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Beans & Beets
Raspberry & passion fruit yogurt cups
This recipe is per serving: In a small glass place two crushed amaretti biscuits and drizzle with some Amaretto. Pour in some Greek yogurt which has first been mixed with some shredded coconut, 3/4 of the way up the glass. Drizzle liberally with passion fruit jam*. Carefully place a layer of 5-6 raspberries on top and chill briefly before serving.
* Passion fruit jam: Scoop out the pulp of around
10 passion fruits into a small saucepan. Add 150g sugar and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the consistency thickens (think honey). Pour into a jam jar and refrigerate. This will keep for some time.
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Stuffed Courgette Flowers
Fry a small, finely chopped onion in a little olive oil till soft and transparent. Now add a handful of pinenuts, and stir till golden. Add a handful of chopped currants, a sprinkling of cinnamon and cumin, 1 tbs honey, and moisten it all with a 1/4 cup vegetable stock. Stir in 1 1/2 cup cooked rice, season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.
Lightly wash 12 courgette flowers (with or without the courgettes attached) and then stuff with the rice mixture (about 1 tbs per flower). Fold over a couple of the petals to seal in the rice and then twist the remaining petals together, tuck under and place on an oiled baking tray. Drizzle the stuffed flowers with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for around 10-15 minutes at 180 till crisp and golden.
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Watermelon Man punch
In a punch bowl mix together 2 cups minted watermelon juice (puree about 1/2 small watermelon cut into chunks, with a few sprigs of mint, and pass through a fine sieve), the juice of three limes, 1 cup sugar syrup, 250ml bison grass vodka, and two handfuls of ice.
Serve over ice with a sprig of mint or sliver of fresh watermelon.
Optional: this works equally well with gin in place of the vodka.
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Stuffed tomatoes with tuna
Here’s another fab summer recipe which makes the best use of ripe tomatoes in season. You can serve these as appetizers or as part of a light lunch.
In a bowl, mix together a can of good-quality tuna, 1 tbs mayonnaise, a dash of olive oil (unless the tuna was already packed in olive oil), a large squeeze of lemon juice, a small handful of chopped gherkins or capers, 1 mashed white anchovy fillet (optional), and some sea salt and pepper. Take a few smallish tomatoes (but not cherry variety unless you want extra work), and split in half (lengthwise for the long tomatoes, across the width if round). Gut them of their seeds and juices and fill with the tuna mixture. Garnish with small basil leaves.
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Fika - the Swedish cafe with a secluded rooftop bar
You’ll find Fika, the Swedish cafe and grill, at the top end of Brick Lane in London - wedged between the two bagel shops (the ones with the queues out the door). Give the wood-panelled sauna-like interior space a miss and head straight to the set of stairs at the back which leads you up to a bijou summer terrace - complete with views over the City skyline, and a west-facing sun trap, sheltered from the rain and wind (though not from the smells of the bagels and salt beef next door which will have your stomach grumbling!). Settle back with a Swedish pear cider or cocktail and indulge in a little fika (Swedish for a “little break” for conversation, drink and food).
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Ti Punch @ Callooh Callay
Ti Punch (pronounced Tee Paunsssh) is a traditional French-Caribbean cocktail made of rum, cane sugar and lime. It is distinctive for having no ice in it whatsoever, which makes for a very strong concoction indeed. This is a drink to be sipped slowly; a lovely choice for a later summer evening.
Although perennially popular in the hipster bars of Paris I have never come across it until now - at the Alice in Wonderland-inspired Shoreditch cocktail bar Callooh Callay.
Make sure you pay a visit sooner rather than later however - before their supply of limited edition La Mauny 55 rum (from the AOC-regulated Martinique) runs out.
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Bloody Gazpacho
In a small pitcher stir together the following (ingredients are per person): 40ml vodka, 100ml gazpacho, 1 tsp horseradish cream, a few drops Worcestershire sauce, a few drops Tabasco (I prefer Sriracha), a pinch of Japanese pepper (Sansyo), a squeeze of lemon, and a few drops of celery bitters (for instance Bitter Truth). Pour into a tumbler filled with ice and garnish with a slice of tomato and a pimiento olive.
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Apple Mojito
In a tumbler place half a lime quartered, 6 mint leaves, 1 tbs brown sugar, and a splash of white rum. Muddle together till the flavours are well blended. Now fill with ice cubes (or crushed ice), pour over 50ml dark rum and using a long spoon stir vigorously. Top with pressed apple juice and garnish with a sprig of mint or slice of apple.
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Authentic Roman pizza slices comes to Smithfields
Though from a distance I wasn’t really convinced by the pizza slices at new lunchtime joint Pixxa on the move (and at just under £5, slightly pricey) I was more than pleasantly surprised by the dense chewy flavours in the pizza base and the richness of the toppings (in this case roasted aubergine, italian cheeses and chopped truffles in olive oil).
Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area (and they deliver locally too).
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Moorish culinary adventures in Exmouth Market
Moro restaurant in Exmouth Market London is still amongst my top-rated, most highly recommended restaurants - ever. It’s now been around for quite a few years, yet still seems as new and exciting today as it did when it first opened its doors to huge acclaim.
Between the complex mix of North African and Andalucian flavours, the freshness of the ingredients (they make a beautiful vegetarian mezze plate) and their incredible use of the wood-burning oven (fabulously dense and chewy bread, smoky roast lamb, etc.) - there is certainly something for everyone.
Oh, and do try and give them a call ahead of time rather than rocking up at the door - this place is constantly heaving (even on a Monday when half the city has disappeared on school holidays).
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ALBION >
Raspberry Hound Cocktail - a variation on the classic Bloodhound
Place a handful of raspberries in a cocktail shaker, and using the back of a spoon (or a muddler) squash the raspberries. Now add 25ml sweet vermouth, 25ml dry vermouth, 75ml Plymouth gin and fill with ice. Shake well, and double-strain into two chilled martini glasses.
Optional: for a slightly sweeter version add a spoonful of pomegranate molasses.
