Category Archives: Summer food

Summer supper

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On Wednesday I had some friends over for dinner and because of the gorgeous weather of late I decided to keep a summery and fuss-free approach to the food.

hugo

We started with a pre-dinner drink from Germany, called Hugo, that my bestie Emma introduced to me. It is so refreshing with elderflower, bubbly and mint.

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I kept the starter simple and served it on a large plate. Scattered on a bed of rocket, these little Parma ham parcels are filled with sundried tomatoes and cream cheese and drizzled with a good olive oil and crema di balsamico.

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For the maincourse we had caramelised pork tenderloin slices with an amazing all-in-one potato salad with new potatoes, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and water cress and a lovely (yet incredibly simple) parmesan and lemon crème.

As I was short of time prepping that evening, I had the pudding already sitting in the fridge as I made this stunning dulce de leche cheesecake the night before.

We had such a fun evening with the wine flowing, lots of laughter and fun conversation. Thanks guys!

Hugo, per drink

1 part elderflower cordial

3 parts sparkling wine

1 part sparkling water

fresh mint

lime wedge

ice

Mix and serve. 

Parma ham parcels with sundried tomato crème and rocket, serves 4

200 g rocket

12 slices Parma ham or similar

100-150 g Philadelphia

4-5 sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped

olive oil

crema di balsamic

fresh basil

Spread out the rocket on a large plate. Mix the chopped tomatoes with the cream cheese. Season to taste. Place a dollop of the mixture onto each ham slice and fold into a parcel. Place the parcels on the bed of rocket and drizzle with olive oil and crema di balsamico. Add basil leaves. Serve with bread and butter. 

Potato salad with asparagus, serves 4

about 800 g new potatoes

8-10 asparagus stalks

150-200 g cherry tomatoes

100 g watercress

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp honey

50 ml good quality olive oil

1-2 tsp lemon juice

salt, black pepper

1 handful chopped chives

1 handful chopped parsley

Wash and cut the potatoes into large chunks. Cook, drain and leave to cool. Cut the asparagus into inch-long pieces, steam/boil for 2-3 minutes, drain and place in ice water. Drain. 

Cut the tomatoes in half and add to the potatoes and asparagus. Add the watercress. Mix mustard and honey in a bowl and add the oil while whisking season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Dress the salad and mix well.

Chop the herbs and scatter on top. Serve. 

Parmesan and lemon crème, serves 4

300 mlcreme fraiche (at least)

3 tbsp finely grated Parmesan 

1/2 lemon, grated zest

salt, black pepper

Mix all the ingredients and serve.

Grilled aubergine with garlic, parsley and feta

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I made these in the week when it was my turn to host the book club, and they went down a treat. I just love soft aubergines in anything but pairing them with another favourite – feta –  is just heaven!

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You hardly need a recipe, but since Simon Hopkinson has already provided one, I have adapted it below.

This dish works both for lunch and dinner and would look great on a buffet too. It suits more casual gatherings, picnics or a more upscale dinner party. Meet the equivalent of your favourite LBD. Just dress it up or down to suit the occasion.

Grilled aubergine with garlic, parsley and feta, serves 4

Adapted from Simon Hopkinson’s recipe.

4 aubergines

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

 handful parsley, finely chopped

5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or coldpressed rapeseed oil)

a little salt, more black pepper

150 g feta

1 lemon, for serving

Turn the grill on high or the oven on 225-250C. 

Run a small, sharp knife round the top of the aubergine, 1cm/½in or so below the stalk and only just cutting through the skin; then make four evenly spaced, similarly shallow cuts, along the length of the aubergine right down to the end.

Grill the aubergines in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn them every 5-7 minutes if you use the grill. They’re done when they’re soft all the way through. 

Let them rest for 2 minutes. 

Peel the skin off the aubergines. Without cutting right through the stalk end, cut the aubergines in half lengthways and gently prise apart until you have two horizontal halves remaining attached at the top end. 

Mix garlic and parsley with olive oil and spoon over the aubergines. Add a little salt and plenty of black pepper. Crumble the feta on top and add some more oil if you like. Serve with lemon wedges. 

A different kind of prawn sandwich

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In Sweden we like our cold-water prawns, and most Fridays of my life I have eaten them with salad, boiled eggs, mayonnaise (or aioli), lemon wedges and bread, either constructed as a sandwich or peeling as you go (because shelled prawns taste way better).

But when I saw this different prawn sandwich at the fab Swedish blog Pickipicki, I knew I had to try it. Doesn’t it sound amazing with mangosalsa?!

Unfortunately I was rather inept of reading (and therefore following) a recipe this particular evening, so instead of mushed up avocado underneath the salsa I diced the avocado and added it to the salsa. Together with mayo and toasted muffins it turned out really well.

Prawn sandwich with mango and avocado salsa, serves 2

Adapted and translated from Tina’s recipe.

2 English muffins

1 tbsp olive oil

1 ripe mango

1/2 red onion

1 tomato

1/2 lime

1 handful coriander

1/2 red chilli

2 ripe avocados

500 g shelled coldwater prawns

Hellman’s mayonnaise or homemade

Dice the mango, tomato and avocado. Finely chop chilli, red onions and coriander. Mix everything together in a bowl with lime juice and oil. Leave while peeling the prawns. Cut the muffins in half and toast.

Spread mayo on the muffin halves, add the salsa and put the prawns on top.

The first picnic of the year! (with recipes)

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At the weekend we were spoilt with fantastic weather; blue skies, steady sunshine and not a cloud in sight. To celebrate this rare occasion Laura and I (and the rest of London) made our way to Hampstead Heath to picnic.

Since it was the first picnic of the year I went a little crazy with the food, because I was positively dying to try some new recipes.

I made some breakfast rolls with spelt, after this recipe (but substituted half the wheat flour for spelt flour), and made two spreads to go with them. One I have made before and it consists of chopped fried aubergine, red onions, dill and caviar. But not being able to find any caviar, I used some finely grated parmesan for saltiness which worked well. The next spread is a simple egg salad flavoured with dijon mustard, but with the nice addition of avocado, that I found on a Swedish food blog (called Tre tjejer i köket [Three girls in the kitchen]). Really yummy!

On Miss Meister’s blog I found a recipe for white beans with a tarragon dijon dressing. Absolutely lovely!

We also had some Pimm’s and snacked on strawberries, grapes and marinated olives. For dessert I had made some Key lime melt aways, that I found on the Smitten Kitchen blog.

Egg salad with avocado

Translated from Elin’s recipe.

Mix:
4 hardboiled eggs, cold and chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp sourcream
1 tsp dijon mustard
season with salt and pepper
finely chopped salad onions (optional)

Butter beans with tarragon dijon dressing, serves 2-4
Translated and adapted from Åsa’s recipe.

1 tin butter beans
a few centimeters finely chopped leek (I used spring onions)
1-2 tskp fennel seeds
1 tsp tarragon dijon mustard (or 1 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon + 1 tsp ordinary dijon mustard)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
olive oil
salt
black pepper (optional)
dried tarragon (optional)

Rinse the beans and drain. Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan. Remove to a plate and leave to cool. Wash and chop the leek, then start with the dressing. Combine vinegar and dijon then add the oil in a fine trickle while whisking to form an emulsion. Once the dressing has thickened, season to taste. Add the beans and leek followed by the fennel seeds.

Key lime melt aways, 1 batch

After Smitten Kitchen’s/Martha Stewart’s recipe.

170 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
Grated zest of 4 tiny or 2 large key limes
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp plain flour (a.k.a. 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add lime zest, juice, and vanilla; beat until fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add to butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. Roll dough into two 1 1/4-inch-diameter logs. Chill at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 175C. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Place remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets, spaced 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies until barely golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly, just three or four minutes. While still warm, place cookies in the sugar-filled bag; toss to coat. Bake or freeze remaining dough. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Summer salad with sweet potato, aubergine, spring onions and feta

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This gorgeous weather needs some lighter food, don’t you think?! Especially if you like me live in a top floor flat with lots of skylights, that apart from letting light in also let the warmth in.

Last week I made this fantastic salad, and I have a feeling I will eat it all summer long. It is just that good. And apart from tasting good it is also good for you. Not bad, heh?

I ate it as it is pictured above, on its own, both for dinner one day and lunch the next. It would of course work well for a summer barbecue or a picnic too.

A salad is a salad; so look at the recipe below as a guide instead of a proper recipe. With the right ingredients you can’t go wrong.

Summer salad with sweet potato, aubergine, spring onions and feta, 2 portioner

2 baby aubergine

1 sweet potato

2 handfuls rocket

100 g feta

3 spring onions, chopped

½ lemon, the juice

extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

Wash the aubergine and cut into cubes of ½ x ½ cm. Peel the sweet potato and cut into equal cubes. Place in a roasting dish and coat with olive oil. Season. Roast unril soft, about 20-30 minutes, 200C.

When the vegetables are done, take out two salad bowls and put a handful of rocket in each. Divide the sweet potato and aubergine between the bowls and crumble the feta on top. Add the spring onions and dress the salad with lemon juice and a good olive oil. Season and dig in.