Garden pea and broad bean courgetti with pea soup and almond citrus crumb

Gavin Roche, Executive Sous Chef at Gleneagles

This is one of my favourite times of the year. The gardens are thriving, bursting with fresh produce ready to be picked and made into some amazing dishes for our guests to enjoy. I grew up in Carlow, a country town in the south-east of Ireland, and I have very fond memories of helping my mother in the kitchen as she cooked up wonderful dishes straight from the garden. We grew all sorts of fresh herbs, peas and soft fruits which would play a huge part in our diet throughout the summer.

Cooking was a huge part of our community in Carlow, so the highlight of neighbourhood get-togethers was combining ingredients freshly picked from everyone’s gardens. My neighbours used to grow the most incredible marrows which, alongside our herbs and peas, would make the freshest and most vibrant dishes. These are the plates which have inspired this dish.

I believe Scottish produce is among the world’s best, which is why we work hard at Gleneagles to ensure a wide variety of it is celebrated in our dishes. In addition to harvesting our own produce from our walled gardens, which are about 50 meters from our kitchens, we also work with a selection of Scotland’s best farmers and producers to fill our dishes with wonderful ingredients.

When it comes to cooking, the type of oil you use in your dishes can make or break them. I am a firm supporter of rapeseed oil, specifically Scottish cold-pressed rapeseed oil. We use a brilliant oil, part of our Gleneagles & Co. range, farmed, pressed and bottled in the Strathearn Valley, just a few miles from Gleneagles. Scottish cold-pressed rapeseed oil is particularly special in this dish, pairing perfectly with the almonds and breadcrumb garnish.

This plate features on our Birnam Brasserie menu, which celebrates the best of fresh seasonal Scottish produce to offer a taste of summer to all our guests. We used to make a variation of this recipe with my mum when we were kids, and enjoyed mucking in, so I encourage you to get in the kitchen with your brood and try this recipe out together! For a final flourish, I like to add some Scottish raspberries right at the end – the riper and juicier the better, especially when the dish is served cold.

For more information about Gleneagles, visit www.gleneagles.com

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the courgetti:

8 medium green courgettes

4 medium yellow courgettes

2 litres water

70g fresh garden peas, podded

60g broad beans, shelled

1 banana shallot, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

20ml Scottish rapeseed oil

8 plum tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Sea salt, to taste

For the crumb;

100g breadcrumbs

50g flaked almonds

25g fresh garden herbs, chopped (I favour flat-leaf parsley, chives and lemon thyme)

1 lime, zested

1 lemon, zested

1 orange, zested

Butter, to cook

For the soup;

100g garden peas

10 mint leaves

60g washed leaf spinach

1 tbsp Parmesan, grated

280ml goats milk yoghurt

Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 120°C. Start by prepping the courgetti ingredients. Cut the tomatoes into eight equal wedges and drizzle with oil. Arrange on a non-stick tray along with the garlic slices and place into the oven for 90 minutes, or until semi-dry.

2. Next, using a julienne vegetable peeler or a Japanese spiralizer to create courgette noodles. Put to one side.

3. Now prepare your crumb. Toast the almonds and breadcrumbs in a little butter in separate non-stick pans until golden then leave to cool.

4. Next, prepare the soup. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

5. Now it is time to finish off the courgetti. Bring two litres of water to the boil in a large pan. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat 40ml of rapeseed oil. Add the shallot to the oil and leave to sweat, making sure it doesn’t colour. Then add the broad beans, peas and half of the pre-roasted tomatoes and leave to sauté.

6. Carefully place the courgetti into the boiling water for ten seconds, then drain and immediately add to the other pan to heat through. Fold a quarter of the pea and spinach soup into the courgette mix and remove from the heat. Add the soft herbs and mix until thoroughly combined.

7. To serve, use a carving fork to twist the courgetti onto four serving plates. Serve the remaining soup on the side, either hot or cold, using some of the courgette cooking water to thin the soup if required. To garnish, add the lemon, lime and orange zest to the almond crumb. Sprinkle it over the top of each dish, top with the remaining tomatoes and serve.