Simplicity is the key to successful summer cooking, writes Hugo Arnold.
I have flown south, at least mentally. We are well into June, and even on a less than glorious summer day I'm thinking of roasted peppers, lots of lemons and a cool glass of rosé. It's aubergines and cherry tomatoes, bunches of basil and bundles of baby beetroot that catch my eye as I peer from under my brolly. Who cares if the temperature is struggling towards 20 degrees? The only question is whether to struggle with the barbecue or resort to the chargrill on my cooker.
Fish are simply slashed, seasoned and grilled, to be dressed later with lemon juice and more olive oil. Meat gets a brief bath in a marinade that today will be laced with herbs, tomorrow with spices and the next day with something faintly Asian - perhaps soy, ginger and rice wine.
Quite a lot of what we eat at this time of year is cold, or rather at room temperature, which with any luck might actually be warm. The other night a salad of roasted beetroot and watercress dressed with a mustard-rich vinaigrette was accompanied by a bowl of steaming, butter-drenched new potatoes. A terrine - my only nod to serious cooking during the summer - came with hot toast for a late-night supper.
We veg out in summer, protein being delivered in the form of crumbled feta, shavings of Parmesan or a poached egg (perhaps even a boiled one, if there is asparagus to dip in it).
Fish gets preference over meat, but there is seldom much of it unless I can lay my hands on a wild salmon, to poach and serve with hollandaise.
Mediterranean food lends itself to relaxation. Chargrilling peppers or aubergines is an easy job. So is washing salad or podding peas, so delegate. And, with so little cooking to be done, all this preparation can be done over a glass or two of wine. Lazy summer days don't only have to happen on holidays.
All recipes serve four
WILTED COURGETTE SALAD WITH TOASTED PINE NUTS, ANCHOVIES, RADISHES AND LITTLE GEM
2 medium courgettes
Tabasco
juice of half a lemon
extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 bunch radishes, trimmed, washed and halved
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 little gem lettuce
12 anchovy fillets
Trim and wash the courgettes before slicing them lengthways (preferably on a mandolin, as they need to be thin). Combine in a bowl with a few drops of Tabasco, the lemon juice, four tablespoons of olive oil and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Set aside for at least 10 minutes; 20 is better. Heat a dry frying pan and toast the pine nuts until just coloured. Add to the courgettes along with the radishes and mint.
Remove the cores from the little gems, trim away the outside leaves and cut thinly lengthways. Add to the courgette and check seasoning; you may also need a little more olive oil. Pile loosely on to four plates, top with the anchovies and serve.
TOMATO SALAD, HUMMUS AND BASIL
1 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed thoroughly and drained
1 garlic clove, peeled and mashed to a puree with a little salt
3 heaped tbsp tahini
juice of 1 lemon
4 large tomatoes
bunch chives, finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil
bunch basil, picked
1 lemon, quartered
Combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice and a seasoning of salt and pepper in a liquidiser and blend to a puree. If you want it really smooth, you need to do this for three or four minutes, adding a little cold water as you go. Check to see if you need more seasoning or tahini, but don't drown the chickpeas. Cover and refrigerate.
Remove the cores from the tomatoes and roughly chop. Combine with the chives and two tablespoons of olive oil, then divide on to four plates. Scatter with the basil leaves and put a dollop of hummus in the centre of each plate. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and serve with a wedge of lemon.
SPICED CHICKEN, TABBOULEH, TAHINI SAUCE AND HARISSA
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
4 cloves
extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken breasts, skin on
4 lemons
a half cup of bulgar
6 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
500g tomatoes, deseeded and cubed
3 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
pinch ground cumin
150ml tahini
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped and mashed with a little salt
squeeze from a tube of harissa
Heat a dry frying pan. When hot, add the cumin and coriander seeds and cloves. Toss so they are evenly coloured, remove from the heat and add four tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer to a bowl, add the chicken and the juice from one of the lemons, then season. Toss for about five minutes, massaging the chicken breasts gently (this encourages them to take in the marinade) and set aside, overnight in the fridge if possible.
Soak the bulgar in several changes of water, strain, add to boiling water and cook until tender, about five or 10 minutes. Drain, then transfer it to a salad bowl large enough to take the other ingredients. Add the parsley, mint, tomatoes, spring onions and cumin. Whisk in enough olive oil to moisten everything and season with salt and pepper and the juice from the second lemon.
Whisk the tahini with the juice from the third lemon and add warm water until it is runny. Season with salt.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees/gas six. Rub the marinade off the chicken, season generously with salt and pepper and lightly colour in a hot frying pan. Transfer to the middle of the oven, skin side up, and roast for 10-15 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for five minutes. Serve with the tabbouleh, tahini sauce, a squeeze of harissa and a quarter of the remaining lemon.