The hotter the weather, the less time I seem to spend in the kitchen. At this time of year, it is the least time-consuming recipes that get my attention. Recipes that fit in with the slower rhythm of life during the summer months, don’t involve hours of preparation or require the oven to be on for long. This month’s collection of recipes sits comfortably with how I want to cook on a summer’s day. The shopping list is short, there is an ease of preparation and an uncomplicated quality to them. Effortless cooking for the last days of summer.
Tomato salad with coriander mayonnaise
I will always choose coriander over the more popular basil, but either would work in the mayonnaise-based dressing for this salad. You will need less than the recipe makes, but it keeps well in the fridge, tightly covered, for several days.
Serves 4 as a side
egg yolks 2
dijon mustard 1 tsp
lemon juice 1 tbsp
light oil such as sunflower or groundnut 200ml
extra virgin olive oil 50ml
coriander leaves 5g, stems removed
tomatoes 750g, assorted sizes
Put the egg yolks in a mixing bowl, add the mustard, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Whisk, then add the oils, a few drops at a time to start with. As the mayonnaise starts to thicken, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Stop when the mayonnaise is thick and creamy. If it is too thick to trickle, you can bring it to the right consistency with a little more lemon juice or a dash of warm water.
Put the coriander leaves in a mortar, add a pinch of salt and crush to a green paste with a pestle. Stir the paste into the mayonnaise.
Slice the tomatoes thinly and place them on a serving plate. Trickle some of the mayonnaise over the tomatoes and serve straight away.
Courgettes with creme fraiche and basil
The rain and sunshine have done wonders for the courgettes this year. Even those grown in a pot seem unstoppable. I have grilled and fried them, sautéed them with basil and lemon, and made them into potato cakes. The simplest treatments are often the most successful.
Serves 2-4
creme fraiche 3 heaped tbsp
basil leaves 8-12
lemon juice of ½
courgettes 500g
olive oil 6 tbsp
Put the creme fraiche in a small mixing bowl. Place the basil leaves on top of one another, roll them up, then slice finely and add to the creme fraiche. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.
Slice the courgettes diagonally, no thicker than 0.5cm. Warm the olive oil in a shallow pan, add the courgette slices and fry till golden, turning them as necessary. Remove the courgettes as they become ready, and drain briefly on kitchen paper, then salt them lightly.
Transfer the courgettes to a serving dish and trickle over the lemon and basil cream.
Nectarines, ham and blue cheese
I often include fruit in a salad with pork or ham; peaches, perhaps, or pieces of ripe cantaloupe. The fruit refreshes, but also works beautifully with the salty quality of the meat. It is crucial the fruit is ripe, ideally dripping with sweet, fridge-cold juice.
Serves 2-3 as a main
smoked gammon steaks 450g
nectarines or peaches 4, ripe
blue cheese such as cashel blue 250g
parsley a small bunch
For the dressing
olive oil 2 tbsp
white wine vinegar 1 tbsp
green peppercorns in brine 1 tbsp
Heat a griddle pan, lightly oil the gammon steaks and season with black pepper, then place them on the griddle and cook till golden; turn and cook the other side. This will take about 10 minutes depending on how hot your griddle is. Lift the gammon steaks into a bowl and allow them to rest.
Halve the nectarines or peaches and remove their stones, then tear each half in two. Roughly torn fruit looks more attractive than neatly sliced. Break the blue cheese into large jagged pieces. Remove the parsley leaves from their stalks.
Mix the olive oil and white wine vinegar with a little salt and pepper, add the green peppercorns, rinsed of their brine, then pour in any juices that have leaked from the resting gammon. Tear the meat into jagged pieces and add to the dressing, then add the parsley, blue cheese and nectarines, and serve.
Prawns with crumbs and ponzu sauce
As much as I love prawns split in half and grilled, from time to time I fry them, either in their shells in a little oil, tossed in parmesan or with garlic and parsley. This time I shelled them first and tossed them in fine crumbs, before frying and dipping each one into citrus soy.
Serves 2 as a main
raw prawns 450g, shell on
panko crumbs 6 heaped tbsp
eggs 2
groundnut or vegetable oil for deep frying
ponzu sauce to serve
Remove the heads and shells from the prawns. Rinse the tails briefly in cold running water and pat dry.
Tip the crumbs on to a plate and spread evenly. Break the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat lightly to mix the yolks and whites.
Warm the oil in a deep pan. Dunk the prawns in the beaten egg, then into the crumbs. Press down to coat the prawns, then turn and coat the other side.
Dip the crumbed prawns into the hot oil and fry till golden – a matter of two or three minutes –then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with small bowls of ponzu sauce for dipping.
A salad of lentils and red peppers
A wholesome salad with deep flavours that I use as both as an accompaniment and as a principal dish in its own right. The dressing is made using the sweet roasting juices from the peppers and tomatoes.
Serves 4 as a main, or 6 as a side
For the roast vegetables
red peppers 2
cherry tomatoes 250g
For the lentils
carrot 1 medium
onion 1 medium
olive oil 2 tbsp
celery 1 stick
bay leaves 3
garlic 2 cloves
thyme 4 sprigs
puy lentils 200g
parsley a small bunch
olive oil 60ml
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Wipe the peppers and place them in a baking dish or roasting tin, tucking the tomatoes around them. Bake for 40-50 minutes, till the peppers have browned here and there, and are soft enough to collapse with a little pressure. Transfer to a shallow dish, leaving the tomatoes in place, cover tightly with clingfilm and leave for 10 minutes. The skins will loosen in the peppers’ steam.
Peel the skin from the peppers, dice the flesh finely and place in a large mixing bowl. Chop the tomatoes and fold into the peppers along with any roasting juices from the pan.
For the lentils, peel the carrot and cut into a fine dice, then do the same with the onion. Put them in a medium-sized saucepan with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place over a low to moderate heat. Finely dice the celery and add to the pan, together with the bay leaves and garlic cloves, peeled and squashed flat. Then add the sprigs of thyme. Leave to cook at a gentle pace, stirring regularly, until the vegetables have softened and are lightly toasted.
Add the lentils to the pan, pour in enough water (about 500ml) to cover the lentils and vegetables by about 3cm. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are just tender. Add salt at the end of their cooking time.
Remove the thyme sprigs and bay from the lentils, then add the chopped peppers, tomatoes and their juices. Remove the parsley leaves from their stems and roughly chop them, then stir into the lentils along with the 60ml of olive oil. Season with black pepper and serve at room temperature.
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