Recipes tagged with: summer

A delicious piquant aubergine dish originating from Sicily. Sicilians all have their own version of this slightly salt, sour and sweet dish, with many variations depending on what vegetables are available. Fennel is very good in place of the celery. Serve hot or cold, but never straight from the fridge!

A quick and easy crab recipe which serves eight as a starter, or four as a large main course.

Make ahead for a dinner party and just pop into the oven when required. Makes six individual gratins or one large dish.

A delicious fragrant cordial, capturing the taste of summer. You must pick the elderflowers on a dry, warm and sunny day, when the flower heads are fully open.  They must be perfect, with no trace of brown blossoms. Do not wash them so make sure that you pick them from an area where they are unikely to have been contaminated by wildlife or passing vehicles.

The cordial will keep for several weeks in a cool pantry, several months in the fridge or alternatively freeze in plastic containers and it will keep for a year.

Citric acid is available from chemists and DIY wine making suppliers.

This is a two part recipe. Firstly the dry herb and spice mix that can be made ahead and kept in a jar ready for use. Then there's the 'fresh' element of garlic, lime and coriander that is added when you have your meat ready to marinade. This recipe will be enough for 2 whole pieces of flank, each one serving 3 or 4 people if used in fajitas.

Flank steak is often seen on a menu described as a bavette steak. This is not the cut to use if you don't 'do' rare. The flank has long muscle fibres and can be tough if overcooked, it's also very lean and best sliced thinly across the grain for optimum tenderness. Cook it on a very high heat for 2 or 3 minutes a side and then cover with foil and rest for 10 mins. I generally put mine in the oven after it has been turned off, so no heat, just warm surroundings.  .

The pretty pink, freckled, French apricots, when they arrive in the early summer are the best for making this jam. Make sure that they are not over ripe and that they are still slightly firm to the touch (not hard and not squashy). The addition of one or two of the kernels also gives a disitinctive almond like flavour to the jam, if you fancy cracking a couple of the stones and putting them in. This recipe will make about 5 x 1lb jars.

Perfect for using up those unripe tomatoes and great for breakfast or supper. I like them with hot sauce.

Plan ahead for this recipe as it will take 4 days to cure. You must turn the fish each day and use the freshest salmon possible. It really is so much better than anything that you will buy in a pack from the supermarket, and cheaper too! Serve with Dill and Mustard sauce and on rye bread.

Halloumi cheese cooks very well on the barbecue as it doesn't melt into a puddle as soon as it hits the heat. Cut quite large cubes of cheese so it doesn't fall between the grid on the barbecue into the fire. Try marinading in lemon, garlic and oregano. Skewers work too, although halloumi is prone to break when you thread the skewer and try to turn them over. Grill to form a lovely brown crust.

Succulent chicken breast pieces marinated in Indian spices and yoghurt making, a very quick and delicious summer meal. Chicken thigh meat is great to use too, and possibly more tasty and succulent than breast meat. Use less chilli powder or cayenne pepper if you prefer less kick, although the amount in this recipe won't have you gasping for water! If you do not have all the spices in your store cupboard, don't worry, just substitute all of the spices with curry powder.

Leg of lamb is perfect for these dainty little skewers. Use small woody stems of rosemary and thread with the marinated lamb and onion. Make sure that the rosemary sprigs are not too fleshy or the meat will not thread. Grill over hot coals. This recipe makes 8 mini skewers, enough for 4 people as a starter or 2 people for a main course. Delicious served in pitta bread with some tzatziki.

I've been making lemon barley water for years and it's always been a big hit with visitors at our house. Measurements do not need to be exact, some lemons yield more juice and are sweeter than others. Make according to your own taste and dilute further if you prefer. It's delicious served over ice on a hot day. Use unwaxed fruit and if you can't find unwaxed lemons scrub under running water before use.

A quick and easy marinade to use on barbecued/grilled cheese, meat or fish. Delicious to perk up halloumi cheese, salmon or lamb.

A fresh and summery salad which is just delicious by itself or as part of a mezze style meal. Tabbouleh is usually made with bulghur wheat but quinoa makes a great change and is also gluten free.

Drinking Vinegars, or Shrubs as they are also known are not new, but becoming popular again. Created since the 17th Century as a method to preserve fruit in vinegar, then sweetened with sugar to make a syrup to mix with soda, hot or cold water, or as a base for a cocktail. Try adding some crushed sweet cicely seeds to the strained liquid and sugar for a hint of aniseed.