I eat outside at every possible opportunity. Each meal is shopped for and cooked with the intention that it may become an outdoor treat, a meal spread out on the garden table and consumed in the open air.
Of all meals outside, supper is the one I like best, knowing that at some point it will be time to light the candles. Forget picnics and barbecues, the most romantic way to eat is in the garden by candlelight. I will eat this way till the weather insists otherwise.
Bream with lemon and anchovy potatoes
I suggest bream here because it is especially fine at the moment, but any whole, smallish fish will do. Get the fishmonger to clean and gut but ask him to leave the head on. There are plenty of potatoes here, but I find people seem to come back for seconds. A tomato salad on the side would be fun.
serves 4
for the fish:
sea bream - 4 whole fish, cleaned but left on the bone
a little dried oregano
olive oil
for the potatoes:
waxy-fleshed potatoes such as Anya or Pink Fir Apple - 1kg
olive oil - 4 tbs
a large lemon
anchovy fillets - 12
vegetable stock - 500mls
Set the oven at 200 c/gas 6. Slice each potato three or four times. If you do this lengthways you will end up with long, elegant pieces. Warm the olive oil in a roasting tin over a moderately hot flame, then put the potatoes in and let them colour on both sides. They cook best if you leave them alone for several minutes in between stirring. You want them to be pale gold on both sides. Cut the lemon in half, then into thick segments. Add the anchovy, which will appear to dissolve as it cooks, and then pour over the stock.
Bake for 50 minutes until the potatoes are soft and deep gold.
Next, lay the fish in a roasting tin and drizzle with a little olive oil then add the herbs and a mild seasoning of salt and black pepper. Bake in the preheated oven until the flesh will slide easily away from the bone in big juicy pieces. This will take a matter of 15-20 minutes. Serve the fish with the potatoes.
Courgette cakes
I first made these with marrow as part of my annual attempt to attract attention to this under-used vegetable. But with courgettes so cheap at the moment (not to mention a garden full of them) I decided to swap the marrow for the more user-friendly version. These little cakes are even better with a squeeze of lemon or a dollop of tomato chutney.
makes about 6
courgettes - 3 large ones (about 500g)
salad onions - 4 (or a medium onion)
garlic - 1 clove
plain flour - 3 tbs
a large egg
feta cheese - 100g
dill - a small bunch
olive oil
coarse, fine-quality chutney to serve
Coarsely grate the courgette into a colander, sprinkle lightly with salt and leave in the sink for half an hour or so.
Chop the onions finely and warm them gently with a little oil in a shallow pan. They should soften but not colour. Peel and chop the garlic and stir into the onions with the courgettes. When all is soft and starting to turn pale gold, stir in the flour and continue cooking for a couple of minutes or so, with the occasional stir. Beat the egg lightly, then stir it into the onion mixture, then crumble in the cheese and the chopped dill. Season with black pepper and a little salt.
Heat three tablespoons of oil in a shallow pan, drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil and let them cook until they are golden on the underside. Turn carefully - they will be fragile - and cook the other side. Lift the cakes out with a spatula and drain briefly on kitchen paper. Serve with the chutney.
Mafalde with artichokes and rosemary
Any wide ribbon pasta will do for this, but mafalde, with its chunky ribbons and crinkly edges, has a welcome bite to it. This is one of those recipes I often add prosciutto to, sliced into thick shreds.
serves 2
mafalde, pappardelle or other long ribbon pasta - 250g
red onions - 2 medium
olive oil
the leaves of one bushy sprig of rosemary - about 2 tbs
preserved artichokes - 400g
Put a big pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Peel the onions and cut them in half from root to tip then cut each half each into thin segments. Pour three tablespoons of oil into a shallow pan and cook the onion for a good 10 minutes until it has softened and coloured slightly. Meanwhile put the pasta on to boil.
Chop the rosemary leaves finely, then stir them into the onions and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. Cut the artichokes in half and stir them gently into the onions. As soon as the pasta is ready, drain it and toss it with the onions. Scatter with grated Parmesan at the table.
Grilled lamb with tsatziki
A cool cucumber and yoghurt dip is a refreshing accompaniment for grilled chops. Sometimes I add a clove of garlic to it, sometimes not.
serves 4
for the lamb:
lamb steaks or large chops - 4
olive oil - 2 tbs
fresh oregano - a tbs or so
for the tsatziki:
half a cucumber
thick, natural yogurt - 250mls
spring onions - 2
mint leaves - 1 handful
Grate the cucumber into a sieve or colander, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and sit it in the sink for half an hour. This will rid the cucumber of much of its water.
Tip the yoghurt into a mixing bowl. Finely chop the spring onions and stir them into the yoghurt along with the mint leaves, roughly chopped. Squeeze any excess moisture out of the cucumber with your hands then stir it into the yoghurt. Don't be tempted to season the yoghurt, it should be just fine as it is.
Keep the tsatziki cool until you need it. Get the grill hot. In a small bowl mix the olive oil with the oregano and a seasoning of salt and black pepper then rub or brush it over the meat. Cook the lamb over a hot grill or in a griddle pan. Ideally the outside should be dark brown and sizzling, the fat crisp and the inside of the meat a deep, juicy rose pink.
Serve the lamb with the tsatziki.
Nigel's delightful trifle
serves 6
for the blackcurrant layer:
blackcurrants - 475g
water - 4 tbs
caster sugar - 2 tbs
for the sponge and cream layer:
plain good quality sponge cake - 350g
a large egg
caster sugar - 2 tbs
mascarpone - 250g
a couple of drops of vanilla extract
whipping or double cream - 250ml
to decorate:
blackcurrants - a few sprigs crystallised violets
Pull the blackcurrants from their stalks and put them in a stainless steel pan with the water and caster sugar. Put them over a low to moderate heat and leave them to simmer for 7 -10 minutes until they are starting to burst. Once there is plenty of purple juice remove from the heat.
Break the sponge into small pieces and push it into the bottom of a large serving bowl. Spoon the hot blackcurrants and their juice over the sponge and leave to cool. During this time the sponge will soak up much of the blackcurrant juice.
Put the egg yolk and sugar in a bowl and mix it well, then stir in the mascarpone and vanilla. Whip the cream, then, when it is thick enough to lie in soft folds (rather than stand in stiff peaks) fold it lightly into the mascarpone mixture. In a separate bowl beat the egg white until it is almost stiff, then fold it into the mixture.
Spoon the mascarpone cream over the cool blackcurrants and sponge. You can smooth it flat or not. Refrigerate for a good hour or so before serving, so that the whole thing has time to come together. Decorate with fresh raw blackcurrants and, if you like, crystallised violets.
The wine list
Tim Atkin
Courgette cakes
2003 Dipnon Roditis/Riesling (£5.99, Marks & Spencer)
A bone-dry, unoaked Greek blend of native Roditis with a smidgeon of Riesling.
Mafalde with artichokes
2003 Réserve des Tuileries, Côtes du Roussillon (£4.99, Sainsbury's)
This southern French quaffer is rich and spicy with notes of sage, rosemary and thyme.
Grilled lamb with tsatziki
2000 Marqués de la Concordia Rioja Crianza (£7.99, Unwins)
A lovely, barrel-aged Rioja with the emphasis on sweet, elegant red fruits flavours.
Bream with lemon and anchovy potatoes
2003 Vergelegen Chardonnay, Stellenbosch (£7.99, Oddbins)
South Africa's leading winery is better known for its reds than whites, but this is a wonderful modern Chardonnay.
Nigel's delightful trifle
2003 Domaine des Forges, Coteaux du Layon (£8.99 per 50cl, Waitrose)
This honeyed, partially oak-fermented sticky is pure indulgence.
