and recipes – what I also liked is that it gives you guidance on Gluten Free and Vegan options too.

Here's their recipe for Garlic Rotis :

20g unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (or paste)

½ tsp dried chilli flakes (or a pinch of powder)

200g self raising flour (plus extra for dusting)

50g wholemeal self raising flour

80-100ml water

vegetable oil

Warm the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, add the garlic and chilli and cook, stirring, for a minute until the garlic begins to release its flavour but not coloured. Tip into a mixing bowl with the flours and gradually add the water, using a wooden spoon, until you have a moist (not sticky) dough. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and then cover with a clean damp cloth and leave to rise for 30 minutes until nearly doubled in size.

Divide into 8 pieces and form into balls. Dust with a little flour and then roll into thin circles of about 5mm (¼ inch) thick. Use a heavy based frying pan - add a drop of vegetable oil to grease. Cook the rotis on a medium heat – one at a time for 2-3 minutes each side until puffed up and brown. Serve immediately or cover with a clean tea towel and reheat in a low oven when needed.

I made them ahead and then reheated before serving and my only addition was to finish them off with a brush of melted butter and a sprinkle of garlic salt.

I hope you enjoy your time with your family and friends and that I've given you some ideas for food to share with everyone and have some fun!

More easy, make ahead al fresco/picnic ideas …

The back catalogue – pancakes anyone?

Another choice from Italian cicchetti – very useful in that these frittatine, or egg pancakes are made ahead, they are delicious stuffed with the broad bean cream.

Rotolini alla crema di fave

or

Stuffed mini pancakes with broad

bean cream

Serves 4

250g broad beans, fresh or frozen

30g robiola or similar cream cheese *

1 tbsp grated pecorino

4 eggs

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp plain flour

2-3 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

4 slices cooked ham (Italian if you can

get it)

Boil the broad beans until softened in lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Drain, cool and “pop”.** Place in a food processor with the cream cheese and the pecorino and blend until smooth. Season to taste.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with the milk, flour, flat leaf parsley and salt and pepper.

In a lightly oiled, non-stick pan, use this mixture to make about eight small flat, thin omelettes, cooking them on each side for about four minutes. Make sure they are cooked through but soft enough to roll up. Leave to cool.***

Lay a slice of ham on top of each little pancake and spread with the broad bean and cheese mixture, then roll up and cut across into bite-size pieces, sealing each one safely closed with a wooden cocktail stick.

Chill until required.

*Robiola is very difficult to get hold of. You could use ordinary cream cheese or, for an extra tang, try Boursin – I appreciate that Boursin is French and Robiola is Italian but hey, needs must!

** and *** are elements that can and as far as the omelettes are concerned should be made ahead. To “pop” the broad beans, once cooled remove the outer thick skin.

Up next … another bread idea

The back catalogue – a Lebanese salad

The following recipe is a take on a Lebanese mezze dish, it's a perfect vegetarian addition to a mezze.

Halloumi and pomegranate salad

Serves 6 as an appetiser

50g walnuts, toasted and chopped

250g Halloumi – sliced

salt, black pepper and a heaped teaspoon

of sumac – optional - see below

2 tbsp olive oil

cherry tomatoes, halved

Warm the oil in a frying pan. Mix the salt, pepper and sumac in a container with a lid and shake well to combine. Coat the sliced halloumi and fry for 1-2 minutes each side – set aside and keep warm, add the tomatoes. Serve in small bowls, sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle with dressing.

Pomegranate Dressing

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

juice of two limes

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Generous pinch of nigella seeds

1-2 tsps sumac

Mix all the ingredients together. Drizzle over the halloumi and tomatoes.

In case you've not come across sumac, it's a spice used in the Middle East made from ground berries which give a sweet and sour fruit flavour. It's used as a substitute for lemons in stews but also as a “sprinkle” over meats and salads. There's a spice blend called Za'atar and sumac is one of the key ingredients.

It's a question of personal taste - if you're a fan of “zingy” flavours - whether you coat the halloumi with sumac, as well as including it in the dressing.

Serve with warmed mini pitta breads!

Mini pancakes anyone?

The back catalogue – something different

Most of us only eat dates when hidden in a sticky toffee pudding – in other words when they don't resemble dates.

This next recipe is another cicchetti choice – it's “outside the box” - there's no avoiding the dates but it's worth the risk - the combination of sweet, salty and savoury works like a charm and is a perfect addition to your fusion mezze menu.

Dates wrapped in Parma ham

for 20 canapés

1 tsp of vegetable oil for greasing

20 dried dates – stones removed

20 small cubes of Parmesan or other hard cheese

10 slice of Parma ham, halved

Pre-heat the oven to 170fan/190c/Gas 5. Lightly grease a baking tray, large enough to fit all the dates. Remove the stone from the dates and replace it with a little cube of cheese.

Wrap each date in half a slice of Parma ham and fix each one closed with a wooden cocktail stick. Lay the dates on the lightly greased baking tray.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the ham begins to crisp.

Serve hot.

Prep ahead, cover and fridge until you're ready to bake.

The fact that this morsel contains dates lends itself very much to Middle Eastern cuisine too and so, despite Italian in origin, it's the epitome of fusion and perfect for your mezze spread.

Up next … a Lebanese salad

The back catalogue – portable pizza

… for little fingers

This idea fits the bill for the kiddies – it comes from “cicchetti”, the Italian style of tapas and is a small version of a pizza shaped like a pinwheel.

Stromboli

400g prepared pizza dough

4 tbsp tomato paste

100g thinly sliced salami

120g baby spinach

100g thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Generous sprinkle of oregano or garlic Italian seasoning

Pre-heat your oven 220fan/200c/Gas 8. Place a large baking tray in the oven.

Place a dampened J cloth on your work surface. Place a piece of baking parchment on top of the cloth – it will stop it sliding – make sure you leave enough to get hold of – you're going to lift it onto the hot baking tray that's in the oven at the moment. Unroll the pizza dough gently on the parchment.

Spread the tomato paste onto the base. Add the slices of salami, followed by the spinach and then the mozzarella and sprinkle with the oregano or garlic Italian seasoning. Roll up the base from the shortest side and brush with the olive oil - make sure it's seam-side down when placed on the tray.

WITH CARE remove the tray from the oven and then carefully lift the parchment and the rolled up pizza onto it. Place back in the oven for 20/25 minutes until golden brown – check at 20 minutes.

When removed from the oven slice into portions to suit and serve.

This pizza is a big hit. Make your own pizza dough or not - choose any of your favourite pizza toppings to create your own Stromboli – it's the fastest pizza you'll ever make and a great addition to a mezze, thali or, in this case cicchetti – covers all the bases - sorry.

If you buy a ready to use pizza dough bear in mind it needs to be rectangular – to save your legs, especially at the moment – Asda make an excellent product which is found in the chiller, close by the butter.

Coming up – final bits and pieces for your mezze, thali, tapas or cicchetti!