Mark Diacono
LATIN NAME
Borago officinalis
SEASONALITY
April–October
There comes a point early each spring when the weather can’t seem to make up its mind if it should be winter or something more civilised. At such times, you need a little encouragement to be outside and borage gives you – and the early pollinators – just that. Springing lively and bright, in blue or white, before much else has even thought of growing, and producing right through the summer, borage flowers are spectacular. Miniature, but spectacular nevertheless. Strewn on to leafy salads, sprinkled over strawberries or Eton mess, floated on cocktails or frozen in ice cubes and popped into summer drinks, their light, cool, cucumber flavour lends a fresh contrast.
The lightly furry leaves also carry that fabulous cucumber flavour, but they have to be harvested when young and tender, before they become tough rabbit’s ears. At their tiniest, they bring cool punctuation to a salad (leafy or fruity), make a fine accompaniment to smoked fish when sliced and stirred into crème fraîche, and bring freshness and visual loveliness to warm runner beans dressed with olive oil. Not to mention Pimms, where borage leaves and flowers are pretty special.
I’ve never seen borage flowers or leaves for sale – the flowers are very delicate – but they are easy to grow and you’ll only need to buy the seeds once. Sow the seed in spring or summer, cover with the thinnest smattering of compost and they will appear in a few short weeks. In an ideal world, it would be a well-drained sunny spot, but I’ve seen borage grow in such unwelcoming places that I suspect it would germinate in your shoe. Unless you are meticulous in removing all the flowers before they go to seed, borage will reappear next year. Just pull up any plants you don’t want.
COURGETTE SALAD WITH HAM, BORAGE AND EWE’S CHEESE
This delicate dish is simple and quick to throw together. If your borage plant has any very young, tender leaves, use some of these – otherwise, just use the flowers. If you can’t find soft ewe’s cheese, any mild, slightly salty, fresh white cheese will work for this salad. Serves 2
1 courgette (200–250g)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil, plus extra to finish
1 lemon
50g soft, mild ewe’s cheese, crumbled or cubed
4 slices of air-dried or cooked ham, roughly torn into shreds
A handful of very young, tender borage leaves, shredded (optional)
A handful of borage flowers
Sea salt and black pepper
Using a vegetable peeler, cut the courgette into ribbons, working from top to bottom. Go as far in as the seeds on one side, then turn the courgette and pare ribbons from the other side.
Put the courgette ribbons into a bowl and add the oil, the juice of ½ lemon and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Turn to coat the ribbons with the dressing, then allow to stand for 5–10 minutes.
To serve, divide the marinated courgette between serving plates, spooning over all the lovely juices too. Scatter over the cheese, ham and any shredded borage leaves you may have, and finish with the flowers. Add a touch more black pepper, a squeeze more lemon and a trickle more oil, and serve.
