Cooling foods to beat the heat
When it feels too hot to eat, let alone cook, hit refresh with two chilled out Mediterranean classics, writes Nicola Galloway.
With two previously hot summers I had unrealistic expectations for my tomatoes this season. As the cool and wet December progressed, my tomato plants were painstakingly slow to grow and I knew my hope for fresh tomatoes before the new year was becoming a distant dream.
Thankfully, with the warmer days of January, the first tomatoes and cucumbers are now ready to harvest. Fresh, still warm, tomatoes from the vine are a completely different eating experience than the hothouse tomatoes we see in stores year round. They are sweet and fleshy and lend themselves perfectly to be thickly sliced on toast with a pinch of salt and twist of cracked pepper.
Then, as the ripe tomatoes start to line up on the windowsill (they lose their vibrancy and sweet flavour if kept in the fridge) I begin to use them in meals. Summer favourites are Greek salad to reminisce of distant travels, and a summer-in-a-bowl gazpacho.
Grilled capsicum gazpacho with avocado ‘croutons’
This soup is deliciously cooling on a hot summer’s day. The grilled red capsicum adds depth of flavour to complement the sweet vine-ripened tomatoes, all nicely balanced with a shot of sherry vinegar. I like to add a fresh twist with cubes of creamy avocado ‘‘croutons’’. Divine!
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves 4 as a light soup
Gazpacho 1 red capsicum, halved and seeds removed cup olive oil + extra for drizzling 1 slice of white bread – can use gluten-free 4-6 vine-ripened tomatoes, about 500g large telegraph cucumber, peeled red onion Small handful basil leaves 2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar tsp salt Fresh cracked pepper to taste Avocado ‘‘croutons’’ 1 avocado, cut into cubes Lemon juice
Prepare the capsicum ahead of time so it can cool before adding to the soup (or skip this step and use raw capsicum). Heat a heavy-based fry pan over a moderate heat. Drizzle the capsicum with olive oil and place, skin side down, in the hot pan. Cook for 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally until the skin is nicely charred. Transfer the capsicum to a bowl and cover with a plate to sweat and release the skin. Once cool, peel off the skin and roughly chop.
Cut the bread into cubes and place into a food processor. Blitz into coarse breadcrumbs. Roughly chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onion and add to the food processor along with the grilled capsicum, cup olive oil, basil, vinegar and seasoning. Blend until smooth.
Check taste, adjusting the flavour with extra vinegar, salt and/or cracked pepper if needed. Pour into a jug, cover, and chill for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.
When ready to serve, prepare the avocado ‘‘croutons’’. Place the cubed avocado into a small bowl and drizzle with a little lemon juice. Pour the soup into chilled bowls, spoon over the avocado and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.
Greek island salad
Whenever I make this salad I am transported back to the beautiful Greek island of Paros which I visited 12 years ago. When eating out we would always order a Greek salad to share and every time it was presented in the exact same way. Sweet tomatoes, cool cucumber, pungent red onion and salty olives, topped with a thick slab of feta and a generous sprinkle of fragrant Greek oregano.
Preparation time: 15 minutes Serves 4 as a side
400g selection of vine-ripened tomatoes 2 Lebanese cucumbers red onion cup kalamata olives
2 tbsp olive oil
120g Greek-style or goat feta
1 tsp dried oregano
Prepare the fresh produce by cutting into bite-sized pieces. Place into a shallow bowl, scatter over the olives and drizzle with olive oil. Add the feta – either as a few large slabs or chop into cubes if preferred –and scatter with the dried oregano.
Serve immediately – breaking off chunks of feta for each person.