Sweet potato, corn, feta and red pepper (pictured above)
Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
400g sweet potatoes
2 corn cobs, husks removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
70g feta
1 bunch watercress, trimmed
For the dressing
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped piquillo peppers, from a jar (or peeled red peppers)
½ lime, juiced
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint and coriander
Peel and thinly slice the sweet potatoes, then steam for 10 minutes, until just cooked. Cook the corn in boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, using a knife (serrated, ideally), to slice off the kernels, then put in a large bowl with the cooked sweet potato.
Stone the avocado, then peel and cut the flesh into 2cm chunks. Add these and the halved cherry tomatoes to the corn bowl, then crumble in the feta and add the watercress, and season generously. The salad can now be boxed up for transportation, if need be.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Just before you want to serve up, drizzle the dressing over the salad, fold through gently to coat, then plate up.
Watermelon salad with ajo blanco and tarragon
Prep 10 min
Cook 20 min
Serves 4
For the ajo blanco
250g charentais melon flesh
50g white bread
100g flaked almonds
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
50ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the dressing
1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp moscatel vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
For the salad
100g halloumi
1 tbsp olive oil
300g watermelon flesh
1 nectarine
10 cherry tomatoes
75g toasted pumpkin seeds
10 black olives, stoned and chopped
Put all the ingredients for the ajo blanco in a blender and blitz smooth. Add a little water until the mix is the consistency of double cream and season to taste.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and set aside.
Cut the halloumi into 0.5cm chunks, toss in the olive oil on a small baking tray and roast in a 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 oven for five minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
Cut the watermelon into 2-3cm pieces – diamonds, triangles, whatever takes your fancy. Cut the nectarine flesh into 1cm dice and slice the tomatoes.
To serve, spread some of the ajo blanco on the base of a plate, arrange the fruit on top, sprinkle with halloumi crumbs, pumpkin seeds and olives, and drizzle over the dressing.
Summer vegetables with tonnato dressing
Prep 10 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 4
½ ciabatta, ripped into 2cm chunks
100g peas
100g french beans
100g runner beans
100g sugar snap peas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into fine shavings (ideally on a mandoline)
150g juicy tomatoes
50ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
3 anchovy fillets
1 tbsp capers
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 small bunch basil
2 tbsp mayonnaise
100g tinned tuna
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, then lay the bread on an oven tray and roast for 10 minutes, until golden brown at the edges.
Meanwhile, trim the beans and sugar snaps, then cut the runners on the diagonal into thin strips and the sugar snaps in half lengthways.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then blanch the beans for five or six minutes, until just cooked; add the sugar snaps and peas for the last minute. Drain, refresh under running cold water to stop the veg cooking further, then put in a bowl with the shaved fennel, toss in a little olive oil and season to taste.For the dressing, squeeze the juice from the 150g tomatoes into a food processor, add the vinegar, anchovies, capers, garlic and half the basil, then blitz smooth, adding enough olive oil to make a thin dressing. Add the mayo and half the tuna, along with a little oil from its tin. Pulse until emulsified, then let down with a little water to a pouring consistency and season to taste. (To make this vegetarian, just omit the fish.)
To serve, toss the veg with the halved cherry tomatoes, the rest of the tuna and the toasted bread. Drizzle over the dressing, toss again, and finish with the remaining basil leaves shredded over the top.
Iceberg cups with chicken slaw and peanut dressing
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4
For the peanut sauce
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp chopped lemongrass
½ tsp shrimp paste
1 big pinch each cayenne pepper, ground cumin and ground coriander
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
250ml coconut milk
150g roasted peanuts, roughly ground (or crunchy peanut butter)
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
Salt
For the slaw
½ hispi cabbage, cored
½ red pepper, seeds and pith removed
1 shallot, peeled
2 carrots
1 apple
50g french beans
1 red chilli
200g cooked chicken, roast or poached, shredded
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 iceberg lettuce
Put the shallot, lemongrass, shrimp paste, spice, fresh coriander and garlic in a blender, add a dash of coconut milk to loosen, and blitz to a paste. Gently heat the oil in a pan, then gently cook the paste for five minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the rest of the coconut milk, simmer for five minutes, then add the peanuts, sugar and fish sauce, and simmer gently for another five minutes. Add salt to taste; if the sauce seems too thick, let it down with a little water.
Finely shred the cabbage, red pepper and shallot, peel and grate the carrots and apple, and finely slice the beans and chilli. Put them all in a large bowl and add the chicken and coriander.
In a cup or small jug, whisk the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce, pour into the the slaw bowl and toss to coat.
Cut the lettuce in half, then carefully separate the leaves. To serve, spoon some slaw into a lettuce “cup” and drizzle over a little peanut sauce. (Save any excess sauce to serve with grilled chicken, pork or beef.)
