Category: Summer food

Feta and pistachio dip

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Surprisingly I have actually managed to cook a little this summer, but only little and nothing too advanced. One thing I threw together was this easy feta and pistachio dip that went down a treat. The recipe is from the fabulous cookbook Persiana.

I also made some homemade flatbreads to scoop up the lovely dip with. Super easy and tasty – summer food at its best. 

Feta and pistachio dip, serves 8 

Recipe from Persiana. 

100 g shelled pistachios

75 ml olive oil

300 g feta cheese

1 handful dill, chopped

2 handfuls coriander, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 röd chilli, chopped

3 tbsp Greek yoghurt

zest from 1 lemon, juice from 1/2 lemon

sea salt to taste

Mix nuts and oil in a food processor for 30 seconds. Add feta, herbs, garlic, chilli, yoghurt and lemon zest and juice and mix for another minute. Season to taste with sea salt and serve.

 

 

Pancetta salad with blue cheese dressing

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I love a good salad in the summer but I want it quite substantial. Just vegetables usually doesn’t cut it for me. I saw Lotta at Två små kök present a similar salad on Instagram and craved a similar version immediately.

Instead of Lotta’s bacon I used pancetta that I prefer to bacon in general cooking. But for breakfast bacon is always the winner.

Pancetta salad with blue cheese dressing, serves 1

1-2 handfuls mixed salad leaves

5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 avocado, cut into pieces

4-5 thin slices pancetta

a good chunk of mild blue cheese, such as gorgonzola

100 ml creme fraiche or soured cream

1 tbsp mayo

Fry the pancetta in the oven until crisp; 10 minuted at 200C.

Mush up the cheese with a fork in a bowl and stir in the soured cream or creme fraiche. Add the mayo and try to get rid of any lumps. Season. 

Place lettuce, tomato and avocado on a plate. Chop the pancetta and scatter over the salad and drizzle with plenty of dressing. 

Marinated pork fillet with lemon and herbs

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That weekend in the countryside the maincourse was a buffet with plenty of options. We had sausages and burgers from Waitrose as well as chicken drumsticks with sweet chilli marinade and marinated pork fillet with lemon and herbs.

For the sausages and burgers we had buns, mustard, ketchup, mayo, sliced tomatoes, onions and pickles.

The other trimmings were a regular salad with avocado and spring onions, couscous salad with grilled peppers and chickpeas, bean salad with Dijon and feta, classic potato salad (with parsley instead of dill) and slaw.

Marinated pork fillet with lemon and herbs, serves 6-8

2 pork fillets/tenderloins approx 400 g each

150-200 ml mild olive oil

1 lemon, zest and juice

2 tsp honey

1 garlic clove

5-8 sprigs of thyme, leaves only

5 sprigs rosemary, chopped

Trim the meat of any fat/tendons and cut into 1 inch thich slices. Flatten them a bit. Season the meat. 

Mix the marinade and cover the meat (either in ziplock bags or a ceramic tray/bowl. Leave to marinate in the fridge at least over night or for 48 hours. Barbecue. 

My bruschetta

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When I fed the troops (well at least 17 people…) I thought it best to serve platters with nibbles instead of a sit down starter so people could still carry on playing football or swimming in the pool.

Apart from my (new and improved) recipe on bruschetta that I will share with you I also made some salmon rolls with horseradish that went down a treat and puff pastry sticks with blue cheese, walnuts and honey.

When it comes to bruschetta (and pan con tomato) I find it very disappointing when the bread is too wet and soggy. I know some people prefer this but I prefer my bread a bit crispier which is why my bruschetta is like a tomato-topped crostini. I don’t cook the tomato mixture either as I think nothing can beat fresh sweet tomatoes with a hint of garlic, olive oil and salt and fragrant basil.

Hanna’s bruschetta, serves 6-8 as nibbles or a starter

1 baguette

olive oil

1 garlic clove

4-5 vine tomatoes (get the best tomatoes you can find)

1 handful fresh basil

sea salt, black pepper

Slice the baguette thinly a bit on the diagonal. Place on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub with the cut side down on all the bread slices infusing them with a mild garlic flavour. Bake on 200C oven until golden and crispy, approx 10 min.

Chop the tomatoes and place in a sieve on top of a bowl. Once all the liquid has disappeared transfer to a clean bowl and add the other half of the garlic clove, pressed. Chop the basil and add that too as well as some olive oil. Add sea salt and a little black pepper. Top the bread slices with the mixture once cool. Serve immediately. 

Rice noodles with crab, lime and coriander

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Sometimes I can really crave crab and when I do I find the packets of fresh crab meat in the super market especially handy. Of course a freshly cooked whole crab is nicer but it takes quite a lot of time to pick out the meat, so for a weekday I really like the packets.

This dish with vermicelli rice noodles, crab and butter to carry the flavours of chilli, lime and coriander turned out really well and feels light and fresh. Perfect summer grub if you ask me!

Rice noodles with crab, lime and coriander, serves 1-2

2 nests of vermicelli rice noodles

50 g salted butter

5 cm leek, the white part

1/2 red chilli

1 lime, zest and juice

1 handfull coriander, chopped

100 g white and brown crab meat

Place the noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Slice the leek and finely chop the chilli. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add leek, chilli and lime zest and fry for a few minutes without browning. Add the coriander and crab meat and stir. Season. Drain the noodles and add to the pan. Turn off the heat, stir and add the lime juice. 

 

Elderflower parfait cake with berries and oat crisps

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This elderflower parfait has featured on the blog before, but it was such a success at my last dinner party I had to post it again.

Actually, I dare say this is the perfect summer pudding! Perfect for your guests because it is delicious, refreshing, has different textures and simply tastes of summer. And perfect for you because apart from washing the berries you can make everything ahead. Plus you will get standing ovations and plenty of compliments.

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Elderflowerparfait cake, serves 8-10

6 egg yolks

200 ml caster sugar

600 ml whipping cream or double cream

130 ml concentrated elderflower cordial (only a guideline as different concentrations for different cordials)

Beat the yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy in a mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl whip the cream. Fold the cream into the egg mixture. Add the elderflower and stir to combine. Pour into a clingfilm lined springform. Cover with more cling and freeze for at least four hours. Place on a cake plate and top with berries before serving. 

Oat crisps, makes about 50

300 ml oats

200 ml granulated sugar

50 ml syrup

150 g melted butter

50 ml cream

150 ml plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Combine all the ingredients and place dollops the size of a teaspoon on parchment paper on a baking tray quite far apart, they expand a lot in the oven. I only placed 9 on each sheet and that worked perfectly. Bake in 175 C oven for 8 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container. 

Two types of crostini to start a dinner party

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Last Friday a few of my girl friends came over for dinner and while waiting for everyone to arrive we had some bubbly, this sparkling wine from Loire, and crisps. When most people had arrived I brought out two types of crostini, still casually sitting on the sofas.

One of the toppings were suppose to be the same as on Toast Öjeby, a mixture of crayfish, sharp cheese, dill, cumin and honey, but as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s both failed to deliver crayfish, I made the same mixture with coldwater prawns instead. And parsley instead of dill as I hadn’t bought enough (yep, it was one of those weeks). Substituting the crayfish with prawns worked well flavour wise but it didn’t look as pretty. As one of my friends is not that keen on shellfish I also served a bunch of crostini topped with homemade gravadlax (cured salmon) and dill cream cheese.

Crostini with gravadlax crostini and dill cream cheese, makes 30

500 g salmon fillet

2 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp chopped dill

1 large baguette

olive oil

150 g cream cheese

1 handful dill, finely chopped

1 tsp dijon mustard

a dash of honey

salt and pepper

Start 48 hours before serving. Remove the skin from the salmon. Mix sugar, salt and dill and pat it onto the fish. Place in a small dish and cover with cling. Refrigerate for 48 hours. 

Before serving, make the crostini by slicing the baguette thinly, placing the slices on parchment paper on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in 200C oven until crisp and golden, approx 10-15 minutes. Leave to cool.

Pat the salmon dry with kitchen towel and slice thinly. Mix cream cheese with dill, honey and mustard. Season. Divide the salmon slices on the crostini, place a teaspoon sized dollop of dilly cream cheese on top, season and serve. 

Asparagus with chives hollandaise and pancetta

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Asparagus is probably my favourite vegetable, at least during the time it is in season. The rest of the year it is probably in second place behind the aubergine.

One reason I think I love asparagus so much is its compatibility with buttery sauces. If it didn’t work so well with hollandaise it probably wouldn’t be my favourite.

Last time I had asparagus and hollandaise I flavoured the sauce with chives and added some crispy pancetta to the plate. It was really delicious and a dish I will cook again and again. I had it as a starter but I would happily eat it for brunch too with an added poached egg.

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Asparagus with chives hollandaise and pancetta, serves 2

6-8 asparagus stems

6 thin slices pancetta

1 batch chives hollandaise (receipe below)

Break off the wooden part of the asparagus stems and cook in simmering water for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Fry the pancetta until crisp in a frying pan or in the oven. Make the sauce. Plate up and serve.

Chives hollandaise, serves 2-4

3egg yolks

150 g salted butter

1/2 – 1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and white pepper

1 bunch chives, chopped

Mix egg yolks and lemon juice in a non stick sauce pan (start off with only half a tbsp lemon juice if you don’t want the sauce too sharp, you can add more towards the end). Cut the butter into cubes and put one or two into the egg yolks, while whisking. Let all the butter melt before adding more butter cubes and repeat this until all the butter is used. The sauce will slowly thicken and when it is thick enough, remove it from heat, still stirring, season and add the chopped chives. Serve.

 

 

Spaghetti with courgette and smoked salmon

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When work is busy I usually cook pasta for dinner. It’s quick and easy yet satisfying. This version with creamy spaghetti, courgette and cold-smoked salmon feels fresh after a long day at the office. If you cook two portions it allows for a packed lunch for the following day too. Bonus.

Spaghetti with courgette and smoked salmon, serves 2

2 portions spaghetti (I prefer de Cecco)

120 g cold-smoked salmon

1/2 courgette, thinly sliced

50 ml white wine

a dash of concentrated fish stock

50 ml cream

chopped chives to serve

Cook the spaghetti al dente. Slice the salmon. Pour the wine into a small saucepan and let the alcohol evaporate and the liquid to reduce a little. Add cream and stock, let reduce a bit further and season. Add the courgette slices and let them soften in the liquid. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce and salmon. Serve with chives.

Halloumi salad with new potatoes, watercress, tomatoes and lime vinaigrette

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I can really crave certain foods, like sushi for example. Or a blue sirloin with bearnaise sauce. And most recently; fried halloumi. There is something utterly satisfying with the chewy, salty Cypriot cheese.

Last time I craved halloumi I also wanted a salad and potatoes and it resulted in this great salad based on this delicious Delia recipe for a starter with halloumi. I really loved this salad and although I was (very) happy to eat it on its own it would also work really well with say barbecued chicken skewers.

Halloumi salas with new potatoes, watercress, tomatoes and lime vinaigrette, serves 2

250 g new potatoes, cooked and cut in half

1 bag watercress

1 halloumi

a handful cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 red onion, sliced and marinated in lime juice

Vinaigrette:

1 lime, zest and juice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tbsp chopped coriander

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper

Mix the vinaigrette. Slice the halloumi and dry each piece with kitchen roll. Fry on high heat in a little oil until golden brown on both sides. 

Distribute water cress, new potatoes and cherry tomatoes on two plates. Remove the onion from the lime juice and divide between the plates. Drizzle with vinaigrette and place the fried halloumi on top.