Lemon and basil linguine
This is my take on a Genoese classic. What appeals is the sharpness of the lemon tempered by the parmesan, and the warmth of the pasta gently bringing out the fragrance of the basil. Sumptuous and incredibly simple. Grating 75g of parmesan takes longer than you might think, but no longer than it takes the pasta to cook. A 10-minute supper.
serves 2
200g dried linguine
Juice 1 large lemon
75ml olive oil
75g parmesan, grated
Handful basil leaves
Put a huge pan of water on to boil. When it is bubbling furiously, salt it generously then add the linguine. Let it cook at an excited boil for about 8 minutes.
Put the lemon juice, olive oil and grated parmesan in a warm bowl (warmed under a running tap then dried) and beat briefly with a small whisk till thick and grainy. Tear up the basil and stir in with a grinding of black pepper.
Drain the pasta and quickly toss in the lemon and Parmesan 'sauce'.
Hot and sour beanshoot salad
I can't get enough of those Vietnamese style salads that manage to be hot, sour, crisp and refreshing all at once. In summer they do as lunch, perhaps with a couple of spring rolls (ready-made, I'm no kitchen slave) but I also use them as a stirring first course or side dish for a larger meal. Their crunchy texture and mouth-popping vibrancy make them a perfect match for grilled fish.
I take my time over washing the beanshoots and spinach and picking the leaves from the stems of the herbs - there much pleasure to be had from making a salad.
serves 2
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
6-8 spring onions
250g beanshoots
half a cucumber
1 or 2 small, hot red chillies
100g spinach (2 large handfuls)
coriander leaves - a good handful
4 or 5 sprigs mint (the leaves)
Trim the onions and grill them till they are soft brown on all sides.
Make the dressing by briefly whisking the lime juice with the fish sauce and sugar.
Wash the beanshoots and leave them to soak for a few minutes in cold water. Cut the cucumber into matchsticks and add it to the dressing. Chop the chillies finely, discarding the seeds and mix them with the cucumber.
Rinse the spinach, drain the beanshoots and add them to the dressing, along with the onions as and when they are ready.
Rinse the herb leaves and toss them with the rest of the salad.
Herb frittata with smoked salmon
This would be just as good with smoked trout or mackerel. The little pancake is deeply savoury and flecked with dill, and not at all 'eggy'. In fact, I - a devout non-eater of eggs - have been known to finish a whole one by myself. I use dill because of its affinity with salmon, but tarragon would be good or simply some bushy, emerald green parsley. Either way it's a lunch or a light supper dish, and you may find you fancy a pudding afterwards.
serves 2
50g parmesan
3 eggs
approx 2 tbsp dill
butter - a large knob
200g smoked salmon
Finely grate the parmesan. Break the eggs into a small bowl and mix them lightly with a fork. Stir in the parmesan and the chopped dill. Heat an overhead grill.
Melt the butter in a shallow pan, about 20cm in diameter. When it starts to froth pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Let it cook over a relatively low heat till the bottom has formed a golden crust. Lift the pan from the heat and slip it under the grill till the eggs have set and the top is lightly coloured.
Cut into wedges, like a cake, and eat with the smoked salmon.
Banana fritters
I will admit to being somewhat apprehensive of deep frying. Yet on the rare occasion I lower potatoes, sliced courgettes or their golden flowers or even just a banana into deep groundnut oil I wonder why I don't cook this way more often. The results are invariable light, crisp and as tempting as food could possibly be, and the whole experience far less traumatic than I imagined. You just have to keep your wits about you and refuse to be distracted.
I say deep oil, but I do these bananas in groundnut oil barely 2cm deep and they puff up and brown beautifully. Draining them on kitchen paper before you eat them is essential, as is, I think, a squeeze of lime juice. As to what to do with the rest of the coconut milk - you could make laksa tomorrow, or maybe a Thai curry, or just more of these light, sweet little fritters.
serves 2
2 large bananas
2 tbsp plain flour
125ml coconut milk
a little golden caster sugar
groundnut oil for 'deep' frying
Peel the bananas and slice each one into three. Stir the flour into the coconut milk and sugar, beating it till it is smooth with a small whisk. Turn the bananas gently in the batter.
Get the oil hot in a medium sized, high-sided pan. Slide the bananas in and let them bob about in the hot oil till they are golden and crisp. A matter of only a minute or two. Lift them out, drain on kitchen paper and serve with lime and a little sugar.
Grilled lamb with houmus
Hot with smoked paprika and deeply savoury, this is one of those big-flavoured dishes that is somehow best eaten outdoors. Cooked over a grill or even on a griddle pan the lamb develops a black-scorched and garlicky crust while the flesh within stays pink and juicy. You could, if you are so inclined, make your own houmus, but I think the stuff in the shops is pretty good, especially when the smoky, herby, lamb juices run into it.
serves 2
2 lamb chops - about 200g each
2 juicy cloves of garlic
8 black peppercorns
1 tsp smoked paprika (hot)
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
4 small sprigs thyme (the leaves)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large tomatoes
250g houmus
Put the lamb chops in a shallow stainless steel or china dish. Peel the garlic and crush to a pulp with the peppercorns. I use a pestle and mortar for this, but you might have a better idea. Mix in the smoked paprika, sherry vinegar thyme leaves and olive oil. You will have a brick red slush. Pour this over the chops and leave them for an hour or so - longer won't hurt - then turn them and let them marinate a while longer.
Get an overhead grill hot for the tomatoes, and either a char grill or ridged griddle pan for the lamb. Season the tomatoes with black pepper and put them under the grill. Put the lamb on the grill or griddle pan and let it brown (leave it till it is really crusty) then turn it over and cook the other side. How well you cook your lamb is your business but I aim for a crisp and lightly charred outer crust and a deep pink interior. It will probably take about seven minutes or so. Let the meat rest, off the heat, for a couple of minutes. Divide the houmus between two warm plates then the chops and tomatoes.
The wine list
By Tim Atkins
Grilled lamb with houmus
2000 Gaia Estate, Nemea (£11.99, Oddbins) Why not partner a Greek-style dish with a local wine, especially if it's one of the best reds produced in that under-rated wine-producing country? This is a smoky, intense, claret-like wine . Great now, but will age for at least five years.
Hot and sour beanshoot salad
2001 Torresoto Rioja (£5.99, Marks & Spencer) This is not what you'd call a classic match, but the restrained vanilla sweetness and crisp, citrus fruit intensity of this modern style white Rioja goes well with this dish.
Lemon and basil linguine
2002 Tria Grillo, Sicily (£5.99, Waitrose) This lightly oaked Sicilian number, made from the local Grillo grape, is a zesty, herbal, juniper-scented stunner.
Herb frittata with smoked salmon
2002 Redbank Sunday Morning Pinot Gris (£7.99, Tesco) This is a real find from Australia, partly because it tastes a little like Viognier with smoky, peach and quince-like fruit.
Banana fritters
2001 Bonterra Muscat (£4.49, selected branches of Safeway and Sainsbury's) With only 9% alcohol, this is a lot lighter on its feet than many dessert wines. Fresh and sprightly.
