Salmorejo is a wonderful Spanish dish, from the region of Cordoba, usually served as a starter and garnished with Serrano ham and hard boiled egg. Basically, it’s a cold tomato cream, and its main ingredients are tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic and vinegar.
It’s one of my favourite summer dishes, so easy to make and really delicious and refreshing on a hot summer’s day! But don’t confuse it with gazpacho, the Spanish cold soup made with tomatoes. Gazpacho is thinner, contains less bread, more water and additional ingredients like cucumber and red or green pepper.
I would say you drink gazpacho, but you eat salmorejo. You can also spread it on toast, with some Serrano ham on top, so if you want to do this you could make it a little thicker – by adding a bit more bread and a little less water. (For a hot treat, try this cream of tomato soup.)
Time to raise a glass to your health!
Kiwi fruit is readily available in the UK from January to August. This visually stunning fruit is so good for you. It packs a punch in vitamin C and also contains potassium, vitamin E, vitamin A and plenty of dietary fibre, amongst other nutrients.
It has an intense, and some would say sharp, flavour when scooped straight out of its furry greenish-brown skin. I love it just like that, or mixed in with strawberries and other fruits to make a colourful fruit salad. But today, I’m going to share a few smoothie recipes with you: kiwi and strawberry smoothie, creamy kiwi smoothie (pictured) and sherbet zest kiwi smoothie.
These smoothies will make a wonderful dessert or a healthy mid-afternoon filler. So let’s toast your health together in celebration of the wonderful kiwi fruit! (For a different type of fruit smoothie, try this Indian lassi with cardamom and pistachios.)
Kiwi and Strawberry Smoothie
What you need:
What to do:
5 minutes to prepare
Makes 4 servings
Creamy Kiwi Smoothie
What you need:
What to do:
5 minutes to prepare
Makes 4 servings
Sherbet Zest Kiwi Smoothie
And now for something a little different…
What you need:
What to do:
10 minutes to prepare
Makes 4 servings
Continue readingA starter that brings four flavours and textures together: It’s soft, salty, crunchy and sweet. Go on, try it…
Spinach with bacon and pine nuts uses soft and subtle spinach, brought to life by the saltiness of the bacon, the crunch of the pine nuts, and the sweetness of the raisins. If you can find a good cured Parma ham, or Spanish Serrano ham to cut into chunks to replace the bacon, they also work really well in this dish. We often make this dish as a starter, or as a side dish to accompany lamb, beef or pork. Spinach is in season in the spring.
If you like this combination, I would also recommend these mini-pancakes with mozzarella, spinach and pine nuts.
What you need:
What to do:
10 minutes to prepare, 15-20 minutes to cook
Makes: 3-4 starters or side servings
Continue readingI find myself eating quite a lot of pasta in the spring and summer. All of the different shapes, flavours and textures seem to complement simply cooked green vegetables really well. Artichoke Heart Linguine is a well-established favourite of mine. It’s such a quick and simple vegetarian meal to throw together, so it’s great for nights when you want to be a bit creative, but don’t have much time! Here’s another great pasta dish to try sometime too…sprout, chestnut and thyme tagliatelle.
Artichokes come into season in June and stay with us throughout the summer. They are a wonderful vegetable but can be a challenge to cook well. Because of this, my recipe uses artichokes that have already been marinated and softened for you, in herbs and oil. You’ll find these in most supermarkets in little glass jars; and they really are wonderful. If you prefer to cook, marinate and store your own artichokes, there are plenty of references on how to do that on the internet. I use fresh herbs and lime juice in this recipe to really bring out the flavours of the dish. Serve with a glass of chilled Chianti.
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Continue reading White button mushrooms are one of the most widely consumed mushrooms in the world. They are available in shops all year round, but those who like mushroom hunting can usually find them after rainfall from late spring through to autumn. I love mushroom hunting, but I’m never sure if the ones I’ve picked are edible! So for safety I prefer to use the cultivated ones.
I love them; in pasta sauce, in risotto, in pies, in soups, in salads… they are so verstile. This dish is inspired by some “tapas” we had in Spain this Easter: grilled stuffed mushrooms made with Serrano ham (Spanish dry-cured ham), garlic and parsley. I brought some ham back from Spain so I used that for this recipe and added some sun-dried tomatoes for a personal touch. They are so delicious and easy to make, you should try them!
Little tip: They make a great appetiser for this mushroom risotto recipe.
Clams are best of season in January and February in the UK, but you may be lucky and find some in the first half of March too. I love this combination of seafood and noodles, a little like a noodle paella I guess. The garlic and the fish stock bring wonderful flavours to the dish.Â
Spanish noodles with king prawns and clams is a slightly anglicised variation on a dish from the Spanish region of Valencia, where sun and seafood are abundant. Be sure that your clams are fresh, properly prepared and checked before you cook them – if in doubt, ask at the fish counter. You can also substitute the clams for mussels if you prefer.
What you need:
What to do:
Ready in less than 30 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Continue readingLamb’s lettuce salad with Serrano ham and apricots is a really simple salad with few, but very tasty ingredients. I like the subtle play between the sweetness of the apricots and the saltiness of the Spanish ham. Both are balanced wonderfully by the creamy texture of the avocado and the subtle freshness of the lamb’s lettuce.
Lamb’s lettuce is said to contain around three times the level of vitamin C that a common lettuce contains. This salad makes a good light lunch or supper, but if you’re feeling ravenous, you can always eat it with a big hunk of buttered bread, or as a starter to a more substantial meal. (For more lamb’s lettuce salads, try this seared scallops with brittle Parma ham recipe.)
Lamb’s lettuce is in season through Winter and Spring. It is a hardy plant that doesn’t rely solely on insects for pollination. The wind helps to carry and drop the seeds, and in certain eras, it was thought to carpet the British countryside in swathes. I love it for its softness and appearance – those rich green floral-shaped leaves make any salad look beautiful.
What you need:
What to do:
15 minutes to prepare
Makes: 2 servings
Continue readingThis succulent scallops and spicy chorizo recipe is one of the fastest, easiest and tastiest dishes I’ve prepared. You’ve really got to try it. Rich in omega 3, and low in calories, scallops are in season now. Their soft succulence, combined with the rich spice of the Spanish chorizo is a heavenly combination. With the zest of lemon and the freshness of parsley your taste-buds will be zinging! This is a perfect starter for a special occasion. Add your splash of sophistication by serving in scallop shells. But hey, they taste just as good eaten from a beautiful bowl.
You will find fresh scallops in fish markets in January, or for those pressed for time, grab a bag of frozen ones from the supermarket, they taste great too.
You can find chorizo in most supermarkets. If you find one labelled spicy, go for that. You don’t need to add any oil to your pan, the chorizo has plenty. As you cook it, the paprika and oil release to create a wonderful rich colour in the pan. If you have any leftover, try chorizo braised in red wine.
What you need:
What to do:
1. Cut the chorizo into thin slices.
2. Put a frying pan on the heat and when hot, fry the chorizo dry for a couple of minutes only, until beginning to crisp on each side. You will see the oil released in the pan.
3. Put the chorizo in a bowl, then fry the scallops in the wonderful orange chorizo oil for around a minute each side.
4. Return the chorizo to the pan with the scallops, squeeze in the lemon juice and sizzle for a few seconds.
5. Serve in the thoroughly washed scallop shells or in small bowls sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley.
Note, if you are buying scallops in their shells, be sure to find out how to prepare them before cooking first.
10 mins to prepare and cook
Makes 8 starters or 4 main courses
A little more about scallops…
Do you remember Botticelli’s painting The Birth of Venus? It depicts the Greek goddess Aphrodite rising from a scallop shell! Could eating scallops be an aphrodisiac?
The logo of the petrol company Shell is based on the scallop shell.
Most species live in tropical waters, but several live in polar waters. It is the muscle part that we eat.
In the US and parts of Mexico, record sales of avocados are recorded around the 5th May. The Cinco de Mayo festival commemorates the battle of Puebla between the Mexican army and French forces in 1862. It is celebrated most strongly in Mexico in the state of Puebla, and in some other regions to a lesser degree. It is a national holiday in the US where the date has become a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture, more than a commemoration of the famous battle. Authentic Mexican guacamole is made by the bucket-load around this time; portioned out on the streets at the festival, and made in countless homes and communities to share in celebration together.
Guacamole is said to have originated with the Aztecs as far back as the 16th century. The name is derived from an Aztec dialect and literally means ‘avocado sauce’.
Avocados are said to be one of the true super foods, containing a plethora of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. So if you make up a whole load of authentic Mexican guacamole to celebrate this May, you’ll be filling your body with wonderful goodness at the same time. (Also try this avocado and mango salsa with corn chips.)
Serve with a nicely chilled Mexican beer; in the bottle, with a little lime juice squeezed in, and a segment of lime sitting at the top of the bottle.
What you need:
What to do:
Less than 30 minutes to prepare, no cooking required
Makes 8 portions
Continue readingA little inspiration for a way to enjoy the first of the spring season’s asparagus…
Curly Asparagus Salad with Goat’s Cheese and Medjool Dates combines lengthy ribbons of peeled asparagus with sweet dates and crunchy peanuts, topped with a well-matured and hard goat’s cheese and drizzled all over with a balsamic reduction.
I have two other variations for this salad: sometimes I use toasted pine nuts and parmesan in place of the nuts and the cheese. At other times I use toasted flaked almonds and drizzle it over with a lime butter, topping off with lime zest and fresh coriander. All three variations are fun to make and yummy to eat. Enjoying asparagus raw is a great way to maximise on the nutritional benefits of this wonderful vegetable.
What you need:
What to do:
20 minutes preparation, 10 minutes cooking
Makes 3-4 servings
Note: For a hot asparagus dish, try this scrumptious asparagus and cheese pudding.
Continue reading