Garden fritto misto, in tempura
This is a fabulous and versatile summer garden harvest meal – the best baby vegetables, edible flowers, and herbs. Simply delicious
Serves 10-12
- 750ml sunflower or groundnut oil
- A handful of crinkly kale
- A handful of the first asparagus spears
- A handful of baby courgettes
- A handful of pea pods
- A handful of sage leaves
- A handful of calendula flowers
- Sea salt and black pepper
For the tempura batter
- 150g plain flour
- 100g corn flour
- 10g baking powder
- Sparkling water (enough to make the batter, that should coat your finger
- Plenty of salt and black pepper
First make the tempura batter. Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt and pepper and make a dip in the centre. Use a balloon whisk to mix in the cold water or lager to make a batter.
Pour the oil into a deep pan so that it reaches about one-third of the way up the side. Heat the oil until it reaches about 170 degrees Celsius. If you don’t have an oil thermometer, it’s easy to test the temperature. Drop a cube of bread into the oil, it should turn golden brown in less than a minute when it is hot enough.
Dip the vegetables, herbs, and flowers into the batter, a few at a time, and then into the hot oil until pale golden and crisp. Drain them on kitchen paper.
These are best eaten hot, sprinkled with flaked sea salt and ground black pepper.
