Slutty Salad #1 Zucchini & Fennel with Walnut Dressing

Its hot. Make this in five and get out of the kitchen on to the terrace.

All you need for a great salad is a fabulous dressing and some super fresh veggies and leaves. Here its zucchini cut thin and left raw (you could char grill them but the crunch of the raw ones works well with this dressing), fennel and some onions cut paper thin too. Parsley and walnuts scattered over ensure its not too pale and uninteresting and there is plenty of chlorophyll. All that remains is to reach for a bottle of something very cold..best done if you can restrain yourself …after using the sharp knives on the veggies. I’m just saying…some of us are more accident prone than others 🙂 although having said that I’ve broken more bones than cut myself in the kitchen …as a totally irrelevant tidbit. Eat this with some good cheese (calcium for dem bones) and fresh bread for a complete meal in minutes.

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Mellow Yellow Gazpacho

Superfood smoothies

Of course the Spanish have been making turbo charged superfood smoothies for centuries, its just that classic Gazpacho made in summer from sun ripened vegetables in sleepy Andalucian villages seems less headline grabbing than kale, spirulina and avocado smoothies made by people practicing yoga poses before breakfast in California. I joke of course……I love my kale smoothies……

“Gazpacho is indeed one of “the” dishes of summer. On a sweltering day in those whitewashed hilltop towns sipping a glass of this salady gloop saves a great deal of energy. No need to sweat cutting up a salad and chewing through vegetables and your other hand is free to hold a glass of something very cold indeed – preferably a Manzanilla or Fino. If those delectable drinks are not to hand then because a good gazpacho is fairly sweet (and don’t please even think about making this recipe with anything other than over ripe probably splitting in their skins sun ripened tomatoes) then a fruity ripe white or rosé is best. I’ve been enjoying with the Catleya Rosé and the Caloian White (yes) Zinfandel.

In this “mellow yellow” version the tomatoes used are yellow ones which makes for a showstopper iridescent blast of colour whether you serve in regular serving sizes (I like to serve in wine glasses or nice tumblers with a drizzle of something on top) or as pictured here in little shot glasses with a blob of pesto in the centre for a party. This is one of those recipes where the quantities are for guidance. If you see good things in the market that are screaming at you “we are ripe” then scoop them up and use them! Your gazpacho will taste infinitely better than following recipe quantities slavishly with not quite ripe ingredients.

You Are What You Eat

Tomatoes contain all four major carotenoids: alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene which apparently are even better for you in a group than individually. They contain inordinate amounts of the king of carotenoids “lycopene”thought to have the highest antioxidant activity of all. So far so good… add to this mix the raw onions and you can weep for joy because those tear jerking sulphur compounds ensure that your blood clots less easily and contains less cholesterol and triglycerides. The olive oil and all that oleic acid just further makes this a shot of something very very good indeed.

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Roast Butternut Squash & Sage risotto

a tale of two textures

I’m slightly in awe of the schizoid nature of pumpkins and butternut squash and how they show their sweet and savoury personas off. Here we also have two states of being: the grated pumpkin becomes creamy with the rice and the roast pumpkin cubes remain firmer and add a caramelised crunch.

In Autumn pumpkins are plentiful and cheap so no excuse not to buy one, cut it in half and slow roast it before deciding what to do with the flesh. This intensifies the flavour plus makes it easier to manage cutting the flesh. The flesh becomes seductively silky when pureed whether in a sweet pumpkin pie (I make mine with crushed coriander seeds and lemon zest) or a warming soup (perhaps a classic with orange version or a Thai inspired lemongrass, coconut and ginger number).

This refreshing bright and light risotto is a celebration of Autumn and the seasons turning and a perfect example of a main course where you just dont notice there is no meat. If you are in a rush you can skip the roast cubed pumpkin addition but it does elevate the dish.

You Are What You Eat

Pumpkin is a Beta Carotene powerhouse. Beta Carotene is a pigment the body converts into vitamin A. It is a powerful antioxidant that has been celebrated for its possible ability to fight cancer. It’s thought to play a role protecting cells, boosting the immune system, and helping to keep the reproductive system healthy. However don’t overdo it – I knew somebody who went on an obsessive carrot based diet and became the colour of a bad spray tan job. Sage and in particular sage tea has been used in folk medicine for centuries. Sage contains the anti inflammatory phenolic acid, also found in Rosemary “rosmarinic acid” and among its many properties is said to enhance memory. I have to say I’ve always found Sage tea a tad strong but being on the weaker end of the short term memory spectrum I probably should drink a cup every morning!

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