Bruschetta is an Italian dish, whose origin dates to as early as the 15th century. In its simplest form it consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. There are innumerable variations, although tomato, basil and mozzarella is a favourite and probably the best known topping. I…
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Summer tomato pasta
This tomato pasta is a little bit unusual in that the tomatoes are not cooked but rely on the fresh, hot pasta to warm them and release their flavour. It is a wonderfully fresh and light dish and the combination of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil is a winning one. It’s perfect for Sunday…
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Peach, avocado and persian feta salad
Summer for me means many things – hot, humid days, thunderstorms, swimming in the pool, holidays with my family, playing canasta and listening to great jazz, reading novels, walking on the beach. And summer food is a big part of what I love about this time of year. There’s so many beautiful fruits and vegetables…
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Zucchini and mint salad – summer on a plate
Zucchini is a humble vegetable, and often overlooked because it is so easy to overcook it to a watery, mushy mess that tastes pretty blah. But, char-grilled on a griddle pan, tossed in a little olive oil, and then spiced up with chilli, loads of fresh mint, lemon zest and soft oozy feta cheese and…
Read MoreChar grilled asparagus with herbs
Spring and early summer is my favourite time of year, and fresh asapragus is one of the reasons why this is so. There is nothing so delicious as fresh asparagus (particularly if your childhood experiences of this vegetable involved a can opener, white bread and a toothpick) and this way of preparing it is spectacular.…
Read MoreCranberry and wild rice salad
This is a delicious salad and a staple at our place at Christmas time. It’s very colourful and full of contrasting textures and flavours. The nutty wild rice and the perfumed basmati rice are complemented perfectly by the crunch of almonds, the sweet chewiness of cranberries and the sharp, bright flavours of orange, ginger and…
Read MoreTomato and bocconcini salad with beautiful basil dressing
Summer is the absolute best time to eat tomatoes and basil and I think I have a little bit of a food crush on them. This salad uses both; fresh tomatoes and a basil dressing which is both sweet and sharp. The addition of little soft and squishy bocconcini takes it to another…
Read MoreWarm bean salad with proscuitto and herbs
The flavours in this warm salad – garlic, basil, onion, proscuitto and a kiss of chilli are absolute winners with the creamy cannelini beans. With some simply grilled meat, a fresh green salad and jacket potatoes, you have a complete meal that’s delicious, healthy, and has a wonderful mix of contrasting textures and flavours. Serves…
Read MoreButter beans with pine nuts and lemon
I was inspired to create this recipe to bring out the gorgeous flavours of butter beans by the bumper crop from my vegetable patch this year. Butter beans are similar to green beans and not to be confused with the equally delicious but quite different broad beans. They have a slightly sweeter flavour and I…
Read MoreSpiced carrot dip
My father-in-law ate carrots under sufferance and to tease him I used to suggest all sorts of carrot based recipes for me to cook and him to eat. He never tried this spicy dip, but I like to think that if I hadn’t told him that it was made with carrots, he would have loved…
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Simple food 