I 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.
Artichoke Heart Linguine is 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!
Ingredients
220g fresh linguine pasta
60g soft artichokes hearts, marinated in oil
2 tbsp pine kernels
The juice of half a lime
1 garlic clove, peeled and mince
½ tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
½ tbsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Parmesan shavings to decorate
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Instructions
Dry fry the pine kernels in a frying pan for a couple of minutes, toasting them until they are golden-brown. Remove and set to one side.
Cook the fresh linguine in plenty of salted water until al dente.
Tip the artichokes from the jar, along with the oil, into the frying pan and heat them through with the garlic, thyme, and parsley. Squeeze over the lime juice and stir.
Drain the pasta and serve into bowls. Top with the artichokes, the pine nuts, and the shavings of Parmesan.
We’re heading towards the summer; and that’s when crab is in the peak of its season. You can get hold of fresh crab from late spring, right through the summer and into early autumn. These ginger and coriander crab cakes are a delicious way to enjoy this tasty seafood, complemented with plenty of ginger zing, lime zest and coriander burst!
If you find yourself near the Cromer coast this summer, make sure to buy plenty of the infamous Cromer crab, which is often served in the shell, ready to eat. Just squeeze over some lemon and tuck into it right there gazing out at the waves. For another idea to enjoy the season’s fresh seafood, take a look at this crayfish rice with mango recipe. Serve the crab cakes with a mixed salad and a beer topped with lime.
These ginger and coriander crab cakes are a delicious way to enjoy this tasty seafood, complemented with plenty of ginger zing, lime zest and coriander burst!
Ingredients
420g cooked crab meat, ready to eat
2 spring onions, chopped as finely as possible
110g mayonnaise
1 tbsp juice of a freshly squeezed lime
3 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
A splash of Tabasco sauce
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to season
2 eggs
85g breadcrumbs, dried
Plenty of extra virgin olive oil to fry
Instructions
Mix the crab, onions, garlic, mayonnaise, lime juice, coriander, Tabasco and ginger together in a large bowl. Season very generously with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Create 12 crab cakes using the palms of your hands.
Beat the eggs together in a small bowl. Pour the breadcrumbs into another small bowl. Dip each crab cake into the egg and then cover in breadcrumbs on the top, bottom and sides.
Heat plenty of olive oil in a frying pan, on a medium heat; and shallow fry the crab cakes in batches. They will absorb quite a bit of oil, so add more as necessary. Cook each patty for 2-3 minutes on each side until they turn golden brown.
Baked salmon with red pesto, red peppers and tomatoes is a low-fat, nutritious meal for two. You do not need to add any oil; the salmon will bake in its own juices, along with those of the vegetables and the lime.
Roast Salmon with vegetables is also quite tasty as the veggies provide a perfect complement for this light dish.
Salmon is regionally seasonal, following a complex series of migrations as the fish move from river to river throughout the year. It’s fascinating stuff!  Make sure to look up when Salmon is in a river near you.
What you need:
2 salmon fillets
2 tbsp red pesto
1 large red pepper, deseeded then cut into long, thin strips
4 garden tomatoes cut into halves or small cubes
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
A couple of sprigs of fresh basil to garnish
What to do:
Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Place a large sheet of aluminium foil over your baking tray, enough to comfortably wrap around all of the ingredients, sealing in the cooking juices.
Lay the salmon onto the prepared tray with the skin side down; spread the red pesto over the top of each fillet.
Arrange the red peppers and tomatoes all around the outside of the fillets, squeeze lime juice over everything, and sprinkle over the lime zest before seasoning with salt and pepper.
Wrap the aluminium foil around all of the ingredients, creating a parcel effect, and bake in the oven for 25-45 minutes (depending on the size of your salmon fillets). When the fish is opaque throughout, it is cooked. Check that there is no translucency to the middle part of the salmon fillets before serving. You can also remove the foil from the top of the fish for the second half of cooking if you want to add a little crispness and don’t mind losing some of your cooking juices. If you do this though, be sure to create a tray effect with aluminium foil (with folded edges to each side) plus a separate foil cover at the start, so that when you remove the cover, the juices won’t escape. Both methods are very tasty.
Serve the salmon over the vegetables. Pour over the juices, and top off with a sprig of fresh basil.
I 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.
 
Baked salmon with red pesto, red peppers and tomatoes is a low-fat, nutritious meal for two. You do not need to add any oil; the salmon will bake in its own juices, along with those of the vegetables and the lime.
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