What's in season this month and what to do with it

 
Blueberries
Thanks to my sister-in-law Katherine for this one. It’s sort of an updated ‘egg flip’ and fantastic for afternoon tea as it keeps everyone full until dinner. So..you blend a handful of blueberries (or other fruit) with a little yogurt, an egg, an ice cube or two and some ground nuts (LSA mix is good).

Bananas
Single ingredient ice cream; Just slice a few bananas into discs and freeze them for  a few hours and then whizz up in a food processor. Keep whizzing for a minute or two and all of a sudden, the nanas turn from being frozen crumbs to creamy, delicious soft serve-style ice cream. Truly. Alice and Tom still think it’s regular ice cream and since banana prices came down we have been doing this every other afternoon. You can also add a spoonful of yogurt if your food processor is struggling to pull it together, a little raw cacao powder and a spoonful of peanut butter makes a beautiful nutty chocolate ice cream too. Pictures and full recipe can be found here at The Kitchn.
 
Mangoes
Mix some finely grated lime rind and brown sugar together and press into mango cheeks. Cook on a hot grill or saucepan for a minute or so until beautifully caramelised. Yum. Serve with coconut ice cream or plain yogurt. 

Tomato
This pasta recipe is perfection in summer cooking. It was given to me by a friend in Italy called Christina. She is a beautiful cook and I hope to post more of her recipes here in the coming months. But for now, here it is and I hope you like it as much as we do. Slice up three or four big ripe tomatoes and place in a large bowl with cup of sliced mozarella, a handful of grated parmesan and a cup of ricotta. Mix together with two cloves of garlic (crushed), some dried chilli flakes, a handful of basil leaves and a few good dollops of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and let the mixture sit at room temperature for a couple of hours or until the cheeses are nice and soft and the mixture beautifully aromatic. Cook about 500g of nice pasta and then toss the hot pasta through the sauce. Serve immediately with great bread.

Speedy sweet corn salad (picture above)
Great for a picnic and/or with pretty much any grilled meat or fish. This is also a good lunch, especially with a boiled egg and some crusty bread on the side. Cut the kernels from three fresh cops of corn, cook for a few minutes in boiling water and then drain. Add these to a bowl with one chopped avocado, a finely sliced spring onion, a diced tomato, the juice of one lime, some chilli, and basil or coriander.

Zucchini and pine nut muffins
A great lunchbox alternative to sandwiches; mix 200g plain wholemeal flour with 40g cooking oats and 2 tsp baking powder. Add in seasoning to taste, a few finely chopped basil leaves and 1/2 cup grated parmesan. In a separate bowl mix together 2 eggs, 1 cup of plain yogurt and three medium zucchinis, grated. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together and then gently stir through half a cup of sultanas and the same amount of toasted pine nuts. Scoop into muffin cases and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes. 

The above 'shopping list' of fresh produce is by no means comprehensive but, I hope, a good guide to what to buy for those of us in Eastern Australia this month. Any thoughts/additions welcome. Thanks, Sophie