There are certain foods that were made to be eaten in bright summer sunshine - fat prawns hot from the grill, soft Middle Eastern flatbread holding spicy lamb patties, long cool drinks of lime or lemonade, and of course strawberries. Then there are those which seem more appropriate eaten in the shade of a tree or beneath a parasol: think cold salmon, delicate fruit fool or perhaps a crisp meringue hidden beneath a layer of thick cream and summer fruit. I guess it's a question of right food, right place, right time.
As much as I love eating and even cooking summer food outdoors, I don't rely too heavily on the barbecue. From a practical point of view I think it is worth having something already made as well - a terrine, a cake, a cold dessert - so that you only have the main dish to concentrate on. So if I am grilling a trayful of prawns then I make certain that there is at least one other bit of the meal that can be quietly roasting in the oven or marinating in the fridge.
I have tried not cooking at all during the hottest weather but no matter how delicious cold food is, it always leaves me wanting something that is grilled, roasted or baked. It is not just a question of flavour here, but of the smell of hot food, even on a summer's day. Who knows, maybe I just love cooking. Whatever, I have included a dish of roasted rabbit, the meat sharpened with roast lemons and chewy enough to require picking up and eating caveman style, and a salad of roast tomatoes for stuffing into crisp French bread.
With all that in mind I have put together a bundle of recipes for summer eating that include both impromptu outdoor cooking and stuff that can be prepared earlier, even the day before. That way, the cook can have as much of a good time as everyone else, something that this cook wholeheartedly believes in.
Garlic prawns
Good fishmongers, even some of the larger supermarkets, now stock raw prawns in their shells. I serve them hot from the grill, heavily seasoned with garlic, melted butter and salt, piling them in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. With everyone tearing off the shells and dipping their prawns in melted butter and salt, there are few more tactile feasts.
serves 4
large live prawns, shell on - 24-32
garlic - 3 or 4 large cloves
olive oil
butter - 100g
lemons - 2
Rinse the prawns and put them in a bowl. Peel and finely crush the garlic then add it to the prawns with a slug of olive oil. Toss the prawns to cover them in seasoned oil.
Cook them under a preheated grill until their shells have turned a brilliant orange pink. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan. Serve the hot prawns with the lemon, salt and the melted butter.
Hot lamb patties in flatbread
OK, so this is posh beefburger, but it is none the worse for that. The patties are quite tender and I find them best cooked in a shallow pan rather than on the grill, where they tend to crumble. The real point is the contrast between the spicy patties and the cool yoghurt dressing. I have eaten these in both soft, sesame buns and wrapped in Middle Eastern flatbread, and marginally prefer the latter.
serves about 6
cracked wheat - 100g
minced lamb - 400g
garlic - 2 large cloves
mint leaves - a small handful
parsley - a small bunch
harissa paste - 2 teaspoons
for the dressing
cucumber - about a third of medium one
mint - the leaves from 4 or 5 sprigs
yoghurt - 200g
to serve
Middle Eastern bread or rolls
whole coriander, lettuce and mint leaves
Put the cracked wheat in a bowl, cover with boiling water and set aside to swell. Put the minced lamb in a bowl, add the peeled and crushed garlic and a generous grinding of salt and black pepper. Roughly chop the mint and parsley and add to the mince with the harissa paste. Squeeze any water from the cracked wheat and mix into the meat, then squidge the mince into little patties about the size of a flattened golf ball. Cover with clingfilm (tightly because the chopped garlic will taint everything in the fridge) then chill for at least an hour.
Make the dressing by grating the cucumber coarsely and leaving it in a colander, lightly sprinkled with salt, for half an hour. Squeeze it dry, then mix with the chopped mint and yoghurt. Season with black pepper.
Heat a non-stick pan, brush the patties with a little groundnut oil and fry until golden on both sides. It is worth cutting one in half to see if it is cooked right through. Warm the breads, then split them in half. Fill with the herbs then stuff a couple of hot lamb patties in each. Drizzle with cucumber dressing and eat.
Salmon with dill and lime
Patés and terrines are particularly useful for summer lunches, requiring no last-minute preparation beyond making a few rounds of toast. Strictly speaking, this isn't a terrine, but I serve it as such: the coarse, textured salmon in a white china dish together with crisp rye toast and paper-thin slices of pickled cucumber. It is the perfect light lunch dish with maybe some salad and cheese to follow. Or, in a more formal meal it would do as a refreshing first course.
serves 4
wild salmon - 500g
mild olive oil - 4 tablespoons
dill leaves - 2 tablespoons
limes - 2 large, ripe ones
capers - a tablespoon
to serve
hot rye toast
Remove the skin from the salmon and, using a large, heavy knife, chop the flesh finely. You want it to be fine enough to stick together, but by no means a purée. Scoop it into a bowl. Mix in the olive oil, the chopped dill, the lime juice and the capers. Season carefully with salt and black pepper and pack the mixture into a terrine or china dish and leave overnight. Eat the next day with hot rye toast and pickled cucumber.
Pickled cucumber
This works with the terrine above, but also with cold poached salmon or trout.
cucumber - half a large one
white wine vinegar - about 4 tablespoons
coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons, chopped
caster sugar
Peel the cucumber and slice it very thinly - you should be able to see through each slice. Put the slices in a colander and sprinkle with sea salt, then leave for a good half hour. Rinse and pat dry with kitchen roll, put in a bowl with about 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, a couple of teaspoons of sugar and the chopped coriander leaves. Season with black pepper and toss gently. Set aside for a couple of hours, or overnight.
Marinated feta and artichoke salad
During the summer you often see the tiniest of globe artichokes, so small and tender you can eat the whole thing, choke and all. I like them warm from the pot with just olive oil and lemon, but they are a good salad ingredient too. Their mild, almost nutty flavour works well with a salty cheese such as feta - though they are sublime with shaved Parmesan too. Here I toss them with feta that has been marinated in olive oil and both fresh and dried herbs. Don't be put off by the sound of dried mint and oregano, they work well.
serves 4
feta cheese - 500g
dried mint - 2 teaspoons
dried oregano - 1 tablespoon
fresh mint leaves - a small bunch, chopped
baby artichokes - about 10
olive oil
Break the feta cheese into large, jagged lumps. Add the chopped dried and fresh herbs to the olive oil with a grinding of black pepper but no salt. Pour the oil over the cheese and leave to marinate for three or four hours. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the artichokes - they will need about 10 minutes, depending on their size. Drain them and slice in half. Mix them with the marinated cheese and serve with warm bread.
Roast tomato salad
A tomato's flavour intensifies in the heat of the oven and roasting brings all of its sweet-sharpness to the fore. I eat these warm, sprinkled with a little herb vinegar, or sometimes sandwiched inside a crisp baguette.
serves 4 as a side dish
tomatoes - 12
thyme - 6 bushy sprigs
olive oil
red wine vinegar
Wipe the tomatoes and slice them in half across the middle. Put them cut side up in an oven-proof dish. Shake over a generous amount of good, though not expensive, olive oil and season with salt, coarsely ground black pepper and the leaves from the thyme sprigs. Roast at 200 c/gas 6 for about 40 minutes, depending on the ripeness of your tomatoes, till they are puffed and tender. A few black edges will only add to their flavour. As they come out of the oven, shake over a little of the vinegar, then serve warm with crusty bread.
Rabbit with lemon and new potatoes
I strongly believe that some food is made to eat without the aid of a knife and fork. This is just such a recipe. Like lamb cutlets, rabbit joints seem to be made for holding in your hands. Rabbit is a tricky meat sometimes, and can be as tender or tough as it chooses. I get over this capriciousness by giving it a few hours in a marinade, then cooking it covered for the first hour.
serves 4
wild rabbits - 2, jointed
garlic - 8 whole cloves, unpeeled
olive oil
lemons - 2 large ones
thyme - a few bushy sprigs
white vermouth - 1 glass
new potatoes - about 16-20
Set the oven at 160 c/gas 3. Slice the potatoes in half lengthways and put them in a roasting tin with the rabbit and its marinade. Cut the lemons in half lengthways and then each half into three. Season with salt and coarsely ground pepper, pour in the vermouth then toss all ingredients together. Season generously with salt.
Roast for an hour, the dish covered tightly with foil, then turn up the heat to 200 c/gas 6 and continue cooking until it is golden and slightly sticky - probably a further 45 minutes.
Blackcurrant meringue
There is something quite irresistible about clouds of softly beaten cream and sugary, honey-coloured meringue. The textures work together perfectly. Add to that a dollop of sharp fruit such as passion fruit, or, in this case, a richly-coloured blackcurrant compote, and you have something utterly blissful.
serves 8-10
egg whites - 5 large ones
caster sugar - 300g
white wine vinegar - a teaspoon
cornflour - 2 heaped teaspoons
vanilla extract
almond oil
Set the oven at 180 c/ gas 4. Lightly oil a non-stick, loose-bottomed, 20-21cm cake tin with almond oil. You could also use something similarly flavourless like groundnut oil. Line the base with non-stick baking parchment. Beat the egg whites, making sure there is no trace of egg yolk present, with a metal whisk until they stand in billowing, shiny folds. The easiest way is to use an electric food mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat in the sugar in two or three lots. Scatter over the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and fold in gently with a large, metal spoon. Don't overmix.
Scoop the mixture into the cake tin, smooth the top level and put straight into the oven. Immediately turn the heat down to 150 c/gas 3. Leave the meringue to cook, without opening the door, for a full hour and 10 minutes. If the top is getting brown then turn the heat down a little further. It should be a pale honey colour. Turn off the heat and let the meringue cool without opening the door. The marshmallow centre will sink and leave high, crisp sides.
Beat the cream in a cold, stainless steel bowl until it will almost stand in peaks. Pile in the centre of the meringue. and serve with the blackcurrant compote.
Blackcurrant compote
blackcurrants, or a mixture of black- and redcurrants - 400g
sugar - about 4 tablespoons, depending on the sweetness of your fruit
Check the fruit and remove any leaves or stems. Put the the fruit in a stainless steel saucepan with the sugar and bring it slowly to the boil. You shouldn't need any water, but if the fruit looks as if it is starting to stick, then add a tablespoon or two of water. When the fruit starts to burst, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Strawberries with orange and balsamic vinegar
Balsamic vinegar has a lovely mellowing effect on strawberries, removing any acidity. It is a good wheeze for berries that prove less interesting than they appeared in the shop.
serves 4
strawberries - 4 handfuls
oranges - 3, juiced
balsamic vinegar
Rinse the berries and remove leaves and stalks. Slice each in half and put them in a glass or china bowl. Squeeze the oranges over them, stir in a little balsamic vinegar, tasting as you go. You will probably need less than a teaspoon. Chill for two hours, no longer, as the berries are inclined to go 'fluffy' if they soak too long.
