Fennel with radishes and sumac
The crunchy texture and aniseed flavour of fennel goes really well with slightly peppery radishes and the sharpness of the sumac. The pomegranate seeds add a juicy tang, but it's good without them too.
Serves 4
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 small fennel bulb, about 200g
200g radishes
3 tbsp olive oil
Seeds of ¼ pomegranate (optional)
1 tsp sumac
Salt
1 Have ready a bowl of water with 1 tbsp of lemon juice in it. Finely slice the fennel using a mandoline and place in the acidulated water until just ready to serve, to prevent it discolouring.
2 Finely slice the radishes and place in a bowl. Whisk the oil and remaining lemon juice together. Drain the fennel and mix with the radishes. Drizzle over the dressing and toss gently. Strew the salad over a large serving platter and scatter with the pomegranate seeds, if using. Finish with a dusting of sumac and a little salt then serve straight away.
Istanbul by Rebecca Seal (Hardie Grant). To order a copy of Istanbul: Recipes from the heart of Turkey for £17.49 (RRP £25), visit guardian.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 333 6846
Grilled spring onions with romesco sauce
This popular Catalonian dish uses spring onions, which take on an incredibly sweet, smoky flavour that marries perfectly with the fresh, spiky romesco sauce.
Serves 4
160g raw almonds
225g white bread, cubed
6 plum tomatoes
2 red peppers, stems and seeds removed
1 yellow onion, cut into slices about ½ inch thick
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
A pinch of coarse sea salt
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp paprika (or smoked paprika)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
4 small bunches of spring onions
1 Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Bake the almonds for a few minutes until they are golden brown, being careful not to burn them. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a bowl so they cool quickly. Bake the bread cubes for a few minutes until they are golden brown, and transfer them to the bowl with the almonds.
2 Place the tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic cloves on rimmed baking trays, making sure they are not overlapping or too crowded. Drizzle them all with the olive oil and sprinkle them with salt. Bake them until they become slightly charred: about 30 minutes or more. Remove the pieces as they char (some might cook faster than others) and transfer them to alarge bowl.
3 Once cooled slightly, add the almonds, bread, tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, vinegar, paprika and cayenne pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth and add more salt to taste if necessary.
4 Trim both ends of the spring onions and throw them under a hot grill, checking them and turning them frequently until they are nicely charred on all sides and very tender. Immediately transfer them to a large piece of foil and seal them up for a few minutes to allow the onions to steam and get softer.You can eat them whole, or peel off the charred outside layers, eating just the soft insides.
Recipe adapted from brooklynsalt.com
Spicy pork larp
This is an addictive contrast between warm, fragrant chopped meat and fresh mint, chilli and crunchy salad. The addition of ground toasted rice gives it an interesting texture and, along with the sharp, spicy dressing, makes this salad near perfect. A range of meats can be substituted: try duck, chicken, beef orlamb.
Serves 4
2 tbsp sunflower oil
400g pork mince
1 tbsp short or medium-grain rice
Half a red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemongrass, finely sliced (root only)
4 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
A pinch of cayenne pepper or chilli powder to taste
A small bunch of mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
1-2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
A selection of raw vegetables (eg 1 little gem or romaine lettuce cut into wedges, half a cucumber, sliced, 100g sugarsnap peas or raw french beans)
1 Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the pork for 5 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.
2 Dry-roast the rice in a frying pan. Cool and grind to a powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Set aside.
3 Mix the pork mince with the rest of the ingredients and check the seasoning. Arrange the raw vegetables around the pork on a plate and sprinkle with the toasted rice. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe supplied by Jane Baxter
Ceviche with radishes
This recipe takes elements of Fijian kokoda (raw fish salad) and Peruvian ceviche, marrying raw fish with a crunchy, peppery salad. Use the freshest fish available.
Serves 6
For the ceviche
400ml coconut milk
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 2 large lemons
1 tsp palm sugar, grated or chopped
Salt and black pepper
500g firm white fish fillets
For the salad
½ cucumber, finely sliced
2 radishes, finely sliced
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 large red chillies, finely chopped
A handful of fresh coconut flakes (optional)
A handful of baby watercress
1 Whisk the coconut milk with the lime and lemon juice and palm sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
2 Cut the fish into chunks, cover with the coconut mixture and refrigerate for about 10minutes.
3 Fold through the finely sliced cucumber, radishes, spring onion and garnish with chilli, fresh coconut flakes and watercress.
Recipe adapted from ourkitchen.fisherpaykel.com
Coriander and spring onion swirls
These impressive-looking savoury swirls are easy to prepare and taste best served warm.
Makes 12
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
250g plain flour, plus 3 tbsp
4 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
250g spring onions, coarsely chopped
20g fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
120g sesame seeds
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
1 Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Pour 120ml warm water into a small bowl and add the yeast, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar. Let the mixture stand until it bubbles – about 10minutes.
2 Place the flour, butter and remaining salt and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat in the egg, the egg yolk and yeast mixture.
3 Combine until the dough is soft and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a large, lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let it rise until it has doubled in size. This should take about an hour.
4 Meanwhile, combine the spring onions and coriander in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the sesame seeds and 3 tbsp oil and set aside.
5 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Roll the dough into a 45 x 22cm rectangle and spread the spring onion mixture to the corners of the dough. Working from one short edge, roll the dough into a cylinder and cut into 2cm dough swirls. Transfer the swirls to your prepared baking tray. Brush with oil and bake until golden brown – about 30 minutes.
Middle Eastern salad of cucumber, lettuce and herbs
When I was a child, my father, who rarely cooked, would sometimes prepare a chopped salad that he had eaten in the US. It comprised several ingredients –often crunchy lettuce, sweet tomatoes and cheese or some form of meat –chopped into small pieces and tossed with a good dressing. This is more a Middle East version, without meat or cheese. It is almost the consistency of gazpacho, but laced with plenty of cool, crunchy cos lettuce.
Serves 4
2 very ripe tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and chopped
6 radishes, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
A small bunch of dill, leaves only, finely chopped
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped
A bunch of mint, leaves only, chopped
½ tsp dried mint
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Juice of ½ a lemon
½ tsp pomegranate molasses
Salt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 pomegranate
1 small cos lettuce
1 Chop the tomatoes into small dice and place in a large bowl. Halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out the seeds, then cut into pieces the same size as the tomatoes and add to the bowl. Add the red onion, red pepper, radishes, chilli, chopped fresh herbs and dried mint. Stir well to combine.
2 In a separate bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, a good pinch of salt and the extra virgin olive oil. Stir well and pour over the chopped vegetables. Toss gently and leave to macerate for 10 minutes.
3 Hold the pomegranate in one hand and gently tap it all over with a rolling pin to loosen the seeds. Now cut the fruit in half and extract the seeds with your fingers –do this over a bowl to catch them and any juice. Pick out any strands of bitter pith that have dropped into the bowl.
4 Just before serving, shred the lettuce and toss it through the salad. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary. Pile on to a serving plate and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Serve with warm flatbread, or as an accompaniment to grilled fish.
My Favourite Ingredients by Skye Gyngell (Quadrille)
Tomato, celery and spring onion juice
This refreshing juice, almost like gazpacho in drink form, is definitely savoury but, if your tomatoes are ripe enough, should balance beautifully. It's perfect for a hot, sticky afternoon.
Serves 2
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp red or white wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper
1 Put all the ingredients in a food processor with 125ml water and liquidise.
2 Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Strain into two glasses.
Breakfast Lunch Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery by Rose Carrarini (Phaidon Press)
Grilled cucumber salad
This refreshing cucumber salad gains complexity from the clever charring technique to convey smoky, earthy flavours.
Serves 4
1 cucumber
1 white onion
60g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
120ml olive oil, plus additional for cooking
3 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 large tomatoes
A small handful of mint leaves, torn in half
Grapeseed oil
Salt and black pepper
1 Slice the cucumber into roughly 1¼cm rounds and the onions into 1¼cm slices, keeping the rings together. Lightly brush them with olive oil and season on both sides.
2 Preheat a frying pan on high and sear the cucumber slices and onion slices until they are deep golden brown – about 4 minutes. The onions might take slightly longer than the cucumbers, so keep an eye on them. Once cooked, transfer the cucumbers and onions to a sheet of kitchen roll to absorb excess grease.
3 Chop the parsley and mix with the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes, whisking the ingredients together in a bowl to emulsify the dressing.
4 Cut each tomato into 8 wedges and arrange on a large plate. Transfer the cucumbers and onions to the same plate and lightly drizzle with dressing, making sure not to overdress (you will probably have leftover dressing). Adjust the seasoning of the vegetables with salt and pepper if necessary and garnish withmint.
A Michael Mina recipe adapted from cooktasteeat.com
Watercress and potato frittata with tomato salad
Frittatas are perfect for a warm summer evening, and this one with watercress and potato is quick to prepare, looks good and tastes excellent.
Serves 4-6
For the frittata
6 large eggs
Tabasco sauce
Salt and black pepper
500g floury potatoes, boiled, peeled and roughlycrushed
1 small bunch watercress (100g)
Olive oil
30g butter
For the tomato salad
6 medium ripe tomatoes (600g)
1 small bunch of chives
1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of light brown soft sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 First make the frittata. Lightly beat the eggs with a dash of tabasco sauce, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper in a large bowl. Add the potatoes and mix well, making sure there are no large clumps of potato.
2 Wash and dry the watercress. Remove any thick stalks, coarsely chop the leaves and fold them into the potato and egg mixture.
3 Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-based frying pan large enough to hold all the potatoes. When the butter is foaming, tip the potato, egg and watercress mixture into the frying pan, flatten it using the back of a spoon and cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes.
4 Meanwhile, wash and slice the tomatoes. Using scissors, cut the bunch of chives over the tomatoes.
5 Put the mustard into a small jug or jar and mix with the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly add the oil, stirring all thewhile.
6 When the frittata has been cooking for about 20 minutes and is starting to set, cover the frying pan with a large plate and, taking great care not to burn yourself, invert the pan so that the frittata ends up on the plate. Use a fish slice to lift out any bits that stick to thepan.
7 Wipe out the pan and add a splash of oil. Return the pan to the heat and slide the frittata back in so that the cooked side is facing up.
8 Fry for another 5 minutes until the frittata feels firm all over. Remove it from the heat and slide it on to a plate to rest for a fewminutes.
9 Dress the tomatoes and slice and serve thefrittata.
The Kitchen Revolution by Rosie Sykes, Polly Russell and Zoe Heron (Ebury Press, £25). To order a copy for £19.99 with free UK p&p, go to guardianbookshop.co.uk
Green gazpacho
This quick, raw soup features healthy green ingredients: garlic, chilli and onion make it savoury and avocado gives it substance. Fantastic if you find the classic gazpacho, of tomatoes and red pepper, too sharp.
Serves 2
1 medium cucumber
1 medium avocado
1 small green chilli
4 spring onions (green and white parts)
1 medium garlic clove
1 large handful of cos/butter lettuce
1 large handful baby spinach
1 small handful parsley
1 small handful coriander
Juice of 1 small lime
1 tsp balsamic or sherry vinegar
Salt and black pepper
450ml water
To serve
A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted
1 Blend all the ingredients until smooth, adding ⅔ of the water to start. Add more if needed. Taste for seasoning and chill until needed – the flavours will develop further.
2 To serve, lightly toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan. Add a swirl of olive oil to the gazpacho and top with the toasted seeds.
Recipe supplied by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley; hemsleyandhemsley.com
