Squid curling and charring on the griddle. The scent of tomato stems on my fingertips. A jam jar of fresh mint by the kitchen sink. Peas so sweet and young I’m cooking them whole, pod and all.
The squid ends up with a dressing of sweet vinegar and lemon with the tomatoes, a clove or two of garlic and some shredded oregano – a herb that only comes out with the garden table.
There have been artichokes in the kitchen this week, too. They were small ones, the size of a hen’s egg, which I sliced in half, cooked in boiling water with bay leaves and lemon, then browned in the oven. We tore them apart and used the leaves and the short, tender stems to mop up melted goat’s curd from our plates.
It has been a week of welcome sun and my food has celebrated it. There has been whitebait fried crisp and served with a bowl of garlic mayonnaise; and a plate of watermelon, salted ricotta and San Daniele ham. We had tomatoes that were blackened in the oven to eat with goat’s cheese; and watercress, the leaves no bigger than a little fingernail, tossed with shredded fennel and lemon and Dijon mustard dressing. I grilled lettuce hearts with rice vinegar, honey and torn strips of speck, and made a burrata with peas. All this and some asparagus with crème fraîche.
The long and changeable spring has slowly given way to an early summer that begs for every meal to be eaten outside. “Quick, before it changes its mind,” I say to myself. Hence a week that has involved a series of plates whose contents can be eaten warm or cool, rather than blisteringly hot.
A relaxed “summer’s here” mood has entered the kitchen.
Squid and tomato
It is worth getting the griddle really hot to cook the squid, as it only needs seconds on the heat, which removes the risk of the flesh toughening.
Serves 2
banana shallots 2, medium
lemons 2
sherry vinegar 2 tbsp
white-wine vinegar 1 tbsp
squid 500g, prepared and cleaned
olive oil 100ml
bay leaves 2
oregano leaves 2 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves
tomatoes 5
Peel the shallots then slice finely. Put the shallots in a bowl with the vinegars and the juice of one of the lemons. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Remove the tentacles from the squid and set aside. Slice the body sacs open down their length, remove any yucky bits from inside, then rinse in running water and dry on kitchen paper.
Cut the squid into large pieces, about three or four to each body sack. Put the squid and its tentacles into a mixing bowl then add the olive oil, the juice of one of the lemons, the bay and oregano leaves and a grinding of black pepper. Peel and squash the garlic cloves and tuck them in. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Get a griddle pan hot. Thickly slice the tomatoes into rounds and place in a large mixing bowl. Remove the pieces of squid from their marinade, dry briefly on kitchen paper then cook on the hot griddle for a minute on each side, until the flesh is opaque and lightly browned here and there.
Remove the squid from the griddle then add to the tomatoes. Add some of the shallots (you may not need them all) to the dish and toss gently together.
Warm some of the squid marinade in a small pan, or in the griddle pan if it is deep enough, and pour over the salad and serve.
Artichokes, peas in the pod and goat’s curd
You will need young artichokes for this – the smaller the better. Having tried several methods over the years I feel it is worth a few minutes of our time to boil them before frying. Young artichokes will have very little “choke” – the inedible tickly fibres at the heart of the vegetable. If you find any when you cut them in half, tease them out with a teaspoon and discard.
Serves 2
artichokes 4, young ones
lemon 1
black peppercorns 8
bay leaves
olive oil 3 tbsp
young peas in pod (or sugar snaps) 200g
thyme sprigs 8
goat’s curd 150g
Put a large, deep pan of water on to boil with half a lemon, the black peppercorns and bay leaves. Trim the artichokes, pulling away the largest, tougher leaves from the outside, then trim a couple of centimetres from the top of the more tender inner leaves. Remove the tougher, lower ends of the stems. Then cut each artichoke in half lengthways.
Boil the artichokes for about 10 minutes then drain them. Warm the olive oil in a shallow pan then add the artichokes and season with a little salt, pepper and the thyme. Leave the artichokes to cook over a moderate heat until golden, turning once the undersides are golden brown. Meanwhile cook the peas in their pods in boiling, lightly salted water for about 4 minutes until tender. Transfer the artichokes from their pan to a serving dish.
Squeeze a little lemon juice into the pan and season with black pepper. Put the goat’s curd into the pan and warm gently over a moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Spoon the warm curd over the artichokes and peas.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater
