Silky sweetcorn soup with herb salsa (pictured above)
Prep/macerate 55 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 6-8
8-10 ears sweetcorn, husks, stalks and silk removed
115g butter
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
Salt
For the salsa
3 tbsp finely diced shallot (about 1 medium shallot)
3 tbsp lime juice
10g very finely chopped coriander leaves, and any tender stems
1 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
2 tbsp very finely chopped spring onions (green and white parts)
55ml neutrally flavoured oil
Separate the kernels from the cob: slide a sharp serrated knife or chef’s knife down the cob to cut off two or three rows of kernels at a time. Get as close to the cob as you can, and resist the temptation to cut off more rows at once — that’ll leave behind lots of precious corn. Save the cobs.
Make a corn cob stock: cover the cobs with two litres of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the cobs. Set the stock aside.
Melt the butter in another pan on a medium heat, add the onions and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are completely soft and translucent – about 20 minutes; don’t let them brown. If you notice the onions starting to brown, add a splash of water.
As soon as the onions are tender, add the corn and saute on a medium-high heat, until the corn turns a brighter shade of yellow – three to four minutes.
Add just enough stock to cover everything (save the rest of the stock in case you need to thin out the soup later). Taste and adjust seasoning, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. If you have an immersion blender, use it to carefully blend the soup until it is puréed. If you don’t have one, work carefully and quickly to puree it in batches in a blender or food processor. For a very silky texture, strain the soup one last time through a fine-mesh sieve. Taste for salt, sweetness and acid balance. If the soup is very flatly sweet, a tiny bit of white wine vinegar or lime juice can help balance it out.
Make the salsa; in a small bowl, mix the shallot and lime juice and set aside for 15 minutes to macerate. In another small bowl, combine the other ingredients and a generous pinch of salt.
Just before serving, use a slotted spoon to add the shallot (but not the lime juice, yet) to the herb oil. Stir, taste, and add lime juice and salt as needed.
Serve hot or cold in bowls with the salsa spooned on top. Cover and refrigerate any leftover salsa for up to three days.
Creamy broad bean and mint pasta
Prep 15 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4-6
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
Salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
450ml double cream
450g fettuccine or penne
450g shelled and peeled broad beans (about 1.75kg in their pods)
85g grated parmesan
10g chopped mint leaves
Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and a generous pinch of salt.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender – about 12 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook gently until it starts to give off an aroma – about 20 seconds. Before the garlic begins to take on any colour, add the double cream and simmer until reduced by half – about 25 minutes.
When the cream is nearly ready, cook the pasta until nearly al dente. A minute before the pasta is ready, add the broad beans. When the pasta is al dente and the beans barely cooked, drain, reserving 225ml of the pasta cooking water.
Add the pasta and beans to the cream pan, and toss with the parmesan, mint and some freshly ground black pepper. Add a little pasta cooking water, if needed, to loosen the sauce and achieve a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be, and serve immediately.
Grilled artichokes
Prep 30 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 6
6 artichokes (or 18 baby artichokes), dark outer and inner purple leaves removed, woody stem cut away to leave only yellow and green leaves
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Set a large pot of water on to boil over a high heat. Fire up a charcoal barbecue, or heat a gas grill. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
Remove the tough, dark outer leaves from the artichokes until the remaining leaves are half yellow, half light green. Cut away the woodiest part of the stem end and the top 4cm of every artichoke. If there are any purple inner leaves, cut them out, too. You may need to remove more in order to cut away everything fibrous. It might seem like you’re trimming a lot, but remove more than you think you should, because the last thing you want is to bite into a fibrous or bitter bite at the table. Use a sharp paring knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer peel on the stem and at the base of the heart, until you reach the pale yellow inner layers. As you clean each artichoke, put them in a bowl of water with the vinegar, which will help keep them from oxidising, which makes them turn brown..
Cut the artichokes in half, then, using a teaspoon, carefully scoop out the choke, (the fuzzy centre), and return the artichokes to the acidulated water.
Once the water has come to a boil, season it generously until it’s as salty as the sea. Put the artichokes in the water and reduce the heat so the water stays at a rapid simmer. Cook the artichokes until they are just tender when pierced with a sharp knife – about five minutes for baby artichokes and 14 minutes for large ones.
Using a strainer, carefully remove them from the water, then put them on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt. Put cut side down on the grill over a medium-high heat. Don’t move them until they begin to brown, then rotate and cook until both sides are evenly brown – about three to four minutes a side.
Remove from the grill and serve hot or at room temperature, drizzled with some mint salsa verde or aioli.
Green goddess dressing
Prep 20 min
Makes 450ml
3 salt-packed anchovies (or 6 fillets), soaked and filleted
1 ripe, medium avocado, halved and pitted
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
4 tsp red-wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice, plus 2 tsp extra
2 tbsp each finely chopped parsley and coriander
1 tbsp each finely chopped chives and chervil
1 tsp finely chopped tarragon
125ml stiff mayonnaise
Salt
Coarsely chop the anchovies, then pound them into a fine paste in a mortar. The more you break them down, the better the dressing will be.
Put the anchovies, avocado, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, herbs and mayonnaise in a blender or food processor with a generous pinch of salt, and blend until creamy, thick and smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and acid as needed.
Leave the green goddess thick to use as a dip, or thin with water to your desired consistency for a salad dressing.
Serve with romaine, iceberg wedges, little gem lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, radicchio, or with grilled fish or roast chicken, dipping crudités and with an avocado salad. Leftovers will keep, covered in the fridge, for up to three days.
